Nelson Mandela

On December 5, 2013 the world lost one of its great leaders.  Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95.  While all of us impact the world, very few can claim to have a widespread and substantial influence on the world that will be felt by endless generations.  Mandela’s commitment, perseverance, and loyalty to the vision of what South Africa could be is remarkable to say the least. 

During his lifetime he actively and non-violently protested against the legalized segregation of South Africa, spent 27 years in prison, was elected President of South Africa, and put the country on the path to economic, social and political reform. 

Below is a link to an article which biographies his life.  Please read. 

http://m.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/nelson-mandela-ex-president-of-south-africa-dies-at-95/2013/12/05/33558832-5df7-11e3-bc56-c6ca94801fac_story.html

What is something you learned about Mr. Mandela you did not know before reading the article?  What part of his life do you find most fascinating?  How do you think Nelson Mandela has influenced the world beyond South Africa?  

President John F. Kennedy

50 years ago on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  It was a historic moment in the story of the United States.  Most adults who were alive in November of 1963 can tell you where they were when they heard the President had been shot.

John Kennedy changed America and changed the presidency in just the few short years he held the office.  He was the youngest president ever elected, the only Catholic, and a war hero.  His family was as close to American royalty as one can get.  He was the second born son to Joseph and Rose Kennedy.  For most of his life, he accepted his position as second eldest.  The high family expectations were placed on his older brother, Joseph.  Joe was to be the politician and the face of the family.  Unfortunately, Joe was killed during World War II. 

For his service during World War II, John Kennedy received the Naval and Marine Corps Medal and qualified for the Purple Heart.  The story of his heroics followed him into politics and provided a strong foundation of his leadership qualities. 

During his presidency he faced all kinds of obstacles, foreign and domestic.  This is the height of the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the dawn of live television coverage.  For the first time in history live news feeds captured events while they were happening and these images were delivered to Americans across the country.  His youthful and energetic appearance played well on television.  He had frequent issues with the communist Soviet Union.  He was at the helm as the country came about as close to nuclear war as we would like during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  He set the agenda for our journey into space and landing on the moon.  The 1960’s were a chaotic and exciting time in the United States and John F. Kennedy was in the middle of it all.

Given the polarizing events of the 1960’s, Kennedy was not loved by all.  When tough decisions are required, often groups feel alienated and rejected.  To many John Kennedy was dangerous.  This may be why Lee Harvey Oswald felt compelled to assassinate him.

On a trip to Dallas, Texas, as the President, First Lady and the Governor of Texas were driving through the city; John Kennedy was fatally shot from a high powered rifle by a man in the Book Depository. 

As a result of the brutal assassination as well as his commitment to America, John Kennedy has gone down in history as an iconic president.  The country and the news have been honoring his memory as we are approaching the 50 anniversary of his death.  Although the news specials have focused on the events leading up to his death, it is the life he led that sets him apart.

This is a link to a site honoring JFK:  http://www.jfk50.org/

What qualities do you think make a good president?  Why?  Who is your favorite president and why?  If you do not have one, ask your parents or some other trusted adult.  If they don’t know, do some research.  

High School Football Tragedy

Last Friday night the Bishop Kelly Knights played the Kuna Kavemen in the first round of the Idaho High School Football Playoffs.  Based on the previous meeting between these two teams, the game had the potential of being a great game.  The two teams have been rivals for many years.  Ask any former player from either school  and more than likely they can tell you about the time they played each other.

The game and the rivalry seemed far less important after the tragic event which occurred in the first quarter.  Boone Bartlome, a junior wide receiver for Kuna, suffered a broken neck when attempting a block.  After the play Boone laid motionless on the field for more than 30 minutes while the crowd watched with anxiety and hope.  During the time Boone was being attended to by medical personnel, the teams, the crowd, the cheerleaders prayed. 

It took some time for the paramedics to secure Boone and load him into the ambulance.  At that point I was reminded of the strength of humanity and why I love high school sports.  Moments after the ambulance pulled away, both teams gather in the center of the field, taking a knee and bowing their heads as the Kuna coach led both teams in a prayer for Boone, his family, and his recovery.  Describing the image as inspiring does not do it justice.

Boone was rushed to the hospital and underwent spinal cord surgery to repair the broken vertebrae.  The reports after the surgery have been optimistic, but it will be possibly weeks before the swelling goes down and they can assess the extent of the injury.  Regardless, Boone and his family are facing an incredible and long journey to recovery.

Since the tragic event on Friday, both schools have held rallies and prayer services in honor of Boone and his family.  The community is trying in every way to show Boone and the Bartlome family they are loved and supported. 

This week instead of answering a question or sharing your opinion, I would like for you to leave Boone a message.  Thank you.  

The World's Most Powerful People

Each year Forbes Magazine publishes its list of the most powerful people in the world.  They have a methodology for their selections and the number of people they select.  Each year they choose 1 powerful person for every 100 million people.  This year the list is made up of 72 people. 

This year there was a change at the top.  In 2011 and 2012 President Barack Obama was chosen as the most powerful person in the world.  This year he has slipped to #2.  He was replaced by the Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The one newcomer to the list from 2012 is Pope Francis at the #4 position.  The biggest climber in the top 10 is Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party in China, who moved from #9 in 2012 to #3 in 2013.

Below are the top 10 for 2013 and for 2012

                                2013                                                                                

1. 1.       Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
2. 2.       Barack Obama, President of the United States of America
3. 3.       Xi Jinping, General Secretary, Communist Party, China
4. 4.       Pope Francis, Pope Roman Catholic Church
5. 5.       Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
6. 6.       Bill Gates, Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
7. 7.       Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve
8. 8.       Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia
9. 9.       Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank
10. 10.   Michael Duke, CEO Wal-mart

                                    2012

1. 1.       Barrack Obama, President of the United States
2. 2.       Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
3. 3.       Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
4. 4.       Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
5. 5.       Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Roman Catholic Church
6. 6.       Ben Bernanke,  Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve
7. 7.       Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia
8. 8.       Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank
9. 9.       Xi Jinping, General Secretary Communist Party, China
10. 10.   David Cameron, Prime Minister, United Kingdom

The complete list can be found at:  http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/list/

What do you think about the changes to the top 10 from 2012 to 2013?  Why do you think those changes have occurred?  What is your impression of the people on the list?  Based on what you know about these people, who do you think Forbes evaluates power?  Do you agree or not?

Halloween

The traditions of Halloween started further back than you may think.  The origin of the celebration can be traced back to the Celtics in Ireland more than 2000 year ago.  Since then the traditions have grown and changed with influences from the Roman, the Catholics, and America.

The first Halloween celebrations are more than 2000 years old.  The ancient Celtics would celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of winter on the first of November.  They believed the day before, October 31, called Samhain, the boundaries between the living and the dead were blurred.  On this day, the ghosts of the dead visit Earth.  In addition to potentially damaging crops and causing mayhem, the ghosts were believed to predict the future.  The Celtics would dress in costume, usually animal skins in order to welcome the ghosts.

In 43 AD., the Romans conquered most of the Celtic land.  After many years of merging cultures, two Roman celebrations were combined with Samhain.  The first is Feralia, the day the Romans honor their dead and the second is a day honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees.  Pomona’s is symbolized by the apple, which is possibly where the tradition of bobbing for apples may have originated.

Between the years of 609 and 1000 AD., the celebration was further modified by the papal decrees commemorating All Souls Day on November 2^nd and All Saints Day on November 1^st.  All Saints Day was also known as All-hallows, therefore making the day prior All-hallows eve or Halloween.

The traditions continued to evolve as people moved to America.  First the holiday was heavily resisted by most colonists given the strict Protestant views of the colonies. But as time moves on, the holiday gained traction.  There are reasons behind all of the traditions of Halloween, from the idea of saying “Trick or Treat”, to handing out candy, to avoiding walking under ladders or not allowing a black cat to cross your path.  From its early beginnings of a Celtic celebration, it has morphed into the second largest commercial holiday in the United States.

What is your favorite Halloween tradition?  If you are dressing up this year, what are you going as?  Why?  What is your favorite Halloween candy?

CyberBullying

Last week, two Florida girls, ages 12 & 14, were arrested on felony charges of taunting and bullying after a 12 year old Florida girls committed suicide.  This is a sad realty in our world today.  Bullying is no longer happening face to face.  It is happening everywhere we have access to the internet and at all hours of the day.  For a victim it is difficult to escape or find refuge when the attacks are happening even when you should be in the safety of your own home.

Rebecca Sedwick committed suicide by jumping from an abandoned cement factory tower in Lakeland, FL on September 9^th.  She had been a victim of bullying by at least 15 other girls utilizing on-line social networking sites such as Ask.fm, Instagram, Kik, and Voxer. 

More often than not, bullying has been extended to the digital world.  For parents and schools, this is a difficult evolution.  It is difficult for parents to keep up with the latest trends in social networking. It seems many of us just figured out Facebook only to have to new application such as Instagram or Ask.fm become the application of choice. 

We are living in a digital age and the responsibilities of parents, schools, and children have changed.  We have to educate our children about the proper etiquette for using social networking.  As parents we have to be open and honest with our children and have to be willing to learn about new technology and be willing to check on our kids.  It is fine line between protecting our children and respecting their privacy. 

In addition to parents having more responsibilities, so do you students.  Here are some tips on how to prevent and stop cyberbullying:

·         Make sure if you are members of social networking sites, protect yourself by using the security features (for example, make your profile private if you are on Instagram)

·         Never accept a “friendship” request unless you know the person

·         Refuse to pass on cyberbullying messages

·         Tell friends or others to stop

·         Block communication with cyberbullies, delete messages without reading them

·         Never post or share personal information online including full name, parents’ names, address

·         Never share internet passwords with anyone

·         Never put anything online you wouldn’t want your classmates to see

·         Do not send messages when you are angry or upset

·         Always be as polite online as if you were in person

If you are a victim of cyberbullying or become aware of cyberbullying, you need to ask for help.  Find a

teacher or trusted adult and ask for assistance. 

How many different social networking sites do you belong to?  Have you ever witnessed acts of cyberbullying?  Besides the suggestions I provided, what are steps you believe would be helpful to stopping this behavior?

Character Matters

Last week a seemingly small story gained national notoriety when a high school football coach suspended his entire team for failing to behave in a way that reflected the values of the school and the team.  In a world where it seems that character is often not as important as your ability to throw, catch or run, the coach’s actions were atypical.  But to many it was a courageous and necessary step to helping these young men become outstanding contributors to the community and model citizens for others to emulate. 

Coach Matt Labrum of Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah made the decision to suspend his entire team after a week where players were being disciplined for skipping classes, disrespecting teachers, and cyberbullying fellow classmates.  This was enough for him.  After a loss to Judge Memorial High School, the coach declared that this is no longer a team.  The players and their actions were not in line with his expectations for students given the privilege to play and represent their high school.  All 80 players were asked to turn in their jerseys and given the option to earn them back if they wanted to be a part of the team. 

Beginning the next morning at 7:00 am, players were given the ability to earn a spot on the team by participating in a, now required, community service work project.  In place of practice, players were to attend character development classes.  They have been encouraged to monitor one another and hold each other accountable for their actions.

This was a risky decision by the coach.  It very easily could have sparked a revolt by the players, their families, and the community.  To the coach the risk was worth the reward.  The chance the coach took paid off and the players accepted the challenge.  Many have recognized their actions and the actions of their teammates were in desperate need of adjustment.

What do you think about the coach’s decision?  Should students participating in extracurricular activities be held to a higher standard?  How do you hold others accountable for their actions in and out of school?