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Alfred Nobel : A Biography - Book Review

3/22/2017

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  Yesterday I finished my non-fiction book from Sweden, which was my March choice for the 2017 Travel by the Book Challenge. I chose Alfred Nobel mainly because it was one of the few I could get my hands on for a decent price. (I am definitely looking forward to having access to a library next month!) Though he was from Sweden, I quickly realized Alfred Nobel did not actually spend much of his life there. From an early age he was raised in Russia and his inventions and business ventures led him all over the world. Alfred Nobel was known in his day as the man who invented dynamite, but we remember his legacy today through the annually awarded Nobel Peace Prizes. ​
 
​    Through many struggles, Nobel achieved success to which most humans will never come close. But the book is hardly a tale of a happy successful human being.
He struggles through his life being misunderstood, depressed, weak, lonely and afraid. His devotion to his work was often a means to escape the dark feelings that haunted him. If we were his contemporaries, we would surely criticize him for being a workaholic and unable to appreciate the important things in life. The book was also not a captivating story, it was pretty dry and boring, at least saved by the controversial letters from Alfred to his mistress of twenty years. I trudged through (for the sake of the challenge, mostly), and ultimately I’m glad I did because it has made me think about a few things more deeply.

    In our obsession with enjoying life to the fullest, traveling, exploring and staying connected, do we forget that there were men and women throughout history that had to invent these things that we so casually enjoy? When we travel with ease across countries and borders, do we stop to appreciate the millions of people that have done something to make that possible? Alfred Nobel’s dynamite gave a huge advantage to the travel industry by greatly reducing the time to construct railways. Can I condemn him for creating something so destructive while enjoying the obvious benefits of it? 

    I have often sat at airports, gazing out the window as the planes are taxied, bags are loaded and passengers accommodated. So many people have to work hard at their jobs day in and day out to make my choice of life possible. This goes for almost everything I enjoy - the food I eat, the clothes I wear and even the books that I read. With all of the social strife that is raging today, maybe we should all stop and think about how the people that we judge, accuse and hate, might play an integral role behind the scenes of our daily lives and the luxuries we enjoy. Are we contributing to the future or just enjoying the fruit of other people’s past labors?
​

    I wonder what Alfred Nobel would have thought if he had lived to see the twentieth century, the most barbaric and deadly of all time. His last will and testament, which established the Nobel Peace Prize, was not just a last ditch attempt to make up for devoting his life to destruction. He actually had a keen desire for peace all of his life, and his greatest ambition was to create something so destructive and deadly that nations would be forced to live peacefully. As anti-social as he was, he had a deep concern for world peace that we would do well to emulate, first and foremost in our daily interactions with one another. 

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ESL Letter of the Week - K

3/6/2017

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Letter K preschool Flashcards, ESL
RHYMES

Jolly Phonics - Letter K
Kites are flying in the sky
/k/ /k/ /k/
Kites are flying in the sky
/k/ /k/ /k/
Kites are flying in the sky, flying in the sky
Kites are flying in the sky
/k/ /k/ /k/

Kick the Ball
Kick, Kick, Kick The Ball.
Kick it very high!
Kick it over the garden Wall.
Kick it to the Sky. 


Kangaroo
Kangaroo, Kangaroo, hop up and down
Kangaroo, Kangaroo, turn around!
You jump so high,
That you reach the sky!
Hold your Joey tight!


BOOKS
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ACTIVITIES
K is for Kick, K is for Karate, preschool coloring page
letter k book, preschool coloring activity
"K is for Kick" coloring sheet -Reinforces vocabulary and practice handwriting skills.

Letter K Coloring Book - Reinforces vocabulary and develops an interest and confidence in reading books.
1. Fold along the middle dotted line.
2. Fold back and forth along the dotted lines like a fan, ensuring the title page is on the outside.
3. Put two staples to secure the spine.
​4. Cut along the open edge so that all the pages open.

​"K is for Kite" Craft - Develop fine motor and problem solving skills

1. Print the template on various colors of card stock. There are three kites per template and I've done my best to set it up in a way that minimizes cutting.
2. Cut the triangle pieces out (or if you have older kids, you can let them give it a go.) You can use this as a good teaching opportunity both for triangles, and for "Big, Medium, Small" since there are three sizes of triangles.
​3. Mix up the colors, so that each student can get a variety of pieces for their kite craft.
4. Children can glue the pieces in the correct spaces on their kite picture.
Kite coloring page
Kite template
easy kite craft
DOWNLOADS
Download the preschool letter K vocabulary flashcards and activity worksheets to use for personal and educational purposes. Do not sell them or offer them as your own. Please give proper credit wherever you use them.
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The flashcards are formatted for A4 and can be printed back to back, cut and laminated. There is a color and a black and white version in case you want to save on printing costs and do the coloring yourself.
k_flashcards_color.pdf
File Size: 162 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

k-book.pdf
File Size: 409 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

k_is_for_kick.pdf
File Size: 341 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

k_flashcards_bw.pdf
File Size: 169 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

kite_craft.pdf
File Size: 56 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Travel by the Book Challenge - Botswana

3/1/2017

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Having picked Botswana completely at random, I couldn't have been more interested and impressed by this little country! A population of just 2 million, it is an example for the entire continent being the least corrupt, least violent and most politically stable country on the continent. 
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HISTORY BOOK
This is a fascinating look at the life of the first president of Botswana, Seretse Khama. Before gaining their full independence from Britain, Seretse was the rightful chief and would assume the throne after coming of age and receiving a top-notch education. But when he fell in love and married Ruth, it had worldwide repercussions. The book included a lot of pre-independence background of Botswana and what really struck me was how Botswana was able to avoid many pitfalls of colonialism and stay true to their culture and identity. Even in the fiction book I read, I got a sense of the great love and loyalty that the people had for their leaders, and their leaders for them. The beautiful story of Seretse & Ruth has also been made into a movie for your convenience. Check out the trailer here, it looks wonderful!
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FICTION BOOK
This is the first book in a whole series about Botswana's first and only female private detective, Precious Ramotswe. This book takes you through several cases, which she solves in some very unconventional ways. While mostly just good entertainment, the book also gives some insight into the darker side of the culture, including the prevalence of witch doctors, marriage infidelity and abuse. But McCall is somehow able to pull off everything in a very light-hearted easy-to-read way. I would definitely read another book in the series.
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MOVIE
I actually remember watching "The Gods Must be Crazy" as a kid. My parents loved it. The first 10 minutes is the best, but the whole thing is entertaining. The premise is that a small dessert tribe comes across a foreign object (coke bottle), which they come to believe is a great evil because of the jealousy among the people that it provokes. Xi sets out on a noble journey to drop it off the face of the earth, but along the way he encounters civilization for the very first time.
MUSIC
My favorite music was this guy Ronnie on his guitar. Overall the music was beautiful and soothing to listen to. I listened to some very traditional songs where they were singing accapella as a group and it honestly sounded like a choir of angels. 

CURRENT EVENTS
While the country has been peacefully and democratically ruled by the Khamas since independence in 1966, more political parties are forming and the current government has been blamed for slow economic growth and for high unemployment about the youth. The next elections will be held in 2019 and prior to that a coalition has united against the current government. I hope that they can continue to maintain peace even if such a massive transition of power takes place. Also this month, Botswana was hit by a cyclone which has left flash floods and many damaged homes. It is hard to believe there are flash floods in a country that is 70% desert!
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FOOD
This month I opted for an easy dish and made a dessert called Malva Pudding. It is not really pudding at all (at least not the way mine turned out!) Mine came out as a super moist cake with a nice carmelized edge along the top. It would have been delicious with ice cream!
Find the Recipe Here!
LANGUAGE
Laleme le le lengwe ga le a lekanela - One language is never enough! So true, I wish I knew more!
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    Julie

    Luke and I are married and have five little munchkins that travel the world with us. I blog about living overseas, travel, kids, homeschooling  and graphic design.

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