Election 2012

The National Election was held yesterday.  After 18 months of primaries, nomination conventions, debates, print and television ads, it is finally over.  It is time for people to throw away their lawn signs, have billboards removed, and get back to regular commercials trying to sell us products instead of telling us about candidates or issues.

In many ways the 2012 election was very much like every other election.  On a national level, it was two candidates trying to convince the voters why their ideas are better or maybe why the other candidate’s ideas won’t work.  While every election has had its fair share of negative campaigning, 2012 did prove to be one of the more vicious elections.  Some believe it was this viciousness and lack of enthusiasm with either candidate which caused voter turnout to dip lower than 2008 and 2004.  Voter turnout nationally was around 57.5%.

What made 2012 somewhat different was the amount of money spent.  It is estimated between presidential and congressional campaigns close to $5.8 billion was spent.  This number astounds me.  The primary parties responsible for the increase in spending were the numerous Super-PACs (Political Action Committee).   The PACs won a U.S. Supreme Court case (Citizens United vs. Federal Election Committee) which in essence states the spending of money on political campaigns is the equivalent of free speech and should not be regulated or suppressed.  As a result, while direct spending by candidates and political parties was down in 2012, the Super-PAC spending made this the most expensive election in the country’s history.

What do you think of our political process and American politics?  Do you like the ways elections are conducted?  Is there anything you think should be changed about the process?  What is your reaction to the amount of money spent?  Do you think it is money well spent or was it excessive?   

National Bully Prevention Month

Bullying has gained a tremendous amount of attention.  We have heard, seen, or read of horrific acts of bullying, whether through face to face contact, email and Facebook, or spreading rumors.  These despicable acts have at times resulted in senseless acts of violence committed against oneself or one’s neighbor.

October has been given the honor of being National Bullying Prevention Month.  This is the seventh year in a row PACER has promoted bullying prevention education and awareness.  This year, prominent organizations, including Facebook and Yahoo!, as well as distinguished celebrities, such as Annie Thurman from the Hunger Games and Mikey Reid from Victorious, have joined the cause to raise awareness and encourage prevention.

Each day more than 160,000 students stay home from school due to the fear of being bullied.  No one should have to go to school scared.  While we may seem to live in sheltered environment, we would be remiss to assume acts of bullying could not exist at our school or within the city.

Below are links to websites to provide you with additional bullying prevention information and what you can do in our school and community to put an end to bullying.  The sites define what is bullying, explains why kids bully, and provide resources to help if you are bullied or witness bullying.
 
TeensAgainstBullying.org
StopBullyingNow.hrsa.gov

In addition to the Children of Peace, what else can we do in our school to address and prevent bullying?  How would you handle a situation where you saw someone being bullied?  What are some steps we can take to encourage acceptance and tolerance at school and in our community?

Extreme Sports

Felix successfully landed this jump on October 14, 2012

Since the dawn of time, man has been pushing the envelope of what is humanly possible. Through the advancements of technology and the imagination of men and women, every day people accomplish tasks prior generations would never had imagined.

                                                                                                                         

In the past two centuries we have flown through the air, traveled under the sea, and landed on the moon.  As people and as nations we have challenged the laws of physics over and over again.  Sometimes we have done this in order to advance society, other times we have done it simply because nobody thought we could.  As the bar of human accomplishments continues to rise, people are more and more fascinated by these incredible physical acts. 

The most recent extreme event is the jump of Felix Baumgartner.  Felix is an extreme athlete from Australia.  He has spent a majority of his life skydiving and BASE jumping from recognizable landmarks around the globe.  He set the world BASE jumping record when he jumped from the hand of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.  He was the first man to skydive across the English Channel.  His most recent event is now scheduled October 14, when he will attempt to skydive from an all time record of 120,000 feet.

The Red Bull Stratos project is unlike any project ever before.  Felix will take a helium balloon 23 miles into the atmosphere.  Once he reaches the height 120,000 feet, he will open the door, step to the edge and jump.  He is expected to be the first man to break the sound barrier reaching speeds around 620 mph.  Attached is a CGI video.

What are your impressions as you watched the video?  Would you ever be willing to perform extreme sports (with the proper training and conditioning, of course)?  Why or why not? Why do you think mankind is fascinated with taking things to the extreme?  

2012 Presidential Debate

This Wednesday is the first of three presidential debates before the November election.  If you read the news, both candidates are claiming the debate is critical for their election and at the same time trying to downplay expectations. 

Downplaying expectations seems to be a critical piece to debate success.  Trying to get the general population to not expect much from you in order to, ”wow” them at the debate has proven to be an effective strategy.  It seems very backwards to me, but that is probably one of many reasons why I am not running for president. 

The debate will be televised on all major networks and seen by millions of voters and future voters.  While many people know who they are going to vote for, many do not.  The debate is a tool that puts the candidates side by side in order for people to compare. 

The first televised debate took place in 1960, but it was not until 1976 that the debates have become a regular and critical part of the election.  The effects of the 1960 debate and the obscure campaign laws deterred candidates and networks from sponsoring presidential debates.

 In 1960 a young and energetic candidate from Massachusetts stole the show and won the election in the first ever televise debate.  John F. Kennedy looked poised and comfortable when he challenged the favored Richard Nixon to a debate.  It was not only the appearance of Kennedy, but Nixon displaying nerves and sweating which made many people question his leadership ability.  You can understand why all future frontrunners refused to debate until it was no longer an option in 1976. 

The campaign law which required equal television time to be given to all candidates found a loophole which made debates a possibility in 1976.  The candidates were up for the challenge, but also had little room to refuse.  While the debate in 1976 did not swing the voters in the same way as 1960, it did provide Jimmy Carter the opportunity to display his presidential qualities versus incumbent Gerald Ford.

Sitting presidents and incumbents have used the debates to address the public’s perception and neutralize criticisms.  Future President Ronald Reagan used the debate in 1980 to ask the American people if they were better off today than they were four years prior.  This question helped to convince many voters to move away from President Carter.  He used the debates in 1984 to show his humorous side and make a joke out of his age, which was polling as a concern among voters. 

While the debates have proven effective, they have also gone to the point of absurdity.  Polls following the debate measure likability, personality, persuasiveness and other characteristics.  They have fact checkers and analysis which measure everything including the number of nouns and verbs used by a candidate.  For an example of what they measure you can check out the site concerning the 2008 debate.

Lexical Analysis :  http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/debates/

Why do you think the televised debates have become so important in American presidential politics?  Do you think the way a candidate looks should be a reason to vote for or against somebody?  What do you think is the best way for voters who are undecided to choose a candidate?  The debates? Newspapers or news television? Or some other way?

Teacher's Day

September 28 is a Confucian Holiday celebrating the birth of Confucius. It is also celebrated as Teachers' Day. While many confuse Confucius ism with a religion, it is actually more of a philosophy. Confucius was not a priest or a deity, he was a teacher.

Confucius was born around 551 BC in the small state of Lu. He was born into an aristocratic family, although there is debate as to whether he had any money or not. During his life he served many influential people and his teachings became not only fundamental to Confucian philosophy, but to the general Chinese philosophy.

The 6th century BC China was a time of political and social disintegration. Battling officials trying to gain control led to a period of great moral decline, when integrity and principles meant little to ruling classes. Confucius was disgusted by this development. At the time, he was a widely unknown teacher. He attempted to revive society by re-introducing the great moral teachings of the past.

At the cornerstone of his teachings was the belief that ethical considerations should be the guiding principle of government. He did not accept the idea of a strict legal system. He believed the primary task of a ruler was to achieve the welfare and happiness of the people. The ruler should be a role model by monitoring his personal behavior. His strong ethical behaviors would influence the people's behaviors. Customs and voluntary adherence would be the best way to achieve and maintain an orderly society.

Confucius never wrote many of the quotations we see today. After his death, many of his disciples gathered and compiled his teachings. Here are a few quotations:

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

"Forget injuries, never forget kindness."

"He who will not economize will have to agonize."

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

"Respect yourself and others will respect you."

Throughout history, we have seen many teachers influence the world. Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Buddha, and Confucius have significantly changed the world and redefined the way many of us view right from wrong.

Who are the teachers in your life that have influenced you the most? What qualities do they have that make them an effective and influential teacher? If possible, please provide a couple of your favorite sayings learned from your teachers.

Constitution Day

September 17^th is Constitution Day in the United States.  It commemorates the day in which the United States Constitution was signed in 1787.  Remarkably, the US Constitution is the longest active constitution in the world.  While it has been subject to amendments over time, the base intention and structure of the document remains intact much the same way it was in 1787.

The government created by the Constitution was not our first government after the Revolutionary War.  Our first government was created through the Articles of Confederation.  While they were created by incorporating the ideas which were instrumental in the call for independence, they were ineffective at a national and global level. 

State representative met in Philadelphia, PA in May of 1787 to discuss revising the Articles.  Through considerable debate and negotiation, the delegates decided to start over.  What they came up with has guided our government and our country for more than 200 years.

The Constitution begins with the Preamble.  This single sentence sums up the ideas the people had about the government and its role in society.  It reads:

  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

After reading the Preamble, summarize the sentence in your own words.  Based on its content, what concerns did the framers of the Constitution have about the role of government?  Why do you think it has continued to be relevant after 200 years?

September 11

Tuesday of next week marks the eleventh anniversary of the attacks on the United States in New York and Washington, D.C.  While truly tragic, it was also a day which demonstrated the incredible will and strength of the human spirit.  There were as many stories of heroism as there was destruction.  We witnessed countless acts of bravery and selflessness.  And these are only the stories we know.  Many of the incredible stories forever died with the victims.

The following is a brief timeline of the day’s events.

At 8:45 am, the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  The crash instantly killed hundreds of innocent people and trapped hundreds more above the 110^th floor.  While emergency crews sprang into action, a mere 18 minutes later, a second plane crashed into the South Tower.  It was evident to all, this was not a coincidence, the United States was under attack. 

At 9:45 am, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon.  The jet fuel caused a devastating fire causing a small structural collapse. 

15 minutes after the Pentagon crash, the South Tower collapsed.  It was less than one hour from the time the plane crashed into the building to when it fell to the ground.

 At 10:10, the country became aware of a fourth plane wreck.  United Flight 93 had left the Newark airport late.  40 minutes after departure, terrorists took control of the plane.  The passengers on the plane, aware of the events of New York and Washington, decided to take action.  They overtook the terrorist and in the process crashed the plane into a Pennsylvanian field.  All aboard were killed instantly.

At 10:30, the inevitable occurred.  The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.  While the nation watched in awe, the brave firefighters, police officers and other city officials continued to respond to their call to duty.  Due to the devastation created when the Twin Towers collapsed, four other building would fall to the ground during the day. 

As the day concluded we began to hear the devastating carnage from the day.  In New York City approximately 3,000 people were killed, including 343 firefighter and paramedics, 23 police officers and 37 Port Authority officers.  In Washington, DC, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed at the Pentagon in addition to the 64 people on board the flight.  An additional 45 people were killed in the Pennsylvanian field from Flight 93.

How do you think life in America has changed since September 11^th?  Besides what you just read, what else do you know about the day?  Do you think the day should be remember as a tragedy or a triumph? Why?