ICC Table Tennis Campers win at the U.S. Open tournament in Las Vegas on July 2-5 

Put in your job listings for free in the Water, No Ice Job Board. Ask us how.

Don't forget to send in your entries for our July Honor Roll. We want to display the achievements of your friends, family and members of the community.

State Farm presents South Asian Spelling Bee contest in association with Western Union and Makemytrip.co. Be sure to register your child. Contest open for kids below 14 years of age. Registration ends July 27th for the Bay Area.

AICON Gallery presents - Tradition, technique and technology-II _ a collection of art by three Pakistani artists.

Upcoming Events:

• 24 July:
  • Pundits with Punchlines (7:00 pm)- San Jose
    
• 26 July:
  • Naatak presents "Mataji" (3:00 pm)- Palo Alto
    
  • Naatak presents "Mataji" (6:30 pm)- Palo Alto
    
• 27 July:
  • Audition to become part of the Naach team (1:00 pm)- Milpitas
  • Naatak presents "Mataji" (5:00 pm)- Palo Alto
    
  • The Unforgettable Tour (7:00 pm)-Oakland

ShareThis

For Hindus, the single syllable “OM”, repeated the right way, represents the creation of the universe and the sum of all existence. Om is a mantra, a hymn( shloka) or phrase that is supposed to raise consciousness when recited over and over. Mantras have power and meaning independent of the understanding of the person chanting them if chanted the right way, so say the scriptures. Nina Patel has experienced this for herself.

A management professional working in the field of public relations, Nina found the need for comfort during a transitional period in her life when she moved to Houston after an arranged marriage. As a child, she had learnt mantras from her grandmother when visiting India. In Houston, she found herself chanting those shlokas to help her through a period of adjustment. “Unlike meditation, there is no need to find a quiet place and free time to recite mantras. I even chanted mantras throughout the birth of my second child,” says Nina.

Then Nina’s grandmother in India passed away and Nina felt tremendous sorrow and regret that her children had not had a chance to meet the wonderful woman who had been such a source of inspiration to her. When her father went to India for the funeral ceremonies, Nina asked for her grandmother’s chanting beads. Using them to continue her chanting brought her some measure of peace. She began teaching her children the mantras she had learnt and soon found a significant difference in their attitudes and emotions. The mantras helped her children to calm down and become more reflective.

“When I chanted with my grandmother’s beads I felt I was receiving a message from her that I should create a Mantra CD,” says Nina. She started researching the science behind chanting mantras and found a specialist named Thomas Ashley-Farrand. Unlike the Hindu priests she first met, he was able to communicate the meaning and science of mantras and the difference it makes to the body in a simple way in English.

“Once I vocalized my desire to make the CD to the universe it all came together,” says Nina. “It only took 9 months from an idea to a complete CD. I started working with one of the most famous mantra experts who happened to live in Houston named Chandrakantha Courtney. I explained to her that I wanted to introduce some fusion elements and make it accessible to kids. I used a royalty-free website from Norway which has beautiful Indian fusion music and had Chandrakantha do the background singing for the chants.”

The result is a lovely CD with many of the well-known mantras in melodious versions. Here is a sample.

Since the enunciation and pronunciation of the mantras are paramount, Nina collaborated with Chandrakantha to make sure she got it right. “Being a Sanskrit expert, she made sure I was true to the legacy of mantras and maintained their integrity. I have just put a 21st century twist to them,” adds Nina.

Nina has left her mainstream job and now devotes herself to the cause of promoting mantras. Her CD has received terrific responses, especially from non-Indian kids. Nina herself teaches mantras to kids on weekends.

The Mantra CD is called Mantras for my children..and yours. Another CD aimed at mothers is in the works. “I am researching specific mantras and affirmations for mothers,” says Nina. Surprisingly, help and support is more forthcoming from non-Indians. “It is almost a dying art for Indians,” regrets Nina. “There is so much more interest in the Western community. Are we losing our traditions?”

The CD is currently available on Nina’s website. From August 3rd onwards, the CD will be available for purchase on Amazon and Target.com via Cdbaby.  As Nina puts it, “This way, I can focus more on PR and marketing (you know, the fun stuff) and less time stuffing CDs in the middle of the night.”
The CD, which costs 14.99 on Nina’s website now, will be sold at these new distributors from $15.98-18.98 + tax and shipping, if applicable. 10% of the CD profits will continue to go towards Vibha, a non-profit organization helping kids in India.

If you purchase the CD right away, Nina can include a gift card with a message if your CD is a gift for someone and sign the CD. Just make a note during the paypal payment process or email her at nina@mantramom.com with your special instructions.  

ShareThis

Here are the two candidates on energy and the environment.

Barack Obama

OFFICIAL MANIFESTO
•    Reduce Carbon Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
•    Invest in a Clean Energy Future
•    Support Next Generation Biofuels
•    Set America on Path to Oil Independence
•    Improve Energy Efficiency 50 Percent by 2030
•    Restore U.S. Leadership on Climate Change
•    Supports fully closing the Enron Loophole and eliminating offshore loopholes that encourage excessive speculation. Plan will ease the impact of rising prices.
•    Supports implementing a well-designed windfall profits tax on profits made over $80 per barrel to help families pay energy bills
•    Plan for renewables, fuel economy and energy efficiency will help create 5 million new green collar jobs.

VOTING RECORD
•  Passed tax credit for installing E85 ethanol at gas stations. (Feb 2008)
•  Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
•  Voted YES on making oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal. (Jun 2007)
•  Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)
•  Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. (Nov 2005)
•  Voted YES on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)
•  Voted YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
•  Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
•  Sponsored bill for tax credit for providing 85% ethanol gas. (Apr 2005)
•  Sponsored bill to notify public when nuclear releases occur. (Mar 2006)
•  Sponsored bill raising CAFE by a 4% per year until 2018. (Jul 2006)
•  Rated 100% by the CAF, indicating support for energy independence. (Dec 2006)
•  Designate sensitive ANWR area as protected wilderness. (Nov 2007)
•  Set goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025. (Jan 2007)
•  Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
•  Tax credit to remove lead-based housepaint. (Nov 2005)

Obama missed four of the 15 key votes on the environment last year, but was on hand to vote for a version of an energy bill that would have repealed the oil companies' tax breaks. He scores 67% with the League of Conservation Voters for the 2007 Senate session.

QUOTES
On cap and trade: “I think that back in the '60s and '70s a lot of the way we regulated industry was top-down command and control, we're going to tell businesses exactly how to do things. I think that the Republican Party and people who thought about the markets came up with the notion that, "You know what? If you simply set some guidelines, some rules and incentives, for businesses–let them figure out how they're going to, for example, reduce pollution," and a cap and trade system, for example is a smarter way of doing it, controlling pollution, than dictating every single rule that a company has to abide by, which creates a lot of bureaucracy and red tape and oftentimes is less efficient.” – April 27, 2008.

On nuclear power: “I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix. There are no silver bullets to this issue. We have to develop solar. I have proposed drastically increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars, an aggressive cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted. But we're going to have to try a series of different approaches.” – July 23, 2007.

On offshore drilling – “We cannot drill our way out of the problem. Instead of subsidizing the oil industry, we should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1% of the revenues from oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and infrastructure.” – October 1, 2006.
“When I hear McCain say that he is now in favor of the same oil drilling off the coast that he was opposed to just a week ago, what he doesn't tell you is that George Bush's own energy department has said that this would have no impact on consumers until 2030," he said, "no appreciable impact for the next 22 years. Something they're not telling consumers.” – June 20, 2008.

John McCain

OFFICIAL MANIFESTO

•    Expanding domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production( particularly drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf)

•    Breaking our dependency on foreign oil by reforming our transportation sector – includes tax credits  for automakers developing fuel efficient cars and a $300 million prize for the development of a  revolutionary battery package

•    Investing in clean alternative sources of energy

•    Putting the administration on track to construct 45 nuclear plants by the year 2030

•    Proposing a cap-and-trade system that would set limits on greenhouse gas emissions while           encouraging the development of low-cost compliance options

•    Promoting energy efficiency

•    Addressing speculation in oil markets – does not support windfall profits tax on oil companies

VOTING RECORD

•  Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. (Nov 2005)
•  Voted NO on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)
•  Voted NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
•  Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
•  Voted NO on Bush Administration Energy Policy. (Jul 2003)
•  Voted YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010. (Jun 2003)
•  Voted YES on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill. (Mar 2003)
•  Voted NO on drilling ANWR on national security grounds. (Apr 2002)
•  Voted NO on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months. (Mar 2002)
•  Voted YES on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
•  Voted YES on defunding renewable and solar energy. (Jun 1999)
•  Voted YES on approving a nuclear waste repository. (Apr 1997)
•  Voted NO on do not require ethanol in gasoline. (Aug 1994)
•  Sponsored bill for greenhouse gas tradeable allowances. (Feb 2005)
•  Rated 17% by the CAF, indicating opposition to energy independence. (Dec 2006)
•  Supports immediate reductions in greenhouse gases. (Sep 1998)
•  Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
•  Voted YES on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
•  Voted YES on transportation demo projects. (Mar 1998)
•  Voted NO on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests. (Sep 1997)
•  Voted NO on continuing desert protection in California. (Oct 1994)
•  Voted YES on requiring EPA risk assessments. (May 1994)

McCain receives a 0 from League of Conservation Voters' 2007 scorecard. Absences count as a vote against the environment since the legislator did not cast a vote for the environment. In 2007, Sen. McCain missed all 15 critical environmental votes in the Senate.( examples -skipped Vote on Green Tax Credits in Stimulus Package( only Senator to miss vote) and skipped vote on renewable energy in 2007.)

QUOTES

On offshore drilling: "I think it's a very important signal to lift the ban on offshore drilling. I know that (Democratic) Sen. (Barack) Obama is opposed to lifting the ban on offshore drilling. I think the states should continue to decide." – July 14, 2000( reverses previous position and voting record on the issue.)

On storage of nuclear waste:“I would seek to establish an international repository for spent nuclear fuel that could collect and safely store materials overseas that might otherwise be reprocessed to acquire bomb-grade materials. It is even possible that such an international center could make it unnecessary to open the proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.”- in Reno May 27, 2008. ( Reversing previously made statements, one in Utah saying "“Oh, you have to travel through states … I am for Yucca Mountain. I’m for storage facilities. It’s a lot better than sitting outside power plants all over America.” - March 3, 2007)

On ethanol: In 2003, McCain said that ethanol "does nothing to reduce fuel consumption, nothing to increase our energy independence, nothing to improve air quality." Campaigning in Iowa in August 2006, he described ethanol as a "vital alternative energy source, not only because of our dependency on foreign oil but its greenhouse reduction effects." In February 2008, in Massachusetts, he reverted to his anti-ethanol position.CNN.com
 
On allowing California to implement tougher environmental laws: “I have to agree with the governor. I'm a federalist. The states should decide to enormous degrees what happens within those states, including off their coasts. The people of California have decided they don't want oil drilling off their coasts. The people of Louisiana have decided that they do. I applaud the governor's efforts and that of other states in this region and other states to try to eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Suppose that the governor and I are wrong, and there's no such thing as climate change. We adopt these green technologies, of which the US and the innovative skills we have and the entrepreneurship and the free market cap-and-trade proposal is enacted. Then all we've done is giving our kids a cleaner world.” – Jan 30, 2008

"It seems to me the reason California went the way they did was because we, federally, failed to act to address greenhouse gas emissions," McCain told a small group of reporters on his campaign bus. "So my goal would be to see a federal standard that every state could embrace. … I think we can achieve a status where that would go away." - June 28, 2008

"It's hard for me to tell the states they can't set their own standards. … At the end of the day, I think states should make their own decisions." - July 19, 2008

Sources: ontheissues.org, cnn.com, official campaign websites. 

ShareThis

College in India is something that would never enter the mind of an Indian American. Because really, that’s why our parents moved to the States, (besides the whole ‘chasing the American dream’, that is). My parents moved to California for that, well that and the great weather in Sunny San Diego. The thought of college in India sounded twisted to me; it was like some sort of joke that just wasn’t funny at all. When my Dad drove me out to the Integrated Institute of Learning Management in Delhi I remember just thinking about the my situation in total disillusionment and disbelief. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t happening, that I was going to go back to the States and finish my degree, that my parents were just tricking me trying to see how hard they could push me into saying that I wanted to stay.

First day at IILM was interesting. It was sweltering hot, but my Von Zippers made things a little easier. I was introduced to the practice of ‘ragging,’ a concept illegal in the United States of America, and other ‘developed’ nations. On day one a girl (aka sidey) and her sidekick (for my purposes, chokra) walked up and asked me to ask a guy to marry me. I did so, accommodatingly because really, what do I have to lose? I don’t know these people, I don’t want to know them, and I hopefully will never have to see them ever again in life.

On day two, this wannabe cool Delhi dude (we’ll call him Gunda da Delhi) started the interview process. First question: What are you? I’m sorry but when you say ‘what are you’ I usually say a girl, because that’s the most natural answer right? They’re actually referring to your ‘family’ to know your heritage and thus define you by something. Next: Your name, your address in America (?) your blood type (???) and then to top it all, sing a song – in Hindi. Being the Bollywood buff that I am, I envisioned an immortal scene from a monumental movie. Remember when Rani aka Tina sang ‘Om Jai Jagdish’ to SRK aka Rahul? Oh yeh, I totally did that, so really I like to think that I totally got him back by doing it because he didn’t even get it. I also remember getting picked up by my parents 5 minutes later and having tears in my eyes that my Von Zippers were hiding. That was hideous; I was not supposed to ever be subject to such humiliation, but the fact remains that it did happen- I never told my parents or anyone else what happened that day, they had enough to deal with thanks to my unbearable attitude.

From then on I treated IILM as a place that I went to in order to get my Dad’s money’s worth and get an education. I tried really hard to associate myself with the other kids that went there. But I couldn’t. They’d converse in Hindi, yet dress western. They didn’t understand the concept of plagiarism, and most couldn’t form a proper sentence on their own. These kids were the rich Delhi businessmen/politician kids, who, quite frankly, knew nothing about life or the real world. They got allowances, Dad bought them new cell phones monthly, and they were always taken care of.  Dad and Mom gave them everything they want; they had their own cars, and treat life as a (always fun) game. They ‘bunked’ classes and did not get reprimanded. On final exam days I would see faces of people that had never come to a single class (this I know because I attended classes regularly- a little too regularly.)

I’ve come a long way from that time though. I think I was the female version of Amitabh Bachan’s ‘Angry Young Man.’ I hated the house help (primarily because there was another person IN OUR HOUSE- that’s a concept that is totally foreign to us Americans) I couldn’t stand the men staring and constantly resorted to wearing high neck, loose fitting tops and pants- even in the Delhi heat, refused to speak in Hindi (just to prove that I could speak English?) These are the things that happened, and at some point you realize how stupid you are being, and turn the attitude off.

At some point you realize that you’ve been given an opportunity to do a few things that not a lot of people get to do. I’ve been able to spend quality time with my grandparents- and look at them as more than just old people- I’ve learned about their likes and dislikes, which a few years down the line I know I’m going to appreciate. I’ve been able to visit some beautiful places in India like Coorg, whose beauty remains understated. I’ve learnt that if you’re given the opportunity to live here- you should embrace the situation whole heartedly- don’t try to convince yourself that you’re being punished, this is one of the greatest gifts you’re ever going to get, and it’s better to enjoy it and make the most of it, because in a few years from now you’ll regret not taking advantage of all that this beautiful place has to offer.

As you may have guessed, Isheeta Sanghi recently relocated from San Diego to New Delhi and writes for WNI about the challenges of transition. 

ShareThis

Speaking confidently and having the confidence to speak in public is a
critical life skill to survive in today’s competitive society. To be able to
verbally communicate clearly and effectively to other individuals and groups
is essential in schools, business and your own personal life.

As a successful recruiter for many years, one of the things I ran into as I sent
my clients out for interviews was that many people lacked clear
communication and the confidence to interview. Just having a great resume
or a collection of degrees from ivy colleges is not suffice to advance in your
career or improve your business. It is now as important for people to be able
to make effective presentations and the knowledge and skills to speak to
others.
Most adults have these fears since childhood. Learning to speak in front of
others is a skill that is developed over time and not overnight. It is important
to train our children from a young age to conquer this fear as they grow.
Most schools do not teach public speaking and it becomes even more
important in high school and college. Good public speakers are generally
good writers as well since they have had practice to write effective speeches
and presentations.

Here are some simple exercises and tips of how to work with your child to
develop the art of effective communication.

    1. Invest in a simple microphone. It is important to be able to listen to
your voice and hear how you are being heard.
    2. Most of us own recorders – record or tape your child and have them
watch themselves so that they can critique themselves and see what
they are doing.
    3. Spend a few minutes every day with your child. Have a “My Daily
Report” 1-1 time with them. Ask them to speak on the microphone as
you sit in front of them and ask them to tell you one interesting thing
they have learned during the day. This will also develop an open
relationship with your child and help you keep in touch with what
they are doing at school.
    4. Every week give them a simple topic to write about or even a song or
poem to learn and have them present it to the family. Encourage them
not to use their notes or if they wish to use their notes, to practice not
reading but speaking what they have to say.

Record their presentation and give them positive feedback about the areas
they need to improve on. Many kids will keep pacing up and down as they
speak, look down at the floor and avoid eye contact, and repeat filler words
such as “Um”, “Uh”, “like” . Make the constructive feedback a fun exercise
e.g. count how many times they repeat filler words. They work on each point
to correct it over time.

I believe the best way to teach a child is to do by example. Have your child
record you and critique you the same way. They will feel a lot better if they
see you making the same mistakes as them.

Learning the skill of public speaking is a great tool for children no master
regardless of how young they are. Developing this art with a strong clear
voice and body language will help them all through their journey in school
and life.

Rennu Dhillon is the founder of Genius Kids Inc, “Never 2 Little 2 Learn”. Public
speaking is an essential part of her preschool curriculum. Dhillon is a professional emcee,
public speaker and TV/Radio Host. She has hosted events locally, nationwide and
worldwide and is invited to speak/host events for many organizations.

ShareThis

Abbas Tyrewala, who has written for movies like Munnabhai M.B.B.S and Main Hoon Na, is one of the few original and talented scriptwriters in Bollywood today. He makes his directorial debut with Jaane Tu…and brings the same sparkling dialogues and sense of joi de vivre to this movie.

Perhaps the best slice-of-life about rich kids and their romantic adventures ever made in Bollywood has been Dil Chahta Hai. In a sense, the characters in Jaane Tu… could be the offspring of the three yuppies in that movie. There are no financial struggles, no rich girl-poor boy angst and no dissaproving parents to cast the movie in the conventional Bollywood mould.

Still, the very wealthy can feel pain just like the rest of us, I suppose, and they do, as exemplified by Jai and Aditi, who are crazy about each other but go through all the trials and tribulations of young love before they figure it all out in the final reel.

Jai is played by Imran Khan, who is being launched by uncle Aamir Khan, whose production this movie is. Aamir wisely, and thankfully, hands over the chocolatey chikna college boy mantle to the next generation. Imran is cute as cute can be and turns in an admirable performance for his first movie.

Genelia D'Souza, who is a well known actress in southern films, makes a reentry of sorts this year in Bollywood. She plays Aditi, the emotional, tomboyish, confused girl who doesn't know what she really wants when it comes to love. Though she has a wonderfully expressive face, her Hindi diction falters a bit with a dialogue delivery that falls short.

Imran and Genelia are joined by an ensemble cast that features a bunch of newcomers, which gives the movie a fresh feel, though the kids are pretty raw. Also helping out are stalwarts like Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah and a bunch of old timers like Kittu Gidwani and Rajat Kapoor who provide the maturity and depth the film needs.

Jaane Tu… is not as perfectly written and directed as Dil Chahta Hai. The movie begins awkwardly, being entirely narrated by the untrained young cast that stumbles over the Hindi dialogues which feel like they were written in English and then translated. The movie starts building up steam only after the first twenty minutes or so, so be patient. Some emotional scenes are not convincing and feel forced.

But what the movie has plenty of is heart, an intangible feeling of warmth and affection that only a good script can bring out. Abbas Tyrewala, who wrote both the dialogues and lyrics for the movie, does a great job here. A.R. Rahman proves once again why he is a genius by creating a wonderful, peppy score that fits the movie perfectly. Download "Kabhi Kabhi Aditi".

Jaane Tu… is a commendable effort for a debutant director. It also demonstrates the uncanny ability of producer Aamir Khan to figure out what works in Bollywood.

Jaane Tu…ya jaane na
*ring Imran Khan, Genelia D'Souza, Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseerudding Shah
Directed by Abbas Tyrewala
Produced by Aamir Khan Productions
My Rating - 4/5

ShareThis

(Continuing a discussion on Integrated Math ) 

In the past month I have had the opportunity to delve a little further into the realm of fuzzy math. I must say, I have yet to meet a parent who thinks that the integrated math curriculum is the next best thing since disposable diapers. On talking to parents the common refrain that I heard repeatedly is that supplementing math education is not an option, it is a necessity whether the child attends the local public school or the toniest private school in town. So, in this post, I thought I would touch upon some of the more common options for supplemental math instruction that are available to parents.

However, before I get into the various supplemental programs I would like to define two important terms: spiraling and mastery:

1. A spiraling math program introduces multiple topics in one grade level. It does not aim to teach those topics completely in one go, but revisits those topics in the next year, the year following that and so on, with the topic becoming more and more complex in each passing year. At every grade level the student works with the same set of 6-8 topics which get more complex as they go up the grade levels. While this approach allows exposure to a topic many times over several grades, the significant gaps in time between exposure and re-exposure to a topic impedes adequate mastery of the core subject matter and concepts.

2. A mastery based math program, on the other hand, simply aims to teach a student to master a single topic or sub-topic, before going on to the next.  So a child will be asked to master addition before going on to subtraction and so on. Topics will change from year to year as the student learns to master different topics. A student may revisit topics from the past but only to learn how to master a topic that builds on the previous topic. For example, a student masters number addition in grade 1. Then in grade 2 or grade 3 he may do fractions and revisit addition in order to learn how to add fractions.

The integrated math program as advocated by the University of Chicago as many of you have already guessed is a spiraling math program. An important factor in this program is that "….students need to construct their own understanding of each mathematical concept, so that the primary role of teaching is not to lecture, explain, or otherwise attempt to 'transfer' mathematical knowledge, but to create situations for students that will foster their making the necessary mental constructions” (http://mathforum.org/mathed/constructivism.html). 

Many topics or strands of mathematics are amalgamated with non-math subjects into a real-life context. So, instead of presenting a series of classes in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics in tracks for advanced, average, and remedial students, they are all combined into one curriculum with a focus on real world, and often politicized, issues such as saving the rainforests. Overall, the integrated math curriculum de-emphasizes memorization of number facts, the learning of proofs, and algebraic skills, but encourages the use of calculators and expects students to discover mathematical formulas and principles on their own or in groups. A hallmark of this kind of program is the lack of textbooks or any other explanatory material.

The integrated math curriculum is heavily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). For grades K-5 some common names are Everyday Math, Investigations Math, Math Trailblazers.  Other names in higher grades are Connected Math, Math in Context, Core-Plus Math, SIMMS Integrated Math, MATH Connections and so on.

Increasingly, parents concerned with lack of adequate college level math skills resulting from Integrated Mathematics in schools are turning to supplementary mathematics resources to ensure that their children are better prepared. There are a number of math programs out there for parents to access. Some common ones are Kumon, Saxon Math, and Singapore Math.

Kumon Math: Kumon math was developed by Toru Kumon in Japan almost 50 years ago.  Kumon is not a mainstream math program but more of a supplemental program. Their main goal can be summarized in the following algorithm:  speed + accuracy = mastery. The child is assigned multiple math worksheets and has to complete them in a certain time frame (good practice for timed tests later on in life) in class as well as at home. A child may advance to the next level when he or she has earned a perfect time score + a perfect content score on the worksheets for his or her current level. A child is expected to work about 15-20 minutes each day on Kumon worksheets. In a nutshell, Kumon focuses on repetitive drills and mastery of topics.

Many parents I have talked to have been very happy pairing Kumon with an integrated math program as Kumon addresses some of the shortcomings of the fuzzy math programs, primarily mastery and practice. Kumon also stresses sequential learning. This is where it gets a little tricky. I sat down with a Kumon instructor and she informed me that the child has to master basic math operations in sequence and then go on to more complex topics. So in the Kumon sequence the child may not get to fractions until almost third grade but in Everyday Math with their spiraling structure, children have to learn about fractions in first grade itself. When I brought this up with the instructor, she informed me that I would have to help my child with fractions up to the point when she (the Kumon instructor) would be ready to introduce it to her in class.  In addition, Kumon would not do any problems related to time, money, shapes or measurement, topics that made up the bulk of what my child did in first grade.  The website for Kumon math is www.kumon.com. Some Kumon material is available at Barnes and Noble but for the most part one can only get the material by enrolling in a program (generally $80 - $100 per month).

Saxon Math: Saxon Math was developed by John Saxon in 1981 and is one of the most heavily researched math programs. The Saxon math curriculum is cumulative or incremental in nature and students work towards mastery in math topics by reviewing and building upon previously learned material.  For the most part, students learn a new mathematical concept every day and constantly review old concepts. An interesting study on Saxon Math was done in Anne Arundel County in Maryland, where 14 schools scoring very low in math were switched from Everyday Math and Mathland (two fuzzy math programs) to Saxon Math. In all 14 schools, math performance jumped after a year with Saxon. Saxon has been used successfully in many schools. It has also been used by many parents at home to provide math instruction for children when the math program at school is inadequate. It is very popular with homeschooling families. I know two parents whose children were in schools that used this program, one loved Saxon math and the other did not care for it at all. If you have any comments on this method I would be very interested. You can order Saxon math material at the following website: http://saxonpublishers.harcourtachieve.com/en-US/saxonpublishers.htm.

Singapore Math:As the name suggests, Singapore Math was developed in Singapore, one of the leaders in math achievement. A number of charter, independent or private schools have adopted Singapore Math as their math program. But relatively few mainstream public schools or districts have done so.In Singapore Math: Simple or Complex? by John Hoven and Barry Garelick, the authors explain that the mainstay of the Singapore math program is the Bar Model approach. “…using the bar model approach, Singapore textbooks enable students to solve difficult math problems — and learn how to think symbolically.  Bar modeling is a specific variant of the common Draw a Picture mathematics problem-solving strategy. Because Singapore Math uses this one variant consistently, students know what kind of picture to draw. That's an advantage if the bar model is versatile enough to apply to many complex problems — and it is. It is especially useful for problems that involve comparisons, part- whole calculations, ratios, proportions, and rates of change. It communicates graphically and instantly the information that the learner already knows, and it shows the student how to use that information to solve the problem.”According to the same authors, Singapore's textbooks are used in more than 600 schools in the United States and also by many home-schoolers. The focus is on mastery of topics in a simple, logical manner outlined in a coherent curriculum with a strong focus on skills necessary for success in algebra.  I have not been able to talk to anyone who is familiar with this method and will definitely be interested in hearing from people who have used the Singapore math books. You can order these books at www.singaporemath.com.

Now in additions to these programs, one can also visit your nearest learning store and pick up a bunch of Spectrum Math books that have been developed primarily to help children in integrated math programs practice what they have learned in class. Can I recommend any one program over the other? Well, at the moment, my child is doing the Spectrum workbooks over the summer. I find that her math skills have improved a little bit since she started doing the workbooks. However, I also know that I will look into the other programs to cover the missing gaps in her education. The important thing is to be aware of this issue and make an effort to address it in some way or the other. If your school uses an integrated math curriculum, talk to them about changing it. Be an advocate for your children’s education as no one else will.  In my next post I will look at what some states in the US are doing or have decided to do with their integrated math curriculums. Until then, enjoy the summer.

Enakshi Choudhuri did her Masters in Counseling from Heidelberg College in Ohio and PhD in Counselor Education from the University of Iowa. She has taught and supervised undergraduate and master's level students and has worked with children, adults and college students at various agencies. She is also an author and book publisher. More posts on parenting and education can be found on her blog.

ShareThis

Is there a market that will pay to watch Indian TV online? That is the crux of the problem S.G. Sangameswara( Sangam) and his team at GluTV are trying to figure out.

Despite the popularity of online videos on sites such as YouTube, television online is still a nascent idea, thanks to the stranglehold that networks impose on their content. Some shows are available, but watching on the computer is as much a matter of surfing between channels as it is on the television. A few players like Hulu, Joost and Miro have attempted to jump start the idea of the aggregated provider but apart from Hulu, which offers shows from Fox and NBC, the content is hardly mainstream.

And worse, they are all free to the subscriber and are ad-supported to generate revenue.

Luckily, the Indian American audience is primed to pay for content, even when there are ads galore. We can choose to subscribe to Dish or Direct TV, and pay a small fortune for a package of channels that are slightly tape-delayed from their original show times in India. There are still limitations – not all channels are available in each, (though Dish is getting closer to full coverage with its recent addition of the STAR TV family) and changing your mind about what channels you would like to watch involves extricating yourself out of a murky multiple-year contract.

Online though, is a different story. The one place that the online subscription model has been somewhat successful has been on sites that stream cricket matches. Other than that, the choices so far have been sites like watchindia.tv, which stream from India for a subscription that is very similar to the satellite providers or pirated shows put up by fly-by-night operators using BitTorrent.

GluTV is hoping to change that. In some ways, the model is akin to Hulu. Shows are not streamed live from India, so there is an opportunity to make the ads more relevant to the viewing public, which should make room for lower subscription costs.

“The core idea,” says Sangam, “is to get licensed Indian net-tainment content and make it available to the end user in the best environment possible. GluTV is aiming to be the destination of choice for Indians outside India.” He promises no pop-ups and the utmost emphasis on user security and privacy.

The snag, as usual, is content. Sangam’s partner in India, Ravi Ratan Arora, is in charge of contract negotiation with the various channels. So far, GluTV, which incorporated in October 2007, offers near-complete range of Zee channels and a bunch of movies, as does watchindia.tv. Talks with other channels are ongoing. There are plans to have hundreds of movies and music videos on a pay-per-view basis.

Another sticky issue is the reluctance of the average Indian viewer to pay for content online. “It is a challenge,” admits Sangam, “but we hope there is a segment of the audience that values convenience and quality.”

For now, GluTV is forging on, offering high resolution TV with channels priced as low as $3.99 per month. The range is still limited but the quality is excellent and a 10-day free trial gives you’re the opportunity to try it out for yourself.
“Online television is an idea whose time has come,” says Sangam. “There is time shifting (watching shows on demand) and place shifting (watching shows away from home) and GluTV is well poised to capitalize on this phenomenon.”

Do Indian TV channels share that view? While GluTV has seen its subscriber base steadily increasing even at this early stage, diversity and completeness of content will ultimately decide whether it is here for the long haul. There are plans to include live streaming of games, movies with a social networking component and community and education based shows. The technology is there, but will the deals come through for the content? There is enormous inertia to be overcome on the part of the mainline channels like STAR and Sony to make an online offering worthwhile. 

Breaking the hegemony of the satellite providers is an attractive thought. Also, for customers in places satellite is not available, watching their favorite shows online is a great alternative. The trick is to get all the content providers on board, and GluTV thinks it can make it happen.

ShareThis

Short review – Silly movie, ridiculous plot, kids loved it.

Now for the longer one……

Yash Raj Films, once a production house with the Midas touch, continues to struggle to find the magic formula for success at the box office. TPTM(“A little love, a little magic”), a sugary blend of “Mary Poppins” and “City of Angels”, is at various times a kids movie, a comedy, a drama and a romance.

Ranbeer Talwar ( Saif Ali Khan) is a lonely soul who has been battered by the loss of many loved ones over the course of a short life, a fact that is dealt with quickly and competently in the opening credits. His life abruptly changes one day when he is involved in a car accident that results in the death of the parents of a large brood of kids. The judge sentences the self-absorbed Ranbeer to become the hands-on guardian of the brood and his world turns upside down. When he and the kids can’t cope any more, they send out a heartfelt prayer heavenwards for help and God( played by a portly and genial Rishi Kapoor) sends down an angel (Rani Mukherjee) to help the new family.

So far, so good. But director Kunal Kohli, whose previous credits include the enjoyable, if simplistic, "Mujhse Dosti Karoge" and "Hum Tum", stumbles at the challenge of making a kid's movie. The exchanges between the adults sparkle, but when it comes to directing the kids, the director abandons subtlety, to the detriment of the movie. Mainstream Bollywood movies are pretty childish anyway, but when they pander to kids they become positively infantile, not crediting children with even an iota of intelligence.
 
There are also lots of scenes that are pure pander, like the introduction of a Sikh kid( adopted) in the mix. There is also a squirmingly embarrassing scene set in L.A involving an American family which is positively insulting to Americans and could have been treated with more finesse. A doggie addition to the family is completely unneccessary.

Rani sparkles as Geeta, the angel. She wisely eschews the glamour, leaving it to an under-dressed Amisha Patel, who has some good comedic lines. Saif is his usual competent self. But his transformation to a serious actor in movies like “Being Cyrus” and “Omkara” means that he looks downright uncomfortable in the song and dance routines and the romantic scenes.

The songs by Shnkar-Ehsaan-Loy are great, though one wishes Shankar’s powerful voice did not boom out at every tender moment in the movie. One song in particular (“Lazy Lamhe”) is choreographed in a way no kids should be allowed to watch, but Indian kids are probably desensitized by now to "item" numbers.

TPTM has a kid’s fairy tale quality about it, which means adults watching the movie will have to regress for the two and a half hour duration of the movie. But it is a painless experience and worth it for the kids. There are plenty of nice special effects to delight the young ones and my kids found it easy to follow the movie by reading the subtitles. My 5 year old, who is by now a complete sucker for Bollywood romance, was even teary-eyed towards the schmaltzy end.

If you can wait, see this movie at home. It is a perfect DVD movie for the family and you even get to fast forward the objectionable song.

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic ( A little love, a little magic)

*ring - Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Rishi Kapoor, Amisha Patel

My rating - 2.5 stars out of 5. 

Now showing at Naz8 in Fremont. 

ShareThis

On my ride to work recently, I heard an NPR interview on the subject of fuel conservation. The experts on the panel offered some tips for improving fuel efficiency while driving, and so I decided to try them out. Like most people out there, when fuel climbs to $4.87 a gallon I can't change my car to a Prius; I'm just going to have to do more with less.

Here are some of the suggestions they offered, and my experience trying them out.

   1. Measure your mileage. If you don't know where you are, you can't know where you're going - the first step to any improvement process is to create a baseline - and then improve from there. So start off by noting your odometer reading (or zeroing the trip meter) the next time you fill up, and then noting how many miles you've driven when you fill up again. The difference, divided by the gas you put in (full tank-to-full tank) gives you your mileage. If you're fortunate to have a fancy car that shows you instantaneous and trip mileage, use it!

   2. Reduce speed. This is supposed to be the simplest and most effective way of improving fuel consumption - and boy, did it work for me. By driving at not more than 55 mph, I saw my average consumption rise from 23-24 mpg (unfortunately, I drive a rather gas-guzzling 4-wheel drive VW) to 27 mpg, even getting as much 29.8 mpg on one day. For my 22-mile commute, it added perhaps 5 minutes to my commute time.

   3. Turn off the air conditioner. The television show "Mythbusters" tried to examine the myth that driving with your windows down and A/C off is less efficient than driving with your windows up and A/C on. I didn't watch the episode, but it appears that driving with the A/C off is better. I tried driving with the A/C off and windows up, and it might have given me 2 mpg more than with the A/C on. I must admit that it has been quite difficult these last few weeks, and I sometimes put the A/C on while coasting downhill (when consumption is excellent).

   4. Drive smoothly. I've never been one of those drivers who like to verify that their cars are accelerating from 0-60 in 6 seconds at every red light, but I've been particularly careful about slow acceleration during this experiment. Stops and starts, and the acceleration during the start, have the greatest impact on fuel efficiency, so reducing them to the minimum (if you see a red light, slow down early enough and it might change by the time you get to it) and then accelerating slowly help get better mileage. If you see congestion ahead, slow down well in advance (like the trucks do) to try to avoid having to decelerate and then accelerate again.

   5. Use public transit. I tried using public transit a few times. There's a direct AC transit bus line from my office in the Peninsula to my home in the East Bay, so I thought it would be pretty efficient. Unfortunately, the time it takes just made it an non-viable option. 511.org has a good transit trip planner, and trips from home to work or vice versa took 1:20 vs. 25 minutes in the car. Even with the savings, I couldn't justify this time differential. If I get into the habit of working on the bus (it has WiFi), then the equation can shift in favor of public transit.

   6. Car Pool. This one's really working well for me. I'm fortunate that a colleague who's equally conscious of the environment impact and cost of driving alone lives close-by, and both of us have enough flexibility in our work schedules to permit car-pooling. This has cut my gas bills by around 30% (I can't car-pool every day of the week - if I could, I'd probably see a 40-50% saving). 511.org has an excellent "ridematch" finder - just plug in your home and work address, the days of the week that you can car-pool, and the time that you leave for work and return home. Ridematch will suggest people who live where you live, work where you work, and work the same hours, you can then contact them and arrange a car-pool. No more excuses!!

   7. Keep your car well maintained. Keep the air filter clean, inflate the tires, and do all the sensible things that make for maximum efficiency.

All told, most of these changes have been relatively painless (except keeping the A/C off), and I've been happy with the results. I'd appreciate any feedback from trying them, additional suggestions! Buckle up, and drive slow!

ShareThis