Category: human rights

Categories
films geography and global resources human rights Science resources sociology

Films for action

Some excellent documentaries and films for senior students of global studies, sociology, geography, sustainability, human rights…..

Films for Action
http://www.filmsforaction.org/

“Discover, watch and share over 3000 of the best social change videos online – a community powered learning library and alternative news center for people who want to change the world”. Includes documentaries, videos, short films, presentations, trailers and articles.

Search for films via subjects and countries eg. corporations, big ideas, human rights, social issues, climate change; war and peace, culture, consumerism; globalization; cities; animal rights; vision; technology and design.

Includes films such as Inside job; War made easy; Consuming kids; Capitalism: a love story; WikiRebels; Flow: for love of water; The internet must go; Chasing ice; Plastic planet; The superior human?; Schooling the world: The cove; Exit through the gift shop.

View titles via the visual Wall of Films: http://www.filmsforaction.org/walloffilms/
View the Top 100 Documentaries: http://www.filmsforaction.org/top-100-documentaries/
Also includes featured articles: http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/

Categories
ed tech Facebook future Google human rights internet Internet of Things popular culture sociology

How good is the internet?!

In 2014, the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, together with Elon University, are releasing 8 reports to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

 

14 May: The Internet of Things will thrive by 2025

Many experts believe the growth of the Internet of Things and embedded and wearable devices will have widespread and beneficial effects by 2025. Networking of everything and everyone continues through the proliferation of smart sensors, cameras, software, databases, massive data centres, tagging and analytical mapping of physical and social realms. People receive information from portable, wearable & implantable technologies.

 

There will be sensors that provide patients’ vital signs; devices giving feedback on our fitness; smart cities with GPS readouts for traffic and pollution; sensored roads & infrastructure that provide alerts when repairs are needed; smartphone apps for adjusting household heating etc; readings from forests, oceans, soil, resources.  Voice and touch commands will increase. However, there will also be privacy concerns with higher levels of profiling and targeting, as well as equity issues. Disruption of business models will occur – notably in finance, entertainment, publishing and education. But maintaining all this? “We will live in a world where many things won’t work and nobody will know how to fix them.” (gulp) – Howard Rheingold.

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/05/14/internet-of-things/

 

11 March: Digital life in 2025

Experts predict the Internet will become ‘like electricity’ — less visible, yet more deeply embedded in people’s lives for good and ill.

Good things:

Effortless information sharing; more global relationships and less ignorance; Internet of Things; augmented reality; political awareness facilitated with more uprisings (Arab Spring); increased awareness of  massive disparities in health care, clear water, education, food, and human rights. The internet may even become “the internets”, with separate channels and layers of privacy.

An internet-enabled revolution in education will spread more opportunities, with less money spent on real estate and teachers – “the biggest impact on the world will be universal access to all human knowledge” (Hal Varian, Google). He states that cheap mobile devices and tools such as the Khan Academy will have a huge impact on literacy & numeracy. Access to the internet will be a human right and with global perspectives, there will be breakthroughs in many issues such as poverty, inequality and the environment (Tiffany Shlain).

Bad things:

Equity issues; loss of privacy; commonplace cyber-terrorism; mob mentality; governments will try to assert political and social control;  people will lose their grounding in the realities of life and work; too many superficial interactions (not face-to-face). Privacy may end up being only for the privileged. The increasing proportion of non face-to-face online human interactions will lead to less respect and integrity in our relations (Bob Briscoe).

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/15-theses-about-the-digital-future/ 

 

27 Feb: The web at 25 in the US

The overall verdict: The internet has been a plus for society and an especially good thing for individual users.

Personally – 90% say it has been good; 6% bad; 3% both. For society – 76% good; 15% bad; 8% both.

The internet would be harder to give up then mobile phones, TV, email, landlines and social media. Most internet users thought online communication had strengthened their relationships and that the environment was kind.

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/

 

Upcoming reports – net access & copyright; killer apps in the gigabit age; cyber attacks; security and privacy; artificial intelligence and robotics; corporations most likely to succeed:

http://www.elon.edu/e-web/imagining/surveys/2014_survey/default.xhtml

 

Imagining the Internet

Insights into the internet’s future and past:

http://www.elon.edu/e-web/imagining/#

Categories
advertisements geography and global resources human rights media popular culture Science resources sociology websites

Webby Award winners – the best of the web

Some good resources for media, art, photography, graphic design, popular culture, business studies, social sciences….

The 18th Annual Webby Awards
The Oscars of the online world have now been announced – chosen by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. Categories include web, online film & video, interactive advertising & media, mobile & apps and social. A Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Lawrence Lessig, co-founder of Creative Commons and staunch advocate of the open, collaborative web.
http://www.webbyawards.com/
All the winners & nominees: http://webbyawards.com/winners/2014

Winners include:
Education: Coursera
Health: WebMD
Science: Nautilus
Cultural institutions: The Second World War in 100 objects
Social media: Vine (create and share beautiful looping videos)
Social media campaign: The Melbourne remote control tourist (yay Australia!)
Public service and activism: The internet must go (John Wooley)
Experimental and innovation: D-Day: as it happens
Activism: change.org
Art: Artsy
Travel: Airbnb
Best online commercial: The epic split (Jean-Claude van Damme and the Volvo trucks)
Best use of video: The Serengeti lion (National Geographic)
Best photography and graphics: GoPro
Best use of photography: Graffiti General
Best use of animation: The art of noise
Best user experience: Medium (everyone’s stories and ideas)
Reality: Google+ same sex marriage

Wow….gazillions of resources on the interwebs….and we’ve had access for maybe 18 or so years in schools. Remember the days before the web…where to next?

Categories
geography and global resources human rights Science resources sociology

Climate, science & global poverty

Some interesting info for geography, science, global studies, sociology..…

State of the climate 2014 Report

Released 4 March, it is the third report produced by CSIRO & Aust. Bureau of Meteorology – a summary of observations of Australia’s climate and analysis of the factors that influence it. Chapters include: Heavy rainfall & tropical cyclones; Oceans; Future climate scenarios.

Fast facts: Aust’s climate has warmed by 0.9 degrees since 1910 & there is more extreme heat and fewer cool extremes. Extreme fire weather has increased and the fire season has lengthened across large parts of Aust. since the 1970s. Sea-level rise and ocean acidification will continue.

http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Climate/Understanding/State-of-the-Climate-2014.aspx

Video & info: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-04/climate-extremes-increasing-carbon-dioxide-levels-rise-report/5295876

 

Goodbye Scirus

Scirus, the science-specific search engine, has retired (Jan 2014). It was owned and operated by giant medical & scientific publishing company Elsevier (publisher of Lancet & Gray’s anatomy), which does have a reputation for very high subscription costs for universities & other institutions.

Elsevier still offers the ScienceDirect database which searches through thousands of journals and books. Many of the articles have a cost, but free open access full text articles can be found via Advanced search. Articles are suitable for university level and advanced senior high school students.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/

 

Global Citizen Tickets

This initiative of the Global Poverty Project tracks and rewards social activism that helps address poverty, by giving out free concert tickets. Fans can earn points for each online action taken (not fundraising) and go in the prize draw for tickets. Performers such as the John Butler Trio, Bernard Fanning, The Temper Trap, Gotye, Art vs Science, The Jezabels & Eskimo Joe have all donated tickets to their forthcoming concerts.

www.globalcitizen.org/tickets-au

Global Poverty Project is an international education and advocacy organization working towards the end of extreme poverty by 2030. Since launching in 2012, more than 250 000 Global Citizens have joined, taking more than 1.5 million actions.

http://www.globalpovertyproject.com/

 

Categories
geography and global resources human rights sociology

Human rights resources

Some interesting resources for geography, science, global studies, sociology, legal studies..…

Human Rights Watch

This excellent and informative independent organisation recently published its World Report 2014, its 24th annual review of human rights practices in over 90 countries.

http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014

Human rights issues by country – interesting to read about Australia:

http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters

Current news and human rights information – browse by topic or region: http://www.hrw.org/home

Videos of human rights issues: http://mm.hrw.org/

Rights struggles of 2013: stopping mass atrocities, majority bullying and abusive counterterrorism – keynote by Kenneth Roth: http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/essays/rights-struggles-of-2013

 

Social watch: poverty eradication and gender justice

This international network of citizens’ organisations is committed to peace, social, economic, environmental and gender justice. Social Watch Reports are produced annually, as well as detailed National Reports. The Gender Equity Index measures the gap between men and women in education, the economy and political empowerment. The Basic Capabilities Index monitors the evolution of basic indicators and makes comparisons between and within countries. Detailed statistics are provided for countries and also an interactive map.

http://www.socialwatch.org/

 

Aust. Human Rights Commission

Comprehensive information – news, current projects, legal issues, forums, publications etc. Includes Asylum seekers and refugees, Disability, Race, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Rights and freedoms, Age, Sex discrimination, LGBTI.

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/

Hot topics index: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/hot-topics-index

Teachers’ resources and books to download: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/human-rights-school-classroom

More human rights links: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/commission-website-information-students-useful-links

 

International human rights: HSC legal studies

Useful links from the State Library NSW – websites and other resources, some of which need a State Library card (the National Library & Libraries ACT would probably offer access to similar resources).

http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=273664&sid=2390554

Human rights in Aust: http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=273664&sid=2373567

Categories
films human rights science fiction

Good films coming up

Some good current and future films that support various curriculum areas….

Hunger Games 2: catching fire

Critics say it is far superior to the first – a darker, more mature film. Katniss and Peeta are targeted by the Capitol after a rebellion in Panem. Director: Francis Lawrence. Stars Jennifer Lawrence. The finale will be in 2 parts – Nov 2014 and Nov 2015. Out now. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951264/ Review: http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-the-hunger-games-catching-fire-1200820552/#

Blackfish

Documentary and psychological thriller about the consequences of keeping wild animals in captivity – a powerful and moving film that examines the case of Tilikum the killer whale at SeaWorld, who has been involved in 3 deaths since his capture in 1983. The film presents a solid case for the end of animal exploitation. Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Out now. http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/14822/blackfish http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/155585/blackfish

Mr Pip

Based on the acclaimed novel by Lloyd Jones. Director: Andrew Adamson. Stars Hugh Laurie. Music by Tim Finn. Set in Bougainville in the late 1980s during the dispute between PNG separatists and foreign mining interests. A white man reluctantly accepts the role of community schoolteacher, where much of his curriculum is centred on reading aloud from the novel Great Expectations. The power of its prose has fateful implications for the future of all on the island. “A song of praise for the power (and danger) of literature” – Susan Wyndham, SMH. Out now. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/review/movie/mr-pip-20131104-2wxia.html The book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/543873.Mister_Pip

Ender’s game

Based on the acclaimed novel by Orson Scott Card. Director: Gavin Hood. Stars Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield. A young boy is recruited by a military academy to help save the human race. I saw the film this week – it was quite powerful with lots of themes to discuss – suitable for age 10+ and high school. Opens 5 Dec.   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/

The hobbit: the desolation of Smaug

The 2nd instalment in The hobbit trilogy. Director: Peter Jackson. Stars Martin Freeman. Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarves continue their quest to reclaim their homeland from Smaug the dragon. They should be all right though, they seem indestructible! Opens 26 Dec. http://www.thehobbitblog.com/

Saving Mr Banks

Director: John Lee Hancock. Stars Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Disney’s 1964 film Mary Poppins, revealing the tension between author P.L Travers and Walt Disney, and their differing views on how the novel should be interpreted. Opens 26 Dec. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Review: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/review/a521772/saving-mr-banks-review-tom-hanks-emma-thompson-make-mary-poppins.html

In 2014 and later…

Mandela: long walk to freedom

Based on the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Chronicles Mandela’s life from his childhood to his election as president of South Africa. Director: Justin Chadwick. Stars Idris Elba. This will be a powerful and informative film – the trailer looks great. It received an unprecedented 8 minute standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival. Opens Jan 2014. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304771/ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/05/showbiz/mandela-movie-long-walk-freedom/index.html

12 years a slave

Based on the 1853 book by Solomon Northup and his fight for survival, dignity and freedom. As a free black man from upstate New York, he was abducted in 1841 and sold into slavery in southern USA. After 12 years, he was freed after official intervention and related his story, which was then published. Director: Steve McQueen. Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt. Musical score: Hans Zimmer. Opens 30 Jan. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/

Review – “An essential look at man’s inhumanity to man”: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/12-years-slave-movie-review-article-1.1488866

Book – public domain, free online, including audiobook: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Years_a_Slave

Divergent

Based on the popular sci-fi novel by Veronica Roth, part of a trilogy. In post-apocalyptic Chicago, people are divided into 5 factions based on their personalities & virtues. A young woman discovers that she is Divergent and does not fit into any one faction. Can she stop the sinister plot brewing in this “perfect” society? Director: Neil Burger. Stars Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet. Opens 20 March. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1840309/

I, Frankenstein

Based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux. Frankenstein’s creature, an intelligent evolved man (?!), is caught up in the modern world in a centuries old war between 2 immortal clans. Written & directed by Stuart Beattie. Stars Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy. Opens 27 Feb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1418377/

Maleficent

Dark fantasy – the tale of Sleeping Beauty, told from the perspective of the evil sorceress Maleficent. Why did she put the curse on Princess Aurora? Director: Robert Stromberg. Stars Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning. Opens June 2014. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/first-look-angelina-jolie-as-maleficent-in-reworking-of-sleeping-beauty-myth-20131113-2xgkp.html

The giver

Based on the dystopian novel by Lois Lowry, winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal. In a seemingly perfect society without conflict or suffering, a young boy is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory and to learn from an elderly man – The Giver. As he learns the truth about his world’s past, he discovers the power of knowledge and faces difficult choices about his future. Director: Phillip Noyce. Stars Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes, Meryl Streep. Opens late 2014.   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435651/

The book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver

Interstellar

Based on the theories of physicist Kip Thorne – a new intriguing sci-fi film co-written by Christopher & Jonathan Nolan. Director: Christopher Nolan. Stars: Matt Damon, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway. A group of explorers travel through a wormhole and alternate dimensions, to the furthest reaches of our scientific understanding. Yay more Timey Wimey stuff! Opens Nov 2014. http://www.interstellar-movie.com/ http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=38606

Into the woods

Musical fantasy film based on the Broadway musical. In the world of Grimm’s fairy tales, a witch decides to teach important lessons to various fairy tale characters. Director: Rob Marshall. Stars Meryl Streep as the witch; Johnny Depp as the Big Bad Wolf, Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife. Opens Dec 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Woods_(film)

Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Based on the classic 1972 book by Judith Viorst. 11 year old Alexander experiences the most terrible day of his life but eventually learns that he is not alone. Stars Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner. Opens Oct 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_and_the_Terrible,_Horrible,_No_Good,_Very_Bad_Day_(film)

Paddington

Live action film based on the books by Michael Bond about the lovable young bear from Peru who travels to London in search of a home and is adopted by the Brown family. Director: Paul King. Stars Colin Firth (as the voice of Paddington), Peter Capaldi, Julie Walters, Matt Lucas, Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman as an evil taxidermist. Opens Dec 2014. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1109624/ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/nicole-kidman-grins-and-bears-her-evil-role-in-the-paddington-bear-movie/story-fni0cx12-1226753784881

Categories
coding Databases and journals ed tech Facebook Google human rights mobile phones

Free article access, Raspberry Pi & ICT news

More free access to online journal articles

Many more research papers are now openly available online. A recent report produced for the European Commission found that you have a 50% chance of finding papers published in 2011 for free, but some experts say it is more like 30%.

The proportion of free online papers is likely to increase in the next few years with moves towards getting government-funded research papers into the public domain. From 2014, the results of all research funded by the European Union must be open access. In February, the White House announced that government-funded research should be made free to read within 12 months of publication. A Science-Metrix study found that an average of 43% of articles published during 2008–11 were available online for free, with the results varying by country and discipline.

http://www.nature.com/news/half-of-2011-papers-now-free-to-read-1.13577

In Google we trust  (ABC, Four Corners, 9/9/13)

Who gathers the information, what are they doing with it and what are your legal rights? Examines online privacy, digital footprints, Big Data etc. and tracks the information trail of an ordinary Australian family. Excellent program for high school – social science, media, legal studies classes, general interest.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2013/09/09/3842009.htm

Raspberry Pi

The credit-card sized cheap programmable computer ($25 – $35) was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in the UK to promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools. It was launched in Feb 2012, sold over 1 million units in a year & earned many awards. It has been used to create a coffee machine, doorbell server, robot, weather information system and many other things: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=15

It plugs into your TV and a keyboard and can be used for word-processing, spreadsheets, playing HD video and games. It runs the Linux OS and the official programming language is Python or any language which will compile for ARMv6. Tutorials are available, including video.

“Developing countries are interested in the Raspberry Pi as productivity devices in areas that simply can’t afford the power and hardware needed to run a traditional desktop PC; hospitals and museums have contacted us to find out about using the Raspberry Pi to drive display devices. Parents of severely disabled kids have talked to us about monitoring and accessibility applications; and there seem to be a million and one people out there with hot soldering irons who want to make a robot.”

http://www.linux.com/news/hardware/desktops/676486-raspberry-pi-one-of-the-top-linux-innovations-of-2012/

Good article about using Raspberry Pi in schools for programming: http://www.dw.de/raspberry-pi-and-the-new-computer-science-kids/a-16699939

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

Mark Zuckerberg announces Internet.org

The Facebook CEO believes that all 7 billion people on the planet deserve to be connected to the internet. Internet.org is a new partnership with some of the world’s top tech companies including Facebook, Samsung, Nokia & Qualcomm, and it aims to make internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected (5 billion people).

Zuckerberg posted a paper to his Facebook page titled “Is connectivity a human right?”. Internet.org plans to develop cheaper smartphones and tools that would reduce the amount of data required to run mobile apps. Connecting the world is beneficial to Internet.org companies and they have received some flak. However, Zuckerberg has already been involved in philanthropic projects. In 2010 he donated $100 million to FB stock to New Jersey schools. He also gave $500 million to a Silicon Valley charity that funds health & education projects. Earlier this year he launched Fwd.us, a political group aimed at changing US immigration policy, boosting education and encouraging investment in scientific research.

http://www.internet.org/

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/524373/zuckerberg_mocked_doubted_praised_internet_org_plan/

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/20/4642470/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-wants-to-bring-the-entire-world-online

Google: Project Loon

In June, Google launched Project Loon with the goal of getting everyone on Earth online. In New Zealand, they launched 30 giant helium balloons, 15m wide and 12m tall, with internet-beaming antennas on top. People connect to the balloon network using a special internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then back to earth. It might be possible to build a ring of balloons, flying 20 km high around the globe, providing internet access & mobile phone signals to the earth below.

Google is also involved in other projects that bring internet access to developing countries. Its Free Zone project with Bharti Airtel in India provides free access to Google, Gmail and Google+ for mobile phone users.

Interesting videos & info: http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/14/4432262/google-unveils-project-loon-ballon-powered-internet-for-the-entire

http://www.google.com/loon/

The web is dead and the app thankfully killed it – Jeff Stibel

In 2012 for the first time, time spent on the web started to contract. The web is being replaced by more functional apps. Smartphone users spend nearly double the time using apps rather than the web. “In an era of information overload, search is less valuable than filtering….and filtering is done best through apps….download the app and never search again.”

http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2013/09/ideas-bank/the-web-is-dead-and-the-app-thankfully-killed-it

Jeff Stibel’ s 2013 book: Breakpoint: why the web will implode, search will be obsolete and everything else you need to know about technology is in your brain.

Bing Schools

Bing has launched Bing Schools in the US, an initiative to bring ad-free, filtered search results to students. It’s currently in pilot mode.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bing-launches-bing-schools-ad-100000326.html

 

 

Categories
human rights Indigenous resources websites

National Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June

 “The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey of Aboriginal Australians – the anniversaries of the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.

                       
 May 27 marks the anniversary of Australia’s most successful referendum and a defining event in our nation’s history. The 1967 referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.

On 3 June, 1992, the High Court of Australia delivered its landmark Mabo decision which legally recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land—that existed prior to colonalisation and still exists today. This recognition paved the way for land rights called Native Title. 2012 marked the 20th anniversary of the Mabo decision.

The week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort.”   http://www.reconciliation.org.au/

Resources and fact sheets: http://www.reconciliation.org.au/home/resources

Recognise (part of Reconciliation Australia) – the people’s movement to recognise Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution. “We want to see fairness and respect at the heart of our Constitution, and to remove discrimination from it. Our goal is a more united nation. This is a chance for Australia to acknowledge the first chapter of our national story, and to forge our future together – after so many chapters apart.”

News & info: http://www.recognise.org.au/

Share our pride (part of Reconciliation Aust.)

Resources section: info on famous indigenous Austns; books & articles; films.

Learn section: culture; shared history; beyond the myths; respectful relationships.

http://shareourpride.org.au/

NAIDOC Week 7 – 14 July

http://www.naidoc.org.au/

This year’s theme: We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963. This year is the 50th anniversary of the presentation of the bark petitions to Parliament, protesting mining rights on Yolngu land & seeking recognition of Yolngu land ownership.

http://www.naidoc.org.au/celebrating-naidoc-week/2013-national-naidoc-week-theme/

 

 

Categories
books ed tech human rights news popular culture sociology TV websites

Human rights, sociology and top tech news

Human Rights Day was 10 December and the Australian Human Rights Commission presented its awards in 10 categories, including those below. Great to see Ian Thorpe recognised, and also the excellent online news & issues resource The conversation and TV’s informative The project.

 

Human Rights Medal Winner 2012

Ian Thorpe

“Fighting for better services for Indigenous children in remote communities across Australia has delivered the prestigious Human Rights Medal for 2012 to Ian Thorpe OAM. For over a decade, Ian has worked as a passionate advocate for Indigenous people with his Fountain for Youth charity, which works with twenty-one remote communities in the Northern Territory.” He began this charity in 2000 when he was only 18 years old. He is also Co-Patron of Close the Gap campaign.

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/news/2012/131_12.html

Thorpe’s recent autobiography This is me: the autobiography reveals how he has coped with depression and would be a valuable addition to high school collections.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/nov/12/ian-thorpe-swimming-depression

Print and Online Media Award
Professor Sharon Pickering and The Conversation Academic Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers series – Series of 14 articles published in The Conversation between June and August 2012 (details below).

Saving lives at sea: The Conversation’s asylum seeker expert panel makes its findings and states what it believes to be a fair, humane and workable policy approach. Includes links to the award-winning articles – good authoritative resources for social science & “issues” courses: http://theconversation.edu.au/saving-lives-at-sea-the-asylum-seeker-expert-panel-reports-8601

Includes:

Asylum seekers & Aust: http://theconversation.edu.au/asylum-seekers-and-australia-the-evidence-8173

Infographic displaying global populations of refugees from 1975-2010. Using UNHCR data, every population the UNHCR has counted over 35 years is charted on this spinning globe, highlighting where refugees settled, and where they came from:  http://theconversation.edu.au/infographic-global-refugee-populations-1975-2010-8443

Global refugee facts: http://theconversation.edu.au/refugee-populations-across-the-globe-the-facts-7557

All asylum seeker links: http://theconversation.edu.au/pages/asylum-seekers

Literature (non-fiction) Award
The people smuggler by Robin de Crespigny – Penguin Australia, May 2012.

“The story of one man’s epic struggle to find a safe place in the world. When Ali Al Jenabi flees Saddam Hussein’s torture chambers, he is forced to leave his family behind in Iraq. What follows is an incredible international odyssey through the shadow world of fake passports, crowded camps and illegal border crossings, living every day with excruciating uncertainty about what the next will bring….Eventually he must confront what he has been forced to become.”  http://www.thepeoplesmuggler.com/

Television Award
Age of Uncertainty – The Project – Network Ten – Produced by Hamish MacDonald and Sam Clark – Screened over April and May 2012.

The Human Rights Day Oration was delivered by James Spigelman, Chairman of the ABC and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW: ‘Where do we draw the line between hate speech and free speech?’ (audio & transcript):   http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/news/2012/132_12.html

Some more resources ….useful for sociology, geography, popular culture…

Australia Street

If Australia was a street of 100 households, what would it look like and who would live there? What about employment, religion, education, births, deaths and marriages? All these stats and more are included in this animation:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzAtaZg6ljo&feature=youtu.be

Aust. St explained: http://blog.mccrindle.com.au/_blog/The_McCrindle_Blog/post/Mark_McCrindle_explains_Australia_Street_VIDEO

Julia and the “mummy” bloggers

It was another morning tea this week for Julia Gillard and 25 the country’s most influential female bloggers, whose sites reach 2.5 million people (similar sites were important in the Obama campaign).

“Sites represented included:

Eden Riley (Sydney Writers’ Centre award Best Aust. Blog 2012); Mrs Woog (Woogsworld); Nicole Avery (tips for organising the chaos of family life); the writer of My Mummy Daze (juggling motherhood and a family business); the mother of four boys, one with special needs, who writes allconsuming .com.au; Fairfax’s EssentialBaby (largest online parenting site in Aust.); iVillage (Mia Freedman –Mamamia -has the local licence); Women’s Agenda (created by Crikey journalist Angela Priestley); Kidspot (News Ltd site that aims to simplify parenting and offer mothers a place to talk to each other); and the Fairfax site Daily Life.”

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-cosies-up-to-mummy-bloggers-20121209-2b3gm.html

Eden Riley was crowned Australia’s Best Blogger at the 2012 Sydney Writers Centre Blog Awards. Her blog is called Edenland. She writes of spirit, redemption, addiction, and truth. Eden has been blogging for five years and has been named as a Voice of the Year at America’s largest social media conference for women, BlogHer. http://www.edenriley.com/

CNET: the 100 biggest tech stories of 2012

Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask….iPad mini, Windows 8, Apple maps, MakerBot, Instagram, Google Glass, Zuckerberg, Assange..…

http://www.cnet.com/cnet100/

CNET: the 10 best & most influential tech products of 2012

Galaxy S3 (best device); iPhone 5; Google Nexus 7; iPad Mini; Motorola Razr; Windows 8; Microsoft Surface; the MakerBot 3D Replicator (3D printer that prints whatever you design – toys, jewellery, models etc).

http://www.cnet.com/8301-33506_1-57557848-306/galaxy-s3-beats-iphone-5-for-best-device-of-2012/