 |
|
|
|
Dear Civitas,
This is an important date in history; it will be one year from today the either President Bush will be sworn in as president for a second term or we will have a new president.
In this newsletter, we provide more information on Campaign 2004. By the time you read this, you will probably know the results from the Iowa Caucuses but the New Hampshire Primary is not far behind.
We have far new and expanded information about our February Revenge & Reconciliation conference. We had a wonderful prep session last Saturday and two more outstanding ones planned for the weeks ahead.
We now have links to extended information on the conference, our on-line sign-up sheet, photos from last Saturday, and perhaps most importantly, to keynote speaker Laura Blumenfeld's book Revenge. A few spaces for the conference remain, so if you are interested, please sign up ASAP. Our next preparation session is on Saturday, January 31, at Crossroads School from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.
Finally we have information from the U.S. Support for Global Solutions on how you can attend an exciting contest on Global Solutions in Washington, DC in April, 2004.
We have a new survey on the "current hot topic" of further space exploration. We also have the results of our previous poll on immigration.
|
Civitas home page
From IOWA to DC to NEW HAMPSHIRE
Well, today marks the end of the quadrennial tourist month in Iowa as the presidential candidates, their staffs, and the press move on to other states. Of course, they all promised to come back soon.
As of this writing, the candidates who fared well in Iowa were Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean came in a weak third and Missouri's Native Son Richard Gephardt came in such a weak fourth place that he is expected to announce in St. Louis today that he is dropping out of the race. The handicapping will probably look very different in eight days after the New Hampshire Primary.
Members of Congress hurry back to DC today to hear President Bush's "State of the Union" address. And don't forget the pundits who will opine after the speech.
Presidential candidates will then scurry to chilly New Hampshire for the primary race just a week away.
We'll keep you informed on Campaign 2004 happenings as they occur.
Link to CNN election coverage
First "Revenge and Reconciliation" Prep Good; Next on Jan. 31
We are now well into our 2004 Conference on Revenge/Reconciliation: Breaking the Cycle of Conflict.
Last Saturday (Jan. 17), we had twenty-six enthusiastic students present. We reviewed the basic concepts of conflict, revenge, and reconciliation and then had students engage in a couple of simulations. The first two involved "teenage angst": one person had dumped a date for the prom after he/she felt he had gotten "a better offer." In the first scenario, the students acted out a solution of revenge. It got bitter, but not violent. In the second scenario, the three characters involved felt that a calm solution would be preferable to revenge. The worked out a creative solution with an adaptation of the age-old game "eenie-meanie-miney-mo."
The second simulation was a reenactment of the many times when Native Americans met European settlers for the first time. Naturally, feelings of surprise, fear, curiosity, flight, and fight arose. Half the students played the roles of members of a Native American tribe; the other half played the roles of the European settlers. For fifteen minutes, they discussed how the would respond to their next meeting with the "strangers." Each group considered strategies of peace, acceptance, kindness, as well as war and "low-grade war" such as passing along diseased gifts. In the end, a "shells" for "beads" trade was arranged with other gestures for peace to follow. However, each group also had surreptitious plans to retaliate should peace go array.
In our next prep session (Sat., Jan. 31, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM) at Crossroads, we will look into general strategies for conflict resolution with the assistance of Washington University School of Law attorney and mediator Ms. C. J. Larkin.
In our final prep session on (Sat., Feb. 14, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM), our speaker will be Dr. Cecil Abrahams, professor of African and African-American Studies at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. He is from South Africa and worked with both Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmund Tutu as the "Truth and Reconciliation" commission began its work.
The culmination of the conference will be on Fri. - Sat., Feb. 20-21. At that time, we will look at long-standing international conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the Balkans; the death penalty; war-crimes tribunals; the mafia; and much more.
The real headliner will be our outstanding keynote speaker on Friday evening: Ms. Laura Blumenfeld; author of the 2002 best-seller Revenge, the story of her personal feelings on revenge following the shooting of her father in Jerusalem. We have copies of the book for all participants and distributed most of them last Saturday. If you have not received a copy of the book and our planning on participating in the conference (including the remaining prep sessions), e-mail us by clicking here.
We have a link to photos from last Saturday's session posted, and more will be uploaded on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Conference on Revenge and Reconciliation
Friday, February 20 3:00 PM - Saturday, February 21 3:30 PM at the Doubletree Club Hotel.
Click here for a Conference Description, or to Sign Up Online!
Click here for the application form!
Prep Session 1 Photos; More to be posted on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Link to Laura Blumenfeld's book: Revenge
You can help Get U.S. Support for Global Solutions to Global Problems
College students, & high-school seniors and juniors--
We invite you to enter a contest to participate in a
national conference in Washington D.C.
"GETTING U.S. SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL PROBLEMS"
APRIL 22-25, 2004
at the Capitol Hill Club & the Capitol Hill Suites Hotel
______________________________________________________________________________________
ATTEND PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ON:
IMPLEMENTING THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
HOW TO MAKE THE U.N. MORE EFFECTIVE
ENERGIZING GLOBAL ACTION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
ADDRESSING ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION & ITS EFFECTS __________________________________________________________________________
Citizens for Global Solutions of Greater St. Louis will provide transportation, registration, meals, & lodging at the Capitol Hill Suites Hotel for a college student or a high-school junior or senior to attend this national Global Solutions convention.
The conference begins at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, April 22, so you should be able to leave St. Louis that afternoon. It ends before noon Sunday, April 25, so you should be back by that night. Getting to & from the St. Louis airport is your responsibility.
If you want to be a contestant for this subsidized trip, write a 3-5 page typed essay (double-spaced) consisting of two parts. In the first part tell us about your background and why you would be a good person for us to send to this meeting. In the second part share with us your thinking about the problems our world community faces and how we might deal with them more effectively.
____________________________________________________________________
In exchange for this subsidy CfGS of St. Louis expects you to give us a brief written report about the conference & what you learned from it. (This helps us raise money for next time.)
Send your essay to:
Ronald J. Glossop, 8894 Berkay Avenue, Jennings, MO 63136-5004
or by e-mail to:
Be sure to include your home address and telephone number.
For more information, call (314) 869-2303.
Deadline: March 20, 2004. Winner will be notified by March 23, 2004.
Survey on Space Exploration
Last week, President Bush announced new goals for NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) to focus more on exploring the moon and Mars more. He pledged to increase the NASA budget 5% per year.
Opponents argue that the needs on Earth require more urgent attention. In this survey, we want to learn more about how you feel on this issue.
Link to Survey on Future Space Exploration
Link to Poll on Civitas Intranet Site
Previous Survey Results (New)
Last week's question was:
Immigration in America is as old as non- native-Americans entering North America. Were the first white men and women who entered America legal immigrants or illegal ones? This is a tough question, and the same quandaries exist now. Despite strong efforts by recent U.S. administrations, millions of "non-documented" immigrants have been entering the country each year for decades. In a recent pronouncement, the Bush administration has said that it will loosen restrictions to allow non-document immigrants to stay in the United States and receive green cards, so long as they already have a job. They are not guaranteed U.S. citizenship. Part of his reasoning is that many of these "non-documented" workers will take jobs that most Americans will not take. He says that this is beneficial for the country and it also reduced the hassle of chasing down illegal immigrants who are actually benefiting both themselves and the country. Our questions today are relate to what you think of this policy.
Responses:
1. Yes, I think that it is a realistic and helpful policy. 14% (2)
2. Yes, I suppose that it is the best we can do. 29% (4)
3. Neutral 7% (1)
4. No, I think that we must remain firm against illegal immigration. 21% (3)
5. Not Sure 29% (4)
Total: 14
Kevin Blanks; Jennings High School, 2006
Saddam Hussein has been captured, this is true, but his supporters have not. I think that until people realize this we are in constant danger. This is when the cornered animals attack.
Additional Links
More information about Civitas
Photo Gallery
Streaming Video [Real Media]
Web Calendar
Agendas
Civitas Intranets Site
Civitas Home Page
Previous Newsletters
Maps & Directions
Middle East Conference Index Page
High School General Assembly Assignments for 2003-2004
High School Security Council Assignments for 2003-2004
Civitas Participant Handbook
Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2003-2004
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
Sample Resolution
|
|
