Beatles cross-national music ready for a 'Happy Christmas' on Fandalism

Richard Trudeau, one of the major producers of upcoming 'Happy Christmas'

Carol Forsloff---Fandalism is a place where music that can make a difference, as the "Beatles"remains a major interest of many, with fans and music who have grown up with it now older and refined musically by their years of practice.  Like the Beatles group musicians admire, those on Fandalism have the originality, creativity and talent that brings the world music that lasts and that music is made contemporary with an extravaganza soon to be released in anticipation of Christmas

Some months ago three musicians from Fandalism, Remco, Yvalain and Glenn,  were able to fuse their talents in such a way that it brought out the abilities of each one of them. Their album, like that of the Beatles, has diversity of theme, beat, and messages, the kind of music that crosses over to a wide audience because of that. The music is reminiscent of some of the more famous groups, like the Beatles, the Everly Brothers and others throughout music history. That's because there is an accent on originality that makes the difference between a group that will be listened to for decades vs one that is forgotten.  The Beatles, however, remains a particularly favorite group because they represent the decades of music.

But the value of the Internet, and the enduring power of the music of the Beatles, combined with many talents is bringing an even greater mix of music in the coming days with an arrangement inspired by Mark Taylor of the United States and Richard Trudeau of Canada respectively.

The value of the Internet can be witnessed in seeing and hearing people from diverse backgrounds working together as some of the best groups have throughout history.  But those groups we have enjoyed over the years, like the Temptations, the Beatles, the Beachboys, the Everly Brothers and many others were able to meet personally and practice.  With the advent of the digital era, however, people from across the world can join talents and create something wonderful in combination with one another.  

That's the case with the musicians on Fandalism.  Many of the performers have formed collaborations, as Remco, Yvalain and Glenn did some months ago with their music, representing as they did the Netherlands, the United States and France.  Now with the broader range of talent present for the Christmas project, the Beatles music for Christmas is likely to be an exciting event. That type of collaboration of skill and quality of music is enjoyed by a wide audience, with collaboration the key to the success of the site.

The greatest collaboration Fandalism has had will be its Christmas special, now just days away.  For fans of the site, and fans of individual musicians, it is important keep abreast of the activities to come, for a "Happy Christmas" will be soon. The music will be at your door of the Internet on November 27 with a cast of some of the best musicians from around the world.  Join the cast and all their fans as they celebrate the Beatles song of generations and more and wish the world the best of the holiday season.

Test scores show greater adult skill proficiencies in Norway, The Netherlands and Sweden

[caption id="attachment_5825" align="alignleft" width="300"] Some get tech training, as costs escalate[/caption]

Gordon Matilla---While it is usual to examine test scores of children to examine educational outcomes, a new research project looks at the achievement of adults with respect to basic literacy, and the results are surprising, as some countries that one would expect to do well lag behind in important areas of literacy and numeracy.

According to the OECD report and outlook,  in most countries, there are significant proportions of adults who score at lower levels of proficiency on the literacy.  Researchers found between 4.9% and 27.7% of adults are proficient only at the lowest levels of the scales used, and there are in many countries large proportions of the population with no experience with or lacking the basic skills.

The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden show the better skills relative to other countries in that less than 7% of 16-65 year-olds are in this lower group with 23% or higher in Italy, Korea, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Spain.

Even among adults with computer skills, most scored at the lowest level of the problem solving in technology-rich environments, with women scoring lower than men.

Research was conducted on adults of working age, as it was found adults who are in the workforce retain many of the skills necessary for everyday living and achievement than those who are not.

Researchers tell us that the variation among the different countries in levels of achievement suggests the differences in learning cultures, learning opportunities that are available at work and adult education.

The goal of the research was to look at the need for adults to continue learning past school age, through work and stimulating environments, with an eye to examining those who best achieve and those who do not, in order to exchange information relative to improvements for those needing basic literacy and numeracy skills.