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"Watermelons, Walnuts, and the Wisdom of Allah"--Middle Eastern Children's Books
Mrs. Laura Bush was a librarian and continues to be a strong advocate for providing books to young students that will expand their understanding of the world around them. In the years since September 11, it seems especially important that we get an accurate picture of the worlds of Islam and the Middle East. One way to do that is to give our children access to books that will open these cultures to our children.
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A Festival of Books
First Lady Laura Bush was an elementary educator and a librarian. She encourages and promotes literacy and the love of reading of all ages. When her husband, George W. Bush, was governor of Texas, she began what has become an ongoing tradition: a statewide book festival, held in Austin, the state capitol. As First Lady, she has expanded this effort by spearheading an annual national book festival held in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Bush continues her campaign on literacy by encouraging early literacy skills in younger children. She also helps to promote the idea of family reading time, especially for young children, through a PBS initiative called "The Designated Reader Campaign."
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The National Debt--Time to Collect?
The current national debt has been increasing at what some believe to be an alarming rate—faster than it ever has in the history of our nation. Right now, the national debt is about $8 trillion dollars. How much is a trillion? For that matter, how much is a million? (See below!)
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Opening the Olympic Games
President and Mrs. George Bush accompanied the official U.S. delegation to the 2006 Winter U.S. Olympic team at the opening ceremonies and witnessed several events. One of the most stirring parts of the Olympics is the Opening Ceremony, in which athletes from all over the world parade into the Olympic Stadium carrying their national flags and wearing their Olympic uniforms.
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Terrorism and Tolerance
Terrorism is a frightening topic that is heard every day on the news and is much discussed by people in our society. One concept that is often used as a moderating influence to terrorism by Laura Bush is tolerance. What do these two concepts really mean? How can we begin to think about terrorism in a less fearsome and more useful way?
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Heart Health: Awareness and Research for Women
First Lady Laura Bush has become a strong spokesperson for awareness, research and prevention of heart disease in women. Heart disease is currently the number one killer of women in the United States. Why this is so, and what can be done about it are the subjects of this lesson.
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Funding America's School Libraries
Laura Bush, a former school librarian, is a major supporter of all school libraries and the intellectual and entertainment treasures they can provide to children and young people. In 2001, Mrs. Bush participated in the creation of the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries, which gives grants to school libraries around the country—money that can be spent to acquire or upgrade library materials for the use of students in that school.
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Peace in the Middle East: A Primer
Surely one of the great issues of the first decade of the 21st century is the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Because the conflict is tied to the American experience of the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and because the conflict involves both needed natural resources such as oil and three competing world religions with a common historical source, the story of conflict in the Middle East is confusing, constantly changing, and difficult to resolve.
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The Patriot Act: Liberty or Security, or Both?
As the U.S. government tries to fight terror through increasing the means of surveillance, critics raise issues of individual liberty, including the right to privacy and the right to avoid unwarranted searches and seizures. Of particular interest and heated debate has been the provision in the Act that would allow the government to access patron records at public and private libraries without warrants. Is this Act necessary to the nation’s security, or an invasion of civil liberties?
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A Technological Revolution in Politics: From Television to the Internet
Technology has always had a place in politics—from simple campaign buttons and broadsides to the advent of television, when debates such as those between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 heavily influenced the outcome of the election. Today the Internet with its e-mail, discussion forums, blogs, wikis, and podcasting is changing how politics is conducted. During the 2004 primaries while First Lady Laura Bush campaigned for her husband’s re-election, a democratic presidential contender, Howard Dean, utilized the Internet to collect funds from companies and individual citizens. This idea of citizens using the Internet to communicate and coordinate movements such as campaign finances is known as Internet Activism.
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The Women of Afghanistan
Since she has been First Lady, Laura Bush has traveled far and spent considerable time trying to advance the causes that are dear to her. Since 2002, she has been involved with the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, traveling to Afghanistan twice, once as a Council partner. Her particular interest currently is in a Teacher Training Institute in Kabul, but her overarching concern is the well-being of women and children in a country torn by religious, military, and cultural conflict.
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Recovery! Coping With the Effects of a Natural Disaster
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, landslides, floods, and earthquakes happen periodically in the United States. When this occurs the country unites to begin helping people recover by rebuilding a city or community. One example is Hurricane Katrina that devastated the Gulf Coast but specifically, New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2005. There were debates about what happened concerning the aid from the government and if the city should even be rebuilt. However, President Bush, Laura Bush, and the citizens of the United States have continued their efforts even a year later by providing money, assistance, and volunteers to reconstruct and rebuild the city to capture its original history with a touch of hope for the future.
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