THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE AND GLOBAL EDUCATION

As we are forced to take note of the horrible events in Haiti in our global education classrooms, we should focus on the effects of massive poverty on an entire nation. With more than 80% of its people below the poverty line and an almost total lack of infrastructure, Haitians are at the mercy of the powers of nature.

How do we try to make sense in our classrooms of the natural events that have befallen Haiti? The truth is, we can make no ethical or moral sense of it at all, because the events are simply "accidents of nature" -- uncontrollable planetary forces that obey no ethical or moral code.

Some may try to find an answer within the major religious traditions; those attempts are headed toward certain failure. In the current issue of Newsweek Magazine, referring to the story of suffering Job in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, Lisa Miller writes,

Haiti is surely a Job among nations. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere: half its population lives on less than a dollar a day. With 98% of its forests felled and burned for firewood, Haiti is uniquely vulnerable to flooding from hurricanes. In 2008 four storms in as many weeks left half a million homeless. Haiti has an infant mortality rate worse than that of many African nations, and its people are plagued by disease....

Now, with as many as 100,000 dead in last week's earthquake, a sensible person of faith has to grapple with the problem of what scholars call theodicy. If God is good and intervenes in the world, then why does he make innocents suffer? Why, as Job might have said, would God "crush an impoverished people with a tempest and multiply their wounds without cause?

The theodicy dilemma has been the most intractable issue for theologians of all faiths for two thousand years; it appears to not have a rational solution. An omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and omni-benevolent God decrees or allows unspeakable misfortune to befall hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. A rational explanation is not easy to come by. Like Voltaire's Candide trying to understand how the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 could occur in "the best of all possible worlds," reason forces us to question our cultural conditioning.

In the absence of rational explanations, others, like American TV-evangelist (and former Presidential candidate) Reverend Pat Robertson, will concoct weirdly fanciful stories that fit their theological schemas, such as a Godly punishment to Haitians for making a "pact with the devil" as part of their war of liberation against the French. In his surrealist version of reality, Reverend Robertson does not explain why his benevolent God would kill today's infants and children for what anyone did 200 years ago.

We are largely at the mercy of nature; let's just admit that. Human science has not advanced enough to provide a shield against these massive planetary forces.

Rather than attempting to explain the unexplainable by using failed and irrational means, let us try to concentrate in the global classroom on the causes of under-development, the disintegrating impact of national poverty, the role of national and international organizations in ameliorating disasters, and the prospects for a more rational and just future global society.

We should also take note of the unanticipated outcomes of technological development. While often these byproducts are negative, in this case they have a positive aspect. Note the tremendous ease with which anyone can donate to the Haiti relief efforts in a matter of seconds by simply "texting" his/her contribution. The inter-relationship among science, technology and society is most complex and often surprising!

We should further discuss in our classrooms that, in cases of obvious "natural malevolence," normally self-centered humans and the nations we inhabit are capable of cooperation and good will. The empathetic global response to Haiti's catastrophe shows the best of human nature at work. It gives us hope that, under the right circumstances and with inspired leadership, we may one day set aside our petty national, ethnic, or religious conflicts in order to survive and prosper as a human species.

PESSIMISM, OPTIMISM, OR REALISM ?

In the last post I commented on my selection of the "Key Global Issues of Our Time," identifying five issues that in my opinion should become part of every global education curriculum.

Obviously, we cannot limit the global issues of concern to humans at this point in time to only five. We should be focusing on 10 or 15 issues that are worthy of our efforts (for example, the energy crisis, over-consumption among the world's ultra rich, and the rapidly approaching global water crisis.)

The purpose behind limiting my initial selection to five and asking readers to make their own selection was to promote critical thinking and forced ranking in order to intensify the level of analysis normally given to major global issues.

As anyone can see, our readers did an outstanding job commenting on my selections and offering others of their own choosing. Great job!

A frequently asked question among educators is, "Don't we create unnecessary pessimism when we discuss such heavy-duty global issues in the classroom?" I believe the real educational problem is a different one. Yes, there may be moments of pessimism in the classroom as we consider the by-products of climate change, or the aftermath of a nuclear confrontation. However, do we do our students and their parents -- or human society -- a favor by ignoring the obvious?

Some issues are as problematic as they are real. As educators, we do not have a choice to lie to our students about the nature of the reality they inhabit. A lie of omission is a betrayal of our educational duty to speak truth to our students.

While unnecessary pessimism ("The sky is falling and there is nothing you can do about it!") is neither realistic nor functional, rosy optimism and the lie of silence are unworthy of being considered real "education." We must insist on the objective presentation of the real dangers to global health and well-being, at the same time that we make clear that these issues are largely of human manufacture and can be solved or ameliorated with proper focus, analysis, and commitment.

We live now in the world created by our ancestors. By most accounts, they did not do a terrific job. We can -- and must -- do better. Our students will have that duty as part of their "job description" for living in peace and justice on planet Earth. Lying about the nature of the reality they face isn't going to improve their future. Quite the contrary -- it will make their lives worse.

And when, you may ask, should we confront our students with their real world? As soon as possible, and at the level of cognitive functioning that they are capable of. Any simplification of an issue's complexity or harshness should be indulged in only to adapt instruction to the students' intellectual capability -- not to pretend that the world is rosier than it is, or to make it easier for the teacher to trek through difficult terrain.

As a human family, we can create a better world and a better future for all -- but only if we are well informed of the reality we inhabit and have the wisdom and the courage to commit to the creation of that better world.

If we do our job as educators, our students will do their job as the creators of a better world.

WHAT ARE THE KEY GLOBAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME?

When we implement a global education program, we must necessarily address within its curriculum the critical global issues that we humans confront in our time -- and the coming future. It is the realization that we must resolve these transnational global issues, that has forced even entrenched nationalists to understand and accept the need for a global focus on education and planetary problem solving.

Some educators prefer to address these global issues within the framework of an existing curriculum, infusing certain issues into the scope and sequence of existing courses (environmental degradation within Biology or Earth Science; energy issues within Economics; nuclear proliferation within Government or Political Science, etc.) One advantage of this approach is that it creates minimum disruption to the existing curriculum. In some situations this is all that a global educator can do, given the inflexibility of many curriculum planners.

It is most often better, however, to create a dual-pronged approach: infusing critical global issues within the existing courses, while at the same time creating a separate course on "Global Issues" or "Global Perspectives." This provides maximum flexibility in the selection of issues to be studied and allows sufficient time for the analysis and discussion of difficult, complex issues.

When teachers communicate and collaborate with one another with respect to the consideration of global issues in the classroom, students have the advantage of confronting issues from different perspectives and from different levels of analysis.

Whichever method is followed, the question remains: Which issues should be included in the curriculum? Some local or regional flexibility is needed. In the USA, for instance, the war in Afghanistan may constitute a national priority; in East Africa, piracy in the high seas might take precedence. Nevertheless, there is a core of issues of inescapable global significance that should be a part of every global curriculum. I will identify below my own selection of the top five current issues of global significance, at the same time that I invite all readers to comment and amend the list based on their own experience and opinions. There is no magic to the number "five." In effect, it is an arbitrarily small number to encourage discussion and hard choices in the selection process. The real list for a course on Global Isues could be two or three times longer.

In my opinion, a first, unifying core for all other issues considered must be the ABSENCE OF RESPECT FOR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS IN TODAY'S GLOBAL REALITY. The analysis and discussion of a human rights paradigm will establish an ethical foundation on which to weigh all other issues considered. The definition of this human rights paradigm is made easier by the existence of many United Nations agreements and treaties that most nations of the world have accepted as a standard of acceptable human behavior -- even if in practice most nations violate multiple provisions of these accords on a regular basis.

At the very core of these UN agreements are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Establishing this human rights framework should be an initial priority of any global education program.

A second unavoidable issue is the ongoing revolution in gender roles that we can refer to as "THE FEMALE AWAKENING" -- possibly the greatest social revolution in human history. If we consider the extent of its direct and indirect impact on the entire human species and the restructuring power of the ongoing changes on all human societies, we must take note and help our students understand these revolutionary changes taking place in their lifetime. While it is true that this revolution is not affecting all human societies in the same measure and at the same time, it is also obviously true that no human society will escape the impact of the "Female Awakening."

The male domination of human society is over. The power of communications and transportation infrastructures will ensure that all corners of the world will soon have to adapt to the new human reality. The questions that still remain relate to the specifics of how the change will take place and the societal accommodations to the new order of gender equality. Not even the bulwarks of religious dogma will be able to withstand the impact of the female awakening.

A third issue of paramount importance is the dehumanizing impact of POVERTY, HUNGER AND DISEASE in the world. Poverty is at the core of hunger and disease -- as well as of overpopulation. Our students must confront the inhuman realities surrounding this issue. In previous posts we have discussed the need to develop "basic human empathy" to help our students understand and feel the destructive impact of abject poverty.

A fourth issue of paramount global importance is the ongoing and impending CLIMATE CHANGE, including global warming. Since so much has been written on this subject, I will not expand further at this point. Let us simply agree that -- given the scientific data easily available -- any teacher who at this point believes that climate change is not real, or that human impact has not been a significant contributor to the crisis, is not a teacher who should be teaching in a global curriculum.

My fifth issue is NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION. There are few things that political opponents around the planet normally agree on. However, whether we ask leaders of the USA, Russia, the EU, China, India or Pakistan, nuclear proliferation will regularly be mentioned as the top danger in an already dangerous world. We should listen and take note. The USA remains the only nation to have actually used nuclear weapons against an enemy's population; this unenviable record may be shattered if vertical and horizontal nuclear proliferation are allowed to continue.

While most national leaders are fully aware of the nuclear proliferation problem and have taken some limited measures to slightly diminish the dangers, the entrance of non-state actors --such as terrorist groups -- into the picture significantly complicates the future. If humanity is unable to deal with this problem, we are facing unimaginable disaster.

Those are my personal picks for the "top five" major global issues of our time. I realize that there are many others which could have been selected. One major barrier to the peaceful resolution of these issues is the lack of truly supra-national institutions that can speak and act for all humanity. We currently have an excess of nationalistic aggression and dogmatic fervor in the world. To counteract them, we have only international institutions (such as the UN) which provide a forum for all nations -- but are often not empowered to act effectively on behalf of all humanity. We must do better, either by creating new, truly supra-national organizations, or expanding the reach of the United Nations.

At the same time, we must develop better channels to listen to the voices of the weak and the oppressed, on whose behalf these supra-national organizations would labor.

The realization that we must move forward as a human species and seek trans-national solutions to global issues is seen in the partial success of the EU and other bodies; however, we must not delay. There is no guarantee that the dangers will wait for us.

All readers are invited to review my selections and make their own additions, subtractions, or changes as their knowledge and experience dictate. Feel free to discuss your views and agree or disagree in the "comments" section following this post.

I shall be looking forward to your comments!

ANATOMY OF THIS BLOG, PART V -- WORLDFOCUS: A GLOBAL APPROACH TO TV NEWS

We now review the last part of "Anatomy of This Blog." As you scroll down the right-hand margin, you will find the TV and e-news service, Worldfocus -- possibly the first real attempt to bring a truly global perspective to the American TV viewer. If you prefer your news via TV, this is the link for you!

To quote from their website (emphasis added):

"Worldfocus responds to the mainstream media's diminished coverage of international news. All the major networks have closed foreign bureaus and cut resources for international news coverage, which amounted to only 8 percent of all American news coverage last year.

"By partnering with international news organizations, Worldfocus fills the void in international news coverage....The nightly news program and Web site report on events from around the world and cover the stories that don't always make the headlines.

"We approach news in a way that combines the editorial integrity of public television and traditional media with the diverse perspectives of journalists, bloggers and local citizens."

A star-studded international team of producers, anchors and staff labor under the direction of Executive Producer Mark Rosenwasser, most recently a Senior Producer for "CBS Evening News" and winner of 23 Emmy awards. This is indeed a noble and first-rate effort to make American news programs less provincial and more global!

As you log-in to Worldfocus via the link in this blog, you will find the lead story at TOP-CENTER, along with other major stories. Clicking on any of them will take you to the full story. You will see the link inviting you to "Watch The Show Online" -- a great idea, since you won't be tied to the scheduled TV time.

IMMEDIATELY BELOW you will see the major international news stories in capsule form. Click to go to the full story.

Every story featured gives you the opportunity to comment -- a great option for the active, non-vegetative reader!

FURTHER DOWN ON THE PAGE you will see "News by Region," where you can focus on your geographic interests.

I would encourage readers to click the link "Worldfocus Staff Bios" and become familiar with their all-star team.

A great option for the global citizen who wants to be well-informed is to make it a habit to watch the full half-hour show online on a daily basis. If you prefer to get your news via TV, there is no better way to become familiar with the global reality than Worldfocus!

There is a multitude of opportunities to use Worldfocus in the classroom: What stories are featured that didn't make it to the U.S. mainstream media? Why not? Among the stories that the U.S. mainstream media did cover, is the Worldfocus perspective the same as that of other U.S. media? How is it different? How does the "feel" of Worldfocus differ from that of the more common U.S. news programs? Which do you prefer and why?

Good hunting!

ANATOMY OF THIS BLOG -- PART IV: THE WORLD'S MEDIA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!

Today's post is about one of the most exciting features of this blog: the global news gathering and editing service known as WorldPress.

Only a few years ago, if you wanted to know what the international media were saying about a major (or minor) news story, you had to (A) live in a major city; (B) go to the main library and search among the few international publications available; or (C) subscribe at significant expense to those publications that merited your interest.

Today, thanks to the founders and editors of WorldPress, the world's media is at your fingertips! Just a click on the WorldPress link (below, on the right-hand side) will take you to the major newspapers, magazines and news centers around the world -- an incredible wealth of relevant, professionally selected news articles from every corner of the world!

As we try to achieve what Robert Hanvey called "Perspective Consciousness" -- the understanding that we all have a local, national or cultural perspective through which we view (and often distort) reality -- WorldPress is an invaluable tool to develop our global awareness as global citizens.

WorldPress provides a never-ending supply of possibilities to enrich the lives of our students. What news stories are important in other parts of the world? How do they differ from our media's priorities? Why? What similarities and differences can students note between their local/national news coverage and other global perspectives? What are the implications of differences in perspective for foreign policy? For global peace?

Do you want to know what the Egyptian newspapers were saying about Secretary Clinton's visit? Or what "The People's Daily" in Beijing said about President Obama's visit? Perhaps what the Arab media has to say about the latest Middle East flare-up? Just click the WorldPress link and you will know!

IN THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE FRONT PAGE of the website you will find "In The Spotlight," a kind of "global front page" that gives you the main global stories and a summary of each article. Clicking on any entry will send you to the full article.

ON THE LEFT COLUMN you find a handy guide that gives you links, among others, to "World News," and "Features," (such as "Country Maps and Profiles", "Documents in the News," etc.)

The World News section is organized by region. Under that heading you also find "World Headlines" and "World Newspapers." Do you want to know what bloggers around the world are writing about? Just click "World Blogs" and you will find a carefully selected list, by region, of some of the most influential blogs in the planet.

ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE you will find "Today's World Headlines." You may want to compare these headlines to your local newspapers'. What differences do you see? Why?

Do you want to know what the global media are writing regarding a specific story or issue? Go to the UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE PAGE, enter the topic and click on "Search." That's it!

Check out all the other features of WorldPress! Once you become familiar with this website, you are likely to insist on checking it before making up your mind on any issue of importance.

"Is my perspective on target?" Compare it with other global perspectives before you decide.

Enrich your life and have fun with WorldPress!

Until soon....

ANATOMY OF THIS BLOG -- PART III: THE NEW YORK TIMES GLOBAL EDITION, WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

We will continue today to "flesh-out" the links that you have available when you access this blog. We will concentrate now on the publication considered "the newspaper of record" in the USA. "I read it in the Times" is usually a statement that confirms the reliability and validity of the information in question. Even persons that may question the Times' editorial positions will normally read the news content of the newspaper and rely on it.

The blog gives you access to the Global Edition of the Times, which focuses on international and global affairs. This e-edition also incorporates the professional input of The Times' European sister paper, The International Herald Tribune. Together, they provide an unsurpassed view to news, analysis and opinion from an American/Western perspective.

When you click the Times link, you will be taken to the Times homepage, which is set-up like an "e-newspaper." The major pictures of the day are front-and-center; you can click below the picture shown, to see the rest of the pictures available.

AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PAGE you have links to "Video," "Most Popular" and "Most Recent" news, among others.

ON THE EXTREME LEFT MARGIN you have geographical and subject links to the content, including (in the lower half) links to blogs and the "Week in Review," a great resource for those readers who cannot keep-up with events on a daily basis!

BELOW THE PICTURES, in the center of the homepage, you find summaries of the day's main story and other important stories, as well as another geographical index to take you to the part of the world that interests you. You will notice that you can click on "Post a Comment" below some of the stories and express your own opinion or questions. You should take advantage of this feature! Share your thoughts with the best educated audience in the west!

ON THE RIGHT OF THE PAGE, AT THE TOP, you find "Global Spotlight," which will normally cover a subject in some depth. Also on the right are the day's main business and stock market news.

HALF WAY DOWN THE PAGE you will find a video story and below this, "On The Blogs." You may find a favorite blogger that you would like to follow!

FURTHER DOWN you find (ON THE LEFT AND CENTER COLUMNS) subject links to thorough coverage of the World, U.S. Politics, Opinion, Movies and "Week in Review" among others, and (ON THE RIGHT) links to the "Most Popular" stories of the day.

At the BOTTOM-RIGHT of the page you will find "Recent Blog Posts."

Well, there you have it: your e-guide to the "newspaper of record" in the USA. Use it well and you will be on your way to mastering what Hanvey called "State of the World Awareness," and "Knowledge of Global Dynamics"!

In our next blog we will review a very exciting link, -- WorldPress.org -- that puts the world's media at your fingertips! Dozens of the world's best media outlets within a click of your keyboard!

Until then. Keep blogging....

ANATOMY OF THIS BLOG--PART II: THE BBC LINK

In Part I of "Anatomy of This Blog" we took a brief tour of the blog and the different features that are available to the reader. Now we will focus on one of the links: the BBC. Future posts will focus on The New York Times/International Herald Tribune, WorldPress and Worldfocus.

THE BBC LINK, found on the right column of each post (after the descriptions of all the different links,) will connect you directly with arguably the most respected news organization in the world. It will take you to a BBC homepage customized for this blog.

THE CENTER COLUMN of the BBC homepage will start with what the BBC editors consider the top international news story of the day. Moving now to the LEFT COLUMN, you will find "More Top Stories," including a geographical and subject organization of the news content. At the bottom of this left column, you will find the "Most emailed" and "Most Read" stories for that day. You can email your choice of the most important stories to the people you care for!

BACK TO THE CENTER COLUMN. Under the top story, you have access to the day's relevant Blogs. A bit further down, you will find "TV Channels." Here you have direct access to 13 BBC TV channels. Our readers are encouraged to pay special attention to BBC World News and BBC America -- a wealth of visual information on global affairs!

Right under the TV choices you will find "Weird and Wonderful," a summary of interesting happenings around the world that will make your conversation more interesting in any group! Under "W and W" you will see "Travel," a great resource to plan your next trip around the world! An interactive map will help you locate your destination and all relevant information.

LET'S GO NOW TO THE TOP OF THE RIGHT COLUMN, where you will find "History on This Day," with important historical events guaranteed to make you seem more erudite that you thought possible!

Below "History," you will see "Business and Money," of interest to those of you planning to be industrial tycoons.

Just below the business news you will find a great resource: The BBC's "World Service," with international news in 32 languages! If you want to practice your Spanish, German, Russian, or Arabic, this is the place. (You may also want to refer your non-English-speaking relatives and friends to this section!)

WANT MORE? At the bottom of the BBC homepage you will see "EXPLORE THE BBC." Here you have subject headings for anything from "Arts" to "Weather," including the famous BBC Radio Service, music and entertainment.

CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR? At the bottom-right corner of the page you have an alphabetical index that will take you directly to that nuclear proliferation story you were looking for!

This wealth of information was not available to the most powerful people on the planet just a few years ago. Now it is available to you, me and any global citizen who wants to be well informed about the neighborhood we live in: planet earth!

In the next post we will continue to dissect the great news, analysis and opinion resources that are available to you, the readers of this blog. Until then.