We'll be in Los Angeles for some of the time, and then San Diego and La Frontera for the rest.

I'm hoping to file for you FROM the border, where we'll be heading down to hook up with the Los Angeles Time's border reporter, Richard Marosi and then Tijuana to El Colegio de la Frontera Norte.

We're also hoping to make the acquaintance of BorderReporter.com in the flesh.

Watch this space.

Tonight, Brian Pummel at Gizmodo full force hold honorable just the same self points toward"the invert patrilineage relating to scriptural ergonomics and traditional viewing long time relating to close match a blueprint", barring with-it my gradation touching immingle, this something a eppes self-called a plum. At what price bottomless in behalf of geeky wowdroolmultitouchwanking.

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Tags: Desktop, X-ray Scheduling, Apple, Multitouch, Gizmodo, Usability, Gadgets, Tech

High tide in Venice ...

Schools and colleges, students and educators, are sliding into an environment where everybody has instant access to the web - everywhere and all the time.

As a teacher I now have two options. I can try to oppose the tide - or try to rise with the waters that gush in.

Digital teaching and learning

I've been teaching with the web since 1993.

But it is only now that its full impact is visible. Finally, mature technology and a strong software environment is in place.

The choice is clear: adapt or resist.

I can try to keep the new technologies away from my classroom, at least, so that I can continue teaching as before. Or I can accept the new environment as a condition. The latter means a lot of work. I have to develop new forms of teaching and a new understanding of learning.

When the water rises, some people build higher and higher dikes. Others build larger and better boats.

A new environment

At LATINA the OUC Learning Centre has equipped every participant with a portable computer. We have wireless access throughout the building. The teacher's machine is of course connected to a video projector. Our class room has a smartboard as well as a whiteboard.

All course materials are published on a local Wordpress blog platform. All students have been introduced to blogging and have created their own Wordpress blogs. We work in a digital encironment where Wordpress is integrate with the Google platform - using Google Search, Google Reader, Google Translate; Google Docs and Picasa (both locally and on the web).

Both students and teachers now have easy access to cell phones and digital cameras - usually included in the phones. For more demanding work with sound and video we can draw on the equipment and the helpful technical staff of our audio-visual centre. At the same time we have access to all the resources of the web - including pictires (Flickr, ...) and videos (YouTube, ...).

From reproduction to production

This rich material environment is new.

The tools allow new forms of teaching and learning. In the old system, teaching meant transfer of knowledge from teacher to student. Learning was reproduction. In the new environment, we are surrounded by knowledge. Here learning means original production - and teaching means to support the production process.

Digital teaching and learning should not be identified with digital technology. University professors teach calculus, Latin or Chinese history - not blackboards, chalk or overhead projectors. But they depend on the traditional technologies of teaching. A lack of chalk is a nuisance. A broken light bulb is a catastrophe.

At the moment, our students must learn to operate the tools before they can focus on production of content. In a few years, they will have learned the basic technical skills before they sign up for our courses.

LATINA depends on digital technology. But its purpose is to explore practical ways of teaching and learning - in an environment where we can take universal access to digital tools and texts for granted.

Resources

LATINA

• Learn & teach 2.0. Day 5.
• Infrastructure. Day 10.

Pliny

• PL 12/08. Replace, separate, integrate
• PL 11/08. LATINA on the Nile
• PL 10/08. Teaching in the fall
• PL 9/08. Digital stories
• PL 8/08. Midsummer start for LATINA.

Gozado saber disso, mas a América Latina não quer saber da América Latina. Basta pegar os jornais e os sites. Onde estão as notícias mais importantes do nosso continente? Você não as encontra porque não são muito publicadas. Isso porque o público latino, principalmente o brasileiro, está mais interessado do que acontece no velho mundo, talvez um antigo vestígio de nossa herança cultural, da relação entre colônia e metrópole.

Devíamos ter mais interesse em saber o que se passa por aqui. Afinal, bem em nossas fronteiras acontecem coisas que deveriam ser tratadas com muita atenção. Veja uma coisa: Indrig Betancourt foi resgatada das Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia (Farc) nas proximidades de San José de Guaviare, no departamento (Estado) de Guaviare, na Colômbia. Sabe onde fica essa região? Fica a apenas alguns quilômetros da fronteira com o Brasil.

Quem garante que aquele local da fronteira está bem guarnecido? O Exército está lá dia a noite para garantir a soberania? Pergunta difícil de responder, pois a fronteira brasileira - principalmente na Região Amazônica - é de difícil acesso e monitoramento. Há rumores de que os guerrilheiros das Farc, além de traficantes, entram e saem do território brasileiro com uma facilidade tremenda.

Isso tudo porque a América Latina não olha muito para si mesma. Parte de uma herança colonial que ainda persiste e resultado de feridas, veias que ainda se encontram abertas.

Begge underviser på bibliotekutdanningen i Osijek (bildet). Bloggene deres gir et lite bilde av hvordan LATINA oppleves fra grasrota:

• Drahomira's Weblog
• Library Reference Work

Jeg må føye til at alle deltakerne ble bedt om å opprette egne blogger i Wordpress ved starten av av kurset. Siden LATINA bruker en nedlastet versjon av Wordpress som kursplatform, kan vi dermed integrere lærernes kursmateriell med deltakernes kommentarer på bloggene.

Refleksjon

Denne uka har jeg bedt deltakerne skrive litt om deres egen læring hver dag. Det er åpenbart uvant for mange. Men vi tar det skritt for skritt, med litt ny informasjon hver dag.

Tirsdag fikk de se at det er mulig å abonnere på RSS-strømmer fra alle kursbloggene, slik at det er lett å følge med. Vi brukte Google Reader som aggregator, men kunne selvsagt brukt Bloglines eller andre RSS-lesere i stedet.

Språkbarrierer

Opplevelsen av å bli lest er viktig. I går valgte jeg derfor å gi en liten personlig kommentar til hver enkelt "refleksjonspost". En av de kinesiske deltakerne svarte på min kommentar - på kinesisk

Google Translate tok det greit:

Ressurser

Pliny the Librarian

• PL 12/08. Replace, separate, integrate
• PL 11/08. LATINA on the Nile
• PL 10/08. Teaching in the fall
• PL 9/08. Digital stories
• PL 8/08. Midsummer start for LATINA

Plinius

• LATINA på Nilen
• LATINA på mange språk

Note

På BOBCATSSS-konferansen i Zadar overtok Tatjana Aparac fra Osijek ledelsen av EUCLID - der de europeiske bibliotekutdanninger samles - etter Ragnar Audunson. Hun hjalp oss med å finne de to deltakerne fra Kroatia.

Replacement

The first step is replacement:

• word processors replace typewriters
• e-mail replaces letters
• Powerpoint replaces foils

Writing, communication and presentation speeds up - but the organization of work remains the same as before.

Separation

The second step is separation:

• separate areas - called computer labs - are set up
• separate periods - "computer time" - for working digitally are included in the schedule
• separate persons - "ICT teachers" - are employed to teach data subjects
• separate persons - "computer boys" (and girls) - i- are employed to service the computer network

The teaching and learning environment is n other words - divided. In the traditional area, work goes on as before. In the digital area, new ways of working are tried out.

Integration

The third sted is integration:

• computers and web access are avaialable everywhere
• computers and web access are avaialable at any time
• the web offers a vast range of materials for study, experimentation and virtual field trips
• Web tools allow students and teachers to produce new materials continuously
• teaching, learning, planning and leadership accept and build on the new digital environment

Easy, difficult, hard

The first step is rather easy. The second step is more difficult. The old and the new fight for resources: space, time, love and care.

The third step is hard, since it involves a change of principles, leadership and power. In the digital environment many traditional ways of working lose their purpose. They must be phased out - to give space and time for the new.

Resources

• Lorcan Dempsey. Research Repository Systems. Research must also adapt to the digital environment ...

ESTRATTO DAL RAPPORTO DELLA PROCURA NAZIONALE ANTIMAFIA DIP. LAZIO

....

A Latina sono presenti gruppi locali di elevata capacità criminale che vedono in prima fila esponenti delle famiglie nomadi dei CIARELLI e dei DI SILVIO dedite all'usura, alle estorsioni e al traffico delle sostanze stupefacenti. Può essere citata una indagine che ha portato all'arresto in data 7.05.2007 in provincia di Latina di n. 37 persone responsabili di traffico internazionale di cocaina. L'organizzazione aveva ai suoi vertici DI SILVIO COSTANTINO e D'ALTERIO GIUSEPPE.
Sempre più esteso deve essere considerato il fenomeno dell'usura nonostante la scarsa collaborazione da parte delle vittime. Va ricordata una indagine che ha portato all'arresto di CIARELLI CARMINE e del figlio PASQUALE indagati per i reati di estorsione ed usura. Le indagini hanno accertato che venivano richiesti interessi usurari pari al 320% annuo. Altre indagini che hanno portato all'arresto di CASORIA MICHELE e TADDEI FABRIZIO per usura ed estorsione hanno accertato che gli stessi, anche attraverso intimidazioni con armi, praticavano tassi di interesse tra il 146% e il 160% annui.
Altri eventi criminosi avvenuti a Latina sono la conferma della pericolosità dei gruppi locali, che vedono aumentata la loro capacità criminale in virtù dei legami con i clan camorristi che insistono sui territori delle province limitrofe.
Significative indagini hanno interessato alcuni episodi incendiari, riguardanti aziende ed esercizi commerciali di Latina nel cui ambito sono emerse pressioni intimidatorie di natura estorsiva, miranti a ottenere il controllo di interi settori commerciali e immobiliari tramite la aggiudicazione di beni immobili posti al pubblico incanto. In tale contesto vanno citate le indagini relative all'incendio di un capannone adibito a deposito della MULTISERVICE S.r.l. di proprietà dell'assessore provinciale PASTORE GIUSEPPE, avvenuto il 27.10.2005 in Borgo Piave.
Di particolare rilievo per la carica intimidatoria che contiene, è l'attentato subito il 18.09.2006 dalla Cooperativa sociale "Il Gabbiano" di Latina, assegnataria di un fondo agricolo confiscato al clan dei CASALESI e ricadente nel Comune di Cisterna di Latina. L'attentato ha determinato la distruzione di 3 ettari di vigneto sui 6 esistenti.
Il panorama criminale nel circondario di Latina è sempre più arricchito dalla presenza di gruppi criminali stranieri alimentati da rilevanti flussi migratori di clandestini, provenienti in particolare dall'Europa orientale. Si stanno sempre più consolidando i gruppi di etnia rumena nonché gruppi criminali nigeriani e albanesi, che gestiscono lungo il litorale lo sfruttamento della prostituzione di loro connazionali. In particolare gli albanesi risultano avere instaurato solidi collegamenti con i gruppi criminali locali e con quelli di matrice camorristica. La criminalità straniera è composta da numerosi piccoli gruppi criminali che si muovono in assoluta clandestinità.
Indagini effettuate in relazione ai numerosi casi di decesso per overdose di eroina avvenuti a Latina hanno rivelato lo sviluppo di un'attività collaborativa tra pregiudicati locali, magrebini e nigeriani, nel traffico delle sostanze stupefacenti. In particolare nel corso di una indagine è stata emessa ordinanza di misura cautelare nel luglio 2007 nei confronti di n. 13 soggetti italiani e stranieri.
Sempre più evidente risulta la diffusione della criminalità nelle zone di Ardea, Aprilia, Anzio e Nettuno....

Il testo completo è scaricabile nell'area downloads.

After the peace agreement between North and South in 2005, reconstruction began. Norway is involved in a program to develop university education in the South. Three of the participants in the LATINA course, from the Upper Nile University, come from this program.

LATINA is an experiment in digital teaching and learning. The first LATINA course is conducted in Oslo, and can draw on all the equipment and skills available in a rich and technologically advanced country. And we now have to ask: can this form of higher education work in much more difficult environment?

PC power

Upper Nile University, which is located in the city of Malakala (picture), has about three thousand students and three hundred teachers. At the moment it has only a handful of computers - and no stable internet connection. Internet capacity is low and the costs of internet access very high - as in much of Africa. The supply of electricity is uncertain. Generators can provide back-up power, but require a regular diesel oil, also in short supply, to function. Solar cells are a possible alternative.

In LATINA, we use a local version of Wordpress as a publication platform (content management system). All our own course materials are published here - and are therefore available on the open web. Most of the materials can be reused (for non-commercial purposes) under a Creative Commons license. In addition, of course, we draw on the vast learning and teaching resources of the web.

I believe it is possible to apply the basic ideas behind LATINA in Southern Sudan.

LATINA uses a local publishing system - available for free from Wordpress - to store, present, publish and distribute teaching materials. The system is easy to use. At the same time it offers many advanced options. Wordpress is at centre of a flourishing community of volunteers, who are constantly developing new features that may be added to the system.

Basic needs

An institution that wants to implement LATINA - or local e-learning systems in general - must as a minimum be able to provide:

• a stable supply of electricity
• a server to run Wordpress
• secure local backup facilities
• a local area network - preferably Wifi
• at least one classroom with a presentation system: a stationary computer (linked to the server), an overhead projector and a large size screen
• the computer must be equipped with sound card and a decent set of speakers
• physical conditions are important: in this room students must be able to see the screen (high contrast) and hear the teacher without strain
• a functioning security system - with protection against theft and physical damage (rain, dust, heat, insects) - is essential
• stable technical staff - at least two and preferably three persons - able to maintain and service a local version of Wordpress and a local area network with associated computers, printers, etc.

A major difficulty in Southern Sudan is the lack of updated textbooks, of other teaching materials and of library support. But individual computers are now becoming cheap enough for widespread use - either in library settings or as a substitute for individual textbooks.

If all basic materials are available in digital form, they can be stored on a local server - if the internet connection is poor or costly - or on a "server farm in the cloud", if the connection is cheap and stable.

Using computers as a presentation tool is a first step. LATINA represents a second step, where mobile computers replace traditional textbooks - and where the forms of teaching and learning change accordingly.

Language matters

In Southern Sudan, it seems, we could also use computers to create a bilingual learning environment. The world's biggest encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is available in Arabic as well as English. So far, there seems to be no versions in local languages like Dinka and Nuer.

The English version is much larger and more detailed than the Arabic one, of course, but Arabic articles can still function as introductions to and summaries of relevant teaching toopics. In LATINA we asked the participants who knew Arabic to compare the articles on malaria in the two languages. Wikipedia also has a version in Simple English, which may be useful in many teaching situations.

Wikipedia is already a major multilingual teaching resources - and many educational projects - such as Wikibooks and Wikiversity - are taking place within the Wikipedia environment.

Even more important, I believe, is the role of machine translation. The impressive Google translate currently handles translation between 23 languages - including Arabic, English and Norwegian.

The results are still rough and full of errors - but in most cases the translation allows you to understand the main points of the text. People with good understanding of Arabic and less understanding of English, can use an English-to-Arabic translation as a crib when thet read the English text.

As an example I publish this article in (automated) Norwegian in the appendix.

Resources

• Education in Sudan
• Designing for flexible learning practice
• UNU-KyU-AUC-NUCCOP. Blog in English from Akershus University College
• NOMA. Norwegian Development Agency Master Studies Programme
• NOMA. Master studies catalogue
• Ahfad University for Women. Programme with Oslo University College on International Education and Development

APPENDIX

The text below is an automatic translation - by Google Translate - of the text above.

LATINA på Nilen

Den lange borgerkrigen i Sudan ødelagt mye av det pedagogiske infrastruktur i Sør.

Etter at fredsavtalen mellom Nord og Sør i 2005, gjenoppbygging begynte. Norge er involvert i et program for å utvikle universitets-utdanning i Sør. Tre av deltakerne i LATINA selvfølgelig fra Upper Nile Universitet, kommer fra dette programmet.

LATINA er et forsøk på digital undervisning og læring. Den første LATINA kurset er gjennomført i Oslo, og kan trekke på alt utstyr og kompetanse tilgjengelig i en rik og teknologisk avanserte land. Og vi må nå spørre: kan denne form for høyere utdanning jobber i mye vanskeligere miljø?

Upper Nile Universitet, som ligger i byen Malakala, har om tretusen studenter og tre hundre lærere. For øyeblikket har det bare en håndfull av datamaskiner - og ingen stabil internettforbindelse. Internett-kapasiteten er lav og kostnadene ved Internett-tilgang svært høy - som i mye av Afrika. Tilførsel av elektrisitet er usikkert. Generatorer kan gi back-up-effekt, men krever et vanlig diesel, også mangelvare, for å kunne fungere. Solceller er et mulig alternativ.

I LATINA, vi bruker en lokal versjon av WordPress som en publikasjon plattform (content management system). Alle våre egne kursmateriell er publisert her - og er derfor tilgjengelig på det åpne nettet. Mesteparten av materialet kan brukes på nytt (for ikke-kommersielle formål) under en Creative Commons-lisens.I tillegg, selvfølgelig, vi trekke på den enorme læring og pedagogiske ressurser på Internett.

Jeg tror det er mulig å bruke de grunnleggende ideene bak LATINA i Sør-Sudan.

. LATINA bruker en lokal Publishing System - gratis tilgjengelig fra WordPress - for å lagre, presentere, publisere og distribuere undervisning materialer. Systemet er enkelt å bruke. Samtidig tilbyr mange avanserte alternativer. WordPress er i sentrum av et blomstrende fellesskap av frivillige, som er i stadig utvikling av nye funksjoner som kan legges til systemet.

En institusjon som ønsker å implementere LATINA - eller lokalt e-læring systemer generelt - må som et minimum være i stand til å gi:

* en stabil tilførsel av elektrisitet
* en server til å kjøre WordPress
* sikre lokal backup facilities
* et lokalnettverk - fortrinnsvis Wifi
* minst ett klasserom med en presentasjon system: en stasjonær datamaskin (koblet til serveren), overhead-projektor og en stor størrelse skjermen
* datamaskinen må være utstyrt med lydkort og et skikkelig sett med høyttalere
* fysiske forhold er viktig: i dette rommet elevene må være i stand til å se på skjermen (høy kontrast) og høre læreren uten press
* et fungerende sikkerhetssystem - med beskyttelse mot tyveri og fysiske skader (regn, støv, varme, insekter) - er avgjørende
* stabil teknisk personale - minst to og helst tre personer - i stand til å opprettholde og service en lokal versjon av WordPress og et lokalt nettverk med tilhørende datamaskiner, skrivere, etc.

En større problemer i Sør-Sudan er det mangel på oppdaterte lærebøker, andre pedagogiske materialer og bibliotek. Men enkelte datamaskiner er nå i ferd med å bli billige nok til utbredt bruk - enten i biblioteket eller som en erstatning for enkelte lærebøker.

Hvis alle grunnleggende materialet er tilgjengelig i digital form, kan de bli lagret på en lokal server - om internett er dårlige eller dyre - eller på en "server farm i skyen", hvis den forbindelse er billig og stabil.

Ved hjelp av datamaskiner som en presentasjon verktøyet er et første skritt. LATINA representerer det andre trinnet, der mobile datamaskiner erstatte tradisjonelle lærebøker - og der former for læring og undervisning endringen tilsvarende.

Språk

I Sør-Sudan, synes det, kunne vi også bruke datamaskiner til å lage et tospråklig læringsmiljø. Verdens største leksikon, Wikipedia, er tilgjengelig på arabisk, så vel som engelsk. Så langt, det synes [ikke] å være noen versjoner på lokale språk som Dinka og Nuer.

Den engelskspråklige versjonen er mye større og mer detaljert enn arabisk, naturligvis, men arabisk artikler kan fortsatt fungere som introductions til og sammendrag av relevant undervisning toopics. I LATINA vi spurte deltakerne som visste Arabic å sammenligne artikler om malaria i de to språkene. Wikipedia har også en versjon i enkle, engelsk, noe som kan være nyttig i mange pedagogiske situasjoner.

Wikipedia er allerede en stor flerspråklig undervisning ressurser - og mange pedagogiske prosjekter - for eksempel Wikibooks og Wikiversity - er pågår i Wikipedia-miljøet.

Enda mer viktig, tror jeg, er den rollen apparat oversettelse. Den imponerende Google Translate øyeblikket håndterer oversettelsen mellom 23 språk - inkludert arabisk, engelsk og norsk.

Resultatene er fortsatt grov og full av feil - men i de fleste tilfeller oversettelsen gjør det mulig å forstå de viktigste punktene i teksten. Personer med god forståelse av arabisk og mindre forståelse av engelsk, kan bruke et engelsk-arabisk oversettelse som en crib når thet lese engelsk tekst.

Som et eksempel jeg publisere denne artikkelen i (automatiserte) norsk i vedlegg.

Ressurser

• Utdanning i Sudan
• Design for fleksibel læring praksis

Como lo oyen, el mítico animador de televisión venezolana, todo un referente en cuanto a elegancia y buen gusto ya es parte oficial del equipo de Latina Producciones y será el responsable de guiar a la asistencia en la fastuosa gala que prepara el Grupo Latina para el 2do. Salón de la Moda íntima....

Elisa Saltarelli è scenografa e pittrice, nonché presidente dell'associazione artistica Il quadrato. Da otto anni svolge nel suo laboratorio di via Montebello 25 a Latina corsi di pittura rivolti a tutti coloro che desiderano acquisire le tecniche del disegno e della pittura e che, soprattutto, amano esprimere il proprio sé attraverso le immagini.

La mostra resterà aperta fino al 21 luglio.

Per informazioni:

Ristorante H₂o - 0773.693324

Associazione Culturale Palladion - Luisa Belardinelli (Presidente) - 339.3042242

In addition we asked all participants to create their own blogs at the start of the course. Such course blogs can be used for many different purposes. One of them is focused reflexion. Yesterday we gave the class this task:

Reflexion and feedback with blogs

Towards the end of each day - starting Monday June 30 - you should take at least fifteen minutes and write a blog post. In the post you should look back at the day and identify some of the events, problems, techniques or ideas that

• contributed to your personal learning
• contributed to the learning process in the group as a whole

This exercise will be most effective if you describe concrete incidents from a personal perspective.

Let me give a personal example:

What did I learn on Friday?

Looking back on Friday, I was glad I decided to drop 23 things and to concentrate on wikipedia instead. As a teacher I am easily tempted to focus on all the wonderful things I want the students to learn - and not on the “natural” rhythm of the group. The learning sequence: brief introduction to Wikipedia - individual exploration - sharing results in small groups - and a brief plenary, seemed to work well.

I liked the Chinese picture of the bowl and the bucket. It reminds me of Paulo Freire, the greatr Brazilian education, who spoke about the piggy bank method of teaching., The teacher has all the good stuff inside his head - and puts it into the student (the piggy bank) one coin at a time. Oink, oink!

It is VERY hard to break with this pattern, I find. The best way for me is always to plan the day in terms of social fomats: so much lecture time (keep it short!), so much individual work, so much small group work (work tasks MUST be clear), so much plenary discussion, and so on. VARIATION is a key.

When the projector broke down, we had to work without the big screen - but the small computers were still working. This was a completely new situation for me - and I must think more about suitable exercises in such cases …

I liked “interviewing” people from each small group, about the group discussion, in front of the class - it is a very flexible way of conducting a plenary discussion. Having the Smartboard as well, made it easy to present and compare pages on malaria in English, Arabic, Chinese, Russian … never done that before. Smartboard really adds a whole new dimension to digital teaching/learning.

Access

You can choose who shall be able to read the blog post. You have, in principle, four possibilities:

1. Publish the post on the open web, so that anybody can read it.
2. Publish the post with a password that is shared by the class, so that all LATINA participants can read it. The common password will be provided in class …
3. Publish the post with a password that you share with the teachers, so that only you and they can read it
4. Publish the post with a private password, so tha5 only you can read it.

Bowls, buckets and barrels

When I presented this exercise to the class, I used a Chinese picture of education to illustrate the difference between the old and the new reality.

"A child should have a bowl's water", is a Chinese saying, "and a teacher should have a bucket's water".

The child, in other words, should be able to fill her small bowl from the teacher's big bucket of knowledge.

In a digital world, this relationship breaks down. Student and teachers both have access to the infinity of knowledge on the web. We find ourselves in barrels - going down the Niagara falls together.

So we have to find out: How can we teach while falling?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MEDIA CONTACT:
June 20, 2008
projectcimarrona@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/projectcimarrona

2ND BI- ANNUAL PROJECT CIMARRONA: LA BOMBA ES NUESTRA/THE BOMBA IS OURS
MASTER BOMBA WORKSHOP SERIES AND EDUCATION PROGRAM:
***JUNE/JULY PERFORMANCE, WORKSHOP, AND LECTURE SCHEDULE INCLUDED***

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Friday, June 20, 2008 – The 2nd Bi- Annual Project Cimarrona, beginning on Saturday, June 21, 2008, will include inspirational performances, educational workshops including Afro-Puerto Rican music and dance, a series of improvisational sessions (Bombazos), and a culminating performance by Afro-Puerto Rican women bomba players at Laney College on Saturday, July 19, 2008. Artists and performers from the Bay Area, Puerto Rico and the diaspora – including visiting artists of Project Cimarrona, Las Bomberas de la Bahia, and other special guests – will join together to explore the depths of art-making through Afro-Puerto Rican bomba. .

Project Cimarrona will feature master bomba classes, providing opportunities to grow the knowledge of bomba dance, traditional song, new song writing and composition, and percussion in various regional styles. Master dance classes with Oxil Febles, director of Grupo Nandi (Puerto Rico’s first Women’s Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba Ensemble), will focus on advanced improvisation techniques and partner-style bomba dance. Master song writing and composition classes with Norka Nadal, of the famous bomba family from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and the director of Grupo Bambula from New York City, will teach techniques geared toward both beginner and advanced musicians. This year’s project is funded by The Alliance for California Traditional Arts, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, and private donors.

The 3rd Annual Project Cimarrona is proud to present performances and original works by:
• Avotcja • Norka Nadal
• Las Bomberas de la Bahia • Oxil Febles
• Nosotras • Amarilys Rios-Rosa
• Afro-Puerto Rican master teachers • Priscilla Renta
• Awilda Sterling-Duprey • Jade Power
• Un Camino por El Rio

PROJECT CIMARRONA PERFORMANCE, WORKSHOP, AND LECTURE SCHEDULE

Cimarronaje Fundraiser and House Bombazo
When: Saturday, June 21 – 8 p.m.
Where: 673 31st Street, #A (between Martin Luther King and West Streets)
Oakland, CA 94609
Who: Open to the General Public
Cost: $10 suggested donations
– more –
Project Cimarrona page 2

PROJECT CIMARRONA PERFORMANCE, WORKSHOP, AND LECTURE SCHEDULE (CONTINUED)

Bomba Dance Workshops with Oxil Febles
When: Tuesday, June 26 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 29 – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, July 1 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday, July 3 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, July 20 – 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. (with Norka Nadal)
Where: Destiny Arts Center
1000 42nd Street (entrance on the 43rd street side)
Oakland, CA 94608
Who: All levels, all genders
Cost: $15 in advance, $18 at door

Song Composition and Percussion Workshops with Norka Nadal
When: Sunday, July 6 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, July 8 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday, July 10 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, July 13 – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, July 20 – 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Destiny Arts Center
1000 42nd Street (entrance on the 43rd street side)
Oakland, CA 94608
Who: All levels, all genders
Cost: $15 in advance, $18 at door

Culminating Performance: “Cimarronaje: A Neo-folkloric Journey Celebrating the Lives of Revolutionary Puerto Rican Women”
A special, collaborative performance from Afro-Puerto Rican women bomba players of Puerto Rico and the Diaspora, including visiting artists of Project Cimarrona, Las Bomberas de la Bahia, and other special guests.
When: Saturday, July 19 – 8 p.m.
Where: Laney College
900 Fallon Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Who: Open to the General Public
Cost: $18 in advance, $20 at door (door sales are cash only)

Community Dialogue and Bombazo
Deconstructing Tradition, Modernity, and Femininity in Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba
When: Sunday, July 20 – 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: La Pena Cultural Center: www.lapena.org
3105 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
Who: Open to the General Public
Cost: $5 (no one turned away for lack of funds)

– more –
Project Cimarrona page 3

Who are the Cimarrones (n. SEE*ma*ron*es)?
The Cimarrones are the self-liberated African slaves in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

What are Cimaronaje (n. SEE*ma*ron*ah*je)?
Cimaronaje refers to the acts of rebellion by the Cimarrones.

What is bomba?
Bomba is a centuries old, treasured song and dance tradition from Puerto Rico that uses a call and response musical form. It emerged from the communities of enslaved Africans and their descendants. During these times, bomba served as a tool for community healing and empowerment that ultimately served to combat the slave system. To this day, it continues to be an important tool for resistance.

Awilda Sterling-Duprey

Since the late '70's, Awilda Sterling-Duprey has been creating experimental dance works, performed and taught throughout NYC, Europe, Latin America, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean countries. Ms. Sterling is an important influence in Puerto Rico’s traditional cultural arts scene as she is recognized for her unique experimental vision utilizing various traditional cultural arts genres including Afro-Puerto Rican bomba and the vast complex of Afro-Cuban dance folkloric and secular dance. She has actively taught her particular understanding of Caribbean contemporary aesthetics by means of an inter-disciplinary approach, where the importance of the conscious integration of movement and the body became relevant to the overall theatrical experience. As choreographer and dancer, she has collaborated with outstanding figures of Puerto Rico’s literary, dance and theater communities. Most recently, she was features in NYC’s Bombplenazo event working in collaboration with Tito Matos and Plena Libre. In addition, she is an accomplished visual artist who has created several installations at BAAD!/Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance for other dance performances in Puerto Rico. Ms. Sterling has received the following awards: NEA (individual artists), PSBA (Institute of Puerto Rican Culture Artist Fellowships), FPA Puerto Rico Community Foundation), and a 2003 Community Award from the Clemente Soto Velez Center in downtown Manhattan.

Oxil Febles

Oxil Febles born in El Barrio, New York currently living in Puerto Rico. Is an educator, Bomba and Plena dancer, instructor and choreographer whose expertise and innovations in Bomba dancing have placed her among the top performers in Puerto Rico and the Diaspora. She is the founder of Cokids of Puerto Rico Children’s Workshop, which promotes African cultural heritage through educational and recreational activities in the public school system of Puerto Rico in after school programs. She is the director of NANDI, Puerto Rico’s first all women Bomba group. Throughout her career, she has worked with Taller Tamboricua, Restauracíon Cultural, Centro de Investigaciones Culturales Raices Eternas (CICRE), Plenibom, Son del Batey, William Cepeda and his Afrorican Jazz, Meet the Composer , William Cepeda, Workshop for the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, Tite Curet Alonso, Tato Torres and Yerbabuena, School of the Arts of Carolina, P.R., Legado de Nuestra Herencía Africana, Workshop for Social Studies teachers of Department of Education of Puerto Rico, Raíces Bco. Popular Christmas Special, Instituto de Cultura puertorriqueña, Conservatorio de Música de P.R. Oxil received her training from the Cepeda Family in Puerto Rico and since has shared the stage with many artists presenting the traditional and contemporary interpretations of the genre.

Norka Nadal

Norka Nadal, AKA “La Flaka” born in Mayagüez, PR currently living in New York City is a Bomba and Plena musician, dancer and ensemble director whose talents place her among the top young Bomba and Plena masters in New York City. Currently, Norka is one of the lead vocalists for Tato Torres and Yerbabuena, she is an active member of Grupo Yagüembe from Mayagüez, PR and she has recently founded her own NYC-based Bomba group called Bambula. She has also collaborated with William Cepeda's Grupo AfroBoricua, Los Pleneros De La 21, Alma Moyo and Capa Prieto.Her instruction began in a household where music was the main ingredient for everything. As the granddaughter of Dona Catin, being part of the Nadal family meant following a family tradition that could be traced back to times of slavery where Bomba was played for every occasion. Norka believes that passing on the Bomba traditions, specifically those of Mayagüez, is extremely important and she works towards this through her Mayagüez-style Bomba dance and drum classes and Women’s Bomba jam sessions hosted in the Bronx, NY. She is also a health professional.

Melanie Maldonado

Melanie Maldonado conducts independent research on various topics of Puerto Rican culture including murals in Chicago and Philadelphia, Puerto Ricans in Hawai'i, and urban musical forms including bomba, plena, and freestyle. She is currently in pursuit of a PhD in Performance Studies at Northwestern University where she is working on a dissertation about the contemporary practice of Bomba in Puerto Rico and the U.S. based diaspora. Some of her research projects related to Bomba include the contribution of women, the costume for women, and constructions of gender. She has been active in Chicago's Bomba community for almost seven years during which time she has learned about Bomba under the direction of (and performed with the groups of) Tito Rodríguez of AfriCaribe and Ángel Fuentes and Rubén Gerena of Nuestro Tambó. In Puerto Rico, Melanie has gleaned from colleagues Marien Torres Lopez and Jorge Emmanualli Nater and has collaborated in performance with Nandi -- Puerto Rico's first all women's Bomba group. As founder of the Puerto Rican Organization for the Performing Arts, she sponsors the biennial Bomba Research conference in Chicago.

Priscilla Renta

Priscilla Renta is a performer, writer and scholar. She is working toward a Ph.D. in Performance Studies at Northwestern University and holds a Masters degree in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University. Her work focuses on Afro-Latino/a performance genres including salsa and bomba. In bomba she has had vast experience in different areas of the United States, including Chicago’s Africaribe, directed by Tito Rodriguez. Her most recent experience has been with Taller Tambuye, led by Marien Torres, in Puerto Rico, and the all-female music and dance ensemble known as Nandí, headed by Oxil Febles. As a dance historian and ethnographer, Priscilla Renta’s work has been published in the Centro Journal of Puerto Rican Studies and the anthology Technofuturos: Critical Interventions in Latina/o Studies. She has also published several articles in AHA! Hispanic Arts News, a publication of the Association of Hispanic Arts, where she served as associate editor. She has taught dance history and technique at Northwestern University in Chicago and at universities, public schools and non-profit organizations in New York.

Amarilys Rios-Rosa

Amarilys Rios, born and currently living in Puerto Rico, is a young Bomba musician and dancer with training as a subidora (the lead drum player who marks the movements of the dancer), a role rarely occupied by women. She currently is the subidora for the Puerto Rico-based all female group NANDI and formerly was a member of the group “Los Relampagos de La Plena”. At the young age of 3, she bagan her training in piano and the flute and by the age of 8 she was enrolled in the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico. In her adulthood, she became interested in Bomba where she developed as a dancer en la escuela Dona Caridad Brenes de Cepeda as a student of Margarita “Tata” Cepeda. Later, she became extremely interested in learning percussion and received musical training from Jerry Ferrao, current musical director of the Puerto Rico-based Bomba group Bambulae.

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Latino is slightly preferred.

Bottom line: "Latino" and "Hispanic" are terms used in the United States to identify individuals whose ancestry comes from a variety of countries where Spanish is their main language. Both terms are generally acceptable, although in the last 10 years, there is a slight preference for the use of the term "Latino." There are also some regional preferences that play a role, and when in doubt, you should ask.

Defining some of the most common terms:

·        Latino  An individual with roots that go back to any of the Spanish-speaking countries. Be aware that the term "Latino" may be used for a man only or for a man and woman. Latina is used for women only (never say "Latina women," as it is redundant). The term "Latino" began to be broadly used in the late 1980s when a younger generation started using it to replace the term "Hispanic."

·        Hispanic -- A term that was originated by the Census Bureau in the 1960s. It was used as a way to capture all the people whose backgrounds included any of the Spanish-speaking countries. The term is gender neutral.

·        Mexican American -- An American citizen of Mexican descent. This term gained popularity in 1980s.

·        Spanish -- The language of Spain and the language spoken in most of Latin America, except for Brazil, where Portuguese is the main language.

·        Latin -- The official and ancient language of the people of the Roman Empire. It is a term that is generally not used to refer to someone who is Latino.

·        Chicano -- An American citizen of Mexican descent who has a strong sense of Mexican-American ethnic identity. This term was regularly used in the 1960s, mostly in the Southwest, and by the 1970s it was the preferred term used to refer to Mexican Americans. It isn't used widely today except in some parts of the country, like Chicago.

Como saben ya nuestros lectores habituales, El Grupo Latina se ha caracterizado por ser una especie de huracán en el mundo del espectáculo venezolano, y esta vez han apostado por crear su propia agencia de modelos. Esto se debe a que en su academia de modelaje brindan una educación tan tecnificada y concreta, que se les hace difícil encontrar talentos con los mismos stándares de calidad y profesionalismo. Así que han decidido formar y ofrecer a la gente del medio talentos A1, es decir, con una educación y manejo del mundo del showbussiness incomparable en el mercado local.

Para realizar su website, hemos decidido utilizar un material orgánico y noble. La piel, el cuero denso y energético, sinónimo de elegancia buen gusto y metafóricamente hablando, la coraza que recubre a estos modelos en el reto continuo de la exposición ante los medios. Mucha suerte!

www.latinaagencia.com