Geofactualidades

19 de setembro de 2012

"Gásadalur is located on the west-side of Vágar, Faroe Islands, and enjoys a panoramic view over the island of Mykines. The tiny village (of 17 in 2007) is surrounded by the highest mountains on Vágar and lies at 62°6’44′N 7°26’5′W. [Source]

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The islands form a self-governing country under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. The total area is approximately 1,400 km² (540 sq mi) with a 2010 population of almost 50,000 people.

The Faroe Islands has been a self-governing dependency of Denmark since 1948. Over the years, the Faroese have taken control of most domestic matters. Areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands also has representatives in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation. [Source]

12 de setembro de 2012

A fome

Viver da terra

Home Solar Power Discounts - One Block Off the Grid

Índice Global da Paz 2012

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Professores e ensino

This is why teachers leave teaching.

On Thursday, Mark Clarkson wrote a blog post that started off like this:

I seriously considered leaving education today. And if I had a viable exit strategy I might have taken it further.

Note the end of that sentence: a young, talented teacher with so much to offer the world feels like he has no 'viable exit strategy'. There are thousands of teachers up and down the country feeling the same thing.

I should know. A few years ago I was one of them.

You should go and read Mark's post. If you're currently a classroom teacher you'll be nodding your head at the bullet point after bullet point of bureaucratic, administrative nonsense he (and most other teachers) put up with. And if you're not a teacher, you'll be shocked.

On top of the ridiculous workload teachers like Mark experience each year, he notes that the benefits aren't exactly stellar:

At the same time I am told that I will have to work for another 36 years. That I will receive less pension than I was promised… That tests are too easy. That my subject is not good enough. That I need to solve gaps in parenting. That I should receive performance related pay. That teachers are paid too much. That public sector workers in the north are paid too much. That teachers 'cheat' when the watchmen come. And today I'm told that 'teachers don't know what stress is'.

I've been out of the classroom for just over two years now. And already my wife, a Primary school teacher, has to remind me what it's like. I consider setting off together for work five minutes late a minor inconvenience. But for her, and many teachers, it can make or break their day. I'm fairly sure teachers know what stress is.

Although I would say this, I think we need a review of what we're doing when it comes to schools. We can't keep cannibalising the goodwill of people in an underpaid, overworked, increasingly-attacked profession. I think we need a public debate about the purpose(s) of education.

I'll give the last word to Mark. He echoes something I used to say repeatedly – until I decided enough was enough:

I'm not leaving teaching today, because there are still too many moments that I enjoy.

…

TEACHING is a great activity. Teaching, at the minute, doesn't always feel like a great job.

Image CC BY-NC paulbence

	Fonte: Dough Belshaw

3D

Machu Picchu em 3D. Aqui.

3 de setembro de 2012

Crescimento urbano no Mundo

"Em 2050, segundo projeções da ONU, haverá 8 a 11 mil milhões de pessoas na Terra, a maioria a viver nos centros urbanos. Ou seja, pelo menos 2,3 mil milhões mais do que a população atual (sete mil milhões), o equivalente ao surgimento dos habitantes de uma nova China e uma nova Índia em conjunto.

Um estudo publicado hoje em Londres pela Royal Society diz que o século XXI é crítico para a população mundial e para os recursos do planeta. "A partir de hoje, nos países em desenvolvimento, 'nascerá' a cada cinco dias o equivalente a uma cidade com um milhão de habitantes".

De acordo com o estudo "People and the planet", presidido pelo biólogo John Sulsto - prémio Nobel da Fisiologia/Medicina de 2002"-, a população mundial necessita, urgentemente, de ser estabilizada. Assim como é preciso parar o consumo sem precedentes nos países ricos", sendo absolutamente necessário o planeamento urbano para evitar a proliferação dos bairros de lata, "altamente perniciosos para o bem-estar individual e das sociedades". Expresso online

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