Current Events – Awesome Stories

New Member-Created AwesomeStory: The Boy Who Became the Dalai Lama

child Dalai Lama — the Dalai Lama as a child

Item! Pope Francis isn’t the only Holiness worth knowing about. Who are we talking about? Tenzin Gyatso aka the Dalai Lama. That’s right, Awesome Teacher Leader and site author extraordinaire Kay Teehan delivers another useful piece of research.

Awesome stories comprises thousands of stories authored by found Carole Bos and we are increasingly expanding with contributions through user/member/leader-generated content. Check out how to become a Maker through our story building program.

Fun fact about the Dalai Lama: it is believed that the Dalai Lama is the same soul, reincarnated over and over again through living beings. The current holder of the position was envisioned by a monk who saw the house where the future Lama lived. The recently deceased Lama’s head repeatedly pointed in the direction (north west) where earthly body of the new Lama could be found, no matter how many times the monks tried to reposition the head to face forward. Find out more of his Holiness’s amazing story here.

Kay Teehan is already a prolific contributor at Awesome Stories, please read more of her stories in our database. Her enthusiasm and volume of contribution is no surprise considering her years of teaching at many levels focusing on utilizing technology and online resources to maximize engagement with academic studies…she’s written three books on the subject!

Now you can write your own AwesomeStories!

Join as a member or as a free trial member and use AwesomeStoryMaker to create your own!

Pope Francis Primer

Obama Francis Vatican — President Obama meet Pope Francis in the Vatican, 2014.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio in Argentina is considered a very modern and progressive pope, as well as a more humble and approachable pope than those of the past. Francis is a pope of firsts, first Jesuit pope, first from the Americas and first from South America. Pope Francis has made fighting poverty one of his chief causes.

While maintaining traditional Catholic stances opposing contraception, abortion and homosexuality Francis’s greatest principal is that of Jesus’s teachings of mercy. Therefore, though he condemns certain practices as immoral he does not condemn the practitioners themselves, believing all beings to be deserving of love and compassion. Francis has also championed open dialogue with and acceptance of other faiths including Judaism, Islam,Protestantism, Atheism and has worked to mend the over 1000 year rift with Orthodox Christianity.

In an unusual precedent of diplomacy US President Barack Obama enlisted Pope Francis to aide in reopening relations with Cuba which he successfully shepherded to completion. Only two years into his papacy Pope Francis continues to surprise including his acknowledgement of and concern regarding climate change. His historic visit to the United States in September 2015 is sure to include new revelations on not just his stances but his whole manner and approach to interacting with all beings, not only Catholics.

This Week: van Gogh’s “Lover’s Lane” Sells for $66.3 Million

Vincent van Gogh felt he was a failure in his lifetime, borrowing money for food and paints from his brother Theo. If only Vincent could know that his painting of the Alyscamps cemetery in France sold May 5, 2015 for $66.3 million!

Read our StoryBrief about his trip to the cemetery with Paul Gaugin and how one artist influenced the other to paint beyond what was immediately seen.

And our multi-chapter Vincent van Gogh Story provides yet more insight into the life of this artist who changed how we all see things.

For tips on how to leverage natural student interest in van Gogh’s art and life, take a look at longtime adjunct professor Sandie Linn’s StoryBrief “Teaching with AwesomeStories Vincent van Gogh Story to Deepen Reading, Reflection and Writing for ESL Students”.