Find original sources and witnesses

If there are inconsistencies or notable patterns, it is time to start researching. Whenever possible it is best to go to source of an issue. For example, if government passes a new law about security, don’t waste time watching or reading petty analyses of pundits. Find a copy of law! Do not rely on someone else to give an interpretation. The internet makes it much easier to find source documents.

The recent Terri Schiavo case demonstrates need for going to source documents. There are medical documents that are copied at www.hospicepatients.org, and court document links can be found at AbstractAppeal.com. Viewers who relied solely on TV news may feel differently about this case once they peruse these documents.

Also--whenever possible--find witnesses to an event. First person accounts can give a far more accurate and moving picture than one that is filtered through mainstream media. These accounts must be critically analyzed, of course. Diveaid.co.uk has several gripping accounts of tsunami last year by some dive instructors who survived.

Put news into context

Finally, it is essential to put information into context—political, historical, social, and even geographical. If necessary, do some research. This step may take most effort, but it is also most rewarding.

For example, in 1990 anyone who had a basic knowledge of history of Yugoslavia knew that it was a virtual powder keg, just waiting for a psychopath to come and light it. That is exactly what happened with Mr. Milosevic and subsequent wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Respond to world with new-found confidence

Follow these general guidelines and, not only will you become better informed about world events and situations, you will also become a better citizen: better prepared and ready to act with confidence in political arena.

TV Turn-off Week (April 25-May 1) is a great opportunity to test these principles. If you are going to be one of millions of families who turn off their TV's that week, try using these principles to get your news for that one week. Then see if you feel better informed on May 1.

Sources: CHAOS and MEANING of ELECTRIC CULTURE by FRANK ZINGRONE (http://www.chass.utoronto.ca)

Some of words we can use:

 “I’m sorry I got back later than I said I would.”  “I feel awful that I shouted at you this morning.”  “It was silly to get so upset about your messy room.”

Doing something:

Doing something special with our children can be more powerful than just saying we’re sorry. It shows that we really mean it.

Buying something:

Giving our time and attention to our children almost always means more to them than buying them something, but little surprises given along with a verbal apology shows we have given thought to what happened.

When Not to Apologize There are some dangers in apologizing too much. The problem is not with apology but with reason for frequency. When we find ourselves apologizing too much we might be showing our children our own uncertainty. Our children rely on our certainty about life. They rely on us for guidance. Instead of apologizing if we aren’t sure whether we have done right thing, it might be a good idea to feel sorry but say nothing. We need to use our own judgment to decide how much is too much.

What Happens When We Don’t Apologize? We all remember at some point in our lives when someone was clearly wrong and did not apologize for their behavior. It caused a lot of resentment when we felt we were unfairly treated. Our children have an acute sense of fairness. Resentment grows and eats away at good feelings and a barrier grows between our children and ourselves. We must not allow this. Remember this about apologies; if you want to hear them, you need to give them. Apologies make you feel better about yourself. They are a statement of honesty and wipe slate clean. And finally, it they are given, make sure you accept them.