Wednesday, March 10, 2010

“Teach for the World - New York Times” plus 3 more

“Teach for the World - New York Times” plus 3 more

Teach for the World - New York Times

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 08:47 PM PST

A drumroll, please. In a moment, the winner of my 2010 "win-a-trip" contest.

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Nicholas D. Kristof

Mitch Smith

But first, a message from the sponsor — that's me. A generation ago, the most thrilling program for young people was the Peace Corps. Today, it's Teach for America, which this year has attracted 46,000 applicants who are competing for about 4,500 slots.

Peace Corps and Teach for America represent the best ethic of public service. But at a time when those programs can't meet the demand from young people seeking to give back, we need a new initiative: Teach for the World.

In my mind, Teach for the World would be a one-year program placing young Americans in schools in developing countries. The Americans might teach English or computer skills, or coach basketball or debate teams.

The program would be open to Americans 18 and over. It could be used for a gap year between high school and college, but more commonly would offer a detour between college and graduate school or the real world.

The host country would provide room and board through a host family. To hold down costs, the Americans would be unpaid and receive only airplane tickets, a local cellphone and a tiny stipend to cover bus fares and anti-malaria bed nets.

This would be a government-financed effort to supplement an American public diplomacy outreach that has been eviscerated over the last few decades. A similar program, WorldTeach, was founded by a group of Harvard students in 1986 and does a terrific job. But without significant support from the American government, it often must charge participants thousands of dollars for a year's volunteer work.

Teach for the World also would be an important education initiative for America itself. Fewer than 30 percent of Americans have passports, and only one-quarter can converse in a second language. And the place to learn languages isn't an American classroom but in the streets of Quito or Dakar or Cairo.

Here's a one-word language test to measure whether someone really knows a foreign country and culture: What's the word for doorknob? People who have studied a language in a classroom rarely know the answer. But those who have been embedded in a country know. America would be a wiser country if we had more people who knew how to translate "doorknob." I would bet that those people who know how to say doorknob in Farsi almost invariably oppose a military strike on Iran.

(Just so you don't drop my column to get a dictionary: pomo de la puerta in some forms of Spanish; poignée de porte in French; and dash gireh ye dar in Farsi.)

American universities are belatedly recognizing how provincial they are and are trying to get more students abroad. Goucher College in Baltimore requires foreign study, and Princeton University has begun a program to help incoming students go abroad for a gap year before college.

The impact of time in the developing world is evident in the work of Abigail Falik, who was transformed by a summer in a Nicaraguan village when she was 16. As a Harvard Business School student two years ago, she won first place in a competition for the best plan for a "social enterprise." Now she is the chief executive of the resulting nonprofit, Global Citizen Year, which gives high school graduates a gap year working in a developing country.

Global Citizen Year's first class is in the field now, in Guatemala and Senegal, teaching English, computers, yoga, drama and other subjects. Ms. Falik is now accepting applications for the second class, and in another decade she hopes to have 10,000 students enrolled annually in Global Citizen Year.

Getting young people more engaged with global issues is also the aim of my annual "win-a-trip contest," in which I take a student with me on a reporting trip to the developing world. And without further delay: The winner this time is Mitch Smith, a 19-year-old from Overland Park, Kan., who is studying journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He's a terrific writer who has never been outside the United States, so stay tuned for his blogging and videos from Africa later this year. (One possibility is an overland journey from Gabon through the two Congos to Angola).

Congratulations as well to the runner-up, Saumya Dave, a medical student who took a leave from Drexel University so that she could study writing at Columbia University. The other finalists are Kate Eaneman of the University of California at Berkeley and Matt Gillespie, a recent Stanford graduate now at the Hunter College School of Education. And thanks to the Center for Global Development for whittling down the pool of 893 applicants for me.

And for those of you who didn't make it, ask President Obama to create a Teach for the World so that you can win your own trip.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Letters: No mystery at the mall - Memphis Commercial Appeal

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 08:33 PM PST

Commercial Appeal opinion and editorials editor Otis L. Sanford's March 7 Viewpoint column about the murder at Southland Mall ("Culture of violence is our business") said "we're left to wonder how such a thing could happen,'' and he wondered "what had changed" about "the mall of my youth."

I suggest that in the 1960s when Sanford visited the mall, he and most of the kids in the neighborhood had a mom and dad living under the same roof with him and his siblings. The neighborhood parents made sure their kids were fed and went to school every day for at least 12 years. If they made trouble at school, there was hell to pay when they got home.

The real answer to "how this happened" lies in the simple fact too many kids are born out of wedlock to teenage mothers and never have a chance to develop.

The question should be: When are we going to change this simple truth?

Harry Hill

Memphis

Drop a dime, even if it's your kid

In his March 7 column, Otis L. Sanford says the culture of violence is our business. Yes, the possibility exists that society is to blame. It is our problem, but spending billions of dollars will not address the issue. Our society lacks the resolve to address the root problem.

For many young black men, Hispanics and poor whites, not being a functional part of their community is the beginning of a marginal life. The educational system, parents, teachers, have lost their focus, which is to educate. Why does Memphis have a 40 percent dropout rate? We would rather incarcerate young people for the simplest offense than rehabilitate. By the same token, serious crimes such as murder are getting less jail time than traffic violations.

The culture of violence Sanford speaks of is also created by the media glorifying gangs, sexual perversion and killings, which have desensitized our society. It is more desirable to be uneducated and a gangster than a functional member of society.

Sanford says that if we don't try to reach violence-prone children, the problem will get worse. Does he not understand the problem is already worse? The problem starts at home and should be solved at home. If parents know their child is in a gang, drop a dime on him. That will solve the problem quickly.

D.L. Johnson

Memphis

Mayor Ford, meet austerity

A local news crew asked Interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford about the coffee cups and glasses with his name and the county seal embossed. Apparently the county paid for these, and paid a pretty penny. It appeared the news crew was reaching for a story, but I was amazed by the mayor's response.

He related to the reporter, clearly in an agitated manner: What does she think they should drink out of? I was a little taken aback by his comments. I can think of at least one restaurant supply company Downtown. God forbid they might buy them from Wal-Mart. We could not have that; the government might collapse. This is an attitude many taxpayers find maddening.

Like many politicians and bureaucrats it seems that "it's OK, the (insert name here) government will pay for it" is an acceptable answer. They forget that the taxpayers are us, and we do mind if they waste our money.

Bill Dickerson

Memphis

Distracted by the furniture

Your March 5 review of "The Miracle Worker" ("Better staging might work a 'Miracle'") was really a review of the "physical space" and could have been in Architectural Digest. There was very minimal review of the actors. The night I was there the audience was completely engaged in the play and the "buzz" on the way out was very favorable. I cannot recall one person commenting on the set!

This is just another case of a self-indulgent reviewer trying hard to find a negative catch and then dwelling on it. He even managed to work in an Escher drawing comment. How sophisticated that must make the reviewer feel. This is local theater with limited budget. Let's try to keep that in mind and remember "the play is the thing" -- not the furniture.

Frank Saitta

Memphis

Their silence betrays them

Where is the outrage from Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Ben Ferguson over the e-mail sent by the CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association (March 7 article, "Tenn. hospitality CEO offends with e-mail / Compares first lady to chimpanzee")? If these pundits want to distance themselves from racism, then as "outraged" as they are over the health care issue and other bandwagon causes, they should also be "outraged" when the first lady of our nation is so disrespected.

The "Great Americans" should rise up in protest over even the slightest hint that this guy should have kept his job. But, unfortunately, pundits to the extreme right and left only jump on bandwagon issues when it suits them.

It is sad that racism so pervades our country that a conservative African-American such as I cannot count on the so-called representative members of my party. Sad.

Howard A. Griffen

Memphis

Out of balance report on vitamin D

Your March 8 article about vitamin D deficiency ("D is for deficiency / Less exposure to sunlight leaves many Americans lacking key vitamin") highlights an important and increasing medical problem.

It offers a good review of the need for vitamin D, the widespread nature of vitamin D deficiency and the means of using supplements to attain a healthy level of vitamin D.

However, Agnes Green's advice in the article, that "you're doing yourselves and your kids a disservice" by using sunscreen, is misguided.

Sun exposure to UV radiation causes DNA damage and can lead to skin cancer. Skin cancer is more common in America than all other cancers combined. While many skin cancers are treatable with a good prognosis, melanoma is not easily treated, with metastatic melanoma having a grave prognosis.

A measure of balance was left out of this article by not advising on a necessary connection between sun exposure meant to generate vitamin D being the same sun exposure that causes DNA damage, leading to skin cancers.

When deciding on whether to use sunscreen, consider that vitamin D deficiency is easily treatable with nutritional supplements. Melanoma, particularly metastatic melanoma, is not easily treated by any means and is often deadly. Sunscreen is an important defense against skin cancers.

Dr. Riddell Scott

Past President Memphis Dermatology Society

Making the jobless count worse

This administration wants additional weeks of supplemental income to provide monetary support for people who have lost their jobs in the past year or more. Politicians in the Senate and House are discussing the amount and the duration of unemployment compensation for those who are unable to regain the income so very necessary to give them at least a standard of living of mid-poverty since the loss of their jobs -- jobs which have gone overseas and shall never return in time to bring our country out of this recession (depression).

Congress stood by while "Big Money" sent those manufacturing jobs to countries that can produce at far less cost, thus increasing greater profit margins for those corporations. "Made in China," "Made in Republic of Korea," "Made in Shanghai," "Made in Guatemala" and "Made in Venezuela" are the labels of clothing, electronics, tools, even carpeting and furniture. And Congress feigns concern for our dismal economy. Another great example of how our voted politicians have ruined our country.

Gordon S. Hall

Memphis

Sharing good ideas across faiths

The concept of a sacred space in the home dedicated to God is an interesting idea introduced by Donna Gaines (March 5 article, "Sanctuary / For prayer, hobbies and relaxation, in-home retreat spaces meet personal needs").

I would like to add that this idea has existed in the Hindu-Buddhist faith since time immemorial. In fact, the scriptures prescribe that every home must have at its center a space or room where one can converse with God in quiet contemplation.

Hence, in accordance with this idea, shoes are not worn in the home. It is indeed progress when we can all learn from each other.

Meera Krishnan

Lakeland

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Mulvane fights back against alcohol and drugs - KSN.com

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 08:47 PM PST

Mulvane, Kansas - The community of Mulvane is fighting back over a growing concern of drugs and alcohol abuse among Mulvane teens.
 
"Anytime a student steps up and shocks you like that," says Mulvane Principal Jay Ensley, "You kind of have to do a double take."

It was several individual teenagers that began to tell parents in Mulvane there was a problem with teen drinking and drugs.  Mulvane schools decided to take action.

A susbstance abuse task task force was begun after the first of the year and members have been meeting to gather ideas on what can be done to curb the problem.

"We have to find out as much as possible about that culture," explains Ensley, "then we can do a better job of changing behaviors."

Also "in" on the task force... members of the community.

"Underage drinking is really harmful to teens," explains Lisa Blume of the Regional Prevention Center at Mirror Incorporated. "More and more research every day."

Mulvane Principal Ensley says his school probably does not have more teen abuse of drugs and alcohol than any other in the Wichita metro area. Ensley says it's all about being proactive.

Mulvane will have an open town hall meeting at seven in the evening on the 24th of this month.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Corey Haim prolonged tragic Hollywood tradition - Boston Globe

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 08:47 PM PST

"This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend," Feldman said in a statement.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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