A Time for Heroes

The escalating violence in Syria and the riots in Greece remind
us that the US with all of its problems and challenges remains a relatively safe and secure country. The people of Syria are struggling to find food and water and medical care while the government fires into crowds of demonstrators, killing over 6,000 civilians since the uprising began. The people had high hopes the UN would act, but China and Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution last month calling for the regime to end the violence and prepare to cede power. The UN
General Assembly this week approved a similar resolution by an overwhelming majority, but the General Assembly has no executive authority.

Meanwhile, Greece, in an effort to put its financial house in order and comply with conditions imposed by the European Community (EC), has called for an increase in taxes and reductions in government spending. The people of Greece oppose the austerity measures and have resorted to rioting and burning buildings to force the government to modify the program. The government faces the dilemma of forfeiting
essential financial support from the EC unless it imposes measures unacceptable to its citizens.

Our Congressional differences over extending the Social
Security payroll tax cut look pretty tame when compared to these international difficulties. As of this writing, political pundits are optimistic that the payroll cut will go forward and you
will continue to be paying your FICA tax at the current rate of 4.2% as opposed to the higher 6.5% rate. This translates into about $40 per pay period for many full time workers…almost enough to buy a tank of gas.

The Great Depression and the New Deal

This week you completed your study of the Great Depression
and the New Deal. Your final assessment gave you the opportunity to tell how this time period was a turning point in history and to show the many links between this period and the recession of 2007-2009. This era teaches all of us that we need to be smart about money. Please consider taking the new Economics course offered by Mr. Leys, where personal financial planning is among the subjects studied!

World War II

Our next unit is on World War II. You had a background piece from Digital History to read in class with some guided reading questions. As we study this time period, I recommend you watch some of the fine videos recording the heroism of those caught up in the conflict, including Steven Spielberg’s “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.” Both of these HBO series are based on interviews with soldiers and seamen who fought in Europe and the Pacific.

Our first lesson focused on steps leading to US involvement in the war and efforts by some, including Charles Lindbergh, to keep the U.S. out
of the conflict. Lindbergh was an American hero, having been the first to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean. Many Americans looked up to him and heeded his warnings about the consequences of getting involved in the war. FDR made the opposing case that America owed its support to Britain in its hour of need and must defend democracy against
powerful enemies.

And speaking of Lindbergh, I hope you have seen the coverage
of the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s flight into space. On February 20, 1962, during the height of the Cold War, Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth. His welcome home, complete with a ticker tape parade, was much like the parade given to Lindbergh.

Congratulations

So many accolades for MHS this week…first in the state (champions!)
in writing test scores…boys’ freshman basketball Number One…what will be next? You should take great pride in the accomplishments of our school…well done!

Now time for some R and R

I wish all of you a fun-filled, restful week off…sleep late…have fun with family and friends…read a book…watch a good movie…and keep
up with current events. And on Monday, take a moment to think of all of the Presidents who have led this country during good times and bad. What qualities made the greatest of them great? What qualities would you like to see in the next President?

Good News...at Last

If you had class on Friday, you saw how good news, namely a lower unemployment rate, immediately impacted the stock market. As we looked at the CNN Money link, the leading graph showed an immediate spike in the Dow Jones average as the new lower unemployment rates hit the news. Investors watch news developments closely because the stock market’s response can be quick and dramatic, as it was on Friday.

This week we continued to focus on the Great Depression starting in 1929 and made numerous comparisons to the recession of 2007-2009. Even though we may still feel we are in a recession, technically we are not as the economy is growing, but at a slow rate. You had the opportunity to show your understanding of the key vocabulary words for the unit by completing the announced quiz. You also had an in class writing assignment that asked you to compare and contrast an iconic photo of the depression with an editorial cartoon. And finally, you have a worksheet with guided reading questions that you need to respond to as you read “From Boom to Bust” from the September 21, 2009 UpFront magazine.

We also took time to look at individual stocks, such as Apple and Disney to see how they have fared over the past month, year and five years. You quickly discovered that much money can be made and lost in the market. The reading about Miss MacRoberts’ grandfather personalized this story of gain and loss. For homework, you are to bring in the history of one stock’s price for the past month, year and 5 years, along with an article about the stock so we can better understand how events at companies influence their stock prices. If you are on Facebook, then you have heard that the company is about to go public, that is, they will be selling stock in the venture for the first time. Rumors abound on what the initial pricing of the stock will be but it is expected that billions of dollars will be raised once the stock becomes public.

Contest Time

Rhode Island high school students interested in participating in a video/poster safety contest should contact www.ipc.rhodeislandhospital.org for further information on the chance to win prizes ranging from $200 to $500 dollars. The contest aims to tap into the creativity of young people and to get the message out that safety needs to be a daily concern. No essay to write…just a creative video or poster!

DigiGirlz Day

High school girls interested in learning more about careers in technology may want to attend a Microsoft symposium to be held in Boston in March. If you are interested in learning more about this conference, see Mr. Fontaine for further details.

Two Articles Worth Your Time

On the front page of this morning’s NYT, there is an article about the number of foreign students now attending American universities. American universities are encouraging foreign applicants because they add a global experience to campuses and they pay full tuition. Universities see that students need to know how to operate in a global community and thus want their campuses to reflect this new dynamic.

And our friend, Nicolas Kristof, has an intriguing opinion piece, “After Recess: Change the World.” It describes the impact Change.org is having, and he uses as an example a fourth grade class in Massachusetts that used the web site to gather signatures opposing the actions of a major movie studio. Just think of the possibilities this web site could have!