The Bubonic Plague

The bubonic plague, which killed around 1/5 of the world’s population in the 14th century, is still around today -- but it now claims only a few thousand lives each year. 

How did that number shrink so drastically? 

Sharon N. DeWitte investigates the causes and effects of the black death and explains how knowing this information can help us prepare for any future outbreaks of the disease. 

Watch the following video and then answer the following discussion questions in the comments section below:

1.  Do you think it is important to study diseases that occured in the past?  Why or why not?

2.   Is there anything we can learn from past human diseases that we can't just learn by studying diseases affecting us today?

What Qualities do Modern Presidents Need to Fulfill Their Many Roles?

What Makes A Great President??????

   

You have probably heard the old saying that "anybody can grow up to be President." But, not everybody is cut out to be President. It takes a special kind of person, someone tough, smart, and driven just to run for the job. It takes still more talent and character to hold up under the pressures of life in the White House.  A day in the life of a president involves many tasks and responsibilities.  Some are routine, while others are immensely challenging.  All require the skills of an effective leader.  According to the article, "What Makes A Great President?", People disagree about what character traits are most important in a President. But there are some commonly accepted things that people look for, such as integrity, strength, and caring. 

 Click on the link below and read the article, "What Makes A Great President?"

When you are finished, come back to the comment section below and tell me: 

1.  How important is character in deciding which presidential candidate to vote for? 

2.   What are three qualities you feel every president should have and why? 

 Thanks for visiting this posting and as always:

Happy Blogging!! 

What Makes A Great President?

How is Power Divided in the United States?

The framers of the Constitution tried to make sure that the Constitution gave the government enough power to ensure peace and order, but not so much that its power went unchecked.

In the Federalist Papers, No. 51, James Madison wrote, "You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place to oblige it to control itself."

 

What did James Madison mean by that quote? After reading the quote a few times to yourself, watch the video below, and then try to formulate your answer and leave it in the comments section below.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT 40 YEARS OF HISTORY THROUGH A SONG?

EQ- Do you know your history?

Would you like to learn about 40 years of history through a song? 

"We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song by Billy Joel. Its lyrics include brief, rapid-fire allusions to more than 100 headline events between January 1949 and 1989, when the song was released on his album Storm Front. The song was a No. 1 hit in the US. 

 (Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org)

Watch, listen, and learn about 40 years of history...when you are finished, comment on your favorite part of history and don't forget to include examples!

A DYNAMIC PROCESS-The Filibuster...

     The Functioning of the U.S. Government is a dynamic process which combines the formal balances of power incorporated in the Constitution with  traditions, precedents, and interpretations which have evolved over the past 200 years.  One of the key features of our dynamic U.S. Government is the fact that it is based on tradition.
     The filibuster, in the Senate, is an example of a tradition not grounded in the Constitution but is now considered important to the protection of minority interests. 
What is the definition of the term "filibuster" as it applies to politics?

A "filibuster" occurs when a person (or persons) attempts to halt action on a particular bill by engaging in an excessively long speech or other delaying tactic. 
In the US Senate, rules permit a senator (or senators) to speak for as long as they want. However, three-fifths of Senators can vote to invoke cloture (under Senate Rule XXII), which brings the debate to a close. 
The longest filibuster in Senate history belongs to former South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond, who embarked on a 24 hour, 18 minute long filibuster in order to delay voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Thurmond reportedly took a steam bath before his speech to rid himself of any excess fluid, as well as stocking up on "cough drops and malted milk tablets" in order to keep his voice.  http://www.davemanuel.com/investor-dictionary/filibuster/

Click on the article below and after reading it, click on the comment section and answer the discussion question:

Senate Majority Invokes Democracy Option... 

Discussion Question- What does the rule change, "the nuclear option"mean for the tradition of the filibuster?

Don't forget to watch the video clip below on what a filibuster looks like on the Senate floor...

What's in A Name? (From "Would You Still Be You/KPhilo)

William Shakespeare is thought to have been born on April 23, 1564. Among the many famous lines from his plays and sonnets is the following spoken by Juliet in the play Romeo and Juliet:  
Juliet:  “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.” 
What did she mean by that? What is the importance of a name? Have you ever wished your name were different? After you answer these questions, come up with a list of other names that you would like to have.

CASH FOR GRADES?

TODAY IS APRIL 27, 2010

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING! 

TODAY YOU READ AN ARTICLE FROM TIME MAGAZINE ABOUT A STUDY DONE BY PROFESSOR ROLAND FRYER JR. (ECONOMICS/HARVARD UNIVERSITY)  ON WHAT MOTIVATES KIDS TO WORK HARD IN SCHOOL? 

"THE EXCLUSIVE STORY OF A NATIONAL EXPERIMENT THAT DELIGHTED CHILDREN, OFFENDED ADULTS AND PROVOKED DEATH THREATS AGAINST SCIENTIST "(AMANDA RIPLEY)

AFTER READING THE ARTICLE AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THE RESULTS, I WAS WONDERING WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS WERE ON THE SUBJECT?

PLEASE LEAVE A RESPONSE TO THIS POSTING AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK...

THANK YOU AND AS ALWAYS...
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY...
KEEP ON BLOGGING!

STEP INSIDE THE VOTING BOOTH!

April 13, 2010

Today is Terrific Tuesday!

Yesterday, a comment was made in class about voting.  It went something like this..."I'm not going to vote, my parents don't vote."  This upset me because, as a citizen of the United States, it is our responsibility to learn about our political system and become an active participant!  Today, I would like you to click on the link below and take a virtual tour of a polling booth and read about how different groups of Americans received their right to vote. Then I would like you to come back to today's posting and decide whether you think you might give voting a try!

As always...

Happy blogging...

Have a terrific Tuesday!

http://pbskids.org/democracy/vote/

Should There Be A Constitutional Amendment Outlawing Abortion?

Today is Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Since the time of Roe vs. Wade, Abortion is legal...however, it is up to the state government as to when the abortion can be done and for what reason.  What do you think would happen if the Supreme Court decided to outlaw abortion and the state's were not allowed to make laws as to when abortion's could be done and for what reason?  Leave a comment and tell me what you think...
Happy blogging!

THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES-AN INVESTIGATION

TODAY IS TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010

Good Tuesday Morning Bloggers!

Did you ever hear the terms conservative or liberal?  How about the terms radical or reactionary?

Did anyone ever call you a moderate or centrist?

If you observe the people around you, and listen to their views on different issues, it will help you to determine where they fall on the political spectrum.  You may hear things like, "But we've always done it this way" (conservative) or "Let's try to think outside the box on this" (liberal).  These types of statements might give you an idea of how people feel about different social, political and economic issues. (ideologies).

Ideologies are a person's political views or beliefs that are shaped by two major factors.  The first factor is how much change a person is willing to have within their society and government. The 2nd deals with how much government involvement we want in our everyday lives.

Often, the way people behave, gives us clues as to whether they are rules-followers (conservatives) or rebels (liberals). None of us are all one or the other. Whether we're conservative or liberal depends on the environment we're in. When the majority of what we do and say falls within one category, we can say that our behavior or thoughts are basically one or the other.  Political parties are loosely formed around these broad political ideologies.  Of the two major political parties, Republicans are generally seen as conservatives because they advocate a reduction in government.  Democrats are generally seen as liberal because they support government regulation of the economy.

Now for the fun part:

As a preview for today's lesson, click on the following link and take the "World's Smallest Political Quiz" http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html   Then come back to this posting and tell me about your results and whether they surprised you or not. Explain to me any questions you still have about the political spectrum and the different ideologies.

We will then work together as a class, identifying some vocabulary, writing them on note cards, watching and discussing a slide show presentation and making a posting on our own blogs connecting to what we learned today. 

As always...remember proper and appropriate internet usage and to treat our laptops with gentle loving care.
Blog onward soldiers!!!