Change for X-Mas COLOR

By Nate Beeler - The Washington Examiner Posted 12/22/2009 12:00:00 AM

- This current event deals with our President and what he is and is not doing.

- It is saying that uncle sam wants "change you can believe in for christmas" and also saying that he asked for Barack Obama last year. By saying that, he means he thought once Obama was in office we would get the change we needed but it hasnt really been happening.

- I disagree with the message, I think Obama has done a great job in office and we need to just give him time for these issues to be solved. But i did think the cartoon was cute because of the Christmas theme!

Week 4 Dec 18

Hm, I would have to say my favorite holiday is Halloween. It is just such a fun holiday that everybody can celebrate. I love all of the decorations and activities that you can do that lead up to the day, like carving pumpkins or going to a haunted forest or a hay ride. And of course, what is there not to love about getting dressed up and going to get free candy, so goood. Every year I get together with my friends and create a fun costume and go trick or treating. Spooky!

Political Cartoon- Dec 11

Global Climate Change Comes to FloridaBy Bill Schorr -

Cagle Cartoons * Posted 12/12/2009

- This political cartoon deals with the climate change/global warming.

The cartoon's message is that the world is in a major problem with global warming/climate change and if we do not do anything about it, it could possibly end up with another ice age and making Florida which is warm, cold.

-I definitely agree with what this message is saying. We need to fix or try to fix this problem before it is too late.

Week 3 Dec 11th

Seeing that I do celebrate Christmas I most likely have a different perspective than people who do not. But a majority of people do celebrate Christmas and it is the most known winter holiday so I do not think it is that big of an issue. But we should definitely mix it up. When we have lights of santa in shopping centers we should also have lights of menorahs, or just make it generic so nobody gets offended by it. I think people who celebrate other holidays realize that theirs is not the commonly known one so hopefully they do not get offended by it.

Week 2- Health Care janx DEC 4

Ok so current state of health care reform is still in debate. The house passed it in november and is currently going through the senate. Their goal is to end debate before the end of this month/before the holidays. The bill wants a government run(universal) health care insurance plan and also what we have had always, private insurers.
-- I think that the universal health care will work out although many republicans are against it. If they find a good balance between private and the universal it will be a really good idea. Hopefully it will be beneficial towards Obama. It would be surprising, but i think it will be passed.

Political Cartoon December 4

Political Cartoons by Larry Wright

December 4th,2009-caglecartoons.com

http://townhall.com/cartoons/2009/12/04/3

I thought this political cartoon was clever because it deals with recent media outbreak and makes a good point about our news. On the left is talking about how big of a deal it was in the news that Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, and in the right it talks about how they didn't need to waste a lot of time and money looking for real news.

Our society is so caught up with scandal and other people's lifes that they are not concerned with the big things we should be worrying about like health care, or the war, or global warming. The news focuses on so many material things that don't matter. If the news did talk about important issues, we would be so much more informed and involved. I agree with this message.

Weekly Response, Nov. 20

Herndon will have a new principle in place by the beginning of December.
Funny, because we all just found out that Mr. Bates got the job. I could not be more happy for him and he definitely deserves it.
A principle at Herndon should know Herndon inside and out. They should know our flaws and strong points. They should know us academically and for sports or activities or things related to us. They need to understand and know the students. Our new principle should possess all of the qualities of a strong leader.
Mr. Bates fits all of those characteristics. He is patient, kind, smart, and hard working. He has worked his way up to this spot. We all know Mr Bates and he all knows us. I have worked with him personally while I was the junior secretary and we planned prom together. He was the powderpuff coach both years, and is the seniors assistant priciple. He has taken the time and effort to get to know 2010 and I know he will do the same for the whole school. He has been working here for four years and knows so much about our school. Love and respect the dude, and I think he will do a great job. He will have such a good learning experience.

Political Cartoon November 22,2009

Copyright © 2009 Creators Syndicate

1) Drawn by, Daniel Kurtzman

2) "debt to china" Sab Diego Union Tribune

11/17/09 creators.com

3) This cartoon is talking about Obamas recent visit to China and deals with our debt with them

4) Basically the cartoons message is that America is in debt with China. It is ironic because US has been known as the "stronger" and more powerful country and we make jobs for the Chinese for less money then it would be here, and we are majorly in debt with them. It is saying in the word bubble that we need to pay our debts or else it could get more violent.

5) It is hard not to agree that we are not in debt, because we are. So I agree that we need to pay back our debt with China before it gets too late.

Current Event #6

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/30/h1n1.swine.flu.er.kids/index.html
(CNN) -- Nate Wordell, 7, just feels lousy: swollen eyes, cough, high fever, stomach ache and he's dehydrated. Nate has H1N1.
After toughing it out for three days at home, Nate's parents brought him to the emergency room at Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts. "The hardest thing for us was that we couldn't stay ahead of the medication or get him to keep any water down," says Nate's father, Michael Wordell of Auburndale, Massachusetts.
Hospitals from coast to coast are bracing for the influx of patients, just like Nate. Children's Hospital Boston has seen a 40 percent increase in patients this week alone.
"This could get pretty bad," says Dr. Anne Stack, clinical chief of emergency medicine at Children's Hospital Boston. "So we are trying to do as much as we can to prepare. But no one knows when it will end."Many hospitals are creating alternative care sites in parking lots or in office buildings to handle an overflow of patients in the weeks ahead. Children's Hospital Boston has designated a conference room as a go-to H1N1 triage center. "We don't have additional space so we had to think outside the box," Stack says.
The conference room can be "flipped" in 24 hours, Stack says. "All we have to do is wheel in portable sinks, exam tables, computer equipment, cots and curtains. Everything is on standby. We're ready."
But some state health officials say emergency rooms are being unnecessarily strapped by children who don't actually need to be there. Most physicians don't test for the virus or prescribe medicine to healthy children who come in with flu-like symptoms.
"The children we are worried about are those who have influenza symptoms and chronic disease [neuromuscular, heart disease, lung disease] or kids under the age of 2. Their immune systems can't fight things off as well, and the severity of their symptoms can grow rapidly," Stack says.


---I think this is an important issue because it is affecting all of us. The main highlights of this article are that vaccines are not working and many children who do not actually need to be in the hospital are in the hospital. If you have the flu that does not mean take them to the hospital, if you do you are going to get other people sick. I think there needs to be a worldwide announcement or something that informs people of what and what not to do.

Current Event Numero 5!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/24/h1n1.obama/index.html:
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama has declared a national emergency to deal with the "rapid increase in illness" from the H1N1 influenza virus.
"The 2009 H1N1 pandemic continues to evolve. The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities," Obama said in a statement.
"Thus, in recognition of the continuing progression of the pandemic, and in further preparation as a nation, we are taking additional steps to facilitate our response."
The president signed the declaration late Friday and announced it Saturday.
Calling the emergency declaration "an important tool in our kit going forward," one administration official called Obama's action a "proactive measure that's not in response to any new development." Obama's action allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements" to help health care facilities enact emergency plans to deal with the pandemic.
Those requirements are contained in Medicare, Medicaid and state Children's Health Insurance programs, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule.
Since the H1N1 flu pandemic began in April, millions of people in the United States have been infected, at least 20,000 have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

-I think that it is important that President Obama has declared a national emergency for this illness. More and more people are getting sick and there is not really a set cure on it yet. Now that it is a national emergency doctors will be working hard to cure as many people as they can. If we keep working on it there should be a flu shot given out to everybody so others can be prevented from getting it. Health Care companies need/modify requirements and realize this is something that we need as a nation to deal with this pandemic.

Who will win the VA Govenors race?!

Ok so, Who will win the govenors race and why? I am going to have to lean towards Deeds. Although the polls are now saying McDonnell is in the lead and some say he is running a better campaign, I think it is only because all of the Republicans are having a democratic sentiment and all of the Republicans who didn't show up for the presidential race are showing up now. McDonnell, the graduate of Liberty University just recently Remade himself, before he was a strict conservative and now he changed into the middle man of agreeing on both sides, which I think will change back soon. As for Deeds, a small town guy, he has always been the middleman and will stay that way. Although he says we might have to raise taxes, it is so we can improve education and transportation and things we desperately need to change. And lastly, the Washington Post endorced Deeds as the better candidate, and that should mean something! Both Deeds and McDonnell want to improve transportation and have similiar views, I think Deeds is the better man.

Current Event #4

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/17/interracial.marriage/index.html
My current event has to do with a court justice from Louisiana speaking about how he refused to give a marriage license to an interracial couple. He recieved widespread critisism yet his views still remain the same, "It's kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven't done wrong," (Keith Bardwell). He recieved reaction from Louisianas govenor who called for Bardwell's dismissal. "This is a clear violation of constitutional rights and federal and state law. ... disciplinary action should be taken immediately -- including the revoking of his license," the Republican governor said Friday. Mr. Bardwell still stands on the fact that "he is not a racist" and he just thinks "interracial marriages don't last". The couple who were denied are working with their attorney to follow up on the next steps.

! After so so many years of fighting racism, it still stands today. "Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State." I agree with what the Loving vs. Virginia case outcome states. You should not be denied anything because of your choice on marrying or living with a different race person. That should not matter.

What is the biggest political issue facing the state of Virginia?

I think the biggest political issue is a mix between Transportation and the Govenors race. The big issue for transportation is the metro, but we need details on with what money,taxes?, how, when. So in comes the govenors race between Mcdonnell and Deeds. Their main issue, and the majority of their votes are going to come from their views on how they look at our transportation issue. So the outcome of the two issues do affect eachother.

Current Event #3

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/11/fugitive.arrested.hijacking/index.html
A man accused of playing a role in the 1968 hijacking of a Pan Am flight from New York to Puerto Rico was captured Sunday, federal officials said.Luis Armando Pena Soltren, 66, surrendered to federal authorities at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after exiting a flight from Havana, Cuba, officials said. It's the same airport from which Pan Am Flight 281 took off more than 40 years ago.
Additional details on Soltren's apprehension were not provided by authorities.
Soltren "will finally face the American justice system that he has been evading for more than four decades," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
According to a December 1968 indictment, Soltren and three others -- Jose Rafael Rios Cruz, Miguel Castro and Alejandro Figueroa -- conspired to hijack Flight 281 on November 24 of that year.
The suspects were accused of bringing concealed guns and knives aboard the flight and using the weapons to take over the flight. Members of the crew told authorities at the time that the suspects, wielding pistols and large knives, forced their way into the cabin of the plane and ordered the crew to fly to Havana, according to court documents.
Cruz and Castro were sentenced in the 1970s after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in New York. They received 15-year and 12-year sentences, respectively. Their current whereabouts were not immediately known.

Although not directly the main summary for the current event, I chose this because hijacking/terrorism has been a problem in our country for so long. I think that this article should give us hope that some 30 years later, our country was still looking out for this man and caught him. We are now one less terrorist in our country and one man closer to solving our problem. We should not give up hope if we do not find a certain person right away, instead keep looking to solve the problem.

Obama report card

Thank you Yadu for reminding me to do this at 11:40 on Sunday night- you da man.
Ok, if I had to grade Obama A-F. I would say a B. For healthcare, and war on terror he has major plans. Obviously in order to make our healthcare problem better there needs to be a reform. And although progress is going pretty slow it is still happeneing. For all of his plans things are moving slowly but but but he has done so many little things, and soon I feel they will all add up and make a huge difference. I just think that his presence and the way that he handles things makes him that much better and if he won the Nobel Peace Prize he is doing something right!

Discuss One political issue you are personally interested in.

My political issue is gay marriage. Politicians either support it or are totally against it. I believe that if you are against it then it is discrimination. Most gay people are born that way and cannot help it. So when they find their sole mate it is ubsurd that they are not allowed because that person is the same gender. It is their choice and I believe that everybody should be equal, so because of the discrimination I am interested in it.

Current Event #2

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/04/u.s.economy/index.html
The U.S. economy will grow more than expected in the third quarter, but unemployment also will continue to increase and will pass 10 percent, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday.Greenspan told the ABC program "This Week" that he expected 3 percent growth in the third quarter, up from the 2.5 percent he previously predicted. However, he said a "pretty awful" September employment report released Friday showed the jobless rate continued to climb.
A slowing or halt in job losses is different from reversing the rise in unemployment, Greenspan noted, adding that the nation's unemployment rate -- currently 9.8 percent -- is "going to penetrate the 10 percent barrier before heading down."
That prediction matches previous comments by President Obama and others, who say that unemployment is a lagging indicator in an economic recovery.
Obama said Saturday his administration would focus on job creation, and Greenspan said he supported that approach. However, Greenspan said it was too soon to consider another economic stimulus package or other major spending plan.
"We are in a recovery, and I think it would be a mistake to say the September numbers alter that significantly," Greenspan said, adding: "This is what a recovery looks like. ... It's premature to act on this type of information."

- This article is basically saying, although the economy is growing more than expected, unemployment rate across the US is still on the rise. It says in the article that unemployment is going to get past 10%. I think that prediction can be avoided if people take initiative and create jobs for those people who are not employed. Why wait until it reaches the ultimate high when you could try and fix it.

Current Event #1

http://http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/24/g-20.summit.pittsburgh/index.html
Leaders representing 90 percent of the world's economic output were gathering Thursday in a U.S. city that has reinvented itself, hoping to bolster the global economy. The Group of 20 will meet for two days to focus on the worldwide financial crisis, and plot how to avoid a repeat in the future.
The White House is using the economic summit to showcase Pittsburgh -- a city that President Obama says has exhibited an innovative 21st-century recovery after a well-publicized downfall following the shuttering of much of the city's steel industry.... etc.

- I think this Current Event is a very critical subject we need to be focusing on. Anything we can do to help out in our economy is necessary. It is good to see that these leaders are focusing on the issue at hand. It said in the article that "The G-20 gathering is Obama's first time hosting a major international summit." Maybe a little late for the first gathering, but still good that we are being active in this crisis.

What Political Party are you most closely aligned with?

I would consider myself to be most closely aligned with the Green Party. Even though they are not one of the most popular Politcal Parties, or one that will win in an election, I think it is the most important. The Green Party focuses on their idea of "Ten Key Values" some which include personal and global responsibilty, nonviolence, and ecological wisdom. I tend to agree with The Green Parties views over any other Politcal Party. Their views on global responsibility should be our main focus today. I feel that their ideas are very basic and create a good foundation.