C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers) 3/23: Does the end justify the means? Why or why not?

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers)

3/23: Does the end justify the means? Why or why not?


3/15: Do you think that our government should be involved in health care reform? Why or why not?

3/16: Do you think “sexting” (the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically) should be illegal? Why or why not?

3/17: In your opinion, is health care a fundamental right which the government has an obligation to secure for all Americans, or is health care a privilege? Explain.

3/18: List at least 3 questions you would like answered concerning the upcoming $9,500,000 No Tax Increase Bond Issue.

??: Pres. Obama appeared on several news and talk shows last week to promote his health care reform plan. Why do you think he made so many appearances?

??:

??: Do you think it is important that any health care reform is a bipartisan accomplishment? Why or why not?


3/8: Pres. Obama announced that he intends to remove all troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010. (1) How might you feel about this announcement if you were a citizen of Iraq? (2) A citizen of a neighboring country? Explain.

3/9: President Obama will be in the St. Louis area tomorrow. If you could ask him one question, what would it be and why?

3/11: Do you think that elderly drivers should have to pass driving tests? If so, why, at what age, and how often? If not, why not?

3/12: How do you feel about teachers being equipped with tasers in the classroom? Explain – include situations in which it would be acceptable to use them, or why their use would be unacceptable.


2/22: What is the purpose of the Olympics? Why do you think countries want to participate in them? Explain.

3/1: Do you think many people felt that Saturday’s tsunami warning was a false alarm? Do you think people will take tsunami warnings less seriously in the future? Explain.

3/2: Results of Pres. Obama’s health physical were in the news yesterday. Why do you think countries and their leaders might be interested in the health of another country’s leader? Explain.

3/3: Do you think there is a need to keep the Postal Service in business, or is this an outdated service? Explain.

3/4: Do you think we are prepared for a major earthquake in this area? Should we be? What, if anything, should we do? Explain.


2/3: Do you think our country should still be spending money on NASA space programs? Why or why not?

2/4: Do you think that today’s professional sports are mainly about big business and making profits? Why or why not?

2/16: There is a brewing controversy about airport body scans, that they are an invasion of privacy. Do you think people should be allowed to choose an alternative to a body scan? Why or why not?

2/18: A 12-year-old schoolgirl scrawled "I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" on her desk. What followed -- handcuffs and a trip to a police precinct -- is raising concerns about zero tolerance policies. How do you feel about this? Did the school overreact? How would you have handled this?

2/19: Do you think 4 years of high school is necessary or to your benefit in preparing you for college, or do you feel students should be able to begin attending college after 2 or 3 years of high school? Explain.

TURN IN JOURNALS!

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers)1/25: Do you think people can learn from the mistakes of

others, or do people need to make their own mistakes in order to learn?

1/26: Do you think that illegal immigration is a problem in the U.S. today? Why or why not?

1/27: Should businesses be allowed to force employees to speak English? Why or why not?

1/28: Political spinning is the term used for heavily biased portrayal in favor of a person, event, or situation. Why do you think that many people are often unaware of political spinning when it occurs?

TURN IN JOURNALS!

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers)1/19: For the last week, aftermath of the Haiti earthquake

has dominated the news. Do you feel that people have become so saturated with these stories that interest is waning? Why or why not?

1/20: Do you think that Americans are still interested in capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden; or are we too focused on the economy and health care? Explain.

1/21: Do you think that single-sex classrooms would foster increased student achievement and higher overall grades? Why or why not?

1/22: Do you think there should be a limit to the total amount of money which can be spent on a candidate’s campaign? Explain.

TURN IN JOURNALS!


Journal Entries (JE) must be a minimum of 3 lines of writing in complete sentences (unless otherwise specified), and are worth up to 3 points for each entry. Since you are given in-class time to work on these each day, they will only be accepted for up to one week after their due dates.

________________________________________________________1/5: Do you think that the media focuses too much on scandals concerning

famous people? Explain.1/6: Do you think that our society focuses more on protecting the rights of law-

abiding citizens or the rights of criminals? Explain your answer.1/11: Do you think our government “goes too far” in the interest of “national

security”? Explain.1/13: Mark McGwire admitted that he used steroids when he broke baseball’s

homerun record in 1998. Should his record stand? Do you think sports or athletes are “tarnished” by such admissions? Why or why not?

1/14: When faced with pending natural disasters (such as hurricanes or wildfires), should residents be forced to evacuate? Why or why not?

1/15: Do you think that people whose homes are destroyed by natural disasters (flood, tornado, wild fire, earthquake, etc.) twice within 5 years should still be eligible to purchase insurance? Why or why not?

TURN IN JOURNALS!

Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers)Journal Entries (JE) must be a minimum of 3 lines of writing in complete

sentences (unless otherwise specified), and are worth up to 3 points for each entry. Since you are given in-class time to work on these each day, they will only be accepted for up to one week after their due dates.

_______________________________________________


11/30: How many hours of TV or videos do you watch each day? Do you think you watch too much? Why or why not?

12/1: What do you think the top 3 stories have been this semester?

• We truly take a lot for granted.

• Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and a Soldier.

• One died for your soul; the other for your freedom.


11/25:

(1) Should schools make rules to accommodate people’s religious beliefs? Why or why not?

(2) In Glenn Beck’s “Exposed: The Extremist Agenda,” Brigitte Gabriel said that political correctness is a disease that is killing the West. Do you agree? Explain.

(3) Are you thankful that you live in America? Why or why not?

Turn in your Journals for this week.


11/23:

(1) Do you think that most people make an effort to understand people of different ethnic backgrounds? Why or why not?

(2) Why do you think some leaders or groups use terror as a tactic of achieving their goals?

(3) What do you think defines an extremist?

11/24: In Exposed: The Extremist Agenda, Glenn Beck said that people use religion to justify their hatred. Do you agree? Explain.

What is paraskevidekatriaphobia ?

Robert GibbsWhite House

Press Secretary

Kathleen Sebelius

Health & Human Services Secretary

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State

Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House

David Axelrod

Advisor to Pres. Obama

Michael Steele

Republican National Committee Chairman

Eric Holder

Attorney General

Hamid Karzai

Afghanistan President


10/26: Do you think that smoking should be banned in all restaurants in Ste. Genevieve? Why or why not?

10/27: Should businesses be allowed to force employees to speak English? Why or why not?

10/28: Do you think that illegal immigration is a problem in the U.S. today? Why or why not?

10/30: Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Homework due Friday, 10/30:

Bring to class a printed “story of the unexplained” or ghost story.

─ The printout should include the source.


??: Do you think that most people make an effort to understand people of different ethnic backgrounds? Why or why not?

?: Should schools make rules to accommodate people’s religious beliefs? Why or why not?


10/8: In your opinion, is health care a fundamental right which the government has an obligation to secure for all Americans, or is health care a privilege? Explain.

10/12: Since we now know that Christopher Columbus did not discover America, do you think that Columbus Day should still be a national holiday? Why or why not?

10/20: Do you think that it’s appropriate for leaders of countries to get involved with elections in other countries? Explain.

10/22: Do you think the government should get involved in setting private sector salaries? Why or why not?

10/23: Do you think people can learn from the mistakes of others, or do people need to make their own mistakes in order to learn? Explain.

TARP funds

Troubled Asset Relief Program

paraskevidekatriaphobia


9/14: Why do you think so many parents were upset about the President speaking to school kids last week? Explain.

9/29: Pres. Obama appeared on several news and talk shows last week to promote his health care reform plan. Why do you think he made so many appearances?

9/30: Do you think that our government should be involved in health care reform? Why or why not?

10/1: Do you think it is important that any health care reform is a bipartisan accomplishment? Why or why not?


Question: I have a head, I have a tail, but I have no body. What am I?

Answer: coin

Question: I never was, am always to be, no one ever saw me nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all who live and breath on the terrestrial ball.

(Hint: It never comes.)

Answer: tomorrow

Republican Health Care Plan

• Don’t get sick.

• And if you do get sick …

• DIE QUICKLY!

9/29/09

American Samoa (a U.S. territory, home to 65,000 people) hit by powerful earthquake, triggers a series of tsunami waves.

At least 99 dead, dozens missing.


8/31: Do you think that our society focuses more on protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens or the rights of criminals? Explain your answer.

9/1: The U.S. has two major political parties – do you think that these two parties have too much power? Why or why not?

9/2: Very often, wildfires begin because people are careless or intentionally start a fire. Should they be punished? If so, how? If not, why not?

9/3: Do you think that Phillip Garrido has already been tried and convicted by the media or public? Why or why not?

9/4: Do you think that schools try to teach students and athletes good sportsmanship? Is this important? Explain.

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers)9/11: 9/11/09 is the first National Day of Service to honor those who lost their

lives on 9/11/09. What do you think of this?9/11: Some people believe that Americans are starting to forget about the

terrorist attacks on 9/11, and that people should be reminded by watching videos each year. How do you feel about this? Explain.

9/11: After the attacks on 9/11, Pres. Bush said that our freedom had come under attack. What do you think he meant by this?

??: Political spinning is the term used for heavily biased portrayal in favor of a person, event, or situation. Why do you think that many people are often unaware of political spinning when it occurs?

??: When people get a raise in pay or salary, are they more likely to save money or spend more money? Why?

??: Do you think people can learn from the mistakes of others, or do people need to make their own mistakes in order to learn?

??: Does the end justify the means? Why or why not???: Imagine you are the President of the United States and your #1 education

goal is to make sure every student is prepared for the jobs and careers of the future. What is one thing you would do to improve schools to ensure that all students receive the education and skills they need to be successful in life? Explain.

??: Do you think that students should be paid for good attendance or good grades in school? Why or why not?

??: Do you think that single-sex classrooms would foster increased student achievement and higher overall grades? Why or why not?


Bipartisan health care reform – if you were President, why would this be important to you? Explain.


Journal Entries (JE) must be a minimum of 3 lines of writing in complete sentences (unless otherwise specified), and are worth up to 3 points for each entry. Since you are given in-class time to work on these each day, they will only be accepted for up to one week after their due dates.

_______________________________________________

8/24: For what reasons do you think stories are chosen to appear on TV news programs?

8/25: Are you worried about the H1N1 (swine flu) virus? Why or why not?

8/26: Where do you think the line should be drawn in interrogation techniques? What is ok or not ok? Why?

8/27: How do you feel about law enforcement officials being able to take DNA from people when arresting them? Explain.

8/28: Do you think there should be a statue of limitations on kidnapping? Why or why not?

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers)Journal Entries (JE) must be a minimum of 3 lines of writing in complete sentences (unless otherwise specified), and are worth up to 3 points for each entry. Since you are given in-class time to work on these each day, they will only be accepted for up to one week after their due dates.

_______________________________________________

8/17: Yesterday was the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Why do you think people are still interested in him so many years after his death?

8/18: Do you think that police officers should be allowed to go on strike? Why or why not?

8/19: When faced with pending natural disasters (such as hurricanes or wildfires), should residents be forced to evacuate? Why or why not?

8/20: Do you think that people whose homes are destroyed by natural disasters (flood, tornado, wild fire, earthquake, etc.) twice within 5 years should still be eligible to purchase insurance? Why or why not?

8/21: Since the media can choose the content of its reports, do you think that some news stories could be considered propaganda? Why or why not?

Date: 9/3/09

News Show Name: Early Today

Network: NBC

Date: 9/2/09

News Show Name: Up To The Minute

Network: CBS

CA wildfires• Break in weather

• 7 major fires

• 3600 firefighters – 2 dead

• Wks yet to contain

• $106 M so far

• >60 homes

• ET house

• Emergency $ almost gone

CA wildfires• Holdouts – people not leaving homes

– Mandatory evac

• CA law – don’t have to leave homes

• Tie up critical resources

• ? Pay $ for staying?

• Take names

Documents

C.I. → J.E. (Bell Ringers) 3/23: Does the end justify the means? Why or why not?