As we sit at the precipice of a new year it is important to reflect on our journey through the past twelve months. For some 2014 brought more joy than sorrow, but for others it is a year gladly left behind.  Where ever you fall in regards to 2014, remember that all of our experiences make us who we are. Any different twist or turn along the way and we would be someone else... an entirely different person.  Every experience we have offers us a chance to learn and to grow... we just need the wisdom and courage to do just that.

January is named after the Roman God Janus who is always depicted as a two-faced figure; one face looking towards the past and the other to the future.  And that is what New Years offers us - a chance to look ahead and behind at the same time.  

For me 2014 left me saying goodbye to a grandmother and an amazing uncle.  With that pain however it also brought the greatest joy of my life in the birth of my daughter Riley Fenway.  

I encourage you to reflect back on this past year and look forward to what you hope the new year will bring.  Each day offers us a chance to make significant changes in our lives... none more so than January 1.

Happy 2015!!!

Click Here for the top stories for 2014!

Earlier this week Taliban gunman attacked a military run school.  The attacks were retaliatory in nature and the death toll in staggering.  The latest reports claim that 141 people were killed with 132 being unarmed children. An additional 120 students were wounded but are expected to survive.  Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement condemning such violence and vowed to bring all those responsible to justice.  He has asked the United States for aid in the form of drone strikes as the Taliban are considered to be a terrorist group.

Taliban militants in neighboring Afghanistan have also publicly condemned the attacks as un-Islamic arguing that God does not desire the blood of innocent men, women, and children to be spilled.

These attacks are the latest is a long train of violence between Taliban insurgents and Government forces.  All seven gunmen who attacked the school were killed by government troops and now the search begins for those who planned and/or ordered the attacks.

Thoughts?

This past Saturday PHS Travel Club took its annual trip to New York City.  This was Travel Club's 10th trip to New York and each year the itinerary has been a bit different:  some years we visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, other years we tour the Museum of Jewish Heritage; one year we went "Nigh at the Museum" and toured the Museum of Natural History.  We've done carriage rides in Central Park and shows on Broadway (one year students met Hugh Jackman).

What has remained a constant on the trip is our visit to the site of the September 11 attacks.  Students from Pilgrim have seen the location go from recovery, to clean up, to construction.  This year our group toured the Museum for the first time and had some very powerful experiences at certain parts of the exhibit.  

Following the tour we ended up riding the Staten Island Ferry before going to Time Square.  As everyone began posting pictures and sharing their experiences on various social medias, it was once again made very clear how important getting out of the classroom can be.  Learning happens in a variety of ways and in a variety of places. Traditional classroom instruction is important and has a place in our educational system, however what is often lost in our devotion to textbooks and standardized tests is how important applied learning is... getting out of the classroom and experiencing the world.  

This is the central philosophy and mission of Pilgrim Travel Club... getting out of the classroom and simply taking part in the world.  The world is our greatest classroom.... a "Classroom Without Walls."  

Here is what our group learned this weekend:

1.  Out of tragedy can come strength and unity
2.  Evil exists... as does goodness and love.
3.  Some things in NYC really are free
4.  There is just something about NYC Pizza
5.  You can get 108 people on the same subway train!
6.  You need to pay Mickey and Spiderman 
7.  Falafel = Magic
8.  Pigeons are everywhere... and they poop
9.  Following directions is more important in big cities
10.  Fine line between fun and fear
11. Your blood is your blood
12.  Not all family is blood
 
Some of these will make sense to you and some won't... but you all learned something... share what you learned.

(to see some great NYC pics check out Twitter #noWallsNYC

On Tuesday the Senate Intelligence Committee released its report on the potential torture of terrorist suspects by United States CIA agents.  The torture (or enhanced interrogation) was conducted with the belief that such methods would result in the retrieval of vital information which would help to stop terrorist activities targeting Americans either at home or abroad.  These interrogations took place after the September 11 attacks during a time of heightened security, fear, and uncertainty as to whether or not our government could keep Americans safe from such attacks.

The United States has long argued against the use of torture and prisoner mistreatment, however after 9/11 that narrative began to change and we began to hear arguments that torture and enhanced interrogation was not the same thing. 

The released report claims that CIA agents used water-boarding and sleep deprivation, and also told suspects that their entire families would be killed if they did not give information; they were also made to think their feet would be drilled with power tools and other similar means of torture.    

Finally the report claims that at no point did CIA agents retrieve any information which helped stop terror plots or capture those already guilty of terrorist activities.  Furthermore it appears that the CIA operated without the consent or knowledge of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, or Secretary of State Powell.  

Now the international community, including the United Nations wants those responsible brought to justice in the international criminal court on charges of Crimes Against Humanity.  Some even argue that President Bush himself should be brought to trial... this reality is extremely unlikely.

What constitutes torture?  Is torture as a method of interrogation acceptable?  Is there one rule for everyone else and one rule for the United States?  Should those responsible face charges? 

When asked whether or not President Bush and others should face charges President Obama said he would not offer judgement against those who were forced to make impossible choices during one of the most difficult times in our nation's history.

Thoughts? 

This week the Michigan House of Representatives passed a bill called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  If passed by the Senate, the law would allow health care workers, such as EMTs and pharmacists, to refuse service to homosexuals on the grounds of protecting personal religious beliefs.

This law goes against other laws which prohibits medical personal from refusing services to those in need.  If the Michigan Senate does pass the law it is unclear how this law could be enforced or which law would take precedence.

Those in favor of the legislation claim that an individual's personal religious convictions are guaranteed and cannot be infringed upon even in emergency situations.  Opponents of the bill argue that the law legalizes discrimination based on sexual orientation... something that is also already illegal.

Thoughts? 

On Wednesday afternoon a Staten Island Grand Jury failed to indict a white officer in the death of yet another unarmed black man.  

In July Eric Garner was placed in what is being called a choke hold by Officer Daniel Pantaleo.  The incident was caught on tape with Garner repeatedly saying that he could not breath.  The officer said he felt that Garner was resisting arrest and claimed the move he used was not a choke hold but a simple take-down maneuver taught at the police academy.

The announcement that no charges would be brought against the officer was made less than a week following the Michael Brown no-indictment announcement, and in a nation already enthralled in protests and race wars, the timing of this case couldn't be worse.

People in New York took to the streets in protest focusing on the planned tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center.  There were chants of "Never Again" and "I can't breathe" heard in the crowd and some people confronted police making a choke hold sign.

Many are now wondering... what's next?

You can see the video below of the Garner incident

It seems that over the past week everyone has voiced an opinion concerning the Michael Brown case.  Five players on the Rams joined the protest movement this past weekend during their pre-game introduction vs. the Raiders.

In a show of solidarity, the five players emerged from the player tunnel with the now famous "hands-up" gesture used by protesters since August.  The Rams, a St. Louis based franchise, apparently offended the local police department who have close ties with nearby Ferguson.

The management of the Rams have stated that their players chose to exercise their First Amendment rights in a non-violent, very public way and that they would in no way be reprimanded for the gesture.

A local St. Louis bar then decided to protest the Rams by not showing the game feeling that the gesture was inappropriate seeing as Officer Wilson was cleared of any wrongdoing in the case.

Thoughts? 

As we all watched the protests in Ferguson turn more violent following the decision to not indict Officer Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.  Stores have been destroyed, people assaulted, and car set on fire.  However there is another side to the protests that is not getting much attention in the media.

High school students across the country participated in peaceful protests on Monday in order to express their outrage over the case.  At 12:01, students walked out of class and marched towards capitals in a show of solidarity.  Students from Boston, Brookline, New York City, Missouri, Minnesota and a host of other locations all walked out of class at the same time.

Students chanted, held up homemade signs, and gave speeches about inequality and racism.  Whites and Blacks joined in the protests as the nation's children illustrate that beyond all the hate, violence, and bigotry which exists in the world, there are still those who seek to make the work a better place through understanding, love, and brotherhood.

Thoughts?

Check out the walkouts by clicking here.