Haitian Earthquake

News outlets around the world are reporting on the earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday. The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Haiti Chief Says Thousands May Be Dead." The article states, "The earthquake was the worst in the region in more than 200 years and left the country in a shambles, without electricity or phone service, tangling efforts to provide relief to an estimated 3 million people whom the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said had been affected by the quake."

Questions to Consider:

1. What one thing do you think that you and your class or you and your family could do to most effectively help the people of Haiti? How would this helping process work? (Meaning if you were to give money, how would the money ultimately work its way from you to the local people of Haiti?) If you don't have money to give what else could you give? Why would this help?

2. What do you think are the four most important things that a community needs to survive? Why?

3. Do you think that rescue workers are heroes? Why or why not? Perhaps they are just people doing a specific job?

4. What can a terrible important earth quake remind us about life? Do you think that it is important to be reminded of this? Why or why not?

5. Ask two questions about the scientific nature of earthquakes and try and find the answers?

6. Five hundred years from now do you think that earthquakes are still going to have the ability to kill thousands of people or will the scientific community have developed ways to avoid earthquakes? Support your answer thoughtfully.

Questions for Younger Children (or anybody):

1. When you are scared of something what one thing can you do to overcome your fear?

2. Is it important to help other people when they need help? Why or why not?

3. What one thing have you done to help somebody else? Why did this help?

Iranian Physicist Killed

Newspapers around the world are reporting on the assassination of Iranian physicist Masoud Ali Mohammadi. The Washington Post reports, "Masoud Ali Mohammadi was killed as he left his house in the north Tehran neighborhood of Qetariyeh. State television showed images of crying people and houses with broken windows as a burned-out motorcycle was taken away by security forces." The Iranian government has blamed the United States of America and Israel for this assassination.

(Note: I had originally planned on using a link to this BBC page to report this story. However, a video on the page was more graphic than most western videos, so I am only including it here.)

Questions to Consider:

1. Can we learn anything about Iran from the fact that they have blamed the U.S. and Israel very early into this investigation? Why or why not?

2. Do you think it is significant that Mr. Mohammadi's name was on a list of supporters of the political opposition in the last election? Why or why not?

3. Imagine that you were an advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.S. did not orchestrate this assassination. How would you recommend that the President respond to Iranian allegations? Why? What if the U.S. did orchestrate the assassination, how would you recommend that the President respond to the allegations? Why?

4. What three questions, other than "Who was behind the assassination" would you ask about this assassination in order to learn more about it? Why would you ask these three questions?

Questions for Younger Children

1. What is the appropriate way to behave towards somebody who you really dislike? Why?

2. Is it OK to really dislike somebody? Why or why not?

3. Do you think that it is ever OK to hit somebody? Why or why not?

4. What one nice thing would you like to say to somebody else today?

Obama's Dialect

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "In Reid's Comments, Hints of Obama's Own Words." According to the article, President Obama once said, "“We have a certain script in our politics, and one of the scripts for black politicians is that for them to be authentically black they have to somehow offend white people...And then if he puts a multiracial coalition together, he must somehow be compromising the efforts of the African-American community...To use a street term...we flipped the script.”

A previous New York Times article quotes Senator Harry Reid as saying, "Barack Obama could become the country’s first black president because he was 'light-skinned' and had 'no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.'" This statement has generated a great deal of controversy and even calls for Reid's resignation. President Obama quickly forgave his Democratic colleague for any potential offense.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think that Harry Reid's comments have generated controversy. Did he say anything rude or racial? Explain!

2. Do you think that people tend to speak in different ways in front of different audiences, or with different groups of people? Why would they do this?

3. Some people would argue that a sign of maturity is knowing how to behave in appropriate ways in different situations. Would you agree with this opinion? Why or why not? What does it mean to be mature?

4. Many have compared Senator Reid's comments to those made by Senator Trent Lott racially tinged comment made in 2002 when he said that the United States would be a better place if Strom Thurmond had won the Presidency. Strom Thurmond supported segregation when he ran for President years ago. Senator Lott was forced to step down from his position as majority leader because of his comment. Do you think that Senator Reid should suffer a consequence as a result of his statement? Why or why not?

5. Do you think that Republicans who are calling for Senator Reid to step down really believe that he did something terribly wrong? Why or why not?

Questions for Younger Children

1. Do you think that people should behave differently in different situations? Is it ever acceptable to run and scream? Why or why not? Is it ever unacceptable to run and scream? Why or why not?

2. Do you ever speak in different kinds of voices? Why might some people do this?

3. Have you ever done something and been punished for it but then seen somebody else do the same thing and not get punished? What did you do? Why do you think that you were punished but somebody else was not punished?

Gay Marriage

Newsweek is running an article entitled, "The Conscience of a Conservative." The subtitle asks, "The lifelong Republican who argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court—and won—goes to court this week to overturn California's ban on gay marriage. Huh?"

Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think that conservative friends have asked Mr. Olson when he decided that he was for gay marriage? Do all conservatives, or all liberals, have to agree on everything? Why or why not?

2. Think of a specific debatable issue? What are the different sides of that issue? If individuals are on the same side of the issue can there still be disagreements between them? What kinds of disagreements? (What does it mean intellectually to belong to a political party? What does it mean to take a particular side in a debate in the classroom? )

3. Define the term marriage? What are the most important things about a marriage? What parts of a marriage are unimportant? Why?

4. Do you think that there are things that a government should tell a person that he may or may not do? Why? In what kinds of ways, if any, should a government be able to govern the behavior of individuals? In what kinds of ways, if any, should a government not be able to govern the behavior of individuals?

5. The government of the United States allows married couples to receive certain tax benefits. Should homosexual people who marry be allowed to enjoy the same tax benefits as heterosexuals? Why or why not?

Gilbert Arenas

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Who is Gilbert Arenas? Even He Doesn't Seem to Know." Earlier this week, NBA Commissioner David Stearn indefinitely suspended Arenas from playing in the professional basketball league because he pulled out several guns in the locker room. Sally Jenkins the author writes, "Arenas bears a series of tattoos on his legs that he calls Black Rushmore: images of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama. When he first displayed them, they seemed nobler than the usual body art, more interesting than the inked tiger on his chest. They bespoke a guy who, beneath his teasing, was susceptible to meaning, conscious of things beyond himself. But now they just seem like costuming. The guy might as well have tattooed a feather boa onto his neck, for all the emblems seem to mean to him."

Questions to Consider

1. What do you think are the major reasons that people sometimes act foolishly?

2. If you could ask Gilbert Arenas one question in addition to "Why did you do it?" what would you ask him? Why?

3. Do you think that adults have tendencies to fall back on childish behaviors at times? Why or why not?

4. Do you think that professional athletes should be role models? See if you can answer this question from multiple perspectives.

Retail Stores Sales Up

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Retailers See Holiday Sales Rebound from Grim 2008." The article reports, "Retailers as varied as Costco and Saks posted robust year-over-year increases at stores open at least a year, a crucial measure of retail health known as same-store sales. Some chains — TJX Companies, Ross Stores and Aeropostale — reported double-digit increases. And a number of retailers raised their earnings estimates, suggesting the nation’s stores are in the early stages of a turnaround." However, the article also states, "Mid-priced department stores, a sector that has been struggling for a while, posted some of the month’s weakest numbers. Sales declined 7 percent at Dillard's, 3.8 percent at J.C. Penney, 2.6 percent at Bon-Ton Stores, and 2 percent at Stein-Mart."

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think that sales typically increased at high end stores but stagnated or shrunk at mid-priced tiers?

2. Within your community have you seen any evidence that the economy is rebounding? Explain!

3. Explain the difference between discretionary spending and non-discretionary spending?

4. If you could do one thing to try and promote consumer spending what would you do? Why?

RIP Brittany Murphy

Newspapers across the English speaking world are reporting on Brittany Murphy's death. The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Hospital: Actress Brittany Murphy Dead at Age 32." The article begins, "Brittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the sleeper hit "Clueless" and rose to stardom in "8 Mile," has died in Los Angeles. She was 32." According to the Washington Post, "She is best known for parts in 'Girl, Interrupted,' 'Clueless' and '8 Mile.'"

At this holiday season, what can we learn from the death of a young woman of only 32 years old?

Ashton Kutcher tweeted, "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine..." What does it mean to be "a little piece of sunshine?" What does it take to be "a little piece of sunshine?"

Brittany Murphy had a dream to become an actress. She achieved it. What is your goal? Is it OK for adults to have dreams similar to a child's dream of entering a specific profession? Why or why not?

Brittany Murphy's mother sold her home in New Jersey so that she could move with Brittany to L.A. Do you think that parents should make major changes in their own lives if it benefits their children? What changes should parents make? What changes should parents not make? Why?