Healing Vibes for Exams - and Winter Blues

"This track features All 9 Solfeggio Frequencies for Full Body Aura Cleanse & Cell Regeneration Therapy. Each Miracle Tone here serves a certain purpose and helps in detoxifying and cleansing the body and mind. Each frequency lasts for around 9 mins starting from 174Hz known as a natural anesthetic and moving all the way up to 963Hz which is associated with pineal gland activation. Hope this will help you."

The holidays can be a difficult time for families missing loved ones.


See the work of Belleruth Naparstek - on iTunes podcasts - and HealthyJourneys.com

Focus - it's like a muscle.

Headspace, a meditation app that started in 2012, is now available for teachers at a deep discount.

Sign up here for $12 annual subscription (normally $79 per year). It's a priceless gift to yourself - and your loved ones.

Headspace gives back

Improving the health and happiness of the world, one educator at a time

Headspace for Educators

Our newest Social Impact initiative focuses our efforts on one group in particular; educators. Educators are pivotal to society – we entrust our children to them for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 10 months a year. So, in 2018, we’re giving an annual Headspace subscription to working K-12 teachers, school administrators, and support staff across the US & UK for just $12 a year. Click here!

The Science of Meditation

The benefits of meditation have been backed by science for years - and studies are being published exponentially.



Check out the work of Dan Harris.


From Scientific American 2013:



From ASAP Science 2015:



Listen to guided meditations by Tara Brach.

Just Breathe - Exams

A parent from one of my lacrosse players shared this video with me a few years ago when I was at Episcopal Academy. That was a special season and team - we meditated daily before every practice and every game.

When I share this video in class, the wisdom of these children can be cynically scoffed at - comments like "They didn't come up with that..." or "No way that was something a kid knew..." "Who wrote those lines for them?"

I witnessed one class recently laugh and make fun of the kid's teeth "He'll need braces" and "He has anger issues" but I say nothing. The reaction to this video is telling of the mindset and reflects even a not so latent anger at anything that suggests meditation and mindfulness. The loudest critics... I am mindful not to make assumptions. But I record observations.

Hearts and minds are not opened easily - and the myth of multitasking is not received warmly.
Our lives - and our brains - are fried with stimulus and anxiety - FOF and FOMO preying on all of us.


Understand how (parental) stress affects developing brain from early childhood to adolescence.

From Raising of America:

The Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortex Connection is Crucial from California Newsreel on Vimeo.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: How do you use your INTERSTITIAL time?

Check out Neil deGrasse Tyson's Amazon page - how many books has he written?
Where does he find the time?

Read his Wikipedia page.

See his website.

Check out his Twitter.Harvard Business Review - Life's Work: An  Interview

From the HBR article:

How do you balance your TV work with your day job, your academic work, and your family life?

Balance might be overrated. If your life is perfectly balanced—everything going smoothly—is it as dynamic as it could be? When life is out of balance, usually something is changing, and that’s not always a bad thing. It gives you a new perspective. New projects always send things out of balance. I embrace disruptions to circumstances I’ve grown complacent about.

Practically, though, how do you manage your time?

It’s a bit of the squeaky wheel philosophy. Some e-mails don’t get tended to for weeks. I also use all the interstitial time available. While I’m waiting for the subway, I’m doing e-mail. With a little more time, I’m composing book chapters or op-eds. How much of your life can you recover by using those slots? When you stitch them together, it’s a lot.

You have more than 4 million Twitter followers. Why does that medium appeal, and what makes you so successful at it?

I got an account, like other early adopters, back in ’09. I started tweeting what everybody else was: “Crossing the street now.” “A little bit cold today.” Why am I doing this? I’m wasting my time. Then I had an epiphany. I was in the Las Vegas airport a couple of months after I published The Pluto Files, and I did the vain thing that authors typically do: go to the bookstore to see if your book is on display. I said, “Excuse me, ma’am, where’s the science section?” She said, “Oh, we don’t have a science section.” I thought, “Of course—you wouldn’t want any rational thinking going on before you gamble.” And I said to myself, “That’s a tweet.” From then on, I’ve been tweeting random thoughts that come to me because of the lens I carry as a scientist and an educator. You are seeing how I think about the world (I call it my brain droppings), and, if you don’t hang around other scientists, that might be intriguing—to be a little closer to the operations of nature and the universe.

Why do you think so many people find inspiration in him?

See his show STARTALK.
Follow on SoundCloud.




Subscribe on YouTube:

If interested, I'm on @CNN’s GPS here with @FareedZakaria talking about a "Space Force" [Video: 5m 30s].https://t.co/96gDx6nU7h

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) June 27, 2018

Tim Ferriss on Why Meditate: Do you want to be successful?

On CNBC: 

Tim Ferriss: 3 things you should do every day if you want to be successful

by Catherine Clifford

 10:10 AM ET Mon, 9 Jan 2017

In his Nov. 23, 2017 Business Insider article, Richard Feloni writes:

"After interviewing 140 people at the top of their fields, Tim Ferriss realized almost all of them share the same habit"

• For his new book "Tribe of Mentors," bestselling author and star podcast host Tim Ferriss sent 11 questions to 140 people at the top of their fields.
• He found that regardless of industry, the vast majority of respondents had a mindfulness or meditation practice.
• He meditates every morning for 20 minutes and has found it's improved his emotional control.

From his podcast - episodes on meditation:

“The goal of meditation is to uncover a form of wellbeing that is inherent to the nature of our minds.” 
                                                                                 — Sam Harris

Mindfulness - a Superpower?

On March 28, 2018 in Scientific American, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen "talks to award-winning journalist and news anchor Dan Harris to bust the myths that stop you from meditating" in her article: "Busting the Myths of Meditation with Dan Harris"

Check out the following:

App: Calm.org

App: Headspace

App and Podcast: Dan Harris's 10% Happier

Listen to Dan Harris deconstruct the three myths about meditation.

"You're not special." - Dan Harris

My favorite podcast: Tara Brach Guided Meditations

Book: Mindfulness for Student Athletes; A workbook to help teens reduce stress and enhance performance 

November is National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo

My goal is 30,000 words. (30 days/1000 words a day)

This is OPTIONAL; however, if you have an itch to write a story - and create a disciplined writing habit - NaNoWriMo may be for you.

Give this classroom code to anyone wishing to join this classroom.

FAQ and HELP



Social Media:

Twitter

As for writing alone vs with others, it’s hard to know until you’ve tried it! I expected to prefer to write alone but I was REALLY surprised at how effective write-ins are for me, and I know I’m not alone.

— NaNoWriMo (@NaNoWriMo) November 1, 2018

Wikiwrimo has more information about word sprints here: http://t.co/yq550Nzf4n

— NaNoWordSprints (@NaNoWordSprints) November 16, 2014

YouTube


Follow on Instagram 
"challenge to stir up inspiration, help you find fellow writers, and get prepared for noveling season"

#InstaWrimo




 

Attention Must Be Paid: Heed Tristan Harris on the Attention Economy

Screenshot from
  2014 TED Talk by Tristan Harris

Take out your phone.

Go to "Settings" > "Battery" > Wait for it....Scroll down: 

How much time were you...

Screen On?

Screen Off?

In the last 24 hours? 

See the PERCENTAGE of what APP you use most.

Click "SHOW ACTIVITY"

Note the hours and minutes of by APP.

How much time SCREEN TIME in the Last 10 Days?

Note the...

Average Screen On

Average Screen Off

For your top three APPS - note the total time in the last 10 days.

Note that it DOES not give you the TOTAL TIME in the LAST 10 DAYS.

Do this math. (10 x Average Screen On) + (10 x Average Screen Off) = 

Now multiply that (total time number x 36.5) x 4 years of high school (1460 days, 35,040 hours) = 

Now divide those hours by 24 to see how many days in highs school you will spend on your phone. 

What if you diverted half that time to writing a novel or a screenplay or an App or talking with friends and family?

(Keep in mind these hours - do not include other screens - watching movies, games, YouTube, shows, etc. on other devices.)

TED Talks that'll inspire you to unplug: "At the beck and call of your technology's beeps and buzzes? Let these talks inspire you to step back from your screen and engage with the immediate world around you."

Tristan Harris - Design Thinker - is a must watch.

Understand how you're giving your attention away for free - but at a terrible cost to your future and more importantly your present happiness and relationships.

Visit his movement for Time Well Spent at HumaneTech.com

The Attention Economy requires your eyeballs. 

Technology is not neutral. Sensationalize - viral videos.

Op-Ed: What makes for an effective Op-Ed?

Journal: September 17th

1. Write a brief summary about the Op-Ed that you selected. Include TITLE, WRITER, PUBLICATION.

2. Pass your copy of the Op-Ed to the left.

3. Read - annotate - the Op-Ed handed to you.

4. In your journal, what's most effective in the Op-Ed?

Part II:

ONLINE:

5. Please REPLY a response to your peer's Op-Ed.
- Read and remark on his post. Agree or disagree in some way.
- Share what's most effective in your opinion about the Op-Ed.

6. Please REPLY to TWO more posts
- Perhaps, the person sitting on the other side of you
- and one more - maybe someone else had your topic or same article.
- Yes, you may reply to someone in another section if it is relevant to your article.

Tuesday, September 11th, 2018

Where were you on 9/11?

Seventeen years ago, most of my students were not born. One was born on September 5th, 2001. And his father was at home with him instead of at work on the 60th floor of the North Tower. 

Today I shared the story of Welles Crowther that reminds me that on the worst day in the darkest of times, there were many heroes. 

9/11 | The Man In The Red Bandana | ESPN

From YouTube.com

ww.espn.com Ten years later, remembering Welles Remy Crowther who led over 12 people to safety after terrorists struck the World Trade Center on September 11th - a former Boston College Lacrosse Player whose trademark was a Red bandana.

Full Documentary: Man in the Red Bandana




“Man In Red Bandana” is a documentary film about the inspirational story of an American hero - Welles Remy Crowther. Welles worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower and saved many people on September 11th. Tragically, he died that day but his heroics became known eight months later as a result of an ordinary item - a red bandana. 

The film re-traces Welles’ courageous actions that fateful day, and examines the many people (family, friends and strangers) who have been inspired by Welles’ actions and the unique ways in which they have honored him.

The film is the debut effort of writer and director Matthew Weiss. He first learned of Welles’ remarkable story over lunch with Jefferson Crowther, Welles’ father. Matthew was amazed and inspired. He quickly decided that everyone should hear this story and obtained the Crowther’s permission and blessing to make Man In Red Bandana. Chad A. Verdi and Joshua Sason are signed on as producers. Gwyneth Paltrow is set to narrate, with Michelle Verdi exec-producing and Lyle Lovett performing an original song. 

Our film crews have been in Nyack, NY, Ontario, Canada, Atlanta, GA, New York, NY, Asbury Park, NJ, Orlando, FL, Albany, NY, Newton, MA, and Santa Monica, CA, among other places, all in an attempt to produce the most comprehensive piece about Welles ever made. The film is scheduled to be released in 2017.

More on September 11th, 2001:

'Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience' Full Documentary (2011) ft. George W. Bush & More | HBO

"Find the Metaphor"

Journal:

Consider how you think in metaphors.

What are metaphors that reoccur for you?


Read Harvard Business Review:

How Strategists Really Think: Tapping the Power of Analogy
PRESENTATIONS "Finding the Right Metaphor for Your Presentation"
by Nancy Duarte November 17, 2014



SPOILER: This clip occurs at the end of Moneyball (2011)



Perhaps, one of the greatest speeches and metaphors in American History...

PDF - Teddy Roosevelt "The Man in the Arena"
Speech at the Sorbonne - Paris, France April 23, 1910

The Famous Quote:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

MIT's Joi Ito on Being a "NOW-IST"

I want to introduce you to the Director of MIT's Media Lab,

columnist to Wired magazine,

and author of one of my favorite recent books:

Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future Kindle Edition by Joi Ito

The conclusion to this TED Talk:

I'm a three-time college dropout, so learning over education is very near and dear to my heart, but to me, education is what people do to you and learning is what you do to yourself.

 10:15 (Applause)

10:19 And it feels like, and I'm biased, it feels like they're trying to make you memorize the whole encyclopedia before they let you go out and play, and to me, I've got Wikipedia on my cell phone, and it feels like they assume you're going to be on top of some mountain all by yourself with a number 2 pencil trying to figure out what to do when in fact you're always going to be connected, you're always going to have friends, and you can pull Wikipedia up whenever you need it, and what you need to learn is how to learn. In the case of Safecast, a bunch of amateurs when we started three years ago, I would argue that we probably as a group know more than any other organization about how to collect data and publish data and do citizen science.

11:02 Compass over maps. So this one, the idea is that the cost of writing a plan or mapping something is getting so expensive and it's not very accurate or useful. So in the Safecast story, we knew we needed to collect data, we knew we wanted to publish the data, and instead of trying to come up with the exact plan, we first said, oh, let's get Geiger counters. Oh, they've run out. Let's build them. There aren't enough sensors. Okay, then we can make a mobile Geiger counter. We can drive around. We can get volunteers. We don't have enough money. Let's Kickstarter it. We could not have planned this whole thing, but by having a very strong compass, we eventually got to where we were going, and to me it's very similar to agile software development, but this idea of compasses is very important.

11:45 So I think the good news is that even though the world is extremely complex, what you need to do is very simple. I think it's about stopping this notion that you need to plan everything, you need to stock everything, and you need to be so prepared, and focus on being connected, always learning, fully aware, and super present.

12:08 So I don't like the word "futurist." I think we should be now-ists, like we are right now.

Excellent article! #mustread @Joi @medialab #whiplash #learningovereducation #resilienceoverstrength #pulloverpush #riskoversafety #systemsoverobjects #compassovermaps #practiceovertheory #disobedienceovercompliance #emergenceoverauthority https://t.co/1c1zay4uS6 pic.twitter.com/bqiEVvFXBH

— Kevin James O'Brien (@KOB14) March 27, 2018

Watch “@Joi Ito’s 9 Principles of the @medialab” on #Vimeo at MIT-Knight Civic Media Conference https://t.co/uJeSS1fn5a pic.twitter.com/CZlbwpxMT9

— Kevin James O'Brien (@KOB14) March 27, 2018

READ MORE - and WHY!

Reading matters for many reasons...

For starters, think about this fact:

"You will be as successful as your vocabulary."

READ MORE: Kelly Corrigan speaks about reading in a persuasive way.

Here are a few notes and quotes...


#1 Vocabulary predicts career success. 

• 33% of high school graduates and 42% of College graduates never read a book again.
• Reading is a neurobiological workout for the brain. Read for the words. 
• Reading has the same physiological benefits as meditation.
• Add two million words by reading 30 minutes a day in a year...100,000 new words per year. Retain a hundred new words a year at least.
• Words are your own personal arsenal. 
• How we communicate...How we behave - who we are. "It all starts with word choice." 
• Make a meaningful connection to others - emotional intelligence begins with word choice. 

 “I am just as deaf as I am blind.  The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex.  Deafness is a much worse misfortune.  For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus – the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of men.” –Helen Keller


Do you know these words from Kelly Corrigan's TED Talk?

Independent Reading Project: Selling Reading

Independent Reading Project:

Selling the idea that we read what we want to read (not what we "have to" read).



 Watch this video.

It makes English teachers cry (in the beginning)...

Penny Kittle argues students should choose what they read: 

"I believe each of my students must craft an individual reading life of challenge, whim, curiosity, and hunger. I believe in the collecting, noticing, living work of designing lessons to empower writers. I believe teachers provide vision for students; we live a belief in their success every day we teach." 

Check out these lists (please share more lists below): 

33 Early American Literature Novels

Popular AP Literature Books 

Popular Summer Reading Books 

View this Flipboard Magazine for more articles on reading.

Read a real paper book or go "Airplane" mode - avoid technology distractions.

 

See: READ MORE

 
Who is Stephen Downes? Check out his simple blog.


Checkout these great project possibilities plus projects with a great rubric.

Consider this final project option....

Design a project in the shop. In addition, write an object label (as they do in a gallery or museum), letting visitors know:

1.     The artist's name – that’s you.

2.     The title of the work.

3.     The medium of the work.

4.     The size of the work.

5.     And a didactic text: interpretive/educational texts related to an exhibition, usually written by exhibition curators. 
Also, the price of the work (if applicable).

A Few Tips on Reading in a Digital Age

Remember your success will be determined by your vocabulary which is determined by your reading...

Please consider doing the following:

1. Please suspend or limit your Netflix and curtail your gaming, social media, Snapchat, etc. 

2. Check out this article: These Apps Help You Realize How Much Time You Waste On Your Phone

3. Read with your iPhone on "Airplane Mode" 

From HBR's "Conquer Digital Distractions" - PDF: 

1. Wean yourself from digital devices.

• Allow yourself to check all digital communications, but then shut everything down and silence your phone.

• Set an alarm for 15 minutes.

• When it rings, give yourself one minute for a tech check-in.

• Repeat this process until you’re comfortable increasing your off-grid time to an hour or several hours.

2. Take breaks every 90 minutes.

Our brains work in 90-minute rest-activity cycles, so we need to pause and recharge every hour and a half or so. This is especially true if we’re multitasking with technology, which leads to cognitive overload.

The following activities have a calming effect and will give your brain the break it needs:

• Walk in nature for 10 minutes.

• Listen to music.

• Look at art.

• Exercise.

• Meditate.

3. Keep technology out of your bedroom.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and Mayo Clinic agree that the use of blue-light-emitting LED devices is detrimental to sleep—a critical period that cements what you learned during the day, while removing useless information.

So try their recommendations for unplugging to see what works best for you.

The goal is to block the release of neurotransmitters that energize your brain and instead promote the production of melatonin, which allows you to rest.

THE NSF’S APPROACH - Abstain from devices starting one hour before bedtime.

MAYO CLINIC’S APPROACH

• Dim screens used at night.

• Keep screens 14 inches from your face.

• Remove screens from the room when you’re ready to sleep.

Listen to Note to Self Podcast: "Screens Really are a Nightmare for Sleep"

May we suggest a holiday activity for the family? Sleep... without screens. (Dec 24, 2014)

4. Read old school paper books (with a pen/pencil to annotate and to use as a reading guide).

Recommended listening - about reading:

From Note to Self Podcast:

"There's Just Something About Paper"

Reading on screens is changing your brain and making it harder to finish a thick book. Here's what to do about it. (Jun 10, 2015)

"The 'Bi-literate' Brain: The Key to Reading in a Sea of Screens"

How should you read? Paper or screen? Your brain wants to choose one. Switching back and forth may not be effective. That is, unless you can develop your 'bi-literate' brain.  (Sep 17, 2014)

"The Case for Infomagical"

All of the information you need about information overload. (Jan 25, 2016)

"A Neuroscientist’s Guide to Getting Organized (Plus: Survey!)"

If you had to guess, how many facts have you taken in today? Dr. Daniel Levitin says it's probably way too many to process. (Jan 6, 2016)

From The PBS NewsHour:

"Your devices are probably ruining your productivity. Here’s why"

The habit of multitasking could lower your score on an IQ test and cause other cognitive deficits. (Oct 17, 2016)

Satire and Fake News

"There is no use in multiplying examples. The point is that we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield."

- George Orwell, "In Front of Your Nose"

In order to combat fake news and misinformation, we need to know our journalists and sources for information.

Read:
Fake News http://flip.it/j.5_zA
via @flipboard

OR this Flipboard magazine https://flipboard.com/topic/fakenews

(I look forward to adding your examples to this Flipboard magazine)

Watch this clip of Mr. Clint Watts about why we need to be educated global citizens:

The Russia influence system continues to win. Before and after the election.https://t.co/4l7jI673f1 from @WarOnTheRocks pic.twitter.com/8HvHJz5mwn

— Clint Watts (@selectedwisdom) January 11, 2017 

Watch the full hearing from this weekend.



HOMEWORK:

Write three paragraphs - with three examples of articles, regarding FAKE NEWS

Normally, I would like...

 Worthy Sources - that are PRIMARILY PRINT
(not cable broadcast networks, blogs, websites, etc.):

The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal (need a subscription), The Washington Post,

Scientific American, Nature, National Geographic,

The American Scholar, The Atlantic Monthly,

Foreign Policy, The New Yorker, Harper's,

The Paris Review, Wired, etc.

HOWEVER for this assignment (three paragraphs total):

1. Please post one reliable news source about Fake News
2. One example of satire 
3. One example of fake news

Check out this EXTENSIVE GOOGLE DOC list of fake, satire, and reliable news sites.

Three complete paragraphs - each one should include the following:

1. Embed the links - type (or copy and paste) "select" the title of the article and link
2. Cite the writer(s), the date, and the source (the "publisher")
3. One sentence synopsis of each article.
4. Conclusion:

• Why is it important to discern between credible news and faux news?
• Why did you select your articles and how did you determine them to be credible, satirical, or fake?

Consider these key questions:

• Who paid for this?
• When was this made?
• Who might benefit?
• What is left out of this message that might be important to know?
• How was this shared with the public? 

To fact check stories on the internet:

snopes.com
politifact.com



factcheck.org

The Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut

In order to understand a story, a plot diagram or visual storytelling can illustrate the exposition, rising action, plot points, reversals of fortune, climax, falling action, denouement, and resolution.

While dramatic structure has been analyzed by Aristotle to Gustav Freytag and his pyramid to Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey."

Freytag's Pyramid from mrmadden

Kurt Vonnegut, however, may be the master of graphing the shapes of stories.

by mayaeilam.

From Visually.

How to Write a Short Story according to Kurt Vonnegut

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Islamophobia in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Oskar suffers from PTSD after 9/11 and losing his father.

"Even after a year, I still had an extremely difficult time doing certain things, like taking showers, for some reason, and getting into elevators, obviously. There was a lot of stuff that made me panicky, like suspension bridges, germs, airplanes, fireworks, Arab people on the subway (even though I'm not racist), Arab people in restaurants and coffee shops and other public places, scaffolding, sewers, and subway grates, bags without owners, shoes, people with mustaches, smoke, knots, tall buildings, turbans."

Please WATCH any of these videos:

Article: Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West

"An exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life.^[1]"

Article: "6 Rules Of Islamophobia In America; The Huffington Post tracked Islamophobia in the U.S. throughout 2016. Here’s what we learned."

Article: "Donald Trump has never stopped lying about Muslims"  via @HuffPostRelig

Article on Trump appointees: "How John Bolton and Mike Pompeo mainstreamed Islamophobia" via @voxdotcom

Article: "Islamophobia is on the rise in the US. But so is Islam."

(Listen to the interview.)
"White American men are a bigger domestic terrorist threat than Muslim foreigners" via @voxdotcom



Survey: 'What a Billion Muslims Really Think' 
(Listen to the NPR interview.)

"Top 10 Books About Muslims And Islam" via @HuffPostBooks

"Media stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims are nothing new. In a post-election world, Muslims are finding more allies who often want to help but don’t know much about us. More and more of our fellow Americans have questions and need answers."

"American Muslims and Religious Freedom FAQ" - Interfaith Alliance

More on Islam:


Please share your thoughts on this topic, but include a specific quote from an article or the video.




Quote from transcript:

"If we're going to replace people's misunderstanding of the terrorist threat with an accurate understanding of that threat, I suggest starting with a simple recognition: that even if you added up all of the so-called jihadi fighters in the world, and all these different terrorist groups, the ones who were actually violent threats, you end up with a number that by any reasonable estimate is a less than one percent of the world's roughly one-and-a-half billion Muslims.

And that other ninety-nine percent is the key see that moderate majority is first of all the primary victims. The vast majority of terrorist attacks are not happening in Europe and other Western countries like the United States, as tragic as those attacks are, they're actually relatively rare. Far more terrorist attacks are happening on a daily basis in predominantly Muslim countries with ongoing civil wars and insurgencies. And the vast majority of their victims are Muslims.

So, when you think of it like that, it immediately starts to look more like a common enemy, and you can immediately see the basis for a cooperative relationship between moderate Muslims and non-Muslims working against that common enemy.

Now one of the themes I hear come up a lot a lot is: "Hey if there are moderate Muslims out there, why aren't they stopping this? Why aren't they working against this? What are they doing about this?"

And, again, we've got to start replacing this misinformation with accurate understanding, not only do major terrorist attacks consistently get condemned by Muslim groups, all over the world's expressions of solidarity for the victims.

Not only do you have lots of Muslims working very hard against radicalization and recruitment for these agencies, but you've got moderate Muslims, for example, are the primary soldiers on the ground fighting Isis in the Middle East.

Right now, the overwhelming majority of the soldiers physically fighting Isis right now are other Muslims, but even here in Western countries, there are cases that get ignored.

At our peril, you see we have a tendency to pay a lot of attention to the terrorist attacks that actually happened - and of course, we should - we tend, however, to overlook the terrorist attacks that didn't happen, and we miss learning valuable lessons."



Writer Reza Aslan thinks a Muslim Will and Grace could truly change American perceptions of Islam.