The Art of Penmanship

Serendipity ...

... I happened to be having a conversation about this issue only yesterday...

The same old fonts, the same styles of presentation; with so much of the text that we read being in print form, isn't there a threat that somewhere we are being de-skilled both as readers and writers? Of course, this may lead to a different understanding of what it is to be literate, but what about those very important calligraphic forms of writing such as Nastaʿlīq and Kanji?

I do join up when I write, but don't get to write so much because of the emphasis on electronic communication. Anyway, I'll make a point of uploading an example sometime soon Inshallah.

full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7907888.stm

... Is the ancient art form of handwriting dying out?

A century from now, our handwriting may only be legible to experts.

For some, that is already the case. But writer Kitty Burns Florey says the art of handwriting is declining so fast that ordinary, joined-up script may become as hard to read as a medieval manuscript.

"When your great-great-grandchildren find that letter of yours in the attic, they'll have to take it to a specialist, an old guy at the library who would decipher the strange symbols for them," says Ms Florey, author of the newly-published Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting.

She argues that children - if not this generation then one soon to come - may grow up using only a crude form of printing for the rare occasions in life they need to communicate by pen.

Sons of the Desert

Not actually a reference to my life in Abu Dhabi, but in fact, a moment to honour Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who stand there amongst the finest comedians on recorded film. In this clip, unknown to their wives, the duo have been followed home by a slightly deranged woman they had rescued from drowning, who is now refusing to leave the house. The innocence and simplicity of their style keeps it timeless for me.

Wicked-Pedia: Volume III

Behind the Curtain

Taking a sneak peak behind Wikipedia, helps us learn a little about what is really going on.

Wikipedia is constantly behind re-written, changed and updated, negotiated, and developed. There are rules that need to be adhered to and often a finished article comes after a process of development through negotiation, sometimes arbitration and final editing. Under Wikipedia rules contributors to an article must check for neutrality, weighting and reliability through a dialogue process that includes patience, fairness of intent and "wikilove". See the flowchart below to see how the process works.

Case Study: Talk: Criticism of the Roman Catholic Church

The case study I explore here looks at what is going on "behind the scenes" in an article that appears in Wikipedia entitled Criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. Let me begin with a disclaimer - I'm not writing about Roman Catholicism; what I'm doing is taking a look at some aspects of the debate that go on before a "finished" article in Wikipedia can come into fruition. There's a good deal of debate between contributors here, some early debates about the direction, and thus the title of the page. Bearing in mind, the central tennant of NPOV (neutral point of view), an adminstrator has at some point locked the page from further editing to allow the contributors to reflect on their own agendas and to allow them to reach a consensus after an edit-war between differing contributors has pursued. It's easy to follow one's own bias and in this example, the adminstrator is trying to get the contributors to avoid making general statements that could be deemed biased (in the sense of the religion) but to consider the sense of wider social threat that existed in 17th Century France - there was general anti-Huguenot sentiment in France from secular bodies during Louis XIV's reign, as well as the RC establishment.

During the processes involved in the various Wikipedia edits, the adminstrator reminds contributors to consider weighting given to subtopics (in this case, the arbitrator suggests that the debate is headed off topic). The adminstrator also reminds the contributors that they need to avoid maligning each other's sources/cited historians, encouraging them to seek resolution, through Wikiquette, ultimately threatening to lock them out completely.

Behind the curtain ... it's all very interesting.

Naghma - نغمه - Melody Queen

Naghma, نغمه, ("melody" in Farsi and Pashto, born in Kandahar, 1964) played in Abu Dhabi earlier this month - I was at the show, three rows from the front - I can't quite believe that I was there, because Naghma is amongst the biggest names in Pashto music at the present time. They tell me that the DVD is out soon, but here's a video: Mala Da Toru Jamu Yaar Rawalai, (Bring Me a Companion in Black).

Tor_Khan تور خان

Wicked-Pedia: Volume II

"Wicked"

Wicked Ver 1

Perhaps an attempt at reaching out to the Urban-aware* audience. Of course, those who are, will tell me that "wicked" is "good" and not "evil" in the world of Urban-speak. That said, I am quite happy to play on both senses of the word, because it serves to illustrate a point. Wikipedia is the most popular and the largest encyclopaedic reference out there - open-source and free - it is open to all - to contribute articles, to edit and to refine. Wikipedia is growing as people add topics of interest or contribute to articles already posted. I'm a front-end user and remain loyal to its potential. That's the first sense in which I use the word "wicked".

Wicked Ver 2

However, in Volume I of this topic, I explored how Wikipedia is not without flaw. There are poorly written, poorly referenced articles and contributions to this body of knowledge from people who whose point of view does not necessarily conform to the NPOV (neutral point of view) standards that are key to Wikipedia. Worse, there is abuse, deliberate attempts to hijack, push agendas and malicious vandalism; "wicked" in the commonly used sense of the word.

... The Places In-Between ...

But the spirit of open contribution is at the heart of Wikipedia; a repository of information that is bias-free and up-to-date with quality citations and links to other referenced works. Editing is continual and occurs through a process that is behind the scenes - some modifications are not checked because of vastness of scale and the principle of "good intent", others are subject to automated bot checks, and others are edited by teams of volunteers to ensure that the rules are followed; neutrality, reliable citations, academic style of writing, spelling and grammar. Disagreements can be reported through processes that includes teams checks and adjudicators. (... to be continued ...)

*Personal Opinion: Urban-speak is not always for the faint of heart

Wicked-Pedia: Volume I

Wicked-Pedia

I like Wikipedia, and use it as a point of reference, even here in this blog. Often I'll follow the articles in full, but mostly I pick up points of interest through scanning. For me, Wikipedia fits the need to fill my curiosity that my Hutchinson Encyclopaedia once served - similar to the times that I would spend in the school library looking at Britannica. Later, when we had Encarta, with it's stylised indexing, media files and hyperlinks, I thought that I had the world of knowledge all in one place. It was a good start, but of course slightly inaccurate - there's simply too much information to store and collate on a single CD-ROM. Besides, the fundamental disadvantage with Hutchinson, Britannica and Encarta was that they were pretty much out of date as soon as they went to press. Besides, what about the hidden pockets of information, that never quite made it to a volume of Britannica, or into the final edit of Encarta?

Step forward Wikipedia. I can spend a good deal of time, reading about the Jurassic and find myself clicking on the hyperlinks that carry me off somewhere else, where I'll follow another entry with interest; dinosaurs, air composition, flowering plants, modern farming, economy, gold, the periodic table, alchemy, the Renaissance, modernism, geo-politics and so on. All, advert free, without stepping outside of the Wiki-world.

The People's Encyclopaedia

But is Wikipedia, the fountain of all knowledge? It is, I guess, without boundaries, but there-in is the Achilles' Heel. We live in an Information Age, where the cyber-world is littered with junk, incomplete works, debris, misinformation and malice. This does, quite often, creep into Wikipedia, and therefore the whole process of navigating through Wikipedia, like much of the WWW, is about being able to spot obvious bias, avoiding the vandalism, recognising the variation in quality and taking care to check and validate what is presented as a 'truth'. Wikipedia may be good, but like anything good, it has to be supported to keep it good and we still need to take care where we step when exploring.  

(...to be continued ...)

The Encyclopaedia of the Brethren of Purity

Of course, no discussion on encyclopaedias would be complete without mentioning the Brethren of Purity, whose 52 volume compendium was completed in Basra, Iraq circa 1000 CE, later to influence post-Renaissance encyclopaedias in the West.

Sharbat Gula - شربت ګله - Afghan Girl

... a modern icon of innocence ... 

Some captured images work their way into our deep consciousness and the photograph of the Afghan Girl is one that we all know. We've seen it; we've been stirred by it; we recognise it; it's there. A bit like Che Guevara or Monroe. Even when we don't know it, we know it. For me, that makes the image of Sharbat Gula something of a modern icon - appearing in magazines, posters, TV, the Internet, (and though copyrighted) very much in the public domain.

Rather paradoxically we say modern icon, for the 'Afghan Girl' leads a very traditional Pashtoon life, and knew nothing of her 17 years as a public figure, where her image adorned photo-books on coffee tables the world over. Sharbat Gula (شربت ګله, Rose Sherbet) was forced to leave her home in Afghanistan during the Soviet War for a refugee camp in Pakistan where she was photographed by journalist Steve McCurry. The image was featured on the June 1984 cover of National Geographic Magazine, at a time when she was approximately 13 years old. Gula was known throughout the world simply as the Afghan Girl until she was formally identified in early 2002.

Who in fact 'owns' the public image and whether a 'copyright' and the profit arising from it should belong to the photographer, continues to generate debate. For the 'Afghan Girl' fame and image are largely immaterial. Sharbat Gula represents the heart and soul; the complex acceptance of what is Afghanistan - she was married in her early teens and in her maturity, she follows a traditional code and has a life of few luxuries; she wears a burka outside the house before strangers and speaks of peace under the Taleban.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Generation Web

It makes some academic sense to think of phases or generations, but I do like the sense of fluidity so perhaps (for me) the idea of Web 2.0 is a misnomer. Our expectations of the technologies, some directly, others indirectly connected to the Web changed long before 2.0. Computing and server power, enhanced sound and display output and user-interfaces, bandwidth and speed, have all contributed to or developed alongside a changing Web experience.

Incarnation I and II

So what’s Web 2.0? In order to understand this better, let’s step back and start with Web 1.0. In the beginning, there was no Web 1.0, it was just the Web. Many changes occurred even during this Web (1.0) stage, however, in a nutshell, Web 1.0 is/was about retrieval. Personal websites, hobby sites; simple management systems that included search, view and possibly download. A few enhancements here and there led to picture, sound and video opportunities, but imagine publishing to the web, so that later on someone else could have a look. This is Web 1.0 - viewing the web from a window.

Web 2.0 has a different set of values attached to it, specifically user participation. Blogging, wikis, social networking etc and increased opportunity to interact through message boards, open to publisher and reader(s) through content participation. The whole web experience lends itself to more opportunities to take part and be involved, to interact with content and step inside the web.

(R)Evolution

Web 3.0? Speculative at the moment, but already future projections of web possibilities exist … executable content … 3D spaces … intelligent applications … artificial intelligence …

تور خان

Tor Khān = تور خان

Black تور

Tor: from the Indo-Iranian root *tura meaning "strong, quick". Others link it to old Iranian *tor "dark, black", related to the New Persian tār(ik), Pashto tor (thor) and English dark.

Khān خان

Khān: [Turkic], is a Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler. In imperial Persia, Khān was the title of a nobleman and usually used after the given name.

Source: Wikipedia

Virtual Learning

For Matrix* boffins, you'll recall how the future of learning might be about downloading the relevant body content of knowledge and skills direct to the brain - and hey presto - kung fu expert! The whole simulated world/virtual reality issues that form the constant thread in the trilogy of films makes for an interesting starting point for a discussion about Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs).

In an early scene, Neo, the protagonist, trains his mind and learns the art of combat by entering a VLE that simulates a dojo - a classroom for martial arts. So I guess an open discussion on emerging technologies connected to learning might consider any number of possible futures especially considering the rapid scale and pace of change within educational ICT.

A Journey through Virtual Learning Environments: Initial Thoughts

It is an interesting journey that I have embarked on as a distance learning MA student in Digital Technologies, Communication and Education. I sit amongst the desert exotica of Abu Dhabi; the course is run from the University of Manchester, UK; the distance being bridged by the on-line nature of the course. Not quite The Matrix, but virtual learning of a sort? Virtual Learning Environments are currently fashionable in the ever changing world of electronic education, but let's explore:

A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a software system designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting ... [though] ... a more correct term may be a virtual environment for learning, rather than virtual learning environment. (Source: Wikipedia)

Advantages/Disadvantages? Since the MA is also run on-site in Manchester, I will explore some observations, positives and negatives of both the live class situation (face-to-face) and the virtual learning environment.

Face-to-Face (+)
Students operate in a social setting; especially positive if that is your learning style (i.e. group discussions where feedback is instant). Perhaps easier to develop student-teacher relationship and student-student relationships. Fewer restrictions on teaching and assessment styles.

Virtual Learning Environment (+)
Opportunities for communication are increased through various tools, e.g. email, announcement and discussion boards etc. Ideas can be recorded in a more permanent (electronic) form through wikis, postings to forums and so on. Increased field of reach since students can partake in class from a distance with fewer restrictions in time. Less paper-work.

Of course, there are limitations to both approaches:

Face-to-Face (-)
Time-constraints and the physical confines of the learning environment place their own limitations. Most usually a live class is not captured - so there aren't always the same opportunities for review and discussion later. Different learning media cannot be brought together as easily.

Virtual Learning Environment (-)
Technicalities - availability of web access, understanding of how some VLEs operate, disrupted access, compatibility etc. The lack of social contact requires learners to be intrinsically motivated. May suit mature learners only. Lack of flexibility if it means that all access is restricted to viewing a screen only.

*The Matrix appears on my list of favourite films.

Shifting Sands

(Operation) Desert Storm

There was a dust storm in the air today; almost foggy, but actually fine particles of sand in the air coupled with a notable drop in temperature. The picture I took here shows the storm in the distance on my drive back to Abu Dhabi this afternoon.

The 150km plus road that connects Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, cuts through some beautiful desert landscape. In particular the sand dunes outside Al Ain, are breathtaking. I haven't figured how trees have rooted in the dunes, but endeavour to find out someday, InshAllah.

I said good-bye to the school where I've been based, colleagues and neighbours and packed up and left this afternoon. Al Ain is truly something of a gem. The slower pace, the authentic back-streets, the mountains and oases are what I will miss seeing every morning as I begin my regular daily shuttle between Abu Dhabi and Bani Yas.

Goodbye Flashing Lights

I got flashed by a speed camera/radar the other day. The Al Ain-Abu Dhabi road has a speed limit of 120km/h, but the common understanding is that the speed cameras are set to 160km/h. Now I would never advocate going that fast, but I saw the flash go off when I was at cruising along at about 4.30am at about 130km/h.

Chicken and Egg

Killer Chickens

I don't often get near chickens and so don't know much about collecting eggs. Besides I'm not sure I should get that close because I hear that if one coughs or sneezes on you, it means you might need to find a doctor fairly sharpish. I prefer my eggs - albeit free-range - to come carefully picked by some else.

That said, I have a little soft spot for a game that hit the circuit around the mid 80s where dodging chickens and collecting eggs was precisely the objective. Home computers were new and perhaps not understood too well beyond the gaming possibilities. My father, had this opinion that video games were a distraction but somehow I did manage to persuade him that an investment in a computer was like an investment the future. Result? An Acorn Electron, like a reduced version of the popular BBC Microcomputer soon became a popular addition to the family.

The Birds

Anyway, whilst for my father, we needed to be seen to be copying up a Basic program from the manual that came with the computer (darn good training!), my brother and I did eventually stumble upon a whole bunch of games that were popular then - Blagger, Escape from Moonbase Alpha, Killer Gorilla and so on. But my favourite platform game was Chuckie Egg. You got to play a farmer who had to avoid killer ostriches (chickens in some versions?) and a later on a flying phantom duck, whilst running around the screen collecting up eggs. The killer birds sound rather Alfred Hitchcock, but you could bounce all over the screen and jump from the upper platforms. Your farmer character was a pretty resilient little fellow. It's quite simplistic on reflection, but it sits honourably amongst the best of its time. One that brings back many memories ... 

Play Free Games Online at TooGame.com

Three Cups of Tea

"Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business: first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything."

No act of charity is without criticism, but Greg Mortenson's work is quite an inspiration and Three Cups of Tea is a valuable read for anyone's book list.

One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ...

As of 2008, Mortenson has established over 78 schools in the volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to over 28,000 children, including 18,000 girls, where few education opportunities existed before.

His work has not been without difficulty. In 1996, he survived an eight day armed kidnapping in the Northwest Frontier Province NWFP tribal areas of Pakistan, escaped a 2003 firefight with feuding Afghan warlords by hiding for eight hours under animal hides in a truck en route to a leather-tanning factory. He has endured CIA investigations, and also received hate mail and death threats from fellow Americans after 9/11, for helping Muslim children.

... One School at a Time ...

Mortenson is a hero to rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he has gained the trust of community leaders, military commanders, government officials and tribal chiefs from his tireless effort to champion education, especially for girls in the region now considered the front lines of the war on terror.

Congresswoman Mary Bono (Rep – Cali.) says, “I’ve learned more from Greg Mortenson about the causes of terrorism than I did during all our briefings on Capitol Hill.”

The Fog

When I'm not staying in Al Ain, I'm with the family in Abu Dhabi. That does mean however, that I have to get up the next day extra early at 3.30am to get ready to take the long drive to Al Ain. This morning was particularly foggy for a stretch of about 50km on my way to Al Ain. Very low visibility in parts.

Ms Amal, the Principal at Mohammed Bin Khalifa is sad that I'm leaving. Me too ... but I can't be driving for 300km every couple of days to get me back and forth to work.

Viva Al Ain!

One Laptop Per Child in Afghanistan

The idea behind the One Laptop per Child programme is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child.

One Laptop Per Child

Founded in 2005 by MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte, the One Laptop per Child programme (OLPC) aims to open up educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing every child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. Fundamentally, it is led by the belief that given the tools (the laptop) children create their own learning (through content and collaboration). 

The OLPC site states that "By giving a laptop, you are helping bring education to children in some of the world's most remote areas. You are connecting them to each other, to the world beyond and to a better future.

The core principles of the laptop scheme require ownership to be by children, laptops to be widely available, low cost in terms of running, wireless enabled and for the laptops to use free and open source software."

Education is a Child's Right

In order to accomplish this goal, people need to believe that education for the world’s children is a priority, not a privilege. It's ambitious and visionary and not without some criticism but to me it represents an important action towards addressing the global void in educational provision for all. 

For more details please visit laptop.org

Ma'asalaamah, Al Ain

Moving on ...

This week will see my tenure in Al Ain draw to a temporary close.

Al Ain (العين‎ The Spring), is a beautiful oasis city, about 150km east of Abu Dhabi and is the fourth largest city in the United Arab Emirates. I shall pack the last of my bags and head off back to busy Abu Dhabi, my UAE base since August 2008. Al Ain, has really grown on me - quaint, rustic, almost a semi-rural existence. It is known as the Garden City of the UAE, with it's tree-lined avenues, parks and landscaped roundabouts. There's an urban border with Buraimi in Oman and in Al Ain, you will find a higher proportion of Emiratis than elsewhere in the country.

Star attraction in town? Well, there's Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain Zoo, Green Mubazzarah (hot springs), Al Ain Town Centre, several oases, museums and a growing number of malls. The sand dunes, just outside the town, are breath-taking, and the lights on Jebel Hafeet can be seen for miles into the distance at night.

For the last couple of months, I've led a school team of educational advisors and have really enjoyed my work at Mohammed bin Khalifa working alongside an Emirati Principal, Ms Amal who is quite a formidable lady, up there amongst the best of them. I've been travelling back and forth to Abu Dhabi to see my family a couple of times a week and it seems that ultimately, the big city calls, wanting me back.

There's a notable Pashtoon expatriate community here in Al Ain. Where I have been staying in Al Jahli, the Pashtoons are from Waziristan, Kohat and Khost. A mini-Pakhtoonistan, so Salaamoona Pukhtano!

Pa Khair Raghley پخېر راغلې

پخېر راغلئ

Starey Mashaye

Salaam. Welcome to Tor Khan's blog ...

... to introduce me - I'm a son, a brother, a father, a husband, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin, a neighbour, a friend and an educationalist.

I'm also a slightly displaced Pashtoon who has lived most of his years amongst the rolling hills of Yorkshire. Some years ago, I made the break and since then have lived and worked in Doha, Minnesota and Abu Dhabi, travelling a little and returning for short stints to Bradford between each venture. Right now I'm in the UAE, but life's a journey ... and I'm a traveller ...

Here you'll find postings to things of interest, musings and captured moments that tell their own story. You'll also find a good dose of joy, wonder and contemplation.

I'll leave you with a couple of lines from Rahim Shah's Sandara Da Pukhtoon (Song of the Pashtoon):

Kabul, Ghazni, Paktia ka Kandahar,

De tolo Pukhtano Afghanistan de Mor auw Plar

(click to see the video)

Kabul, Ghazni, Paktia or Kandahar,
For all Pashtoons, Afghanistan is mother and father.
(penned by Feroz Afridi)

Take care and enjoy.

Da Khudai Pa Amaan.
د خداى په امان

Tor_Khan تور خان