"All three publications have been banned for their contents that can influence the people to revolt against the leaders and government policies," said a statement by Home Ministry Secretary General Mahmood Adam on the official news agency Bernama. "The contents are not suitable and detrimental to public order," he said without elaborating.
The works are mainly collections of comics by Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, and other local cartoonists, questioning current events, such as police shootings and the sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. » continued below cartoon...

Image source

Cartoonist Zunar, who has published the other two works, told the AP he was still waiting for an official letter from the ministry but vowed not to stop drawing.
"In Malaysia the government is like this. They won't allow alternative views. You can do cartoons, you can do whatever art work you want, but it must be in line with the government (view)," said the 47-year-old, who has been a professional cartoonist for more than 20 years. » The full ABC News Associated Press article - By Julia Zappei

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Keeping It Quiet -
  Overview | Students consider ways in which countries use censorship to control information. Go to this Law and Society Lesson.
  Compare to Thailand's use of censorship and a nation-wide propaganda campaign to label those against the Abhisit military-backed government as "Terrorists".
• World Wise School - Looking at ourselves and others -
  | Students will recognize that their classmates hold a variety of opinions. Students will see how personal tastes and experiences - in addition to culture - influence our perspectives. Go to this Building Society Lesson.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - The Political is Personal -
  Overview | Students explore their own personal political philosophies by identifying events, people and experiences that have helped shape their beliefs and writing an essay. Go to this Building Society and ESL Lesson.
  
]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:11:51 +0700 Building a Healthy Society Law and Society http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ keeping-it-quiet-malaysia-bans-political-cartoon http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/no-place-for-bullies/
Cellphone cameras and text messages, as well as social networking Web sites, e-mail and instant messaging, all give teenagers a wider range of ways to play tricks on one another, to tease and to intimidate their peers. » Image source ltscotland.org
• The New York Times - Learning Network - No Place for Bullies -
  Overview | Students reflect on the bullying in their community, hold an anonymous discussion about bullying and suggest solutions to the problem. Go to this Building Society and Internet Lesson.
• Three related Learning Foundation - Simplified Mock Trial cases -
  ‣ "I can say what I want!"
  ‣ "I was just protecting my kid"
  ‣ "News vs Gossip"
]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Thu, 27 May 2010 16:21:24 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html no-place-for-bullies http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/?p=1058
Censorship image source / Selling news image source

• Thai Academics Shut Down

  Thai academics are being intimidated out of speaking
  out on a large scale, according to University World
  News, a London-based publication for academics. In
  an article by Yojana Sharma, published on July 11, the
  publication said that "broadcasting freely is no longer a
  simple and safe matter since the government
  crackdown against Red Shirt protesters in May."
  "When Thai newspapers quote English-language newspapers they distort the news. I explained to my listeners that
  Thai newspapers don't give the right translations," said Suda Rangkupan, a lecturer in linguistics at Bangkok's
  Chulalongkorn University.
  "Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn described Red Shirt broadcasters as a "threat to national security". But Suda said only the radio stations that supported the democracy movements were closed whereas those run by the pro-government Yellow Shirts were still open even though they were also community radio
  stations. » The full Asia Sentinel article - Written by Yojana Sharma - Published July 12,2010

• Bangkok: International Media under Fire

  Although nearly a month has passed since the Thai
  government forcefully ended the Bangkok protests by
  the Red Shirt followers of deposed Premier Thaksin
  Shinawatra, the conflict persists. Now the Thai
  authorities and segments of Thai society have opened
  up a new flank. They are on a collision course with the
  foreign media.» The full Asia Sentinel article -
  Written by Haseenah Koyakutty - Published June 15,2010
  


• Protest by disabled vendors dispersed
  A protesting group of 200 disabled lottery vendors - including a number of blind sellers - gathering yesterday near the Government House were dispersed by police under the state of emergency, although their demonstration was peaceful. » The full Nation article - Published on June 9, 2010
  Image source
• May 18 | Thai Media joins government in spreading hate -
  (International Herald Tribune) - A constant crawl at the bottom of television screens, which started running in March on two government-owned stations, makes the case that “malevolent” protesters are hurting the country and should go home. And an advertisement implores, “Thais should love each other because we all live in the same country.”
  “The Thai people love peace but when we go to war, we are not fearful,” read one of the dozens of messages exhorting people to oppose the protest movement that has paralyzed parts of Bangkok for more than seven weeks.
  At the same time the government has shut down an opposition television station and at least 420 Web sites affiliated with the red shirt movement.
  Officials are also accusing red shirts of trying to overthrow the monarchy, an incendiary charge that protest leaders reject. » The full International Herald Tribune article By By Thomas Fuller.

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image source Tolerance.org


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• The New York Times - Learning Network - When the News Ignites a Fuse -
  Overview | Students examine news stories and images that have incited violence in the past to put into historical context recent news coverage. Go to this Media and Building a Healthy Society Lesson.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - News or Propaganda? -
  Overview | Students discuss objectivity and press responsibility. Go to this Media and Building a Healthy Society Lesson.
• World Wise School - "How Accurate is It?"
  Overview | This activity introduces students to the difficult concept of generalization so that they will challenge generalizations made about people...Go to this Building Society Lesson Worksheet.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring Bias in the News -
  Overview | Students look for biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning. Go to this Media and Building a Healthy Society Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Keeping It Quiet -
  Overview | Students consider ways in which countries use censorship to control information. Go to this Law and Society Lesson.
]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:15:21 +0700 Building a Healthy Society Media and Society http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/?p=1058 thai-government-hate-campaign-grows http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/the-second-draft-of-history/

Image source

• The New York Times - Learning Network - The Second Draft of History -
  Overview | Students draft entries about a recent historical event for a history textbook using two specific sources of information. They then compare their entries and examine the differences. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words -
  Overview | Students will explore the power of images through political cartoons. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.
]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:34:45 +0700 Media and Society http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ picturing-history http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-thai-protest21-2010mar21,0,7512669.story Up to 100,000 join a rally seeking new elections in Thailand.

Bangkok, Thailand
Crimson-clad protesters snaked their way through the Thai capital Saturday, with thousands of cars, trucks and motorbikes tangling up traffic as demonstrators sought to drum up support for ousting the government.
The caravan of as many as 100,000 "Red Shirt" protesters is seeking to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call new elections.
The raucous procession, which wound its way over 40 miles, met with curious and often sympathetic crowds. The full LA Times » article.




Abhisit rallies the troops » Image source




• The New York Times - Learning Network - Fighting Fire with Satire -
  Overview | Students consider satire in the news by exploring various sources of “fake news,” and then creating their own political satire in the form of a skit, news article, or cartoon. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words -
  Overview | Students will explore the power of images through political cartoons. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - Fishing for Red Herrings -
  Overview | Students examine the tendency for the public and media to focus on microcosmic, “red herring” issues, then create ways to “sell” large, important issues to the public. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.
]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:53:52 +0700 Media and Society http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ protest-winds-through-bangkok http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/google-vs-china-considering-threats-to-internet-freedom/
Image source Philippe Lopez/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

A cafe in Shanghai.
Some say the government mostly trains its efforts on prominent dissidents who publish information about forbidden topics online. Go to related article - Scaling the Digital Wall in China - By Brad Stone and David Barboza.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Google vs. China: Considering Threats to Internet Freedom-
  Overview | What threats exist to Internet freedom, and how can people and democratic governments combat them? In this lesson, students imagine how they might communicate, and evade censors, if they were anti-government activists. They then look more closely at the issues involved in the dispute between Google and China and develop ideas for how Google or the U.S. government should respond. Finally, they do independent research to learn more about the types of information that the Chinese government has sought to block online. Go to this Media and Society Lesson.
• World Wise School - Worksheet - Students will learn to identify and modify generalizations. -
  This activity introduces students to the difficult concept of generalization so that they will challenge generalizations made about people... Go to this Building Society Lesson.
]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:01:45 +0700 Media and Society http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ google-vs-china-considering-threats-to-internet http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/survey-says-evaluating-polling-methods-and-results/ The original image source.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Opinions, Please! -
  Overview | Students will consider the purpose of surveys and polls and learn how to create them effectively. After they examine a poll by The New York Times, they create, administer, and tally surveys of their own design. Go to this Media Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - ‘Survey Says … ‘: Evaluating Polling Methods and Results -
  Overview | What basic skills are needed to read a poll? How are scientifically sound polls conducted? How can one gauge the reliability of poll data? In this lesson, students learn terms associated with polling as well as how to read and evaluate poll methodologies and results. They then practice administering and interpreting polls. Go to this Media Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Examining Freedom of the Press and around the World -
  Students examine the concepts of freedom of the press and free speech in countries around the world and analyze how useful and trustworthy media outlets are to their citizens. Go to this Media Lesson.
]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:43:31 +0700 Media and Society http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ evaluating-polling-methods-and-results http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ituzWkFAm2ZHY05fhSE2xV9VJb0wD9A2S5580 The original image source.

"The amount of frenzy or hysteria is totally disproportionate to the overall reality of the disease," Dr. Jai Narain, the head of the regional communicable disease office for the World Health Organization, said Friday.
Breathless reports of swine flu have dominated India's 24-hour news channels desperate for stories amid the August doldrums. That in turn has helped whip the public into a frenzy, even in cities with relatively few cases of flu. The full AP article » By Ravi Nessman.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring the Importance of Journalism Rights and Ethics -
  Students will consider how free speech applies to journalistic practices .... then participate in a fishbowl discussion about journalism codes of ethics and write response papers. Go to this Media Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Examining Freedom of the Press and People's Faith in the Media Around the World -
  Students examine the concepts of freedom of the press and free speech in countries around the world and analyze how useful and trustworthy media outlets are to their citizens. Go to this Media Lesson.
]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:22:59 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ in-india-swine-flu-panic-spreads-faster-than-virus http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/rumors/article4.html


Why do people gossip and spread rumors? We've all had that kind of urge. But why? Here are some possible reasons:
- To feel superior
When people are feeling bad aboutthemselves, they sometimes thinkthey’ll feel better if there weresomeone worse off than they are.
- To feel like part of the group
If everybody else is gossiping or spreading rumors, you might feelyou have to do the same thing in order to fit in.
- For attention
When you know a secret that nobody knows, or are the first personin your group to hear a rumor, it can make you the center ofattention.
- For control or power
Certain people always want to be in control and at the top of theladder.
- Boredom
Did you know in many studies, boredom was the number 1 reason why young people say they spread rumors? ... Read more about Gossip and Rumors - PBS kids Its my Life.


Related article: "But rumours sell. People tend to believe in a rumour if it is against the party they hate. This is worrying because people cannot make an informed decision based on rumours." The full article - The Bangkok Post Friday March 3,2006

• The New York Times- Learning Network - Not Just the Facts
Overview: Students explore the difference between hard news, news analysis and (rumors and gossip) ... They then endeavor to write an analysis ... using local sources and drawing their own conclusions. Go to this Media Lesson.
• The Learning Foundation - "News vs Gossip" - Simplified Mock Trial.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:54:23 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ gossip-and-rumors--why-do-people-do-it http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/newsvsgossiplesson.html "News Vs Gossip" - Simplified Mock Trial - Fact Summary »

Chat room image Florida online reading - selling newspapers image source newscopy.org

A Newspaper that looks for possible stories from Thai web site bulletin boards, blogs, and chat-rooms picked up the story spreading about Lek who had claimed her teacher had stolen her hand phone.

The newspaper called her mother for an interview.
Lek’s mother told the Newspaper that Ms Lawson hated her daughter and took her hand phone to punish her.

The Thai Newspaper printed a story: Headline News - "Teacher abuses kid"
The story added that the school in which the teacher taught was very bad and should be closed until the government investigates.

The same day, a parent of a student from the school sent the newspaper article to the head of the school.
He translated the article for Lek's teacher, Ms lawson, who became very upset.
"That's not true!" She said. "They lied!"
"Don’t they need any evidence to show what they print is true?"

The Newspaper said it was just passing along stories that interested readers and the damage to Ms Lawson and the school were their own fault not the Newspapers.


• This is the third of three related Learning Foundation Simplified Mock Trial cases:
- "I can say what I want!"
- "I was just protecting my kid"
- "News vs Gossip"

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:52:19 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html news-vs-gossip-simplified-mock-trial http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/12angi.html Librado Romero/The New York Times (Original image source)
UNEARTHING CLUES A squirrel carcass was among the items placed on the grounds at New Rochelle High School for students to dig up and examine in their forensic class. Any squeamish reactions? Not allowed.


For the final exam, the students have an hour to make sense of a crime scene mocked up in the woods with the help of the New Rochelle police. Here the core message of the semester is brutally distilled: that science, like life and its end, can be messy and uncertain, that you must notice what others overlook, and that if you collect and bag your evidence but fail to seal it, your teacher will dump your hard work in the trash. Remember, you’re a forensic scientist. You’re not just playing one on TV. From this New York Times Article » By Natalie Angier.


• The New York Times - Learning Network - Examining the "Science" in Forensic Science -
  Overview: Students reflect on forensic science and its popularity and then act as forensic experts investigating photographs of Frances Glessner Lee's miniature crime-scene dioramas. Go to this Science and Media Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Analyzing Media Coverage of Crime -
  Overview: Students will compare the coverage of two crime stories, analyzing both for objectivity, language, emotional impact, and local and national dissemination. Go to this Media and Law Lesson.

]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:11:56 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ a-hit-in-school-maggots-and-all http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSLF510908._CH_.2400 The original image source.

WHO chief says too early to relax about flu outbreaks

GENEVA, May 15 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation warned on Friday against a false sense of security from waning and apparently mild outbreaks of H1N1 flu, saying the worst may not be over. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who raised the United Nations agency's pandemic alert to the second-highest level, said there remained "great uncertainty" about the strain that could pose particular threats in Southeast Asia.Read the full Reuters article - By Stephanie Nebehay.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Researching the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic -
  Overview: Students engage in an inquiry into influenza A (H1N1), considering the virus and the pandemic from multiple perspectives and acting as advisers to share factual information they learn with their classmates and school communities. Go to this Health, Science and Media Lesson.

Related background lesson: - Blaming ‘Media Hype’ for Swine Flu Fears -
No one has been shocked that many anchors on 24-hour-a-day cable news channels, which have a lot of time to fill, have spent a good deal of it hyperventilating. These days, that is to be expected — after all, Jon Stewart makes a very good living pointing out night after night that those channels tend to overreact at some stage to almost every crisis they report. That’s what they do. Read this New York Times blog - By Robert Mackey.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring the Importance of Journalism Rights and Ethics -
  Students will consider how free speech applies to journalistic practices .... then participate in a fishbowl discussion about journalism codes of ethics and write response papers. Go to this Media Lesson.
]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Fri, 15 May 2009 20:31:24 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ no-signs-of-sustained-global-spread-of-swine-flu http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/11/america/letter.php

How many of us remember that in 1917, Congress passed an "Espionage Act" that gave broad powers to local postmen to decide what newspapers, magazines and other literature Americans were allowed to read, or that any number of such publications were effectively banned in that way? Read this New York Times "Letter from America" - By Richard Bernstein

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Fighting Fire with Satire -
Overview: Students consider satire in the news by exploring various sources of “fake news,” and then creating their own political satire in the form of a skit, news article, or cartoon. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - Creating Political Cartoons that Show and Tell -
Overview: Students will explore the power of images through political cartoons. They then create their own original artwork to submit to an appropriate publication. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:59:21 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/wordpress/ lampooning-leaders-wasnt-always-so-easy http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/12/technology/kstar.php?page=1
Yonhap/The Associated Press
Choi Jin Sil, known as South Korea's "national actress." Her suicide this month followed that of other celebrities, and officials have blamed anonymous Internet slanderers for the deaths.

Most South Korean Web portals and online news sites have discussion boards where users can post uncensored, anonymous comments. Some news articles attract hundreds of feedback entries, ranging from thoughtful comments to raving obscenities.
The police reported 10,028 cases of online libel last year, up from 3,667 reported in 2004. "Yellow journalism" spread through the Internet and picked up by newspapers (is pervasive).
So many teenagers are addicted to online games that the government runs "Internet rescue" boot camps to help them rehabilitate.
Under a new edict from the Education Ministry, teachers must spend more time teaching online ethics, starting in primary school. Read the IHT Article » By Choe Sang-Hun

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Talking Trash -
  Overview | In this lesson, students will consider their own experiences with online message boards and chat rooms, discover how teens are using the Web to talk about people in their lives, discuss the issues surrounding online conversations, and write opinion pieces on the future of teenage bulletin boards and chat rooms. Go to this Media, Law and Health Lesson.

• Three related Learning Foundation Simplified Mock Trial cases.
  ‣ "I can say what I want!"
  ‣ "I was just protecting my kid"
  ‣ "News vs Gossip"
]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com (Keerock Rook) Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:36:41 +0700 Law and Society http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html the-price-of-yellow-journalism-spread-through-th Media and Society http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/05/asia/mirza.php Image source

Sania Mirza, the most successful tennis star in India, has announced that she has no desire to play in her country any more, distressed by a string of controversies that have exposed her to months of negative publicity.

Barkha Dutt, managing editor of NDTV, one of India's most popular news channels said that Mirza had "every reason to feel fed up."
"She is young, pretty, with attitude, and as a result she is hounded," she said, "and gets caught up in these controversies which range from the fabricated to the ridiculous." Read Article »

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring the Shaping of Tolerance and Intolerance -
Overview: Students examine the meanings of tolerance and intolerance and participate in a "town hall meeting" in which they represent different perspectives in order to explore how tolerance is shaped by various beliefs and contexts.  Go to this Building Society Lesson.
• World Wise School - "How Accureate is It?"
This activity introduces students to the difficult concept of generalization so that they will challenge generalizations made about people... Go to this Building Society Lesson Worksheet.
• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring Bias in the News -
Overview: Students look for biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning. Go to this Media and Society Lesson.

]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:21:18 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html india-shunned-by-tennis-star-reflects-on-intoler http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070802thursday.html Chat room image Florida online reading - selling newspapers image source newscopy.org

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Analyzing the Substance and Credibility of Newspapers -
Students share opinions about the factors that influence their decisions about which newspapers to read. They then analyze the tone, content and perspective of major newspapers and rank them based on personal criteria. Go to this Media and ESL Lesson.

• Related Thai stories - Rumor Nation - The Asian Sentinel and "But rumours sell." - The Bangkok Post
• The Learning Foundation - Simplified Mock Trials
- The Case of Slanted News
- "News vs Gossip"

]]> Editor@www.lfslessonsasia.com Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:02:14 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html when-the-news-is-the-news http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/itsmycountrylesson.html "It's my country/I can do what I want!" - Simplified Mock Trail Facts. - Editors note: this case is based on the conflicting opinions about who chooses the way a country is governed.

Update: The military leaders of Myanmar seized a shipment of United Nations food aid on Friday intended for victims of a devastating cyclone... “All the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated,” said Paul Risley, a spokesman for the United Nations World Food Program in Bangkok.
“It is one of the best examples of the disregard for the people by the military,” said Josef Silverstein an expert on Myanmar at Rutgers University. Read this New York Times » article - By Seth Mydans

(AFP)
Wicha Mahakhun, a former Thai judge and (military coup sponsored) constitution drafter, stated:

"People, especially academics who want to see the constitution lead to genuine democracy, are naïve. We all know elections are evil. Even HM the King places trust in the judges; would you condemn them?" From the article: Charter drafter pans 'evil' elections - The Nation.


Giles Ungpakorn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University charges:

"The drafters will claim they are following the policies of the palace, but it's much more complicated than that, .... Moreover, the monarchy is just one institution. There are 65 million other people in Thailand who deserve an equal say in how the country is run."
"The (18th Thai Constitution) has a problem right from the start,... Giving power to unelected civil servants who tend to be very conservative is a step backwards." From the article: The Rise of Thailand’s Third Branch - By Daniel Ten Kate   - The Asia Sentinel.

• The Learning Foundation - "It's my country/I can do what I want!" - Simplified Mock Trial Lesson Plan.

• The Learning Foundation - "The 18th Thai constitution?" - What makes a law good lesson plan.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 10 May 2008 15:44:20 +0700 http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html who-decides-compare-and-contrast-the-rule-of-law http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/31/business/chinet.php

It began with an impassioned, 5,000-word letter on one of China's most popular Internet bulletin boards, from a husband denouncing a student he suspected of carrying on an affair with his wife.
Immediately, hundreds joined in the attack. "Let's use our keyboard and mouse in our hands as weapons," as one person wrote, "to chop out the heads of these adulterers, to pay for the sacrifice of the husband." Within days, the hundreds had grown to thousands, and then tens of thousands, with total strangers forming teams to hunt down the student's identity and address, hounding him out of his university and causing his family to barricade themselves inside their home. Read Article » and The keyboard as weapon - By Howard W. French for The New York Times.


Related Lesson:
Li Qingyou's statment:"Our mentality was that when Chairman Mao waved his hand, we would move, and whatever he said, we would do.
• The Learning Foundation - "Did Li Qingyou Break the Law?" - Simplified Mock Trial Lesson.
• Compare and Contrast - Local Thai Media news - The Bangkok Post.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:49:19 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html mob-rule-on-chinas-internet http://lfslessonsasia.com/pcisthatafact.html Judge Albert Diaz examines a tube containing his DNA during the Southeast Regional Science and Technology Boot Camp for judges -

As advanced science (communications and international agreements) play a larger role in courtrooms across the country (and the world) judges who earned degrees in English, the humanities (or only Law as in Thailand) face the daunting task of making informed decisions about some very technical disputes. Read the entire article Judges get crash course in sciences - By Mike Baker - Associated Press Writer.

"... This is a problem for Thailand. They ignore the scientific evidence. The judge, the attorney, the police... I think they don’t know much about forensic science, especially DNA...." read the rest of the Interview with Dr. Porntip - Foreign Correspondent.

• WWS - World Wise School- Is That a Fact?
Overview: Understanding the difference between fact and opinion is critical to our ability to examine our reactions to events and people. Stereotypes and prejudices are often based on opinions that are perceived as facts. Go to this Building Society Lesson Worksheet.

• The New York Times - Learning Network  Learning About Cell Renewal Throughout the Body
Overview: Students learn about the latest research on cell and tissue renewal. They then explore the various internal body parts and systems examined in these studies.  Go to this Science Lesson.

• The Learning Foundation - Simplified Mock Trials - "What to Teach" - Simplified Mock Trial.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:31:32 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html making-informed-decisions http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030424thursday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons Picture credit - Paul Ross.
"Thailand: Police news restriction 'long overdue' established journalists say, police regulation protecting privacy of crime suspects and victims is needed." - The full article - Bangkok Post.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Analyzing Media Coverage of Crime
Overview: Students will compare the coverage of two crime stories, analyzing both for objectivity, language, emotional impact, and local and national dissemination. Go to this Media and Law Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Understanding the Quest to Protect Human Rights.
Overview: Students explore the concept of human rights by developing and defending their own "Bills of Human Rights" and by writing a reflective essay that compares their notions of human rights and the protection of them.  Go to this Media and Law Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:53:54 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html pressing-cases http://lfslessonsasia.com/pcfirstimpressions.html

"Socrates...the consummate inquiring mind in history wrote nothing, accomplished nothing, and made his mark by standing around a rock, questioning people ... When an audience is interested in questioning the world, then nonsense blows away like a morning mist .... Read more

• World Wise School - Worksheet - Students will learn to identify and modify generalizations. This activity introduces students to the difficult concept of generalization so that they will challenge generalizations made about people... Go to this Building Society Lesson. 

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:09:12 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html the-emperors-clothes-a-first-impressions-lesson http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20070515tuesday.html Dwayne Allen Dail, right, at his release in North Carolina after serving 18 years on a false conviction for child rape. Evidence found at the home of a deceased police officer who had investigated Dail's case excluded Dail and identified another suspect. (Mitch Loeber/News-Argus, via the AP)

State lawmakers across the United States are adopting broad changes to criminal justice procedures as a response to the exoneration of more than 200 convicts through the use of DNA evidence.
"It's become clear that eyewitnesses are fallible," said Lieutenant Kenneth Patenaude, a police commander in Northampton, Massachusetts, and an expert on witness identification. - The full International Herald article - By Solomon Moore.


• The New York Times - Learning Network - Evaluating How DNA Databases Are Used to Solve Crimes
Overview: Students reflect on their opinions about the use of DNA databases in criminal investigations. They then generate a list of questions they have about DNA and its importance, prepare and give brief presentations, and then further discuss their positions on how DNA information should be collected and used by police.  Go to this Law and Science Lesson.

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Analyzing Media Coverage of Crime
Overview: Students will compare the coverage of two crime stories, analyzing both for objectivity, language, emotional impact, and local and national dissemination. Go to this Media and Law Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:22:37 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html media-lessons http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20010118thursday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons

"Thailand's military-installed government finalized the takeover of the country's only independent television station Tuesday and said it would temporarily pull it off the air.
The government's move was the latest in a series of controversial decisions that have sparked concern among investors and the public about the direction of Thailand's military-installed leaders." - Associated Press article Bangkok March 6,2007

• The New York Times - Learning Network - A Look at the History and Impact of Television
Overview: Students will explore the affects, both positive and negative, that television has had on society in the past half-century.  Go to this Media Lesson.
•
The New York Times - Learning Network - News or Propaganda?
Overview: Students discuss objectivity and press responsibility. Go to this Media Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:39:58 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html news-or-propaganda http://nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060210friday.html

The main Buddha in the Bamiyan valley, 240 kilometers northwest of the Afghan capital Kabul, before total destruction by the Taliban. - The Book, the Word and the Sword By: John Heathcote



• The New York Times - Learning Network - Creating Political Cartoons (and actions with a message) that Show and Tell -
  Overview: Students will explore the power of images through political cartoons (and other acts) particularly in light of the Danish caricatures of Muhammad that have incited violence around the world. Go to this Media Lesson.
• Extend the lesson by having students read the account of the Buddha icon destruction in: The Book, the Word and the Sword By John Heathcote then: Compare and Contrast similarities and differences of these events.
]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:04:29 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html a-picture-speaks-a-thousand-words http://lfslessonsasia.com/slantednewslesson.html "Slanted News" - Simplified Mock Trial Facts

cartoon image lorenjavier.com - selling newspapers image source newscopy.org

Newspaper Headline read: Bookstore wants ten year old in Jail!
The newspaper article claimed: "The bookstore doesn't care about the boy's future and only cares about making money. The staff are not acting like Thai people, who are kind..."

Within a week of the newspaper coverage, sales at the bookstore had dropped by 90%, customers stopped coming, and two bookstore staff quit because they were afraid of the threatening phone calls to the store....

• This is the second of two related Learning Foundation Simplified Mock Trial cases:
- The Case of Slanted News Lesson Plan.
- The Case of the Stolen Comic Book.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:07:58 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html slanted-news--simplified-mock-trial http://www.lfslessonsasia.com/icansaywhatiwantlesson.html "I can say what I want!" - Simplified Mock Trial - Fact Summary

Image source Florida online reading

Lek, was talking to her friend on her hand phone in Ms. Lawson’s class.
- Ms Lawson told her to stop talking on the phone in her class.
- Lek ended the call, but a few minutes later her phone rang again and she answered it.
- Ms Lawson went to Lek’s desk and asked Lek to give her the phone, which she did.
- Ms lawson returned the phone to Lek at the end of class.
- Later Lek told her Internet Chatroom friends that Ms Lawson had stolen her hand phone.
- Her Chatroom friends sent the story to other friends and the story spread and grew.

• This is the first of three related Learning Foundation Simplified Mock Trial cases.
Lesson Plans:
- "I can say what I want!"
- "I was just protecting my kid"
- "News vs Gossip"

• Related lesson: The New York Times - Learning Network - Talking Trash
Examines how online anonymity grants teens license to gossip:
Students will consider their own experiences with online message boards and chat rooms, discover how teens are using the Web to talk about people in their lives. Go to this Media Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:17:30 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html i-can-say-what-i-want--athai-related http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/3870303.stm It was six years before she was released from this first stint in detention. Like the South African leader Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi has become an international symbol of heroic and peaceful resistance in the face of oppression. Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi - BBC NEWS

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Explore the positives and negatives of democratic governments and dictatorships.
Students compare: The African Union (which) believes that conflicts must be settled before there can be a chance of achieving prosperity. To this end, it set up a Peace and Security Council in 2004. The council may intervene in conflicts, replacing the old OAU principle of non-interference with one of "non-indifference". - From BBC News
(with)
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) whose charter declares: "the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion" and witnessed the Burmese military seize power in a coup on 18 September 1988. The military government called national elections in May 1990.
Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD convincingly won the polls, despite the fact that she herself was under house arrest and disqualified from standing.
But the junta refused to hand over control, and has remained in power ever since. Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi - BBC News
Go to this Building Society Lesson as a Guide
]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:24:59 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html power-to-the-people http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=42285 by Parker and Hart


"Members of the (Thai) media will apply self-control and monitor themselves, and will press on with media reform based on a foundation of firm, professional ethics." Journalist organizations said.- The full article - Asia Media daily first published April 6, 2006

"Thai Newspapers today are big business, with many of them listed on the stock market. Severe if not cut-throat competition is the order of the day, and partisanship with big business (the military) and political parties is not unheard of." The full article. - By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation
• The New York Times - Learning Network -  Exploring Bias in the News
Overview: Students look for biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning. Go to this Media Lesson.
• Related stories: Rumor Nation - The Asian Sentinel and "But rumours sell." - The Bangkok Post

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:29:00 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html thai-media-wants-to-monitor-itself http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=atsjY6y_hhEQ&refer=germany pillory image geocities.com - Thaksin Shinawatra picture (NYT)
The seizure of Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra's assets by a committee appointed by the coup leaders represents a major escalation in the Thai military junta's willingness to trample internationally accepted norms of due process and rule of law. Statement from Dr. Thaksin"s attornies.

Although the concept of public punishment may now seem strange, even barbaric, it was the accepted norm until the 19th century.
Public humiliation was a major part of punishment in stocks and pillories. These would always be sited in the most public place available, for example the market square or village green. In small communities, those being punished would be well known to everyone else, thereby increasing their shame.
Audience participation was a key element. The helpless victim would usually be subjected to a barrage of mockery and abuse, and pelted with any missiles which came to hand.

---

"The fear of missing out means today's media, more than ever before, hunts in a pack," Prime Minister Tony Blair said. "In these modes, it is like a feral beast, just tearing people and reputations to bits. But no one dares miss out." From: Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech to the Reuter Institute - Study of Jounalism

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring Privacy Issues in Celebrity Trials
Overview: Students explore the topic of privacy rights in trials in which public personalities are accused of crimes and (media treatment becomes part of the punishment). Go to this Law and Society Lesson.  

• The New York Times - Learning Network - The Second Draft of History
Overview: Students draft entries about a recent historical event for a history textbook using two specific sources of information. They then compare their entries and examine the differences...(with what they thought to be true before doing the research) Go to this Law and Soceity Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:14:40 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html public-punishment-thai-style http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20051205monday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons Wang Guangmei and her husband Liu Shaoqi before his fall from grace and her public humiliation by Mao's Red Guards... In 1966 he was stripped of the presidency, and the following year both were consigned to jail where he was to die, and from which she was not to emerge until 1978... She died on October 13, 2006, aged 85.

"The movement, which Mao had asserted would ensure permanent revolution, was in fact launched mainly to purge his political rivals... after his introduction of the catastrophic Great Leap Forward in 1959.The widespread chaos resulting from this triggered a famine in which 28 million people starved to death." - Go to the article - Times Online UK

• The New York Times - Learning Network - The Second Draft of HistoryOverview: Students draft entries about a recent historical event for a history textbook using two specific sources of information. They then compare their entries and examine the differences...(with what they thought to be true before doing the research)
Pictured is Wang Guangmei when she was interviewed for the film and web site The Morning Sun - The Cultural Revolution
Go to this Media Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:13:02 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html the-revenge-of-mao http://lfslessonsasia.com/pcfirstimpressions.html
"To Socrates, knowledge was not something you would merely sit back and absorb, like some mental sponge, but was to be continually tested and questioned." More about Socrates.

• WWS - World Wise School Lesson - Students will recognize that a single observation can be misleading.
Young children often make assumptions and judgments about people based on quick impressions. For example, a little girl noticing a house with peeling paint and an unkempt yard told her aunt, "I bet the people who live in that house are ugly." The girl had somehow learned to make assumptions about people she had never met based on her perception of their possessions. Go to this Building Society Lesson Worksheet 


• The Learning Foundation - Compare and Contrast - Buddhism which relies on the direct observation of one's personal experience and on honing certain skills in order to gain true understanding and wisdom, with the importance of continually testing and questioning assumptions made by Socrates.
Ask students if the Buddha and Socrates agreed?

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:02:59 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html first-impressions http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article602789.ece Li Qingyou: "Our mentality was that when Chairman Mao waved his hand, we would move, and whatever he said, we would do. We never realized where it would all lead."

"The movement, which Mao had asserted would ensure permanent revolution, was in fact launched mainly to purge his political rivals... after his introduction of the catastrophic Great Leap Forward in 1959.The widespread chaos resulting from this triggered a famine in which 28 million people starved to death." - Go to the article - Times Online UK Pictured is Did"

Wang Guangmei and her husband Liu Shaoqi before his fall from grace and her public humiliation by Mao's Red Guards... In 1966 he was stripped of the presidency, and the following year both were consigned to jail where he was to die, and from which she was not to emerge until 1978... She died on October 13, 2006, aged 85.


"The Constitution Tribunal is illegitimate and the case is completely political,” said legal expert Kanin Boonsuwan, who helped draft the 1997 (Thai) Constitution. “Judicial powers have gone too far already; the judges are abusing their power and independence. This is not only about dissolution, but the future of democracy in Thailand."
Many legal experts see the dissolution case as a sham. Indeed, many wonder how a body created by those who overthrew Thaksin has any right to terminate political parties for allegedly attempting to overthrow democracy. And especially to do so for violating a constitution the junta leaders discarded? - The Rise of Thailand’s Third Branch - By Daniel Ten Kate - The Asian Sentenel

• A Learning Foundation Lesson - Compare and Contrast
Mao's use of power with that in Thailand being used against deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Go to this ESL, Law and Society Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:00:28 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html tools-of-revenge http://lfslessonsasia.com/pcgeneralizations.html "Identify intolerance (stereotypes and cultural misinformation depicted in news reports,movies,TV shows,computer games and other media) when children are exposed to it" - Tolerance.org

The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring Bias in the News
Overview: Students look for biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning.   Go to this Media Lesson.
Extend the lesson with 10 Ways to Nurture Tolerance   

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:53:05 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html slanted-sentences http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/9417/history.html (pillory image and history geocities.com - Paris Hilton AP)
Although the concept of public punishment may now seem strange, even barbaric, it was the accepted norm until the 19th century.

Public humiliation was a major part of punishment in stocks and pillories. These would always be sited in the most public place available, for example the market square or village green. In small communities, those being punished would be well known to everyone else, thereby increasing their shame.
Audience participation was a key element. The helpless victim would usually be subjected to a barrage of mockery and abuse, and pelted with any missiles which came to hand. (Today television cameras, newspapers and the internet serve the purpose): "A media circus outside Paris Hilton's house" - CNN.com
"Paris Hilton will end up serving more time behind bars than the vast majority of inmates sent to L.A. County Jail for similar offenses, according to a Times analysis of jail records."... Read Article » LA Times

• The New York Times - Learning Network - Exploring Privacy Issues in Celebrity Trials - Overview: Students explore the topic of privacy rights in trials in which public personalities are accused of crimes and (media treatment becomes part of the punishment). Go to this Law and Society Lesson.

]]> Editor@lfslessonsasia.com Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:27:49 +0700 http://lfslessonsasia.com/contactform.html public-punishment