Wednesday, January 5, 20 05
Experience USA
TODAY
YOUR GUIDE TO THE PEOPLE, PLACES AND EVENTS THAT SHAPE OUR WORLD
http://education.usatoday.com
News to Use
• N.J. man charged
with aiming lasers at
aircraft; • Confusion, frustration grow over painkillers; •
Debate: Congressional ethics
A c t i v i t y : N o w this i s t a x
reform (Math: Algebra; Math:
Connections) page 2
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D e v e l o p i n g
E v e n t
Sunnis say voting carries
too high a price, 6A
“If we give in to
threats and there is
no election now,
we’ll just be stuck,
stuck in this miserable situation.”
What role did the Sunni Arab minority play in Iraq prior to
the U.S. invasion? Why are many Sunnis stating that they
won’t vote in Iraq’s upcoming election? How could the
group’s refusal to vote affect the stability of the country?
Why are Sunni political leaders already preparing to
denounce the election results?
— Iraqi shop owner
Hassan Kazal Omran
• Gizmos and gadgets
and goodies, oh my!; •
Delta unveils new domestic
pricing system; • Snapshot:
Life insurance
What kind of information about the election has been circulating in Sunni neighborhoods? According to history professor Juan Cole, why are some fringe groups opting not
to participate in the process? If you were Iman Abit al-Wahid, would you vote in the election? Why or why not?
Activity: Tsunami death toll
represents information disaster (Language arts: Evaluating
data) page 2
What group of extremists in U.S. history tried to prevent African Americans from voting
during the civil rights movement? What was the ultimate outcome of blacks’ struggle for
the vote? Is there a lesson here for Sunni Arabs, or are the situations too dissimilar?
Activity: Patience no longer in
playbook (Social studies:
Culture) page 3
C a r e e r
C o r n e r
Work the vote
Top steps companies
take to encourage
employees to vote:
Allow paid
time off to vote
30%
Allow non-paid
time off to vote
• 20 tips to lose 20
pounds; • Walls of a
nursing home hold sad realities; • Radio moved to Usher’s
rhythm in 2004
Provide
information on
voter registration
USA TODAY Snapshots
• Boggs, Sandberg
voted into Baseball
Hall of Fame; • Preview: NFL
playoffs; • Snapshot: Bowlers
seek perfect conversion
21%
8%
Source: Society For Human
Resource Management survey
of 450 human resource
executives conducted in
September. Margin of error
±5 percentage points.
By Darryl Haralson and Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY
Activity: ‘Alias,’ ‘Lost’ creator
made film at age 11 (Language
arts: Evaluation strategies)
page 3
Why might a business want to encourage its
employees to vote? If you owned a small company, which of the above steps, if any, would you
take? What does it mean to be a good corporate
citizen? A good citizen?
ESOL
Connections
Look
through
USA
TODAY, and find pictures
of triangles, circles,
squares and rectangles.
Cut out at least five
shapes, and glue each
picture to a piece of
paper. Then, with a
marker, divide each
shape into one of these
fractions: 1/3, 2/5, 5/6,
5/8 and 1/2. Color and
label each fraction.
E x p e r i e n c e U S A T O DAY
Wednesday, January 5, 20 05 q Page 2
Now this is tax
refor m, 13A
STANDA RD: Mat
h: Algebra;
Math: Connectio
DISCUSSION: W
ns
hy doesn’t Don Ca
mpbell believe po
are sincere when
liticians
they talk about sim
plifying the USA’s
What kinds of tax
ta
x
code?
simplifications ha
s President Bush ru
Why is Bush tr
led out?
ying to encourag
e Americans to
According to Cam
invest?
pbell, why is the
ta
x
code so complex
was the original
? What
purpose of taxes?
What would Cam
revised tax code
pbell’s
look like? How do
you think Americ
react to it? How w
ans would
ould it affect the ec
onomy?
AC TIVI TY: Imag
ine that individual
s were taxed 2 pe
ever y $10,000 th
rcent for
ey made, up to 26
percent. Thus, a
who made $20,00
person
0 per year would
be taxed at a rate
cent while a pers
of 4 peron who earned $7
0,000 would be
the rate of 14 pe
taxed at
rcent. Create a gr
ap
hic organizer that
trates the amount
illusa person would pa
y in taxes at each
ment from $10,00
incre0 to $250,000. Do
es this tax system
fair? Explain why
seem
or why not.
W
I
S
E
RD
TES T
PR EP
Define the following
words as used in
the article:
‘Alias,’ ‘Lost’ creator
made movie at age
11, Life, 1D
1. micromanager
2. delegates
3. penchant
4. juggernaut
5. homage
3. strong inclination, taste
or liking for something
2. gives responsibility for a
task to others; assigns
1. one who manages or
controls with excessive
attention to minor details
ANSWERS:
that illustrates the differACT IVI TY: Create a flow chart
munications, e.g., the teleence between one-to-one com
sives. In which situation
phone, and one-to-many mis
on one-to-one communimight a person or business rely
is the primary advantage
cation to send messages? What
g a one-to-many model?
of disseminating information usin
4. large, overpowering
force or object
endous death toll from
DISCUSSION: Why was the trem
n disaster”? Why didn’t
last week’s tsunami an “informatio
b to disseminate war nings
people take advantage of the We
In what way is the death
about the impending tidal wave?
information than a natural
toll more the result of a lack of
disaster? Why is this ironic?
5. respect, honor or tribute
data; communication strategies
STANDARD: Lang. arts: Evaluating
6. a crystal or piece of cut
glass that separates white
light into a spectrum
Tsunami death toll
represents information disaster, 3B
6. prism
E x p e r i e n c e U S A T O DAY
Wednesday, January 5, 20 05 q Page 3
This Day In History
ger
Patience no lon
in playbook, 1C
re
cial studies: Cultu
h so many footSTANDA RD: So
ges going throug
hy are colle
berville give creDISCUSSION: W
burn’s Tommy Tu
Au
d
di
w
Ho
s?
for schools to
ball coache
n”? Is it realistic
tio
op
e
nc
ie
at
“p
y year? At
dence to the
competitive ever
be
to
m
ra
og
pr
es
expect a football
a team to win gam
ore important for
m
it
is
er
l,
th
ve
ra
le
u
ge
yo
ould
the colle
raduation rate? W
-g
er
ay
pl
ed
gh
ct
hi
a
pe
ex
or maintain
d be immediately
hing contract an
ac
co
grow?
fty
to
he
e
a
n
tim
sig
d be given
an
ey
on
m
ss
le
ke
to perform, or ta
Housel says, “We
ics director David
et
hl
at
rn
bu
Au
:
one section of
AC TIVI TY
cation.” Choose
ifi
at
gr
t
an
st
in
of
of informalive in an age
your only source
is
it
d
en
et
pr
d
ly, and
the newspaper, an
e section thorough
th
ad
Re
.
re
ltu
cu
an
ppor t or contra
tion about Americ
les, in general, su
tic
ar
e
th
er
th
.
he
explain w
specific examples
ement. List five
dict Housel’s stat
January 5
q In 1589, Catherine de Medici of France
died at age 69.
q In 1781, a British naval expedition led by
Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.
q In 1896, the Austrian newspaper Wiener
Presse reported the discovery by German
physicist Wilhelm Roentgen of a type of
radiation that came to be known
as "X-rays."
q In 1925, Nellie T. Ross succeeded her late
husband as governor of Wyoming, becoming the first female governor in U.S. history.
q In 1949, in his State of the Union address,
President Truman labeled his administration the "Fair Deal."
‘Alias,’ ‘Lost’ cre
ator
made film at ag
e 11,
STANDA RD: La
nguage arts: Eval
uation strategies
1D
DISCUSSION: W
hat are J.J. Abram
s “aliases”? How
manage the de
does he
mands of his di
ve
rse roles? Wha
from Alias has Ab
t lesson
rams applied to
Lost? How did he
op his multiple ta
devellents? What is hi
s top priority?
AC TI V IT Y: Abra
ms says that last
season, “We wer
tr ue to the (Alia
en’t as
s) characters. Th
ey became paw
plot-driven stor
ns in a
y.” Identify a no
vel that you ha
which the char
ve read in
acters are simpl
y
pawns in a plot
stor y. Next, cite
-driven
a book in which
the plot gets lost
acter-driven stor
in a chary. Finally, name
a work that illus
perfect balance
trates the
between plot an
d characterizatio
each decision in
n. Defend
writing.
q In 1999, touching off angry protests by
Cuban-Americans in Miami, the U.S. government decided to send 6-year-old Elian
Gonzalez back to Cuba. (After a legal battle,
and the seizure of Elian from the home of
his U.S. relatives, the boy was returned to
Cuba in June.)
President Truman’s “Fair Deal” administration recommended that all
Americans have health insurance, that
the minimum wage be increased, and
that all Americans be guaranteed
equal rights under the law.* Which of
these initiatives have passed? Which
have yet to be implemented? Why? If
Franklin Roosevelt gave us the “New
Deal” and Harry Truman introduced
the “Fair Deal,” what “agreement” has
the current administration brought
us? Cite two examples from recent history and one from today’s paper to
support your answer.
*Source: Library of Congress
E x p e r i e n c e U S A T O DAY
Wednesday, January 5, 20 05 q Page 4
Community & Family
EXTRA CREDIT !
20 tips to lose 20 pounds, Life, 8D
How important is a person’s
attitude to his or her overall
health and well-being? What
role do diet and exercise play in
achieving and maintaining a
healthy weight? Why is it important to get adequate sleep? What
does it mean to adopt a “B mentality” in your approach to nutrition and weight loss? Which of
the tips on the list do you think
are sound advice? Which do you
think are optional or unnecessary? Why should people be
wary of diet trends?
At the beginning of a new
year, people often resolve to
change their diet and exercise
habits, to quit smoking or to do
something to improve themselves. What resolutions did you
make for 2005? What steps are
you taking to achieve your goals?
Athletes’ Salaries
OBJECTIVES
P r oj e c t - B a s e d
Students groups will:
ugather information about player salaries in one of
the four major professional sports.
uidentify and explain the factors that have contributed to salary growth.
ustate and defend a position on the appropriateness of
professional athletes’ salaries.
upresent their conclusions to peers.
Week 1
ch
Resear
L ear ning
I N S T R U C T I O N S : The average NBA salary in 2003
was 4.9 million; the average baseball salary was $2.37 million; the average NFL salary was $1.25 million. Over the
past 40 years, professional sports has grown economically
and in popularity. There are more teams, more players and
longer seasons. Television has contributed to the transformation of professional sports and to its economic impact
on individuals, communities and the nation as a whole.
The four major professional sports — baseball, football,
basketball, and hockey — have seen player salaries and
team revenues increase dramatically over this period of
time. Some people argue that salaries have reached unacceptable heights. Others believe that players’ earnings are
fair compensation for the demands of pro sports and the
talent and training required to play them. The purpose of
this project is to research the growth of athletes’ salaries in
one of the four major professional sports and defend a
position on whether these salaries are too high.
During this week you should research and gather as
much information as you can about the salaries of players in one of the four major professional sports. Peruse
USA TODAY’s salary databases (see addresses listed
below) and other sources for information on pro athletes’ salaries now and in past decades. Then, research
the earnings of five other occupations, that in your
opinion, require skills or training comparable to an athlete’s. (See the Department of Labor’s Occupational
Outlook Handbook at the link below.) Record your
data and reflections, and discuss them as a group.
Baseball:
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/default.aspx
Football:
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/default.aspx
Basketball:
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/salaries/default.aspx
Hockey:
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/salaries/default.aspx
Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
STANDARDS
This project meets the
following national standards for middle and
high school:
Economics: Role of
Resources
in
Determining Income
(Students understand
that) income for most
people is determined by
the market value of the
productive resources
they sell. What workers
earn depends, primarily,
on the market value of
what they produce and
how productive they
are. (NCEE)
Language
Arts:
Evaluating
Data
Students
conduct
research on issues and
interests by generating
ideas and questions, and
by posing problems.
They gather, evaluate,
and synthesize data
from a variety of sources
(e.g., print and nonprint
texts, artifacts, people)
to communicate their
discoveries in ways that
suit their purpose and
audience. (NCTE)
Student Challenge on ...
Science & Technology
USA TODAY Snapshots
Many without safe water globally
People around the world, especially in developing
countries, still don’t have access to safe water. Percent
of population with access to safe water:
1990
2000
100%
100%
81%
74%
USA
World
USA
World
Source: World Bank
By Shannon Reilly and Sam Ward, USA TODAY
APPLICATIONS: problem solving, global issues
What happens when people don’t have
clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing
and farming? Why do you think nearly one
third of the world’s population lacks access to
safe water?
The World Health Organization lists many
reasons for the sanitation crisis: Among them:
1.) Governments’ lack of political will. 2.)
Inadequate and poorly used resources. 3.)
Ineffective promotion and low public awareness. 4.) Policies that put women and children
last. Which of these problems do you think
would be the easiest to rectify? The hardest?
The United Nations has declared access to
safe water a basic human right. By instituting
a “rights-based approach” to the problem, the
UN hopes to hasten the process of bringing
safe water to all people. In short, if water is a
legal entitlement, governments can be held
responsible for failing to provide it, and citizens who don’t have safe water will be
empowered to fight for it. Do you think this
approach will be effective? What other steps
could the UN and wealthy countries like the
U.S. take to help bring safe water to all people?
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