Intermittens: The non-Discordian Issue

[Roaring Biscuit!]

because I changed my mind about the other one I was gonna do...

So I was talking to this friend of mine the other day, and he says it would be really cool to publish a magazine, but its just a rather large amount of effort doin that sorta thing on your own right?  Now I says to him, I know some peeps doin e-zines.

 

Now he's not exactly of the Discordian line of thinking, explicitly anywho, but it gave me this idea, cause I know an awful lot of creative peeps, what with my being situated next to an art college most of the time.  So something mighty fine could come out of such a collaboration.  I would be editing, with contributions largely from people you've never heard of.

 

x

edd

[Placid Dingo]

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.


This is a GOOD idea.

Questions;

Would it be incidentally non-discordian (like just not being discordian) or explicitly NON-Discordian (avoiding all reference to discordia)

Would it be an edition of IM or just an off-shoot publication using the brand. I like it as an edition but this is your puppy.

[Cramulus]

I think this idea's alright, but I'm confused. If the issue has nothing to do with discord, why would you make it an intermittens issue as opposed to coming up with your own one-shot magazine brand?

I mean, I realize that there are no rules for what you can write an intermittens about, but I wonder what the intent is. It's not like we have a huge loyal readerbase that will get your publication to hundreds of new eyeballs.

[Roaring Biscuit!]

@Placid Dingo:  I would like it to be completely free of the usual Discordian references, and completely written by my non-Discordian friends and acquaintances.

@Cram:  But given above message, that doesn't necessarily mean it has nothing to do with Discord.  But I think it would be cool, to provide this community with *hopefully* something fresh.  What I notice most is that generally with the other issues of Intermittens, I've enjoyed the writing by people outside of PD.com, not necessarily because it was the best, but because it was not as entrenched in the board culture and style.  Provided a refreching fish-slap in the face if you will.

Now basically, I want to do Intermittens that might touch on Discord, but is not coated in PD.com mythology etc.  i.e hopefully bring something new to the table.

The brief to writers and artist will be something along the lines of this:  If PD.com has heard it before, it's probably not goin in, unless it's really good.  Plus if you mention being in or outside the box I'm gonna punch you inna face.

x

[Placid Dingo]

I've actually thought of this before.

I started thinking about the Christian Science magazines you get free at train stations on the Sunny Coast. What are the articles in there? Generally there IS a lot of 'the perils of pop music', 'orphans in africa', 'an amazing story of survival'. All written with a particular bent, but not super specific.

Some of my fave bits of IM (Cain's (?) (think it was Cain) Turkish Terrorism article, the Strange Times article, Crams poster piece and the Micropamphleting piece I used in mine (plus the three final pieces of fiction), Crams' story in the Phobia issue and heaps more that's not just jumping to mind) are quite wonderful in that they are only really small d discordian; that they fit wonderfully with a Discordian's worldview (sic) but they aren't explicitly Discordian per say.

So I think this is a really interesting idea, and would love to see where it goes.

What sort of stuff may I be able to provide?

[Roaring Biscuit!]

I'm not sure what I'll be wanting, I need to decide what kidna topics I wanna cover/stories I wanna tell, then work from there.  Also, I won't be wanting too much of a contribution, tryin' to keep Discordian influence to a minimum afterall

[Placid Dingo]

Well let me know.

I was a writer long before I was a Discordian.

[Cramulus]

I support what you're doing, some fresh input is always nice. I just worry about watering down the magazine's kernel idea until people are publishing cookbooks and romance novels called Intermittens. To me, part of the fun has been seeing how the magazine evolves over time, how other people run with the idea and build on what others have done.

[Roaring Biscuit!]

I support what you're doing, some fresh input is always nice. I just worry about watering down the magazine's kernel idea until people are publishing cookbooks and romance novels called Intermittens. To me, part of the fun has been seeing how the magazine evolves over time, how other people run with the idea and build on what others have done.

It's a fair worry, but I'll do my very best to keep it true to the feel of intermittens   I'm trying to get a new slant on things more than anythin'

x

[Cramulus]

 

[the last yatto]

people are publishing cookbooks

actually ive been thinkin about doing a cookbook from here... we got quite a good bit of material
thinkin about eating more healthy with the spawn coming. theres even a local group here called
apple corps that help low income familys eat organic

[Cramulus]

people are publishing cookbooks

actually ive been thinkin about doing a cookbook from here... we got quite a good bit of material
thinkin about eating more healthy with the spawn coming. theres even a local group here called
apple corps that help low income familys eat organic

you probably saw it already, but search for "Fat Eris Cookbook" on these here forums,
most of the work is already done

[Cramulus]

RB & DIMO: you guys have similar ideas, I suggest ye two combine your issue into one badass omnibus?

I might even be willing to lend a hand with layout

[Dimocritus]

RB & DIMO: you guys have similar ideas, I suggest ye two combine your issue into one badass omnibus?

I might even be willing to lend a hand with layout

I was just thinking this. Biscuit, PM me if you're interested.

[Placid Dingo]

 Here's my offering for 'non-discordians' if you want it.

The direction of Education.

This article will look at two schools whose methodologies are interesting in terms of original approach, and their success in tackling specific social inequities.

School 1: High Tech High

Governance
High Tech High began in 2000, and was produced by a coalition of business and education leaders. In an interview with Qualcomm owner Irwin Jacobs, the businessman explains the school came about as a response to the lack of trained individuals prepared with the skills required to be able to contribute to the company. In effect, he has said, it was an attempt to 'grow your own'.
It is publicly funded from several sources, including millions of dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.


Parent involvement
Parental involvement in the school is considerably high, with parents regularly present at the school. Parents are also highly involved with communications on their students, with each student assigned a staff member who monitors the student's academic and personal development and serves as point of contact for the family.

Curriculum delivery
This is developed inside of a mature, adult culture, that has been achieved by eliminating adult or youth areas and replacing them with common areas. This, along with parental involvement, effectively contribute to a culture of maturity where the students are able to spend time with the adults they can envisage becoming.
While the content is high level, the students are not chosen for their skill, but from a random lottery designed to allow for equal male, female and students from different locations.
There is a strong focus on integrating technology into everyday practice, however the focus of technology is as a means to an ends. Typical projects involve the integration of the '3 rs' with technology and often some element of the arts.  Their projects are shown online and many are also displayed publicly - a project called Calculicious is presently on display at the San Diego airport.
Students work across the whole of the year, with a holiday of five or six weeks over the summer break.

The results are impressive; 100% of students are accepted into University, 75% achieve higher results than their counterparts.

Assessment processes
The school is built on a project based curriculum, with students of varying ability all working together towards large scale common goals. This helps to foster a positive environment, and puts students into groups where they can achieve without fear of being socially outcast. The way in which projects are utilized as learning experiences helps create experiences that are authentic, engaging and challenging for students. Each piece of work is placed on a digital portfolio that each student has publicly accessible on the schools main page

Student focus
Student reaction has been positive to the school. Most documented interviews use quotes from students that convey their energy and passion for their personal projects, but a number of interviews also comment in the school itself. One student states; "I thought it'd be for computer nerds and be really boring," says Philly freshman Clancy Davidson. "Now I think it'll be really interesting." 1.

Student Billy Miller stated that he "read five books a week," while trying to educate himself in the midst of traditional schooling. He is a first generation college students, and says of his mother; "She'd heard of Harvard and Stanford. I had to convince her MIT was just as good."

LINKS and RESOURCES
1. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.09/mustread_pr.html
http://www.wired.com/culture/education/magazine/17-09/st_essay
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june08/hightech_04-17.html
http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-high-tech#
http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2004/1011/080.html?rl04

 
School 2: Max Rayne Hand in Hand Jerusalim.

Governance;
The school was founded in 1997 by Lee Gordon and Amin Khalaf. min and Sam Shube are the organization's co-directors, overseeing day to day operations. The Jerusalem school, as with the other Hand in hand schools, is run by two principals, one Arab and one Israeli. They are mostly financed by private and International donors, requiring around $2 million dollars a year.

Parent involvement;
The nature of the school means there is a considerable focus on building community in which parents are heavily involved. The community developed around parents is integral to the success of the school. The school aims to educate the whole community and offers parents and community access to programs promoting coexistence including lectures, films, Arabic language classes, dialogue groups, and seasonal and holiday events.

Curriculum delivery;
The school does not have a fundamentally different academic approach, however are interesting for a social reconstructavist angle. In a country divided politically, where 80% of citizens are Jewish, and 20% Arabs, where schooling is effectively segregated, Hand in Hand provide a bilingual environment where Arab and Israeli students learn together, taught by teacher from both communities. Teachers not only teach – by having an Israeli and Arab teacher in each class – one speaking and one translating at first, then later, either taking turns – they serve as social role models to their students. Students are expected to reply in the language spoken. The students ratio of Jewish to Arab students is kept at around 1 – 1. Of the Arab speaking students, one third are Christian and two thirds are Muslim.
The school’s structure is built completely around the cultures of the students. Christian, Jewish and Muslim holidays are recognized and are days off. To deal with the loss of so many days, holidays are shortened.

Student focus;
One parent comments on their student; "He is fluent in Hebrew. When he speaks, no one can even tell that he's an Arab." Commenting on the political state of the area though, he adds. "He has no future here."
Student interviewed on CNN: Ersheid Muataz. “I am a swimmer so I swim with the Jewish people. There used to be with Jewish people only (sic). They didn’t speak with Arabs at all before I came, so it was a little different for them. But we are like brothers now.”
Jamie Einstein. “When I’m an adult I’ll still have Arab friends, and maybe I’ll try to change something. Maybe most of the schools can have Arabs in them… maybe all schools can have Arabs and Jews together.

Assessment processes;
The curriculum includes subjects such as Bible, Koran, and New Testament Studies, Ties and Relationships, Land, History, Identity, Human Rights and places of Worship. These curriculum elements are based around the development of understanding the interaction of various narratives.  One of the fundamental concepts of the school is that students do not need to agree with all views, but must respect all views. This is based on what is termed the A-B-C-D-E Educational Model: academics, bilingualism, civics, democracy, and education for the community.
Students are given content that focuses on the fundamental tenants of schooling, but other socially driven content such as the holy days of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is included in the curriculum.

LINKS and RESOURCES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seblkkKosXk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_in_Hand:_Center_for_Jewish_Arab_Education_in_Israel
http://www.slideshare.net/galilschoolparents/galil-english-presentation-short?src=apiembed
http://www.presentense.org/magazine/the-hand-in-hand-school-modeling-multiculturalism
http://handinhand12.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.display&pageID=2
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448510,00.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/peace-studies-children-of-israel-394977.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/902130.html

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