Summer Current Events - Highlights (and Lowlights)

It seems that we had an exceptionally busy news cycle this summer.  I thought it might be helpful to provide reminders of some major news stories from the past couple of months.  Although the list below is NOT all inclusive, consider the following as you prepare for the current events quiz on Monday:

• Major US Supreme Court decisions in June
• Leaker reveals NSA surveillance of US citizens and foreigners and international response
• Trial of Bradley Manning 
• Protests in Turkey, Brazil, and France
• North Korea weapons and relations with South Korea
• Evolving situations in Syria and Egypt
• G-8 conference
• US diplomacy with Taliban
• Train and airplane disasters 
• Malala Yousef promotes education for girls
• School children die from free lunches
• Prison breaks
• Prince George
• Travels of Pope Francis
• Terror warning prompts significant US response
• Russia passes restrictive law that draws international response
• NASDAQ offline
• Trials for Nidal Hassan & Robert Bales

If you feel that I've forgotten any major news stories, please feel free to add a comment to this post. Don't forget, if you bring a current events "journal" to class on the first day, you may use this on the quiz! 

July Current Events

On the first day of class, you will be taking a quiz on the major news developments of the summer.   If you choose, you may post comments to this post about the news stories that may be on the quiz.  These comments will be most useful if you provide a summary of the issue & a link/links to relevant news articles.

Approved Sources for TWIF Current Events Posts

In Honors World Cultures we'll examine the veracity and reliability of various historical and contemporary sources.  After reading and taking notes on The World is Flat, you will find relevant, current news stories that relate to, support, refute, or extend Friedman's arguments.  Since we have not yet discussed how to evaluate sources, you must use the following sources to find stories from the past 6 months:

• Al-Jazeera America
• BBC World Service
• Christian Science Monitor
• The Economist
• Euronews
• The Guardian
• National Geographic News
• New York Times
• Newseum
• NPR
• Reuters
• The Washington Post
• The Week
• The World

Don't forget...  You will be taking a current events quiz on the first day of class.  Mrs. Friday uses the highlighted sources on a regular basis.

June Current Events

On the first day of class, you will be taking a quiz on the major news developments of the summer.   If you choose, you may post comments to this post about the news stories that may be on the quiz.  These comments will be most useful if you provide a summary of the issue & a link/links to relevant news articles.

TWIF Flattener 10 - The Steroids

Use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-fall2013.blogspot.com/2013/06/approved-sources-for-twif-current.html to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Friedman's assertion that the steroids were  "flatteners."  Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to this point.  Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!

TWIF Flattener 9 - In-forming

Use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-fall2013.blogspot.com/2013/06/approved-sources-for-twif-current.html to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Friedman's assertion that in-forming was a "flattener."  Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to this point.  Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!

TWIF Flattener 8 - Insourcing

Use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-fall2013.blogspot.com/2013/06/approved-sources-for-twif-current.html to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Friedman's assertion that insourcing was a "flattener."  Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to this point.  Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!