Less Smog, More Design

odd sculptureElegant Embellishments has created some groovy tiles that clean the air and add some aesthetic flair in cities. The tiles are still being developed, but this idea is really cool. The tiles are modular and can be mounted as a stand alone sculpture or attached to a building.

The technology behind the tiles is still being tweaked. Essentially, the tiles absorb pollutants that are generated from cars that lead to smog, while letting other gasses float on by. The tiles need to be located near the pollution source in order to be the most effective of course.

“The tiles provide councils, developers, and designers with an easy way simultaneously to improve the air quality and visual appeal of urban spaces. A London- and Berlin-based, interdisciplinary collaboration between innovators and materials manufacturers, architects and city councils, Elegant Embellishments produces lo-tech, interactive tiles in all shapes and sizes together with Millenium Chemicals TiO2. The tiles are modular and can thus be assembled to cover any surface or create any shape desired.”

No More Homework?

If research is to be believed, your kids may start coming home with less homework.  For younger students, a few schools are reducing the number of repetitive exercises given, and replacing them with assignments designed to engage the mind. 

Years of research supports the idea that there is no link between grades and the amount of homework assigned.  In a study covering 50 countries, students with the highest grades (such as Japan and Denmark) did very little homework, compared to children with the lowest grades (such as Greece and Iran), who did lots of homework.  Due to various research reports, some teachers and parents now see no need to assign a lot of afterschool work in the early and middle grades. 

Harris Cooper, one of the leading researchers on homework in the United States, firmly believes in extra schoolwork.  “Kids at all grade levels are going to benefit from practice,” he states.  “…If it’s practice that gets you to Carnegie Hall, homework’s going to help.”

However, he acknowledges that too much does not mean better grades.  His rule of thumb: children shouldn’t do more than 10 minutes of homework for each grade.  For example, a Grade 2 student should have only 20 minutes of homework; a Grade 7 student, 1 hour and 10 minutes.

At Vernon Barford Junior High in Edmonton, teacher Judy Hoeksema now assigns half the work she did last year.  “We’ve all been under this illusion that lots of homework creates good study habits for the future,” the math teacher of 26 years says.  “Now, we’ve realized it isn’t making much difference.”

As a bonus for scaling back homework, many families are seeing  increased quality time for children and parents , less household stress, and less physical stress on their kids due to less books being carried.

Big Hearts Help Ship Fire Trucks

This is a heartwarming story of a group of people in the USA who had old fire trucks and shipped it to a place that could make good use of it. This is a great way to reuse equipment and make the world better! Thanks to Evan for finding this!

“Well, the town of Plymouth was able to scrounge up a few spare fire trucks, used, but in good working order; so why not ship them to Guinea-Bissau, along with an ambulance, and give the former Portuguese colony some peace of mind?
And that’s what is going to happen.

The country’s fire chief, Malam Djaura, will receive the keys to the equipment and training in how to operate them from Plymouth firefighters before the trucks and ambulance are shipped from New Jersey to West Africa.

These things, as improbable as they may seem, don’t happen in a vacuum. A Plymouth resident, David Applefield, who is a reporter for a newspaper in Guinea-Bissau, told his father, Jerry, about the fire. Jerry, in turn, mentioned it to state Rep. Vinny deMacedo, R-Plymouth. DeMacedo’s brother, Olavo bought one truck, and Jerry Applefield bought the other truck and ambulance, and Plymouth and Hanson fire officials threw in a bunch of hoses, connectors and other equipment. Olavo deMacedo even had one truck lettered and decorated with the Guinea-Bissau flag.”

Gay Animal Show

gay fun In Oslo there is a show on at the natural science museum that looks at homosexual behaviour in animals. Families and single people alike are enjoying the exhibit!

“But there has been strong interest in an aspect of animal behaviour the museum says is quite common.

It says homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented.

The exhibition – entitled Against Nature? – includes photographs of one male giraffe mounting another, of apes stimulating others of the same sex, and two aroused male right whales rubbing against each other.”

Aid Workers Network Relaunches

AWN The Aid Workers Network is “tired of re-inventing the wheel” and have decided to do something about it. AWN is a place for aid workers to share ideas, concerns, and help each other. It’s also a place to help people interested in working in the aid field.

Members can update their profile and have a blog on the site. It’s an online community for people around the world who want to save the world. The redesign got support from Oxfam and Red Cross and have helped the AWN focus their site to what aid workers need most from the site.