2010: State of the Union Speech — One Student's Angle

In our president's State of the Union speech, Mr. Obama tried to reinstate hope in America's working class, as was so prevalent when he was inaugurated last January.

The main points of Pres. Obama's speech covered economic recovery, Afghanistan, education, clean energy, and how we need bipartisanship to solve our problems.

For the economy, our president proposed billing banks for bailouts, prolong unemployment benefits, lower the cost of health care, tax cuts, composing Obama's Recovery Act, or Stimulus Bill. To encourage small businesses, community banks across America will be given $30 billion from Wall Street banks to lend to these businesses. They will also receive tax credits and dismissal from capital gains taxes.

To take steps to a cleaner America, we will invest in clean nuclear power plants, advanced biofuels, and clean coal technologies.

Another topic I will focus on is education. As an eighth-grader aspiring for college or university, I was very taken aback to hear that after 20 years, college debts will be relieved. Many also have realized that in order for America to become a "more perfect nation," we need an educated and innovative work force.

sources: nytimes.com, NPR
by Brigette W.

The Making of the Berlin Wall

Construction of the Berlin Wall started on August 13, 1961, which fell twenty years ago and was anywhere from 20 to 100 feet some places.

The wall had a lot of security. It had a watchtower, and everything from spike mats and vehicle ditches to, to tank traps.

This graphic from The New York Times show that the Berlin Wall was no regular wall.

Below are some close-ups that I found interesting.

United Nations: President Obama's Speech and History

As you may know, President Obama gave a speech at the United Nations meeting on Thursday, 9/24, morning. His speech ranged from nuclear weapons, the global economy, to disease and democracy. He seemed to focus the most on nuclear danger from North Korea and Iran. He talked about the importance of the United Nations and about how all nations should cooperate.

To read the President's speech, you can go to this link on The New York Times website.

The United Nations originated after World War II to replace the League of Nations in 1945. It's an international organization with aspirations for the world concerning the economy, security, human rights, international law, social progress, and world peace. It consists of 192 member states and its six official languages are: English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese.

Watch Julian interview Brigette about her story:



Sources: The New York Times, Wikipedia
By Brigette. W

News Event: Barack Obama

On Wednesday morning President Barack Obama addressed the United Nations.

Student Assignment: Brigette
You may either read the President's entire speech or merely scan it. You will want to explain the news angle — the president is speaking to the United Nations. You will need to explain what the United Nations is.

Include the following quotation from the President's speech in your story. You will want to relate it to what the United Nations is and what it does for the world. Remember to credit him with the quotation. Here is the quote:

"The United Nations was born of the belief that the people of the world can live their lives, raise their families, and resolve their differences peacefully. And yet we know that in too many parts of the world, this ideal remains an abstraction -- a distant dream. We can either accept that outcome as inevitable, and tolerate constant and crippling conflict, or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universal, and reassert our resolve to end conflicts around the world."

Consider answering the following questions, in addition to the five W’s of news reporting:

• Who
• What
• Why did the President speak at the United Nations?
  
• Where
• When
• What is the United Nations?
• Where and when did it start?

Upload one or two images related to the event. Remember to credit the photo source.

Photo credit: The New York Times

The President's State of the Union Address: Education

Student: Faryn

Read the following excerpt from the State of the Union by President Obama. What does President Obama say about education? What does it mean to you? Remember to include images, links and labels with your post.

Your goal this week is to complete your post by the end of class.

What’s more, we are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea -– the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. That’s why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here. It’s why our students don’t just memorize equations, but answer questions like “What do you think of that idea? What would you change about the world? What do you want to be when you grow up?” [...]

The future is ours to win. But to get there, we can’t just stand still. As Robert Kennedy told us, “The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.” Sustaining the American Dream has never been about standing pat. It has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age. And now it’s our turn. We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. (Applause.) We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper. That’s how we’ll win the future. (Applause.) And tonight, I’d like to talk about how we get there. [...]

Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America’s success. But if we want to win the future -– if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas -– then we also have to win the race to educate our kids. Think about it. Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education. And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren’t even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us –- as citizens, and as parents –- are willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed. That responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. It’s family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done. We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair. (Applause.) We need to teach them that success is not a function of fame or PR, but of hard work and discipline.