Volunteer Abroad: Opportunities Of A Lifetime

Volunteer Abroad:Are you looking for an occupation where not only do you get to explore many cultures and learn new things, but also glove trot? Have you explored the option of volunteering abroad yet? Volunteering abroad is rapidly becoming a career option for many youngsters across the globe. Volunteering has always been associated with social causes like rescue work during earthquakes, Tsunami, war, saving the planet, creating eco habitats, educating slum children etc. What a volunteer can really derive out of an overseas work is experience, understanding the different communities and geographical or demographical requirements. A sense of pride, inspiration and this kind of work is good for character building.Type of volunteerism:As a volunteer, you can teach English to monks in monasteries in Nepal, care for rare species of birds and other wild life in a nature reserve in Costa Rica or in Kenya. You can do a lot of good through volunteering abroad and reap the benefits too. You can add this experience in your resume and also get the opportunity to do serious traveling and even pursue an educational career. Most people choose overseas volunteer work because they get to travel to some of the most exotic places as well as off the beaten track destinations.Whether you are interested in teaching English overseas or want to travel to various destinations across the world, you can find volunteering placements, which will satisfy your requirement. Here are three tips that will help you to find opportunities ofvolunteering abroad:Volunteering Abroad with the right agency: Most of the volunteer jobs abroad are overseen and handled by different agencies. There are many online agencies who will proclaim to find you an overseas volunteering work but you need to know that not all of them are authentic. So you Rosetta Stone Latin Spanish need to be extremely cautious while choosing the placement agency. Always try to get references and conduct a little background check just to be sure. An authentic agency has the capability of finding a placement for you based on your requirement and preferences. Some agencies also provide extensive training where required and overseas assistance. The agencies will charge you for the placement and dont be surprised because this payment will ensure that you get all the support required overseas.Volunteer Abroad organizations:Most of the organizations who assist with volunteering abroad have their own website. You may visit any such website and find their requirements, any specialization areas, and the destinations where they need volunteers. You can directly contact them and find out the details. Some social organizations will pay you a small amount for your work while most of them might not be able to pay you anything at all. Every organization associated with volunteer work will take care of your accommodation, local travel and basic necessities. You will have the advantage of choosing where you want to work and for how long. One of the famous organizations is the Peace Corps, and they always have a requirement for worldwide volunteers. You need to apply at least nine months in advance but most of the time government agencies lack flexibility. Another good organization is the International Student Travel Volunteers, Inc. The organization focuses mainly on creating volunteer work opportunities that involves education and conservation. They also provide financial assistance to volunteers and give them an opportunity to create an enriching experience through overseas cultural and educational programs.Choosing your Volunteering Destination:Some people are a little nervous about traveling too far off to regions in distant corners of the world. This doesnt mean that you will never get to do volunteer work. You can always find out a voluntary organization that can place you in nearby countries like Costa Rica or Peru.

5 lies the economists are feeding us

Related topics: Federal Reserve, economy, Ben Bernanke, investing strategy, Anthony MirhaydariEconomists aren't exactly held in high regard these days.The run-up to the 2008 financial crisis and the deep recession that followed were accompanied by reassurances from economists all the way up to Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke that the subprime mortgage problem was "well contained."British economists even issued a formal apology to the Queen after she berated them for not predicting the credit crunch. Their rationale? That many were guilty of "wishful thinking combined with hubris."Now, the same brain trust of mainstream academics and economists is offering reassurances that ring just as hollow to the person on the street. Their main arguments: Rising food and fuel prices aren't a concern and rising "core" inflation isn't a threat.Economists tell Queen they're sorryWhile they are at it, they also claim that ultraloose monetary policy hasn't fueled commodity and food inflation -- even though we've seen a 38% increase in the DB Commodity Tracking Index and a 22% increase in the U.N. Food Price Index over the last seven months. After all, they say, measured inflation is still very low, manufactured goods are still cheap, and wage pressures are contained because of high unemployment.All of these theories have been espoused by Bernanke and other members of the Fed's policy committee, and by prominent Wall Street economists and investment strategists. But growing evidence suggests they just aren't true. In fact, they're flat wrong. So believe these five fallacies at your peril:1: Inflation isn't a threat Over the last few months, I've repeatedly discussed the rising threat of inflation and the specter of higher interest rates in a series of columns and blog posts. And for good reason: I think these upward trends will be the economic linchpins for 2011. Higher prices sit at the center of all the current major issues: energy, monetary policy and government credit risk.Anthony MirhaydariThese issues will be critical in determining whether a double-dip Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish recession or period of economic stagnation awaits us.Interest rate hikes to combat inflation are already well under way in the developing world. On March 8, Vietnam raised rates by 1% to 12%. Market chatter has China raising its reserve requirement ratio for the ninth time since 2010 to tighten lending. Thailand and South Korea are expected to raise policy rates this week, following rate hikes by Indonesia in February.With the economic recovery now in its third calendar year and with crude oil prices up more than 55% from last summer's lows, central banks in the developed world are being forced to take action. Last week, the European Central Bank signaled that it will more than likely raise rates at its April policy meeting -- despite the fragile state of peripheral eurozone countries like Greece and Portugal.But if you listened to Bernanke's recent testimony to Congress, and to the comments of some of the more dovish members of the Federal Reserve, you'd think this era of ultracheap money and low inflation will just keep going. For them, there's no problem at all. Bernanke told Congress he believes big increases in the prices of food and fuel will have only a "temporary and modest" impact on consumers.Make no mistake, inflation is here and central banks will have to react.2: 'Core' inflation is all that mattersOf course, there is also the question of whether economists are even properly accounting for inflation. Right now, the Fed's preferred measure -- the core personal consumption expenditure price index -- is rising at just a 0.8% annual rate.You probably feel like inflation is much higher than that piddling number.

Graphene organic photovoltaics

in Physics Chemistry USC Viterbi School of Engineering A University of Southern California team has produced flexible transparent carbon atom films that the researchers say have great potential for a new breed of solar cells. "Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells have been proposed as a means to achieve low cost energy due to their ease of manufacture, light weight, and compatibility with flexible substrates," wrote Chongwu Zhou, a professor of electrical engineering in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, in a paper recently published in the journal ACS Nano. The technique described in the article describes progress toward a novel OPV cell design that has significant advantages, particularly in the area of physical flexibility.A critical aspect of any OPV photo-electronic device is a transparent conductive electrode through which light can couple with active materials to create electricity. The new work indicates that graphene, a highly conductive and highly transparent form of carbon made up of atoms-thick sheets of carbon atoms, has high potential to fill this role. While graphene's existence has been known for decades, it has only been studied extensively since 2004 because of the difficulty of manufacturing it in high quality and in quantity. The Zhou lab reported the large scale production of graphene films by chemical vapor deposition three years ago. In this process, the USC engineering team creates ultra thin graphene sheets by first depositing carbon atoms in the form of graphene films on a nickel plate from methane gas.Then they lay down a protective layer of thermo plastic over the graphene layer, Rosetta Stone and then dissolve the nickel underneath in an acid bath. In the final step they attach the plastic-protected graphene to a very flexible polymer sheet, which can then be incorporated into a OPV cell. (see diagram)The USC team has produced graphene/polymer sheets ranging in sizes up to 150 square centimeters that in turn can be used to create dense arrays of flexible OPV cells.These OPV devices convert solar radiation to electricity, but not as efficiently as silicon cells. The power provided by sunlight on a sunny day is about 1000 watts per meter square. "For every 1000 watts of sunlight that hits a one square meter area of the standard silicon solar cell, 14 watts of electricity will be generated," says Lewis Gomez De Arco, a doctoral student and a member of the team that built the graphene OPVs. "Organic solar cells are less efficient; their conversion rate for that same one thousand watts of sunlight in the graphene-based solar cell would be only 1.3 watts."But what graphene OPVs lack in efficiency, they can potentially more than make for in lower price and, greater physical flexibility. Gomez De Arco thinks that it may eventually be possible to run printing presses laying extensive areas covered with inexpensive solar cells, much like newspaper presses print newspapers."They could be hung as curtains in homes or even made into fabric and be worn as power generating clothing. I can imagine people powering their cellular phone or music/video device while jogging in the sun," he said.The USC researchers say graphene OPVs would be major advance in at least one crucial area over a rival OPV design, one based on Indium–Tin–Oxide (ITO). In the USC team's tests, ITO cells failed at a very small angle of bending, while the graphene-based cells remained operational after repeated bending at much larger stress angles. This would give the graphene solar cells a decided advantage in some uses, including the printed-on-fabric applications proposed by the USC team.Zhou and the other researchers on the USC team – which included Yi Zhang, Cody W. Schlenker, Koungmin Ryu, and Mark E. Thompson in addition to Gomez de Arco — are excited by the potential for this technology.

Read This Before You Start Your Home Business

A high percentage of work from home opportunities are in network marketing. Most home based businesses fail for a variety of reasons, none more critical than getting in at the wrong time in the company’s life cycle. I’ve done a lot of research into network marketing and wanted to share my findings with you. Here are some important things to know before you venture into this type of home business. Network Marketing or Multi Level Marketing (MLM) is being taught at more than 200 colleges including Harvard Business School.? After extensive research into the network marketing industry, Harvard Business School developed 3 criteria that a network marketing company must have in order to make it a desirable opportunity.? They are: 1.? The company must be at least 18 months old. 90% of all network marketing? companies that fail do so in the first 18 months of operations. Lack of adequate financing and inexperienced senior management are two of the more common pitfalls of start up companies so be sure to find out what you can about the MLM’s funding and management. 2.? The company must have a product that is both unique and highly consumable.? Meaning it must be an exclusive product that can be purchased only from your distributors with repeated sales thereby guaranteeing customer loyalty versus a one-time sale and having to locate new customers.3.? It needs to be a “ground floor” opportunity.? Harvard Business School suggests that in order for the opportunity to qualify as a ground floor type, the number of existing distributorships should be less than ? of 1% in the country where this network company exists.? In the U.S., this figure is equal to 1.5 million people.? Harvard Business School also stated that if there were less than 500,000 people involved, you would be on the cutting edge of a great Rosetta Stone opportunity.? If the company has less than 100,000 distributors, Harvard Business School considers it to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Harvard Business School study also stated that there are 4 distinct stages of growth in a network marketing company – Foundation, Concentration, Momentum, and Stability.? The?Momentum Phase is when the company experiences phenomenal growth.? Both retail and distributorships explode in terms of expanding growth.? It is during this period that the company virtually sweeps the nation.? When a company’s sales reach about 50 million annually (4.2 million a month), they reach what is called “critical mass” (sales go vertical right off the graph).? Also, approximately ? of the company’s growth of new distributorships occur during this period of time. Let’s assume you have an organization which is producing an override bonus check to you of $1,000 per month.? When the company reached critical mass, distributors almost automatically experience a ten-fold increase in their earnings.? In other words, $1,000 per month becomes $10,000 per month.? This is the reason for getting involved on the ground floor, so you will experience the benefits of explosive growth. The Next Big One eXfuze is a new company which was founded in 2007 and launched its distributor network in April 2008. It markets an amazing, scientifically proven product exclusively through its distributors called Seven+. The company has experienced phenomenal growth of over 30% per month since its launch. By extracting from seven super foods known for their health benefits, Seven+ gives your body the raw materials it needs to heal itself and maintain good health. To quote NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Lawrence Taylor who was one the first to join the company, “eXfuze Seven+ does a body good. I mean REAL good.” With fewer than 20,000 active U.S. distributors, eXfuze is a ground floor and potentially life changing opportunity. You owe it to yourself to check it out today.

Importance of Parent Teacher Associations in schools

In the wake of globalization, homes with working parents are a common sight. Parents tend to spend 10-12 hours outside home and hardly get to spend quality time with their children. This is the situation at home. It gets worse when it comes to school. Most working parents are oblivious to activities at school. Their involvement with the academics and co curricular activities of their children is very limited. Academicians believe that parents’ involvement with the child is crucial to the child’s overall development. In order to ensure parents’ involvement in their wards’ academics, many schools have Parent Teacher Associations and Student Councils.Parent teacher associations are formed involving students, teachers and parents. Many activities are conducted through the association with a motive of engaging the parents in a child’s school activities. It is also a chance for the parents to meet the teachers and talk to them about their concerns and make queries regarding the school and their child. Often, suggestions made by parents are considered by the school authorities. On the other hand, parents also get a lot of tips on how to help their children excel at school and otherwise. Students benefit most out of parent teacher associations since the association becomes a promise of extended support both at home and at school. In many schools, developmental activities like seminars, lectures, competitions Rosetta Stone are organized as a part of the association activity. Parent teacher association can become building blocks of a child’s overall development. It promotes organized monitoring of the child’s activities at school and at home, which may otherwise get neglected. With the percentage of working parents steadily increasing, it is important for all schools to have parent teacher associations. We have heard many times from MT students who are already in a course of study who feel they should have spent more time checking out schools prior to making their choice, so don't let the excitement of entering a new field deter you from taking enough time to fully evaluate your options.Lastly, but certainly not least, the medical transcription school that you choose should provide a job placement program. When you are contacting schools, ask them about their placement program and continued post-graduate assistance.Are there accredited Medical Transcription Schools?The Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP) is a joint committee that was established by The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and AHDI to approve medical transcription education programs. Ask if the school you're considering is ACCP-approved.

Park Homes: Why Warren Buffett invests in them

Are you still wondering if a Park Home investment is a good idea? Perhaps this might change your mind.In 2003, Warren Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway invested $1.7 Billion to purchase Clayton Homes – one of the largest manufactured housing companies in the world. Who is Warren Buffett? Warren Buffett (78) is a US investor, businessman and philanthropist. He is one of the most successful investors in history, and ranked by Forbes as the second richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of around $40 Billion! Typically when Buffett invests, millions of others follow.Buffett is often referred to as the “Oracle of Omaha” and is well-known for his value investing philosophy and personal frugality, despite his immense wealth. In 2007 he was listed among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the world. His road to riches though has been a lifetime journey that started at a young age. In 1943, Buffett filed his first income tax return claiming Rosetta Stone Hindi his bicycle and watch as a work expense as newspaper delivery boy. During high school in 1945, Buffett and a friend spent $25 to purchase a used pinball machine which they placed in a barber shop. Within months, they owned three machines in three different locations. Buffett invested $1,200 of his profit from the business to buy 40 acres of farmland and rented it out to tenant farmers.In 1958, Warren Buffett bought a $31,500 house in Omaha, Nebraska. He still lives in the same house, which is estimated to be valued at around $700,000.According to Warren Buffett, “Home ownership is a wonderful thing. My family and I have enjoyed my present home for 50 years, with more to come. But enjoyment and utility should be the primary motives for purchase, not profit or refinance possibilities. And the home purchased ought to fit the the income of the purchaser”.So its no wonder that Warren Buffett has invested in a Park Home company like Clayton Homes that makes the most affordable for housing for people!“Putting people into homes, though a desirable goal, shouldn’t be our primary objective. Keeping them in their homes should be the ambition” Buffett wrote.So if you want affordable housing, there’s billions of reasons why you should consider a Park Home. Just ask Warren Buffett!

Cybertouring museums

THE purpose of museums, states the UK based Museums Association, is to allow people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make artefacts and specimens accessible. With school in full swing and plane ticket prices soaring, checking out museums abroad is not an easy matter. But thanks to the Net, you can now choose to take cybertours. UK's COMPASS. features around 5,000 objects from a huge range of periods and cultures. Among the highlights are The- the black basalt tablet bearing inscriptions in various languages that finally allowed historians to translate Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, sections of the Parthenon, the temple built to Athena by the Ancient Greeks 2,500 years ago, and relics from Sutton Hoo, a burial mound from seventhcentury Anglo-Saxon that shed much light on early British history. Each artefact comes with an article describing its significance, a description of its physical properties, and linked thumbnails to related parts of the exhibit. Navigation in this site is simple. If you are looking for something in particular, there is a keyword search window. In addition, there is a dropdown menu listing about 50 of the most popular objects in the collection, and a second menu that allows visitors to look for objects by description, for instance, Chinese jade, Islamic metalwork and Svres Rosetta Stone Arabic porcelain. Younger visitors should start with the children's Compass where Alfred the Lion conducts tours: Ancient Egyptian animal mummies, the history of time measuring machines, the buried treasures of Britain, the story of the Trojan war and more. AUSTRALIA'S AMOL. Thanks to the Australian Museums and Galleries Online at, a project that brings together all Australian museums under one roof, you can see the best of what's on offer Down Under. The easiest way to navigate the site is to click on Site Map. If you plan to browse, look under Australian Tales and Stories from Collecting Institutions where some of the best exhibitions are gathered. Displays showcase Australian fossil hunters, fish biodiversity and more. Along the same lines, try the Australian University Museums Online at. US SMITHSONIAN. The Smithsonian Institute is an organisation consisting of 15 museums and eight research centres all over the United States. Sponsored by taxpayers and private individuals, the Smithsonian collection currently numbers over 142 million items. The best way to start your exploration is to click on Exhibitions. In addition, there is a Favourites list that comprises popular events such as the giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and cub Tai Shan, which live at the US National Zoo; the Hope Diamond, which is the world's biggest blue diamond; and the 65 million-year-old Triceratops skeleton, which is on show at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. If you're in a hurry, check out the Explore and Lean channel that leads straight to Art & Design, History & Culture and Science & Technology exhibitions. Because each of these organisations is run by a different team and many exhibits have been specially designed to stand on their own, surfing from this point will take you to pages with quite a distinct look and feel. OTHER RESOURCES.

A reform of vocabulary learning is in progress

IntroductionIn language learning, "closed," mechanical exercises restrict information to only "correct" answers that are unlikely to remain in permanent memory (Stevick, 1996). On the contrary, bringing in student-generated materials (Kindt, 1999) could stimulate students or help to focus their attention, thus facilitating the creation of an open learning environment. When learners become contributors, they demonstrate informed participation to explore large problem spaces, learn from their peers and create new understandings (Fischer & Ostwald, 2002). This paper reports on a study of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in Nan Chiau Primary School in Singapore. We facilitated a Primary 5 (11-year-old) class to study and apply 29 common Chinese idioms. Apart from in-class idiom lessons with contextualized learning activities, the students were each assigned a smartphone which they were allowed to access 24x7 throughout the nine-week period of the study. They carried out photoblogging-like activities by using their smartphones to take photos in their daily lives, and then made sentences with the idioms, and subsequently posted them onto a wiki space for sharing and peer review.This MALL design emphasizes students' proactive association of the contexts that they encounter in the physical world with the Chinese idioms (considered a special form of vocabulary) that they have learned. In this paper, we focus on investigating the students' individual-to-social learning process throughout the intervention, which could be attributed to the process of multimodal, student artifact-focused, ongoing, open-ended meaning making in the context of vocabulary learning. The students' learning processes that we observed and the artifacts that they have delivered suggest a compelling direction for MALL--seamless language Rosetta Stone Chinese learning.Literature Review Constructivist approach in vocabulary (idiom) learningIn recent decades, we witness a paradigm shift in language learning theories from behaviorism to a communicative approach (Salaberry, 1996). In addition, prior studies in the second language (L2) classroom have suggested the importance of the negotiation of meaning, also known as social meaning making, in L2 development (Long, 1985). However, the social context has been undervalued as an arena for collaborative L2 learning. Where meaning appears fixed, immutable, to be sent and received, what is lost is the collaborative nature of meaning making (Savignon, 1991).As a fundamental component of language learning, vocabulary learning is often delivered in conventional ways, such as providing abstract definitions and sentences taken out of the context of normal use. (Miller & Gildea, 1987). Such pedagogical strategies may pose greater problem for learning of context-dependent vocabularies. The complex nature of context-dependent vocabularies, such as idioms and proverbs, may result in highly context-dependent appropriateness of their usage (Deng, 2001). There are many possible real-life contexts where such vocabulary could suitably (or unsuitably but often mistakenly) be used, which are almost impossible to be prescribed in a simple definition.A reform of vocabulary learning is in progress. In particular, Miller and Gildea's (1987) vocabulary teaching experiment showed that children acquire vocabulary faster with the method used out of the school, by relating words to ordinary conversation, than with the traditional methods based upon abstract definitions and sentences taken from external contexts. Similarly, Nation (2001) proposes three psychological processes for successful vocabulary learning: noticing (a word is highlighted as being salient text input), retrieving (repeat encountering of the word) and creative/generative (a previously encountered word is used in a slightly different context). The three-stage model stresses the importance of the coupling of language input (receptive learning) and output (productive learning), and the learners' creative/generative usage of the learned vocabulary in alternative contexts. Liu (2008) illustrates the application of this model for idiom learning.

Child Safety for Home School: Bicycle Safety for Home Schooling Families

Outdoor activities are great fun and an important addition to any homeschool curriculum. Kids should be encouraged to spend time outside whenever possible to promote physical, emotional, and social health. One of the most popular outdoor activities is bike riding which is fun, exciting, and a pleasurable form of exercise. It is important, however, to properly instruct your homeschooling child on bicycle safety.First and foremost, the proper equipment should be used. If your child is not an experienced biker, then training wheels are a wonderful resource for teaching balance and promoting confidence on the bike. Helmets, knee and elbow pads, and other protective layers are essential to any safe bike ride. In some places, wearing a helmet is actually the law, so do some research about the laws in the state that you live in.It is also very important for your homeschooling child to understand that when biking, he or she must be aware that there are other vehicles that use the road. This may seem like on obvious fact, but understanding how to share the road properly will ensure a fun safe bike ride. There are many tips that can help with this practice. Always bike with Rosetta Stone Software the traffic, meaning the direction the cars are going. This rule applies whether biking on the road, shoulder, or sidewalk. Try and avoid the busy streets or times of day when the roads are most congested, such as rush hour. When the streets are packed with cars, it limits the vision of the drivers and bikers can be easily overlooked. Drivers expect bikers to obey all traffic signals, signs, and stoplights, just as they are expected to do in their cars. For example, bikers are expected to stop at stop signs and red lights and use appropriate hand gestures as turn signals.There are also many general rules to follow in order to promote safe bicycle habits. Riding at night is not a good idea because even with headlights, the vision of drivers at this time in limited. Bright clothing and light reflectors should be worn anytime of day while biking as an added measure of safety. While biking, both hands should be kept on the handlebars of the bike. Although it is fun to test your balance or try fun tricks, control can be lost and accidents may happen.One final word of advice: make bicycling a family affair! The best way to teach your kids about bike safety is by example, helping kids see the importance and reason for the rules that you teach them. They are more than just words from a concerned parent. Biking can be a lot of fun and great exercise, so teach your kids how to best enjoy the experience.

Home Schooling Your Autistic Child: Tough Choice To Make

I wanted to take the time to share some information on home-schooling your autistic child. Autism provides some unique challenges to parents. It is a spectrum disorder that makes it much more difficult for a child to relate to others, as well as communicate to others. As you can guess, teaching someone that lacks the basic communication skills is quite difficult. Often teaching becomes a two-part process. The first to teach the skills of communication and than moving onto the actual teachings a child needs. This will require a lot of preparation on your part, a lot of patients and understanding because this won't be a walk in the park. I'm going to show you how you go about home-schooling your autistic child.Structure and routine are the two most important things you can have in place for any autistic person. You have to understand that you can't just throw this together each day and hope for the best. It has to be well planned and consistent to a routine. Since autism is so hard on the senses for children, they need this routine to keep everything familiar for them. You should stick to a schedule and start each day the same way. A fun learning exercise that can help a Rosetta Stone Greek child learn and keep a routine is to allow them to make the routine. Have them draw some pictures of what will be done through the day and have them put it up on a chart. This can help a child want to follow the routine.Home-schooling your autistic child will require a lot of help. You need to speak to a professional. You can't just teach the same things a regular child would learn. It just doesn't work that way. You need specialized material that is going to help the child out best. A doctor may disagree with your desire to do home schooling, but they should recommend the type of education they would need. Each autistic child is a different, with different skills and abilities; there is no universal teaching manual for the autistic. Make sure you pick up professional teaching material for autism, to ensure they get the best quality education.One of the best tools you have at your disposal when home schooling your autistic child is the ability to journal the experience. A lot of people don't see the value in journaling, but they tend to be the people that stop after a week. The real value from journaling comes months down the road. When you start going through things, you can pick up on certain behaviors. If there was a bad day with your child, than you might notice some similarities in what happened that day. It is also a great tool in measuring how your child's progress is coming. Since progress seems like a crawl day-to-day, going back over the months can really show you a strong learning patter, which will make you a much more motivated teacher.

Home-schooling at Easter: Home-schooling Activities for Easter

Welcome to our Easter activities page. We hope that you enjoy all of these wonderful Easter activities. Feel free to use them for a home-school art course or just for fun!Why is Easter so Happy?: It's important for home-schooling parents to teach their children about the real meaning of Easter. This Bible Kidz Funzone page will help you explain the great gift of Christ's death and resurrection to your home-schoolers.Easter Egg Hunt: Kaboose is an amazing resource for home-schoolers. If you're interested in doing an Easter Egg hunt at your church or organization, be sure to review these guidelines.Easter Chicks: This cute Easter chick will make your students coo with delight.Easter Riddles: Provide your home-school students with fun brain teasers, jokes, and riddles based on Easter.Easter Printables: Easter printables abound at . Color, cut, and fold to your heart's delight.Easter Printables: Wall papers, activities, and screen savers are just a few of the fun things you can find at the Hershey's chocolate website.Easter Crafts: At Enchanted Learning, you'll find more printables, crafts, and games than you can shake a stick at.Easter Basket: Kids Domain offers this Rosetta Stone Portuguese fantastic resource. Follow these tips to create a beautiful Easter basket. Say goodbye to plain beige baskets.Easter Songs: "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" is just one of the many MIDI files home-schoolers can find at this great site. Download more great Easter-themed songs.Easter Stories: Enrich your spirit and inspire your soul with devotions, sermons, and more from sources like Oswald Chambers and Our Daily Bread. Ever since the advent of computers and the Internet, education has witnessed a profound transformation. While the information in books remains static for a longer time, the information available on the Internet is constantly updated. Besides, it has been observed that children are naturally drawn to electronic gadgets, and they master the medium very fast. Thus, adding computers as a learning aid along with books enhances grasping and learning any subject.Whether books or the computer, or a combination of the two, homeschooling should be organized and pre-planned. Books and computer-based learning are only a means to education. If they are effectively used, it will complement the childs education in the long run.

The Next Big Things In Australian Music

The new-age Von Trapp family ... the sisters of Stonefield, Hannah, Amy, Sarah and Holly Findlay. Rachel Olding and George Palathingal anoint 10 diverse emerging Australian acts as this year's Next Big Things in music. Four rocking sisters from a farm in Victoria. A hip-hop crew that cheated death. A singing, songwriting admin assistant who was told to "fill up the coffee machine" one time too many. To say that Metro's latest, and perhaps greatest, batch of Australian artists to watch in the coming months comes from a wide variety of backgrounds and covers most musical bases is something of an understatement. From Perth to Sydney via Tassie and Melbourne, here are the 10 new acts we think are going to be dominating Australian charts and your own playlists in 2011. Advertisement: Story continues below Click for more photos The next big things in music Punk-pop fusion ... Tonight Alive. Photo: Daniel Boud STONEFIELD Genre Alt-rock with a flower in its hair.From Darr aweit Guim, Label Unsigned.Coming gigs March 9, 8pm, Beach Road Hotel, Bondi, 9130 7247, free; March 10, 8pm, Manning Bar, University of Sydney, 1300 762 545, $40 (supporting the Besnard Lakes). They're the new-age Von Trapp family. The four Findlay sisters - Amy, 21, Hannah, 18, Sarah, 16 and Holly, 13 - grew up on a hobby farm about an hour outside Melbourne. Their parents were not musicians but loved Frank Zappa, Fleetwood Mac and all sorts of 1970s rock. In 2006, the sisters each took up an instrument and started music lessons with a teacher who lived next door. At home they'd muck about playing Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin covers together and wearing clothes made out of curtains (we suspect). Is it any surprise they formed a band? ''Well, we thought, 'Why not?' because we were all living in the same house,'' lead Rosetta Stone Language vocalist and drummer Amy says casually. She wrote their first two singles as a university assignment. They then sold out of CDs at their EP launch and at only their second interstate gig, the One Movement festival, impressed the booker for Glastonbury so much he signed them on the spot for this year's festival. For Holly, the youngest Findlay, the bigger the gig, the happier she is. ''So she's very happy,'' Amy says. Foreign Lover and Through the Clover are quickly infiltrating radios and festival stages, all powerful '70s hippie rock and girl-power vocals. And, not surprisingly, their parents are their roadies, manning the merchandise stand and carting the band around the country. ''They love music,'' Amy says. ''They always told us to make a career out of what you love.'' TIMJEAN Genre Synth-pop.From Perth and Mandurah, Coming gigs April 30, 8pm, Oxford Art Factory, Darling hurst, 9332 3711, $17. A chance meeting at a train station and a MacBook started it all for West Australian duo TimJean. And that's pronounced Jean, as in Jean-Baptiste or Jean-Pierre or Jean-Christophe Capotorto, who was just 15 when he bumped into a distant friend, Tim, 19, at Mandurah train station. Jean invited Tim back to his dad's place to eat pizza, drink cola, muck about on the computer program Garage Band and, consequently, record the synth-pop-tastic anthem Come Around. ''I think age is irrelevant to making music,'' says Capotor to, now 17. ''For us, we've just been getting in my room, jamming out and having fun. For us, that's music.'' Before the year was over, they'd written all the songs on the album Like What, to be released in April. Then came a Triple J Unearthed High win, trips to the US to showcase their music, a deal with Universal, spots at the Park life and Good Vibrations festivals and the tag of ''Perth's Passion Pit''. ''It went from hanging in our bedroom to becoming a bit more serious. I was totally confused; I had no idea what to do,'' Capotor to says of the attention that followed the Triple J competition. ''I was a little 15-year-old coming home from school to an email flooded with offers from around the world. I'd be replying to these bigwigs, it was crazy.

Ali was my hero - and my dad's - when I was a boy

He looks up and smiles at the camera, an image silently conveying what made him beloved in Brazil and beyond: his humility and disarming sweetness. ''I wanted to make a film that wouldn't just appeal to formula one fans,'' Kapadia says. ''That's what the great sports documentaries do - Hoop Dreams, When We Were Kings - they're human dramas first, sport second, if at all. ''Lots of people who enjoyed it are not like [Top Gear presenter] Jeremy Clarkson. Often they're women who couldn't care less about motor racing.'' What captivates non-fans about Senna's character? ''That he wouldn't quit and he stood by what he believed in and yet had utter dignity. How many sports stars can you say that of? [Boxer Muhammad] Ali's the only other one. Ali was my hero - and my dad's - when I was a boy. And now I've made this film, Senna has become my hero too. There aren't many real heroes, you know?'' Senna, perhaps, is not so unlike Kapadia's earlier films. ''It's the story of an outsider - a Brazilian who came to Europe and took them on. A man who was slightly apart from the world he inhabited, a still centre around the noise.'' The film is not afraid of dealing with Senna's faith. ''My films often have a spiritual dimension, which comes from my Muslim background, and I'm happy to tackle that in cinema,'' Kapadia says. He decided to have no talking heads, partly because he didn't want any retrospective rationalisation by his interview subjects. ''These guys [the racing drivers] hated each other, whatever they say now, and I wanted to show that.'' The film's central drama is the rivalry between Alain Prost and Senna - the former a Frenchman nicknamed the Professor for his coolly calculating approach to races, the latter determined to win at any cost. At the Japanese grand prix in 1990, Senna - angry and reckless - tried to overtake Prost on a chicane but the cars collided and both crashed out of the race. ''You can't excuse him,'' Kapadia says. ''He could have killed himself and Prost. I didn't want to judge him but to understand his motivation and to show Rosetta Stone the life-or-death nature of their rivalry. ''At some points when I was editing I was thinking of them as dramatic figures rather than people. Then I stopped.'' Kapadia says when he edited footage of Senna's mother at his funeral, his responsibility to the family became clear. ''I realised it's someone's life I'm dealing with and so, morally, I felt a responsibility for the images I've never felt before. If the family had objected to the film, it would have been very tough because I'd tried to make something honest and moving.'' The last act of the film deals with the cursed weekend at the San Marino grand prix at Imola in 1994. In footage from the starting grid, Senna looks haunted. He was driving a Williams car whose steering seemed unpredictable, was up against Michael Schumacher's Ferrari that he couldn't catch and had witnessed the death of the Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying. ''Senna generally had his helmet on, looking straight ahead and focused at the start of a race. On that last day he chose not to wear the helmet and looked in such a state - he looks in the wrong place, he looks so lonely, so unhappy, so out of love with the sport.'' On that last day, Senna understeered at Tamburello corner, leaving the track at 305km/h then slowing down to 215km/h before hitting the wall. He died in hospital aged 34. Some think Senna had a death wish. ''I don't think he wanted to die,'' Kapadia says. ''There are people on my team who think God was saving him from himself because he's got to the position where he hates the sport so much and the only way out is to take him out. ''That's certainly one reading but I wish he'd walked away.'' The Guardian Senna opens on August 11.

The southern end is noted for its surfing

There is safe swimming from in front of the surf club at the northern end of the beach. Also at the northern end is a large ocean bath and the canoe pool an old, large and safe children's wading pool. The southern end is noted for its surfing. Indeed the Surfest Surfing Competition is held annually on Newcastle Beach in April. King Edward Park There is an army fortification zone on the hilltop at the southern end of King Edward Park. The military remnants can be seen near the carpark at the crest of the street known as The Terrace. The fortifications were established in 1890 but rebuilt during World War II when it was known as Park Battery. A cement fortess and a series of pillboxes remain though they are now crumbling and marked by graffiti. From this point there are good views eastwards over the ocean where there are usually dozens of ships queueing for entrance into the harbour. To the north are Newcastle Beach, Nobbys Head, the two breakwaters which superintend the river estuary and, beyond that, Stockton Beach. Within the river mouth the Hunter recedes northwest into the distance and northwards into Stockton Channel where it passes under Stockton Bridge while Throsby Creek snakes its serpentine way to the southwest. As you gaze down towards the harbour you can see an obelisk at the far end of the park, Newcastle Anglican Cathedral towering atop an intervening hill and the weight of heavy industry encamped implacably about the estuary voiding its bowels to the sky. Wander down The Terrace, observing the fine Victorian terrace houses (c.1890) which give the street its name. At the bottom of The Terrace turn right into Reserve Rd then take the left into Wolfe St. There is a signposted set of steps to your right leading up to The Obelisk situated atop a hill from whence there are excellent views Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin) . A windmill built on this site in 1820 became a major navigational aide for shipping. Its demolition in 1847 provoked protests from mariners and, consequently, the obelisk was erected as an alternative marker in 1850. An early water reservoir was situated under this spot in 1885. Looking south, back down into the gully, there is a lovely octagonal band rotunda (1898) with finial, columns, balustrades and intricate lacework, all of cast iron, as well as a frieze around the base. This depression was once the site of a paddock for Australian Agricultural Company horses which worked in an adjacent pit (at the corner of Bingle St and Anzac Parade). It now features a sunken garden. If you walk along Reserve Rd to the fencing on the hillside you will find a road alignment post on the far side dating from 1864, together with an explanatory plaque. One of the roadways which winds through the park leads down to the Bogey Hole at the very bottom of the cliffs below the fortifications. This large excavation in the rocks tells us something of the nature of Newcastle in the early 19th century. It is, in fact, a bathing pool which was built by convict labour for the personal pleasure of Major James T. Morriset, the military commandant from 18191822 who did much to improve the breakwater, roads and barracks in the settlement. Known for many years as Commandant's Bath it became a public pool in 1863. As one stands and watches the waves ceaselessly washing over the pool the extent of the achievement and the grossness of the indulgence becomes apparent, for the convicts must have dug this hole between waves, waste high in water. Shepherds Hill Just south of King Edward Park the land continues to rise to a high point atop Shepherds Hill. The name presumably derives from Lt Col. Paterson's 1801 survey report, in which he named it Sheep Pasture Hill after the English associations its appearance stirred in him. Strzelecki Lookout, atop the hill, is named in honour of the Polish geologist and explorer whose chemical analyses and research into coal deposits from 183945 influenced the development of the region.

Deal or no deal

New guidelines aim to make the cost of buying a car more transparent. ANDREW HEASLEY reports. Everyone loves a bargain but nobody likes to be taken for a sucker. Yet its hard not to feel youve been taken for one if youve been lured into a car yard or showroom by a low price, only to be disappointed to find the cars "just been sold" or costs thousands of dollars more to match the one pictured, or theres the old "plus, plus, plus..." to put the car on the road. Buying a TV or washing machine is a fairly straightforward process, with advertised prices largely matching the outofpocket expense, but as car buyers will know, when it comes to four wheels its not that simple. Theres frequently a disparity between what you think youre up for and what you pay when you sign the contract. Sometimes the financial surprises come long after signing. Beyond a cars recommended retail price (including the Federal Governments GST amount), theres a long list of extra costs such as the State Governments stamp duty, the dealers "delivery fees", and the onroad costs of VicRoads registration and the Transport Accident Commissions compulsory thirdparty insurance. Add in complex financing and leasing arrangements, generally a mix of upfront, recurring and end payments, encompassed in obfuscating legalese, and it can be a quagmire for the unwary. Advertisement: Story continues below Meantime, car ads vigorously compete for consumers attentions, some seeking to lure buyers with discounted prices, some with allin driveaway prices, others with stunning headline prices, but with the devil in the asterisked fine print. Its an issue that the countrys competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, began reviewing two years ago, taking in the views of car makers, dealers, marketeers and consumer advocacy groups to frame new guidelines governing how new and usedcar prices are advertised. The guidelines, finalised in November but just launched publicly last week, are aimed at making the costs in car buying more apparent to Rosetta Stone consumers and eradicating misleading and deceptive conduct by the car industry. "Always in advertising, the representation to the public of price a true and honest representation is very important," said ACCC commissioner John Martin, who headed the review. The result, the Automotive Advertising Guidelines price advertising in the motor vehicle industry, sets rules governing the way prices are presented. Mr Martin warns that a headline prices asterisk and fine print may not be enough to satisfy the new guidelines. In the guidelines sights are the way prices are represented in advertisements, disclaimers, discounts including "below cost" claims, photos used in ads, socalled "bait advertising" and cash rebates. Be warned, though: even with advertisements that comply with the new code, theres still plenty of guesswork involved for conscientious consumers who want to compare deals or establish what it will cost in full to drive out of the showroom let alone figure how much negotiating room they have on their side. The guidelines arent law, the ACCC says. Rather, theyre plain English recommendations based on the commissions interpretations of court rulings of what actions constitute misleading or deceptive conduct under the Trade Practices Act. Theyve been boiled down to how car prices in ads should be presented to consumers so as to be clear, unambiguous and accurate. The advertised prices must state the total price required to take delivery of the vehicle. That includes "all mandatory components" of the price that can be quantified; that is, stamp duty and dealer delivery costs. What doesnt have to be specified, the ACCC says, are the "onroad costs": registration and compulsory third party insurance. "The ACCC does not see ... (on road costs) ... as mandatory components," it says. Its a somewhat curious stance after all, how many people buy a car without intending to register it or drive it on the road?

NY Times selling radio station for 45 mln dlrs

The New York Times Co., which has been seeking to raise cash to pay down its debt, announced plans on Tuesday to sell a New York City radio station for 45 million US dollars. The Times Co. said it is selling WQXRFM, a station which plays classical music, to WNYC Radio, the largest public radio station in the United States, and Spanishlanguage broadcaster Univision Radio. The complicated sale, under which WNYC will eventually operate WQXR, requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and, if approved, is expected to close in the second half of the year. Advertisement: Story continues below The Times Co. said that under the deal, the radio station would retain its classical music format. "WQXR is the nation's preeminent classical music station," Times Co. president and chief executive Janet Robinson said in a statement. "We are very pleased that this transaction will preserve WQXR's ability to serve New York City's classical music audience and its cultural institutions as a public radio station," she said. Like other US newspapers, the Times has been grappling with a steep drop in print advertising revenue, steadily declining circulation and the migration of readers to free news online. The Times Co. is currently entertaining bids for the Boston Globe, which it purchased for 1.1 billion US dollars in 1993, and is also seeking to sell another Massachusetts Rosetta Stone Italian paper, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. The Times Co. recently completed a saleleaseback deal for part of its Manhattan headquarters and received a 250milliondollar loan from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. The Times is also seeking a buyer for its 17.75 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team and their iconic stadium, Fenway Park. Gibbs said Obama's talks in China would focus on regional and global issues, including security, nonproliferation, energy issues and climate change. The president will wrap up his visit to Asia in Seoul, South Korea, between November 18 and 19, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. North Korea's nuclear challenge and the US nuclear alliance will dominate talks between Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak. While in South Korea, Obama will also meet US service members from the US garrison monitoring the uneasy Cold War truce with Stalinist North Korea. There had been expectations that Obama would travel this year to Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood after his divorced mother married an Indonesian. Gibbs said that Obama met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh last month, and the two leaders agreed that it made most sense for the visit to take place next year. "They agreed on the importance of having a visit that would showcase the importance of a growing USIndonesian bilateral relations," Gibbs said. Obama's childhood connection and his knowledge of a few words of the Indonesian language have made him hugely popular in the country of 234 million people, 90 per cent of whom are Muslim.

Jets' Zura jets home to Ecuador

The struggling Newcastle Jets are considering chasing an interim marquee player after a homesick Edmundo Zura dramatically returned to Ecuador. The defending ALeague champions are picking up the pieces after the Ecuadorian international delivered a tearful farewell following the 21 loss to Queensland on Sunday night. Zura, signed as the Jets marquee player on a oneyear loan deal, asked for a contract termination due to offfield reasons. Advertisement: Story continues below But after failing to deliver on the park in a goalless and maligned threemonth stint, where he lasted the full 90 minutes in just three of his nine starts, his departure won't be mourned by the Jets. The 25yearold could no longer cope being away from his homeland and family including his wife and fouryearold son and organised his flight independently. "We can understand that he misses his homeland, his family, and the way of life that he is comfortable with," said Jets chief executive John Tsatsimas. "It's not easy to travel to another country and settle immediately, particularly when there is such a large language barrier there. "So we would not stand in his way in returning to Ecuador, which is where Rosetta Stone Software he wants to be." Coach Gary van Egmond and newlyappointed highperformance manager Ian Crook, who coached Newcastle Utd in the old NSL, are reviewing whether to replace Zura with a marquee player or shortterm guest star. The writing was on the wall for Zura when the Jets announced fellow striker Joel Griffiths as next season's marquee man. As a marquee player, Zura's contract is not included in the salary cap so the club can either chase another star signing or merely stick with their current squad and promote youth players. Zura, who debuted for Ecuador in 2006 and captained them to victory at last year's Pan American Games, ran out of patience waiting for his family to join him in Newcastle following a visa holdup. Ironically, he decided to return home as papers from South America finally arrived, paving the way for them to settle in Australia. But his interpreter had made the club aware before the weekend of his plans as he struggled to come to terms with the lifestyle. The pressure was building on Zura before Sunday's home defeat which saw the defending premiers fall to equal second last, five points out of the top four. Teammates revealed Zura was in tears after the game, which included a disallowed headed early goal for being offside, when he told some of his decision. His loss and the continued absence of a quartet of Young Socceroos players leaves the Jets with a bare 15 of their senior squad. National U19 striker Jason Naidovski will come into contention when he returns next week as the Jets are also battling up front with Jason Hoffman sidelined for the season with a knee injury. Veteran midfielder Noel Spencer is also facing the prospect of seasonending surgery needed to fix a wearandtear ankle problem.

I find myself in a window seat on the right

What helps, too, is that like Disneyworld and unlike parts ofthe countries that surround it it's clean, safe and everybody iswonderfully, genuinely, smilingly nice. Perhaps those allusions toShangriLa aren't too wide of the mark. Before all this, though, you have to get there. And most peopledo this through Nepal. After meeting my tour group and stayingovernight in a Kathmandu hotel room seemingly last used by a teamof Olympic chainsmokers, we have a 6am start and a queue to getinto the airport. Here, under the gaze of a soldier with one hand on his gun andthe other halfway up his left nostril (why am I deeply worriedabout an armed man who picks his nose?) we are searched. Andsearched again. And then searched again on the tarmac, where wealso have to individually identify our luggage before it can beloaded onto the jet waiting patiently nearby. Many people in the queue are clutching the Bhutanese bible, akathe Lonely Planet guide to Bhutan, which would explain the suddenand unseemly rush to get onto the aircraft. "The Druk Air flightfrom Kathmandu to Paro provides the most dramatic view of Himalayanscenery of any scheduled flight," it says, before adding theparanthesised advice to "get a window seat on the left if youcan". I find myself in a window seat on the right. Even so,the flight is spectacular, especially when those on the lefthandside get tired of gawping at stunning, snowcovered mountains andmove their big fat heads so you can see the peaks passingby almost near enough to touch. Over there, standing grandly abovethe rest, is Everest. Descending into the town of Paro above a winding valley of greenhillsides corrugated by rice paddies, we can see below us scattereddwellings and farm houses with shining, corrugated iron roofspatchworked with bright red squares of chillies drying in the sun Rosetta Stone .Chillies are a staple of the Bhutanese diet and, in the countrysideat least, there is rarely a house that does not sport a splash ofscarlet or, more occasionally, yellow. Finally, we burst out of the valley and into the wide, broadplain that houses Paro, a small and loose conglomeration ofbuildings on either side of a wide, shallow river lined with willowtrees. Squatting like a castle on a hill above a bend in the riveris the white vastness of Paro dzong, amonasterycumcastlecummuseum. Below the dzong is a wooden bridgewhich we visit on the way to the hotel and which, when we getthere, is being used by an old woman and her cow. We watch as shestops to turn the prayer wheels at either end before continuing.It's stunning. Now I know how Alice felt. Paro is the second largest town in the country, and you can walkthrough its quaint main street, its colourful shops hung every fewmetres with bundles of bright red, drying chillies, and be out theother side in five minutes. Thimpu, the notquitesosedatecapital, is 53 kilometres away to the east across the 4000metrehigh ranges. In Thimphu a few years ago they installed the country's firstset of traffic lights and then promptly took them out againbecause people didn't think them friendly. That particular junctionis, once again, ruled over by a whitegloved policeman who directstraffic from a covered podium in the middle, like an orchestraconductor with a hard hat. This is very much a metaphor for what's happening in Bhutan asit walks a tightrope stretched between the almost medieval societyit was a mere 80 years ago and the 21st century. As such, you canvisit the national library in Thimphu and look at dusty scrollswhile a couple of redrobed monks wait their turn to surf theinternet. Bhutan is often likened to Switzerland because of itssnowdusted mountain ranges and the pitched roofs of the houses.There, thank goodness, the comparison stops. Switzerland was neverthis colourful.

Jason Akermanis, a colourful life

Click for more photos The Akermanis era Aker almost unadorned, 1995. Photo: Allsport The story of Jason Akermanis is as colourful as any of the controversies he has involved himself with via the media, and would have been fascinating if he had never pulled on a pair of football boots. He was born on Feburary 24 1977, to Shona Carswell, a Queensland native who had travelled to Mildura with her brother seeking work picking fruit. At the time she was married to John Akermanis, but that relationship faltered, and the homesick Canadian had returned to the northern hemisphere before the pregnancy was revealed. It later emerged that Shona had an affair with a married Mildura mechanic, Denis, and he was the father of Jason and his brother, Rory, who was born in 1979. Advertisement: Story continues below Jason Akermanis with captain Brad Johnson yesterday at Bulldogs training. Photo: Vince Caligiuri Shona struggled to raise her two boys as a single mum, originally working in a local car dealership and living in a caravan. Jason first played football as a sevenyearold, for the South Mildura under11s, at Sarah Oval, stunning coach Gordon "Mr C" Casey, when he starred against much bigger, stronger opponents in his first match. Shona took her young family back to Queensland in 1986, and Akermanis excelled playing for Mayne, a natural footballer playing in a rugby leaguedominated region. He was never scared to stand out. When he was 13, Akermanis discovered that he was not the son of John Akermanis, as he had been led to believe. At 14, he suffered depression, and says he contemplated suicide, after a serious accident whilst rollerblading led to a stint in intensive care with a blood clot on the brain. With the support of his mother, he resumed his exuberant ways, taking a year off Aussie Rules, and excelling at athletics, winning a sports scholarship to the prestigious Nudgee College, the strongest rugby union school in Queensland. He was mocked for carrying a Sherrin, but became dux of his class. Often impulsive, but never stupid Rosetta Stone , Akermanis was very proud of this achievement. In his final year at school, and first for the Brisbane Bears, in 1995, Jason's mother became seriously ill with brain cancer, and she died, aged only 41, in 1997. He earned the nickname 'Akermaniac' from his AFL teammates at this time, but apart from some speeding fines, Akermanis was never in serious trouble, and it was his attentionseeking flamboyance, not any major infractions, that caught the attention. Intensely competitive, dedicated to training and improving his skills, Akermanis developed quickly as a pacy backman under coaches Robert Walls, John Northey, and Leigh Matthews. Lions psychologist Phil Jauncey was also a key influence, and became an enduring confidante. By the time the Lions became a superteam, at the turn of the millennium, Akermanis was an elite onballer, his speed, twosided skills, and brilliant goalkicking making him a cog of the powerful Brisbane midfield, featuring Simon Black, Michael Voss and Luke Power. He was also turning his love of the limelight into a media career, with a radio program, newspaper column, and TV appearances. At the height of his powers, he suggested a stint playing rugby was on his mind. Off the field, Jason had met speech pathologist Megan, who became his wife in 2001, and had begun to learn sign language in order to converse with her hearing impaired parents. He also learnt Spanish, played chess and utilised a "power breathing device" and an ideas whiteboard in his house. Akermanis was clearly a unique footballer, but at this stage, with honours arriving, including a Brownlow medal (2001) two club best and fairest awards, four AllAustralian berths, and three premierships (2001, 2002, 2003), his eccentricites were tolerated. However, rifts developed, as Jason's occasionally tactless utterances in the press infuriated coach club officials and teammates. A sad impasse had developed by 2006, Akermanis blaming it in part on two players snubbing an invitation to his wedding in 2001. But it was the unwelcome frankness of Akermanis opinions about upcoming opponents, and the form of the declining Lions, that caused most grief for his peers.

Truth and fiction

Peter Temple Photo: Dallas Kilponen This year's Miles Franklin Award winner Peter Temple has redefined the literary boundaries of crime writing. He spoke to Jason Steger about why anything goes. WHEN Peter Temple first won a Ned Kelly award for crime writing, it was for his debut novel, Bad Debts. On a Saturday afternoon in a smoky Prahran bar, Temple was chuffed to accept ''the Nobel for crime fiction, novice division''. That was 13 years ago and the novice has become the master. Not only has he collected another four Neds, but he also picked up the big one at the 2007 British Crime Writers' Association awards, the Duncan Lawrie Dagger, for The Broken Shore. The Ballarat-based writer has won so many Neds that he has decided that his most recent novel, Truth, should not be considered for this year's prizes. ''To clear some small space for the many talented crime writers who haven't won a Ned or been shortlisted.'' But it was only the Neds he was worried about; there was no mention of the Miles Franklin. On Tuesday night Temple followed in the footsteps of more conventionally literary writers such as Tim Winton, Thea Astley and Patrick White by winning Australia's pre-eminent prize for fiction. Advertisement: Story continues below Temple chooses not to describe himself as a crime writer but he is happy for others to do so. ''As far as I am concerned I write novels and other people can do the labelling,'' he said yesterday. But he uses crime in the same way that Graham Greene would in ''entertainments'' such as Brighton Rock. ''It's a wonderful vehicle. What is more at the heart of social life than the crime against the person? I see it as an excuse for beginning the narrative. It has its own logic and relentless drive. It is a reason for things to happen and for the way characters behave.'' Some might say that giving Temple the Miles was a brave decision by the judges. Although he is much more than a conventional crime writer, it is the first time that a so-called genre writer has won the award. It's hard to think of a major prize Rosetta Stone V3 for literary fiction in the English-speaking world that has gone to a crime writer. Stylists as elegant and original as Raymond Chandler were never honoured in this way. And when Tom Robb Smith's Child 44, a serial-killer thriller set in Stalin's Soviet Union, was long-listed for the Man Booker a couple of years ago, there was something of a stink. Truth is a companion book to The Broken Shore rather than a sequel. Its main character, Stephen Villani, popped up in the earlier book but was not a major character. Now head of homicide, he is dealing with the ghastly murders of two young women and endeavouring to deal with the dismal state of his marriage, his on-off affair with a television journalist and his role as a father, a brother and, significantly, a son. All this in a Melbourne enveloped in the stench of political and corporate corruption and a countryside that is about to burst into flames. When he accepted the award, Temple said the judges might cop a bit of flak; you do the crime you do the time, was his line. But Morag Fraser, spokesperson for the judges, says they have received no criticism for their decision. Truth is distinctive, she says, because of the way Temple uses language. ''There is pleasure in every sentence. He is a considerable craftsman. And there is deep investment in the moral lives of his characters. Villani is really three-dimensional.'' Temple has written four novels about his Fitzroy-based character, Jack Irish - Bad Debts, Black Tide, Dead Point and White Dog. Another three - An Iron Rose, Shooting Star and In the Evil Day are stand-alone novels. The The Broken Shore and Truth is a sequence that may turn into a loose trilogy. Critic and editor Peter Craven says Temple is ''one of those exceptional writers who break down the distinction between art and trash; between quality literary writing and popular yarn spinning''. ''He's always been a class act and you could tell with the Jack Irish novels that you were in the hands of an elegant stylist.