War Powers and The Constitution

1. War powers and the Constitution.
   Working with a partner, complete one of the following activities:

   a. Research and write a brief (750-word) essay that addresses the following questions: Under the Constitution, which part of the federal government has the authority to declare war? Which part of the federal government is in charge of the armed forces? (For both of these questions, cite the relevant part of the Constitution and the wording it uses.) What are the potential advantages of separating the power to declare war from the command of the armed forces? What are the potential disadvantages?

   b. Find six examples of military conflicts in which the United States participated: three in which it formally declared war, and three in which it did not. Write a brief description of each conflict, explaining how the United States became involved and the conflict's outcome. Then explain whether you think the policy of declaring or not declaring war was appropriate in each of the six conflicts.

   c. Compare the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which Congress passed in 1964 to authorize the use of military force against North Vietnam, with the resolution Congress passed in 2002 to authorize the use of military force against Iraq. On the basis of these documents, write a brief essay comparing and contrasting the United States' goals in Vietnam and in Iraq. Do you agree with the statement by Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, an opponent of the 2002 Iraq resolution, that "This is the Tonkin Gulf resolution all over again"? Explain your answer.

   For example, why do you think one resolution provides much more detail than the other regarding the reasons why it was written? How do the two resolutions differ in the President's authorized use of force? How do they differ in their overall goals?

What's Your Bag?

Here's the link to the "What's Your Bag?" 1960's simulation. Once you've had a chance to go through the simulation, make sure to jot down your character's name and how they ended up.

Specifically, I'd like you to write this up in a Word Doc and leave it on your computer's desktop so I can walk around at the end of the day and check.

Remember to take some time with this as you're going to be using your character in Ms. Conover's English class for the next couple of weeks.

-Ned-

"The Things They Carried"

http://www.rajuabju.com/literature/thingstheycarried.htm

The Things They Carried: Podcast

http://www.neabigread.org/books/thethingstheycarried/radioshow.php

Some Stock Suggestions....

If you're having a hard time deciding which stocks to buy, the following links might provide some ideas:

http://www.thestreet.com
http://www.seekingalpha.com
http://www.fool.com

Good luck,

-Ned-

POETRY OUT LOUD

Here's the link to the actual poems......time to channel your inner Beatnik!

Blinding you with SCIENCE!!!

Hey gang, I've got one more thing to add to your Weekly to-do list: Science.

From here on out, we're going to be closely reading the science section of The Week with an eye towards a weekly comprehension quiz. These science quizzes will be given on Thursday, following your usual quiz from The Week. Good times, right?

Oh yeah, the first quiz is today.

Happy Reading!

-Ned-

Financial Analysis: Care To Try Your Hand?

What do you say we switch up your "Week" routine and throw a little financial analysis into the mix. At some point today - either from Ned, Mr. Flanagan, or Ms. Brooks - you're going to get a lesson in the basics of the marketplace.

Armed with that newly acquired knowledge, I'd like you to look at the Business section of The Week and come up with three financial recommendations based on what you read. Sound's simple enough, right?

Here's the tricky part: any fool can make obvious recommendations about which stocks to buy and sell based on what they read in the news, but it takes a truly critical thinker to make the connections that can lead to the big bucks.

Good luck.

• Read the business section of The Week.
• Based on what you've read, MAKE THREE RECOMMENDATIONS ON STOCKS TO BUY/SELL.
  
• On a separate sheet of paper, write your recommendations down in complete sentences and be sure to let me know about which article you are writing.
• DUE THURSDAY @ 2:oo
  

Vietnam and RLA

In the next few weeks we're going to begin reading a novel about the Vietnam War. This novel will sustain us through the Winter and into the Spring when the novel, The Things They Carried, will become the focus of our region's most prestigious literary festival, "Get Lit!"

But before we get into all that however, I'd like to find out a little bit about what you already know about our involvement in Vietnam. Thus, by the the end of school today I would like you to answer the following five questions (in the comments section below this post, using Microsoft Word, or on a piece of paper) in complete sentences to the best of your knowledge. Oh yeah, don't forget to include your name!

Here goes....

1. In broad terms, please describe what happened in the Vietnam War. When did it start? When did it end? Why did the United States want to get involved in the first place? What were some of the consequences? Etc.

2. How was the reaction to the war back in the United States?

3. Do you have an opinion about the war? If so, why?

4. Were any of your family members involved in the war?

5. In what ways did the war in Vietnam forever change American culture and history?

Good luck,

-Ned-

2010 Washington State Mock Election Results

OMG!!! Here are the results!

If you feel like comparing and contrasting RiverCity's results, here's how we voted:

1082 - YES (state voted NO)

1100 - NO

1105 - NO

1107 - YES

1098 - YES

Senate - Rossi

House - McMorris-Rodgers

Link to The Week Questions

http://theweek.com/teachers/index/

2010 Washington State Mock Election

Alright kids, it's time to do your civic duty (well, not really considering that your votes don't count....but I hope you get the point.)

Let's get our vote on!

The 2010 Washington State Mock Election

1100 vs. 1105

http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=13297413

2010 Mid-Term Election jigsaw

First of all, here's the only link you need. If you'd like to go above and beyond that to do some research on your own- knock yourself out!

Here's the assignment:

We have to cover 1 Senate race, 1 House of Representatives race, and 5 initiatives. All seven of those issues/races will be covered by an individual student group which will then be responsible for researching both sides of the issue and making an official recommendation to the student body on how to vote during the upcoming Washington State Student Election on October 25th.

Here are the initiatives/races:

Initiative Measure 1082
Initiative Measure 1098
Initiative Measure 1100
Initiative Measure 1105
Initiative Measure 1107
U.S. Senator (View all)
U.S. Representative (View all)

Like I mentioned above, each group will have time to research their issue/race using Washington State's Digital Voter's Guide (just follow the link) in order to make a rehearsed, well-organized, and comprehensive presentation on their official recommendation to the student body of RLA.

NOTE: The only writing requirment is that your group submit your official recommendation with supporting reasons. One recommendation per group. That's it.

Any questions? Let's discuss....

Viva Democracy! Viva Civic Engagement! Viva Villa!

Pulaski Tunnel Creative Writing Assignment

Here goes:

By tomorrow morning, each student - regardless of whether or not they actually attended the field trip - will need to have completed a 1,000 word, first-person creative narrative from the perspective of someone involved with the heroic tale of the Pulaski Tunnel.

In simpler terms, what this means is that you need to write a story about the fateful events of August 20th, 1910 from the perspective of someone who was there.

Lastly, you need to include 2 quotes from primary sources (AKA quotes from Pulaski and the survivors themselves.)

Please make sure that your submissions is typed in 12pt Times New Roman font and double-spaced.

The assignment is due tomorrow morning at 8:30.

Good luck, be creative, and have fun!

-Ned-

p.s. Here's a link to get you started. Here's another one.

Bloody Science!

Study the following site:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0115080/?c=intro_bld&v=printable

Then follow the links and take the blood quiz:
Main > Interactivity > Quizzes

Spokesman Review Access

For blocked articles....

Username: Stoicned

Password: rivercity

Thursday Throwdown: Polygamy on TV in America

Courtesy of Tyler and Caleb, here's this week's proposition:

"American television has a responsibility to promote legal and socially acceptable lifestyles. Glamorizing polygamy through TV is irresponsible and violates the social contract TV providers have with the people."

Here are some links for you to consider:

http://theweek.com/article/index/207495/sister-wives-polygamy-as-family-entertainment

http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Polygamy

Once you've had a chance to study the issue and form an opinion on the proposition above, please leave it in the comments section below this post. Don't forget to write in complete sentences and attach your name to the post.

We'll debate the issue at some point this morning.

P.S. If you have a problem with this topic, you'll get your chance to come up with a topic soon enough.....

The Big Burn - Super Links: Group Podcast

The Big Burn


First things first. Here's the link to the Spokesman Review articles I would like you to read. Please only read the articles with pictures to the left of them.

Phase One: Research

In your groups, you need to assign each of the articles to one person. That person will then take their articles, read them carefully, and take notes based on the three specific perspectives from which we'll be examining the Big Burn: Human Drama, The Public Lands, and Fire Policy. Once all of the articles have been read and the appropriate notes have been taken, we'll move on to phase two of the project: the podcast. In order for phase one to run smoothly, I would suggest that in addition to dividing up the reading, you should also elect a manager to make sure everyone is keeping up and taking notes.

We will spend Wednesday and Thursday reading up on the Big Burn. After taking stock of our progress on Thursday, we'll move on to phase 2.

Happy Reading!

-Ned-

Fascinating....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315078/Race-maps-America.html

The Week - Online Access Info

Subscriber Name: Ned Fadeley

Address: 8818 E Grace

Zip Code: 99212

Weekly Work

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer"

--Albert Einstein--

Assignments for the week of September 20th:

Due Wednesday - “The Week” - A source for classroom investigation

Read the entire issue of, "The Week," either on-line or in the classroom. Once you've finished reading, all questions from the packet need to be answered in complete sentences when appropriate. Please answer the questions on separate sheets of paper (hand written or typed) and remember to clearly indicate which question you're answering. The entire packet will be due at 2:00pm on Wednesday with "The Weekly Quiz" to follow. *Note: If you copy ANY answer from another student, you will receive a ZERO for the entire assignment.

Due Thursday - Vocabulary POWER PLUS for the New SAT

Complete the entire packet. You may work together on these assignments, but when we take the vocabulary quiz on Thursday, you will be graded individually. This packet is due Thursday at 2:00pm with the quiz to follow.

*NOTE* We will be doing each of these assignments weekly - for the rest of the year. In other words, get used to them!

Adult Time for Kid Crimes?

For this week's debate, we're going to tackle an issue near and dear to many of you: juvenile delinquency. Specifically, we'll be reading about the policy of “automatic declination.”

Check it out....

"Automatic declination.” It is little known outside the justice system and sends roughly 200 Washington teenagers a year into adult courts and — potentially — adult penitentiaries. As the term indicates, it happens automatically, without a hearing or any debate.

The idea is simple: Here is a list of crimes. Commit one of these and, if you are 16 or 17, you go straight to adult superior court, not juvenile court.

A prosecutor can decide to send the offender to juvenile court, but can’t be compelled by a judge or defender. “Prosecutors have the power of God,” one critic says.

The law was originally designed to punish the worst of the worst, but in practice that’s often not the case. Race, the strength of a defense attorney, the mood of a prosecutor and sheer luck can play a major role in deciding who is treated as a juvenile and who is not.

I know, heavy stuff right? So here's the plan: read this article and take detailed notes. It's a confusing read and if you don't keep all the twists and turns straight on some notebook paper, you're going to have a tough time sorting all our. One suggestion might be to do a "word-web" type chart. Either way, notes will be collected and graded. After we've all had a chance to read the article and go over our notes as a group, we'll split into two like we did last week and debate the following proposition, Oxford style:

"The practice of automatic declination, and the sentencing of juveniles as adults for anything other than the most serious of crimes (murder, rape, armed robbery) is counter productive and unnecessarily destructive. This practice should be stopped immediately. "

Good luck and get to work.....

-Ned-

Skyward Password Link

https://www2.nerdc.wa-k12.net/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=wwval01s71/seplog01.w

First Thursday Throwdown Debate

Here's the link to the Upfront Magazine article. After reading the article and building your basic arguments, spend some time exploring some other links related to the subject. While you're doing this, please take some time to think about what makes a persuasive argument....here are some hints.

Oil Spill - Deepwater Horizons

I know that you have all been watching the oil spill situation with some interest so i thought that i'd do a little research. What i found was interesting indeed. Here is the link to a BBC article that shows this spill in comparison to other devastating oil spills of history. On the top, is a map of all of the large spills, then this one. If you don't want to go to the site, i can tell you that this one isn't even in the top 50 biggest oil spills. Here is a list of all of the spills on the map.

1. Ixtoc 1: 476,000 tonnes Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico

2. Atlantic Empress: 287,000 tonnes Off Tobago, West Indies

3. Nowruz Oil Field: 272, 000 tonnes Persian Gulf

4. ABT Summer: 260,000 tonnes 700 nautical miles off Angola

5. Castillo de Bellver: 252,000 tonnes Off Saldanha Bay, South Africa

6. Amoco Cadiz: 223,000 tonnes off Brittany, France

7. Haven: 144,000 tonnes Genoa, Italy

8. Odyssey: 132,000 tonnes 700 nautical miles off Nova Scotia, Canada

9. Torrey Canyon: 119,000 tonnes Scilly Isles, UK

10. Sea Star: 115,000 tonnes Gulf of Oman

Exxon Valdez: 37,000 tonnes Prince William Sound, Alaska, US

Deepwater Horizon: 7,000 to 10,000 tonnes Gulf of Mexico

(BBC, 2010, Elena Egawhary)

Has Pay-Rod gone too far?

OK so after reading a FOX Sports article on Alex Rodriguez, a Baseball player for the New York Yankees, about all of his desrespect to the game. so read the article and let me know what you guys think.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Alex-Rodriguez-does-not-respect-the-game-of-baseball-042810?gt1=39002

Thursday Debate

Here's the proposition:
Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is an appropriate and legal response to the illegal immigration issue along the Mexican border.

Here are some resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_SB1070

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/topics/view/meme/Immigration-Reform-452/

You have 30 minutes to research: Debate @ 8:45 n Chris' room.

Citing Sources / In-Text Parenthetical References

In addition to in-text parenthetical references, please include an MLA bibliography/works cited page.


http://www.noodletools.com/helpdesk/index.php?article=53&action=kb

http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?start=&reqstyleid=1#

Example Essay (Correctly Formatted!)

http://www.telecollege.dcccd.edu/library/Module5/Sample.htm

Example Essays and Support Materials: MUST READ

Sophomores/Freshman:

http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/HighSchool/HSHistory-CulturalInteractions-SampleMaterials.pdf
http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/HighSchool/HSHistory-CulturalInteractions-SupportMaterials.pdf

Juniors:

http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/HighSchool/HSHistory-CausesofConflict-SampleResponses.pdf
http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/HighSchool/HSHistory-CausesofConflict-SupportMaterials.pdf

Seniors:

http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/HighSchool/HSEcon-GovtRevandResponsibility-SampleResponses.pdf
http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/HighSchool/HSEcon-GovtRevandResponsibility-SupportMaterials.pdf

CBA Links for Sophmores

CBA Links for Sophomores working on the "Cultural Interactions" of Mexican Americans

http://www.pbs.org/itvs/beyondtheborder/immigration.html
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704/
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico/
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2009/09/california_the.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration
http://cis.org/zogbypoll-effectsofamnesty
http://article.nationalreview.com/278412/fix-mexico/jonah-goldberg
http://townhall.com/columnists/JonahGoldberg/2006/04/12/first_things_first_fix_mexico
http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=208
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States

*Note* Please use the REFERENCES section at the the bottom of the Wikipedia article....it's full of research and CBA gold!

New! Better! Links!

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico/
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico/links.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/31/MNGJ66TO9J1.DTL

CBA Links fo Juniors

"Causes of Conflict" Links for Those Studying the Ugandan Civil War/Lord's Resistance Army

Primary Sources

Use the "References" and "External Links" at the bottom of the following Wikipedia Articles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Resistance_Army
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/history/
http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/northern-uganda/contents.php


Secondary Sources


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Resistance_Army
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/history/

CBA Links For Seniors

For Seniors Working on The "Government Revenue and Responsibility" CBA

Primary Sources

http://www.sdc.wa.gov/issues/budget/visualizing/

Very Clear Breakdown of the Governor's Plan!!!!

http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget/default.asp
http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget10/highlights/default.asp
http://houserepublicans.wa.gov/
http://senaterepublicans.wa.gov/
http://www.sdc.wa.gov/
http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/
http://www.governor.wa.gov/priorities/budget/default.asp


http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4598474607840034104

Secondary Sources

http://www.spokesman.com/tags/2010-washington-legislature/
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011680454_apwataxes.html?prmid=related_stories_section
http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=news&sub=2&topic=19
http://www.wsrp.org/


State Rep Links:

Democrats
http://www.sdc.wa.gov/senators/brown/
http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/members/ormsby/index.asp

Republicans
http://senaterepublicans.wa.gov/mccaslin/index.htm
http://hrc.leg.wa.gov/members/larry-crouse/

Thor's Day Debate

The debate this Thor's day will be the last item in our China themed... Err... Theme...

The debate will be:

SHOULD THE U.S. USE TRADE BARRIERS TO END CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES?

This is the link to the Debatapedia article that will give you SOME of the information that you need:

Here's the link.

You must also do some research on your own.

If you do not do research then you will be hanged.

And remember: If you are the main attraction of a hanging then you wont be able to participate in the debate. You will only avoid hanging by posting a brief summary of your opinion on the blog. If you cannot post on the blog you will be hanged.

That is all.

Google Lit Trip Resources

http://thewalkerschool.wikispaces.com/Screencasts

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1125866

Other than that, you're all smart kids.  If you have a question, use the internet!

Money = Free Speech?

Hey gang, here's the debate topic for tomorrow. You know the drill. Spend an hour or so going over the arguments for both sides by following this link to Debatepedia.

And here's the proposition we'll be debating:

"Corporations have a right to free speech and should be allowed to spend freely in elections."

Believe it or note, this is a very interesting topic with far reaching implications. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.....

-Ned-

The White Man's Burden

Here are the on-line resources for Monday's assignment on British Attitudes towards India. Remember, the assignment is to write a "reaction poem" to Rudyard Kipling's poem, The White Man's Burden.

-Ned-

Winds of Trade - Creative Writing Assignment

After watching episode 3 from The Story Of India, I would like you to complete the creative writing assignment we discussed in class.

Both of your letters are due by the end of school on Friday.

Resources for both letters can be found here.

Gays in the Military?

Yeah, that's right. It's our first debate topic of the second semester!

So, what do you think, should the military officially end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy?"

Read up ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE. We do not want this to turn into a blatant display of homophobia, so do your research. Be objective!

Oh yeah, you need to post your opinion on the blog.

Guess What?!?!

North Korea is even weirder than you thought!

free thing

hey for my project i made a podcast on nuclear energy  and radiation sickness, so if any one wants it i have it in a mp3 format!

Shooting An Elephant

Many of you are familiar with the author George Orwell from his most famous novel, 1984. What you may not be familiar with, however, is some of his earlier work on the nature of colonialism and freedom.

Orwell, who's real name was Eric Blair, was born in 1903 in Motihari, Bengal, in the then British colony of India, where his father, Richard, worked for the Opium Department of the Civil Service. After returning to England for his education, Eric joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. He resigned and returned to England in 1928 having grown to hate imperialism.

The short story you are now going to read, "Shooting an Elephant," is his attempt the put that hatred in metaphorical terms. With that in mind, please read the story by following this link.

Once you've finished reading, please complete the accompanying packet. It's due tomorrow morning.

Good luck and welcome to the Indian Sub-Continent, our academic home for the next several weeks. Good Times!

-Ned-

Want to visit North Korea?

Here you go....

Ignorance is Bliss?

So now that you're all thoroughly confused by the very existence of North Korea and it's particular style of revolutionary socialism, there's a philosophical question I'd like you to ponder. Post your answer in the comments section of the blog. It will be graded.

Question: Is ignorance truly bliss? Is it better, in your opinion, to have access to all of the information in the world without a sense of happiness or personal fulfillment (like us), or to be largely ignorant about the world but seemingly happy and fulfilled by your love for family and country (like them)?

Stop Sending Aid to Haiti?????

I'm sure you and your family have been discussing the situation in Haiti and what you can do do help. Along those lines, here's a new assignment for you.

Before you do anything, READ THIS ARTICLE very carefully.

Kind of shocking right?

Okay, here's the assignment.

1. What is the author's thesis?

2. What additional points does the author make to defend his thesis?

3. Do you agree with the author's thesis? Should we really consider ending aid to countries like Haiti after sending as much immediate humanitarian aid as possible?

Oh yeah, we'll be having a debate on this subject Thursday morning.

-Ned-

Hey

Ok people of Rivercity A-team is meeting today. So watch it.

Dont be hatin'

No more whining, rudeness and such thangs that fit in that categorie. You fight to much on the blog and waste peoples time and energy. Use the blog for what it was created for. And look at that guy sock that horse in tha face.

Brandon B!

Have Respected For Others, Please...

I have to admit, this school is very rude to each other. How can we work together, and achieve successful team work, if we don't settle our differences? So please, have respected for other people... no matter what it is, we need the Student Body to to work together, even if we don't want to.

Attention video game enthusiasts

Myself and a few other people (mainly the woman folk) would very much appreciate keeping Halo, Left for dead and other violent video game CRAP off the blog! We already hear you flap your traps about pointless video games and events that have happened, you want to happen or will never happen. So please for the sake of my sanity, avoid video game posts, pictures and any other paraphernalia that even slightly suggests vidoe game usage! In other words, if you dont stop posting crap on the blog, i will find you and make you eat your words!

Thank you for your time, but then again you have probably wasted 90% of your time on video games eating cheetos and cup-o-noodle in your parents (the only real friends you have) basements!

Nightmare Scenario

Greetings RLA'ers,

For this week's writing assignment, I'd like you to read this article by Mr. John Hagney, a history teacher at Spokane's very own Lewis and Clack High School.

After you've read it twice (once for the general theme of the thing, a second time for specifics),
I'd like you to complete the following two tasks. Task one is due by lunch. Task two is due by lunch tomorrow.

Task 1: After reading the article twice, I'd like you to choose one of Mr. Hagney's bullet points that you agree with entirely, and one that you feel is just plain wrong. For the former, defend why you agree with him. For the the latter, explain why Mr. Hagney is incorrect. Both of these answers should be posted in the comments section of the blog.

Task 2: In a two-page, double spaced essay, please come up with your own list of 5 steps we need to take immediately in order to save the America we all know and love from impending doom. Like Mr. Hagney's article, yours needs to include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. I don't want a list.

Good luck. This will be graded and don't forget, semester grades are coming soon. You can't afford to get a ZERO on this assignment.

-Ned-