Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 163 July 2008

A-Z of new, nice and interesting websites, RSS feeds, blogs and Internet books from the Heriot-Watt University.

YouTube Blocked by Governments in Turkey and China

Youtube banned in Turkey since May - article from Reporters Without Frontiers

Orders issued by three Ankara courts has blocked access to Youtube and other photosharing sites since may 2008, despite the material which sparked the controvery being removed from the sites. Youtube has also been banned this year by Pakistan , Indonesia and China.  

RedCross Newsthink! Teenage cancer, prison video links, headscarves debate, divers rescued.

 

News think! brings you the real stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

 Issue 13th June 2008  

- Young people with cancer are likely to have to wait longer than younger children for their condition to be diagnosed. Teenagers may face significant delays before being referred to a specialist and getting the treatment they need, says Professor Tim Eden, professor of cancer at Manchester University.

- Inmates at a US detention centre at Bagram in Afghanistan are receiving visits from their families by video-telephone link-ups. Conference-call facilities have been set up at the centre at Bagram airbase, which is 35 miles from the capital Kabul.

- Disagreement over whether women should be permitted to wear headscarves in universities has become a major political and legal dispute in Turkey. Turkey’s ruling AK party introduced a law which would have made it legal to wear the headscarf in schools but judges have decided that the law infringed the principles of the secular state.

- Three British divers were rescued after drifting without a boat in tropical Indonesian seas. The three were separated from their support boat by powerful underwater currents. They were stranded for two days on a remote island.

Encyclopedia Britannica Goes Wiki!

They never thought it would happen - but the Encyclopedia Britannica is opening its pages to everyone -

A redesigned website will allow current expert contributors to have more freedom to add information and advertise their own work, while also allowing the public to add articles under their own names. The encyclopedia will, however, still check that all information provided is correct before publishing. They say :

“The main thrust of this initiative is to promote greater participation by both our expert contributors and readers. Both groups will be invited to play a larger role in expanding, improving, and maintaining the information we publish on the Web under the Encyclopaedia Britannica name as well as in sharing content they create with other Britannica visitors”.

Read more about the changes here or check out the Britannica blog.

You can access the encyclopedia online for free in Wales if you are a member of a Public Library

Internet Resources Newletter - Issue 162

A-Z of new, nice and interesting websites, RSS feeds, blogs and Internet books from the Heriot-Watt University.

RedCross Newsthink! The Beijing Olympics,a Parachuting Archbishop, Teenage Stabbings and Peacekeeping Abuses

News think! brings you a look at the stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

Issue 30th May 2008

- A guidebook for volunteers at the Beijing Olympics has been criticised for its section on helping paralympic athletes and disabled spectators.A campaigner at the UK Disabled People’s Council told the Times newspaper he was “stunned” at the perception that disabled people are a race apart.

- The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is preparing to jump from an aeroplane to raise money for charity. The cleric hopes his first parachute jump will raise £50,000 for the Afghanistan Trust, a charity that supports the families of paratroopers who have been killed or injured while serving in Afghanistan.

- The death of actor Robert Knox brought to 14 the number of teenagers who have died violently in London this year. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said parents should be clear with them that carrying a knife outside the home is likely to lead to really serious trouble and tragedy.

- Children abused by peacekeepers and aid workers in emergencies around the world often feel unable to report what happened according to a UK-based charity, Save the Children.  Its researchers say children and their families are not speaking out because of a mix of stigma, fear, ignorance and powerlessness.

 

Internet Detective - Free Internet Tutorial

You can use the Internet to search for information every day - but are you finding quality sites that are suitable for your coursework?

This Intute Wise Up to the Web tutorial gives you the tools you need to find reliable, accurate information online while staying on the right side of copyright law.

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor have also translated the site into Welsh. Please contact LibeRaCe (by leaving a comment below this post) for the zip file to convert the tool.

 

 

RedCross Newsthink! Myanmar Cyclone, Sichuan Earthquake and Gordon Ramsay

News think! brings you a look at the stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

Issue 15th May 2008

- High Death Toll in Two Disasters: Two devastating natural disasters have caused enormous loss of life and suffering in southern and eastern Asia.In both countries a major task for the aid effort is to reach people in remote areas. In Myanmar many people have access only to unclean water, contaminated by dead bodies, animals, human waste and industrial debris.

- Caring About Care: The expected rapid growth in the number of elderly and disabled people will put “tremendous pressure” on social services and the benefits system, according to the government. It may include services like cooking, shopping, washing, dressing and helping with going to the toilet and other personal needs. The total spend on such care for older people in England is forecast to rise from £12.7 billion to £24.1 billion in 2026.

- Lebanon Fears: Fierce fighting in the Lebanese capital Beirut has spread to other parts of the country, increasing concern for the safety of civilians.Clashes involving machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades are thought to be the worst fighting in Lebanon since 1990 when the 15-year civil war ended.

- Season’s Greetings: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says British restaurants should be fined if they serve imported fruit and vegetables. The celebrity chef wants to see “stringent” licensing laws and fines to make sure that fresh produce is used only in season.Critics have pointed out that many livelihoods in developing countries depend on growing and exporting fruit and vegetables.

 

Open University Blogs

     

The Open University’s Open2.net blog portal is a wealth of information and news on a huge range of subjects. Posts are topical, current and written by OU lecturing/teaching staff.

There are also links back to BBC OU programmes (some are even hosted on the BBC iPlayer if you missed them), with upcoming show lists and some free learning resources available.

Blast Off! Share Your Talent With the World

BBC Blast now have a section on their webapges where youcan upload and share their art with other people just like you!

Click on the ‘Upload Your Art’ button and share the love.