Newsletter of October 25, 2005

Civitas Home Page

High School Discussion This Saturday!

Following a most lively discussion on October 15, we will have another high school discussion group this Saturday, October 29, at Crossroads School (link to map below) from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. In addition to the discussion, we will also provide more vital information on the November 19 Civitas Model U.N.

As always, we will have a splendid mixture of tasty and nutritious foods and beverages!

Suggested topics for the discussion include:

1. What is the legacy of Rosa Parks, the civil rights pioneer who passed away this week?

2. Why is Vice-President Cheney now in the middle of the "leak" of a CIA agent's name and were his actions in any way criminal in nature?

3. Go Figure: LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A judge signed a death warrant Monday for Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a co-founder of the notorious Crips gang who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his children's books.

4. Other topics of your choice.

At the bottom of this article, we have links to the "drafted list of nations" as well as photos and video from recent events.

Map and Directions to Crossroads School

Photos!

Streaming Video!

General Assembly Rosters for 2005-2006

First Civitas On-Line Conference Held Yesterday, U.N. Day, at 7:00 PM

Last Monday, October 24 (U.N. Day), Civitas inaugurated a new type of activity. Utilizing our new capacity to have up to ten people simultaneously engage in an on-line activity, we had an "on-line" conference. The topic of the evening was "What would you do if a military draft was reinstated in the United States." We had some most interesting views on the subject. At the same time, we worked out many of the kinks in the audio and visual components of the conferencing. We now seem to have it mastered.

Our next scheduled conference is Thursday, November 10, 2005. This is nine days before our high school Fall Model U.N. session. We hope to use the on-line conference as a means to further prepare delegates for their responsibilities in the model U.N.

We will give you more specific information on the on-line conference as we get closer to the November 10 date.
Link to Budget Conferencing

Michael Wilson of Hazelwood Central Wins Essay Contest to Attend "Global Solutions, Local Connections Conf." in Santa Fe

Michael Wilson, a senior at Hazelwood Central High School who just recently joined the Civitas Model United Nations program, wrote the winning essay for the Citizens for Global Solutions all-expenses paid trip to Santa Fe, NM for an international youth conference. The theme of the conference is "Global Solutions, Local Connections, Making the Global Local, One Activist at a Time." Michael's essay entitles him to attend the conference with all expenses paid!

The conference will be held from November 4 - 6, 2005. Students will hear presentations and join in discussions on a variety of international issues.

One of the guest speakers will be Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico. Previously he was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy, special envoy to North Korea, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His name is misleading; he is of Hispanic background. He is considered by many to be a possible Democratic candidate for president in 2008.

We want to thank Dr. Ronald Glossop for passing along information on the conference to us and for heading up the St. Louis chapter of Citizens for Global Solutions.

Click here to read Michael's essay.

Link to Conference Web Page

Middle School Student & Teacher Workshop on November 16

Our annual Fall Middle School Model United Nations program is little more than three weeks away. It will be held on Wednesday, November 16, at the Khorassan Room in the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel. We expect more than 500 students and teachers to be in attendance for this comprehensive workshop and morning of entertainment.

The agenda for the morning includes an interactive power point presentation on the United Nations and our Model UN program, a resolution simulation, and a performance by drummers and dancers from Cote d'Ivoire. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

We hope that all schools have their transportation arrangements in place. If they need assistance, they should contact us as soon as possible.

Should any teacher have any questions about any topics, they can contact:

1. The Civitas office [(314) 367-6480) or [email protected]] or
2. Lisa Granich-Kovarik [(314) 865-4704 or [email protected]].
Middle School Country Selections for 2005-2006

Survey on Busch Stadium

The demolition of Busch Stadium in St. Louis has begun after 40 years if use. In comparison, the St. Louis Art Museum is functional and more than 100 years old. The Colliseum in Rome, Italy is nearly 2,000 years old and occasionally used for special events.

Do you think that it is premature to abandon and tear down Busch Stadium?

Survey on Tearing Down Busch Stadium

Previous Survey Results!

Last newsletter's question was:

Survey on Should the Government Protect General Motors Against Bankruptcy

At one point General Motors was the largest corporation in the United States ever, in terms of its revenues as a percent of GDP. In 1953 Charles Erwin Wilson, then GM president, was named by President Eisenhower as Secretary of Defense. When he was asked, during the hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee if as secretary of defense he could make a decision adverse to the interests of General Motors, Wilson answered affirmatively but added that he could not conceive of such a situation "because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa."

Fifty-two years later, General Motors is close to going into bankruptcy. In May 2005, Standard & Poor's downgraded GM's credit rating to junk bond status.

General Motors lost 1.6 billion in July - Sept., 2005. This month, G.M. reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers union to cut $1 billion worth of annual health care benefits for hundreds of thousands of American retirees.

This is not the first time that an American auto maker has had serious financial problems. In 1979, the Chrysler Corporation petitioned the United States government for $1 billion in loan guarantees to avoid bankruptcy. Congress and the president provided the loan guarantees and Chrysler. The company brought in a new chief executive (Lee Iacocca who agreed to work for $1.00 a year) and they introduced some new innovative cars to the market. By the early 1980s they were once again financially prospering.

At long last, our question is, "Do you think that the federal government should provide loan guarantees against bankruptcy for General Motors in order to help the financial condition of the company and to protect its contractual obligations to its workers?"

Information Sources: The New York Times and Wikipedia.com

Responses:

1. Yes 3 (37%)

2. No 1 (13%)

3. Not Sure 4 (50%)

COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE

Comments on Should the Government Protect General Motors Against Bankruptcy

Katelyn Jones; Lindbergh High School, 2007

Well, if we plan on having an economy which is anywhere near half decent in the next, oh, I don't know 1,000,000 years the government needs to start taking care of its people and insure that they have what they need so that the country as a whole can grow.

Anthony Keel; S.L.U.H., 2006

I may not like some practices of car companies, but if loaning worked for Chrysler, than it could work for GMC. At least a loan would be paid back over time, unlike most things the government throws precious money at, and this way the economy and the American people would prosper.

Brett DeLaria; S.L.U.H., 2008

GM is a prominent American company and is essential to our economy of this country. If we let GM go bankrupt it would be the beginning of letting the US lose many of its competitors in automobile and other fields in the world. With China looming on our back to be the next big super power we must try and preserve our economy so we can maintain a prominent spot in help shaping and deciding the world's future. The last thing we need is a bankrupt car company. Last I remember car sales slowing and house sales slowing we ended up in something called the Depression. Now I am not saying were headed straight for one, but we don't need to begin and try too. Our economy is much more diverse today and it would be hard to go into something the magnitude of the Great Depression, but with inflation up and oil up we need to try and preserve the good ole Made in America Car.

Additional Links

Photo Gallery
Streaming Video [Real Media]
Civitas Calendar
Civitas Intranets Site
Civitas Home Page
Maps & Directions
Previous Newsletters
Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
General Assembly Countries
Security Counci Countries