Tag Archives: Intelligence

Hundreds of New UFO Sightings Reported to Pentagon

The new findings bring the total number of UAP cases under review to more than 1,600 as of June 2024.

Hundreds of New UFO Sightings Reported to Pentagon
A photo from the Department of Defense shows an “unidentified aerial phenomenon.” Department of Defense

There were 757 reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) between May 2023 and June 2024, according to an unclassified Department of Defense (DOD) report released on Nov. 14.

Congress mandated the annual report by the DOD’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which is tasked with studying and cataloging reports of UAPs, formerly referred to as UFOs.

The report said that AARO received 757 UAP reports from May 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024, and “485 of these reports featured UAP incidents that occurred during the reporting period.”

“The remaining 272 reports featured UAP incidents that occurred between 2021 and 2022 but were not reported to AARO until this reporting period and consequently were not included in previous annual UAP reports,” the report reads.

The new findings bring the total number of UAP cases under AARO review to more than 1,600 as of June.

AARO Director Jon Kosloski said at a Nov. 14 media briefing that the findings have left investigators puzzled.

Related Stories

5 Takeaways From Congressional UFO Hearing

5 Takeaways From Congressional UFO Hearing

IN-DEPTH: ‘The American People Are Ready’; Lawmakers Advocate Government Disclosure of Records on the ‘UAP Enigma’

IN-DEPTH: ‘The American People Are Ready’; Lawmakers Advocate Government Disclosure of Records on the ‘UAP Enigma’

“There are interesting cases that I, with my physics and engineering background and time in the [intelligence community], I do not understand,“ Kosloski said. ”And I don’t know anybody else who understands them either.”

Some cases were later resolved, with 49 determined to be sightings of common objects such as balloons, birds, and unmanned aerial systems. Another 243, also found to be sightings of ordinary objects, were recommended for closure by June. However, 444 were deemed inexplicable and lacking sufficient data, so they were archived for future investigation.

Notably, 21 cases were considered to “merit further analysis” because of anomalous characteristics and behaviors.

Despite the unexplained incidents, the office noted that it “has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology.”

The report said UAP cases often had consistent patterns, described as having unidentified lights and as orb-shaped or otherwise round objects with distinct visual traits.

Of the new cases, 81 were reported in U.S. military operating areas, and three reports from military air crews described “pilots being trailed or shadowed by UAP.”

The Federal Aviation Administration reported 392 unexplained sightings among the 757 reports made since 2021.

In one such case, the AARO resolved a commercial pilot’s sighting of white flashing lights as a Starlink satellite launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“AARO is investigating if other unresolved cases may be attributed to the expansion of the Starlink and other mega-constellations in low earth orbit,” the report states.

The AARO report maintains that none of the resolved cases has substantiated “advanced foreign adversarial capabilities or breakthrough aerospace technologies.” The document also states that the AARO will immediately notify Congress if any cases indicate such characteristics, which could suggest extraterrestrial involvement.

The report emphasized the AARO’s “rigorous scientific framework and a data-driven approach” and safety measures while investigating these phenomena.

UAP Hearing

The report was released a day after a House Oversight Committee hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth,” during which witnesses alleged government secrecy surrounding the phenomena.

During the hearing, a former DOD official, Luis Elizondo, said, “Advanced technologies not made by our government or any other government are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe.”

He testified that the government has operated secret programs to retrieve UAP crash materials to identify and reverse-engineer alien technology.

“Furthermore, the U.S. is in possession of UAP technologies, as are some of our adversaries. I believe we are in the midst of a multi-decade secretive arms race, one funded by misallocated taxpayer dollars and hidden from our elected representatives and oversight bodies,” Elizondo said.

“Although much of my government work on the UAP subject still remains classified, excessive secrecy has led to grave misdeeds against loyal civil servants, military personnel, and the public, all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos.

“A small cadre within our own government involved in the UAP topic has created a culture of suppression and intimidation that I have personally been victim to, along with many of my former colleagues.” For The Silo, Rudy Blalock/NTD.

Surprising U.S.A.-Soviet Collaboration During The Cold War

Not since the British boarded the USS Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia in 1807 had an American Naval commander surrendered his ship in peacetime.

The ship was the USS Pueblo (AGER-2), a 177-foot Technical Research Ship (TRS) with a crew of 83 officers and men. It was seized in international waters off the coast of North Korea on January 23, 1968. The ship’s captain was Commander Lloyd M. “Pete” Bucher, and his superior officer, with headquarters in Japan, was Rear Admiral Frank L. Johnson, USN. The President at the time was Lyndon Bayes Johnson.

At the time of the seizure, the Pueblo was disguised as a hydrographic vessel of the AGER (Auxiliary, General Environmental Research) type. Along with $1.5 million USD (about $11.9 million USD / $16,300,000 CAD in 2024 dollars when adjusting for inflation) in highly-classified SIGINT (signal intelligence) cryptographic equipment, the Pueblo also carried hundreds of pounds of U.S. Navy, Naval Security Group (NSG), National Security Agency (NSA), and other documents; also on the spy ship was a position devoted to monitoring Soviet telemetry.

The Pueblo was spying mainly on North Korean radar and the Soviet fleet.

One crewman died, and several others were wounded, when North Korean gunboats opened fire on the lightly-armed reconnaissance ship. After eleven months of sometimes brutal detention and an American confession that was quickly disavowed, the crew was released, along with the body of Fireman Duane Hodges, USN.

During Richard M. Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign, he swore there would never again be a “Pueblo Incident.” Five months after election day, however, President Nixon faced his own North Korean crisis, when, for the second time in fifteen months, a small, isolated North Korea, which Nixon had described as a “fourth-rate power,” attacked a U.S. Navy EC-121 spy plane, killing everyone onboard.

Mission BX-6847 Flight Path — January 26 1968

On April 15, 1969, North Koreans celebrated the birth of Kim Il-sung, the leader and founder of the “Hermit Kingdom.” Birthday cheers were quickly replaced by the familiar shouts of “Down with U.S. imperialism” and “Liberate the South” when it was announced that MiG fighters had shot down a U.S. Navy EC-121 spy plane which North Korea claimed had intruded into its airspace. The shootdown, by one or two air-to-air missiles, took the lives of 31 Americans. Some of the debris also had what was reported as “shrapnel holes.”

Due to the EC-121’s proximity to Vladivostok, USSR, the main naval base of the Pacific Fleet in the Soviet Far East, the first vessels on the scene were Soviet; so the Nixon administration requested Soviet assistance to locate debris and possible survivors.

This four-day joint U.S.-Soviet search and rescue operation became a rare example of cooperation between traditional Cold War adversaries. In Air Reservist (magazine), the official publication of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, the Russians were described as “improbable allies.”

Pueblo in Wonsan Harbor — close-up

One of the first Soviet vessels to arrive was the Steregushchiy, a large anti-submarine (ASW) ship; another was the Soviet destroyer Vdokhnovennyi. A lengthy version of this story, which will appear under the title “Improbable Allies,” relies heavily on the first-hand accounts of three Russian sailors aboard the Vdokhnovennyi, including Felix Gromov, the ship’s executive officer. Later, Admiral Gromov became the Commander-in-Chief of the entire Russian Navy! For the Silo, by Bill Streifer.

Bill Streifer is a freelance journalist on North Korean history and related topics. His co-author, Irek Sabitov, is a journalist and former newspaper editor in Ufa, Russia. Their article on the subject will appear in the Autumn 2019 issue of the U.S. Navy War College Review. He is also the only American on the Editorial Board of Vostok (“East” in Russian), a journal on the Orient, published by the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

Deadly Virus Flew From Canada To China On Commercial Flight

Minister Says He Was Taken Aback After Learning Deadly Viruses Were Shipped From Winnipeg Lab to Wuhan

Report first published via friends at The Epoch Times

Minister Says He Was Taken Aback After Learning Deadly Viruses Were Shipped From Winnipeg Lab to Wuhan
Canada Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on March 20, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)

After learning that samples of deadly Ebola and Nipah viruses had been sent from Canada’s top-security lab in Winnipeg to China, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said his reaction was similar to that of an MP who expressed incredulity upon learning of the move.

“I’m really concerned about the March 2019 incident where [Winnipeg lab scientists Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng] were implicated in a shipment of live Ebola in Hanipah [Nipah] viruses on a commercial Air Canada flight. How the hell did that happen?” NDP MP Charlie Angus asked during a House of Commons Canada-China committee meeting on April 15.

In response, Mr. LeBlanc said, “When I saw that report, and publicly, I had the same reaction as you.”

A partly redacted national memo sent by the prime minister’s national security advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 29, 2017.

The minister deferred Mr. Angus’ question to the Public Health Agency of Canada, saying, “I don’t have any [information], but I had the same reaction as you, Mr. Angus.”

Mr. LeBlanc, who became minister of public safety in July 2023, was previously minister of intergovernmental affairs starting in July 2018.

The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg shipped 15 different strains of Nipah and Ebola viruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China on March 31, 2019. The package was sent from Winnipeg to Toronto and then on to Beijing via a commercial Air Canada flight.

Timeline: What Declassified Documents Reveal About the Fired Winnipeg Lab Scientists

Ms. Qiu and Mr. Cheng

The request to the NML management for the shipment of the viruses was facilitated by Ms. Qiu. The shipment was eventually approved by the NML management.

Ms. Qiu and Mr. Cheng, a married couple, were escorted out of the NML in July 2019 while under RCMP investigation. The couple were fired from their positions on Jan. 20, 2021, for having undisclosed ties to Chinese regime entities.

In 2021, in response to MPs’ questions about why the NML shipped virus samples to the Wuhan lab, laboratory management said the shipment followed all proper protocols and was in response to a letter from the Chinese lab indicating that they were to be used to understand their pathophysiology—the nature of infection—and the development of antivirals.

Declassified intelligence documents show that Ms. Qiu also sent antibodies and other materials to China without prior approval.

Shipments included antibodies for the China National Institute for Food and Drug Control, as well as small amounts sent to laboratories in the United Kingdom and the United States for testing.

The documents show that Ms. Qiu discussed the shipment of Ebola and Nipah with WIV employees in July 2018, and initially suggested that a formal agreement is not necessary as “no one owns the IP.” She also expressed “hope there is another way around” rather than issuing a formal agreement.

The documents also show that Ms. Qiu signed on to a project at WIV involving research on Ebola, and that some of the virus strains that were shipped from NML were meant for this project. Ms. Qiu had asked that the project remain a secret to her Canadian management as WIV was in the process of requesting the transfer of the virus strains from NML, the documents say.

Researchers work in the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Man., where the ZMapp antibody “cocktail” was created to fight Ebola. PHOTO BY HANDOUT

The Wuhan lab has been involved in synthetic biology research on the deadly Nipah virus, according to testimony from a U.S. scientist. Synthetic biology involves creating or redesigning biological entities and systems.

“The Nipah virus is a smaller virus than SARS2 [the virus causing COVID-19] and is much less transmissible,” Dr. Steven Quay, a Seattle-based physician-scientist, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on Aug. 3, 2022. “But it is one of the deadliest viruses, with a greater than 60 percent lethality” and 60 times deadlier than SARS2, he said. “This is the most dangerous research I have ever encountered.”

Chinese Talent Recruitment

During the April 15 House committee meeting, Mr. LeBlanc acknowledged revelations from the declassified documents that Ms. Qiu was involved in China’s Thousand Talents Program. The program was recognized by U.S. authorities as China’s efforts to “incentivize its members to steal foreign technologies needed to advance China’s national, military, and economic goals.”

It is clear that “elements from a Chinese-sponsored recruitment program were involved” at the Winnipeg lab, Mr. LeBlanc said. “It is well known that such programs are one way that China seeks to incentivize academics to participate in activities that exploit advancements in Canadian technologies.”

China is using the programs “to improve its military and intelligence capabilities, as well as the economic competitiveness all at the expense of Canada’s national interest,” the minister said.

He declined to address concerns raised by Conservative MP Michael Cooper regarding the delay in removing Ms. Qiu from the NML, saying it should be addressed to the health minister whose department is in charge of the Public Health Agency of Canada, which in turn oversees the NML.

Although concerns about the two were first raised in 2018, they weren’t fired until three years later. For The Silo, Andrew Chen. Omid Ghoreishi and Noé Chartier contributed to this report

Supplemental– Bio-warfare experts question why Canada was sending lethal viruses to China.

Supplemental- Canada sent untested ebola vaccine to World Health Organization.

The Intelligent Design Of Our Universe

This isn't such a complex principle after all. Essentially, the idea is- if we can see strong similarities in design between say a Planet and between a structure or diagram that represents something else, then the inherent 'sameness' means an intelligence is at work, not some form of randomness. We'd love to hear your thoughts- agree or disagree? Comments are welcome at the bottom of this post CP
This isn’t such a complex principle after all. Essentially, the idea is- if we can see strong similarities in design between say a Planet and between a structure or diagram that represents something else, then the inherent ‘sameness’ means an intelligence is at work, not some form of randomness. We’d love to hear your thoughts- agree or disagree? Comments are welcome at the bottom of this post CP

Nothing exists for nothing, the universe is not itself made, and nothing in it has nothing to do.

The moment Mankind has been waiting for over a millennium has finally arrived. A tangible proof of off-planet life has occurred. The higher powers have at long last shown their hand.

In nineteen ninety nine, a website called ‘The Revelatorium’ was launched. The website revealed many aspects of the higher dimensions not previously known. By the fall of two thousand and thirteen the Revelatorium had morphed into a full revelation of the Intelligent Design by which all of Creation has been blueprinted and expressed.

The verity of the Design has now been proven in real time.

The drawing is Figure 77 in Chapter 8 of the Revelatorium. The figure depicts the cubistic blueprint of the first six dimensions of the Outer Creation according to the formats of the Intelligent design.
The drawing is Figure 77 in Chapter 8 of the Revelatorium. The figure depicts the cubistic blueprint of the first six dimensions of the Outer Creation according to the formats of the Intelligent design.

This image is of Saturn's North Pole and was taken recently by the Cassini probe.
This image is of Saturn’s North Pole and was taken recently by the Cassini probe.

If you carefully compare the Revelatorium and Cassini pictures you will see that they are structurally identical. The Revelatorium drawing was done in two thousand and two. The Cassini probe was launched in 2009.

Both have a clearly defined center hexagon area representing the first, second, and third dimensions collectively. Particularly confirmed is the red circle area in the middle.

A second greenish coloured hexagon ring with pink splotches around the first hexagon ring matches the ring of six different cubit designs around the center of Figure 77, representing the fourth dimension.

A third, blue colored hexagon shaped ring with uniform pink splotches around the second ring matches the ring of twelve identical cubit designs around the second ring of six cubits of Figure 77, representing the fifth dimension.

And finally a fourth hexagon shaped ring with faint pink splotches and completely different background color around the third ring matches the ring of eighteen identical cubit designs around the ring of twelve cubits of Figure 77, representing the six dimension.

[On higher dimensional physics: http://www.reasons.org/articles/higher-dimensions CP]

A close up of the Cassini image in black and white shows the features more distinctly, in particular the first second and third dimensional hexagon and circle aspects in the middle
A close up of the Cassini image in black and white shows the features more distinctly, in particular the first second and third dimensional hexagon and circle aspects in the middle

 In short, the Saturn hexagon is a concrete lower dimensional proof of a higher dimensional factor.

The striking similarities in the respective pictures are not coincidental. The Saturn hexagon is home of the Solar System government. The hexagon is a magnetic resonance reflection in the third dimension of the domain’s six dimensional configuration. The population lives within its fifth dimensional band of materialization, represented by the thick ring in the hexagon, and ring of twelve similar designs in the same location in Figure 77.

As the cubistic matrix of Figure 77 would imply, the whole Intelligent Design is dirt simple and can be understood by anyone. The basic elements of the Intelligent Design consist solely of a sphere, a cube, and straight lines. The rules by which the elements work together hold the key. There is aught in existence not of the Design.

In figure 77, the red spheres represents Intelligence, the blue straight lines represent Energy, and the yellow cubes represents Substance. The attribute of the Father is Intelligence, the attribute of the Son is Energy, and the attribute of the Holy Ghost is Substance. Intelligence, Energy, and Substance is all there is.

The two most fundamental elements of the whole Design are The 'Cube and Sphere of Alpha and Omega' and the 'Cubit'.
The two most fundamental elements of the whole Design are The ‘Cube and Sphere of Alpha and Omega’ and the ‘Cubit’.

The Cube and Sphere comprises the entirety of the fourteenth dimension and acts as interface between the un-materialized inner form of the Creators in their fifteenth dimension as the Holy Trinity and above, and their materialized outer form in the thirteenth dimension and below as ‘Creation’.

The Cube and Sphere projected one dimension down to the thirteenth dimension comprises the ‘Cubit’, shown below. The ‘Cubit’ is the basic genome of Creation. By principle of the Cubit the whole of Creation has been blueprinted and expressed.

If you look again at Figure 77, you will see that it is composed entirely of variations upon the cubit. The variations reflect specifically different frequencies according to rule. By the rule the differing frequencies comprise the differing aspects of Creation. By this simple principle, the Intelligent Design is capable of blueprinting and depicting all of Creation in all of its aspects. The current Creation is over nine hundred trillion light years across and still within its infancy.

The Cube and Sphere

The Intelligent Design can be found in its totality at website http://www.revelatorium.com/.  For details about every thing going on now inter-dimensionally, also see: http://www.revelatorium.com/For the Silo, Delahnnovahh-Starr Livingstone.

Supplemental- Dr. William Dembski http://www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/776

Mycotoxin Free Bulletproof Coffee For Bio-Hacking

Bulletproof Founder Dave Asprey was a sickly person who had Lyme Disease and numerous food allergies. Tired of spending each day feeling ill, he went in search of a way to cure his body and live a better, healthier life. He calls this quest “biohacking” and through it he succeeded beyond his wildest imagination. Using what he learned, he created the Bulletproof brand to help others do the same.

Using his plan, he lost 100 pounds with little exercise, upgraded his IQ by more than 20 points, exponentially increased his health and energy, and enjoys a highly effective life with just five hours of sleep a night. The secret is simply being smarter about what you eat.

The plan calls for eating more organic food, including select fruits and vegetables; increasing daily intake of healthy fats by eating grass fed butter, 100% MCT [medium chain triglycerides- see below CP]  oil, brain and octane meats; cutting sugar and processed foods, and drinking mycotoxin-free coffee such as Bulletproof coffee with upgraded coffee beans.

Dave Asprey- super smart guy. CEO of Bulletproof
Dave Asprey- super smart guy. CEO of Bulletproof, Author of The Better Baby Book (Wiley, 2011)

Today, Dave along with hundreds of thousands of others, are tougher, stronger professionals who are sleeping better, performing better (mentally and physically), and have improved their ability to handle stress better or eliminated it completely.

Here are his  top five ways to ‘Biohack’ your life and body:

1- Get sick less by eating more foods with vitamin D3 and magnesium

2- Upgrade your fuel – Eat the Bulletproof Diet (high healthy fat, moderate healthy proteins, and lots of vegetables).

3- Upgrade your hardware – Practice HIIT [High intensity, interval training CP] not endless cardio

4- Drink Bulletproof Coffee for the boost in brain function and energy while ending of food cravings.

5- Upgrade your software – use technology to train your nervous system to behave the way you want. The Bulletproof FoodSense app measures food sensitivities as an example.

By incorporating these five things, people tie in to a better life overall. They sleep better, perform better (mentally and physically), and improve their ability to handle stress, even to gradually eliminate stresses altogether.

All of Dave’s findings, advice, diet details, and research is available on his website free of in hopes of building a healthier, happier world. For more information on Bulletproof, please visit www.BulletproofExec.com

Supplemental- HIIT vs Cardio http://marcmegna.com/2013/06/20/high-intensity-interval-training-vs-steady-state-cardio/

What are mycotoxin-free coffees? http://www.naturalnews.com/034063_mycotoxins_coffee.html

What are MCT’s? http://tinyurl.com/7ypy6hh

‘Paws Off My Waterhole!’ Some Thoughts On The Study Of Hierarchies

Who benefits, and how, from the operation of human social hierarchies?

This article from Michael W. Diehl looks at social and economic inequality and the need to asses the costs and benefits that accrue to persons of varying status in social hierarchies.

This “behavioral ecology” has historically been concentrated on food selection between classes or statuses. Has ancient competition for food resulted in modern human social and economic equality? Read on by clicking on the blue image below. CP

Click me to read more!
Click me to read more!

Supplemental- Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs motivational model

Get Your Children Ahead This Summer With Fun Math Songs

Get your children ahead this summer

Summer is here, but that doesn’t mean your child can’t keep learning. Karen Sokolof Javitch’s album ‘YOU’RE MATH-ERRIFIC’ is out now.

YOU’RE MATH ERRIFIC features educational songs that can help your children get ahead. Use these songs along with other educational apps to help keep children busy this summer.

Karen’s diverse creations include songs about exercising, celebrities, holidays, political figures, babies, children, math, patriotism, love and family.

The album contains both fun and educational songs and can be found on her website, https://jmrproductions.com/

Here today to talk about her music is Karen Sokolof Javitch.

Questions:

  • What inspired you to create this album? I loved math as a child, but I know that many children struggle with it. So I wanted to write some songs that would be fun to listen to and be helpful with certain math concepts. I would recommend the songs for elementary school students.
  • How can these songs help children with their math? .All of the songs have catchy melodies and are all fun to listen to. I’ve included a wide variety of subjects – addition, subtractions, shapes, counting, counting coins, And I take certain numbers – like 9 – Mr. 9 (27,000 hits) and expand on the number – there are “9 baseball players on a field,” it’s “in between 8 and 10.” Nine is the “last single digit.” These songs are great in the classroom and for children who are home-schooled. Listen to the album in the car and have your children watch the YouTube when they are home because there are very cute visuals to go along with the songs.
  • What song is your favorite off the album? The first one – ‘I’m Math-errific!’because it’s very positive about math and about how we are all ‘Math-errific! Math is all around us and it’s fun! “Math is such a part of our lives! One, two, three and four and five! Math gives us such good vibes! That’s why we’re math-errific!”
  • What other music have you been working on? I just finished my first baby song album – and my two little toddler grandsons love to dance and clap to the songs! It’s really cute! I have written many exercise songs. Sometimes I write satirical political songs – I try and find the humor in politics! Like when all of a sudden there were 23 people running for the democratic nomination, which inspired me to write, “Why Don’t you run for President?
  • One of your songs on the mother who had octuplets went viral with about 10 million YouTube views. What are some of your most popular songs and music videos? I have 15 albums and my album about Princess Diana has sold the most copies. Also on youtube, I have thousands of hits on my Princess Diana songs. I wrote a musical about her, as I feel she was such a exceptional human being. Some of my exercise songs are very popular – ‘Shake it for NObesity’ is one and ‘My Workout Place’ is another. – Mr. Nine is very popular. I have over 100 youtube videos.
  • Where may people find your music? Itunes, Spotify – cdbaby.com – and I have many videos on youtube – just type in my name – Karen Sokolof Javitch – or the title of the song and they will come up. I have a website where you can find my songs – JMRProductions.com – named for my 3 kids – Jenny, Mark and Rachel.

About Karen Sokolof Javitch:

Besides Karen’s 15 albums, she has co-written 4 musicals and was the creator and co-host of a popular Omaha radio show, “It’s the Beat.” Her musicals include “Princess Diana the Musical,” “From Generation to Generation,” and “Love at the Café.” These shows have been performed in many cities in the United States. In addition, Ms. Javitch has raised over $350,000 for national and local charities with her original music.

Featured image via moage.com

Case Against Students Being Forced To Memorize

“Pay attention students, write this down for memorization.”  The Trivium and Quadrivium, medieval revival of classical Greek education theories, defined the seven liberal arts necessary as preparation for entering higher education: grammar, logic, rhetoric, astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, and music. Even today, the education disciplines identified since Greek times are still reflected in many education systems. Numerous disciplines and branches have since emerged, ranging from history to computer science…

Now comes the Information Age, bringing with it Big Data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence as well as visualization techniques that facilitate the learning of knowledge.

All this technology dramatically increased the amount of knowledge we could access and the speed at which we could generate answers to our questions.

“New and more innovative knowledge maps are now needed to help us navigate the complexities of our expanding landscape of knowledge,” says Charles Fadel. Fadel is the founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, which has been producing new knowledge maps that redesign knowledge standards from the ground up. “Understanding the interrelatedness of knowledge areas will help to uncover a logical and effective progression for learning that achieves deep understanding.”

Joining us in The Global Search for Education to talk about what students should learn in the age of AI is Charles Fadel, author of Four-Dimensional Education: The Competencies Learners Need to Succeed.

“We need to identify the Essential Content and Core Concepts for each discipline – that’s what the curation effort must achieve so as to leave time and space for deepening the disciplines’ understanding and developing competencies.” — Charles Fadel

Charles, today students have the ability to look up anything. Technology that enables them to do this is also improving all the time. If I want to solve a math problem, I use my calculator, and if I want to write a report on the global effects of climate change, I pull out my mobile. How much of the data kids are being forced to memorize in school is now a waste of time?

The Greeks bemoaned the invention of the alphabet because people did not have to memorize the Iliad anymore. Anthropologists tell us that memorization is far more trained in populations that are illiterate or do not have access to books. So needing to memorize even less in an age of Search is a natural evolution.

However, there are also valid reasons for why some carefully curated content will always be necessary. Firstly, Automaticity. It would be implausible for anyone to constantly look up words or simple multiplications – it just takes too long and breaks the thought process, very inefficiently. Secondly, Learning Progressions. A number of disciplines need a gradual progression towards expertise, and again, one cannot constantly look things up, this would be completely unworkable. Finally, Competencies (Skills, Character, Meta-Learning). Those cannot be developed in thin air as they need a base of (modernized, curated) knowledge to leverage.

Sometimes people will say “Google knows everything” and it is striking, but the reality is that for now, Google stores everything. Of course, with AI, what is emerging now is the ability to analyze a large number of specific problems and make predictions, so eventually, Google and similar companies will know a lot more than humans can about themselves!

Smartphone with language learning app
Closeup of mobile phone with language learning application in jeans pocket. focus on screen

“What we need to test for is Transfer – the ability to use something we have learned in a completely different context. This has always been the goal of an Education, but now algorithms will allow us to focus on that goal even more, by ‘flipping the curriculum’.” — Charles Fadel

If Child A has memorized the data in her head while Child B has to look up the answers, some might argue that Child A is smarter than Child B. I would argue that AI has leveled the playing field for Child A and Child B, particularly if Child B is digitally literate, creative and passionate about learning. What are your thoughts?

First, let’s not conflate memory with intelligence, which games like Jeopardy implicitly do. The fact that Child A memorized data does not mean they are “smarter” than Child B, even though memory implies a modicum of intelligence. Second, even Child B will need some level of content knowledge to be creative, etc. Again, this is not developed in thin air, per the conversation above.

So it is a false dichotomy to talk about Knowledge or Competencies (Skills/Character/Meta-learning), it has to be Knowledge (modernized, curated) and Competencies. We’d want children to both Know and Do, with creativity and curiosity.

Lastly, we need to identify the Essential Content and Core Concepts for each discipline – that’s what the curation effort must achieve so as to leave time and space for deepening the disciplines’ understanding and developing competencies.

Given the impact of AI today and the advancements we expect by this time next year, when should school districts introduce open laptop examinations to allow students equal access to information and place emphasis on their thinking skills?

The question has more to do with Search algorithms than with AI, but regardless, real-life is open-book, and so should exams be alike. And yes, this will force students to actually understand their materials, provided the tests do more than multiple-choice trivialities, which by the way we find even at college levels for the sake of ease of grading.

Online Smart Educational School Business Web Technology. Man wit

What we need to test for is Transfer – the ability to use something we have learned in a completely different context. This has always been the goal of an Education, but now algorithms (search, AI) will allow us to focus on that goal even more, by “flipping the curriculum”.

Flipping-the-Curriculum-Charles-Fadel

Today, if a learner wants to do a deep dive into any specific subject, AI search allows her to do this outside of classroom time. What do you say to a history teacher who argues there’s no need to revise subject content in his classroom?

For all disciplines, not just History, we must strike the careful balance between “just-in-time, in context” vs “just-in-case”. Context matters to anchor the learning: in other words, real-world projects give immediate relevance for the learning, which helps it to be absorbed. And yet projects can also be time-inefficient, so a healthy balance of didactic methods like lectures are still necessary. McKinsey has recently shown that today that ratio is about 25% projects, which should grow a bit more over time as education systems embed them better, with better teacher training.

Second, it should be perfectly fine for any student to do deep dives as they see fit, but again in balance: there are other competencies needed to becoming a more complete individual, and if one is ahead of the curve in a specific topic, it is of course very tempting to follow one’s passion. And at the same time, it is important to make sure that other competencies get developed too. So, balance and a discriminating mind matter.

Employers consider ethics, leadership, resilience, curiosity, mindfulness and courage as being of “very high” importance to preparing students for the workplace. How does your curriculum satisfy employers’ demands today and in the years ahead?

These Character qualities are essential for employers and life needs alike, and they have converged away from the false dichotomy of “employability or psycho-social needs.” A modern curriculum ensures that these qualities are developed deliberately, systematically, comprehensively, and demonstrably. This is achieved by matrixing them with the Knowledge dimension, meaning teaching Resilience via Mathematics, Mindfulness via History, etc. Employers have a mixed view and success as to how to assess these qualities, so it is a bit unfair that they would demand specificity they do not have. And it is also unfitting of school systems to lose relevance.

students with smartphones making cheat sheets
people, education, technology and exam concept – close up of students with smartphones taking picture of books page and making cheat sheet in school library

“Educators have been tone-deaf to the needs of employers and society to educate broad and deep individuals, not merely ones that may go to college. The anchoring of this problem comes from university entrance requirements.” — Charles Fadel

There is a significant gap between employers’ view of the preparation levels of students and the views of students and educators. The problem likely exists partly because of incorrect assumptions on both sides, but there are also valid deficiencies. What specific inadequacies are behind this gap? What system or process can be devised to resolve this issue?

On one side, employers are expecting too much and shirking their responsibility to bring up the level of their employees, expecting them to graduate 100% “ready to work” and having to spend nothing more than job-specific training at best. On the other side, educators have been tone-deaf to the needs of employers and society to educate broad and deep individuals, not merely ones that may go to college.

The anchoring of this problem comes from university entrance requirements (in the US, AP classes, etc.) and their associated assessments (SAT/ACT scores). They have for decades back-biased what is taught in schools, in a very self-serving manner – narrowly as a test of whether a student will succeed at university. It is time to deconstruct the requirements to broaden/deepen them to serve multiple stakeholders. For the Silo, C.M. Rubin. 

Thank you Charles.

For More Information.

(All photos are courtesy of CMRubinWorld)

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C. M. Rubin and Charles Fadel

Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Charles Fadel (U.S.), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.

The Global Search for Education Community Page

C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland, is the publisher of CMRubinWorld and is a Disruptor Foundation Fellow.

Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter.

Book Snobbery, Fairy Tales And Reality

“The way to read a fairy tale is to throw yourself in.” ― W.H. Auden

“In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected.” (Frauds on the Fairies, 1853)” ― Charles Dickens, Works of Charles Dickens

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein

i dream of genie with blue djinn and darrens living room

I was “that child”, the one who wanted fairy tales and magic to be real. As far back as I can remember I dreamed about having supernatural powers (always good of course…well, almost always) having carpets that flew, potions that could transform anyone or anything, the ability to speak to animals. I never understood why Darren and Samantha worked so hard at concealment. Or why Jeannie didn’t dump the Major and go back to live with the Djinn….I mean, LOOK at the decor!!!! Who wouldn’t rather have scarves and pillows and elaborate brass lamps instead of that godawful avocado and mustard vibe?

Music for a fairy tale. Click me.
Music for  fairy tales. Click me.

Books fueled this. Small witches, talking mice, flying nannies, rings and boxes and mysterious rooms and islands all combined in a grand and glorious stew. Why couldn’t I have a wizard for a teacher? (maybe I would have learned math) Why couldn’t bullies simply be turned into flowerpots? Alas, eventually the adulting creeps in. And people stop being indulgent about your whimsy. And your imagination….

You stop inviting your friends over to play make believe. Or, at least, they stop accepting. And you are encouraged to put away childish things. To accumulate the right kind of books….improving books. High tone books. Books with Purpose. The wishing frogs and tall towers and magic mirrors are packed away… Book Snobbery. Where Fantasy books in the annoying “Y.A.” category are barely tolerated. Stuff and Nonsense.(keeping it G rated here. I expect points…) Children should be encouraged to read whatever they reading-on-the-buswant and adults should enjoy the same free pass. You should be proud of displaying your book on the bus whether you are reading Kafka or Twilight. There are life lessons to be found in fantasy. Fairy tales teach you that sometimes bad things do happen. (The original version of some of the most beloved and well known can be a bit brutal.

For example, the Ugly Stepsisters in Cinderella actually cut their toes off to fit into the slipper. Kiddiewinkle Disney this ain’t.. ) But good and kind usually triumph. Sometimes help can come from unexpected areas. And there is always a way out of the woods. I do live in the real world. Drive. Work. Pay taxes. Cook, clean, shop. Watch the political situation (although “real” and politics lately….never mind) When I sit at a stop light I do not think a gnome is changing the colors. I rarely look for dragons. But I still yearn for them. Magic is everywhere and everything. It may not have glittery wings, it may not be vanquished with a sword, there might not be a house dropped on it or a incantation spoken…..but it is here.

Writers poets, artists, storytellers; all know this on some level. Even if we disguise it.The human imagination is ancient. The roots of stories are found far back in oral traditions and the tales were only modified later to make them illustrations of good versus evil. We do research, we discuss, we delve and write learned papers. We collect quotes and materials, and most importantly buy the books buy the books buy the books…. Books are the real magic. The tangible, in your hands, in your face, take you wherever you want to go – Magic. Read it. Whatever the cover, whatever the rating.

If you like it, read it. Do not let any house of cards pompous proclamation tell you it’s wrong. Secretly we are looking for the elves. We want there to be fairies in the garden. We never see a shooting star without wishing. And if you are very, very lucky. You will never lose that. For the Silo, Jaye Tomas. 

 

 

Silo Book Spotlight- A Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence

The Power Of Feelings CoverSmallFeelings are at the core of every social interaction. Anger, fear, and sadness are all very different concepts, but together they form part of an emotional compass that allows people to appropriately deal with each other in everyday situations. In short, unlocking the true power behind a person’s feelings – even challenging ones – is actually the key to clarity, love, and a happier life.  

As a way to help you understand your feelings and develop your own emotional intelligence, business coach, speaker, and bestselling author Vivian Dittmar has written the insightful book, The Power of Feelings: A Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence.  In this groundbreaking work, Dittmar takes the reader on an introspective journey by examining the inner workings of the human mind and heart. She explains at length the difference between feelings and emotions, how each are created, why each has its own purpose, and why everything you “feel” is not always a feeling.

Divided into five easy-to-read sections, The Power of Feelings is a comprehensive guidebook with 12 self-assessment exercises for exploring your life. By working through these exercises, Dittmar ultimately teaches how understanding and harnessing the power behind your feelings are the keys to your emotional potential and intelligence.

In this fascinating and eye-opening book, Dittmar also reveals:

  •  The Five Powers of Anger, Sadness, Fear, Joy, and Shame: How each fulfills an important function in your life
  • Turning Negative Feelings Into Positive Forces: Why some feelings that are typically considered to be “bad” can be used to your benefit
  • Emotional Baggage: Some of the most effective ways to deal with past emotional issues
  • Blocks of Emotional Intelligence: Common causes of emotional imbalances
  • Living Feelings: How to incorporate conscious feelings into your daily life

VivianDittmarAuthorBanner

“When I felt it was time to write my first book, I took a look at what was on the market in the field of personal development and felt the greatest deficit was in the realm of feelings and emotions,” says Dittmar. “I had been emotionally challenged in my life and was unsatisfied with the answers I could find. This dissatisfaction caused me to start investigating the matter within me, with the people I worked with, and in seminars and groups. When it was time to write the book, we collected questions about feelings from people of all walks of life looking for the same answers. This material later became the first version of The Power of Feelings.”

Vivian Dittmar grew up on three continents in three different cultures. In doing so, she developed a unique perspective on humans and their interactions. Traveling between first, second, and third-world nations, she was struck by the contrast between people’s external wealth and their corresponding life issues. Her experiences led her to pursue a career in the fields of self-help and personal development.

Throughout her career, Dittmar has worked in Germany, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Italy, Greece, and Sweden. In Indonesia, she ran her own practice working with clients from all backgrounds. She then returned to Europe and set up the non-profit, Be the Change Foundation for Cultural Change.  The foundation offers educational events to raise awareness about ecological and social justice issues.

Dittmar also works as a trainer and coach.  As a coach, she helps small and mid-sized business owners and executives develop their emotional intelligence. She is also the author of three successful books – the first of which has been translated from German into English, Italian, and Spanish. Dittmar currently lives between Germany and Italy and is a mother of two sons.

Books are available on VivianDittmar.com and Amazon.comE-books are also available on Kindle. Connect with Dittmar on Twitter.com and Facebook.com.