Around the Horn (of Africa!): You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

Around the Horn (of Africa!): You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?: --> You know what really grinds my gears? African Dictatorships. Since when is it ok for a person to use public funds to finance ...

U.N. Panel Calls for Action in Darfur

Ethnic fighting in Darfur, Sudan, a country in Africa, has killed 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million in four years there. A U.N. human rights team criticized the international community Monday for failing to halt atrocities in Darfur, saying in a sharply worded report that the United Nations must act now to protect civilians from a violence campaign orchestrated by Sudan's government. Please read the article at: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2943688

Conclude what is obstructing efforts to quell the violence there. Evaluate the effect of this devastation in this part of the world. Does it affect us here in the United States? Compare and Contrast this situation with another similar one from history.

Problems with Veteran's Hospitals...

President Bush ordered a comprehensive review Friday of conditions at the nation's military and veteran hospitals in the wake of a scandal surrounding care for wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Evaluate the system of care that is currently in place. Based on what we have studied surrounding war, do you believe veterans are deserving of a certain level of care? Why? Argue what might be a better system to be put into place.

View the article at: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2918493

You Can't Build Nukes. But We Can.

A decision has been made to update and redesign America's aging stockpile of nuclear weapons, even as the U.S. demands that Iran and North Korea not build up their own nuclear arsenals. Defend this tactic or conclude how it is hypocritical. Assess why Critics fear the project could send the wrong signal to the world.

View the article at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2918809&page=1

WWI Veterans Remember Their Service

CNN has an article (from Tuesday, November 11, 2003) about two men who are among fewer than 200 surviving U.S. veterans of the Great War out of 4.7 million who served. Please read it at: http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/11/11/veterans.remember.ap/

Before Veterans Day, there was Armistice Day, a commemoration of the cease-fire that ended World War I on November 11, 1918. What do the Veterans recall about this day? What are some of their other memories? Assess some of the hardships they faced in their service. Can you hypothesize from their accounts the sort of feelings that were felt about the war and Americans in general?

Ad Campaign Gone Wrong?

Two men were charged in connection with the advertising campaign that turned into a terror scare and sent the city of Boston into chaos. Read the article and view the video at: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2841646&page=1

After reading about this, how do you feel? Do you think these Boston pranksters are taking this too lightly or are law officials taking the stunt too seriously? Assess how this stunt could have been figured out much sooner? Criticize the connection between CNN and Turner's Cartoon Network. Hypothesize any future problems that might occur as a result of this stunt....

Jan. 23 State of the Union Address....

The State of the Union Message is a message from the President to Congress, usually given once a year in January or February. In the message, the President talks about important issues facing Americans and offers his ideas on solving the nation's problems, including suggestions for new laws and policies.


The Constitution of the United States requires that the President give Congress a State of the Union message from time to time on the condition of the country. Some Presidents delivered their message in writing — others have given a speech. Tonight, President Bush delivered his State of the Union Message on Tuesday, January 23 at 9:00 p.m.


On State of the Union night, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate gather together in the House chamber, along with the Speaker of the House and the Vice President (who is also President of the Senate). The Speaker and the Vice President sit on the dais, a raised platform directly behind where the President speaks. When the President arrives, he is escorted to the chamber by members of both the House and the Senate. The arrival of the President is announced by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives. The Speaker then introduces the President, who delivers his speech to the Congress.

In custom, one member of the President's Cabinet does not attend the State of the Union address. This way, if a catastrophe should happen that harms the President, the Vice President, and the other members of the Cabinet who are attending, the Cabinet Secretary who did not attend could then take over the duties of the President.

The President usually invites several American citizens to the House chamber for his State of the Union message. These citizens have been invited because they have done something extraordinary. During his speech, the President introduces them and honors them for their achievements.

After the State of the Union message, there is an "opposition response." This gives the opposing political party a chance to express their views on what the President said. Usually, they will offer suggestions different from the President's on how to improve America.

How many of you watched the Presidents address this evening? I the beginning of the broadcast the president mentioned something significant that was happening for the first time that evening, rate how important this occassion really was. Hypothesize the value of the tactic of keeping away one of the Cabinet Members...can you name the person who was not present tonight? ...kin of like a "Where's Waldo" of American Governement! As an American propose what significance this address has on your life and that of your family? What about if you are of another nationality?