Taliban and American aid. After the September 11 attacks, it was necessary for conservatives to somehow explain away the fact that the US government gave 245 million dollars to the new evildoers du jour. Never mind the fact that authors such as Robert Scheer warned of aiding the Taliban as early as in May 2001. Never mind that they did so not out of some humanitarian motivation, but because of the Taliban's violent enforcement of the ban on opium poppies. Never mind that in a regime that is controlled by warlords, it does not matter who is authorized to distribute the aid -- the ruling regional warlords will seize control of it and use it to their own advantage. Never mind that this very argument has been used by hawks in opposition to sending humanitarian aid to Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Never mind that the Taliban continued selling opium in spite of the deal. Never mind that this is all documented on Michael Moore's website about the film. Gun homicides. Statistics are Moore's weakest point, and it is surprising that his critics don't dwell on them longer. That's because they know all too well that Moore is correct: The United States have a far greater homicide rate (both gun- and non-gun) than most other first world countries. His main mistake is that he does not use population corrected data, his second mistake is that he does not cite his sources (and, as you correctly point out, he probably uses different reporting methods for the different countries). A good comparison of international homicide rates can be found on the relatively neutral guncite.com website.

What was the $245 Million in aid to the Taliban intended to be used for?

In actual practice, however, we act too often as if we only cared for economic values. If we are to live up to our educational profession, we must look our aim in the face and honestly practise what we believe. While training of character and conduct is the accepted aim for education in general, to make this useful and practical each teacher must fix her attention on how this ultimate aim affects her own special part of the whole work. By watching the free child she will discover how best she can help him: he knows his own business, and when unfettered by advice or command shows plainly that he is chiefly concerned with _gaining experience_. He finds himself in what is to him a new and complex world of people and things; actual experience is the foundation for a complete living, and the stronger the foundation the better the result of later building. _The first vital principle then is that the teacher of young children must provide life in miniature; that is, she must provide abundant raw material and opportunities for experience_.

Why is the free child being chiefly concerned with gaining experience so important for later building?

The documentary portrays a behind-the-scenes look at the poor state of Argentina's civil aviation , and puts the blame on the Argentine Air Force . The Air Force has been in control of air traffic operations since the military takeover of General Juan Carlos Ongan a in 1966 . The producer/director , Enrique Pi eyro , claims Argentina and Nigeria are the only countries whose air force controls and regulates the airline industry . Pi eyro , a former Argentine airline pilot , makes his case in the documentary using diagrams , 3D animations , interviews , hidden cameras in the control tower , and a few props . For example , at one point he spills out a bag of plastic airplanes and equates it to the number of planes the air force has lost due to negligence . The film is heavily based on the Austral L neas A reas Flight 2553 plane crash . Enrique Pi eyro takes his camera , secretly , into the control tower of the Ministro Pistarini International Airport also-known-as Ezeiza , the international airport at Buenos Aires .
Which director uses a bag of plastic airplanes to demonstrate the poor state of the Argentinian civil aviation industry?