A 2006 version of the McDonald's Dollar Menu. How many of you could live on a bottled water and a double cheeseburger, for the ENTIRE day? Especially day after day? Great article on the effects of the dollar menu in today's economy: CBS.com - Cheap Food Trumps Healthy Dining During Recession.
Good afternoon class!
Thanks for another interesting day! I hope that really delving into learning some content on the Middle East was an enjoyable experience! I know that there are times when PowerPoints and lectures are really boring and that you do not see the point. However, I can assure you that it is all very much related to what we are doing in class and you personally. There is really SO MUCH there to think about and consider, especially when you think about our essential questions for the day.
Essential Questions: In what ways are cultures and countries interconnected? What is the impact of religion on policy in the Middle East? - Question for those that are diligent in actually reading this: what is one thing that we talked about today that connects countries?
Soundtrack: "It Takes Two" by Zac Efron. Chosen, like I said in class, because I went into my iTunes folder and searched for "two" - and also because I wanted to appeal to some of the fans of musicals in the class. This song is from the Hairspray soundtrack.
AGENDA 4/30/09: News Brief The (Two) Dollar Menu Middle East PowerPoint Women in Afghanistan Brandon Roy
First, look over the PowerPoint below and your notes, because it is very much related to what we will be doing in the next few days!
I will talk about this a little more in the "Brandon Roy" section, but again, with the late work: please, please do not lose hope or give up on getting things revised and turned in. I am absolutely here to help and work with you on everything. Come in and see me during your lunch period, after school, before school, or even easier, e-mail me at luke_fritz@beavton.k12.or.us and I will get back to you ASAP.
News Brief: Austin brought in an article about relations between the United States and the United Arab Emirates: CNN.com - Torture tape delays U.S.-UAE nuclear deal, say U.S. officials. This led into a really interesting discussion about torture in the United States, and the press conference President Obama held last night, on the 100th day of being in office.
But no matter how hard one tries, one cannot credibly argue that, while waterboarding was a crime when committed by the Japanese in World War II, it is not a crime when committed by the United States in the 21st Century.
Bush administration veterans, led by Cheney, are poised to renew a high-volume debate over the efficacy of the interrogation methods and, more broadly, the approach to terrorism that Obama's predecessor took after Sept. 11, 2001. Cheney called this week for the release of more memos that he said would demonstrate how effective the tactics were. And in an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity, he made it clear that he is ready to wage a battle over who is right.
"The threat is there. It's very real, and it's continuing," Cheney said. "And what the Obama people are doing, in effect, is saying, 'Well, we don't need those tough policies that we had.'"
Very, very interesting stuff. Austin, thanks for bringing in that article! Morgan, you are up for next class. Any article about something currently going on outside the United States.
The (Two) Dollar Menu: I asked the class to get out the homework on living on a dollar a day and share them with a partner. Then, I asked for volunteers to share what they wrote with the class. We made a list of things that we would be difficult to do. Hygiene was huge, along with finding ways to get the essentials of life: food, water, and shelter. Many people had examples of homeless people getting help from others around them. What does that say? What amount of people living on $2 a day or less have to depend on more wealthy people for assistance? Further, what can the United States do about it? All good questions that come up after this.
As part of the discussion, I wrote down two things that I wanted to link to: The shocking video of a 91 year old man being beaten up and nobody around helping him as he was on the ground, which can be found here. This is a really interesting sociological dynamic - break free of it! Help people!
Hopefully by putting some serious thought into this, you saw that it would be ridiculously difficult to live on two dollars a day, somewhere in the world.
Middle East PowerPoint: Thank you for paying attention (for the most part) to this! I was a little wary about giving the class the entire PowerPoint in a handout (if you were not in class, please see me for a copy), but I think (and hope) that doing so helped you out, rather than distracted your attention. The PowerPoint can be viewed here:
The main point of this was to look at the role of religion and oil (a non-renewable resource) in the Middle East. Not so coincidentally, this was exactly what the essential questions are based on. Hopefully, you have a little better understanding of the region. Some topics that came up during this part of class, that I said I would try to find out for the blog:
Women in Afghanistan: This is a country that is extremely difficult to control. Russia invaded Afghanistan and got bogged down in a never ending war, when the United States supplied the fighters in Afghanistan. Today, the United States is involved in a long war there, with no real prospects of "victory" any time soon. However, we do support the new government we have installed, with President Hamid Karzai at the helm. Which makes the following video (if you can't watch the video, read this article: CNN.com - Afghanistan 'rape' law puts women's rights front and center) all the more incredible, especially when we assess the state of women's rights in the Middle East:
As I made sure to note in class, it is not as if all countries in the Middle East (or all Islamic countries) have such restrictive measures on women. Turkey would be a good example of a country that has a relatively great record on women's rights: Wikipedia - Gender Equality in Turkey.
One of the comments I made on a lot of the women in the Middle East paper that you turned in (or should have) was "what if women are killed for speaking up?" All too often, I think we put the blame on women for not doing anything, or needing to do this or that. Well, how? I handed out an article that a student in my Period 1 class brought in that was absolutely amazing for talking about all of these same issues. The article can be found here: NYTimes.com - Afghan Women Protest Law on Home Life. Check out the following quote from near the beginning:
"We want our rights!" one of the women shouted, turning to face them. “We want equality!”
The women ran to the bus and dived inside as it rumbled away, with the men smashing the taillights and banging on the sides.
"Whores!"
But the march continued anyway. About 300 Afghan women, facing an angry throng three times larger than their own, walked the streets of the capital on Wednesday to demand that Parliament repeal a new law that introduces a range of Taliban-like restrictions on women, and permits, among other things, marital rape.
It was an extraordinary scene. Women are mostly illiterate in this impoverished country, and they do not, generally speaking, enjoy anything near the freedom accorded to men. But there they were, most of them young, many in jeans, defying a threatening crowd and calling out slogans heavy with meaning.
As I pointed out in class, how much in that article was stuff that we had JUST talked about? Speaking out. Unity and building a coalition. Education. Persistence. Religion. All of these and more came into play in that situation. Pretty amazing, right?
After reading the article to the class and getting some great thoughts on it and the relation to women making a difference from a few students (thank you for speaking up, by the way), we moved on to...
Brandon Roy: I read a selection from this article: OregonLive.com - Roy takes notes at facility's opening. The point of pointing out Mr. Roy's learning disability and path to stardom was to ask everyone in the class to not give up on themselves. The start of a new quarter is here, and there is a lot of work to be done until the end of the year, and I know that life is stressful just being in high school. I am here to help, along with everyone else at Westview! I am a big believer in a two way street of hard work in school. Teachers work incredibly hard (this blog should be a good piece of evidence) to help you succeed in school and in life. Work hard for us too, please! ---
Thanks for the fun class! I really liked our discussion and all the interest (at least, I think there was interest) in what we are doing. Let me know what you thought, or anything else you want to talk about, in the comments!
I really liked how today went! I definitely think that it was the best class that we have had together so far, in terms of overall participation and focus on what was going on. I am guessing that the new seating chart had something to do with it, but really, you guys were all around excellent today. Let's continue the dialogue we had today, and get on with the class recap!
Essential Questions: In what ways are cultures and countries interconnected? What is the impact of religion on policy in the Middle East? - Religion is such a HUGE part of why the Middle East is a region of turmoil. We will be looking at the impact of it for the next few days.
Soundtrack: "B.O.B. (Bombs over Baghdad)" by Outkast. Chosen mainly because of the song title - Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, which, as we hopefully all know, is in the Middle East. Look up the lyrics if you want - we talked a little bit in class about the derogatory nature of the term "ragtop" to describe an Arab person.
AGENDA 4/28/09: News Brief Ryan Moats Otherizing Obama $2 a Day
Homework: Finish $2 a Day assignment. Read blog recap!
The $2 a Day assignment, for those that we not in class, or need further clarification: I want you to neatly write or type a page long plan, diary entry, or itinerary, for what you would do for one complete day if you had to live on $2 (or the equivalent) for the entire day. Remember that 53% of the world lives on the equivalent of two dollars a day. So, what would a day be like? Think about life in a developing country (not the United States). You have no car. You do not have a nice house. Everything you own, you got because you have lived on $2 a day for your entire life, working incredibly hard just for that money. You can construct this like a diary, use drawings to illustrate, anything you want. I just want it to be apparent that you put some serious consideration into what it might be like to live on two dollars for an entire day.Please e-mail me or comment below if you have any concerns at all about what to do.
Finally, check the blog, which, if you are reading this right now, you have done. Woo hoo!
News Brief: At the very beginning of class, before doing anything, I gave you three minutes to during the Wildcat News arrange yourselves alphabetically. This was sort of a class icebreaker activity, but it also served to create a new seating chart. I am not entirely certain that this new one will work, because we seem to have some similar problems as before, but we will try it out for a bit. Thanks for the participation in this! I will be sure to shuffle things around in the coming days too.
After a good conversation about what is going on in the world, Maren told us about the swine flu outbreak currently happening. Go to almost any news website and you will find information about it. Here's one: CNN.com - 73 cases of swine flu confirmed, hundreds more feared.
As we talked about in class, I have no doubts that this is an immediate and pressing concern. However, how come we all too frequently lose sight of much bigger problems that would absolutely benefit from a lot more publicity? For instance, how about the estimated FOUR THOUSAND plus people that have died so far just in 2009, in the United States, as a result of drunk drivers? Source: AlcoholAlert.com - Drunk Driving Statistics. That is an INSANE statistic!
Some of you may have Mr. Hardy for Biology, and as I was getting super worked up about this in the teacher cluster, he completely agreed and said if people would only start paying attention to the fact that the number one cancer by far and away in both men and women is lung cancer, mostly as a result of tobacco use. And that heart disease is the number one killer of adults in the United States. What is really more dangerous? Swine flu that may or may not take over the world, or you smoking cigarettes?
Thanks for bringing this up Maren! Austin, you are up for next class on Thursday. One article about anything going on in the world outside the United States.
Ryan Moats: This started off with a cool little mini-lesson that my friend Jessica from Lewis and Clark gave me to do. The entire thing can be recapped here: Tolerance.org - Holiday Stereotyping Activity. VERY interesting to see how our perceptions change with the drop of a hat (wow, I am very proud of myself for that intended pun). We had a great class discussion about why we saw the two figures differently and what society tells us - even though the beard was the same but the hat was different. I especially liked what we had to say about the media as having an influence on the ways that we view people. That was a great transition to watching the following video:
I asked the class to write about how stereotypes start and then we had a little discussion about it. We related the video to stereotypes about Arab people and what impact that has on our society here in America. Lots of really good input here, thanks!
I asked about why stereotypes begin at a young age and had some interesting perspective from the class. We then watched the following recap of the Ryan Moats incident:
Here's an excellent recap of what happened in the aftermath of the situation: ESPN.com - Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats accepts officer's apology. I asked the class to write how how stereotypes MAY have had an impact on this situation. I didn't say it in class, but what if Ryan Moats happened to be Tony Romo, the star QB from the Dallas Cowboys? Would the situation have happened any differently? This happened about a month ago. Recently, the officer in question resigned from the police force.
Also, I said that I would post something about the term "Driving While Black" - there you go. Is it possible that we saw elements of that in the Ryan Moats incident?
Otherizing Obama: This section of class was built on reading this opinion piece by Nicolas Kristof: NYTimes.com - The Push to 'Otherize' Obama. We talked about how making someone "foreign" or "non-American" or "Muslim" was a strategy to make people seem not like "real" Americans. I showed the McCain campaign commercial that Kristof wrote a little about, which you can find here.
Great discussion on this too! Why is it that many people don't just believe President Obama when he says he is a Christian? Why is it even an issue in the first place? Why do some people really believe that Obama is the Antichrist? All of these questions and more were just excellent, and I am glad that we had the time to go through them. If you have the time, do a little research online on this - you would not believe how many people seriously think that Obama is the Antichrist, or can somehow prove that he is Muslim. I equated this to the people that seriously think that President Bush was behind the 9/11 attacks (again, do some research and you will be amazed). Some people have a lot of trouble with random events, so they have to find some way to make sense of them. Conspiracy theories are one of those ways.
We had a fascinating discussion about your thoughts in regards to whether or not we could ever have a woman, gay, or Mexican-American President. I really liked all of the input here! I am a big believer in having people express their opinions, as much as they might be different from somebody else's. Look, there is no chance that everyone will ever agree with everyone else. What we can do is air our thoughts and listen to each other. I loved that about today's class. Thanks for really paying attention to what everyone had to say, as much as I could tell.
Here's the wikipedia recap of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual rights in Iran: Wikipedia - LGBT rights in Iran. Because Wikipedia is great for general information, but not unless it is sourced, here is another article about what is going on in that country. CBC.ca - Iran's gay plan. Essentially, Iran is paying for gay people to have sex change operations, if they don't outright kill them.
$2 a Day: A side effect of the quality discussion was that we did not have a ton of time to set up this, but I am confident that you got the general idea of what I was asking. I want your thoughts on what it would be like to live on $2 a Day or less. Remember, no stealing or somehow getting more money than two dollars! Bring these in for our next class on Thursday - we will be discussing your thoughts! It should be a fun class, as always! ---
The Blazers play tonight vs. Houston at 7:00 PM, on KGW and NBATV. Win or we are out of the playoffs. Big game! It is also my mom's birthday tonight, so we are going to be celebrating while watching it.
That should just about do it! Thanks again for the wonderful day! Let's continue to get better together! :-)
Wonder Woman, as envisioned by Maren and her group today. Check out all the symbolism! And the sweet "Mamaka" name by Abraham!
Hello and welcome to another class recap!
Generally, I really liked today's class! As I said during it, I really love this lesson and showing the videos. The earthquake/fire drill somewhat messed up the timing on all of it, but overall, it was good. However, I am still having a lot of issues with the focus here. Having your cell phone out while your group is working or while I am talking is disrespectful to everyone else around, whether you think it is or not. Also, please listen up and "respect others" as your own rules state! On to the recap!
Essential Questions: In what ways are cultures and countries interconnected? What impact can women in the Middle East have on policy? - Today we really looked at finding out the answers to both of these questions!
Soundtrack: "A Whole New World" by Brad Kane. Music Video from "Aladdin" can be viewed here. Lyrics can be found here. Song chosen because we were talking about the entire world today, and what brings us together. I have a lot problems with the way that Disney portrays some of their characters, but I have to admit, that is one catchy song, especially first thing in the morning. Sorry for my terrible singing voice at the start of class, I couldn't help it. :-)
AGENDA 4/24/09: News Brief Wonder Women Globalization Commonality
Homework: Mandatory activity that you love. Read blog recap!
I am serious about your homework. All too often, we do not really engage in activities that we love to do, or if we do, we forget why we enjoy it in the first place. This assignment is based on you getting out there in the world and enjoying it. Please remember to keep your activity safe and legal! Post a comment explaining what you did and why you love it, if at all possible.
If you are reading this, thanks for doing the second part of your homework! :-)
The naval show comes at a time of growing confidence on the part of the Chinese military. Senior Chinese officials have said China would like to acquire an aircraft carrier to better defend its territory. The Chinese government has sent warships to pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia to help defend freighters against attacks.
China and Somalia! It is all interconnected, right? Thanks for this great topic Chris! Maren, you are up for next class, on Tuesday. One current article or news topic, about anything going on in the world outside the United States.
Wonder Women: This was fun, especially with the really talented artists that we have in our class! I asked the class to collaborate with a group to create a visual representation of a wonder woman, using all of the characteristics that you thought that women needed to have in order to impact policy decisions in the Middle East (or in general). It sure sounds like a lot as I type it, and maybe the class struggled a bit with this because of that (and the ridiculous amount of cell phone usage, which as I stated in class, needs to stop ASAP). I posted Maren's at the top of this post, but every other group had really interesting ways to represent your ideas! A really fun exercise to do and to see the results of what everyone thought was important in a woman's ability to have an impact on policy. I love all the creative talent in the room! Thanks for the participation! :-)
Globalization: I then handed out a worksheet, guessing about a "miniature earth" and how lots of different factors were related. This concept was if the entire world was reduced to 100 people, representing the rest of the world. So, if there are 13 North Americans in the 100 people, that means that in reality, 13% of the world is North American. Got it? Here's the video we watched:
I really liked the response to this too! I'm hope that everyone thought this was interesting. Please watch it again if you have the time - we will be doing an activity with your results from that worksheet next week! The song in the video is "Mad World" by Michael Andrews (made for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, it is a cover of a song). Lyrics here.
After watching the video, which can be found at miniature-earth.com (with a different soundtrack), I asked about some of the guesses that you had that were completely off. Interesting stuff!
Commonality: So we had a little bit of depressing, real world stuff to think about. In order to send you out on the weekend on a high note, I asked about what all humans have in common. I had some pretty sugary responses (hehe), but I really liked "laughter" and "dancing" the most. We ended class by watching this video (props to my Lewis and Clark classmate Megan for showing it to me), which, as I stated in class, is positively real, shot on location:
I would highly recommend going to the actual YouTube site and clicking "HD" on the side of the video - it makes it all the more better. The guy in the video is Matt Harding, who runs a website called "Where the Hell is Matt?" - I think my favorite part is the blog, where he currently has a really funny video up, explaining how he purposely tried to get people to believe that the video was a hoax (but he made the reasons completely ridiculous), and they ended up believing him. Quality comedy, seriously. Check that out here: Matt Reveals the Hoax is a Hoax at MacWorld. Some good background about who he is there too - sponsored by Stride gum, apparently! That is an incredible life!
This is one of those videos that I watch and just feel inexplicably happy about. Yes, the world has a lot of problems. However, dance is one of those things that goes across all cultures. Please, go out and enjoy the world this weekend, and come back refreshed and ready to go. :-) ---
The Blazers play in Houston for Game 3, tonight at 6:30 PM, on KGW (Ch. 8) and ESPN. They also play again on Sunday, at 6:00 PM on KGW and TNT. I am super excited! Other than that, I will be really immersed in getting things done for Lewis and Clark, so most of the time I will be at the computer, if you have any comments or questions. Thanks for the fun class today!
