Facebook to Try to Quash Hate Speech

Summary of Article: Facebook is part of a campaign to try to quash violence against women on the web, specifically imagery of rape, violence and abuse against women. Facebook must walk a thin line when it comes to censoring hate speech. If it censors too much, it could anger users; if it doesn't censor enough, it could offend other users and alienate advertisers. Facebook finds violations of its hate speech policy by asking users to flag questionable activity; moderators then review the flagged items and decide on a case-by-case basis. They also rely on computer algorithms to find questionable content. Facebook also doesn't allow users to post questionable content anonymously. One reason this campaign may be successful is because the majority of social media users are women; this campaign is geared toward protecting women. This has advertisers attention.

Discussion with Kids:

• Are you familiar with Facebook? Sometimes people post hurtful things on Facebook. Facebook wants to stop people from posting hurtful things that could really truly hurt someone, especially girls. What is an example of something hurtful that should not be on Facebook? 
• How does Facebook find out who is posting hurtful things? (See above)
• How do people know if their comments are not ok on Facebook? (There is a policy that anyone can read that says what is and isn't allowed on Facebook.) 
• Speak about fine line between free speech and censorship for violations of hate speech. 
• What type of speech do you think should be prohibited on Facebook? 

Oldest Known Torah Scroll Discovered

Summary of Article: The oldest known complete Torah scroll has been discovered in Italy, at the University of Bologna library. It is believed to be from the 1100s. Click on link for picture.

Discussion with Kids:

• What is a Torah scroll? (The 5 books of Moshe) When do we use it? (Shabbat, holidays) Why is it important to Jews? 
• The oldest known Torah scroll was just discovered in Italy. Why is this very exciting? 
• There are some people known as catalogers or preservationists or experts in manuscripts. Their job is to look at ancient books and scrolls and determine how old they are, where they come from, where they have been. How do you think they do this? (Forensics).
• For instance, looking at a scroll, they may look at the type of ink used. They may see the ink comes from a plant only grown in Spain. Then they know that the Torah was probably written in Spain. What are other examples of clues they find on how to identify it? (Hidden hairs, the type of parchment, the ink, any stains on the scroll, the scroll's cover or adornments, etc.) 

"Official" Secularism in France Clashes with Rising Religious Workers

Summary of Article: In France, government is officially secular, so it is forbidden for any religion to broadcast itself in the public sphere. This means wearing crosses, kippot, and Muslim headscarves in public employment are all prohibited. This is coming into increasing conflict in the workplace because of the rising number of Muslims in France. Specifically, Muslim religious men are refusing to take orders from female bosses, to shake hands with women, and to touch products containing alcohol or pork, to requiring prayer accommodations and women wanting to wear headscarves.

Discussion with Kids:

• In America, what religion is our government? It is no religion. We have separation of church and state in America, which means that everyone practices their own religion and the government doesn't endorse any particular religion. Why have this rule? Who does it protect and how? (Minority religions.)
• In France, which used to be a Catholic nation, it is now officially no religion/secular. They even have rules prohibiting displays of one's religion at work. What would some examples of this be? 
• A big problem is the growing number of religious Muslims in France, who want to practice their religion in public. Explain article. 
• What would you do if you were the French government? 
• Would this problem happen in America? How would it be dealt with? (Explain religious accommodation law, which says employers must reasonably try to accommodate a religion, unless it is an undue hardship/too hard for the employer). 

Summary of Article: Yesterday, U.S. lawmakers passed a law opposing Iran's nuclear ambitions and pledging to support Israel should Israel have to strike Iran militarily for self-defense reasons. This vote sends a strong message because the Senate passed it unanimously, with all politicians agreeing. It also shows U.S. loyalty to Israel.

Discussion with Kids:

• What does it mean that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons? Why is this dangerous? (Talk about crazy man Ahmadinejad).
• Why does Israel feel threatened? What does Israel perhaps want to do to protect herself from Iran's nuclear ambitions? (Talk about how Israel destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor successfully).
• Why is it important to Israel to know that it has U.S. support?
• What would you do about Iran if you were Israel?

Rhinos Becoming Extinct Because of Craze For Their Horns

Summary of Article: Right now in Vietnam, there is a craze for rhino horns, making them particularly valuable and expensive. (A horn costs $100,000/kg.) Traditionally, rhino horn powder was used in Chinese medicine. But due to crackdowns in rhino poaching in Africa, that medicinal practice declined and from 1990-2007, only 15 rhinos were poached in South Africa. But in 2012, that number hit 688. What changed: cancer diagnoses are rising in Vietnam, an uncorroborated rumor has spread in Vietnam that rhino horn powder cured a local politician's cancer, and there are a rising number of millionaires in Vietnam who can afford the power. Others say that the powder is the new hot party drug in Vietnam, even though it is more expensive than cocaine. Either way, rhinos are in danger. They are now 100% extinct in Vietnam and in grave danger in Asia and Africa.

Discussion with Kids:

• What makes a rhino distinctive looking? Horns. Here's a picture.
• Summarize above.
• What can we do to try to save the rhinos? Why is it important to save them?

Young Scientist Wins $50,000 For Her Invention

Summary of Article: A California teenager, Eesha Khare, won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her invention: an energy storing device that is tiny and can recharge a cell phone in 20 seconds. She won $50,000 for this invention and possible interest from Google. Her money will go toward her education at Harvard University, to where she will matriculate this fall.

Discussion with Kids:

• How do we recharge electrical devices, like cell phones, iPads, etc.? (Chargers; show one). How long does it usually take? (Hours). Let's plug one in right now and how long it takes. 
• A girl who nears near San Francisco decided to invent a charger that is smaller and faster than the ones we have today. And she succeeded! Hers is tiny and charges a cell phone in only 20 seconds! She won $50,000 at a competition for her invention and Google, an important company, maybe wants to buy it. Here's a news report about it.
• What other things that her charger could be useful for?
• What is something you would like to invent?
• If you won $50,000, what would you put the money toward? Eesha is putting it toward going to college at Harvard University, one of the best universities in the world. 
• If you could study anything at the best university of the world, what would you study and why?

Deceptive Media: Why You Can't Trust Everything You See

Summary of Article: In Washington, anti-Israel activists have initiated an ad campaign on buses to smear and defame Israel. The ads speak blatant untruths, but to someone with no knowledge of the facts, they may be taken as truth. Click on link of article for pictures of the ads. In the past, anti-Israel activists tried the same tactics, but their ads were taken down as against Metro's policy. StandWithUs tries to counter such campaigns by posting counter-ads that speak to peace.

Discussion with Kids:

• What are advertisements? Where do you see them? (Buses, TV, billboards, etc.) What are they trying to accomplish? (sell a product, convey a message).
• Some anti-Israel people want to say lies about Israel using advertisements. Look at these pictures of advertisements they are putting on buses. How are they untrue? (Palestinians are allowed on Israeli buses. Buses are not segregated; Palestinians go to separate schools because all schools in Israel teach about a particular religion or culture--secular Jewish schools for secular Jews, religious Jewish schools for religious Jews, Palestinian schools for Palestinians; Palestinians and Jews both live in certain cities together (like Jerusalem) though usually they choose to live in different towns.)
• What analogy are the anti-Israel activists trying to make? (Israel is like pre-civil rights America or apartheid South Africa). How is this untrue? (Israel is the most pluralistic and tolerant country in the Middle East). How is what they are doing lies? How is it harmful to Israel? 
• What can we do to counteract it? See what StandWithUs does. (Counter-billboards that promote peace and friendship, and education). 

Art as a way of hiding "dirty" money?

Summary of Article: Criminals need ways to hide "dirty" money--money made their illicit means (gambling, drugs, etc.) In the past, they have purchased real estate or operated a restaurant as a way of hiding money earned illegally. Now, it seems many criminals are using art to hide dirty money because (1) sales are unregulated; (2) buyers and sellers can make secret purchases, where their names are recorded only as "private sale;" (3) it is easy to transport art between countries. For instance, a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hannibal, went from London to New York, where it was declared as $100. Federal investigators later discovered it was used by a Brazilian embezzler to hide dirty money and was actually worth $8 million! It is currently sitting in a Manhattan warehouse waiting for "extradition" to Brazilian law enforcement. 

Discussion with Kids:

• What are ways people make money? (Jobs). Some people try to make money by jobs that are not legal. Examples? (Drugs, gambling houses). Is this ok? Why not? (Avoids taxes, exploits people and values, etc.)
• Where do we put our money after we make it? (Piggy banks; bank accounts). After criminals/bad guys make money illegally, where do they keep it? That is the problem. They can't put it in a bank or the bank will want to know where they got it. If they tell the bank, they could go to jail. They have to look for ways to hide the money from the police. 
• Tell above story. 
• What does it mean to be "unregulated?" 
• If you were a federal investigator or policy maker, what are some solutions to this problem?

Stephen Hawkings Boycotts Israel

Summary of Article: Tomorrow begins the Fifth Annual Conference of Presidents in Jerusalem. Great leaders from around the world (President Clinton, Tony Blair, Gorbachev, etc.), leading academics and innovators will assemble to discuss new ideas, host panels and attend classes. Stephen Hawkings, a British professor and famous physicist, was supposed to attend. Yesterday he announced he will not attend in order to academically boycott Israel. To many, this seems hypocritical because he likes to champion freedom of thought. Also, Hawkins has Lou Gehrig's disease, which has rendered him unable to speak. He communicates through a voice system that operates on an Intel chip designed by Israel. Some are saying that if he is going to boycott Israel, he should also boycott his Intel chip.

Discussion with Kids:

• Summarize article
• What does hypocrisy mean? (To have a set of values or morals to which you do not conform) How is Hawkings acting hypocritically? (Using the Intel chip but boycotting Israel.)
• We all have opinions. If Hawkings wants to show he supports the Palestinian people, he has that right. But why is an academic boycott wrong? (Because who does it hurt? Freedom of thought; Israeli professors and individuals) 
• Many people become part of the boycott movement against Israel because they want Israel to leave the "occupied territories" of the West Bank. What they do not realize is that the boycott movement's actual goal is to get rid of the State of Israel, and a cover for bigotry and anti-Semitism. Before joining a movement or cause, it is critical to educate yourself fully about what you are joining. What are ways of educating yourself? Here is an article about the boycott movement, for instance, that Hawkings should read.

Yom Yerushalayim and Part II: 31 Arrested For Diamond Heist

Today is Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day, commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967! Here is a short video to share with your kids to celebrate this occasion. Discuss visiting Jerusalem (if you've been) and see if they recognize the words of the song in the video. (If I forget you Jerusalem...)


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Summary of Article: On February 20, 2013, we did a current event about a diamond heist in Belgium, in which robbers dressed as policemen broke into a parked plane at the airport and made off with over $50 million of diamonds. As of today, they have arrested 31 people in 3 countries (Belgium, France and Switzerland) in conjunction with that heist.

Discussion with Kids:

• Do you remember our current event about the diamond robbery at the Belgium airport? Recap. What did we think would happen to the diamonds? (Converted to cash or smuggled to India)
• As of today, police have recovered some of the diamonds in Switzerland and some cash in Belgium. They have arrested suspects in those two countries and in France. Remember we thought they may try to escape to India? Look on map. Why were they found in those countries in Europe instead of elsewhere in the world? (Geographically close together; perhaps couldn't escape onto plane to India). 
• If you were the police, how would you have done the investigation? (Talk about forensics, video surveillance techniques, etc.) 
• The suspects will appear before a court now. What rights do they have? (Right to a lawyer/representation.) Why do they have this right and not just find them guilty immediately?
• If you were their lawyer, what would you argue in their defense? (Innocence; duress; accomplice but not principal actor; fabricated/tampered DNA).
• We must wait for the facts to emerge as the trial progresses. This will be interesting....

Tax Changes in Israel: How to Balance a Budget

Summary of Article: Lapid, Finance Minister of Israel, is making several changes to the tax code. He is considering making tourists pay a value tax (VAT), something which they have until now been exempt. In most Western countries, tourists pay this tax. He is also raising taxes on income, corporations, cigarettes and alcohol. These are all measures to cut the budget.

Discussion with Kids:

• What are things that you pay for as a family with the money you make? (Food, rent/mortgage, clothes, toys, etc.) What are things the government pays for? (Public schools, streets, hospitals, universities, policepeople and firepeople, etc.) 
• How does the government pay for this? By raising taxes. Taxes are when you pay a small amount of money for something you buy (sales tax), for owning your house (property tax), etc. If you look at a receipt, you can see what the sales tax was. 
• What happens if a government spends too much money? How to they get more money? They need to find a way to raise more taxes or to spend less. If you were in the government, how would you save money or balance the budget? 
• In Israel, the Finance Minister is trying to find a way to spend less by raising taxes on certain things -- taxes on income, companies, tourists, cigarettes, and alcohol. He is also firing some civil servants (this saves money from their salaries). 
• What do you think of each of these ways of saving money? Give arguments for and against each one. 

Bees Disappearing in the U.S. May Cause Food Crisis

Summary of Article: Since 2006, the U.S. is losing a third of its honeybee population each year. This is dangerous not only for bees, but because their pollination is critical for the production of certain fruits and vegetables. No one knows the exact reasons for their disappearance though some believe it is a combination of different chemicals and pesticides found in their nests. Some say their levels are already pushing the nation to the brink.

Discussion with Kids:

• What do honeybees do? What to they make? (Honey; They pollinate 90 different types of flowering crops.) 
• Summarize article. 
• Guess how much of the human diet comes from foods that bees pollinate? (One third.) What are some types of foods we rely on from them? (Apples, nuts, avocados, asparagus  broccoli, lemons, grapefruit, cranberries, oranges.) If we don't have enough bees to pollinate our crops in America, what could happen? Why is this a problem? 
• Farmers aren't sure why the bees are disappearing. What could be some reasons? (Pesticides, poor nutrition, parasites, genetics, habitat loss, viruses). 
• What are things we can do to try to help the bees? 

Igbo Tribe in Nigeria Claims To Be Long Lost Tribe of Israel

Summary of Article:

• The Igbo are a tribe in Nigeria. They are convinced that they are descendants of Gad, one of the lost tribes of Israel. They believe they were exiled with the Assyrian invasion into Northern Israel in 8th century B.C.E. and migrated into Nigeria. 
• Their story, passed down through the generations, is that Gad, 7th son of Jacob, settled in present day Nigeria with his 3 sons, each of whom founded clans and towns still in existence in modern Nigeria. 
• Their numbers range anywhere from 20-50 million.
• Their traditions echo those of Judaism, and predate the tribe's exposure to the Bible and Christian missionaries. For instance, they circumcise their sons at 8 days. They sit shiva. They celebrate the new moon. They get married under a chuppah/marriage canopy. They don't eat foods they consider "unclean." Some have even proposed that word "Igbo" is a corruption of the word "Hebrew."
• Igbo are Zionist and want to make pilgrimages to Israel. They are not yet recognized as official Jews.

For pictures, click here.

For a brief film on them, click here.

Woman Charged with Sneaking Poisoned Drinks Into Starbucks

Summary of Article: A Starbucks customer saw a woman secretly taking orange juice bottles from her purse and putting them into a Starbucks refrigerator. The bottles smelled "toxic" and were found to have rubbing alcohol in them. The customer alerted police, who traced the woman back to her home using a license plate number provided by a witness. They arrested her for possible felony poisoning. She did not provide a motive.

Discussion with Kids:

• When you go to Starbucks/Coffee Bean, what do you buy? Have you ever bought a juice or chocolate milk from there? Where is it stored? (In the refrigerator section). 
• Summarize what the woman did. Why is this wrong? Who could get hurt from this?
• If you wanted to catch a suspect and you were the police, how would you track her down? (Video surveillance, interview eyewitnesses, etc.) Explain how police caught her.
• If you were a prosecutor, what would you charge the woman with? (She was charged with felony poisoning.) If you were her lawyer, what would you argue to free her? (Insanity; find a motive; duress)
• What is something you can do to help make sure that you aren't buying tampered goods? (Ensure seal isn't broken). Look in your pantry and fridge to compare opened products v. sealed.