UN Spread Deadly Disease in Haiti

Article: For the last three years, the nation of Haiti has been combating a deadly and highly contagious disease, cholera, known to be spread through human feces/poop. 1,000 Haitians are dying a year from this disease. An organization is suing the United Nations for bringing and spreading the disease in Haiti. Forensic studies have traced cholera to bad sanitation at the UN barracks of Nepalese peacekeeping workers. The feces fed into Haiti's largest river, used by locals for drinking and bathing. This led to the spread of cholera. The UN has responded that it is not responsible and if it is, the UN has diplomatic immunity from negligence lawsuits.

Discussion:

• We have fancy and simple ways of saying the same words. "Poop" and "feces" is one example. Can you think of others? (Pretty/ravishing; sick/ill; doctor/physician)
• How can feces contamination lead to terrible diseases? What do we do every day to prevent this? (Wash our hands after going to the bathroom)
• Why are some people suing the UN? What do they want? (Money and acknowledgement of wrongdoing)
• Why does "diplomatic immunity" mean? (That they aren't responsible when things go wrong because they are like a government). Why do you think of this idea? Discuss pros/cons. (U.N. may not be willing to help in countries if they didn't get diplomatic immunity)

What Does "Corruption" Mean?

Article: Today's topic is "corruption," particularly state corruption.

Watch this powerful 2 minute video with your kids and then discuss using the following pointers.

Discussion:

• What does corruption mean? Corruption = "dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power."
• A famous quote is "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." What does this mean? 
• How does corruption happen? (Lack of accountability and/or absolute power) 
• What are examples of how the Palestinian Authority is corrupt, as seen in the video? 
• Why are people angry about this? What can be done? How do you hold a government accountable?

Disneyland: People with Disabilites Can Skip the Lines

Article: Starting today, Disneyland is launching a special ticket to people with disabilities. This ticket will enable them to skip the long lines by receiving a return time when they can come back and immediately jump on the ride. This is similar to the FastPass system that's universally available. Disneyland decided to start this new system because people were abusing the old system, which was that anyone with a disability could just skip the line and jump right to the front.

Discussion Questions:

• What does it mean to have a disability? Name some examples. What is the "sign" of someone with a disability? (Blue sidewalk; wheelchair symbol)
• Why do people with disabilities deserve to skip the line? (It's hard for them to wait, etc.)
• What does it mean that people were "abusing" the old system?
• What other solutions could Disneyland have found besides this new system? (Keep in mind Disneyland does not require proof of disability to receive a disability ticket) 
• If you've been to Disneyland, do you remember seeing anyone with a wheelchair or visible disability there?

Bad/Good? Analyzing a Story from Two Angles

Article: Last week, a boy from Minneapolis ran away from home. Video cameras show him at the airport, where he picked up a bag from a carousel and went to a restaurant to eat. He told the waiter/waitress that he had to go to the bathroom but never returned to the restaurant to pay or retrieve the bag. He then snuck through the security line and managed to board a plane going to Las Vegas without a ticket. Flight attendants became concerned during the flight when they realized he wasn't on the list of unaccompanied minors. They alerted the Las Vegas police, who waited for the flight to arrive and took the boy to Child Protective Services upon arrival. He is supposed to be reunited with his family.

Questions for Kids:

• Name all the things this boy did but should not have done (running away; theft of suitcase; eating food without paying for it; theft of an airplane seat; boarding plane alone; etc.)
• What could the airport have done to prevent this from happening? 
• There is a concept in Judaism of giving someone the benefit of the doubt (dan lechav zchut). Give this the boy the benefit of the doubt. Why may he have done what he did? (He is mentally disturbed; he is developmentally disabled; he has a horrible family and was trying to get away from a bad situation, etc.)
• Assuming his family is bad, what can be done to help this boy? Assuming his parents is good, what should they do?

European Council Passes Resolution Against Circumcision

Summary of Article: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has adopted a non-binding resolution, forbidding circumcision (and female genital mutilation) unless the child is over age 15 and can consent. The resolution passed overwhelmingly. The goal of the resolution is to initiate public discussion that will eventually lead European states to outlaw circumcision. The Council of European is seen as the most preeminent body on democracy and human rights issues in Europe. While the resolution has no legal force, many European organizations fear that this will be perceived as a professional recommendation leading to a wave of anti-circumcision legislation across Europe. Some Jews fear that it is has anti-Semitic intent.

Discussion with Kids:

• What is circumcision/brit millah/bris? Why do Jews practice this? (Covenant with God)
• What other religion does this? (Muslim men, around age 13)
• Why are some in Europe trying to stop this? Why would it be very hard to be a self-identified Jew in Europe if circumcision is prohibited? 
• If you were living in Europe, what would you do? (Can talk about how many French Jews are now moving to Israel and America)

El Al Catches Theives at Airport!

Welcome back from the Jewish holiday vacation! Let's ease back into discussing current events with a crime article...

Today's article: Passengers on El Al flights out of New York's JFK airport were complaining that items were missing from their luggage, particularly valuables. El Al decided to put a hidden camera in the luggage area and found 7 luggage handlers stealing valuables, including jewelry, watches, computers and cash, worth thousands of dollars! Some of these items were recovered at the handlers' homes.

Questions for Kids:

• If you arrived at your destination after a flight and items were missing from your luggage, what would you do? How would you notify the airline? 
• If you were in charge of El Al and realized you were getting lots of similar complaints, what action would you take? How long would you wait? 
• What was the crime committed here? (Theft) What should be the handlers' punishment? (Jail time? Fines? Losing their jobs? Permanent stain on their employment records?)
• What do you think will be hardest challenge for these handlers to overcome to get jobs in the future? What should they do about it? (Express remorse; be upfront; some may try to avoid putting it on their resumes, despite a law that says they have to if convicted of theft)

El Al video cameras have caught seven baggage handlers at JFK airport who stole passengers’ valuables, including cash, watches, computers and jewelry. The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

El Al video cameras have caught seven baggage handlers at JFK airport who stole passengers’ valuables, including cash, watches, computers and jewelry. The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

Come Back on Thursday...

I will resume blogging current events on Thursday, October 3! Stay Tuned!