Seeding the city’s future conservationists with The Learning Garden

Artist and environmentalist Yasir Hussain and sustainability educator Zahra Ali have started the ‘Organic City Pakistan’ initiative, which aims to educate schoolchildren about the importance of greenery and nature. PHOTOS: COURTESY ZAHRA ALI AND YASIR HUSSAIN

At a communal level, other than household or neighbourhood gardens, there is a growing focus now on developing school gardens, where their educational value can also be utilised. Such practices serve another important purpose – that of creating socially cohesive and lively spaces that promote communal bonding.

Karachi, too, is witnessing a movement for positive change. Coming to the scene is Organic City Pakistan. Co-founded by the husband-and-wife team of Yasir Hussain, an artist and environmentalist, and Zahra Ali, a writer and sustainability educator, Organic City Pakistan promotes green living through programmes such as Crops in Pots, Green Schools Programme, horticulture therapy, Art Lab and its Eco-Store.

The Green Schools Programme of Organic City is designed to be piloted in a traditional school set-up in Karachi. At the core of this programme is the Learning Garden, where activity-based gardening and environment classes following a ‘Green Curriculum’ in an organic patch and classroom leads to student certification.

The Organic City team wants to spread this initiative far and wide. As Zahra puts it, “Each school must have a learning garden where children can appreciate nature while observing and learning its divine ways to nurture life. In doing so, children get to understand the impact of the little things they do, and realise that they are global citizens.”

The first such functioning course has been hosted at a local charitable school, the Haq Foundation School. The curriculum serves the core requirements of the Green School Programme as well as hosting a seed bank for growing local heirloom seeds that can be re-harvested.

The programme kicked off last year with the active support of the school management, coordinated by the principal, Samina Asaad. In the first year, the garden had three vegetable patches — one for the students to work on, one shared by the teachers, management and working staff while in the third, the vegetables were taken by a local restaurant. The produce included kale, coloured bell peppers, broccoli, lettuce, herbs such as parsley, and five types of tomatoes, including cherry tomatoes, and the giant-sized brandy vine. For this year there are plans to add eggplant, spinach, pumpkins, carrots, mint and ginger.

The students learn to manage the whole process — from seed to harvest. They prepare the vegetable beds themselves and also learn to prepare compost. In addition to the host school, an educational outreach programme is provided to students from other schools and regular visits take place. The programme has become so popular among the city’s schools that, at a time when the law and order situation in the city was disturbed, Skype sessions took place from the learning garden to the participating schools.


Other than field engagement, every Thursday workshop sessions are held to give the students an even wider perspective, such as informing them about water conservation, chemical-free organic farming and the importance of birds and bees that are attracted to trees and vegetable patches.

The children learn to become global citizens. The practice is now spreading from the school to the homes of the students and the faculty. As Yasir puts it, “The School Farm is supplemented by what children grow at home, which helps spread the practice into the city.” There are plans to see that the programme also starts feeding into mainstream school curriculum. “Schools can easily adopt all or some part of the green curriculum. For example, a school can start composting and turn their paper waste into compost for their plants,” explains Zahra. “Children can make layers of shredded brown or white paper, pencil shavings, fruit peels from their lunch boxes, some dead leaves from the school garden and some sand. [They can then] store it in an air tight container and see how nature turns it into rich compost.”

The team of Organic City, in collaboration with the school management, has now planned to start learning classes in the school premises, open to all members of the community focused on kitchen gardening.

Children of gay parents fare well

NEW YORK — On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, new research suggests that children raised by gay parents are well adjusted and resilient, HealthDay reports.

Four new studies were scheduled to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto that set out to assess the psychological and sociological health of children raised by same-sex couples.

One study looked at the experience of 49 pre-adolescent youngsters adopted by either two-dad or two-mom households. The children’s average age was 8.

Led by Rachel Farr, a research assistant professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, researchers interviewed both children and parents. Nearly 80 percent of the boys and girls said they felt “different” from other children because of their parents’ status, the study found. But less than 60 percent felt they had been stigmatized because of their same-sex family structure. And 70 percent appeared to respond to adversity with resilience, demonstrating an upbeat attitude about their family, the researchers found according to HealthDay.

A second study compared rates of anxiety and/or depression among 3- to 10-year-olds raised by 68 gay male couples with those of youngsters raised by 68 heterosexual parents. The team led by Robert-Jay Green, a retired professor of clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco, found that all of the children were psychologically healthy.


A third study — led by Henny Bos, an assistant professor in behavioral and social sciences at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands — found that 17-year-olds raised in households without a male role model were not psychologically maladjusted and appeared to engage in gender-appropriate behavior, HealthDay reports.

Who play nice do better in life with 20-year study?

Good social skills in kindergarten matter, and maybe more than strong early academics, according to a new longitudinal study that followed 5-year-olds into adulthood.

Researchers at Penn State University looked at teacher assessments of kindergarteners' social skills and tracked them through high school and into their early 20s. They found that kids with better "social competencies" at age 5 — as rated by their kindergarten teachers — were more likely to go to college and hold full-time jobs as young adults.

Children with lower social competencies, the study found, could be predicted to spend more time in special education and have more issues with substance abuse. They also were more likely to drop out of high school and go to prison before age 25.

The 20-year study has just been published in the American Journal of Pubic Health.

Mark Greenberg, study author and professor of human development and psychology at Penn State, said children who are better able to socialize with peers, exhibit more self-control and negotiate sandbox tussles without a tantrum might actually do better in life than kids who can read and write when they are 5 but have poor social skills.

"The kinds of things that we think only academics would be predictive for, turns out it's wrong," he said. "Turns out children's ability to get along with others and manage themselves well in positive ways affects both their academic outcomes and their labor market outcomes in adulthood."

As preschools increasingly focus on academics with the express goal of helping kids do better in kindergarten, the study shows that children's social emotional learning might matter more.

Greenberg's advice for parents when choosing a preschool is to not prioritize those with strong academic programs over schools that promote social-emotional learning.

Parents should look for preschools using "a social-emotional learning curriculum that has an evidence base that provides teachers with a kind of structure to build this kind of caring classroom environment," Greenberg said.

In short, young children will get the academics as they proceed through school. Learning social skills, like healthy social interactions, conflict resolution, and self-control, might be harder to learn as kids get older, yet all these competencies will positively affect kids' readiness to learn.

Seattle has the seventh-worst fans in the NFL

For the past three years, a team at Emory has used 15 years of NFL data in a quest to rank each of the 32 fanbases in the NFL. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Emory, a fine school in Atlanta, doesn’t even have a football team. This is like students from BYU writing studies about spring break or Harvard folks releasing their investigation into being cool. Regardless, the Emory researchers used a bunch of criteria — “hard data” they called it — andapplied some hardcore math/analysis to it, hoping to come up with “what team has the most avid, engaged, passionate and supportive fans.” Some of their findings:
1. DALLAS, NEW ENGLAND AND THE NEW YORK GIANTS TOP THE LIST.

This seems reasonable to me. While Emory admits that it’s hard to judge fanbases when a team is particularly good (obviously a good team will have more support than a bad team, no matter the general level of fan interest), the two NFC East teams on this list are always popular, even during down stretches. Because it’s been so long since we’ve seen the Patriots struggle, I can’t say I agree with their placement as much. Once Brady and Belichick leave, their number of fans will be greatly deflate, back to the pre-Brady and Belichick levels, when most people in Boston forgot the Patriots even existed.
2. BUFFALO, JACKSONVILLE, OAKLAND, CLEVELAND AND MIAMI ROUND OUT THE LIST.

The Dolphins as No. 32? Frankly, I find it hard to believe that any team has a worse fanbase than the Jaguars, but as long as the Jags are No. 29, I guess it’s legit. (The study says teams from Florida always are low in the rankings.) The rest of the bottom seems decent too. Maybe I was too harsh on our friends from Emory above.
3. THE JETS ARE NO. 5 AND THE TEXANS (NO. 12) ARE AHEAD OF THE BRONCOS (NO. 13), STEELERS (NO. 14) AND REDSKINS (NO. 15).

No one loves the Jets. They tolerate the Jets and watch them every Sunday because of self-hatred. Then, in those years when the Jets are good, they wait for the Jets to break their hearts because they know the Jets will do so. As for the Texans being ahead of three NFL blue bloods, come on. That’s just preposterous. A few quibbles aside (New Orleans at No. 8 is too high, Kansas City at No. 27 is way too low), I’m down with most of the rest of the list. But the Texans placement is ridiculous. Maybe I wasn’t too harsh on our friends from Emory.
4. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.


The 12th man, the fans of the Seattle Seahawks who have deluded themselves into thinking they’re truly a member of the franchise that won the 2013 Super Bowl and gave away the 2014 title is ranked — wait for it — No. 26 on this list. No. 26! The final verdict: Our friends from Emory did just fine on this list.

Mobile app Flinnt becoming popular as learning platform

Ahmedabad-based start-up's app allows teachers to communicate with students, parents
Ahmedabad, June 24:
In what makes the learning resource rich, easy, and interesting for school children, a WhatsApp-like mobile platform called Flinnt, allows teachers to create groups with students and share academic resources such as chapters, videos, data, and charts, among others.
Developed by a group of entrepreneurs from Ahmedabad in June 2012, Flinnt is currently being used by about 105 academic institutions across Gujarat and a few in Mumbai, Noida, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Tirupati.
"This will act as a communication platform between students and teacher. This is a platform that allows one/ few to broadcast to many. So, content broadcast can be monitored and managed. It is a good platform to share user-generated content such as documents, videos of class-room teaching, best answer written by a student, or a graph or charts," said Tarak Yagnik, one of the four founders and a marketing expert.
The Android-based mobile app is being used for students in the K-12 segment, graduate and post-graduate. "Up to grade four, teachers send one-way communications such as reminders, announcements, homework, and activity photos directly to the parent’s phone," said Yagnik.
Once enrolled, the institute is given sign-up codes, with which teachers and students can use the app. For instance, teachers can post a document or a video on the platform, and students can comment on it and discuss it further. But unlike WhatsApp, the teachers can prevent abusive mischief by restricting students from commenting on a particular topic. The platform can also operate on a desktop PC.
Currently, the company has 40,000 users of the app. "Our charges range from Rs. 5,000 per annum to Rs. 15,000 per annum for different sizes of institutions. We are targeting private institutions first as they can take faster decisions," said Harish Iyer, co-founder and CEO.
The company, which has raised around $400,000, including an Angel round from US-based investors, expects to break even this year. Going forward, it is also planning to raise about Rs. 10-12 crore from venture funds.
In the next two-three years, the company plans to cover about 8,000-10,000 institutions across the country. By this year-end the start-up plans to have a presence in 15 cities.
Customer acquisition accounts for 70 per cent of the company’s expenses, while the remaining 30 per cent goes into development and infrastructure.

It took me 40 years to learn this, but it can change your life now

    In life we all hit certain milestones where we pause and reflect. For me, it was my 40th birthday. Just the number itself reminded me how many times around the sun I've traveled, and how many different lives I feel like I've led.

    There have been some consistent themes that always helped me make it through the tough times, and provided an extra bonus, super happy, fun-fun in the good times.

    These are my solid gold, Top 5, chart-topping favorites of my last 40-odd years. They can help you be more connected with people, avoid many interpersonal conflicts and in some cases even save your life.
    5. Be present

    The only moment you can do anything about is the one you're in.

    I used to hear people talk about "being present" and I often wondered how to do it. In fact, I still work to do this at times.

    Here are a couple of tips: Tune in to your breathing. Your lungs can only breathe today's air. They can't breathe yesterday's nor tomorrow's air. When you focus on your breathing, you are automatically locked into the moment.

    You have five senses. Tune into any one of them and feel the anxiety and body stress melt away. If you feel your mind wander back into the land of your thoughts, gently bring your awareness back to your hearing, vision, touch, smell, taste or your breathing.
    4. Be rebellious

    . Break the rules sometimes. It's OK to disobey, you learn and teach some great lessons this way.

    I'm not talking about any major laws here, but don't be afraid to live your life according to your heart's desire. People all around us have an agenda for our lives, many of which manifest as societal rules and "dealbreakers."

    One of my favorite things to do is start up a chat with guys in a public restroom, which is a big social taboo. This creates a vast variety of reactions, but it is always entertaining and at least one of us always walks away smiling (usually both of us).
    3. Follow your heart, pursue your dreams

    . No one can live your life better than you.

    Ever feel "unworthy"? Yeah, me too. I think everyone struggles with feelings of inadequacy at some point. Remember there is a reason you are here. Some people will even try to take advantage of your inadequacy and do their best to keep you feeling small. Don't let them.

    I do some film acting and a commercial or two here and there. I love acting, but for years I had a tendency to let other people talk me out of it. None of these people were pursuing a passion of their own. Now my passion for acting is a baseline for my life.
    2. Be grateful for everything "good" and "bad"

    Some of the best things in life come from things that seem bad or difficult.

    When my second wife left, I was devastated. It was genuinely one of the most painful experiences of my life. However, I committed to focus on myself. I took some time to myself, focused on grounding my soul, and looked at what activities spoke to me.

    Acting had been a passion of mine in my younger days. I had quit years before because of the feedback and agenda of others in my life, and had always regretted it.

    Splitting with my second wife opened the door for me to start acting again, to rediscover my passion. When I was acting, I felt like I could finally breathe again. Now I have been in 20 or so films and short films, produced two independent movies and am developing my third feature film.

    I am grateful for the pain of that split, because I know it led me back to my passion. Some of the best things come from events that are hard. Be grateful for these things. The quicker you can find gratitude, the quicker you'll find the benefit of the challenge.
    1. Be kind

    There is a reason that this is number one on my list. Mother Teresa said, "Three things in human life are important; the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind."

    The importance of kindness can not be overstated. If you have ever been the recipient of any measure of kindness or if you have ever seen the relief and love on the face of a recipient of kindness, you will know that there is nothing quite as rewarding and connecting as a kind word.

    Make sure kindness an undercurrent for everything you do. It can be difficult in the face of criticism or even anger, but nothing diffuses anger and judgment better than continued kindness.

    Implementing the above list is not always easy. In fact, it can often feel like nothing is more difficult, but in my experience it is always, always worth a shot.

Learn Italian phrases: Meeting a client for lunch

Conversation
... certo, glielo manderemo subito. Le è piaciuta la bistecca?
... of course, we'll get that supplied immediately. Hope you enjoyed your steak?
Deliziosa, così come l'insalata. Posso pagare il conto?
Delicious, and the salad too. Can I pay the bill?
No, a Milano è mio ospite. Il cameriere chiede se vuole un bicchiere di limoncello.
No, you're my guest in Milan. The waiter is asking if you want a glass of limoncello.
Perchè no? Ne prende uno anche lei?
Why not? Will you join me?
Beh, secondo le regole aziendali non potrei, ma in questa occasione va bene!
Well, according to our company code, I'm not supposed to, but on this occasion, yes.
Ottimo! Salute allora, al nostro nuovo progetto! Excellent!
Cheers then, to our new project!
Business lunch terms
il/la cliente client
il pranzo di lavoro working lunch
l'ospite host/guest
dividere il conto/pagare alla romana to split the bill/to go Dutch
brindare to toast
salute! cheers!
la mancia tip
la ricevuta receipt
stringersi la mano to shake hands
il bigliettino da visita business card
l'ospitalità hospitality
i contatti contacts/connections
la riunione meeting
Meetings
la presentazione presentation
l'orario/l'agenda agenda
il verbale report/minutes
le domande questions
il proiettore overhead projector
il portatile laptop
Picking up the tab

ti prego di permettermi di pagare please do me the honour of allowing me to pay
fammelo mettere in nota spese let me put it on my expenses
abbiamo una convenzione con questo ristorante we have an agreement with this restaurant
ho già fatto io I've already taken care of it
Types of pasta
le farfalle butterfly-shaped
i fusilli spiral-shaped
le orecchiette ear-shaped
i cannelloni large, stuffable
i vermicelli thinner than spaghetti
i capellini thinner than vermicelli
le fettuccine ribbon-size
le linguine flattened spaghetti
le pappardelle thick, flat ribbon
le tagliatelle thinner than fettuccine
i ravioli/tortelloni square or rounded, stuffed
i tortellini ring-shaped, stuffed
gli gnocchi potato-flour dumplings
Other things to say ...
com'è l'abbigliamento/come bisogna vestirsi? what's the dress code?
la riunione inizia in orario? is the meeting on time?
siete aperti a qualche tipo di contrattazione? are you open to negotiation?
accettereste un piccolo dono? would you accept a small gift?
mi scusi, devo rispondere sorry, I have to take this (call)
fammi fare il primo brindisi let me make the first toast
e adesso parliamo di affari let's get down to business

Learning Watercolor Painting

It is very important to determine the exact combination of hues to produce a remarkable artwork or masterpiece. Remember that if you cannot master the exact color mixtures, you might end up completing a disappointing work. Although some folks find it easy even if they have not tried it, creating a masterpiece with watercolors require precise concentration and continuous learning. You have to master how to blend the colors with water and stroke your brush to finish your artwork the right way.

On the other hand, watercolor painting has a different case and once you create a mistake, you cannot just repaint your work. Meaning, you to have to start all over again using new materials and repeat the design you want. Because of this, it is very important to work cautiously, Again, make sure to perfect your strokes, color combinations and follow your ideas with care. By the way, if we look at most of the popular artists today, they do not just focus on using paintbrushes. They use their hands or feet to create an impressive artwork that can definitely grab the attention of the people.

This lesson is about painting and does not cover drawing skills or address proportion to a great extent. If you learn to use the correct techniques on your already finished drawing, you should do fine. One hint that you need to take to heart is this; If you don't have an accurate drawing, do not attempt to paint the person. You more than likely will not achieve a likeness if you don't have a likeness first in pencil.

This reflection or catch-light should be two toned, matching the whites of the eyes. The iris will have several tones and is never just one color. The whites of the eyes are never pure white but shades of gray, and will most likely not be the brightest spot on the face or the whole painting. I usually add a tiny bit of red in the corner membrane. Study your subject for accurate color variation. Use an out lineof a darker shade like burnt sienna and outline the entire iris.

Now with the same burnt sienna paint in a pupil. Depending on how the light hits the eye will depend on where the catch-light of the iris will be. Make sure that the catch-light hits both eyes in generally the same spot however. A line painted in over the top of the eye will serve as the upper eyelid. Some people have a definite line to define the lower lid as well. The eyelids should be painted how you see them.