Current Events
As a responsible citizen, voter, and Christian, you should be in tune with what is happening in the world around you - especially in terms of government/politics and major local, national, and world events. Hollywood - not so much. Below is a collection of links for you to browse through, broken down by political leanings.
NOTE - On most of these sites, there is space below stories for readers to express comments. Don't go there - it's full of trolls and nonsense no matter which side you visit. It is the only place that ranks lower than Hollywood news. It is a very dark, sad place.
NOTE - On most of these sites, there is space below stories for readers to express comments. Don't go there - it's full of trolls and nonsense no matter which side you visit. It is the only place that ranks lower than Hollywood news. It is a very dark, sad place.
Liberal/Left
"HuffPo" as it is often called, this site presents news from a liberal perspective, along with a lot of liberal commentary.
No, not the hair salon. Named after the "salons" of the French Enlightenment where people would sit around and talk politics and such. Liberal news and views.
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Center-Left
A mainstream (read: left-leaning) "news pool" site like the Associated Press, with an emphasis on business and financial news, and world/politics tie-ins that affect those things.
Generally mainstream, but leans left often enough that I put it here. Current stories are free to read.
Mainstream to left-leaning news that centers around politics at the national level.
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Center-Right
Elegantly simple (retro, even) site run by Matt Drudge, who puts his own conservative spin on headlines which link to a wide variety of other sites for content.
Right-leaning newspaper and website that focuses on news and events from a DC perspective.
The news is generally "fair and balanced," while the opinion sections and shows tend to be conservative.
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Conservative
Founded by Glenn Beck, this conservative news site also features a lot of commentary and opinion.
Founded by the late conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart, another conservative site with plenty of conservative opinion and commentary.
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11.21.13 Assignment - The Executive Branch In the News
- Click the FoxNews.com picture to the left to access the Executive branch section of their politics news coverage.
- Find a story that interests you, and read through it.
- Summarize, briefly, what the article is talking about in a short paragraph, typed in the assignment box.
- Identify the part of the executive branch that is being talked about. Is it the president himself? A cabinet department (like Treasury, Defense, Health and Human Services, etc.)? Mention this separately, below the summary, in the assignment box.
- Offer your opinion (optional) on the article, also in the assignment box.
- Enter your name, class, and the article link in the form and submit.
- Did I mention that you should not forget to submit your assignment?
11.07.13 Assignment - What's Congress Up TO?
OpenCongress.org is a great resource for non-partisan information about what bills are up for a vote, what issues are trending in popularity, how a particular Senator or Representative has been voting, etc.
For Today:
For Today:
- Click the image above to go to OpenCongress.org. Play around with it and explore for a few minutes.
- Find a recent bill in either the House or Senate that interests you, and look over what it is all about. Senate bills are numbered and begin with an "S" (like S.815), while House bills are numbered and begin with an "H.R." which stands for "House Resolution" (like H.R.992)
- Go to that bill's info page, highlight the full number, title, and subtitle(s). Copy, and paste that information into the Current Events form above.
For Example: "S.150 - Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 A bill to regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes." - Fill in the rest of the form (your name, period, and the link), and submit!
10.10.13 Assignment - Media Objectivity?
Some background for this clip: The government shutdown has affected funds set aside to help pay families of fallen soldiers to, among other things, travel to where their loved one's body is being flown back in to the U.S. The Republican representative is pointing out that the House of Representatives is planning to pass a "mini" CR this week to restore funding to programs like this fund - something the Senate will probably block, and the President will refuse to sign (along with any other "mini" CR that doesn't fund the whole government). After watching the clip (also shown below) as a class...
- Read THIS SHORT ARTICLE by Tony Rogers - an About.com guide with 25 years experience as a reporter, author, editor, and journalism professor.
- Answer the following questions and submit them as your current event assignment for this week:
- Do you think that Andrea Mitchell is being objective and fair in her reporting?
- Why or why not?
- Many people argue that journalists in a democratic society should serve as a "fourth branch" of government, meaning they should provide a check on government power by aggressively questioning everyone in power and exposing the truth - no matter who is in control of the government. Do you think that Andrea Mitchell's reporting successfully fulfills this role?
- Why or why not?
UPDATE: Democrats may be weakening on their shutdown stance under public pressure - even pressure from other Democrats.
10.3.13 Assignment - #Shutdownmageddon , #SHUTNADO 2013!
Click the Fox News logo to access today's article. What's going on!? The federal government has spent their "allowance" (money distributed by "continuing resolutions," or CRs passed every few months) and many (but not all) aspects of it are now shut down. With increasing news about possible negative side effects of Obamacare, Republicans - who control the House of Representatives with a majority - have refused to pass another CR unless the health care law is re-examined. Medical puns intended.
To help you understand the article, here is some key information you should know:
John Boehner is the Speaker of the House (leader of the Republican majority in the House) and a representative from Ohio.
Mitch McConnell is the Republican leader in the Senate, where Republicans have a minority. He is from Kentucky.
Harry Reid is the Democrat leader in the Senate which is controlled by Democrats who hold the majority. He is from Nevada.
Your assignment is to:
To help you understand the article, here is some key information you should know:
John Boehner is the Speaker of the House (leader of the Republican majority in the House) and a representative from Ohio.
Mitch McConnell is the Republican leader in the Senate, where Republicans have a minority. He is from Kentucky.
Harry Reid is the Democrat leader in the Senate which is controlled by Democrats who hold the majority. He is from Nevada.
Your assignment is to:
- Read the article. It isn't really that long - there's much more comment garbage at the bottom than there is actual article.
- Describe the rhetoric (exaggerated language meant to persuade or move people emotionally) being used in the article. Do you think it is appropriate and/or helpful?
- Summarize the Democrats' position - what are they saying must happen in order for them to support a CR and get the government running again? What options have they offered?
- Summarize the Republicans' position - what are they saying must happen in order for them to go along with getting the government running again? What options have they offered?
- Submit your assignment using the form above, as usual.
9.26.13 Assignment - Chaplains and Religious Freedom
Click the image to the left to access today's current event article. To help you understand the finer points of the article, here is a brief explanation of the context and some key abbreviations:
- Mohler is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is writing mainly from the perspective of the Southern Baptist denomination.
- SBC refers to the "Southern Baptist Convention" - the official name for the denomination.
- NAMB refers to the "North American Mission Board" - the branch of the SBC that focuses on planting and maintaining churches in the United States (and, by extension, overseeing the SBC's chaplains the US military).
- Why are Southern Baptist chaplains (along with other evangelical chaplains) having to face such a stark choice?
- Why does Tom Carpenter argue that SBC chaplains must resign their positions in the military immediately? If you want to skim the original article he wrote, which Mohler refers to, click HERE.
- Mohler pulls no punches, and concludes his article with a hard-hitting biblical comparison. What is he comparing, and what does he mean?
9.19.13 Assignment - Party Politics
Because we are beginning our unit on political behavior with a study of political parties and what they do, your task for this week's current event is to see what the two major parties are up to.
- Click on the link to the left to visit RealClearPolitics - one of the best resources available for political news, opinions, and information.
- Look for an article talking about Republicans or Democrats (or both).
- When you find one, read through it and do the following:
- Briefly summarize the article in about a paragraph (3-5 sentences)
- Describe the role that the major party (or parties) is/are taking in the article. For example - if they want something or are trying to do something, what is it and how are they working toward it? Remember - political parties want the powah!
- When you are finished, paste your assignment into the form above. Remember to include your name(s) and click SUBMIT when you are finished.
9.12.13 Assignment - A Critical Brit
President Obama's speech on the Syria situation Tuesday night received a lot of criticism all around - even from some on the left, and even from some "across the pond" in Jolly Old England. Your task is to read through THIS ARTICLE by Nile Gardiner of the British newspaper The Telegraph and briefly answer these questions:
- What is it about the president's speech that he disliked so much?
- Do you agree or disagree with his criticisms, and why?
- Regardless of how you view our president, how do you feel about him receiving such criticism from someone who isn't American?
9.5.13 Assignment - Getting To Know The System:
For your first current events assignment, you should browse a variety of the news sites above and look for a story related to the national government in some way. Maybe you're interested in how we are considering our options to attack Syria. Maybe it's the debate over immigration or the debt. Your task is to:
1. Find a story that interests you and is related to the U.S. government.
2. Read through that story and type up a short summary of the article (a few sentences to a paragraph) in Microsoft Word.
3. Explain the connection to the government (a sentence or two should do).
4. Use the Contact link at the top right of this page to send Mr. Peyton a message. Be sure to include your name, and which period you are in! In the "message" section of the form:
1. Find a story that interests you and is related to the U.S. government.
2. Read through that story and type up a short summary of the article (a few sentences to a paragraph) in Microsoft Word.
3. Explain the connection to the government (a sentence or two should do).
4. Use the Contact link at the top right of this page to send Mr. Peyton a message. Be sure to include your name, and which period you are in! In the "message" section of the form:
- Copy and paste the link to the story you read, THEN
- Copy and paste what you typed up in steps 2 and 3.