750th Birthday of Dante Alighieri

             Almost three months ago, precisely on 1st of June, The famous Italian writer would complete 750 years old, so this post is a tribute to him, for his pioneer work to aware the citizens about the danger of unchecked power and the evil and injustice of tyranny. The first was published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri. The second was published athttp://www.biography.com/people/dante-9265912. The third was published at http://www.britannica.com/biography/Dante-Alighieri/Exile-the-Convivio-and-the-De-. The monarchia#toc22150. The fourth was published at http://www.italymagazine.com/news/celebrations-dantes-750th-birthday-begin-italy. The fifth was published at http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides2/DivineCom.html#Comedy

            The writer Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was a Italian poet of the late Middle Ages. His book originally called Comedia and later called Divina by Boccaccio is widely considered the greatest literary work in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literatura. In Italia he is called "the supreme poet". He is also called "Father of the Italian language" Dante was born in Florence. With its seriousness of purpose, its literary stature and the range both stylistic and thematic, of its content, the comedy soon became a cornerstone in the evolution of Italian as an established literary language. Dante was more aware of the variety of Italian dialects and of the need to create a literature and a unified language. In that sense, he is a forerunner of the renaissance.

             Dante was arranged that he would marry Gemma Donati, but Dante was in love with Beatrice Portinari, who would be a huge influence on Dante and whose character would form the backbone of Dante's Divine Comedy.  Beatrice died unexpectedly in 1290, and Dante began to immerse himself in the study of philosophy and the machinations of the Florentine political scene. Florence was then a tumultuous city and Dante held important public posts. In 1302, however he was  forced to be exiled by the Black Guelphs, the political faction in power at the time, ( figures from Florentine politics finds a place in the hell that Dante creates in Comedy, and an unpleasant one). Dante may have been driven out of Florence, but this would be the beginning of this most productive artistic period. In 1304, he seems to have gone to Bologna, where he began his Latin Treatise "The Eloquent Vernacular", in which he urged that courtly Italian, used for amatory writing, be enriched with aspects of every spoken dialect in order to establish Italian as a language in a one to unify the divided Italian territories. The Divine Comedy is an allegory of human life presented as a visionary trip through the Christian afterlife, written as a warning to a corrupt society to steer itself to the path of righteousness: "to remove those living in this life from the state of misery, and lead them to the state of felicity." The poem is written in the first person (from the poet's perspective) and follow Dante's journey through hell and purgatory guided by the Roman poet Virgil, and  Beatrice, representing divine enlightenment, leads Dante trough the Paradiso. Along the way, Dante encounters those who on earth were giants of intellectualism, faith, justice and love, such as Thomas Aquinas, King Solomon and Dante's own great-grandfather, who is represented as three concentric circles, which in turn represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The journey ends with true heroic and spiritual fulfillment. Divine Comedy has flourished for more than 650 years and has been considered a major literary work since Giovanni Boccaccio wrote a biography of Dante in 1373. The work is a part of the Western canon an put Dante in a class with only one other poet, Shakespeare.

                 Giovanni Boccaccio wrote about the life of Dante and then in 1374 delivered the first public lectures on The Divine Comedy. Which means that Dante was the first whose work found its place with the ancient classics in a university course. Even when the epic lost its appeal and was replaced by other art forms (the novel, and then the drama) Dante's fame continued. In fact, his great poem enjoys the kind of power peculiar to a classic: successive epochs have been able to find reflected in it their own intellectual concerns. Later readers have been eager to show the epic to be a polyphonic masterpiece, as integrated as a mighy work of architecture, whose different sections reflect and, in a way, respond to one another. Dante created a repertoire of types in a work of vivid mimetic presentations, as well as a poem of great stylistic artistry in its prefigutations and correspondences. Moreover, he incorporated in all of this, important political, philosophical, and theological themes and did so in a way that shows moral wisdom and lofty ethical vision. 

                  The celebrations for the 750th birthday of Dante, the Florentine poet, begins with a series of events, including exhibits, concerts, publications, new translations, performances, conferences and readings. Pope Francis had a message to deliver regarding Dante, describing him as a "prophet of hope". He also said that Dante was an "artist of the highest universal values who still has much to say and to give through his work, inviting us to find again the lost meaning of the human condition."

                  Earlier epics, such as Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey and the English work Beowulf, focus on individual heroes and specific locales. The main stories in these epics generally borrow from myths and legends handed down from generation to generation. The Divine Comedy, on the other hand, gets its story mainly from the author's own imagination. In addition, it encompasses heroes and villains from everywhere, including material and spiritual world. The Divine Comedy presents life as a journey in which one man (representing all human beings) must overcome obstacles to achieve the goal. Therefore, unlike epics such as The Odyssey, Divine Comedy, focuses mainly on life as a spiritual journey. The climax of a literary work can be defined as the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse, or the final event in a series of events. According to the first definition, the climax of The Divine Comedy occurs in Purgatory. According to second definition the climax occurs in Paradise.

What Should Students Learn For the 21st Century?

               This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the title above was published in May of 2015 at http://www.nais.org/Independent-Ideas/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=425. The second was published at http://www.ksbe.edu/_assets/spi/pdfs/21_century_skills_full.pdf

               The rapid increase in the rate of change creates a complex world. Such a context requires humans to engage with complex challenges and adapt to new situations. Following is a discussion of six factors, three human and three technological, that will require a diverse set of individual abilities and competencies and an increased collaboration among cultures. The three human factors affecting our future are: 1) Increased human longevity - The average human lifespan is lengthening and will produce collective changes in societal dynamics, including better institutional memory. This may also lead to economic implications, such as multiple careers over one's lifespan and conflicts over resources allocation between younger and older generations. Such a context will require intergenerational  sensitivity and a collective systems mindset in which each person balance personal and societal needs. 2) Global connectivity - The rapid increase in the world's interconnectedness has had many compounding effects, including exponential increase in the velocity of the dissemination of information and ideas, with more complex interactions on a global basis. Thriving in this context will require tolerance of a diversity of cultures, practices and world views, as well as the ability to leverage this connectedness. 3) Environmental stresses - Along with our many unprecedent tech advances, human society is using up our environment at an unprecedented rate, consuming more of it and throwing more of it away. An expansion of business models to include collaboration with a shared spirit of humanity for collective well-being. It also demands that organizations possess an ability to pursue science with an ethical approach to societal solutions. Three technological factors will also condition our future: 1) The rise of smart machines and systems - The increasing development and diffusion of smart machines, that is, technologies that can perform tasks once considered only executable by humans, has led to increased automation, offshorability of jobs and production of goods. 2) The explosive growth of data and new media - The influx of digital tech and new media has allowed for a generation of "big data" and brings with it tremendous advantages and concerns. Massive data sets generated by millions of individuals afford us the ability to leverage those data. At the same time, however, such big data production open the door to privacy issues and abuses. Harnessing these advantages, while mitigating the concerns and potential negative outcomes, will require better collective awareness of data, with skeptical inquiry and a watchfulness for commercial or governmental abuses. 3) The possibility of amplified humans - Advances in prosthetic, genetic and pharmacological support are redefining human capabilities while blurring the lines between disability and enhancement. These changes have the potential to create "amplified humans". All of these changes discussed above highlight why it is so critical to rethink what of a 21st century education. Curricula worldwide have often been tweaked, but they have been completely redesigned for the comprehensive education of knowledge, skills, character and metacognition. The four dimensions of education. 1) Knowledge - What we know. Traditional curricula (math,language,etc) and modern curricula (robotics, entrepreneurship,etc) with interdisciplinarity. 2) Skills - How we use what we know. Creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. 3) Character - How we engage in the world. Mindfulness, curiosity, courage, resilience and ethics. 4) Metacognition - How we reflect and learn. 

                There has been a significant shift over the last century. Knowledge is expanding exponentially  and ICT is transforming how we learn and the nature of how work is conducted. Shared decision-making, collaboration, innovation, and speed are essential in today's enterprises. Today, much success lies in being able to communicate, share, and use information to solve complex problems, in being able to adapt and innovate to new demands and changing circumstances, in being able to command and expand the power of technology to create new knowledge. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a framework, which describes the skills that students need to thrive in today's global economy. The North Regional Education Laboratory and the Metiri Group have also identified a framework, which is organized into four categories: digital literacies, inventive thinking, effective communications, and high productivity. The core subjects and themes that frame 21st century learning include traditional core subjects while emphasizing civic literacy, global awareness, financial literacy, health literacy, and environmental literacy. Learning is a fundamentally social activity, whether in schools, workplaces, or other environments. Web 2.0 tech enables users to produce and share content in new ways in real-time, become creative and engaging practices that challenge the traditional relationships between teachers and students in providing information and content for learning. The partnership for 21st Century Skills argues that all initiatives must focus on both core academic subject and 21st century skills outcomes. Both the Partnership and NCREL strongly suggest: 1) Developing teacher professional development programs and workshop that focus specifically on 21st century skills. 2) Integrating 21st century skills training into teacher preparation. 3) Developing on-line professional learning communities to provide support for teachers. 4) Invest in a ICT and provide professional development opportunities. 5) Integrate 21st century skills into both student and teacher standard.

                

World Humanitarian Day

               Next Wednesday August 19th, all the world will celebrate the World Humanitarian Day. A day to remember that many of us need help of others, and in order to aware everybody about help each other, we need to awake the goodness within us. This post is a summary of five articles. The first was published at http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/. The second was published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Humanitarian_Day. The third was published at http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-humanitarian-day. The fourth was published at http://faith-matters.org/2015/08/11/why-world-humanitarian-day-is-so-important/. The fifth was published  http://www.chronicle.lu/categoriesluxembourgathome/item/12729-7th-world-humanitarian-day-will-be-inspiring-humanity

            World Humanitarian Day is a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarter in Baghdad, Iraq. World Humanitarian Day is also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspire humanitarian work around the globe. This year, the U.N. and its humanitarian partners invite all of you to inspire the world's humanity. The theme calls on you to join any of the world's humanitarian organizations and become an active messenger of humanity. "In a world that is ever more digitally connected, each of us has the power and responsibility to inspire our fellow human beings to act to help others and create a more humane world," said the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

             The Sérgio Vieira de Melo Foundation conveyed its gratitude to the U.N. General Assembly and all members states for the worthy gesture of recognition that has ensured that the tragic loss of Vieira de Melo and his 21 colleagues and all humanitarian personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifices in relieving the suffering of victims of humanitarian crises have not been in vain. A national of Brazil, Vieira de Melo dedicated over thirty years in the U.N., serving in some of the most challenging humanitarian situations in the world to reach the voiceless victims of armed conflict, alleviate their suffering and draw attention to their plight. The tragic event also robbed the humanitarian community of an outstanding leader and intellectual whose thinking, philosophy, dynamism and courage inspired all and remains a timeless legacy for coming generations to emulate. World Humanitarian Day was commemorated for the first time in 2009. Subsequent years have focused on a particular theme. In 2010, the theme was "We are Humanitarian Workers." The 2011 campaign, "People Helping People," was about inspiring the spirit of aid work.

             The Humanitarian Day honors all humanitarians who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause, and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty. It aims to increase public awareness about humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and the importance of international cooperation. Humanitarians provide life-saving assistance to millions of people worldwide. They place their own lives at risk to help others in conflict zones and areas of natural hazards. More than 700 humanitarian workers have died or experienced the most dangerous situations while trying to help those in need. Humanitarians provide support for different world challenges such as hunger, gender-based violence, refugees and displaced people, help for children, as well as clean water and access to sanitation. The total number of people affected by natural disasters has risen over the past decade. Women and children are especially affected because of their ongoing struggles with poverty, insecurity, hunger, poor health and environmental decline. There are new and difficult challenges that arise each year that will require more flexible funding and adaptable humanitarian work. The economic crisis and global challenges such as poverty, global health problems, inflation and the rising number of people on the move, increases the need for humanitarians each year.

            As we approach World Humanitarian Day, we should take time to reflect on the global human efforts to create the conditions for peace and prosperity amongst all mankind, and to stand in solidarity with people wanting to bring about progressive social change in their communities. As society comes together with new forms of connectivity, we are transforming into an increasingly inclusive, interdependent and co-operative global community. It is in our nature to feel a sense of community with those we share time and environment with. However, achieving such conditions is not without challenges, discrimination, inequality and the disregard of human life, all of which are still prevalent. It these themes that Humanitarian Day was made to celebrate. we should recognise that not all people have the benefits of economic security, life opportunities and freedom. Yet, even amidst these barriers there is undeniably an ideal among forward-thinking minded people, which rejects these conditions. This universal spirit in a better life for all people is what fuels worldwide efforts for a better human condition. There is no simple answer to bringing an more just world. But with the collective efforts by activists and charities, and aided by diplomatic negotiations, we are slowly, but surely, working towards a brighter future for mankind. Let us use World Humanitarian Day to remember those figures throughout history who have worked towards the betterment of mankind. And let us use this day to remember the people who are working today to solve the global issues our species faces. For peace and prosperity for all, we will continue to fight.

                The annual World Humanitary  Day  will  take  place bringing  with  it the  opportunity  to highlight  challenges  faced  by  people  across  the  world  and to  honour  humanitarian workers who constantly face danger in their mission to help others. The 2015's edition will be marked by the theme "Inspiring Humanity", with  the  intention  of  encouraging action and  the creation  of a more humane world  through  a  broader  and  more  active  global  citizenship.  the  event  is  designed  to  be  all-encompassing, with each individual invited to become a messenger in the call for humanity around the world. Four crisis, deemed to be at the highest critical level in the U.N. system, are currently erupting around the world simultaneously, in Syria, South Sudan, Iraq and  Yemen.  With  these four conflicts, and  nearly  80  million  people  in  need  of  humanitarian  aid  in  37  countries,  it  is  hiped that the testimonials  will  help  to  put  a  human  face  to  conflict's  name,  subsequently  global support for humanitarian action.

           

Better Education and Skills are Key to Shift the Economy Up a Gear

            This post is a summary of a report  with the title of, "Skills for employability, economic growth and innovation: Monitoring the relevance of education and training systems." In February 2010,  at  file:///C:/Users/cliente/Downloads/EENEE_AR6.pdf. 

And one article published with the title above in December 2014 at http://www.cepal.org/en/pressreleases/better-education-and-skills-are-key-shift-economy

                Knowledge and education are first priorities in the Commission's 'European Union 2020' Strategy. Europe's unemployment problem is almost exclusively concentrated among the low skilled and its relative standing in educational standards and attainment rates has decreased. Ways are sought to not supply more educational opportunities, but to create demand for those skills as well. The goal of this report is the contribution to the development of indicators on employability in the updated strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training until 2020. Moreover, the following analysis could serve as useful unput to the "New Skill for New Jobs" initiative which tries to assess the crucial skill needs unitl 2020. We study different concepts of measuring human capital is a key determinant of all emploability sub-dimensions discussed later on. The analysis explicitly concentrates on the two sub-concepts of educational quantity and quality. Successful employability, depends to a great extent on the human capital an individual has developed. There are also several other external dimensions like health or institutions, but as we focus on factors coming out of the education and training system. Some decades ago it was recognized that human capital is a crucial factor to explain differences in economic development between countries. In the aftermath, several attempts have been made to find the adequate measures for this broad concept. In a very recent study, were combine the country-specific results from several international sudent achievement tests like PISA until 2003 to get one measure of cognitive skills for each country. The relationship between this measure and the on-average annual growth rate between 1960 and 2000 of these countries reveals the high relevance of this type of skills throughout several decades and the leading role of quality measures compared to quantitative ones:Key competences in math, science and literacy seem to be timeless predictors of economic growth. Literature shows that the influence of human capital on economic growth is largely channelled by its continuing to R&D (Research and Development) and innovation. The goal of this report was to identify the pivotal determinants and factors of employability related to education and training systems. After an economic assessment of the concept of employability, general measures of educational quantity and quality were the starting point of our analysis of employability factors: Here, we could identify performance differences between European countries in the amount of years of schooling and the cognitive skill stock.

              Latin America's GDP growth rate has slowed down in 2014, dropping below 1.5%. This is the first time in a decade that the region grows less than the OECD average, according to the OECD Development centre, the ECLAC, and the Development Bank fro Latin America. Given the projections, any recovery in 2015 is likely to be challenging. In their jointly produced Latin America Economic Outlook 2015, the three organisations call for action to address this slowdown, focusing on the role of education and skills, and noting that despite some recent progress. more needs to be done to raise educational standards and address persistent socioeconomics inequalities. "If we want to avoid a decade of low growth in Latin America, we must improve education, enhance skills in the workforce and boost innovation. Policymakers need to undertake ambitious efforts to unleash higher and more equitable growth", OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said. Structural changes, such as the diversification of the economy towards knowledge-intensive sectors, is needed to supply the increasing demand for skilled workers. As noted by Alicia Barcena Executive of ECLAC, "without the transformation of the production structure there will be a link missing in the chain that connects education, productivity and innovation." Such a link has important implications for income distribution. Diversification implies the creation of quality, better-paid jobs, which in turn entails less informality and underemployment, and hence less inequality. Policies for learning and diversification should be at the top of the agenda in the coming years in Latin America. "in the absence of an exceptionally favourable external environment, the regio needs to deepen regional integration and address the structural challenges of development, to support its growth potential, primarily in the ares of innovation and production patterns, and education and technical capacities that these require", said Enrique Garcia, President of  L.A. Development Bank. The outlook notes that, on average, the gap in L.A. relative to an OECD student is still quite high, the equivalent of 2.4 additional years of schooling. Furthermore, only 56% of students in the poorest quarter of the population attend secondary school, versus 87% of students in the wealthiest quarter. Limitations in the quality of education are also reflected in the skill shortages and mismatches in the labour market, severely impacting the competitiveness of L.A. companies. The region' business face greater challenges in findings appropriately skilled employees than any other region in the world. To tackle these acute skills shortages, targeted policies are need in secondary and technical education. Policymakers need to provide more and smarter investment in primary education, where important skills development takes place such as learning perseverance, which is of critical importance in the labour market. Classroom practices need adaption to ensure better performance, including tutoring and student motivation. Increasing the quality of teaching also relies on monitoring and better incentives. Finally. government and the private sector should work together to better connect technical and vocational training with the demand skills in a changing world economy.

210th Birthday of Alexis de Tocqueville

                  Last Wednesday, July 29th, the writer known as father of sociology would complete 210 years old. This post is a tribute to him, for his fight for democracy, political effectiveness and better education, in short, a better world. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_de_Tocqueville. The second was published at http://www.telospress.com/from-europe-to-america-and-back-tocqueville-and-democracy-as-legacy-and-future-of-the-west/. The third was published at http://www.gradesaver.com/democracy-in-america/study-guide/summary-vol-i-part-1-chapters-1-5. The fourth was published at http://theconversation.com/why-read-tocquevilles-democracy-in-america-

            Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his work, "Democracy in America," published in two volumes: in 1835 and 1840. Where he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals, as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. This book was published after Tocqueville's travels in the U.S. and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science. He was active in French politics, he argued that the importance of the French Revolution was to continue the process of modernizing the French state which had began under King Louis XIV. The failure of the Revolution came from the inexperience of the deputies who were too wedded to abstract Enlightenment ideals. Tocqueville was a liberal who advocated parliamentary government. In 1831, he obtained the mission to examine prisons in America. While he visited some prisons, he traveled widely and took extensive notes about his observations. He returned within 9 months, and the real result was his famous book. Beaumont, his lifelong friend also wrote an account of their travels called, "Marie or slavery in the U.S." Tocqueville had supported Cavaignac against Napoléon Bonaparte for the presidential election of 1848. He was among the deputies who gathered in Paris in an attempt to resist the coup and have Napoléon judged, as he had violated the constitutional limit on terms of office. The biographer Joseph Epstein has concluded:"Tocqueville could never bring himself to serve a man he considered a despot. He fought as best he could for the political liberty in which he so ardently believed. He would spend the days remaining to him fighting the same fight, but conducting it now from libraries and his own desk." In Democracy in America, he wrote of the new world and its burgeoning democratic order. One purpose of this book was to help the people of France get a better understanding of their position between a fading aristocratic order and an emerging democratic order. Tocqueville saw democracy as an equation that balance liberty and equality, concern for the individuals as well as for the community. He was an ardent supporter of liberty. He wrote of "Political consequences of the social state of the Anglo-Americans," by saying, "but one also finds in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, and which reduces men to preferring equality in servitude to inequality in freedom." Tocqueville's main purpose was to analyze the functioning of political society, although he brought some reflections on civil society too. For him as for Hegel and Marx, civil society was a sphere of private entrepreneuship. As a critic of individualism, he thought that through associating for mutual purpose people are able to overcome selfish desires, thus making both a self-conscious and active and vibrant civil society. He warned that modern democracy may be adept at inventing new forms of tyranny, because excessive materialism lead to the selfishness of individualism, in such conditions we lose interest in the common future. He worried that if despotism were to take root in a modern democracy, it would be much more dangerous than of the past. A despotism under a democracy could see "a multitude of men", uniformly alike, "constantly circling for petty pleasure", unaware of fellow citizens, and subject to the will of a powerful state. Tocqueville compared a despotic democratic government to a protective parent who wants to keep its ctizens as perpetual "children".

                Tocqueville took an unprecedented step when he associated democracy with equality. According to Aristotle, equality is an aspect of justice, not democracy. The equality that Tocqueville had in mind was not political or economic, but social; it referred to a social condition arising from equality of condition. Tocqueville's lesson can give us today with regard to the future of democracy within and without the borders of the West. The comparison between America and Europe, between his time and 18th century, enables tocqueville to distinguish two different genealogies of freedom. To reread Tocqueville today, and to reflect on the concept of democracy acquired in the 19th century, may be a useful way a building a bridge between the history of political thought and political theory, especially a theory of democracy that urgently needs updating.

               Recognizing the sovereignty of the people is essential for a democratic government. The Americans have done this and followed this principle to its logical conclusions to an extraordinary degree, largely as a result of their strong passion for equality. This principle can become dangerous, however, in that it may lead to a tyranny of the majority. In America, through the division of power, authority is kept in check without diminishing its effectiveness. In the U.S., the revolution was guided by mature desire for freedom. While the law has much force, no one person has extreme power.

           Tocqueville's Democracy in America is said to be among the greatest works of 19th political writing. When approached one hundred and seventy years after its first publication, Democracy in America, teach us more than a few things about the subject of democracy. But what exactly can we learn from it? It may seem far-fetched, but the first striking thing about the text is not just that it is the first-ever analytic treatment of the subject of democracy but a treatement the dynamic openness of its subject matter: a way of life and a method of handling power. 

Alexis de Tocqueville Quotes

"The concentration of power and the subjection of individuals will increase amongst democratic nations, in the same proportions as their ignorance."

"The arrogance of wealth and the dejection of wretchedness, capital cities of unwonted extent, a lax morality, a vulgar egotism, and a great confusion of interests, are the dangers which almost invariably arise from the magnitude of States.” 

"Americans of all ages, and all types of disposition are forming associations...In democratic countries knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge; on its progress depends that of all the others."