Current Events Week 1 8/24/2011

1. Current Events Week 18/24/2011 1. Both the Libyan Government and the rebels trying to overthrow it are claiming victory. How should the rest of the world determine who is in control in Libya? 2. What concerns, if any do you have about paying for college? • What role should the government play in regulating the cost of college? • Why?

2. Current Events Week 28/31/2011 • How do retail stores use different types of media to increase sales? Which methods are most effective and why? • Why does the month of August mark a tragic milestone in the conflict in Afghanistan? How should we honor those who lost their lives in this conflict? • What is your reaction to grocery stores using scents to increase sales? How else could a store increase sales?

3. Current Events Week 39/7/2011 • How do you think residents should prepare emotionally to return to a neighborhood damaged by wildfires? • Do we need the U.S. Postal Service anymore? Why or why not?

4. Current Events Week 49/14/2011 •  What do you think voters can learn about candidates from watching debates? What do you think a candidate stands to gain or lose by participating in a debate? • Why do you think that America's poverty rate rose last year? • Why do you think that journalists are often selected to moderate political debates? What qualities do you think a reporter should possess to be an effective debate moderator?

5. Current Events Week 59/21/2011 • WE DID NOT DO CURRENT EVENTS THIS WEEK BECAUSE WE WERE IN THE MEDIA CENTER WORKING ON OUR HEROES PROJECT

6. Current Events Week 69/28/2011(Skipped Week 5 to work on Heroes Project in Media Center) Please CHOOSE 3 of the following questions to answer. Copy the question and then answer. • 1. What does an audience get from televised coverage of a trial? Do you think that there are any downsides to this kind of coverage? Explain. • 2. What happens in a federal government shutdown? What circumstances might lead to a federal government shutdown? Do you think this kind of shutdown would affect you or your community? Explain. • 3. Why do you think that the political leaders featured in today's program visited Internet technology companies? What questions would you want to ask these leaders about their plans for job growth? Do you think your questions would change if you were working in a different industry? Explain why. • 4. Who was Michael Jackson? What are some questions that jurors will have to answer about the circumstances of his death in order to render a verdict? If you were old enough to serve, do you think you could be an impartial juror on this trial? Why or why not?

7. Current Events Week 7October 5, 2011 • Why has Denmark raised taxes on some types of food? Do you think that this tax will alter Danish consumers' eating habits? Why or why not? • Why do you think that Hawaii has sanctioned surfing as a school sport? What do you think might be the costs associated with Hawaii's proposed high school surfing program? What sports are popular at your school? Why? • What is the purpose of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)? What questions would you ask a scientist about the images taken by the SDO?

8. Current Events Week 8 10/11/20111st, 3rd, 4th Periods CHOOSE 3 of the 4 questions.2nd, 5th, 7th Periods CHOOSE 2 of the 4 questions. • What is Fleet Week? How does it honor America's nautical services? • What do you know about Occupy Wall Street? Do you think this group will have an impact on the issues that protesters discuss? Why or why not? • Why do you think that the U.S. retail industry has outperformed other American industries recently? Why do you think that some companies might plan to hire more workers than others? • Why has California prohibited the use of tanning beds by young people? How do you think that the tanning industry might respond to this ban?

9. Current Events Week 910/19/2011 • Why do you think more than twice the amount of people are watching the primary election debates then during the last election? What sort of issues going on in the country right now might cause people to pay closer attention to the debates? • What do the people in the report say about Las Vegas's economy? Why is it struggling? How is one internet retailer trying to help the city's economy? What is your opinion of his strategy? • What is unique about the design of Daniel Kim's motorcycle prototype? Can you think of other uses for this stabilizing technology? What is your reaction to Kim's vision that his motorcycle be the primary commuting vehicle in the United States? • What factors do you think contributed to the decision to send U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Libya? What does the United States have to gain by sending representatives to Libya while they are forming their government? • Texas is suffering from a dust storm right now as a result of a severe draught. What are some possible effects of a dust storm to the people living in Texas? How might the dust storm in Texas affect the rest of the country?

10. Current Events Week 10Oct. 26, 20112nd, 5th, 7th CHOOSE 2 REMINDER: Write the questions and answer ALL questions for each option.  • What do you think could eventually happen to the debris from the natural disasters in Japan? How has Japan's tourism industry been affected by the tsunami? How might a country and local businesses encourage tourism after a natural disaster? • How are U.S. federal income taxes currently calculated? What is meant by the term "flat tax"? What do you think might be the advantages and drawbacks of a federal flat tax and the current tax system? • How does Amy Stokes' "Infinite Family" organization provide mentors for young people in South Africa? How might having a mentor help a young person? Explain.

11. Current Events Week 11November 2, 20111st, 3rd, 4th– CHOOSE 32nd, 5th, 7th- CHOOSE 2 • What is the purpose of the European Union's financial bailout plan for Greece? How might the rules of the bailout plan affect Greece? How do you think Greek citizens will vote on this plan? Why? • What type of attack does U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta say could be "the next Pearl Harbor"? What are some of the dangers of a potential cyber attack? What do you think can be done to protect national computer systems and information? • In the segment about going to school in different parts of the world, what similarities and differences do you see from your own experience? Whose trip to school did you find the most challenging? Why? What else would you like to know about life in other cultures? • Why does Lauren Robinson use a robot to attend school? In your opinion, what might be the advantages and disadvantages of attending school through a robotic interface? What functions do you think might be required by the robot seen in the report?

12. Current Events Week 11November 2, 20117th Pd- CHOOSE 2 • What is the purpose of the European Union's financial bailout plan for Greece? How might the rules of the bailout plan affect Greece? • What type of attack does U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta say could be "the next Pearl Harbor"? What are some of the dangers of a cyber attack? What do you think can be done to protect national computer systems and information? • Compare and contrast the way the girls get ready for school to your morning routine. Whose trip to school did you find the most challenging and why? What else would you like to know about life in other cultures? • Why does Lauren Robinson use a robot to attend school? What might be the advantages and disadvantages of attending school via robot? How do you think the robot works?

13. Current Events Week 12November 9, 20111st, 3rd, 4th- CHOOSE 32nd, 5th, 7th Choose 2 • What circumstances have led to the resignations of two European prime ministers? What characteristics do you think people in those countries might look for in their new leaders? Explain. • What has the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said about Iran's nuclear capabilities? Why do you think that the international community wants to know about countries' nuclear programs and capabilities? • What does a new study suggest about school bans on sugar-sweetened beverages? Why are some people concerned about these kinds of beverages? How do you think that the beverage industries might respond to these concerns? • According to the segment, how are some young people being encouraged to learn technology skills? If you could have a career in a technology industry, what job would you want? What skills would you need for this job?

14. Current Events Week 13- Nov. 16 *You don’t have to write the questions today UNLESS you ask me if you have to write the questions. • Why is the United States planning to deploy more military troops to Australia? What message do you think that President Obama is trying to send? In what ways do you think that Australia's people might react to this deployment? Why? • According to the report: What action did New York City officials take regarding Occupy Wall Street protesters in Zuccotti Park? Why? What's your opinion on the Occupy Wall Street protests?. • According to the video, how does a lack of basic sanitation impact the health of Kenya's children? How does DerreckKayongo get the soap that he sends to children in Kenya? Can you think of other recycled products that could help improve the quality of life for others? Explain. • Why are people going to visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo? What could be some potential dangers of the eruption of a volcano this size? How might residents prepare for an eruption?

15. Current Events 11/28 *You don’t have to write the questions today UNLESS you ask me if you have to write the questions. You must do all 4 today. • Why has the Arab League voted to impose economic sanctions on Syria? How do you think that the Syrian government might react to these sanctions? Why might the Arab League be concerned about other members of the international community getting involved in this situation? • Why are U.S. troops leaving Iraq? What kinds of reactions might Iraq's citizens have to the U.S. troop withdrawal? If you could interview the last U.S. troops in Iraq, what questions would you ask, and why? • Why is the day after Thanksgiving called "Black Friday" in the United States? What was said in the report about this past Friday? Have your holiday shopping plans changed this year? • What is unique about the "Solar Impulse"? What inspired Bertrand Piccard to work on this project? What do you think might be the pros and cons of using solar technology for flight versus using other types of energy? Would you want to fly around the world in this plane? Why or why not?

16. Current Events 12/2 *You don’t have to write the questions today UNLESS you ask me if you have to write the questions. You must do all 4 today. • What happens to all of the leftover supplies the soldiers in Iraq used during war? If you were a soldier coming back from Iraq after years at war, what would be the first thing you did when you came back? Why? • What are the Santa Ana winds? What can you do to prepare yourself for unexpected weather such as strong wind gusts? Would you have to do anything different to prepare yourself for unexpected heavy fog? • What are some obstacles that newscasters have to deal with on the air? How would you overcome a loud siren to focus on your job? Would you ever want to be a newscaster? Why or why not? • What are some obstacles that the cheerleading coach at Boca Raton Community High School might face with such a large group of athletes? Should every student have the opportunity to participate in sports or other activities regardless of how talented they are? Why or why not?

17. Current Events 12/14 *You don’t have to write the questions today UNLESS you ask me if you have to write the questions. You must do 2 today. When you are done you must work on your Bingo Board. • What new law has the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board proposed regarding cell phones? Do you think that the proposed ban, if passed, will alter drivers' habits? Why or why not? • What is the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol? What has Canada said about backing out of this agreement? What impact, if any, might the Kyoto Protocol have on industries whose countries signed the agreement? • According to the report, in what two ways does the U.S. president campaign? According to CNN's Dan Lothian, what are the advantages and disadvantages of being the incumbent in a presidential election campaign?

18. Current Events 1/25 *You don’t have to write the questions today UNLESS you ask me if you have to write the questions. You must do 2 today. When you are done, read your book. • What is the purpose of the State of the Union address? What issues would you want mentioned in the State of the Union speech? What advantages and disadvantages does a president have when delivering a speech in a live broadcast? • What is a solar storm? How could a recent solar storm affect Earth? What scientific terms does CNN's Rob Marciano use in his report? Why do you think that scientists develop these terms? • What are the function and limitations of the technology seen in the segment involving New York's police? What have supporters and critics said about this technology? What is your opinion?

19. Current Events Week 212/1/2012You do NOT have to write the questions today. Advanced-you must complete ALL 3 questions. • What were the results of the Florida Republican presidential primary? How do you think the candidates felt about these results? Do you think that this outcome will affect the Republican race going forward? If so, how? • What is the purpose of Black History Month? What are some of the significant people, places, and events involving African-Americans that have had an impact on U.S. history? If you could interview a historic African-American, whom would you interview, and what questions would you ask? • What resources would you need to attend a virtual school? What do you think might be the pro and cons of being in a virtual class versus being in a traditional class? Would learning information on a computer be an effective method for you? Why or why not?

20. Current Events 2/22 *You do NOT have to write the questions unless you ask me if you have to write the questions. You must answer 3 questions today. Answer all parts of each question for full credit. When you are done, read your books. • What international situation may soon contribute to higher gas prices? What options do you think might be available to consumers if gas prices increase dramatically? Would you or your family do anything differently? Explain. • According to the program: What action did the International Red Cross call for in Syria yesterday? How might this action help the people of Syria? How are some Syrians dealing with getting supplies? What kinds of supplies do you think are most needed by these people? • According to the report: What might cause problems with U.S. cell phone service as early as next year? What kinds of problems may potentially occur? Do you think that these issues will affect you? If so, how?

21. Current Events 2/28 *You do NOT have to write the questions unless you ask if you have to write the questions. Answer EVERY part of the questions. 5th period has to do all 3 and 7th period has to do 2 questions • According to the program, what incident happened at an Ohio high school yesterday? What did one student there say about how his school prepared for such an emergency? How do you think a school can best prepare for a possible emergency? • What is known about Iran's nuclear program? What does Iran say about its nuclear activities? Why is the international community concerned about Iran's nuclear program? What is the purpose of the IAEA? To what extent, if any, do you think that the IAEA could monitor Iran's nuclear program? • What does Beverly Bond say about the images of African-American women in the media? What organization did Bond found, and why? What do the young people in the report say about Bond's foundation? Why do you think that Bond focused on mentoring through music? If you could create a mentoring program for young people, what activities would you use to reach them?

22. Current Events 5/16 *You must answer four out of the five questions in complete sentences. Make sure you answer all parts. You do not have to write the question UNLESS you ask me and if you ask how many questions, you will have to do five out of the five. • Who is the new president of France, and why is his election politically significant? What do you think he meant when he said that the challenge of his term is "recovery"? • Why do you think that President Hollande immediately headed to Germany for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel? How would you describe the current state of the European economy? What factors do you think are contributing to that state? • What is an IPO? Why do private companies issue IPOs? According to the video: What kinds of work does a company have to do before it goes public? How is the price per share for an IPO determined? Are there any downsides to "going public"? Explain. • What major social network site is expected to launch its IPO this week? If you had the money, would you buy stock in Facebook? Why or why not? • Why do you think that many colleges ask high-profile individuals to speak at their graduations? What were some of the thoughts shared by the commencement speakers in the video?