TIMES MOST INFLUENTIAL IN THE WORLD

Read the snapshot biographies of many of the 100 Most Influential people in the world. Consider who you would rate as the top 10 and restrict the sense of influential to be that of positive influence.

Make a list of your top ten choices for 2010-they do not have to be drawn specifically from the Times list but they need to have had some impact this year in 2010. Make sure you give a brief background of each of your candidates for the top 10, justify your choice and provide a link.

HAITI

After playing Ayiti the Game of Life and reading the UN Child Alert Haiti report on the state of children in Haiti (2006), now read and summarize the news articles from BBC Haiti Country profile to write a report on the state of Haiti's children after the earth quake.Use the articles, video clips and photo essays from CBC and BBC to compile your evidence.
What rights are being denied to them?
What action is being taken to address this?

Look at the interactive map before and after the earthquake showing the growth of the tent cities:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/14/world/20100114-haiti-imagery.html
Photo Essays:
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-500145_162-6101313.html?tag=related

New York Times photo essay on orphanages here:

Interactive photo of the Foyer of Patience orphanage where the same room in the classroom becomes the place where the children sleep on makeshift bedding.


Related Videos:
the Lost Children of Haiti:

Watch CBS News Videos Online



and another YOU TUBE community version:


Listen to Anderson Cooper interviewing Sean Penn with Dr. Sanje Gupta about the health crisis and aid difficulties in Haiti right now.Read about diptheria here:

Watch another report on the difficulties of aid reaching the people who need it and the levels of corruption preventing this.( Feb 2010 Al Jazeera)



For more background on Haiti and the views on rebuilding Haiti watch the documentary: Fault Lines from Al Jazeera (Feb. 2010)

GAMES TO PROVOKE ACTION

'3rd World Farmer is a new kind of game. An experiment in the genre of Serious Games, it simulates some of the real-world mechanisms that cause and sustain poverty in 3rd World countries.'

• Read about the game.
• Who designed it?
• What is its purpose?
• Play the game and keep track of your strategies.
• How does this assist in developing an understanding of poverty and action that can be taken to alleviate this as a global problem?

Image: Steve McCurry :Tibet 2002

WHAT IS ENOUGH?

Why in the 21st century do we have people too poor to stay alive? (Sachs)

What is poverty?

To develop an understanding of poverty read the article by philosopher Peter Singer

When is enough enough?

" "Extreme poverty can be ended, not in the time of our grandchildren, but our time." Thus forecasts Jeffrey D. Sachs, whose twenty-five years of experience observing the world from many vantage points has helped him shed light on the most vital issues facing our planet: the causes of poverty, the role of rich-country policies, and the very real possibilities for a poverty-free future. Deemed "the most important economist in the world" by The New York Times Magazine and "the world's best-known economist" by Time magazine, Sachs brings his considerable expertise to bear in the landmark The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, his highly anticipated blueprint for world-wide economic success — a goal, he argues, we can reach in a mere twenty years.' (Earth Institute News Archive).

Watch the first five minutes of the interview with David Frost. What are the problems? What solutions does Sachs offer? You will need to make notes as these may become part of your blog reflection later.

Watch the clips below with Jeffrey Sachs and Angeline Jolie:

Reference:

http://www.earth.columbia.edu/news/2005/story03-01-05e.html

Image: 1996 Ladakh, India: www.stevemccurry.com

CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (created 1989; began to work in 1990): These are laws explaining all the human rights for children. These include civil, cultural, economic, social and political rights. It has been joined more quickly and by more governments than any other human rights law.

The USA and Somalia are the only countries which have not agreed to the law. The Convention is also the only international human rights treaty that says non-governmental organisations (NGOs or charities) should help make sure it is followed (under Article 45a).



Go to the Unicef site and read /watch the photo essay on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. How many rights are there?

The four core principles of the Convention are:
1. non-discrimination;
2. commitment to the best interests of the child;
3. the right to life, survival and development; and
4. respect for the views of the child.

Download the child friendly version of the rights to see how many and what they cover.

Watch the following clips to understand the Convention on the Rights of the Child. When did this come into effect?







Right to Freedom from Discrimination:


Right to a Protected Environment:


Right to an Education:

Create a wordle and post to the blog the key concepts behind the UNCRC.

WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?

What are Human Rights?When were they established?
Why do we need them?
What happens if they are taken away?
How would you defend your human rights?
What is your responsibility towards human rights?

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD THIS WEEK?

In order to become familiar with global issues, answer the questions below. Sites where the stories can be found are located beneath- they are not sequenced. You will need to read and summarize all the news articles to answer the questions well. Do this as a google doc and share with me.
Use the world map and label all the countries with a number to correspond to the question and indicate the key news event. This will help you become aware of where and what is happening globally!

WHAT's GOING ON IN THE WORLD THIS WEEK?

1. Who was the former Bosnian president that was recently arrested? Why?

2. Who is the Islamic scholar who issued a fatwa against terrorism?

4. Who faces 11 charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide? Name of coutry.

5. What country is considering the public keeping of tigers as pets as a way to conserve them? Explain briefly the proposal.

6. What problems does Chile face after the earthquake? How large was the quake? What city was hardest hit. Mark on a map

7. What is the name of the country where there is a game show that is offering prizes to villages going green?

8. Why did more die in Haiti where the quake was smaller?

9. What is the world’s rarest gorilla? How many are left ? What are the threats to their existence? What solutions are being offered?

10. What is the name of the tribe that has just recently become extinct with its last member dying? In what country and region was this tribe found? How old was the last surviving member?

11. What’s happening in Greece and why?

12. Where is the first all women UN peace keeping force from ?Where are they being sent to and why? Explain the background briefly.


13. Where have militants banned the United Nations Food Agency and ordered its aid workers to leave the country? How many people from this country are estimated to be starving by U.N.?

14. Where was a peace accord recently signed? What country has helped to mediate the talks in this? When will the permanent cease fire be signed?

SITES :

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/02/28/stark.chile.quake.haiti/index.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8544531.stm

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/adopt.tiger.indonesia/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/03/02/liberia.women/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/03/01/somalia.food.threats/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/02/25/cross.river.gorrilla/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/05/india.extinct.tribe/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/india.green.game.show/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/24/greece.protests.analysis/index.html