From: sackman@sendit.nodak.edu (Gleason Sackmann)
Subject: newsweek guide - Nov 23, 1992
Organization: SENDIT BBS Fargo, North Dakota
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 21:43:40 GMT



     NEWSWEEK THISWEEK
     Based on the November 23, 1992, issue of NEWSWEEK
 
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     MY TURN: "DON'T MAKE US DO ALL THE WORK"
 
     1. A high-school junior writes movingly about the biggest
     decision a young person faces: choosing a college major and
     a career (page 11). Discuss the following questions: (a)
     Should Zena Meadowsong have stayed with the major of her
     choice, comparative literature? (b) Did her parents compel
     her to select a major, botany, that they believed was both
     profitable and beneficial to society? Or, did they teach
     her, through their "actions and priorities," to choose
     botany? (c) How are you preparing to make college and career
     decisions? How are your parents helping to shape those
     decisions? (d) What role should parents play in helping
     their children make decisions about college and the future?
 
     2. Zena mentions thumbing through a University of California
     course list and underlining the majors that appealed to her.
     Obtain a course list for a university that you are
     interested in attending, and underline the courses that seem
     intriguing. Then compare your list with those of your
     classmates. Together, draw up a chart that details the
     following trends: What majors or courses have the most
     appeal to your class? What majors are out of favor at the
     moment? What do you think accounts for the difference? What
     currents in American culture can you identify as influencing
     your selections?
 
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     THE TRANSITION: HELP WANTED
 
     1. During his first press conference as president-elect,
     Bill Clinton articulately rattled off his presidential
     priorities (pages 24-26): (a) job creation; (b) long-term
     economic growth; (c) a national health-care program; (d) new
     ethics rules; (e) campaign-finance reform; and (f) national
     service in exchange for college loans. Discuss the merits of
     each of these, and then, by a show of hands, determine which
     issue your class thinks should be his top legislative
     priority.
 
     2. For his transition team Bill Clinton chose old friends
     and campaign advisers for top policy posts. For the next six
     weeks, track the progress of the transition team in NEWSWEEK
     and other publications. Keep a notecard file of when and how
     key decisions were made by the team. Check to see if the
     people they select to serve the new presidency meet the high
     ethical standards recently announced by Clinton.
 
     3. Read David Hackworth's article on page 27 and discuss the
     following question: Do you think gays and straights can
     fight together without a decline in combat morale? Most
     straight warriors believe that gay soldiers would choke
     under combat, thereby destroying the two glues that cement a
     combat unit: trust and machismo. Do you agree with this
     assessment? Analyze the author's proposal that Bill Clinton
     establish a presidential commission to examine this issue.
     What do you think such a commission would recommend?
 
     4. Describe the "media double standard" that will be applied
     to the upcoming Clinton administration (page 29). Why might
     the new administration find it difficult to conform to these
     high ethical standards set by the press? Why does the press
     expect less, ethically speaking, from the Republican Party?
 
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     INTERNATIONAL
 
     This week's international section highlights the following
     issues: King Hussein's push for democracy in Jordan (pages
     36-37); the continuance of chaotic violence in war-shattered
     Somalia (page 38); the legacy of apartheid in South Africa,
     despite political reforms instituted by F.W. de Klerk (page
     39); and the attempts to foil democratic reform in Mexico
     (page 41) and Hong Kong (pages 42-43). As a class, formulate
     a foreign-policy statement that you would send to President-
     elect Clinton's upcoming secretary of state, detailing how
     he or she might address these problems. Many observers note
     that Clinton has no experience in foreign policy. How would
     you suggest he begin to implement a sound foreign policy?
 
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     DOOMSDAY SCIENCE
 
     1. Read the article on pages 56-60 and answer the following
     questions on a sheet of paper: (a) Who should be interested
     in this subject? (b) Why should I be concerned with this
     topic? (c) Do I believe the "doomsday" claims made in the
     article--that comets may soon plunge into the earth? (d)
     What in the article made the biggest impression on me? In
     addition, ask yourself the following: "One thing I just
     don't understand is ..."; and "From now on, when I look into
     the sky, I'll never see it the same way because ..."
 
     2. Briefly list the solutions to forestall the inevitability
     of the "doomsday" comets (page 60). Explain which solution
     seems most sensible to you. Which solution seems the most
     insensible? Do you think current science can ward off the
     doomsday comets? Can science save the planet Earth? Explain
     how much time, money and effort you think our government
     should invest in a program that would derail the comets from
     smashing into Earth. Do you believe that in your lifetime a
     comet will strike the earth, altering its ecological makeup?
     Why?
 
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     JUST TRY TO FIND THE SLOTH
 
     In an attempt to illustrate the diversity of the rain
     forests, the National Zoo unveiled its most important
     exhibit in years: a scaled-down version of the Brazilian
     rain forest, featuring plants, animals and ambience (page
     70). Consult your library for books about the rain forest,
     especially ones that discuss the different flora and fauna
     that are indigenous to the Amazonian jungle. Of all the
     species in the rain forests today, how many are endangered?
     What will likely happen to them? For more information, write
     to the National Zoo Director, Michael Robinson, at 3001
     Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C. (202-673-4800), and ask
     him questions about how to understand and preserve the
     beauty and the glory of Amazonia.
 
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     THE ARTS
 
     1. Using the descriptions of current children's books (pages
     72-74) as a guide, develop a class idea for a children's
     book. Select a group of students to work on the
     cartoons/illustrations, and another group to work on the
     story line/themes. Try to formulate a story line that
     functions on two levels; one that appeals to adults and
     children. For extra guidance, consult your library for the
     well-loved series of children's books called "Little Golden
     Books."
 
     2. The article "Walt and the Waif" (pages 76-77) is also
     about an art form directed at youngsters: animated and
     feature films for children. In small groups, select a
     children's film, such as "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and
     the Beast," "Home Alone," etc., that you can watch together.
     After viewing the video, discuss the following: What images,
     characters and motifs did the filmmakers draw upon? What
     theme or themes issued from the film? Did the film appeal to
     adults and children? How did the filmmakers capitalize upon
     a child's ability to see the wonder of the world, as well as
     the adult's need to recapture the wonderful sensation of
     being a child?
 
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     TODAY'S LANGUAGE
 
     The following words appear in this week's issue of NEWSWEEK.
     Write a sentence for each and compare your answer with a
     partner's.

     * HOARY (gray or white with or as if with age; very old,
     ancient)
     * MAXIM (a concise formulation of a fundamental principle or
     rule of conduct; saying)
     "It's a hoary maxim that the transition staffers don't get
     plum jobs in the administration they assemble." (page 25)
 
     * FULMINATE (to issue a thunderous verbal attack or
     denunciation)
     "Some conservative congressmen were beginning to fulminate
     about Clinton's Vietnam-era record, hinting that the young
     Rhodes scholar had even considered switching his citizenship
     to avoid the draft." (page 30)
 
     * ERSTWHILE (former)
     "And such comments also help distance the king from his
     erstwhile ally in Baghdad." (page 36)
 
     * CONVULSE (to pull violently)
     * BUFFET (to hit or club, especially with the hand; to
     strike against forcefully)
     "In a land convulsed by chaos, violence and famine, the
     world body has been tested and buffeted as never before."
     (page 38)
 
     * MANDARINS (in imperial China, a member of any of the nine
     ranks of high public officials)
     "But the mandarins of South African rugby have barely
     budged." (page 39)
 
     * DECRY (to belittle or disparage openly)
     "But lately, supermodel Iman has been raising her voice to
     decry the plight of her native Somalia." (page 53)
 
     * TRANSMOGRIFY (to change into a different shape or form,
     particularly one that is fantastic or bizarre)
     "To succeed, a Coach Chips must transmogrify himself into
     some sort of Perotian, Iacoccan type--organizing,
     administering, media-ing." (page 67)
 
     * BOWDLERIZING (to expurgate or remove prudishly)
     "Another obvious truth: bowdlerizing the classics is bad."
     (page 72)
 
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     QUIZ ANSWERS
     1. C (page 25)
     2. D (same)
     3. B (page 26)
     4. D (page 29)
     5. A (page 30)
     6. C (page 31)
     7. B (page 36)
     8. D (page 38)
     9. C (page 39)
     10. A (page 41)
     11. D (page 42)
     12. B (page 45)
     13. C (page 47)
     14. A (page 48)
     15. B (page 50)
     16. D (page 51)
     17. B (pages 56-60)
     18. C (same)
     19. A (same)
     20. B (same)
     21. C (same)
     22. B (same)
     23. A (page 63)
     24. D (page 71)
     25. C (page 88)
     Essay: Answers will vary.
 
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     For information about NEWSWEEK's Education Programs, call
     toll-free, 1-800-526-2595.endit

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Gleason Sackman                           BBS:       sackman@sendit.nodak.edu
Coordinator                               Internet:  sackman@plains.nodak.edu
SENDIT - NoDak's K-12 Telcom Network      Bitnet:    sackman@plains.bitnet
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Gleason Sackman                           BBS:       sackman@sendit.nodak.edu
Coordinator                               Internet:  sackman@plains.nodak.edu
SENDIT - NoDak's K-12 Telcom Network      Bitnet:    sackman@plains.bitnet