Each year in Melbourne, there is an annual event called Open House Melbourne, which opens hundreds of buildings for visitors to visit for free. One special thing about Open House is that some buildings are normally not open for general public. This year, I got the chance to visit some of their highlights.


The first place I visited on OHM morning was the Russell Place Substation, which is one of
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Are Cycling Sunglasses Really Necessary?
There are many interesting games that you can be easily thrilled and stay excited. With the different strategies your favorite playing team is employing or employing inside their game, you will possess many applying for grants who will appear in the end victorious. The unexpected outcomes as well as in every move that your favorite team is utilizing, you
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Last year my Wish List apples were a big hit!  I had many parents leaving Open House with an apple that had an item to donate to our classroom.  This year I decided to spruce up my Wish List Apple idea!  Instead of just laying the apples out on the table, I took my Wish List Apples and transformed them into a Wish List Apple Tree!  The best part of the Apple Tree was it cost me nothing to make it!!  I just used an old pot that I had stuffed in a closet, sticks I found in the neighborhood park, and old flower arrangement Styrofoam and moss.  I hole punched each apple and hung them on the tree!  Now my parents can pick the item they would like to donate off of the tree!

 

Click HERE to download my Wish List Apples from my TpT Store!

...

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So spending a few nights or maybe even more in one of the cheap hotels in Cornwall is a really good idea. Yet, if there are those who rather view history, there are museums and churches to visit as well. The adventure playground is perfect for those children who wish to run around and enjoy the swings to exhaust their extra energy. Aside from the luxurious first class treatment you and your
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This take on the Standard Grill’s famous “Million Dollar Chicken,” showed me once again that so many of life’s great culinary pleasures happen when you least expect them. I saw this recipe featured on TV recently, and chose to try it for two main reasons: one, it’s slathered in crème fraiche; and two, it’s roasted over caramelized, chicken drippings-soaked bread.

I know, we had you at “slathered in crème fraiche,” but it was the bread that I was really looking forward to when I pulled this out of the oven, which is why I was so bummed when I thought I'd ruined it. Since I got greedy and used an extra slice of bread, and also used a larger roasting pan, the bread cooked to what would generously be referred to as “golden-black.”

Several times during the glazing at the end, I contemplated tossing them out and simply making a joke about it during the narration, but I’m SO glad I didn’t. I can’t explain why, but not only didn’t it taste like burnt toast, it truly tasted fantastic. For purely aesthetic reasons, I’ll encourage you to use a smaller roasting pan, which will better insulate the edges of the bread, but I wasn’t exaggerating when I described just how great it really was. I promised to stop using the word “unctuous,” but it actually seems appropriate here.

It was so saturated with chicken fat, caramelized juices, and crème fraiche, that the bitterness from the darkest parts of the bread seemed to balance the richness somehow. The point is, if mine was good this dark, one shade lighter should get you even closer to million dollar chicken nirvana. I hope you give this “rich” combo a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

4 1/2 pound whole chicken

salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic (original recipe calls for adding a few cloves of garlic in the cavity with the herbs and lemon - I didn't, since I had included garlic in the last twelve things I'd eaten, and was taking a break, but feel free to add!)

olive oil, as needed

3 thick slices day-old French bread (I used sourdough)

For creme fraiche glaze:

1 cup creme fraiche

1 zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon grated shallot puree

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

- Cook at 450 degrees F. for one hour, then glaze, cook for 10 minutes, and repeat until chicken is done. (Note: If you use a different size chicken, you’ll obviously need to adjust your times. Cook until internal temp in thickest part of thigh is 165 degrees F.)
- The original recipe from the Standard Grill in NYC calls for finishing with Maldon sea salt. I didn't, but that always a nice option.

View the complete recipe

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by Salman Hameed

I'm certainly entertained by the idea of a burqa (or burka) as a superhero cape. This was bound to happen. Already in Pakistan, I had heard of the "ninja-burqa". So here comes this new animated series in Urdu, Burka Avenger. I think it is a fantastic idea and, in it, there is an interesting secularizing of the burqa: the teacher doesn't take the burqa for religious reasons, but rather to beat-up the bad guys (not to mention that he bad guys seem to have at least similarities with the Taliban and their position regarding female education). Oh well, here is a trailer in English (the series is in Urdu):


Burka Avenger Trailer from Aaron Haroon Rashid on Vimeo.

Of course, there is also a precedence of Muslim superheroes in the series The 99 (see earlier post, Sharia-compliant superheroes). But Burka Avenger comes with its own Pakistani flavor. Here is a brief description of the key plot lines and a good sense of humor in the show:

The series is set in Halwapur, a fictional town nestled in the soaring mountains and verdant valleys of northern Pakistan. The Burka Avenger's true identity is Jiya, whose adopted father, Kabbadi Jan, taught her the karate moves she uses to defeat her enemies. When not garbed as her alter ego, Jiya does not wear a burka, or even a less conservative headscarf over her hair. 

The main bad guys are Vadero Pajero, a balding, corrupt politician who wears a dollar sign-shaped gold medallion around his neck, and Baba Bandook, an evil magician with a bushy black beard and mustache who is meant to resemble a Taliban commander. 

Caught in the middle are the show's main child characters: Ashu and her twin brother Immu and their best friend Mooli, who loves nothing more than munching on radishes in the company of his pet goat, Golu. 

In the first episode, Pajero wants to shut down the girls' school in Halwapur so he can pocket the money that a charity gave him to run it. He finds a willing accomplice in Bandook, whose beliefs echo those of the Taliban and many other men in conservative, Islamic Pakistan. 

"What business do women have with education?" says Bandook. "They should stay at home, washing, scrubbing and cleaning, toiling in the kitchen."
Bandook padlocks the gate of the school and orders the crowd of young girls outside to leave. Ashu steps forward to resist and delivers a defiant speech about the importance of girls' education – perhaps marking her as a future activist. 

"The girls of today are the mothers of tomorrow," says Ashu. "If the mothers are not educated, then future generations will also remain illiterate." 

Bandook is unmoved, but the Burka Avenger appears and fights off the magician's henchmen with martial arts moves reminiscent of the movie The Matrix. Using his magical powers, Bandook disappears in a puff of smoke. The Burka Avenger hurls a flying pen that breaks open the padlock on the school's gate as the children cheer. 

The show, which is slickly animated using high-powered computer graphics, does a good job of mixing scenes that will entertain children with those that even adults will find laugh-out-loud funny. 

In one episode, Bandook builds a robot to take over the world's major cities, including London, New York and Paris. As he outlines his dastardly plan with a deep, evil laugh, one of his minions butts in and says, "But how will we get visas to go to all those places?" – a reference to how difficult it can be for Pakistanis to travel, given their country's reputation.

And while we are on the subject of mixing religious garbs with entertainment, here is a highly entertaining tutorial video of how to make a Princess Leia Hijab:

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English Books Review,Journal Of Book Reviews,Book Review Journals - WebmastersSearch by Author, Title or ContentArticle ContentAuthor NameArticle TitleHomeSubmit ArticlesAuthor GuidelinesPublisher GuidelinesContent FeedsRSS FeedsFAQContact Us English Books Review,Journal Of Book Reviews,Book Review Journals   by Alissa Speedin Webmasters    (submitted 2013-07-26)The following map will help you
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Where to Buy Your 2010 World Cup Soccer Jerseys When a lot of people hear the term "parkour", they immediately imagine a scene from an action movie and they think that it's inherently dangerous and not for them. This could stop further from the truth. People are most often "afraid" to get involved with parkour the same manner they are afraid to buy any extreme sport, including rock climbing or
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Well, there is alot of discussions on Internet about Free Web Hosting.Is it worth anything or not. I am not the smartest guy around, so now I decided to write about it and say something new, I am only using the privilege to express my own opinion. 

If there is anything, not just Web Hosting offers, that comes in a huge number, it is absolutely logical, that there's gonna be a lot of good and
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Why You Should Use Whey Protein Powders Soccer is easily the most popular recreational sport among girls and boys in America. Professional soccer can also be becoming more popular throughout the last decade. For these two reasons, it is very important understand the sport and the soccer positions for the field to ensure everyone can follow along. Both teams have eleven players for the field that
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Info Mudik 2013: Himbauan Untuk Tidak Mudik Malam Hari Bagi Pengguna Motor - Masih mengenai mudik lebaran, kali ini ada informasi yang cukup penting bagi para calon pemudik, khususnya bagi calon pemudik yang berencana mudik menggunakan sepeda motor. Wakil Menteri Perhubunngan memberikan himbauan bagi para calon pemudik yang menggunakan sepeda motor agar tidak melakukan perjalanan mudik pada malam hari dengan alasan keamanan. Nah berikut informasi lebih lengkap yang saya kutip dari detik.com:

Karawang, - Wakil Menteri Perhubungan Bambang Susantono berharap pemudik yang menggunakan motor tidak melakukan perjalanan pada malam hari. Perjalanan di malam hari berbahaya.

"Mudah-mudahan tidak malam ya. Manakala cuaca ekstrem itu yang lebih berbahaya, jalanan juga licin," ujar Bambang ketika meninjau jalur mudik alternatif bagi pemotor di Karawang, Jawa Barat, Minggu (28/7/2013).

Bambang dan rombongan meninjau jalur mudik dari simpang Tanjungpura hingga berakhir di jembatan timbang Balonggandu di simpang Cikalong, Kabupaten Karawang. Wamenhub membonceng salah satu motor untuk meninjau jalan sepanjang 46 kilometer tersebut.

Rombongan Wamenhub tiba di awal titik peninjauan sekitar pukul 20.00 WIB. Dis ana sudah menunggu sekitar 70-an pemotor dari Dishub Karawang yang akan menemani rombongan. Kadishub Karawang Setiadarma ikut pula dalam rombongan.

Wamenhub yang membonceng motor CB150R putih bernopol G 5498 CT itu sempat berhenti di salah satu SPBU dan memberikan komentar tentang jalur alternatif. Dia berpendapat jalan di jalur tersebut sudah relatif bagus.

"Tidak ada lubang yang besar. Memang tidak mulus semua dan masih bergelombang. Tapi itu saya kira bisa diantisipasi oleh pemudik," tutur Bambang.

Dari pantauan detikcom, memang lubang-lubang sudah ditambal. Tampak warna aspal tambalan yang masih kontras dengan jalan yang sudah ada. Namun, masih banyak titik dimana penerangan jalan masih minim.

Selain itu, marka jalan yang minim juga menjadi perhatian. Hal ini bisa membahayakan pemudik sebab sebagian besar jalur berbatasan langsung dengan sawah di sisi kanan dan kiri.

Sumber: Detik.Com

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Long before David Beaty became associate Chief Scientist for NASA's Mars Program, he was a prospector. Beaty spent 10 years surveying remote parts of Earth for precious metals and another 12 years hunting for oil.And this qualifies him to work for NASA? Precisely.Beaty has the kind of experience NASA needs as the agency prepares to implement the Vision for Space Exploration. "Mining and
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This is such an easy and delicious recipe.  Í make this any time of the year but I've also made it for Thanksgiving before when I wasn't having enough people for a huge turkey.  It's one of those recipes that takes just a minute to throw together but tastes like you've been cooking for hours.   It is so simple to make. Just mix ingredients and dump over a turkey breast and pop in the oven. Done!

Ingredients:

1 (3-4 lb.)boneless turkey roast, with skin, tied in a roll
1 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 C. ketchup
3/4 C. water
1/4 C. oil
3 T. balsamic vinegar
3 T. soy sauce
1 small onion, diced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place turkey breast in a roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer in center of meat, if desired. Combine sugar, ketchup, water, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and onion; pour over turkey. Bake covered for 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 30- 40 minutes or until done (temp on thermometer should reach 170 degrees).
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WordPress, adalah salah satu blog engine gratisan diantara platform-platform gratis lainnya. Namun meskipun gratis, tidak seperti platform blogger (blogspot), pada platform WordPress tidak semua fitur bisa kita nikmati, salah satu contohnya adalah kita tidak bisa mengganti template bila kita berada pada layanan free/gratis, namun begitu WordPress tetap menyediakan template blog gratis yang
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It only happens once every couple years or so, but sometimes I’ll think of the name of a recipe before I actually have the recipe. This summery, hot wheels pasta is one such dish. Not sure how “hot wheels” popped into my brain, but pop it did, and the next thing I knew I was at the market buying a box of rotelle.

So the “wheels” part was easy, but what about the “hot?” Just as easy, thanks to an assortment of hot and sweet pepper rings. I used about two-thirds hot peppers to one-third sweet, but you’ll obviously adjust to your personal tolerance. The zucchini provided a nice balance, although this is the kind of pasta that will accept any and all other summer veggies.

Besides what to add, you also have a lot of flexibility when it comes to the final taste and texture. I tend to like my peppers and squash just barely tender for this, but if you cook the sauce a few extra minutes before adding the pasta, you will get a softer, sweeter sauce. My version was a little more bracing, with some bite left to it.

On the other hand, you could cook everything even less, and have what would basically be a hot pasta and vegetable salad. Regardless, no matter what you add, or how long you cook it, I hope you’ll be driven to try this great recipe soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 generous cups dry rotelle pasta

2 zucchini, sliced

2 to 3 cups of sliced pepper rings, seeded

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup green onion

1 anchovy filet

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups prepared tomato sauce (use a pinch of sugar if sauce needs it)

3/4 cup chicken stock

Italian parsley

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

View the complete recipe

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Info Harga Tiket Mudik Lebaran 2013 Bus Raya - Menyambung informasi sbelumnya mengenai Mudik Lebaran, tentu salah satu informasi yang mungkin banyak dicari oleh para calon pemudik adalah info harga tiket mudik lebaran 2013 tersebut. Baik harga tiket bus, tiket kereta api, pesawat terbang dan juga tiket kapal laut. Nah untuk kesempatan kali ini, Olah Warta akan berbagi informasi mengenai tiket untuk salah satu kendaraan darat yaitu Bus, dan lebih spesifik lagi adalah bus dari PO. Raya.

Info Harga Tiket Bus PO. Raya untuk tarif mudik 2013 ini diambil dari grup Raya Fans Community yang beralamatkan: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rayafanscommunity/
Bagi para penggemar bus Raya sendiri mungkin sudah tidak asing lagi dengan grup tersebut pastinya ya :D Dari informasi yang saya dapat dari grup tersebut ada 2 kali kenaikan tarif yang dimulai sejak tanggal 31 Juli 2013.

Nah biar tidak kelamaan berikut adalah info harga tiket mudik lebaran 2013 untuk PO. Raya:

- Harga Tiket Bus PO. Raya Kelas Non AC,
Tarif Reguler sebelum Tuslah = Rp. 130.000,-
Tanggal 31 Juli 2013 = Rp. 150.000,-
Tanggal 1 Agustus 2013 = Rp. 180.000,-
Tanggal 2 Agustus 2013 s/d ... = Rp. 240.000,-

- Harga Tiket Bus PO. Raya Kelas Junior Executive,
Tarif Reguler sebelum Tuslah = Rp. 150.000,-
Tanggal 31 Juli 2013 = Rp. 170.000,-
Tanggal 1 Agustus 2013 = Rp. 200.000,-
Tanggal 2 Agustus 2013 s/d ... = Rp. 290.000,-

- Harga Tiket Bus PO. Raya Kelas Exceutive 28,
Tarif Reguler sebelum Tuslah = Rp. 175.000,-
Tanggal 31 Juli 2013 = Rp. 195.000,-
Tanggal 1 Agustus 2013 = Rp. 225.000,-
Tanggal 2 Agustus 2013 s/d ... = Rp. 330.000,-

- Harga Tiket Bus PO. Raya Kelas Executive 24,
Tarif Reguler sebelum Tuslah = Rp. 200.000,-
Tanggal 31 Juli 2013 = Rp. 220.000,-
Tanggal 1 Agustus 2013 = Rp. 250.000,-
Tanggal 2 Agustus 2013 s/d ... = Rp. 350.000,-

- Harga Tiket Bus PO. Raya Kelas Super Top,
Tarif Reguler sebelum Tuslah = Rp. 230.000,-
Tanggal 31 Juli 2013 = Rp. 250.000,-
Tanggal 1 Agustus 2013 = Rp. 280.000,-
Tanggal 2 Agustus 2013 s/d ... = Rp. 400.000,-

Nah, gimana udah sipa buat milih armada yang mana nih buat mudik lebaran 2013 nanti? Informasi diatas juga dapat diliat melalui link gambar berikut: https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/73359_10201031177215222_979751382_n.jpg



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Info Penetapan 1 Syawal 1434 H dan Mudik 2013 - Mencoba mengisi kembali kekosongan blog olahwarta :D Terakhir nulis kalau pas awal Ramadhan kemarin, dan sampai sekarang belum ada tulisan lain lagi. Mohon maaf sekali karena blog olah warta masih belum dapat rutin menampilkan informasi-informasi Ramadhan terbaru. Sedang lumayan banyak kesibukan juga di offline, jadi yang online rada terbengkalai nih,hehe.

Ngomongin soal Puasa Ramadhan, ga berasa sudah memasuki pertengahan Ramadhan dan menjelang akhir Ramadhan 1434 H. Nah karena kemarin pas penetapan 1 Ramadhan 1434 H ternyata ada perbedaan antara pemerintah dan Muhammadiyah, maka penetapan Idul Fitri 1 Syawal 1434 H mendatang bukan tidak mungkin akan ada perbedaan pula. Seperti pernah diinformasikan pada tulisan sebelumnya, untuk Muhammadiyah sendiri telah menetapkan 1 Syawal 1343 H akan jatuh pada hari Kamis Wage, 8 Agustus 2013.

Nah, kalau sudah ngomongin 1 Syawal 1434 H atau lebih akrab dengan sebutan "Lebaran", pasti banyak warga yang tinggal di Ibukota Jakarta dan sekitarnya yang sudah bersiap-siap atau mulai mencari-cari informasi mudik 2013. Mulai dari mencari informasi ketersediaan dan harga tiket bus atau kereta juga tiket pesawat, dan info-info mudik lainnya.

Seperti kita ketahui bersama, sekarang ini eranya internet. Jadi rasanya info mudik 2013 yang para calon pemudik cari akan cukup mudah kita cari melalui internet, atau lebih spesifik lagi pasti sekarang ini hampir semua orang menggunakan social media seperti fb, twitter, dkk. Jadi rasanya para calon pemudik tak akan menemukan kesulitan berarti dalam mencari informasi mudik 2013.

Seperti contoh saja, bagi calon pemudik yang mungkin sedang mencari informasi tentang harga tiket mudik lebaran bus PO. xxx, dapat dengan mudah kita cari di facebook. Banyak sekali grup-grup mengenai armada dari berbagai Perusahaan Otobus di facebook. Tinggal request join, setelah tergabung tinggal cari infonya deh, kalau belum ada informasinya bisa langsung tanya ke anggota yang lain. Biasanya respon dari mereka cukup cepat sekali.

Begitu juga dengan informasi mudik 2013 lainnya, saya yakin akan sangat cepat terupdate di jejaring social fb dan twitter nantinya. Dan untuk sekarang, sekian dulu aja tulisannya, selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa Ramadhan buat semua yang menunaikan :-)
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Guest post by Lisa Regan and conference co-host Sarah Milstein.

The Lean Startup methodology has its roots in the tech sector, where companies need to iterate quickly in order to survive. But the methods have expanded into nearly every industry we can name. In fact, at last year’s Lean Startup conference we had speakers from a number other sectors, including government, transportation, education and public health. They demonstrated the ways that testing and measuring could help many industries build truly useful, successful products and services. At this year’s conference—for which a new batch of discounted tickets has just gone on sale—the conversation continues with additional industries and a deeper focus on exactly how Lean Startup works in other sectors. For those of you who couldn’t attend last year, we wanted to point out a few talks from 2012 that we’ll be building on this December.

Could anything be less like a startup than the federal government? Todd Park, the nation’s Chief Technology Officer, cheerfully admitted as much when he spoke at Lean Startup last year. But, as he also said, “Projects within [government] often are.” Park helps the federal government in “harnessing the power of Lean Startup mojo to better serve the American people.” He described a dizzying array of initiatives in a range of fields—health, energy, education, public safety, finance and non-profits. Here's just one example. The FDA hosts Innovation Pathway 2.0, a program offering streamlined processes for evaluating and approving potentially revolutionary medical solutions. Companies that create devices can see these rapidly pressure-tested, cutting the length of clinical trials and shortening products' time to market (as well as cutting failing ideas faster). Specific challenges help fuel this effort, for instance a call to address end-stage renal disease that put an artificial kidney into testing. Park’s mission: help slow-moving government learn to more quickly pivot toward what works.

Of course, MVPs and prototyping, which Park mentioned in that last example, can be key Lean Startup tools, and last year we heard from two speakers who used it to find success in areas far from tech. Danny Kim of Lit Motors invented an appealing little vehicle that has, as he says, “the romance and efficiency of a motorcycle with the safety and efficiency of a car.” It essentially cuts the car in half, leaving just the part the driver sits in (plus a really cool set of wheels). The idea is for something sustainable and affordable—“the same thing the Model-T did,” as he puts it. Jumping into mass production of something as complex as an automobile is incredibly difficult, so he started by testing out a showroom before he built the cars. When he found that nearly 16% of people who walked into this simulated showroom were ready to put down money on the spot, he had demonstrated enough marketability to start hand-building the vehicles for individual sale. He sold out of machines before even getting Series A funding.

You can MVP just about anything, as we learned from Jocelyn Wyatt of IDEO.org. She is working toward affordable waste removal in Kumasi, Ghana, a city of 2.5 million where 72% of people do not have in-home toilets. Wyatt’s organization iterated through a series of MVPs to find a toilet that functioned like a camping unit – durable, and requiring no sewage system — but that people would be willing to use. And once IDEO had the units, they also prototyped a system of service operators to empty them. They even prototyped and tested a brand name and logo that reflected not what they thought the locals would want, but what Ghanaians actually chose (see the video for the surprising differences). The result: IDEO is scaling from 150 toilets to 10,000 over two years.

Last example—education, where Lean Startup methods give “testing” a whole new meaning. As Diane Tavenner at Summit Public Schools, a group of charter schools in the Bay Area, told us last year, “The typical public school is the opposite of lean or startup—it’s guaranteed customers and guaranteed revenue, even when you’re losing your customers.” But by testing the school’s methods, rather than just the students, she is changing that, starting with a math curriculum with one major principle: self-design. Her team created a math guide with a range of materials—online courses and assignments, playlists of materials, games, in-person lectures—and invited students to learn at their own pace. Students determine what they’re ready to be tested on, and when. The teachers and administrators collect data and meet to discuss it daily, and they respond in weekly cycles, testing different solutions to see what works. They’re aiming at 100% graduation rates for their students from 4-year colleges; as it is, 100% of their students already become eligible for college, against a California average of 24%. To find out about how Summit’s “tutoring bar” replaced lectures, check out her 2012 talk:

Some of last year’s speakers will be returning to The Lean Startup Conference this December with more nuanced insights to share. We’re also bringing in additional speakers from these sectors and from sectors new to the conference, including US healthcare, bioscience, traditional automobile manufacturing (where lean principles got their start) and more. If there’s a particular industry you want to see included, let us know in the comments. Meantime, as you may recall, we sell discounted conference tickets in batches; when one batch sells out, the price goes up. We’ve just opened up a new batch today, and we look forward to seeing you in December.
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To read the content of this post, please click on the link below to visit Melissa's new blog:

http://www.inspiremeasap.blogspot.com/2013/07/throwback-thursday-reading-workshop.html



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Did you know that July was National Blueberry Month? Unless you happen to work for the blueberry industry, or food blog for a living, you probably didn’t. So, what happens with blueberries this month, that doesn’t happen in June or August?

Not much, as far as I can tell, but it does give people like me an excuse to re-post a video like this “Too Many” Blueberry Muffins recipe. If you’d like to read the full post, and get the ingredients, just follow this link. Enjoy!

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This week, I have singing time and sharing time all to myself, so I'm going back to one of the Primary Chorister review staples:  SINGO!

The printables are available in MS Word for both American and European paper sizes and in 4x4 and 5x5 formats.  Those links are at the bottom of this post.  Tips and ideas for using them are below.  

*************************************

1.  The documents include both the 4x4 and 5x5 formats.  Decide which you want to use and delete the other set first.  Then choose the 16 or 25 pictures you want to use and delete the others.  I'll be doing mostly program review, with a few wiggle songs thrown in.  

2.  The songs associated with each picture can be found here.  Or feel free to make up your own.  I've also added Joseph Smith praying, missionaries, and Christ's hands, which you can use for songs with those subjects.  There is also a blank square where you can write in the name of a song that I haven't drawn yet.

3.  Once you have the pictures narrowed down, you can create the cards in one of two ways

• Copy and paste the entire document once for each child you have in primary.  I expect 25 or fewer children this week, so I copied and pasted 25 times.  Then drag and drop the pictures on each page into different configurations.  This creates 25 pages of unique SINGO cards, which I can just print and use.
• or, Delete the word "SINGO," then print a page of just the pictures for each child.  Have the children cut out each picture and paste it onto a blank piece of paper to create their own unique SINGO card.  

4.  Have the children color and/or assemble their SINGO cards.  Don't waste this time!  My primary hasn't learned the August song yet, so I will play it on a loop while they are coloring.  By the time they are done, they'll almost know the song.

5.  Color and cut out one extra set of pictures for yourself.  Write the name and page number of the song you wish to sing on the back of each one.  During play, you will draw these from a bowl.  Use them to show the children which picture they are supposed to cover and quickly tell the pianist which page to turn to. 

6.  If you have a large primary, or if you don't have much time, you can have each class create a SINGO card.  Or, you can create one card for the entire primary and play together! 

7.  Be careful when playing competitive games.  Remember that we are counseled not to encourage excessive competition.  If you sense that the children are getting too competitive, discontinue play and transition into another activity.  If at all possible, I like to end the game on a tie.  With this game, for example, you might tell the children that they haven't won until the entire board is covered.  (They'll all finish at the same time).  Be sure to congratulate all children on their knowledge, singing ability, teamwork, etc. and stress that THIS is what is important. 

8.  For some reason, my downloadable documents aren't always complete in the previews.  If the card is missing pictures or the pictures are missing the borders, try downloading the document.  This seems to fix the problem.  If you're a tech guru and know what I'm doing wrong, please let me know.

For the American (8.5" x 11"),

For the European (A4),

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by Salman Hameed

NASA has just released a spectacular image of the Earth - from Saturn (yes, yes, it is the dot below the rings). The photograph is taken by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft that is currently orbiting Saturn, about 900 million miles away (our Sun is only 93 million miles from the Earth!). More below - but first I want you to just enjoy this stunning image:

The Saturn in this picture is blocking the Sun, and therefore allowing the spacecraft to take the picture of our home world. In addition, Saturn's rings are beautifully lit here. This is part of a larger mosaic image that includes most of Saturn and it will be released at a later date. This image, of course, is a reminder of the photograph taken by Voyager 1 in 1990, made particularly famous by Sagan's reflection on The Pale Blue Dot.

But while we are on the subject of our humbling experiences, I want to point out that Bradley Manning, the source behind the Wikileaks documents, is now going through his court martial. That he leaked the documents is not in doubt, and he has already pleaded to offenses that can place him in jail for 20 years. However, the judge refused to drop the highly dubious charge of aiding and abetting the enemy, and that is a shame.

Why do I bring up Bradley Manning in a post about this image? I recently watched a fantastic documentary, We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks directed by Alex Gibney. One half of the film focuses on Julian Assange. But the more interesting part of the film talks about Bradley Manning, his background and why he leaked the documents. And guess what? One of his inspirations was Sagan's reflections on the Pale Blue Dot. He did not like what the US government was doing in Iraq (and in other parts of the world) and he wanted to make public some of the horrendous actions of the government (for example, the first leaked video showed a US operation in Iraq in 2008 that killed a Reuters journalist)  in the hopes of  making this a better planet.

Once you have appreciated the above image, do check out We Steal Secrets and follow the ongoing trial of Bradley Manning. His is a heartbreaking story, and it is unconscionable that he was placed in a solitary confinement and forced to sleep naked in a small cell for almost a year - a treatment that the UN special rapporteur on torture found "cruel, inhuman and degrading".

I will leave you with Sagan's voice more directly:


The Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan from David Beaver on Vimeo.

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