$10 million in gold found on couple's property

Article: In central California, a couple were taking a walk on their rural property with their dog over a trail they had done many times. The wife saw a rusted can poking up from the ground's surface near a tree. She dug it up and discovered jars of buried gold coins. The 1,426 gold coins, dating from 1847-1894, are in absolutely pristine condition and look as if they were buried right after being acquired. They also don't appear to be the result of a robbery because they appear to have been buried chronologically (every few years) as soon as the coins were minted, in various cans. Some of the coins are so rare, they could sell for more than $1 million a piece. A true buried treasure! The couple wish to remain anonymous to avoid a gold rush to their property and people asking for money. They plan to sell most of the coins on Amazon and use the proceeds to pay off bills and give money to charity. Previous gold finds occurred in 1985, when construction workers uncovered $1 million in gold coins, and in 1974, when a man died, leaving 400,000 silver dollars behind, worth $7.3 million. Gold has also been discovered off ship wrecks. 

Discussion: 

• What is a gold rush?
• Why do the couple wish to remain anonymous? Would you? 
• Why is this a priceless treasure? 
• What do you think of the way they are selling it? 

             

UCLA Anti-Israel Divestment Resolution Fails by Narrow 7-5 Vote

Article: It has just been announced that last night's divestment resolution at UCLA has failed by a narrow margin. The undergraduate student government voted down the resolution early this morning. The resolution would have called for UCLA and the University of California to divest from companies that do business with Israel. The vote was done through secret ballot, a move made after council members feared that any other type of vote could be met by threats from disagreeing individuals. Over 500 people attended the meeting, which lasted from 7pm until 6:30am this morning; students' public comments went until 4 am. One Councilperson said she would vote against the resolution because it was too alienating and divisive against some university students.

UCLA Divestment Tonight/Approaching Rainstorm May Be Biggest Storm in Two Years

Note: Tonight at UCLA, students are bringing a divestment resolution before the student senate, to encourage UCLA to divest from businesses that do business with Israel. If you want, spend some time tonight speaking with your children about how they would stand up for Israel if they were at UCLA--what arguments they would make. I will be going tonight to the proceedings and will report the results in tomorrow's current event.

Article: Thus far, it has rained less this winter than nearly ever before and LA is in the worst drought it has had in 100 years. Usually we have over 10" of rain by this time of year but instead, we've only had 1.2" of rain since July 1. Things may now change! This Wednesday, a rainstorm is supposed to hit that will be the wettest we have had in two years! It is supposed to be part of several storms hitting the region through Sunday. Let's hope it brings a lot of rain!

Discussion:

• Why is rain important? Think of all these impacted when there is too much or too little rain.
• What are things you can do differently in a drought to save water? 
• Jews have a special prayer they say in winter for rain. Why? 

U.S. Winning Olympics in Number of Excuses

Article: The Olympics have ended, as of last night. In the two previous Olympics, the U.S. won more medals than any other country but this year, the U.S. Team did not do as well, in nearly every competition. Yet one thing the U.S. did very well: making excuses for their losses! While some were legitimate excuses (a ski-jumper having an ACL surgery before competing), some just seemed unwilling to take responsibility for their own actions. After American speed skater Shani Davis finished 8th in his race, he said, implying conspiracy, "That fact that we're that far out, something's up." What does that mean? Only Kikkan Randall, who lost at the freestyle sprint has said simply, "Unfortunately, I fell apart just before the finish line." Here's a sampling of some of the excuses:

• The snow was bad and I couldn't practice enough (Shaun White, snowboard half-pipe competition)
• I was great; the judges weren't good (Hannah Teter, snowboard half-pipe)
• I was thinking too hard; and I hadn't practiced slalom racing all year, instead surfing (Julia Mancuso, slalom race)
• The snow was humid and caused me to be too slow; the flat light on the mountain hurt my eyes (Miller, men's downhill skiing)
• I'm too big and strong for this race (Hannah Kearney, mogul skier)
• The referees got it wrong (Hilary Knight, hockey)

 Discussion

• What does it mean to make excuses v. taking responsibility for your own actions? 
• Think of an example where you've done that or heard someone else do that. 
• Most of the excuse-makers, above, have won medals in previous Olympics. Why do they feel compelled to make excuses now? 
• What was your favorite memory from the Olympics?

Girls Granted Permission to Wear Tefillin in Orthodox day School

Article: A modern orthodox high school in New York, SAR, has granted permission to two girls to put on tefillin, also known as phylacteries, during all female prayer services each morning. Admitting it is a "communally complicated issue," the school's rabbi also said that he believed the girls were in compliance with Orthodox Jewish law (Halacha), because they have taken on the obligation to put on tefillin every day and have already been doing it every day, just without permission. One of the girls, a junior at the school, has been putting on tefillin every morning since her Bat Mitzvah. The other girl, a sophomore, has also been doing it every morning since her Bat Mitzvah and is following in the example of her mother, who does the same thing. The girls say they like to keep putting on tefillin because it makes them feel closer to God. Under orthodox law, praying with tefillin is an obligation each day for boys; girls are not forbidden to do so but rabbis disagree on whether or not they should. According to some, Rashi's daughters (one of the most famous of all Jewish rabbis in history) put on tefillin each day; this was in the 11th century.

     

Dead Fish Mystery

In honor of my son, an article about animals...

Article: Government officials in Northern Nevada are trying to figure out why all the fish in a man-made lake have died. An estimated 100,000 trout, bass and catfish have died in one month, but the likely number is closer to 1 million adult fish. They don't know why the sudden extinction. Some possible explanations: an unexplained drop in oxygen levels; a bitter cold that caused the lake to be too cold for the fish and sucked up additional oxygen. They think 3,000 fish died from low oxygen levels in one part of the lake but they don't know why all the fish in the lake have died. The lake was used as a fishery to stock fish; it opened in 2000 along with a bike trail, beaches, playgrounds and a fishing pier. Previously, a nearby pit had been contaminated by pollutants leaking from a nearby company tank farm, but officials say that the pollutants were all cleaned up by 1997. So far there are no plans to restock the fishery.

15 year old Youngest Russian to Ever Win Olympic Gold, Set to Holocaust Music

Article: 15-year old Yulia Lipnitskaya has won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. She is the youngest Russian ever to win this medal in ladies single figure skating. Yulia danced to the song from Schindler's List, a Holocaust film, reenacting a girl innocent of the horrors of the Holocaust. She is said to do the fastest spin sequencing in the competition. Yulia was raised in Russia by her single mother; her father joined the Russian army and never returned home. Yulia started training competitively when she was four years old. Yulia insisted on doing the Schindler's List sequence when she became obsessed with the film. A Russian-Jew did the choreography for her performance. Click here for the video of her Olympic-winning performance.

Happy President's Day!

In honor of today being President's Day, here's a quiz on the various presidents. Do the online quiz with your kids and see who gets the most number of questions right! Or if you want a quiz to print out, try this one. Good luck!

Back to current events tomorrow...

In Seemingly Impossible Tie, Two Women Win Olympic Gold in Alpine Skiing

Article: In downhill Alpine skiing yesterday, two women, one from Switzerland and the other from Slovenia, tied for the Olympic gold. This race, which covers 1.7 miles, has skiers going so fast, they are going over 65 miles/hour in parts. Amazingly, the two women tied for gold in the  race, both clocking in at the same 1/100th of a second, for the first time ever in Olympic Alpine history. The winning score: 41.57 seconds. This is especially meaningful for the Slovenia woman, Tina Maze, who won an Olympic medal for Slovenia -- Slovenia's first Winter Olympics gold medal ever in their history.

Discusison:

• Where is Slovenia? 
• How would you feel if you tied for Olympic gold down to the 1/100th of a second? Interestingly, the two women weren't upset. They are friends! 

Obituary: Shirley Temple Dies at 85

Article: Iconic actress Shirley Temple passed away this week. She is famous as the dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, cried and smiled her way into audience hearts during the Depression-era. From 1935-1938 she was America's top box-office star, starting when she was 3 years old. She was loved for her expert singing and tap dancing. No other child star has ever beat her record. Today's kids may recognize "Animal Crackers in my Soup," which she made famous, seen here. She later made history by being the first to tap dance with an African-American man, seen here.  She had a line of dolls made to look like her and all girls wanted to look and dress like her. She even had a drink named after her -- a cocktail of ginger ale and syrup with a cherry.President Franklin Roosevelt once said that "as long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right." She helped Americans forget their troubles through her smiling face.

When she got older, audiences were no longer interested. She retired at 21 and raised a family, what she says was her life's greatest role. She also said her mother shielded Shirley from becoming spoiled by fame. She never left her daughter alone on a set; when she once did, a director got Shirley to cry for a scene by frightening her; she never left Shirley again. Shirley never went down the track of drugs and alcoholism, as besets so many other child stars. Later in life, she also became an ambassador for Republican administrations.

For pictures of the young Shirley Temple, click here.

Songs Save Woman's Life

Article: In Israel, two yeshiva boys had the tradition of going to the local hospital every Shabbat morning to distirbute candies and wish everyone a "Refuah Shlemah"--a speedy recovery, as well as a "Shabbat Shalom"--a Good Sabbath. This past Shabbat, they were in the emergency room when they discovered one of their fellow yeshiva students there. They visited him and sang him songs for Shabbat. Then, they pulled aside the curtain and found he was sharing a room with a woman, around 60 years old. She was hooked up to many wires and she appeared to be sleeping. Her family had been told she was about to die and nothing could save her. They put a bag of sweets next to her bed and said, "Shabbat Shalom." The following Monday, the woman opened her eyes and said to her son that she now had the strength to live, thanks to those boys' songs and sweets. They had saved her life.

Child Prodigy Performs in Israel

Article: Alma Deutscher is a child prodigy on piano. Born in England to a British mom and Israeli Dad, Alma is a composer, pianist and violinist. She lives in England and is only 8 years old but has already written an opera, The Sweeper of Dreams. She could identify notes when she was 2 and was playing Handel Sonatas at 3. At 6 she wrote her first sonata. She says she hears and makes up tunes in her head, even when she is not playing. See the video of her being interviewed and playing piano.

Discussion After Watching Video:

• What do think of her playing? Are you surprised she is only 8 years old?
• Discuss the game they played -- she makes up song after choosing 3 notes. 
• Notice she switches between English and Hebrew? Why? How does she know both languages?Which language does she seem more comfortable in?
• Alma is likely a child prodigy and likely practices a lot. What do you practice a lot? 

Preparing for the Olympics

Article: On Friday, the Winter Olympics will kick off in Sochi, Central Russia. However, Sochi is still not ready: hotels, stores and a mall are still unfinished; in the mall, only one store is open. Yet there is also much new construction, fancy new trains and shiny new buses. Olympic Park, where much of the sporting venues will occur, is ready. Thus, Sochi is an odd place right now: certain parts ready for the Olympics yet much that is not. An example: the hotels. The hotels are more like upscale apartments, Soviet style. The exteriors are all identical except for different colors of paint. Elevators don't work. None of the "hotels" have names; instead they have numbers, often affixed to the building with a piece of paper and tape. If you want to find a restaurant at one of the buildings, you have to walk around it a few times, look through windows, until you find a woman in an apron. There is no hot water yet. When workers, still setting up, were asked why nothing was ready yet, the ubiquitous answer was, "It's Russia." The reporter's biggest surprise was when he woke up in the middle of the night to find a Scandinavian man in his room. The stranger had been given the key and told the room was empty! Click here for pictures.

Discussion:

• Why is it a problem if hotels are not finished by the time Olympic guests start showing up? 
• Why is Russia so behind schedule (talk about impact of Soviet culture, even though USSR no longer exists)
• What is your favorite Olympic sport? What are you looking forward to watching on TV?   

Famous Debate--now forgotten--Resurrected

Article: In January 1961, a world-renowned British historian, Arnold Toynbee, was invited to Canada, to McGill University, to deliver a speech. (As an aside, Toynbee famously met with the Nazis and was a Nazi sympathizer). At McGill, Toynbee questioned the right of Israel to exist and equated Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the 1948 War of Independence with the Nazis. Interestingly, the date was only 1961, not present times, when we hear similar speeches. His lecture provoked outrage and in response, Israel's Ambassador to Canada, Yaakov Herzog, challenged him to a public, live debate, which Toynbee accepted. Israel's foreign ministry wasn't thrilled with this, so Herzog represented himself only, not the State of Israel. In a fascinating article recalling this debate, Herzog is remembered for his courage in taking on this anti-Semite, who was twenty years older than him and a towering intellectual, and for winning the debate. Today, the debate is largely forgotten but Herzog is remembered for defending Israel by showing Israel is an ordinary state with problems faced by every state, not trying to idealize Israel and make Israel seem perfect. What do you think of this idea?

To watch the debate in parts, click here. The article itself is well worth reading.

Radiation-Protection Vest Developed by Brilliant Minds

Article: An Israeli high-tech company, StemRad, has developed a vest that can protect someone from dangerous radiation. It is the first product of its kind; until now, people exposed to gamma radiation died (like in Chernobyl's nuclear reactor accident, in which 28 firefighters died rescuing people). The science behind is it this: nuclear radiation kills bone marrow throughout the body, however 50% of one's bone marrow is around the waist. If radiation is stopped from reaching the waist, the rest of the body's bone marrow remains safe. Additionally, he vests are light, so firefighters won't have trouble moving around. They will still be able to operate their equipment and help evacuate people. Those involved in developing the vest include an Israeli professor of chemistry, who recently won a Nobel Prize, Michael Levitt. Already the German and Russian governments are looking to purchase the product. The vest costs $7000 and plans are to make it available to everyone.

Discussion:

• What is a recent nuclear disaster? (Japan)
• Why is radiation dangerous? How do you keep nuclear reactors from overheating (water)
• How will this vest save lives not only of firefighters but the public as well? (If firefighters can evacuate more people, more people will be saved)

Phillip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead

Note: Parents, this blog entry may be too bleak for your kids. I share these stories with my kids as "cautionary tales" about drugs but that's your call...

Article: Famous actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment this weekend presumably of a drug overdose. Two packets of heroin was found beside his body, along with a syringe in his arm. He was only 46 years old. He suffered from drug addiction in the past, but had been clean for 23 years. He is best known to audiences for his Oscar winning role in "Capote" and for his role as game master in Hunger Games. When he won the Oscar, he thanked his mother, "She took me to my first play and she stayed up with me and watched the NCAA Final Four, and my passions, her passions became my passions." He is survived by three children.  

Discussion: 

• Hoffman first began acting in high school. Acting was his passion. What is your passion? What do you want to do when you grow up? 
• Why is this tragic? How could his death have been prevented?