2011 Year Ending Current Event #12

                           

2011 Year Ending Current Event # 12

                

Due: Friday, December 16, 2011

The topic for this week's current event blog assignment is your choice. However, select a topic that will pertain to a thought provoking event/issue that will surely be written and recorded in the history books for 2011. We've experienced and witnessed a lot of historical events that helped shape 2011. What event/current event will you choose to end the year on a historical note? Be sure to use a current and reputable source (not Wikepedia) and find an article that interests you. Your post should adhere to the following format:

What You Will Do:

Heading/ Be sure to include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
-Title of article/author
-Source/date of article
-URL (copy and paste your article link in your response for me to review your article)

Paragraph #1:
-Summary of your selected article (minimum of 5-7 sentences that provide detail about who/what, when, where, and why your current event is significant) 

Paragraph #2:
-Reflection/Opinion of article (minimum of 5-7 sentences)
-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the article
-Relate the current event to what we've been studying in class (if applicable)
-pose questions/concerns about the event

Current Event #11: Major Changes Planned for USPS

Current Event #11: Major Changes Planned for USPS

Due: Friday, December 9th

     In an attempt to keep the United States Postal Service afloat, there will be some drastic changes made that will impact the delivery of mail across the nation. These changes reflect the hardships that Americans are facing due to the strains of our financial climate. Currently, the USPS will eliminate the option of First-Class Next-Day mail delivery service and opt for 2-3 day service, which will slow down the delivery of mail because of the lack of manpower. Technology also has a role to play, in that people have moved toward using on-line shipping options versus using regular postage stamps mailings. All of these measures have and will literally cost thousands of postal workers their jobs.

What You Will Do:

Read and view the following article and video links to find out the latest actions that will occur because of the financial state of the economy. In your own words, discuss in 2-3 paragraphs how this might affect you and your family. Within your paragraphs also state whether or not most of your household mailings are done via on-line or with postal stamp mailings. Discuss your position on these recent changes that impact the lives of postal workers and the time in which you and your family will receive or ship mail/packages.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-postal-seeks-end-next-day-mail-185946030.html (Article)

                

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/post-office-mailing-it-in-27496103.html (Video)

Current Event #10: The Pros and Cons of Thanksgiving

This 18th century illustration of the first Thanksgiving didn't depict reality, many Native Americans say.

.

Current Event #10: The Pros and Cons of Thanksgiving

Due: Friday, December 2nd  

Thanksgiving: A time of reflecting on all of the events and times one has encountered during the course of the year(s). It is a time when most of the world finds the time to gather with their loved ones and enjoy the company of one another. Thanksgiving day marks a period where the traditional holiday meal consists of a full course meal, including a carved turkey, a host of baked sweets, etc. We often find other activities coinciding as a result of this holiday, such as the BLACK FRIDAY (Day after Thanksgiving) retail sales and putting up Christmas decorations, to name a few. However, what does this day mean for some who don't quite have this same perspective, namely Native Americans. From a historical point of you, let's take a look back in hindsight, to read and define the origin of this revered national holiday.

What you will do:

You will visit the following link: http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/24/thanksgiving-is-some-native-americans-day-of-mourning/?hpt=us_bn1 , this will take you to the CNN article entitled: Thanksgiving is some Native Americans' "Day of Mourning". You are assigned to read this article to gather varying opinions surrounding the celebration of Thanksgiving. Upon reading the selection, I want you to begin formulating your own personal pros and cons about this celebrated day and discuss each in specific detail as you write your first paragraph(s). Provide examples of how you and your family celebrated Thanksgiving, and also a few family traditions performed.

Within the next 2-3 paragraphs, discuss how this article may or may not have changed the way you look at the way we celebrate this holiday. Express your thoughts/opinions based on the individuals mentioned in the article as to whether you feel Native Americans were wronged. Also provide a position in regards to the European settlers exploring new lands in America to create colonies. Let's examine the origin of the day set aside to give thanks to the yearly harvests of our hard labor!

Current Event # 9: Individual Topic of Interest

Current Event # 9

Due: Friday, November 18, 2011

The topic for this week's current event blog assignment is your choice. Please refrain from using sports or entertainment articles. Make sure to use a current and reputable source (not Wikepedia) and find an article that interests you. Your post should adhere to the following format:

Heading/ Be sure to include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
-Title of article/author
-Source/date of article
-URL (copy and paste your article link in your response for me to review your article)

Paragraph #1:
-Summary of your selected article (minimum of 5-7 sentences that provide detail about who/what, when, where, and why your current event is significant) 

Paragraph #2:
-Reflection/Opinion of article (minimum of 5-7 sentences)
-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the article
-Relate the current event to what we've been studying in class (if applicable)
-pose questions/concerns about the event

Current Event # 8: World Population Reaches Seven Billion Mark

Current Event # 8: 

World Population Reaches Seven Billion Mark

Due: Friday, November 4th, 2011

          According to the United Nations, the world's population is set to reach 7 billion today. More than a third of the globe's people are located in two highly populated countries. China and India alone account for more than 1 billion people each. Both countries have at least three times as many people as the United States, which has the world's third-largest population at a little more than 300 million. In addition to taking a look at the video clip above, visit the following link to see how the world's population is proportionally divided http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/10/25/country.comparisons.population/index.html?hpt=wo_c1. As you visit this link, be sure to think about the large number of people living globally to add today's 7 Billion mark. Click on each link to investigate information pertaining to the following topics of discussion:

Which countries are perceived to be the most corrupt?
Which country has the smallest gender gap?
Where is the Internet most popular?
Where are the undernourished?
Where do people live the longest?
Which countries have the most vacation days?
Who requires the most education?
Who's got the highest (and lowest) unemployment rates?

Things To Do:
---Be sure to include your first and last name in your blog
---Include your class period to your blog
---Write in complete detailed sentences to create well organized paragraphs

          Discuss in detail things that you found most interesting about the topics surrounding the increase in the world's population. Did this number surprise you or did you think the count was higher or lower? Highlight and explain your thoughts and opinions regarding any of the facts that you observed from the questions posted above. Where do you see the human race within the next 50 years? Will the population continue to increase or decrease after consideration is given to all of the global and environmental issues we are presently being confronted with? Be specific in your responses.

Current Event # 7: American Troops: "Home for the Holidays!"

Current Event # 7:

American Troops: "Home for the Holidays!"

Due: Friday, October 28, 2011



          In 2008, in the height of the presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama made a promise to give our military a new mission: ending the war in Iraq. As the election unfolded, he reiterated this pledge again and again -- but cautioned that we would be "as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in."
Last year, the President made progress toward achieving that goal. He brought an end to the combat mission in Iraq, and through the course of the past 14 months, more than 100,000 troops have returned to their families.

          Now, that promise will be wholly fulfilled. Today, President Obama announced that the rest of our troops will be home by the holidays:

Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq—tens of thousands of them—will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home. The last American soldiers will cross the border out of Iraq—with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops. That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end.

          But this moment represents more than an accomplishment for the President. It marks a monumental change of focus for our military and a fundamental shift in the way that the our nation will engage in the world:

The United States is moving forward, from a position of strength. The long war in Iraq will come to an end by the end of this year. The transition in Afghanistan is moving forward, and our troops are finally coming home. As they do, fewer deployments and more time training will help keep our military the very best in the world. And as we welcome home our newest veterans, we’ll never stop working to give them and their families the care, the benefits, and the opportunities that they have earned.

Taken from The White House Blog: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/21/president-obama-has-ended-war-iraq President Obama Has Ended the War in Iraq

Posted by Matt Compton on October 21, 2011 at 02:18 PM EDT

Things to do:
Include the following in your blog post:

-Your Name/Class period

Watch the 10/21/2011 video clip above, with President Barack Obama, ending the War in Iraq and his mission to bring our American troops back home for the holidays. After viewing the video clip, be sure to also read the article which follows to further your understanding of this monumental event. 

Paragraph #1:

-Upon watching the video and reading the article, you are to write a reflection outlining your opinion(s) as it relates to having our troops return to their native country after spending an enormous amount of time defending us overseas.

-What does this mean for America, its armed forces, and our families? Explain how you think this chapter in both American and World History will be written for generations to come. Will it be a story of victory or one of question as to who the real winner(s) are?

Paragraph #2:

-Discuss your role or someone you may know who is currently serving or who has actively served our country in the armed forces. Explain in detail how you or someone you know has helped or supported our military soldiers over the past ten or more years during the War on Iraq.

-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences, stories, etc. associated with this news of American soldiers coming back to the land of the free and home of the brave, U.S.A!!!

Current Event # 6: OCCUPY WALL STREET Protests Reaches One Month Status

Current Event #6: OCCUPY WALL STREET Protests Reaches One Month Status

Due: Friday, October 21, 2011

Occupy Wall Street is a people powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations.The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people who are writing the rules of the global economy are imposing an agenda of neoliberalism and economic inequality that is foreclosing our future.


The movement's success is due in part to the use of online technologies and international social networking. The rapid spread of the protests is a grassroots response to the overwhelming inequalities perpetuated by the global financial system and transnational banks. More actions are expected in the coming weeks, and the Occupation of Liberty Square in Manhattan will continue indefinitely.


Posted Oct. 16, 2011, 1:08 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt


CBS News and the Chapel Hill News and Observer featured the following articles http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/16/ap/business/main20121176.shtml
on their websites explaining the significance of the movement and how it has spawned thousands to actively participate across the globe http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/16/1571313/occupy-chapel-hill-demonstrators.html . Take a look at these articles along with a few of the posted video clips below to begin formulating your opinions. Feel free to expand your knowledge of the Occupy Wall Street Movement by researching other forms of  media found in various outlets. Some have noted and deemed this new movement as a new wave of linkage to the civil rights movement in light of the recent Washington, DC monument dedication memorial to Dr. MLK, Jr.



Featured Video Clips:

1.   http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/10/14/jk-protests-brutality.cnn
2.   http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/occupy-wall-stree-global-14743268#.TpwF7e5fhX8.email
3.   http://video.foxnews.com/v/1220269307001/occupy-wall-street-goes-global/

Be sure to include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
-Include the title of any article/author and paste the URL for any article you use in your response for me to review

Paragraph #1:

-List and summarize your opinions regarding the Occupy Wall Street Movement worldwide.
-Do you view this movement as being beneficial for our country or a threat to our society?
-Should there be a defined set of goals or should the movement continue as is?


Paragraph #2:
-Will this movement prove to be successful like other movements of the past? Explain why or why not.
-Discuss and make reflections on your stated opinions of the articles and video coverage you've read.

-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the movement.

Current Event # 5: Technology Milestones and Innovations

Current Event # 5: Technology Milestones and Innovations

Apple's

STEVE JOBS

Due: Friday, October 14, 2011

The world of technology stood still last week after hearing about the passing of one of its premier guru's of the past three decades. Steve Jobs had done what very few have been capable of doing by changing the face of technology and how our society operates on a day to day basis. Entreprenuer, businessman, innovator, creator, and visionary, are just a few words used to describe a man of great intellect and skill in the arenas of business and technology. At some point in your life, you have come to benefit from many of the great products or ideas that he is responsible for bringing into fruition.

Things to do:
Include the following in your blog post:-Your name/class period

Read the following article found within the following link http://gma.yahoo.com/steve-jobs-dies-apple-chief-created-personal-computer-231337236.html and any other article that you find interesting chronicling the life and work of Steve Jobs.

Paragraph #1:Upon reading an article about Steve Jobs, you are to write a reflection outlining the number of products you can recall coming into contact with throughout your lifetime which bears his imprint (i.e.: I Pad, I Pod, I Phone, I Mac, I Tunes, computer mouse, personal computer, etc.). Explain how either of these technological advances has helped or changed the way you experience life in comparison to people 50 years ago or longer. Also reflect and discuss the disadvantages that some of these advancements have placed in the lives of those who are not technically savvy with today's inventions.

Paragraph #2:-Discuss your opinion of how you envision technology growing or being stifled by the loss of Apple's innovator.

-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences, devices, etc. associated with the work of Steve Jobs

Current Event # 4:The Urbanization of China

China becomes an urban nation at breakneck speed

Due: Friday, October 7, 2011

Follow the link below to read about the recent urbanization of China.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/china-becomes-an-urban-nation

This article focuses on China becoming an urban nation this year and compares it to other surrounding countries already having gone through a transforming experience. The term "Urbanization" can be defined as the rapid and massive growth of, and migration to, large cities. Positive and negative consequences can result. In US urbanization, some of these issues are: employment, sanitation, housing, sewage, water, fire, social welfare, role of government, and political machines (controlling organizations).

You will need to:

Reflect back to when you did the Creating a New Civilization activity in class, which focused on the 8 basic features of a civilization: Cities, Public Works, Writing, Complex Religions, Art & Architecture, Organized Governments, Job Specializations, and Social Classes. As you read the article, try to identify some of these features being discussed, to support your argument for or against urban renewal of a country's rural areas. Discuss at length, in detail, how you agree or disagree with the urbanization of rural countries like China. Within your response, provide strong reasons to support if there should be limits placed on keeping natural environments untouched or continue allowing technological advancement to proceed?


Include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period

Paragraph #1:
-Reflection or Creating a New Civilization activity/Identify basic features of a civilization in China article

Paragraph #2:
-Opinion of article as it relates to urbanization/ for or against urbanization of countries like China

-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the article

Read some of the quotes from article describing some feelings toward the urbanization of China:

Professor  Paul James of the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University in Melbourne. "It represents the most managed process of urbanisation in human history. The state is involved in every way. It manages the building of new cities. It regulates the housing of internally displaced people. It responds actively and sometimes oppressively to new waves of squatters."

"It's noisier now. When we were little, we didn't have to close our door at night to sleep. There are different kinds of people around all the time these days." Yet he welcomes the transition. "The housing has changed, the roads have changed, we can eat well," Li Chengqiang says. Despite his emotional attachment to the land, his main income now comes from selling cement.

Beijing may drive urbanisation, but it does not control it. The results are often messy, chaotic and unanticipated.

"A lot of things are being built because they are flavour of the month. It's good for the party secretary or mayor to be able to say: 'I built this ring road and in the process GDP went up,' because it cost a lot," says Edward Leman.

"It's the nature of urban management in China that you go into a city and there are eight-lane roads that end in a field."

Current Event # 3: How Should Society Deal With Lawbreakers?

Current Event # 3:

How Should Society Deal With Lawbreakers?

Due: Friday, 9/30/2011

The question of how to deal fairly and effectively with lawbreakers is as old as society itself. To begin your own investigation, examine the following viewpoints.

Babylon 1790s B.C.

The Code of Hammurabi calls for strict justice:

"If a son strike his father, his hands shall be cut off. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken....If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out."

Italy 1764

Cesare Beccaria was one of the first reformers to argue against torture, capital punishment, and harsh treatment of criminals:

"The purpose [of punishment] can only be to prevent the criminal from inflicting new injuries on its citizens and to deter others from similar acts....Such punishments and such methods of inflicting them ought to be chosen, therefore, which will make the strongest and most lasting impression on the minds of men, and inflict the least torment on the body of the criminal."

Singapore 1994

In 1994, an American teenager living in Singapore was sentenced to a painful flogging for acts of vandalism. An official defended his country's harsh penalties.

"Unlike some other societies which tolerate acts of vandalism, Singapore has its own standards of social order as reflected in our laws. We are able to keep Singapore relatively crime-free. We do not have a situation where acts of vandalism are commonplace, as in cities like New York, where even police cars are not spared."

You will need to:

Research and post a link of a fairly recent news story, detailing a crime involving someone or an organization quilty of breaking a law(s). Be sure to provide the clear specifics of the case and what law(s) was/were broken. Discuss at length, in detail, how you agree or disagree with the punishment given for the crime(s) committed. Within your response, provide strong reasons to support your argument as to whether you feel the justice system failed or supported those involved. 

Be sure to include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
-Title of article/author
-Source/date of article
-URL (copy and paste your article link in your response for me to review your article)

Paragraph #1:
-Summary of your selected article (minimum of 6-7 sentences that provide detail about who/what, when, where, and why your current event is significant) 

Paragraph #2:
-Reflection/Opinion of article (minimum of 3 sentences)
-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the article

Individual Topic of Interest: Current Event #2

Current Event #2

Due: Friday, September 23, 2011

The topic for this week's current event blog assignment is your choice. Please refrain from using sports or entertainment articles. Make sure to use a current and reputable source (not Wikepedia) and find an article that interests you. Your post should adhere to the following format:

Heading/ Be sure to include the following in your blog post:
-Your name/class period
-Title of article/author
-Source/date of article
-URL (copy and paste your article link in your response for me to review your article)

Paragraph #1:
-Summary of your selected article (minimum of 5-7 sentences that provide detail about who/what, when, where, and why your current event is significant) 

Paragraph #2:
-Reflection/Opinion of article (minimum of 3 sentences)
-Give supporting facts and include any personal experiences associated with the article
-Relate the current event to what we've been studying in class (if applicable--this will only apply on the weeks where specific topics are assigned)
-pose questions/concerns about the event

Ten Year Anniversary of 9/11

***Directions: When posting to this blog, please be sure to include your first and last name and the class period that you are in for your entry. If you do not provide this information, Mr. Waters will not be able to credit you with a grade for any work submitted.

Hint: I strongly encourage you to type your responses into a google or word document first. You can then copy and paste your assignment into blogger. This will enable you to check your spelling/grammar and also prevent you from losing your work in the event of a computer error. Blogger is NOT perfect and has been known to crash in mid sentence. Remember that you can always email me your assignment if you are having trouble with blogger.

Please feel free to read and comment on other student posts in an appropriate manner to provide an open forum of discussion.

**Deadline/Blog Response By: Monday, September 12, 2011**

Current Event #1: As the world remembers the historic events of September 11, 2001, reflect and analyze how this changed America. This day marked a time which brought Americans together as one. This week, you should read an article about something relating to 9/11. Remember to include the link to the article you read, provide the topic of your article, and write at least 5-6 sentences discussing your opinion of the article. You may also use video clips or podcasts for your current event. In addition to your article, include the answers to the following questions in your blog response. What changes have occurred to serve as preventive safety measures. How has these changes personally affected you from a social standpoint? Do you feel that America's unity and attitude toward terrorism and foreign relations have strengthened or weakened 10 years later? Explain why or why not?

Sign Up for Mr. Waters Weekly Current Events Blogs

Students in Mr. Waters World History Classes will be required to read or post a weekly current event to their class blog page.

Students will be directed to respond to a written prompt given by Mr. Waters. Students will post their comments in a blog regarding a current event that will be posted or one that they choose to share with the group. These assignments will be graded based on participation and on the premise of being submitted within a timely manner, each week prior to the deadline given by Mr. Waters.

When posting to this blog, please be sure to include your first and last name and the class period that you are in for each entry. If you do not provide this information, Mr. Waters will not be able to credit you with a grade for any work submitted.

Please feel free to read and comment on other student posts in an appropriate manner to provide an open forum of discussion.

Mr. Waters