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Aaron Swartz suicide

This time we will look into the newspapers to learn what is the main topic of the heated discussions this week. Just a glance at the headlines in Forbes (Aaron Swartz Hacker Case Ends With Suicide), and first-page obituaries in Guardian (Internet pays tribute to Aaron Swartz) and New Yorker - and one must wonder - who is the guy and what is he famous for?

Aaron Swartz (born 1986) was an American computer programmer, writer, archivist, political organizer, and Internet activist. Was - as he was found death a few days ago, in his Brooklyn apartment, where he hanged himself. Pure talent, a prodigy kid, he would always achieve what he headed for. The list of his achievments is impressing!

Apart from co-building "RSS 1.0" specification of RSS and Reddit, he cofounded the online group Demand Progress and was a member of the Harvard University Center for Ethics. He was known for his involvment with a campaign to prevent the passing of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The bill would have monitored the Internet for copyright violations and would have enable the US government to shut down websites. Due to the work of such activists as Swartz, the bill was defeated.

In 2012 Swartz commented on the bill at the F2C:Freedom to Connect event in Washington:

"There's a battle going on right now, a battle to define everything that happens on the internet in terms of traditional things that the law understands... [SOPA] instead of bringing us greater freedom, would have snuffed out fundamental rights we'd always taken for granted."

Aaron Swartz was associated with the movement called hacktivism (derived from hack and activism). It is the use of computers and computer networks as a means of protest to promote political ends. The term could be defined as "the use of legal and/or illegal digital tools in pursuit of political ends".

26-year-old, Swartz finally got into trouble when he was caught while downloading roughly 4 million academic journal articles from JSTOR.

JSTOR is a Journal Storage, a digital library of academic journals founded in 1995. Every student in most of the countries (including Poland) has an immediate access to English texts via JSTOR. It is one of the most popular scholar resources at the university.

Two days before his tragic death he learned that at trial he would face a total of 35 years imprisonment!

Swartz' family and partner have published a statement: "Aaron's death is not simply a personal tragedy, it is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach. Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office and at MIT contributed to his death."

The Guardian has published a set of internet commentaries for the news.
"This scary thing about what happened to Aaron Swartz - says one of the commentators - is that he was a"doer", not just a "talker". (...) Taking action DOES change things, and the government will not tolerate that – even if it's totally legal and within your rights. This is why things as a simply as taking pictures on a factory farm (to expose animal cruelty) can land you ten years in prison and a "terrorist" label in today's world."

Aaron dreamt of the liberation of the data. Young as he was, he put his efforts to make available information that in his opinion ought to be free.

The reaction of the internet users is radically wary towards the US government. Some accuse the officialls of pursuing uncovered political goals, others just consider it a significant turn in the battle of free media. "What happened to Aaron Swartz - writes on of the Guardian readers - is a tragedy and I fear that what happened to him will make people scared of taking action. I hope the opposite happens, but one cannot be surprised if it doesn't."

If you want to read more voices on Aaron Swartz death, you will find it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/14/internet-pays-tribute-to-aaron-swartz

sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2013/01/14/aaron-swartz-hacker-case-ends-with-suicide/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/14/internet-pays-tribute-to-aaron-swartz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacktivism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSTOR

QUESTIONS:

1) Polish ACTA movement caused the civil protests all over the country. What, in your opinion, would be the reaction of the Polish free media activist if the similar case would take place in Poland?

2) Why do the states fight for control over media?

I know what I'm eating

It has been known that a healthy diet is one of the most important factors that help us in maintaining better shape, attractive figure, well-being. However, this concept is not clear, and many people have trouble defining it. A healthy diet needs to be tailored to a specific organism as it should give  us all  necessary nutrients in the right amounts suited to our lifestyle. This means that each of us must find his/her own way to healthy eating (this is often dependent on our blood group, our temperament, work, sports we practice every day).

PRINCIPLES OF HEALTHY NUTRITION:

·         Keep a variety of edible products. Do not eat the same products, your body needs a lot of vitamins for proper development.

·         Beware of overweight and obesity, do not forget about your daily physical activity. Regularly inspect weight.

·         Cereal should be your main source of energy (calories). Eat whole grain bread.

·         Drink every day at least two large glasses of milk. Milk can be replaced with yogurt and partly cheese. Milk contains calcium, which is an essential component of bones.

·         Eat meat in moderation.

·         Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits every day.

·         Reduce fats, in particular animal, and also products containing a lot of cholesterol and trans fatty acids.

·         Keep moderation in the consumption of sugar and sweets. Sweets do not contribute anything useful, they are just empty calories.

·         Limit your intake of salt.

·         Drink a lot of water because it cleanses your body, it has no calories and fills our stomach.

·         Do not drink alcohol. Alcohol has many calories and it does not seem so :)

Film about a balanced diet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZC4o1WtBR4

Question:

1.       Do you think that a balanced diet is important for us and our health?

2.       Do you use or are advised to be on any diet?

3.       What do you think about weight loss diets?

Source:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/pyramid-full-story/

Happy Meal books

Hello everyone!

Today we are going to touch the matter of... books. Books were never a hot topic, so no wonder one would never hear about them in the evening news. Rarely do any breakthroughs take place in the winternational literacy politics. But this week is special, as we are going to see in a moment.

For the bookworms 2013 has started with two electrifying news. One comes from the United Kingdom, the other from Turkey. Let's have a look what it brings!

So we start with the UK. McDonald's is going to replace Happy Meal toys with... books. The news is striking. It means that English children would get about 15 million books in England over the next two years! Why is the most recognizable fast-food chain turning into the distribution of books?

Well, it seems that books are just in fashion, at least amongst the parents. After launching a pilot program, McDonald's heads found the feedback 'overwhelmingly positive'. What's more, survey proves that 9 out of 10 parents is expects more book promotions from the fast-food chain. Conclusions are clear: promoting literacy is just another marketing strategy.

Personally, I am all for this kind of action. Even if is is just another method of buliding up a brand. Give books away! Let's teach children that these mysterious sheets of paper wrapped in colorful covers are just another toys worth spending time at. Even McDonald's was able to notic ethat. "When children own their own books, it makes a huge difference to their reading," says chain's official, Conal Presho.

The action is partly sponsored by the British National Literacy Trust. The Organization seems to notice a positive contribution of this marketing strategy. "Our focus is on using any way we can to encourage children to read, and to read anything they can, whether that's menus in restaurants, non-fiction books or magazines – anything which spreads children's enjoyment of reading."

Giveaway books - the kids WILL love it, says McDonald's. Who would dare to doubt?

Now let's switch to good news from Turkey, an infamous country where te situation for writers is as bad as anywhere in the region. Nowadays, in 2013, the country still imposes publication bans and imprisons the authors who do not go along with the official politics. The censorship has started decades ago. However, there is no one central body responsible for that. As we can see, lifting the law causes much legal problems.

And it wasn't till this weekend that an important legal change was made. The parliament passed a bill that would enable the banned to be read again. And the numbers are striking! Over 23,000 books can now be printed freely. Amongst them "The Communist Manifesto" that now will be available in the country for the first time!

The law came into effect so quietly, that one may wonder if it is really true. But let's hope it is a sign of change. Turkey’s record on freedom of expression is alarming. The the country has more journalists in prison than any other, more than Iran or China.

For more info about this week book issues, read more at the New Yorker online magazine:http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/

QUESTIONS:
1) Is the McDonald's action a good way to promote books to children?

2) This year most of the European countries would lift the ban for Adolf Hitler's infamous book "Mein Kampf", known for its racists and radically xenophobic ideas. Do you think that the state should have a possibilty to choose which books may be printed and which may not?

sources:

http://www.ramendays.com/mcdonalds-uk-putting-books-in-their-happy-meals-instead-of-toys/

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-mcdonalds-happy-meals-toys-books-20130109,0,2150667.story

http://www.mhpbooks.com/turkey-lifts-ban-on-thousands-of-books/

Jirí Kolár

Hello everyone!

As we got to know a grasp of interesting ideas about creativity, let's have a look at a man whose creative powers has been praised for last fifty years. 

Jirí Kolár obviously didn't need any creative learning. In fact, he didn't even go to Art School. Born in Protivín (Czechoslovakia)in 1914, he worked as a carpenter in his small town till the day he went to Prague to watch surrealistic collages at the Mozarteum. It was a breakthrough! Twenty-years old, he eventually decided to become an artist.  

"Like most great artists of the past century, Kolář was both an anarchist and a reactionary." said Travis Jeppesen, an American novelist, poet, and art critic. Indeed, Kolár experimented with text and image in a way that was unknown in the art history. He combined them in a way that surprised the Czechs and quickly gained a fame as a shocking visual poet, leading such art circles as "Gruppe 42" and "Kreuzung".

Soon he got into trouble. His anarchistic work was too subversive for the time of Stalinism. In 1953 Jirí Kolár spent months under arrest. When released, he got a publication ban that didn't stop him from working on his poems, dramas and ballets. However, the reflections of the gloomy time may be seen in his prose. He writes in "Ocity svedek" (Eye-witness), a verse and prose diary from 1949 : "Through the breaking of a cultural tradition ... culture itself is sinking into unimaginable backwardness". It comes as no surprise that the voice of an artist and an intellectual, who regarded Stalinism as a "barbarism", was silented by the dictatorship; the book was first published in Munich in 1983. His finest collection of poems, "Prometheova jatra" (Prometheus' Liver), written in 1950, was first published in Toronto in 1985. Despite the fact most of his work wasn't published till 1980s, he was considered one of the most important writers of the time.

His poetic work avoid conventional metaphors and sophisticated language. He would rather use vulgar excerpts from everyday talk and implot politicians speeches that were a part of the Stalinism language. Typically he wrote monologues spoken by unhappy women and their disintegrated souls, thus focusing on the internal experience rather than external world. His verse may surprise with the evocations of beauty and strong liturgical elements.

Around 1959 Kolár abandonned his poetic work and focused on visual arts. He included materials from everyday-life like hairs, razor blades, and zippers. He produced miniature-objects and collages. "In order to “make it new,” - said Travis Jeppesen - the artist must systematically reject every aesthetic tendency that’s come before." One look at some of his art collages would serve as a thousand words. (http://butdoesitfloat.com/I-m-chasing-after-an-image-nothing-more)

He was amongst those who would never compromise to the Communist power. Along with Vaclav Havel, a playwright and later Czech president, he signed Charter 77 (the declaration calling on the Communist authorities to respect international human-rights agreements). Then he was forced to emigrate to France in 1980. At the time his work was exhibited in such world-known galleries as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (1981) and participated in the Biennale in Venice (1990).

As a leading figure in Czech artistic and anarchistic history, Jirí Kolár died in Prague in 2002.

QUESTIONS:
1) What is the impact of the dictatorship on the art work?

2) Recently media are struck to hear that a Czech tattooed drama professor runs in the presidential election (see:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130113/sunday-times-2/tattooed-professor-in-race-to-be-czech-president-28436.html ). Do you think that an artist and an intellectual may become a successful politician?

sources:

http://www.jiri-kolar.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/23/arts/jiri-kolar-88-czech-collage-artist-and-poet.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Kol%C3%A1%C5%99
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Jeppesen

Drifting

This discipline is slowly coming to Polish. It was launched in Japan. At the beginning it was  a "slippage" in the winding, mountain roads, later it moved to tracks, where competitions are organized. Drifting has also become popular in the United States, where is the famous D1 Grand Prix. It's mostly about having fun, showing your skills and driving style.

Drifting is the art of skillful car driving into a corner with a big beautiful slip. In this discipline, leaders have cars with rear-wheel drive.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe2JFhZ3JhGbg9ViZYSJZArpSOgNs1fptnNCv_59we6BlsTBfJBDho1ltqhlwHVt107sDdtBw87N1sJV5xchvVgIq8JWv5w3-30XiTe2l39Qa49OB3alLNal_eV2FHaemNXo7Ge1NxnQ/s1600/kaam+karne+de.jpg

What should  your car have to drift?

Suspension - hard accordingly, to better feel the reactions of the car. It involves changing the shock absorbers, springs, struts inserting, changing the geometry of the suspension. It is good to improve the braking system.

Wheels - tires are very important. They should be of good quality. They cannot be too highly profiled, which can cause the slipping of the tire and the rim. Often wheels are wider than the tires, which also minimizes the risk of slipping tires.

Engine - The engine must provide enough power (at least 150HP), the car must have its supply. Very important elements are rummage (in extreme cases, permanently welded bridge) and strong enough clutch and gearbox. The oil cooler is needed. It should also be remembered, the power unit are subject to very high loads, it is almost always used for maximum performance.

Other useful modifications - is worth using a good, sport steering wheel, which will provide us with a good "contact" with the car. Also a handy bucket seat, thanks to which we do not fall at the first corner and we ‘feel’ the car better. Sports safety cage and seat belts are obligatory.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4OiqzdVGv5WLlCRk82wXpGtlQrea2r7B6KuukC4KBUFiyj9AqIRsTNzGbZgoX_NdlpZk1jNQDfz2zqtIR3c4t12dV_Q5BVXlS0pMUC-roqR_cwc4J9fL5KnkMMBQ9ATUPtTY4LAqdipC/s1600/drifting-techniques.jpg

The most common cars in drifting: Nissan Silvia, Nissan Skyline, Toyota Corolla AE86, Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and many more with rear wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

http://www.carthrottle.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Nissan_350z_Drift.jpg

Unfortunately, this kind of entertainment is  not completely safe, despite the use of a security cage, bucket seats, belts sports accidents happen while drifting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVJ7KHbiK6s

Very interesting tricks, techniques are presented in the video:

 http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=6W1bSKw0SkE

QUESTIONS :

     1)  Do you like this form of sport?

     2) Do you think that you have to be a good driver to practice drifting?

    3) Have you ever had the opportunity to watch the spectacle of drifting, if so, what are your impressions, if  not, would you like?

Week 12

Read  the presentation Alternative medicine
http://uwb2m-s.blogspot.com/2012/12/alternative-medicine.html

 and comment on it here. Discuss it with the course participants.

F.C. CHELSEA LONDON

F.C. Chelsea London

Hello everyone, I would like to tell you about my beloved English football club which is F.C Chelsea London. I’ve been a big fan of this team for many many years. The are many popular players playing in this club, for example: Fernando Torres, Demba Ba, Oscar and many many others. Roman Abramowicz is the owner of the club and Rafa Benitez is the half-manager on this year. The history of the club started in 1905, when the club was established by a poor owner and Chelsea had a basic football pitch. The beginnings were tough, football in England was not well developed and it was difficult to find football players, who could be Chelsea’s stars. Till 1931 Chelsea played in the first and second league and, starting from 1931, only in the first league. After the season 1951 / 52 Drake modernised the club. He didn't only sit behind his desk, but he was leading trainings on his own. This charismatic manager of “the Blues” also led to the change of the Chelsea’s symbol. From 1953 Chelsea was represented by the “lion”. Chelsea continued to stay at the lead of the table, and in season 1960/61 Jimmy Greaves became the top scorer for the second time getting 41 goals in the season. In 2003 Roman Abramowicz bought the club and after the season 2003/04 he employed Jose Mourinho. In my opinion he is one of the best coaches in the world. He was able to build a team which was able to win a match after the match. Jose Murinho found stars like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. Moreover led by Murhinho, Chelsea reached for the Cup of England 6 times.

STADIUM – STAMFORD BRIDGE (LONDON)

I had a chance to visit Stamford stadium in 2007;2009 and 2011, during holidays. It was an incredible experience for me, because I could see the stadium of my beloved team.

SUCCESSES :

UEFA Champions League – CHAMPIONSHIP – 2011-2012

UEFA CUP – CHMPIONSHIP – 1970-71; 1997-8

UEFA SUPER CUP – CHAMPIONSHIP - 1998

FA CUP - 1960;1961;2010;2011;2012

MY FAVOURITE PLAYER IN F.C CHELSEA :

My favourite Chelsea football player is Frank Lampard. He’s a legend that’s been with Chelsea for the last 10 years. Frank Lampard is my idol because for all these years he’s been committed to his club, for which he started playing at a young age. He is a central midfielder. In the last year he won the most important title, which is the Championship in the UEFA Champions League. He scored in 5 goals and had 6 assist. Frank is a talented and versatile player. He’s also been the captain of the team for many years.

Manchester United – the biggest rival

Manchester has been the biggest Chelsea rival in the English football league for many years. It is led by Alex Ferguson. "Red Devils" defeated the Chelsea team after fascinating penalty kicks. However I think that in the English Premiership - equivalent to the Polish first league – there are more teams which are trying to fight for the championship. Every year in England there is a tough competition between the following teams: Arsenal London, Everton - ( Derby London ), Manchester City, Manchester United and F.C Chelsea.

QUESTION:

      1)      Do you like watching football matches??

      2)      What is your favorite football club ??

      3)      Is football a safe sport ??

SOURCE : 

     

      1)      http://www.chelsealive.pl/

      2)      http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_F.C

PICTURE/FILM :

1)      http://www.chelsealondyn.pl/dzialy/herby4.PNG

2)      http://www.chelsea.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/stamford-bridge2.jpg

3)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NFVRYFeeUs

4)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ys8rsvXtg

5)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Y19HxjrF6rw

Chocolate – only calories or good product for our health?

    Chocolate is a product which everyone loves. The most beneficial effect on our health has the dark chocolate which contains a lot of cacao. Milk chocolates have more sugar and other additives, filled chocolates contain more sugar and artificial colors. Biological properties of chocolate vary depending on the amount of cocoa mass within it. This amount is the greatest in bittersweet chocolate (about 75%), smaller in dessert chocolate (30-70%), while the milk chocolate contains only 25% of the chocolate mass. White chocolate is produced without any addition of cocoa mass. Cocoa chocolate contains minerals like magnesium or iron, caffeine, theothrombine, endorphins and flavonoids, vitamins (B, A and E), vegetable oil which helps to eliminate bad cholesterol.

When people eat chocolate, the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain increase which improves mental processes efficiency. The same happens to the level of endorphins – the hormones of happiness. It is certain that the chocolate helps our body to cope with stressful situations. It is due to the magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Antioxidants in chocolate may have positive effect on the circulatory system – they reduce risk of heart diseases. It is also important to know that antioxidants contained in the chocolate slow down the ageing process. It is claimed that chocolate probably also reduces insulin resistance and inhibits inflammatory activation. When we eat chocolate regularly we can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and a lot of other health complications.

On the other hand, chocolate has also a bad effect on our health. Everyone must remember that chocolate is a high-calorie and high-fat product. Nowadays more and more people are overweight, it is becoming a global problem. Also people who are allergic must be very careful because chocolate can induce allergic effects due to the presence of cocoa, nuts, seeds, milk and wheat.  People suffering from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, should avoid milk and white chocolate, due to the presence of saturated fatty acids. Milk chocolate is also harmful to the people who are lactose intolerant. Consuming chocolate in large quantities may result in headaches and migraine. To sum up, chocolate may have positive effect, but we shouldn’t eat regularly more than 2-3 lumps of chocolate a day.

QUESTIONS :

Do you like chocolate ?
Do you think that chocolate is healthy ?

      PICTURE/FILMS:

      
   http://papilot1.mykmyk.pl/img/660/0/shake_czekoladowy.jpg 

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj8n9qFr_c8

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPk75XeAles

SOURCE : - Wartość odżywcza wybranych produktów spożywczych i typowych potraw – „Hanna Kunachowicz” - Dieta czekoladowa – Ruth Moscher

CREATIVITY

Hello everyone!

In today’s presentation I’d like to show you how to fire up our creativity at work and also motivate you to change your approach.

I’ve divided my presentation into three main parts. First, we will be looking at barriers which limit our creativity. Next, I’m going to talk about practical methods, which help us to be creative. And third, I will finish my presentation by showing you what the perfect working conditions should be.

Everyone knows what is creativity. However, often we don’t know how to be innovative, imaginative. Does anyone think what is the main reason which don’t allow us to be creative? The most important barriers are stereotypes. Mostly, we stick to adopted rules and choose the easiest and the most popular way. Don’t do it! Maybe some of you are wondering – why? The answer is – because “beauty is only skin deep”.

Example: You are an employee in clothes shop. If you see a chic and elegant woman, you will probably think –she must be rich and have a lot of money, therefore you focus your attention on her. But if you see women clothed unkempt and more casual, you will think –she must be poor and you will immediately forget her. But what if she’s richer than that elegant and chic woman? If we change our approach, leaving the most obvious one behind, we may notice new and interesting possibilities.

Next barriers are killer phrases. Don’t say – “If something is good, why change it?” or “it’s impracticable”. This sentences narrow our mind.

 Another barrier is  focused on one, correct solution. If we decide that there’s only one way to solve a problem, we may never notice that there’s another solutions.

What about procedures? Procedures enforce doing things in a specific way. This kind of thing is not always good and useful. 

Let’s now take a look at practical methods. How often are we thinking about what could we change to get rid of the barriers? First of all, we should be willing to break these barriers and try to be open-minded. Don’t be afraid to express your ideas and opinions! Who knows? Maybe you will come up with something interesting. Secondly, you should exercise your mind and imagination. For example, mental activities could be very – within two minutes try to write as many new sentences as you can by finishing this one - “Most people are…”. Thirdly, we should base our new ideas on the old ones, because perhaps our old ideas are not completely wrong.

Now, let’s consider the last point. How should we change the conditions at work. Everyone knows that noise at work and working under pressure is not making us more efficient. Silence or our favorite music helps to  be creative. We should have people who can motivate us and people with whom we like to work. 

To sum up, firstly – identify the barriers and try to break them.  Secondly, you should change your behavior – don’t be afraid to express your opinion, train your mind and create new ideas on the basis of the old ones. And finally – change your working conditions. Silence and people are of great importance. 

Pablo Picasso said: Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. Therefore seek/look for child inside us!

QUESTION :

1)    Do you think it's worth being creative?

2)    What do you think about this ?

SOURCE : „Trening kreatywności” – Krzysztof J.Szmidt ; - „Techniki kreatywności” – Matthias Nollke



PICTURE/FILM :

http://www.transitioning.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/creativity_cme-function_6x4.png
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY