Bust of Distinguished Indian Poet to be installed at AlphaMax Academy on Sat 14May

Alphamax Academy has been selected as the site for a bust of  Dr. Rabindrath Tagore. Tagore is India's most celebrated person in the arts. He is India’s Poet Laureate, Bengali Poet & Writer, Nobel Prize Winner, International Humanist & Educator, Artist, Dramatist, Dance Choreographer, Music Composer, Song Writer, Singer, Educator, Philosopher, Spiritualist, Orator

Born in Bengal, India, Rabindranath Tagore was the youngest and fourteenth child of his parents, Devendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. He was born into a distinguished family. His brothers and sisters excelled as poets, musicians, playwrights and novelists; thus, the Tagore home was filled with musical, literary, and dramatic pursuits. 

Bosbivak Easter Camp

Bosbivak Easter Camp

Last Easter two groups of students ( one male, the other female) went to a nature camp at  the Bosbivak Nationaal Leger’s camp.  from April 16^th – 20^th, 2011  30 Academy high school students and teachers took part in the camp where they learned preliminary camp training and  survival skills. 

The camp for boys / males took  place from April 16^th – 18^th, and  the one for the girls / females, took place on April 18^th – 20^th.  The camp and training experience was under the direction of Staff Sergeant Lucien Vroom,

AMA Staff who went to this camp included Mr. & Mrs Taylor, Mr.Ben Hur Henry and Ms Manhaz  Kohinory.

Read Jason Hoppie"s Prize winning essay on his experience at this camp.

AMA's Xiomara Getrouw Represents Suriname in Miami Half Marathon

Xiomara Getrouw is a sixteen-year-old student of AlphaMax Academy  She is involved in swimming, athletics and triathlon.

Her mother who was an athlete influenced Xiomarar to pursue sports.  Xiomara likes sports because she knows that it is good for her health and it helps her with her studies.

Xiomara Getrouw started sports when she was only six years old and has been doing it for ten years.  She does not belong to a club because she feels that such a commitment  would  adversely affect her studies.  Therefore, she has chosen to train individually.. She thinks this also helps her to concentrate properly.

In the national  marathon  held on November 20, 2010, Xiomara was the first female in her age group to complete the 42 km marathon.  Since she did so  well in the Suriname marathon, the manager of the Gazelle organization, Mr. MacDonald asked her. to participate in a 21 km marathon in Miami on the 30th January, 2011

According to Xiomara, the objective of marathon in Miami was to bring together runners from several countries.  While taking part in this marathon  she met other athletes in her own age group and others  who were on a higher level.  Many spectators  turned out to cheer  on the runners throughout the marathon.  Xiomara also complimented the US  Club for  their excellent organization and  publicity work..

Xiomara hopes that other runners in Suriname will take part in Marathons like these because she thinks it is a good experience to compete with runners from other countries.

The experience in the Miami marathon has motivated Xiomara to aim for the highest levels of performance in her future marathons competitions.

Xiomara  has just participated in Suriname's Sprint Distance Triathlon and won the second prize for women in all age groups and the first prize for females in her age group

Tiffany Hoashin

Japan nuclear alert at Fukushima - Q&A

There have been a number of explosions and fires at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, following Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

Four of the plant's six reactors have been in trouble. How great a danger do these problems pose for people in Japan and further afield?

Has there been a leakage of radioactive material?

Yes. Harmful levels of radiation have caused at least one temporary evacuation of staff at the power plant. Higher than normal, but harmless, levels of radiation have been registered in Tokyo, 140 miles (220km) away.

How much radioactive material has been released?

The World Health Organization's representative in China says there is no evidence of any significant international spread of radiation.

What type of radioactive material has escaped?

There are reports of radioactive isotopes of caesium and iodine in the vicinity of the plant. Experts say it would be natural for radioactive isotopes of nitrogen and argon to have escaped as well. There is no evidence that any uranium or plutonium has escaped.

What harm do these radioactive materials cause?

Radioactive iodine could be harmful to young people living near the plant. After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster there were some cases of thyroid cancer as a result. However, people who are promptly issued with iodine tablets ought to be safe. Radioactive caesium accumulates in soft tissue, while plutonium accumulates in the bone and liver. Radioactive nitrogen decays within seconds of its release, and argon poses no threat to health.

Q&A: Health effects of radiation

How did the radioactive materials escape?

In at least two ways. Some is known to have escaped as a result of steam and gas released from overheating reactors. There has also been a release from the fourth reactor's fuel storage pond, which was damaged in an explosion, and caught fire.

Surprise 'critical' warning raises nuclear fears

Could radioactive materials have escaped by any other means?

The authorities have pumped seawater into three reactors. This water is likely to have been contaminated by its passage through the reactor, but it is currently unclear whether any of it has been released into the environment.

How long will any contamination last?

Radioactive iodine decays quite quickly. Most will have disappeared within a month. Radioactive caesium does not last long in the body - most has gone within a year. However, it lingers in the environment and can continue to present a problem for many years.

Has there been a meltdown?

The term "meltdown" is used in a variety of ways. Some of the metal encasing fuel rods have been damaged by heat, and may have partially melted (a "fuel-rod meltdown"). However, there is as yet no indication that the uranium fuel itself has melted. Still less is there any indication of a "China Syndrome" where the fuel melts, gathers below the reactor and resumes a chain reaction, that enables it to melt everything in its way, and bore a path deep into the earth. If there were to be a serious meltdown, the Japanese reactor is supposed to be able to handle it, preventing the China Syndrome from taking place.

Could there be a Chernobyl-like disaster?

Experts say this is highly unlikely. The chain reaction at all Fukushima reactors has ceased. The explosions that have occurred have mostly taken place outside the steel and concrete containment vessels enclosing the reactors. At Chernobyl an explosion exposed the core of the reactor to the air, and a fire raged for days sending its contents in a plume up into the atmosphere. At Fukushima the explosions have damaged mainly the roof and walls erected around the containment vessels - though it is feared the steel and concrete containment vessel of reactor number two has been damaged. Even if a reactor at Fukushima were to explode - according to the UK government's chief scientific adviser - it would send radioactive material only 500m into the air (rather than 9,000m) and the fallout would be concentrated within 20km or 30km of the site.

Could there be a nuclear explosion?

The explosions so far have been caused by hydrogen released from the reactors. At Chernobyl there may have been a nuclear explosion in the reactor, but this has not been confirmed.

What caused the hydrogen release from the reactor?

At high temperatures, steam can separate into hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of zirconium, the metal used for encasing the reactor fuel. This mixture is highly explosive.

How do iodine tablets work?

If the body has all the iodine it needs, it will not absorb further iodine. The tablets fill the body up with non-radioactive iodine, which prevent it absorbing radioactive iodine from contaminated milk, or other food sources.

What kind of radiation levels have been recorded at Fukushima?

Levels as high as 400 millisieverts per hour have been registered at the plant itself. A couple of hours exposed to this dose-level could cause radiation sickness. However, for long periods since the crisis began, the level has been at 10 millisieverts per hour or lower. (A spinal X-ray delivers roughly one millisievert of radiation, a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis has an effective dose of 15 millisieverts.) On Monday morning the level was as low as 0.02 millisieverts per hour - only a few times more intense than the level of radiation experienced on a passenger jet flying at 40,000 feet.

Is any level of exposure to radiation safe?

In some parts of the world, natural background radiation is significantly higher than others - for example in Cornwall, in south-west England. And yet people live in Cornwall, and many others gladly visit the area. Similarly, every international air flight exposes passengers to higher than normal levels of radiation - and yet people still fly, and cabin crews spend large amounts of time exposed to this radiation. Patients in hospitals regularly undergo X-rays. Scientists dispute whether any level of exposure to radiation is entirely safe, but exposure to some level of radiation - whether at normal background levels or higher - is a fact of life.

Words of Wisdom for Our Age of Transformation

“We stand before this great world.

The Truth of our life depends upon our attitude of mind towards it –

an attitude which is formed by our habit of dealing with it

according to the special circumstance of our surroundings and our temperaments.

 It guides our attempts to establish relations with the universe

either by conquest or by union,

either through the cultivation of power or through that of sympathy. 

And thus, in our realization of the truth of existence,

we put our emphasis either upon the principle of dualism or upon the principle of unity.”

                       

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

India’s Poet Laureate

AMA Seniors Go On Boat Trip

On the 11th of February, 2011, a group of students from the AlphaMax Academy, went ton a boat trip along the Suriname and Commenwijne rives as part of a history project on Suriname. We did the trip on a boat owned by Suriname's most famous writer of historical fiction-- Cynthia Mc Leod.The name of ther boat is “Sweet Merodia”; sweet roots . Her boat was named after Cyntia’s first novel “the cost of sugar” and Merodia comes from the apartment “Merode” were Cyntia stayed in Belgium whille writing the novel..

This boat trip gives people the opportunity to see and learn about Suriname’s history. Mrs MLleod makes the trip available to schoolchildren free of ccharge. The Dutch ambassador made a donation of 25,000 guilders to help Cyntia made the boat sea worthy.. Telling people about Suriname’s history, Cyntia through this trip on the Sweet Merodia has been a success. Here is a brief description of my experience on the trip.

On the trip there was a woman who told us stories connected to the places we were seeing. As we were nearing the Commewijne river, she told us we should see the border line between the Suriname rivier and the Comewijne river as well as excited dolphins who would be jumping around the boat. Unfortunately, we did not see any of this. Because I ,however, had been on a previous trip and had seen this..

Written by Sharen Vess Schaap

While sailing past the Antondragtonweg, the lady told us that in this area lay plantations, all with French names-- Tourtonne, Marethraite. Around the year 1685, the rich French Huguenots, religious refugees, went to Holland and in Holland it was arranged for them to come to Suriname to set up plantations . These Huguenots were so rich that you could tell teir wealth from the height of their front step; the higher the steps the richer they were.

Years after that, in 1750, there was a place called Hoer Helena. This place was named after a woman who used to be a prostitute as well as the governor’s partner outside his marriage. During that period the term prostitute was quite norma. Later the place's name from “Hoer Helena” to “Orleane Kreek”.

Our guide then continued her stories of Suriname’s history by telling us that, in 1650, Lord Wiloughby came here to establish a colony for England. He came to our country and created ae fortress, Fortress Wiloughby. After seventten years in 1667, a Dutchman , Abraham saw the potential of Suriname and came with three ships, each having 2 guns.. Wiloughby had only 2 guns and the war lasted for exactly one hour and Suriname became a colony of Holland until the 25th of November 1975. Abraham changed the name of the Fortress to Zeelandia,. He also wanted to change the name “Paramaribo” into New Middelburg” , but unfortunately, the ship that had the legal papers with the name change sank and this never happened.

We now found ourselves sailing on the Commewijne river, passing New Amsterdam, which has an open air museum. One significant element of this old plantation is the statue of “Alonso de Ageda, the peering man”, made by Erwin de Vries in 1968. He stands with his back against the river and looking to the fertile ground of New Amsterdam. Near this plantation lies plantation “Rust en Werk”. During the period of 1750, this plantation used to produce coffee, sugar, and tobacco. After the emancipation in 1863, indentured workers from British India and Java came to work on these fields. Because India was a colony of England then, Holland needed permission for the Immigrants to come to Suriname. After the world wars, however, nothing was done on these plantation and many former indentured laborers came to Paramaribo and stated businesses. Plantation Rust en Werk belongs to the family of Armand van Alen, who owned seven plantations in total. In the second half of the 18th century there were a lot of plantation, because Suriname was then important for her agriculture.

When we arrived at Rust en Werk, we were introduced to two iresidents . They spoke about their work, which was processing dried shrimp. This happens as follows: the shrimps are cooked in salt water and afterwards dried in the sun. They are than put in a sack and knocked so that their shells get loosened. At last they are put into a big strainer and the shrimp and the loose shells are than divided.

This plantation looks like a farm.. I saw many cows, goats, coconut trees and there was one special tamarind tree.. This tree is 350 years old! The plantation once had hundreds of tamarind trees, but because there was a practice of using whips from these trees to beat slaves. Eventually the trees died out. What few people know is that these treescan grow older than a thousand years old., for example, The tamarind trees on the Independence square , for example, has been there from 1650..

Walking further we saw a huge bowl called “kappa” which was used to process sugar. The slaves had to stand next to this hot pot of sugar that would burn their body when getting in touch with it. Nowadays people use this term “kappa” to talk about somebody’s mouth in a rude way by saying “hold your big kappa”. I would really have like d to see the small cemetery with four graves from the past but for some reason we were not allowed. In these graves lay 2 daughters of Governor Crommelin, one with the age of 17 and the other 29, a brother in law, and an unknown grave from which indentured laborers used stones to built their floors. We had the opportunity to drink and eat something from the little bar that was available. We only spent half an hour on this plantation was half an hour..

On our way to the next plantation, our tour guide told us about the next plantation we were about to go to, named Pl. Frederiksdorp. This plantation produced coffee and cocoa. In 1785 it belonged to Mr. Knuppel and later his two daughters inherited all. They sold it to a new owner and this owner sold it again to the current owner Ton Hagenmeyer. He has been the ownert for 25 years. He wanted to make this place suitable for the Indian indentured workers so he decided to have a doctor there, a school,a police officer and from that a community group. One of the houses you could see had two black chairs which were the two dentist chairs. One of the most significant places we saw was the old coffee drying floor which is made of limestone and is still in its original form since 1750. There was also a big tank that was filled with rainwater, which was used by the people back then.

After having seen these historical monuments, my fellow students and I had the opportunity to walk around. We enjoyed the nice environment . When it was time to head back to the boat, it meant that we had to head back home. While heading back we did our presentation of the book “Elisabeth Samson “and turned our attention to the exciting and horrible stories of the past.
Written by Sharen Vuss Schaap

HISTORIC VISIT BY QUEEN’S COLLEGE STUDENTS TO SURINAME

Groundings with their AlphaMax Fellows & Colleagues

On Wednesday, March 2nd, 60 students from Queen’s College, the leading Middelbare high-school in Georgetown, Guyana, met and interacted with more than 30 high school students from the AlphaMax Academy in Paramaribo.

Under the theme, “Youth, Agriculture & the Earth’s Future,” the students from the two English schools followed power-point and video presentations, and discussed organic agriculture and technology at the Anton de Kom University Lecture Hall.

The program was organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture in collaboration with the AlphaMax Academy, the Suriname Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Guyana, and Queen’s College, Guyana.

Following a presentation by Suriname’s IICA Representative, Cromwell Crawford, about the mission and work of the organization in Suriname and the Americas, Suriname's Minister of Labour, Technology & the Environment, Ginmardo Kromosoeto, addressed the students and teachers from both schools about the importance of this cross-border meeting between students of two top schools.

Video presentations on organic agriculture and solar dehydration technology developed with know-how and expertise from Guyana and Suriname were followed by lively discussions, and a question and answer period about forging a path of cooperation.

During their five-day visit – the first of its kind – the agriculture-science students from Queen’s College also visited CELOS, NATIN, and Guiana Sea Foods.  They also met with representatives from the national youth parliament of Suriname.  The Queen’s College students and their five instructors returned to Georgetown, Guyana, on Saturday, March 5th.

Barca and how the Spanish Civil War affected its fortunes

I myself think that these guys are THE BEST TEAM EVER!!!! AND MOST OF THEM ARE REALLY CUTE!!!!!!
                    BARCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!


  FC Barcelona was born as a club on 22th of October 1899, and the club gradually grew from 1899-1922.  As both the fans and non-fans know, Barcelona is a Spanish professional football\soccer team, and might I add, one of the best.  FC Barcelona is said to be the ''most successful club in Spanish football" and "one of the most successful clubs in European football".  (Wikipedia)

Having titles such as La Liga title, Spanish Cups, Spanish Super Cups, League Cups, and UEFA competitions, FC Barcelona became the world's second richest football club.  They would have been first, if it were not for their arch enemy, Real Madrid. (Wikipedia)

Real Madrid is also a Spanish professional football\soccer team, and do not get me wrong they are a very good team, but I just think (as a FC Barcelona fan, things might become a little subjective) that FC Barcelona is much better.  As is said, there are major changes taking place all over the world, and maybe one of them will be that FC Barcelona will rise much higher than Real Madrid, since they have already passed Chelsea.

 What I never knew was that the history of Spain  had quite an impact on the club.

   Bill Shankly,the late Liverpool coach once said that, "Some people think football is a matter of life and death.  I assure you it's much more serious than that."  William Wilkes then states’ ‘Nowhere, does Shankly's statement have more resonance than in Barcelona, Spain."  Here is why:

  Francisco Franco was the leader of the group known as the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War.  Franco and the military participated in a coup against the Republican government. The coup failed but it caused a civil war. This civil war lasted from 1936 to 1939.It was a brutal war and thousands died.

At that time Barcelona was the capital city of Catalonia' four provinces, Catalonia is one of the Kingdoms of Spain's seventeen autonomous communities.  Barcelona was the biggest center of  resistance to the fascist Nationalists who were trying to take power  which they eventually did.  This event had consequences for Club Barcelona, who had to change its Catalan name from FC Barcelona to CF Barcelona.

There were more terrible acts.  Josep Garriga, who was Barcelona's left-wing president, was killed by the fascist's soldiers. The Nationalists also dropped a bomb on Barcelona's social club.

Barcelona was in a critical state, and for many years they were left behind Real Madrid, the Nationalist’s own club.  Of course the new Fascist government then favored Madrid over Barcelona, and a lot of opportunities  were lost to Real Madrid.

 Fortunately for Barcelona in 1974, Franco died and the nationalist power began slipping away.  Barcelona could breathe again.  The first thing they did was change the name back to FC Barcelona, and  Johan Cruyff, who is considered one of the best European football players, joined FC Barcelona and brought back the spirit and the exciting, graceful style of football.

 This is FC Barcelona's history and look where they're now!!" For FC Barcelona, football is not just a matter of life and death, it's about history, resistance and freedom.", and this is shown in the way they are playing now.  They made it, and now to keep going!!!!
Reann Kersenhout


        
    

AlphaMax Students and Staff get a Glimpse of the Power of Vedic Mathematics

  On October 6^th 2010 Mr. Rajendra Prakash Jain, an Indian Gandhian scholar gave a brief introduction and demonstration of Vedic Mathematics  for AlphaMax High School students and staff. Mr. Jain was in Suriname as part of the program of activities by the Indian Embassy and Indian Cultural Centre to celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
Vedic Mathematics is based on the Vedas, the most ancient of Indian scriptures. Mr. Jain explained that with the use of Vedic Mathematics one can make calculations very fast, often faster than with a calculator. He suggests that contemporary over-reliance on the use calculators is not a good thing and one of the benefits of Vedic mathematics is the removal of this dependence on calculators
Two examples of Vedic Mathematics that Mr. Jain gave are:
1. Multiplying two numbers each consisting of two digits, of which the first two digits are equal to each other and the sum of the other digits equals 10, e.g. 37x33, 45x45, 92x98:
37 x 33 -> the first digit x (first digit + 1), this is 3 x (3 + 1) = 12 -> second digit x second digit, this is 7 x 3 = 21.
Write the results in succession: 1221. 
2. Multiplying two numbers, which are equal to each other and are somewhat less than positive integer powers of 10 (10, 100, 1000, 10,000, etc.), e.g.  996 x 996 -> 996 is somewhat less  than 1000 -> 1000 - 996 = 4 -> 996-4 = 992 -> take the three zeros of the thousand and replace the latter by the 4 -> 004 x 004 = 016. 
Write the results consecutively: 992016.
A third example that I have added is
 Subtract fractions), e.g.
6 _   2
7      3
Multiply crosswise and subtract: 6 x 3 = 18, 2 x 7 = 14 -> 18 - 14 = 4 (that is the numerator of the fraction),
7 x 3 = 21 (that the denominator of the fraction).
Mr. Jain also said that many universities and schools in India now have Vedic Mathematics in their curriculum. Some have integrated it into the Western Mathematics program. He mentioned that there are now educational institutions that specifically teach Vedic Mathematics in some countries.

Students, teachers, and directors were very enthusiastic about Mr. Jain’s presentation. Mr. Krak, Deputy Director and Head of the Math and Science program announced that AlphaMax Academy would like to include Vedic Mathematics in the curriculum. If you would like to know more about Vedic Maths a good website to visit is www.FastMaths.com.
Mr. Atma Jagbandhan,
Science and Math Instructor 

Gandhi Seminar

On October 13^th 2010 the Embassy of India in Suriname and the Indian Cultural Centre organized a “Seminar on Mahatma Gandhi” as part of their program of activities to mark the late Mahatma’s Birthday. 

The AlphaMax Academy participated by contributing a PowerPoint presentation and a reading. The subject for the presentation was Gandhi’s Concept of Satyagraha which was based on students’ essays written last years. Out of these essays Shafeek Nazir made a beautiful PowerPoint presentation titled “Where have all the Gandhi’s gone? Part 2”. Part 1 was a speech presented last year by Mr. Sean Taylor, the director of the AlphaMax Academy.

Mr.  Atma Jagbandhan