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 VOL. V, No. 17;  Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Dear Arthur,

Today's newsletter includes:

1. Final Information on the Wednesday, April 26 Middle School M.U.N.

2. Information on this Saturday's High School Discussion Group and "teach-in" on Darfur.

3. Information on Washington University's International Film Festival.

4. Sign-up Sheet & Information on Civitas Activities for the Summer.

5. Information on our new survey on Funding for Alternative Fuel Automobiles in the United States.

6. Results from last week's survey on the land use issue between Forest Park and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.


Civitas Home Page
              



Second Middle School Model U.N. Tomorrow (April 26)



After a three week hiatus (due to everybody's idea of fun -- the MAP tests), Middle School Model U.N. sessions resume this Wednesday, April 26 with Cathedral School (St. Louis City), St. Francis Cabrini (St. Louis City), City Academy (St. Louis City), St. Dominic Savio (South St. Louis County), and St. Mary Magdalen (mid St. Louis County).  The five resolutions on the agenda are:
 
1. Torture and Abuse of POWs (St. Dominic Savio)
2. Child Trafficking (St. Mary Magdalen)
3. Domestic Violence (City Academy)
4. Irrigation, Unemployment, & Education (Cathedral)
5. Guantanamo Bay Prison (St. Francis Cabrini)

While we want to give comprehensive consideration to all resolutions, we want to work efficiently so that we can discuss and vote on each resolution.  In our April 5 session, we were only able to consider four resolutions.  We want to let you know in advance that it is possible, though not desired, that the chairs (Lisa & Arthur) may limit the speaker's list if we are running significantly behind schedule.  Also, we want to reiterate how important it is for all schools to arrive prior to 9:00 AM.

Remaining schools will have their General Assemblies on May 3, May 4, May 10, and May 11.  We will give you the line-up for the resolutions in the e-newsletter prior to each session.

You can access all submitted resolutions by clicking here.

If your school has not yet participated in one of the M.U.N. sessions you still have an opportunity to have a Civitas staff member read your rough drafts and provide you with some helpful feedback. E-mail your rough drafts (soon please!) to Lisa at [email protected] and she will get back to you quickly with comments about the resolutions and ideas for how to improve them for your General Assembly.  Of course, if you already have the final drafts of your resolutions completed please send those in so we can get them posted on the web.

All sessions are at the Creve Coeur Government Center (map and directions) from 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon.

As always, if you have any questions or need any additional resources for your students, please contact Lisa Granich-Kovarik at [email protected] or (314) 865-4704.

Middle School Country Selections for 2005-2006

 

"Teach-in" on Darfur at High School Discussion This Saturday


Our next and final discussion group of the 2005-2006 school year will be on Saturday, April 29.  While we will have ample time for free-flowing discussion, we will also have a 30-minute "teach-in" on the civil war and famine in Darfur presented by Danielle Silber, chairperson of the Washington University International Film Festival.  The activities will be at Crossroads (map) from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.


Also.....

  • Please not that we will wrap the school year up with our annual Spring picnic and softball game.  It will be on Saturday, May 13, from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM at Deer Creek Park in Maplewood.  More details to follow.

Link to Photos from April 15 Discussion

Map and Directions to Crossroads School


Final Film of Washington University International Film Festival This Thursday

One film remains in this Spring's Washington University International Film Festival.  It is this Thursday, April 27, and called "Seoul Train"  It is about the more than 300,000 North Koreans who have escaped political oppression as they have successfully moved from North Korea to South Korea.  The documentary will be shown in Rebstock Hall, Room 215, on the Campus of Washington University.  It will run from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM.

You can get more information including the listing of past, present, and future films by clicking here, clicking on the image to the right, or e-mailing Danielle Silber, coordinator of the project, at [email protected].




 Photos!
 Streaming Video!


Sign-up Form for Civitas Summer Activities Now Available

As mentioned in last week's newsletter, Civitas is sponsoring a variety one and two-day activities this summer.  Now you can access our sign-up form and indicate your interest.  The form allows you to indicate what activities are of interest to you and what days and weeks work best for you.  If you are interested, please access the form by clicking here:

Once again, the activites are:

  • Urban Studies Event: An analysis of the controversy over 12 acres of Forest Park located east of Kingshighway and just south of Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  We will meet with planners for both Forest Park and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  We will also meet officials the city of St. Louis and close-by neighborhoods.  And....we will make a necessary stop at Crown Candy Company(This was the topic of last week's on-line survey!)  [Update: On Thursday, April 20, a vote was held by a city panel that gave permission to Barnes-Jewish Hospital to move ahead with plans to negotiate the lease with Forest Park.  However, the measure must pass to other legislative hurdles including the St. Louis Board of Alderpersons.]  This issue will still be "hot" when we analyze it this summer.



  • Urban Studies Event: "Bird's-Eye View of St. Louis"...this is an "oldie-but-goodie."  We will study how land-use changes in St. Louis from the perspectives of the Metropolitan Life Building (downtown); Continental Building (Mid-Town); University Club (Richmond Heights), and possibly the DoubleTree West Hotel (Chesterfield).  We'll also make sure that we have time for a tasty meal.


  • Public Policy by the Numbers: This is an activity open to students and teachers alike.  We'll examine how important it is to analyze issues by "smart use" of numbers.  Using computers, we will take a look at issues ranging from traffic management in St. Louis to raising revenue for the United Nations.

Unfortunately, we do will not have a Civitas Night at the Ballpark this summer.  Tickets are hard to get for a spontaneous group such as ours!  We will revive this activity when the team tanks and the novelty of the less-than-overwhelming new stadium wears off.

Once again, we want you to know that we want you to know that we have an on-line sign-up sheet available for you.   If you have any questions about the activities or the form, please call us at (314) 367-6480 or e-mail us at [email protected].




 
Survey on  Who Should Pay for Research into Alternative Fuels for Automobiles

One of the "hits" of the nation in the nascent years of the 21st century has been the development of hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius.  Hybrid cars use both gasoline and electrical power; thus giving drivers more mileage per gallon.  The Prius claims to give over 50 miles per gallon (reports from drivers tend to put that figure more in the 35-40 mpg range).  Actually, the first hybrid car was manufactured nearly 90 years ago.

On display at an exhibit opening Saturday at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles will be a 1917 Woods Dual Power, which had a gasoline engine coupled with an electric motor-generator, just like modern hybrid cars. Unlike the Toyota Prius, however, the Woods Dual Power was a marketing flop. Production ceased after just two years.

As we all know, American automobile manufacturers have been slow to adopt alternatives to the internal combustion engine.  They have also been losing considerable market-share to foreign competition.  All three major American auto manufacturers are near financial bankruptcy.  Thus or topic for this week, "Do you think that the government should subsidize research into alternative fuel systems for American auto manufacturers, or do you think that the companies should do the research on their own?"


Click here to take the survey:

 



Previous Survey Results!  

Survey on Land Use in and near Forest Park in St. Louis

Through years, many have wanted piece of Forest Park

By Tim O'Neil

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

04/15/2006

In August 1992, St. Louis voters soundly defeated a plan to expand the Art Museum grounds in Forest Park. Only two months later, state highway officials requested four acres of park land to improve Highway 40.

"This stuff never seems to end," Irving Clay, then a city alderman, grumbled about the highway pitch.

City leaders eventually turned it down, but Clay was right about the big picture.

The grand park in the heart of St. Louis draws just about everything - crowds, praise, passionate defenders and well-intended ideas for just an acre of grass here or there. All of that sometimes leads to conflict. "This park is not just a piece of ground," said Mary Bartley, who lives near the park and who served on three park-plan commissions over the years. "So many people have deep affection for it. Not many things in the city have that commonality. This is a legacy for everyone."

Underscoring that is the sweeping eight-year, $96 million restoration of the park recently undertaken through a partnership of the city and the Forest Park Forever foundation. The results are a source of much regional pride.

SPECIAL NOTE: On Thursday, April 20, a vote was held by a city panel that gave permission to Barnes-Jewish Hospital to move ahead with plans to negotiate the lease with Forest Park.  However, the measure must pass to other legislative hurdles including the St. Louis Board of Alderpersons.

RESULTS:




COMMENTS:




Additional Links


Streaming Video [Real Media]
 Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
   
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
 

Reinventing U.N.Conference Home Page 
    

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