Tuesday, October 13, 2009
1st Period Current Event- State or Local Government- 10/16
Please post your current event for Friday, October 16 below. Your current event this week should be about state (NC) or local (Chapel Hill/Carrboro) government. Remember to include the link to the article you read, provide the topic of your article, and write at least 5-6 sentences discussing your opinion of the article. You may also use video clips or podcasts for your current event.
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http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/6202310/
ReplyDeleteThis is Christine….
So I read an article on Wral that said that Wake, Durham, and Johnston counties will possibly gain State Senate and house seats. This prediction comes as a result of the 50 percent population jump in the area surrounding Raleigh.
This could be significant to the future of our state. Our entire state’s population is booming and with more influence from the triangle, North Carolina could emerge as a very powerful state. I’m excited to see how influential we can be.
Fourth and Eight Graders outperform nation in math
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was about the improvement in math performance for Fourth and Eighth graders in North Carolina. I believe this is extremely important. Though I don't always think standardized testing is the most reliable way to measure progress, it does show that North Carolina students have necessary basic skills. It shows a clear improvement, especially for the fourth graders, who began the revamped curriculum the year it was instituted. This basic skill foundation will allow North Carolina children to remain competitive in the nation and the world.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/52912.html
ReplyDeleteThis article concerns the large population of Asian students in the CHCCS district, especially those whose first language was not English, and how they are being grouped together rather than paid specific attention to. Representatives from each school in our district come together regularly to discuss the needs of their students, but I think it's equally important that they take the students' cultures into consideration. But though the school district hired a consultant to train faculty and staff in cultural diversity, apparently, they did not spend enough time focusing on the Asian students' needs, because they sometimes seem to be overshadowed by other minorities in Chapel Hill/Carborro. "We have a huge population of Asian students in this area, and there's a tremendous amount of diversity within our group. You can't just lump them into this one category of being Asian," quotes Sarah Whang, chair of this committee.
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/local/story/140326.html
ReplyDelete^That's the link to my article.^
This was a really confusing article to interpret because, like most people, I don't know a thing about my local government or what it does for me.
But the title of this article is "Hottest race isn't on ballot" and I though that it just meant, the race is tough (for filling a position).
But then I realized that "race" had two meanings in this article. There are concerns that if so-and-so wins the election, there won't be any black people on the council thingie.
That makes me really angry. First of all, there are no Latinos, Asians, Indians, or Vietnamese on the council, and no one seems to be upset about that.
And second of all, if there weren't enough white people on the council, no one would say anything for fear of being though racist.
By trying not to be racist, people are becoming more racist--it's not like by having one black person on the council people can suddenly feel good about themselves again. One black person isn't the spokesperson for the entire nation of Africa.
If we can just look beyond people's races and see if they are qualified for the job or not (like we should've done with Obama) then we won't be racist anymore.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/140435.html
ReplyDeleteThis one was about North Carolina's online courses. Kids are using the online courses more now, especially in districts that don't have as much funding as ours (even though ours doesn't have much to begin with), because the classes they want to take are being cut from their schools' budgets. What I thought was most interesting was that teachers of the online courses are receiving less money, even though there are more students in their classes (AND they are paid per student). It's also interesting to see how well the virtual schools work. For some courses, like European History, it's helpful because the information is given, and the students can spend as little or as much time taking it in as they need. However, in the language courses, it's not as helpful, because the spoken part is really important in most languages, so it's more difficult for the students to learn the language.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6216855/
ReplyDeleteThe article talks about how house and senate members are going to meet to talk about state taxes on November 3rd. I think it's important that they do this. I also think they should work to even out the taxing system more. I think that the amounts paid by some classes is unfair, and they need to adjust it some. Taxing is a very hard thing to talk about because there are so many different ways to go with it, and people have different opinions about what should be taxed and what shouldn't be. The fact that our government is meeting again to discuss it shows that they do take into consideration what the state is thinking, and they are trying to help us in some way shape or form. Hopefully they can come to a decision that will benefit many people across the state.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Town+ponders+action+to+lessen+deer+impact%20&id=3991567-Town+ponders+action+to+lessen+deer+impact&instance=main_article
ReplyDeletePeople in Chapel Hill have been petitioning for measurements to control the deer population in our area. Some want to start urban archery programs to control the population, but they find it to be too risky, since people could get hurt. Awareness is being raised about motor vehicle accidents involving deer. The local government is not taking action on any of these matters, but they are considering them. I think that the urban archery idea is terrible, since killing the deer won't help anyone. They have a right to live just as much as we do. We should, however, make people aware of the fact that deer collisions are common. This way, we can lessen the amount of accidents, and prevent costly vehicle damage.
I read an article in the daily tarheel about how the local government/school board is fighting to keep more students healthy and fed. Each weekend about 90 disadvantaged elementary schoolers head home with backpack full of food to keep their families fed for the weekend. I think it's a really wonderful gesture and i hope the "Backpack Buddies" program is able to gain momentum. Ephesus, FPG, and Carborro are the only elementary schools currently involved but given time this can change. Student hunger is a growing problem, but already a difference in these kids attitudes and grades is apparant... Sodexo Inc. is the name of the company sponsoring this program. ~miranda
ReplyDeletewww.dailytarheel.com/content/new-school-program-combats-student-hunger
Michelle:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/15/increasing-violence-pakistan-complicates-obamas-war-deliberations/
This article is about the military action in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama is having to decide whether or not to send about 400,000 more troops overseas to help. His military adviser is telling him that he needs to send them, but his political advisers want Obama to "scale back the war effort."
If the man in the military tells him they need more troops, he needs to send more. I know that one of his big election advertisement pieces was that he was going to stop the war, but he can't. He does not have that power. So even though he was supposedly against it, he has already sent some troops and he needs to finish what he started.
He has also signed a bill that says that he agrees to give Pakistan $7 billion over the next 5 years. I find it funny that everyone says that America is in debt and is in a major recession, yet our president is giving away lots of money to countries far away. I know that they need our help and I'm glad we are helping, but it would be nice if we were actually doing it to help them and not just trying to make our own country look better and stronger.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/143870.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about 20 inmates that have a life sentence, but are being freed because of an old law. Many North Carolinians are outraged because of this, even Gov. Beverly Perdue. An old law stated that a life sentence was at most 80 years and could be cut in half. The inmates being released were jailed in the 1970's. Perdue was trying to keep those inmates in prison, but state officials say it will not work. The executive director of the Victim Assistance Network is worried that doing this is going to make the crime victims feel unsafe, and I agree with this too. I definitely think this is a bad idea, because these people could hurt more people. In 1981 the death sentence of 80 years was cut in half. One of the inmates had pointed that out to an official and thats how he got them to start releasing the other prisoners I feel doing this will traumatize them
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/143870.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about 20 inmates with life sentences for violent crimes who are going to be freed. I don’t see at all how this works. How are they letting 20 murderers or rapists just leave prison? What loop hole in our system is big enough for murderers and rapists to roam free? I would be so afraid and ticked off if I was the victim or their family. I know that if someone tried to rape or murder me I would never want them to see the outside world again. This is not only bad fro the victims mental health, but it is also putting other innocent citizens at risk. I don’t even understand how something like this could happen. I don’t care what it takes, but I want this fixed as soon as possible. I don’t want to be living next to rapists.
Meredith kramer
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6224354/
ReplyDeleteI read an article about how, thanks to the federal stimulus money, people in North Carolina who buy approved energy-efficient appliances may get rebates for a few days next year. They would be 15 percent rebates on Energy Star-rated appliances and would apply to refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and dishwashers. The U.S. Energy Department hasn't signed off on the deal yet, but they are expected to. Personally, I think this is a good idea, as it will help encourage shoppers to buy more environmentally-friendly appliances, and the rebate will also help people who are struggling financially but require new appliances. However, it seems like the four days it would be effective for is maybe a bit too short of a time period. However, if they did keep the program for a longer period of time, it would also cost more money. I do think that it's really great that they are pushing for having less impact on the environment, though.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/143870.html
ReplyDeleteJohn Stavas
This article is about how twenty men that were sent to jail for life because of commiting either a rape crime or a murder crime are now being released at the end of october. i dont think that they should be let out of jail. the crimes the commited were very guesome and the should have to stay in jail for 80 years, which it life. but there time is being cut down and they are allowed to live among children and the could do these crimes again.