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Dear Arthur,
We have updated high school news in today's newsletter. In our next edition, we will bring you up to date with all the wonderful middle school work that Lisa Granich has been doing.
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Civitas Home Page
Report from Group Discussion on Saturday, January 15
We had a very successful first discussion group of 2005. Topics under discussion included:
Death and Destruction -- A tsunami/earthquake kills around 150,000 people in about 15 countries and Steven Spielberg, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Leonardo DiCaprio raise about 5 million dollars to help out. Whereas about 2 million people are dead in the Sudan with an additional 5 million people in slavery, exile, or refugee camps and there are no known celebrity endorsements or telethons to provide aid. Does this bother anyone else?
Papal Pickpockets -- According to figures released on Saturday some 90 percent of crimes committed inside Vatican City -- nearly all of them petty thefts, pick pocketing and vandalism go unpunished. Vatican City has perhaps the world's highest per capita crime rate -106 percent.
America the Booty-ful -- Eight libraries in Mississippi banned the satirical textbook America by Jon Stewart, because they objected to an image of the faces of the U.S. Supreme Court justices superimposed on nine naked bodies. They reversed the ban on Monday due to bad publicity (Stewart's book spent 15 weeks on The New York Times best seller list and was named Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly.) but the question remains; should libraries have the right to censor books and periodicals?
It was a lively morning of discussion. If only we had known then that the New York Times would seriously report that Jon Stewart might be one of an ensemble of replacements for Dan Rather after March 9.
Latest Information on World Population Conference
Below is our most recent E-Mail. We will send another out next Tuesday, Jan. 25.
Dear World Population Conference delegate:
We're happy to announce that nearly 50 students have sent in applications for the 2005 World Population Conference, and you're one of them! Here's the latest info about the conference:
Just to remind you: The conference is on Friday-Saturday, February 25-26, 2005 at the Doubletree Hotel near the airport. Please check the dates again, to make sure that you're really able to attend, and let us know if there's any change in your plans.
Attached is a complete information packet for the conference. It tells you [and your parents] what to expect and how to prepare. Please read it over. If you're reading this email, you've already applied, so you don't have to fill out the enrollment form again.
Also attached is a permission/emergency form. Please print it out, fill in the blanks, and ask a parent or guardian to sign it. Then, either mail it to us [Civitas, 232 N. Kingshighway, #2101, St. Louis MO 63108] or bring it to a prep session or discussion group. This form is required for all delegates.
Enrollment fee is $60. This fee covers all your meals, your hotel room, and other materials that we'll supply. Please make your check payable to Civitas Associates and send it-or bring it-to us by Feb. 11. Cash is okay, too.
Financial aid: If $60 is beyond your budget, we can help. Please call us [314-367-6480] or email us, and we'll work out a scholarship for you.
And now a few words about country assignments and research.
Countries: Next week, we'll send out a list of delegates and the countries they'll be representing. We'll do our best to give you the country you indicated as your first choice. In some cases, where a zillion people wanted the same country, we've had to go to 2nd or 3rd choices. Please be flexible, okay?
Research: Along with your country assignment, we'll include a research worksheet to guide you in finding information most relevant to the conference. Please take the time to look up the information: the more you know, the more you'll be able to participate in discussions and help in problem-solving. The key to enjoying the conference is having something meaningful to say in committee discussions.
Prep sessions: We're having two of them. Please attend. These sessions really make a difference in getting everyone up to speed before the conference and in preparing you for the kinds of discussions you'll be in at the conference. We'll go over some basic information about world population trends, listen to a guest speaker, and do a simulation that will help you begin thinking about the issues.
Saturday, Jan. 29, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., at Crossroads School.
Saturday, Feb. 12, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., at Crossroads School.
Know someone who might want to attend the conference? There's still room for a few more. We can accommodate about 10 more delegates. But we need to have all applications in advance in order to plan, and people who are new to our program will be required to attend the prep sessions. Deadline for applications is January 28.
OK, that's it for now. We're looking forward to another great conference. World Population is a really timely topic, especially in light of the recent earthquake/tsunami in Southeast Asia. Check your email next week for more info.
Web Page on Population Conference
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Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
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