A 21st Century News Story

Appropriately so, Haiti continues to dominate international news. I will not typically focus on the same story more than once, let alone three times. However in this case, it seems inappropriate not to do so. However rather than asking specific questions about a story, you will see that I have done something different.

These questions stem from the New York Times' homepage.

Questions to Consider:

1. If a single picture can tell a thousand words, look at these pictures and describe what you see. Do you think that a single picture really can tell a thousand words? Why or why not?

2. Open this Web page of missing people. What does Twenty First Century technology enable both newspapers and readers to do that never would have been possible without the development of this technology? Do you think that these technologies always fulfill a valuable purpose? Why or why not?

3. Consider the satellite images of Haiti available here. What can you actually see on these images? (Do not simply focus on the pictures, but also the words.) In what ways do you think that this technology might improve within the next 16 months?

4. Patiently watch the video contained on this page. In what ways is the learning experience from watching this video different from simply reading a newspaper article? Do you think that there will ever be a time when all news will be transmitted in video instead of in written text? Why or why not?

Questions for Younger Children and Everybody Else:

1. In 20 years how do you think that technology will be different than it is today?

2. Do you think it is important to know what is happening in far away places? Why or why not?

3. If you could invent one thing to help people know what is happening in places when they are not there what would you invent? Why?

An International Response to Haiti

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Tens of Thousands Feared Dead after Earthquake as Rescue Teams Reach Haiti." The article states, "Early Thursday, an Air China plane carrying a search-and-rescue crew, medics, seismological experts and tons of supplies landed at the Port-au-Prince airport, followed by three French planes with aid and a mobile hospital, the Associated Press reported. A British relief team arrived in neighboring Dominican Republic... Brazil has sent three jets carrying 21 tons of equipment, and many countries have pledged money. Spain has sent planes with surgical teams. The Israeli army dispatched two planeloads of rescue personnel and equipment to set up a field hospital, the AP said."

Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think it's often easier for countries to work together in times of catastrophe than at other times? What meaningful objectives do you think that the world might be able to accomplish if many countries could work together effectively all of the time? Why?

2. Not mentioned in this article, Pat Robertson explained that the Haitian earthquake was the rest of a pact that former slaves made with the devil, in the 1700s, to end slavery. Do you believe that something as terrible as this earthquake could be caused by the wrath of God? Why or why not? Is there a difference between believing that something could be caused by the wrath of God and believing that something is caused by this wrath? Explain!

3. If you could say one thing to the people of Haiti right now, in addition to "Hang in there" what would it be? Why? Think of something provocative that others have not already said.

4. Imagine that you were an advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or President Obama, what specific things should they be doing right now to help the people of Haiti? (Consider the fact that they each oversee huge bureaucracies and are therefore going to play leadership roles.)

5. Consider some of the pictures contained in this newspaper article and describe what you see.

Questions for Younger Children and Anyone Else:

1. Why do you think it is sometimes easier to not work with other people?

2. Do you think that it is ever important to work with other people? Why or why not?

3. Describe one thing that you have accomplished because you were working with other people.

4. Is there ever a time when you should not do what other people are doing? Explain!

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.