Links- Monday

U.S. students say press freedoms go too far

Agree or disagree?


Collaspe: How the World Ends

An interesting take on glolal culture, even if it might be oversimplified.

Feel the misery....

1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA


What do you think, Monday looking like a bad day?

Links of the Day

Here are some discussion issues for Wednesday.

Ethical issues in the news:

Supreme Court: Feeding tube can be removed from Florida Woman
Who has rights to speak for Terri Schiavo, her husband or her parents?

Nokia CEO comments on modern ethics
Agree or disagree?

Scalia comments on religion
What does he mean by, "There is something wrong with rejecting a priori (deductively) the existence of miracles."?

High school romances untangled
Based on your knowledge of your peers, is this study an accurate take on the structure of high school relationships overall. Is James River HS, Midlothian, VA, different?

UN asks if world can stop future genocide
We'll deal with this topic more in detail later in the year.

Snow (Ethics?)

Snow Day!!

Enjoy your days off. We'll pick up with things on Monday(maybe). Between now and then, find some time to look over the fallacy notes and be prepared to bring some real examples to class next time.

In the meantime, enjoy the weather. Stay warm and be safe.
And ponder the ethics of snow. (just kidding!)

Sometimes I think I became a teacher in part so I wouldn't have to give up the concept of snow days!! :)

If anyone want to keep track of weather developments over the next few days(did I mention I'm a weather nerd?) Here are the "experts":

NWS Wakefield Forecast

NWS Wakefield Radar Site

Graphical Forecast (for those of you who need the pictures.)

Wakefield Area Forecast Discussion And lastly, these are the email discussions that the meteorologists use to discuss the forecast. The weather nerds use a lot of shorthand which kind a makes it a code. If you don't get it don't worry. I think understand about 60% of what they are talking about. But still it's kinda cool to see the raw discussion that the news guys are using to put together their forecasts.

And lastly, if you don't know about this site: It's straight from the horse's mouth. Most times I'll get closing info here before the radio or tv gets to it.

Schools-out.com

Advances in fertility...

Good issue today from 4th period, regarding the Romanian woman, who gave birth to twins last week(one died) becoming the oldest known woman to have birthed a child.

There are some interesting contrasts and parallels with our abortion debates. This is a little more nuanced ethically. But again, you have a value conflict: Rights of the mother to conceive vs. the welfare of the baby born into the situation. What are the issues?? Also, is there extra dimension with the twin who did not survive?

Thoughts?

Romanian Mother (CNN)

Romanian Mother (Google News)

Grassroots Aid for Tsunami Victims

Here is an interesting followup to Wednesday's charity discussion. How do we ensure that our relief donations are being spent most efficiently (with minimal waste, corruption, etc.)? Is the advance of modern technology and communications helping to answer that question?

Have a look:
NPR : Grassroots Aid for Tsunami Victims

Also, as some background to the argument, here's an article by Bill O'Reilly (of FOX News fame) on the Red Cross Scandal surrounding 9-11. Then here is the Red Cross press release addressing the same issue. Excerpt:

"Americans have spoken loudly and clearly that they want our relief efforts directed at the people affected by the September 11 tragedies," said Harold Decker, who was appointed CEO of the American Red Cross two weeks ago. "We deeply regret that our activities over the past eight weeks have not been as sharply focused as America wants, nor as focused as the victims of this tragedy deserve. The people affected by this terrible tragedy have been our first priority, and beginning today, they will be the only priority of the Liberty Fund."


Tie all this in with our midterm project discussion (see earlier post) and the uphill search for "perfect" solutions. Is it better to accept a level of waste, inefficiency, and corruption and give anyway? What are the arguments for not doing so?

There is a classic argument that say that since the good play by the rules and the bad don't, the bad will always be able to take advantage of the good. Either that or they diminish the efforts of the good by making them cynical and less generous. Mother Teresa's famous poem, Anyway (The Paradoxical Commandments), touches on this a little.


Please comment (either online or in your journal).

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing.”
--Edmund Burke

A fascinating if not random tsunami aid discussion

Overheard a student in class today say something to the effect of, "The donated money to the tsunami victims is just going to end up in the hands of corrupt officials." And therefore...

Agree? Disagree? What are the issues here?

In searching for something to augment this, I stumbled across a very interesting if not lengthy discussion.

If you can separate the valid points from the political rants and the people with axes to grind, it's worth a read.

Note: This discussion does not appear to be moderated, therefore the language can be a little coarse... I'd rate it PG-13... :)... just FYI...

Best Price: How to help Tsunami victims , Reviews & Discussion

In the news.... and other thoughts.

An interesting piece on the inauguration:
DC says White House Won't reimburse Inauguration Costs
Whose money is it? And does the inauguration qualify as a use of Homeland Security funds?

Ethics of a secret life? Where does privacy end and honesty begin?
The Secret Lives of Just About Everybody

Ethics of prisoner treatment: Where is the line? And was it crossed?
Lawyer: Iraqi Abuse Was Like Act of 'Cheerleaders'


Wrapping up the philanthropy projects: In reading over both your midterms and the final reports that came in today, I am pleased with the overall outcome. Based on the discussion today in class it seems that parts of this project fell short of people's expectations. I disagree... if only from an educational standpoint. Could it have been improved in format and structure? Certainly. Would you have learned as much about the nature of charity and kindness to others if we had? The fact that many of you were able to articulate some of the conflicts and paradoxes involved indicates we accomplished some of what I hoped. For that, you are to be commended. And when you tally up all the random acts of kindness, the aggregate (the total) is impressive. If I get a spare minute (they are few and far between these days), I'd like to compile it into some sort of combined format (Something like one of those "priceless" Mastercard commercial, maybe?) As if to say, here is all the good that you guys have accomplished and for that collectively you should be satisfied.

And your longing for a more perfect format or outcome... well that's hopeful too. We will always continue to long for more perfect solutions for the problems that surround us. But as long as there are only 24 hours in a day and and everyone has a wonderfully unknown life to live before them, there will never be a "perfect answer".

In the words of Gertrude Stein, "There ain't no answer. There ain't going to be any answer. There never has been an answer. That's the answer."

Understand that, and find a way to continue on in spite of it, more hopeful that ever... and I'd call that wisdom.

Because there is something in the best of us that we are still determined to prove otherwise... to defy our fate and the worst parts of our own nature... there is HOPE where our rational mind insists there shouldn't be. But more on that later...

And yes, quietly disguised as the world most laid back class, we are learning things (at least I have my suspicions)... but only time will tell (and it may take years). But I am more encouraged than ever.

-Mr. C

PS: Wednesday, we need to talk fieldtrips. NYC, anyone? Seriously. But more on that in class. I am trying to get back to the idea that we are the ones who constrain what we are capable of. Of what is possible? We who ask the question 'Why?' instead of the question, 'Why not?' The idea that this class is so full of potential, if only we have the courage to follow it where it leads.

Welcome Back

Hey guys!

Hope everyone had a great break.

Juniors: Been reading over your exams... not bad... it is clear to me from your writing that we achieved some of what I had hoped to accomplish this first semester. Nicely done.

I have the final report format for your midterm projects ready. Nothing to be terribly concerned about. We'll talk more about that in class. But we are looking at a 1/10 or 1/12 due date.

Here's a little of what's on the horizon:

Finish up the value conflict debates (yes, really!)

Get into chapter 7 in "Right Questions". We'll be looking at fallacies (faulty arguments). Good stuff!

Now, to current events... Obviously the Asian tsunami disaster is front and center. Hopefully, you've been keeping up with developments. Lots of things to discuss. For instance, here's some comments from the Independent in Britain to chew on:

"The response reveals a deep sense of empathy that could be of lasting value. If it is just a philanthropic flash, then we have seen those before, but if people gain a sense of their interdependence, we will be better off." --SIR JONATHON PORRITT

Also, here's some of what I've shown my physics classes:

Digitalglobe has satellite photos of both Sri Lanka and Banda Aceh. The sample photos of other places around the globe are worth a browse as well. The detail is really something.

The blog Cheese and Crackers has the best collection of video footage. Hard to believe but helps you understand what took place.