Sunday, January 8, 2012

4th period--Last current event of 2nd Quarter: due 1/13

Can you believe that this is your last current event assignment for the quarter? I can't! :)

For this week's post, please find a current event that is about anything that we have discussed during first semester. This is about as close to "your choice" as I can get while still making this somewhat relevant to the class. 

Just to recap, the following is a list of topics that we have covered over the course of the year: government, democracy, citizenship, revolution, the American Revolution, compromise, the Constitutional Convention, the Bill of Rights, the Amendments, the Legislative Branch (Congress and the General Assembly) and the Executive Branch (the President and the Governor). 

Hopefully this casts a wide enough net for you to find an article that interests you, hahaha. I look forward to reading what you uncover in your quest for the perfect Civics article. Have a great week and don't forget to STUDY for the 2nd Quarter Test on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

27 comments:

  1. Nate Montano/ PD. 4
    1/8/12
    The future of war: Far-out battle tech
    By Mark Tutton, CNN
    http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/15/tech/innovation/darpa-future-war/index.html

    The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, funds some of the world's most far out, forward-thinking research into new military technology. It is currently funding research into, among other things, a robot ostrich, a flying car and a plane that could stay airborne for five years at a time. While some of the technologies it is supporting might seem more suitable for science fiction than the battlefield, the fact that DARPA is willing to fund them is a sign they are at least possible.

    I find this article to be really cool. It is basically technology that we usually see in movies, but DARPA is bringing it to life. Maybe if we incorporated the Death Star station from the Star Wars films it could be much stronger than the atomic bomb, just a thought though. But the artist impression and the brief description on what the program should do. But some of the projects that they are willing to design seems to be impossible, who have ever heard of a Transformer ( a flying car ), that to me seems a load of poop. But some of the programs like the Disc-Rotor Compound Helicopter seems very possible since the aircraft used in the USMC called the V-22 Osprey which is a tiltrotor helicopter and they look really similar to each other.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Period 4
    Title: For McCain, a Choice Between Old Enemies
    Author: Jonathan Weisman
    Date: January 4, 2012
    Source: NY Times
    http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/for-mccain-a-choice-between-old-enemies/?ref=senate

    Though McCain has had bad ties with both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, he chose to endorse candidate Romney last Tuesday. In the 2008 election, frontrunner McCain and Republican candidate Mitt Romney conflicted, but Rick Santorum, a former colleague of McCain's, have had discord to a greater magnitude. McCain pointed a finger at Romney in 2008 for supporting a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, to which he reprimanded and claimed McCain was pulling the kind of dirty tricks former President Reagan would deem reprehensible. Early last year, Santorum criticized his techniques regarding his border campaign against torture, and also questioned his comprehension of “how enhanced interrogation works”. John McCain spoke to the press saying, “I think Rick realizes he made a mistake here”, but in Santorum’s temperate response he asserted that McCain and Romney’s view of the world posses stronger similarity.

    In all honesty I really don’t care for McCain, Romney, or Santorum at all. They all acted a bit puerile after their numerous accusations and critical comments against one another. In the end, John McCain made an appropriate choice to advocate someone with an analogous mind frame. The election will continue to get harder for Rick Santorum because McCain has chosen to promote candidate Romney this season, which I believe will boost the number of his supporters.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Casey Mickunas Period 4
    Title: Romney Wins N.H. Primary; Fight On For Second
    Author: Alan Greenblatt
    Date: January 10th, 2012
    Source: npr
    http://www.npr.org/2012/01/10/144987902/if-romney-wins-n-h-who-emerges-as-his-rival?ft=1&f=1001

    Mitt Romney won the preliminary in New Hampshire today. A lot of people expects Romney to have a twenty percent lead in the polls by the time he leaves New Hampshire for South Carolina January 21st. If Romney manages to get forty percent of the vote, he will be hard to beat in these upcoming months. Neither Huntsman nor Paul are expected to gain much ground in New Hampshire with Paul looking for around twenty percent of the votes and Huntsman isn't expected to have a close third or second place even though he came straight to New Hampshire to campaign. New Hampshire had long been considered favorable territory for Romney seeing he was the governor of Massachusetts, one of New Hampshire's neighbors.

    Its great that Romney won the preliminaries and all for New Hampshire, but I don't particularly like his ideologies. I think that Santorum would be the better candidate for President then Romney. Either way though I think that all the candidates have a long battle ahead of them to become the forerunner in this race.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eli Grobin
    Period 4
    1/11/12
    Paul Portrays Himself now as Romney’s Only Challenger
    Dana Bash, CNN
    http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/11/politics/gop-nh-paul/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

    This article talks mostly about Ron Paul; how he did in New Hampshire, his plans for the future, and the reason for his “unexpected” success. Ron Paul came in a moderately far away second in New Hampshire with 23% of the vote. Many say this is not enough to win but it’s almost 3 times what he got there last year. Also he did considerably better than Jon Huntsman (17%, 3rd) who skipped Iowa and spent 6 months in New Hampshire. Dr. Paul also did better than Rick Santorum who came in 5th with 9%. This is important because it seemed in Iowa that Santorum was to be the “not Romney” candidate for the Republicans; but this dismal New Hampshire showing has people second guessing. This New Hampshire victory for Romney was not decisive enough for him to claim the Republican mandate. Dr. Paul is now focusing on challenging Romney in South Carolina. Dr. Paul is also going to virtually skip over Florida, perhaps because it lost 50% of its delegates for this year.
    I think this is a really key moment. Everything Paul seems to be doing seems to me to be going after delegates. Although Florida may be a big state, it lost a lot of its delegates for this year. I think Dr. Paul will end up being the “not Romney” because he is the only candidate with an incredibly strong base support. Santorum and Gingrich each have weaknesses in more moderate states and in independent voters. Ron Paul has clearly demonstrated that he can sway independents, and even some democrats. He also has a consistent base in every state. Paul’s move to go after the delegates could also be one of the most important in this election. Romney and his SuperPACs have spent 20 million dollars on a state that hardly matters. I think after South Carolina, Perry, Huntsman, and either Gingrich or Santorum will drop out and a lot of their support go to Paul. If Paul gets 25% or more in S.C. I’d say he was a sure short at being Romney’s main competitor.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Maddie Mesaros

    Period 4

    Title: Romney, winner in N.H., says rivals' attacks failed

    Author: Catalina Camia

    Date: January 11, 2012

    Source: USA Today

    URL: http://www.usatoday.com/news/story/2012-01-11/romney-new-hampshire/52498912/1

    Mitt Romney, a possible Republican nominee, won the Iowa Caucus and most recently the New
    Hampshire primary. Romney projected a confident style even when his fellow Republicans criticized
    him. Romney said that while several can raise enough campaign money to keep the nomination fight
    going, "I expect them to fall by the wayside eventually for lack of voters." Romney said he expected
    more attacks from Obama and other Democrats. Nominees are planning on holding campaigns in South
    Carolina Wednesday. These campaigns are likely to be harshest to date.

    I’m not surprised that the competition is so intense. We haven’t had a very good presidential
    candidate in a while. With Obama being the incumbent many people are comfortable with the idea of
    him staying in office. Republicans are fighting hard to see who’s qualified to run against Obama. I also
    find the disagreements between the Republican nominees interesting. “Gingrich told backers that
    Obama is a ‘Saul Alinsky radical’ who must be defeated in November, and said that GOP front-runner
    Romney is not the right candidate for the job.” I think it’ll be interesting to see who drops out of the
    race next.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Desaree Johnson
    pd 4
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/11/news/economy/obama_jobs_record/
    CNN.Com
    1/11/12
    Will Obama Break Even On Jobs ?

    As the election for the new presidency is coming along , people have began to question is President Obama will be able to save his own job . From the labor market's height in January 2008 to its bottom in February 2010, 8.8 million jobs were cut, and the unemployment rate soared as high as 10% in October 2009 but only half of those job losses happened while Obama was in office . However he has been recieving a lot of heat for this. Just about 2/3s of the jobs lost during Obamas office have been recovered but that leaves about 1.6 million jobs still to be filled .
    This is a big responsibility for Obama to accomplish. I think people are doubting that he will be able to do it . The fact is George Bush had more unemployment at the end of his first time than when he got into office but still he was re-elected . Do you think Obama can do it ? My answer is It Can Happen .

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sean Dawson
    4th period
    1-12-12
    “Occupy Chapel Hill Protestors Decamp” by Katelyn Ferral
    Newsobserver.com
    http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/11/1768801/occupy-chapel-hill-protesters.html

    For the last several months, people on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill have been camping in tents, in an attempt to better our community. This is similar to the “Occupy Wall Street” situation. They considered themselves to be “anti-capitalist occupiers.” Starting on October 15th, around 30 campers started but that number soon dropped due to cold weather. On Tuesday this week, the campers finally left. They decided they want to focus on helping homelessness now, which is a big problem.
    I don’t have much of a preference on this situation. I think the campers got out at the right time, because over time it would have started to annoy me. I think they were just people trying to make a point, which I am okay with. I believe they cooperated well, such as when they decamped for Halloween, which is good. I don’t think this issue is over with just because they decamped.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Caroline Stanton
    4th period
    Perry backs off 'vulture' attack on Romney and Bain
    Author: Carrie Dann
    MSNBC
    http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10138367-perry-backs-off-vulture-attack-on-romney-and-bain

    Texas Governor and Republican nominee Rick Perry is refraining from using his “vulture capitalism” analogy against opponent Mitt Romney. In a speech earlier this week Perry used the term a few times to describe Romney's former company Bain Capital. His analogy compared Bain Capital to vultures picking at the dead carcasses of damaged companies. After some negative feed back from people saying he is “anti-free market”, Perry refrained from using the term in more recent stops on his campaign. During an interview when asked about it, he referred to Romney as a “flawed candidate” for the 2012 election. He said "And I will tell you when people can point to where you made a quick profit and kicked people out of their jobs, that is an issue that has got to be addressed."

    I think that Rick Perry was right to stop using his analogy because it didn't seem to be helping his campaign. He got a lot of negative feed back and attacks from Bain itself. His tactics for displaying Romney's weak points back fired and made people question his view on the economy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Max LeMoine/Period 4
    Romney pushes back after protesters interrupt rally/Kevin Liptak
    Cnn.com/1/9/12
    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/09/romney-pushes-back-after-protesters-interrupt-rally/

    I read an article about Mitt Romney getting interrupted at a rally and what his reaction was. Romney asked one woman to tell him her ideas and he answered with a negative remark about Obama. She said the Government was spending too much money and Mitt answered saying Obama spent the most on a campaign ever. Romney then goes on to tell about his experience with protesters and how he blows the off. He even goes as far as to say when he asks them what kind of government they want they can’t answer. Finally Romney normally Romney waits till they are escorted away but this time he decided to open his mouth.

    I think the Romney hackled the protester way more than was needed. He shouldn’t have said they have no idea of what kind of government they really want. I think it was smart for him to just wait for the police to escort them out but this time he had to comment on their actions.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nakeisha Revels, 4th
    1/12/12
    By Associated Press, The Washington Post Politics
    Justice Department releases legal justification for Obama’s recent recess appointments
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/justice-department-releases-legal-justification-for-obamas-recent-recess-appointments/2012/01/12/gIQAu5ortP_story.html

    In Washington, the Justice Department is dodging the Republic criticism of the legality of President Barack Obama’s appointments. The department released a 23-page legal opinion Thursday for the advice giving to the White House before the Jan 4. appointments. The Assistant Attorney General Virginia Seitz said that the president has authority to make such appointments because the senate is on a 20-day recess. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has said Obama has endangered the nation’s systems of checks and balances. Seitz, heads the department’s Office of Legal Counsel, wrote to provide binding legal opinions to the executive Branch.

    Her new memo cities a Justice Department legal opinion from President George W. Bush’s Republican Administration in justifying Obama’s recent appointment. This affects me because when I get older and have to vote I will not know who to vote for cause if the confusedness. The Republicans should leave President Obama because he is doing his job and every president is different from the ones before.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Connor Smith
    4th period
    The future of war: Far-out battle tech
    By Mark Tutton, CNN
    http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/15/tech/innovation/darpa-future-war/index.html

    The military DARPA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency designates funds to the creation of new, more technologically advanced tools of warfare. They are currently looking in to the creation of devices such as flying cars and drones capable of remaining in the air for years at a time. The agency has recently come under fire for the practicality of these weapons, and whether or not there is truly a need for their development.

    I think that this is the type of Agency that can be done away with. War is one of the things that has gotten our nation into a debt crisis, so I don’t see the need for excess money-spending on technology that we simply don’t need. Unless the production of such weapons could create jobs for Americans, this technology is pointless. I’m sure that the government has spent millions of dollars on the manufacture of advanced warfare technology. We already have the most developed military in the world, we don’t need a million dollar flying car.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Garrett Young-Wright
    4th
    Romney strikes back at critics of Bain record with new South Carolina ad
    Jan/13
    foxnews.com
    (associated press listed as author) http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/13/conservatives-rally-against-criticism-romneys-bain-record/#ixzz1jM2ePPp6

    After coming under heavy fire from fellow Republicans Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, Mitt Romney is fighting back. Both Gingrich and Perry are questioning Romney's business Bain and in Perry's words calling it "vulture capitalism". Although he backed off a bit, Gingrich is calling for Romney to hold a press conference in which he discloses his business dealings. Many prominent conservative leaders are calling this bickering "bad for the republican party". Romney himself has made an add saying that his dealings at Bain Capital were helped create and ran a company that invested in struggling businesses, started new ones, and rebuilt old ones, creating thousands of jobs."

    While I don't know enough about Bain Capital, I have no problem with candidates making accusations towards Romney. Everyone is fighting for a nomination and you must bring up any charges that would be negative against your opponent. In this case it is Romney's business dealings in question and I see no problem with that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Danielle Bailey
    Pd 4
    Obama elevates Small Business Administration head to Cabinet, seeks authority to merge agencies
    Fox New/Washington
    January 13, 2012
    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/13/obama-seeks-consolidation-authority-to-merge-agencies/



    President Obama announced Friday that he is elevating the head of the Small Business Administration to a Cabinet-level position, as he urged Congress to also grant him permission to consolidate that and other federal agencies in an attempt to make government more efficient. The decision to bring SBA Administrator Karen Mills into the president's Cabinet does not need congressional approval. However, Obama's much broader proposal to merge overlapping agencies does -- the president appealed to Congress Friday to help make that happen.
    I think that Obama is doing the best that he can with jobs. Right now it’s all up to congress, to pass his proposal. I would pass it to see if it would make the government more efficient and smooth. Everyone just needs to be on the same page, and think about the benefits, and not who is proposing them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Alex Adams
    Period 4
    1/13/12
    “Romney back on top in new CNN national poll”
    Written by Paul Steinhauser
    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/13/romney-back-on-top-in-new-cnn-national-poll/
    Summary:
    A new poll conducted by CNN on Wednesday shows that GOP candidate, Mitt Romney is leading the Republican primary at 34% of all Republican and independent voters. Old front runner, Newt Gingrich is projected at only 18%. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are tied for third place at 15%. This recent change of polls is probably completely due to Republican conservative votes, who have switched from supporting Gingrich to supporting Romney. However, Romney’s lead is not definite. For example, when asked which candidate cared more about people, Ron Paul has the majority. For now, Romney is still the front runner.
    Opinion:
    I don’t like Romney. He’s like the Ken doll of GOP candidates. He doesn’t seem to have any real rigid views and is just kind of plain. This article, by the way, is related to the Executive branch and government in general. I really want Ron Paul to win. He’s obviously the smartest guy out there and he’s not a: gun freak; womanizer; ditz; cookie-cutter Mormon; or Herman Cain (thank god). If Romney gets elected, I’m moving to Canada……maybe.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Justine Lockhart
    Period 4
    1/13/12
    "2012 Presidential Election"
    http://www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/2012-presidential-election
    U.S. News

    Obama's re-election might have some voters worried about the future due to the finical issues and the high unemployment. His approval ratings are decreasing to the low 40's. This makes it likely that a 2012 Republican candidate might take the lead. Aside from the 2012 Republican candidates, it's rumored that several former governors are running such as Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty. Bobby Jindal, who assisted the recovery of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.

    It's disappointing that Obama probably won't win the re-election, because in my opinion he was a good president leading the country in a tough time. He has helped us get out of some debt though, but financially, the US isn't doing too well. I think Bobby Jindal might make a good candidate though considering that he has showed leadership towards the country during the oil spill and after Hurricane Katrina.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Gabrielle Pura/ period 4
    January 13, 2011
    Title: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pardons nearly 200, including convicted killers
    Author: Crimesider Staff
    Source: CBS News
    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57357252-504083/mississippi-gov-haley-barbour-pardons-nearly-200-including-convicted-killers/

    At the conclusion of Mississippi’s governor, Haley Barbour’s term, he decided and executed his plan on using his power to pardon on 200 people. This decision sparked outrage among relatives of victims for the reason that among the 200 people, a number of them were sentenced for manslaughter, murder, burglary, kidnapping, drug crimes and DUI deaths. Out of those who were sentenced for homicide, four convicted murderers were pardoned by Barbour because of working at the governor’s mansion and washing his cars.
    Along with the relatives of past victims, I am also outraged by the careless actions this governor committed. I am not informed of why he chose to pardon 200 prisoners, but there should be no reason as to why convicted murderers should be among the pardoned. They have taken another’s life and were rightfully sentenced for involving in a capital crime. Furthering my opinion, the pardon of the people who involved in the listed crimes above, may bring danger to society and to the state of Mississippi. Although they have spent time in prison for their actions, it is not positive that they have made any progress from their criminal self. Who knows for sure if they were completely free from their urge or chance to involve in another DUI incident, drug crime, burglary or homicide? I believe that Barbour used his power to pardon and concluded his term in a highly unintelligent way.

    (By the way Ms. Logan, I sent you an email just in case you didn't get it before this.)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anna Baynes Period 4
    Obama Raised $42 Million Last Quarter, far more than G.O.P. Rivals
    Michael D. Shear
    The New York Times
    Friday, January 13, 2012
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/us/politics/obama-raised-42-million-in-last-quarter-of-11.html?ref=politics

    In Washington DC, $42 million has been raised during the last three months of 2011 for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Recently the Democratic Party had raised $24 million for a total of $66 million. Two elections ago George Bush was at same point in his fundraising for his re-election. President Obama is ahead of the Republican candidates, however, the donations have been split between the different Republican candidates. When the final candidate is chosen to run in the election against Obama they will have more donations contributed to them. The Republican candidate in the lead is Mr. Romney and he has raised $24 million in the last three months of 2011. Mr. Romney has raised $56 million since the summer. “Too many Obama supporters genuinely believe that this campaign doesn’t really need their donations, or doesn’t need them yet, in order to compete and win,” Mr. Messina said. “That’s wrong.” This is significant because the election for the president is in November. The more money a candidate has and can be used to produce commercials, the better chance they have at winning the election.
    I think it is good President Obama has been successful in his fundraising, but I think the money should be spent on helping the US. These candidates spend so much money trying to win the presidency; making commercials, traveling around the country, paying advisors, etc. 583,000 people have donated to President Obama. Think about if those donations and the donations of the Republican Party were spent homes for the homeless or education. I think there should be a cap on the amount the candidates can spend so we don’t waste money. The election will also be fairer because the richer candidates won’t have an advantage. In class we are talking about the executive branch and how the president is elected. I would like to know if putting a cap on the amount each candidate can spend was ever a bill in Congress.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Diego Lewis Pd. 4
    Jan 13 2012
    Obama to ask Congress for Power to Merge Agencies
    Mark Landler
    New York Times
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/us/politics/obama-to-ask-congress-for-power-to-merge-agencies.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

    President Obama has recently announced a new campaign to help shrink our government. He has proposed a plan to combine certain agencies in the executive branch into one, and this will replace the Dept. of Commerce. It would save $3 billion over 10 years, at the cost of 1000-2000 jobs. The Small Business Administration and 5 other agencies are being considered to be merged together. Many republicans are skeptical that this is simply a ploy to gain votes for the imminent election. Obama is asking congress for the power to merge government agencies, which Congress would have to approve each time.

    I think it’s a great idea. Government spending is in great need of being checked. We already owe enough money to china, and while more drastic measures are needed, this is certainly a baby step in the right direction, or at least a glance. The merger would slim down some unnecessary costs and give the idea that at least Obama is trying. Republicans are right in questioning his sudden proposal though, “Yesterday, President Obama asked for a $1.2 trillion increase in the debt limit, today he is proposing to shrink the federal government,” said Senator John Cornyn. It is hard to believe that he had an epiphany and decided he needed to go to the opposite spectrum and cut costs instead of accommodating for increased spending.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Annie Wilcosky/ Period 4
    U.S. Restores Full Ties to Myanmar After Rapid Reforms/ Steven Lee Myers and Seth Mydans
    January 13, 2012
    The New York Times
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/world/asia/united-states-resumes-diplomatic-relations-with-myanmar.html

    On Friday, the United States began the process of restoring full diplomatic relations with Myanmar. Recently, the country has called as cease-fire with rebels and has released hundreds of political prisoners. The strengthening relationship between the two countries could aid American diplomacy in Asia, and elevate Myanmar's position in the West. Although the United States never completely ended relations with Myanmar, it removed its ambassador after the 1990 elections (where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's victory was never recognized by the military government). Hilary Clinton, who visited Myanmar six weeks ago, has announced that the U.S. will soon send an ambassador to Myanmar, and in turn Myanmar will send one to Washington D.C..

    As Myanmar's past military governments have been oppressive and sometimes brutal, I believe that this turn of events is very positive. The recent election of U Thein Sein has brought progressive changes to Myanmar, with economic reform and increased independence from China. The release of the 651 political prisoners is a monumental occasion, and represents a step forward from the country's repressive past. Strengthening relations with Myanmar will help American diplomacy in Asia as well as aid in bringing Myanmar out of its period of isolationism.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Shelby Casabura
    4th period
    In push for re-election, President Obama calls for ‘leaner government’
    The state Colum
    January 13, 2012
    http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/in-push-for-re-election-president-obama-calls-for-leaner-government/

    President Barack Obama introduced changes for the executive branch of the federal government Friday. He plans to have the White House having a greater power. He introduced the plan 10 months before the 2012 presidential election. This year featured three almost government shutdowns and really low approval rating for Congress. The president also said on Friday, that the Small Business Administration is upgraded to a cabinet level agency.
    My opinion on the president wanting to make positive changes is that it’s good if it will better the country. It makes since if the government is doing good. To step and fix what’s has been going wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Casey Molina
    WRAL News
    Period 4
    Alicia Chang
    Mars bound rover begins trajectory maneuver
    http://www.wral.com/news/science/story/10589025/

    A mars rover, named curiosity, was launched in hopes of meeting mars in August. It began to turn on its thrusters on Wednesday in order to adjust its path, which otherwise would not have met mars at all. The rocket was launched in a different direction to ensure that the top portion of the rocket would not crash into mars when it was ejected so now the rover part of the rocket is headed towards a crater near the equator of mars to search for mineral deposits that would indicate that mars once supported life. The rover is going to be unloaded in a manner much like a helicopter lifting a load on a cable. This new method should allow the heavy probe to reach the surface of mars in one piece.
    I think this article serves as a reminder of how our government money is spent funding a variety of projects, some of which do not pertain to one country alone. A discovery of a possible life supporting environment on mars would affect the world and humanity as a whole. Maybe instead of cutting funding for NASA the government should put more effort into securing our future as a species. After all global warming is largely supported and moving to mars is not as crazy of an idea today as it was a decade ago. Even though wars and economy in general seem to be the focus of government in today's society science can provide an economic boost if we discover valuable knowledge about space and thus create jobs in space engineering!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hannah Hodge
    Chicago Tribune
    Period 4
    Jonah Goldberg
    Romney's Authenticity Problem
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-201201101400--tms--jgoldbrgctnjg-a20120111jan11,0,2470468.column

    Mitt Romney, having won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary has become the candidate that many Americans, including myself, expect to see running against president Obama. This double win in two important events(Iowa and New Hampshire) has, historically, meant the candidate would go on to be president. Following this logic, people anticipate Romney winning the republican primary. Because of this, it’s important to learn about Romney’s stance on political subjects so we can know what to expect of he is to become president of the United States. But Romney seems to be confusing everyone with his “authenticity problem”. There’s a lot of debate as to whether or not Romney is the candidate to take down the current president, Mr. Barack Obama. There is not a lot of genuine support for Romney. His voters are usually choosing him to try and boot Obama out of office or are just in need of a candidate that’s not Gingrich or Perry. Romney has mysteriously kept a steady lead in the poles, but he has some very fatal flaws as a candidate for the conservative republicans. Only time will tell whether this candidate will be the Republican nominee and if he could have a chance running against Obama.
    I think that of the Republican candidates, Romney is the most likely to win and possibly the one that’s most reasonable( that has a chance of winning). It seems to me that there is a fundamental lack of support for Romney and he is winning by default. Although there’s a lot of anger towards Obama(misplaced in my opinion), I’m not sure that if it comes down to Romney and Obama, that the Republicans will win out. I think that the fact Romney has a different background than most of the candidates, may not help him in the polls. He is also a Mormon, which gets a lot of negative judgment from many Americans. I think that Romney will end up being the Republican Candidate but I do not think that he can beat Obama. Although there are many dissatisfied with our president, he does have supporters, and compared to Romney, I think he looks pretty darn good. This is going to be quite an interesting season of elections and I, for one, can’t wait to see what will happen.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Marc Ordronneau
    4th

    Michelle Obama Joins the Twitterverse.
    January 12, 2012
    By Becky Brittain
    http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/12/michelle-obama-joins-the-twitterverse/

    Even Michelle Obama has a twitter now! Her Twitter name is @MichelleObama and will be generated
    through her campaign staff, like Barack’s. The tweets she sends out herself with be signed with a “mo”.
    This was her first tweet: "We're excited today to launch @michelleobama as a new way for you to
    connect with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President's campaign." Michelle still hasn’t sent out any
    personal tweets, but her account has been up for only a few hours and she already has about 65,000
    followers. Her husband has about 11 million followers and has only sent out a few personal tweets, out
    of 6,500.

    I found this interesting because Twitter has gotten so big that the President and his wife now have
    them. I don’t even have one. Although, it is not so important to them because they have them campaign
    staff manage it and rarely send out personal tweets. I’m surprised that they do at all. I chose this article
    because I think that this sort of matter could have been included in Inside Obama’s White House.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Samantha Joy Straughan
    4th period
    Stumping for Mitt Romney by Jenna Portnoy
    http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/chris_christie_mitt_romney_new.html

    In this article it describes detail on Mitt Romney’s win in the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses. They stat that he has about 20 point lead over a majority of the other Republican candidates. It also talks about New Jersey’s Governor, Chris Christie, and his full support of Romney. He talks down about Obama and all of the Occupy movement. With that, many Romney supports who live in New Jersey want Christie to be Romney vice president.
    Since I feel like I am to young to have an honest political opinion, I can’t say whether I favor what Romney supports talk about. Every candidate has their flaws, and I don’t believe I am in any position to say they are presidential material. While I am greatly influenced by my parents, environment, and peers, I have to keep an open mind and think that this election is a good chance for me to start figuring out more about myself and what I do stand for, seeing as I will be a registered voter in a short two years.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Laura Buczek/4th Period
    Obama asks for Power to Reorganize Six Federal Agencies
    BBC News/bbcnews.com
    Author: n/a
    January 13th, 2012
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16555832

    Obama has recently asked Congress the power shrink the government. According to the article, Obama said that he wants to close the US commerce department and merge six agencies. This could save three billion dollars over ten years as well as cut a thousand to two thousand jobs through attrition, meaning that the work force would be reduced but without firing employees. The article states that it is unknown if the Republicans will approve Obama’s request for this. Lawmakers are expected to vote on this within the next 90 days. Obama wants to consolidate “Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the US Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Trade and Development Agency.”

    I don’t know my personal opinion on this, especially since it is a controversial issue. The article states that this is a proposal to counter Republican criticisms that Obama is a “big-government liberal.” With the elections coming up, I don’t know whether this is a good idea, since many people probably have an unequivocal opinion on the issue. Obama is very convincing in his argument that “with this authority, we'd help businesses grow, save businesses time and save taxpayer dollars," as stated in the article. This statement makes the whole idea seem very reasonable.

    ReplyDelete