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Archive for January, 2011

5 Minutes with Brian Hueben

Monday, January 31st, 2011
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Name: Brian Hueben

Title: Senior Director, Administration

Start Date at PTPI: April, 2004

Brian Hueben

Brian Hueben

1. Say you won the lottery tomorrow, what is the first thing you would do?

Pay for all my friends and families to pay off any mortgages.

2. And would you travel?

Yes, around the world leisurely.

3. Would you bungee jump?

I would not bungee jump.  I wouldn’t even be comfortable getting to the ledge or rail.

4. What do you usually have for breakfast?

Cereal with blueberries.  I am addicted to blueberries.

5. What’s your favorite movie?

It’s a tie: To Kill a Mockingbird and Amadeus.

Discussion Question 4 for Unbroken

Thursday, January 27th, 2011
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Question answered by Ruth Gardner, Young Generation/ University Chapter Coordinator at PTPI.

4. The role of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in Japan’s surrender and the U.S.’s ethical justification for them has been the subject of scholarly and popular debate for decades. Even one of the character’s in the book John Falconer – a survivor of the Bataan Death March, stated that the Hiroshima bombing was “beautiful”.  What are you thoughts about the bombing after reading the book?

For a second Unbroken forced me to consider the idea that Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings resulted in a positive outcome, but in my opinion the bombings were a catastrophic event for humanity. I understand that the United Statesdid not know the long term repercussions of the atom bomb at the time but more than fifty years later people in Japan are still dealing with adverse affects. It is possible that the outcome of the war would have been different and Louis might not be alive if the bombings did not happen. War is devastating, but the power of the atom bomb redefined war.

People to People International’s Global Book Club is a way to connect with your global community. Global Book Club members communicate about valuable, international topics and gain unique insight and understanding of various cultural views in relation to those topics. For more information on People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  PTPI or its Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

Discussion Question 3 for Unbroken

Monday, January 24th, 2011
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Question answered by Rebecca Nunn, Manager of Administration at PTPI.

3. Louie endured many trials; which one put you the most on edge while reading?

I had a really hard time reading about the Ofuna camp and the Quack.  The treatment of the POW’s in Ofuna was awful; they were injected with unknown substances, severely beaten, forced to exercise and fed only broth with some rice.  Somehow the men still communicated and found ways to survive.  The account of one POW, Bill Harris, was one of the saddest for me to read.  He was so smart and such an inspiration to the other POWs.  When the Quack found his stash of papers and beat him, I could barely read what was next.  Once Louis was sent to another camp, I remember thinking it can’t get any worse than Ofuna…

People to People International’s Global Book Club is a way to connect with your global community. Global Book Club members communicate about valuable, international topics and gain unique insight and understanding of various cultural views in relation to those topics. For more information on People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  PTPI or its Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.