Year in Rap

• What makes one news story more “important” than another?
• What are the characteristics of a news story that might make it important for more than one day?
• What would be on your list of the top 5 to 10 news stories of 2011? Why?

Open my copy of The New York Times-

Suddenly I am feelin’ like Busta Rhymes!

From Casey Anthony winning her case,

to Charlie Sheen and his fall from grace.

— The first four lines of one of the winning raps from our 2011 “Year in Rap” contest.

Enter this years Rap Contest... Read the rules here.

Occupied Minds

Far from the safe shores of San Francisco, Dajani and Michaelis explore the possibilities of lasting peace in the Middle East by interviewing leading activists, government officials and civilians on both sides of the conflict.

Beg Your Pardon?!

Each year since 1947, the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board have given a turkey to the President of the United States at a White House ceremony. Since then, presidents have been more likely to eat the turkey rather than give it a reprieve. A notable exception occurred in 1963, when President Kennedy, referring to the turkey given to him, said, "Let's just keep him." It wasn't until the first Thanksgiving of President George H.W. Bush, in 1989, that a turkey was officially pardoned for the first time.

For fifteen years through 2004, the turkeys were given to Kidwell Farm, a petting zoo at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia. The turkeys would receive a last minute pardon before arriving, and were then led to their new home at the Turkey Barn after enduring a turkey "roast" full of poultry humor and history.

In 2005 and 2006, however, Presdident George W. Bush continued his father's traditions but the turkeys were flown to Disneyland in California where they served as honorary grand marshals for Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day parade. After that, they spent the rest of their lives at a Disneyland ranch. A spot in sunny Disneyland seems immensely preferable to a place called Frying Pan Park.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin's turkey-pardoning photo op was not the kind you'd see at the White House, to say the least, where the idea of these annual events is to leave everyone feeling warm and fuzzy.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Has President Obama kept this tradition ALIVE?
What is a real pardon and how is it used?

Is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment?

Want to pardon a turkey of your own? Click here.

2012 Turkey Pardon on Facebook.

Thanksgiving

Whats your favorite Thanksgiving food?  Click Here to Answer

In many ways, America is the land of plenty. But for 1 in 6 people in the United States, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different.

Right now, millions of Americans are food insecure.  These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.

It’s time to educate ourselves about the causes of hunger in America.

Katie Couric talks to two leading advocates who are trying to bring an end to hunger in the United States.

Bill Moyers special PBS report on food bank shortages.

Michelle Boal on how she helps consumers to fight childhood hunger and be a part of social change.

Coupons For Change:  Save some $$$ while helping those in need.

7 volunteer ideas for Thanksgiving.

Patraeus Pitfall

The Petraeus Scandal explained in Teen Terms.

Confused?
 
Perhaps what is more important is why the General's Email troubles should make you nervous.

Just ask Kristen Neel.

Brand Identitiy

Definition

The visible elements of a brand (such as colors, design, logotype, name, symbol) that together identify and distinguish the brand in the consumers' mind.

Can you name the companies from their logos? Play the game.

The Livestrong Foundation may require a substantial rebranding and even possibly a name change, given that since 1996 the organization’s very identity has been so closely tied with Lance Armstrong, the cycling legend, cancer survivor and accused doper.

How would you rebrand them?  

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/brand-identity.html#ixzz2CCZk0H5K

Lance Armstrong

Join the Discussion.

3rd Debate

Obama and Romney faced off October 22 in Boca Raton, Florida in the third and lastpresidential debate before the Nov 6 election.

Who will be the better 'Commander in Chief?'

Which foreign policy issues do the candidates agree on?  Disagree?

Which issues do you think are the most important?

Budget Hero

The Debt Clock is ticking.

Can you balance the budget better than our Politicians in Washington? Do you have what it takes to be a budget hero?

CLICK HERE TO PLAY!

Same idea... different game.

Free Falling

Felix Baumgartner, a 43-year-old former Austrian military parachutist, floated for two hours in a purpose-built capsule towed by an enormous helium balloon before leaping into the record books from 128,000ft – almost four times the height of a cruising passenger airline.

As well as becoming the first man to break the sound barrier unaided, Baumgartner set three other world records during the attempt. The first came after two hours and two minutes when he broke the record for the highest manned balloon flight, previously held by Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather who soared to 113,740ft in 1961. Their record ended in tragedy when Prather drowned in the Gulf of Mexico upon landing.

He also broke the current freefall record of 19.5 miles held by Joe Kittinger. Mr Kittinger, who set his record in 1960, was the only person allowed to communicate with Mr Baumgartner while he was inside the capsule which carried him into space.

What does Felix Baumgartner's historic jump mean for the future of the American Space Program?

What has the President pledged America will accomplish in his lifetime?

What will it cost?  Is it worth it?

Presidential Debate

Follow along with this interactive replay of the presidential debate, using fact checks and graphics to take a closer look at President Obama and Mitt Romney’s assertions and attacks.  Click Here.

The Twitter-verse

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

When news was printed the 'News Cycle' used to be 24 hours. That all changed when TV and Radio could reach their target audience much quicker. How has Social Media like Twitter changed the way we get the news? Is Twitter a reliable news source? What is the challenge for TV Cable News?

One Small Step For Man....

The news of the iconic astronaut Neil Armstrong's death Saturday (Aug. 25) plunged American astronauts and spaceflyers around the world into mourning, with some expressing their sadness on Twitter.

Armstrong died at age 82 due to complications from recent heart surgery, his family said. Armstrong had heart bypass surgery earlier this month to clear blocked arteries.

Contrary to this video he was not the inventor of MTV. Niel Armstrong was the humble hero from Ohio was the first man to walk on the moon and commander of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

Or was he? Who do you believe? How do we know if we are being told the truth?

What did Ben Franklin think about trusting the Government?

Do these conspiracy theories dishonor heroes like Niel Armstrong?

Take a look at Niel Armstong's Obituary and then write your own.

Talawanda: A New Hope

 Click here to watch the video.

How is the opening of our new school "newsworthy?"

If you were reporting on this historic event what would you say?

What did Channel 12 News choose to report?  Why?

Now Thats Tall

One World Trade Center, the giant monolith being built to replace the twin towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks, will lay claim to the title of New York City's tallest skyscraper on Monday.


TRUE OR FALSE
Humans are the only animals to exploit the earth for our own personal gain?

TRUE OR FALSE
Humans are the only animals that can use reason to weigh the consequences of actions and change?

Termites are social insects, related to cockroaches. They are well-known for building extraordinary cathedral-like mounds with clever ventilation systems, and notorious for eating wooden houses - in the US they cause more damage to homes than storms and fires combined. Some termites eat soil, and others eat dead wood in tropical forests, aiding the decomposition process. Some termites give off methane when digesting food, by fermentation in the gut, in a similar way to cattle. Methane is another of the greenhouse gases.

Termite mounds can be as high as 30 feet, but the average one is seven or eight. Some termite mounds can contain as much as 60 tons of material, which ranges from soil to the waste of the plant matter that they devour. Elaborate termite mounds that reach great heights are the largest structures constructed on the planet by a species other than man. Termites could produce as much as 150 million tons of methane a year. The amount of methane in the atmosphere was - and still is - increasing faster than other greenhouse gases, by 1 per cent a year since 1978.

Who Is the Real George Zimmerman?

George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old former altar boy whose shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, has caused a national uproar, has withdrawn into seclusion. His lawyer says he’s afraid for his life amid numerous death threats.

As Florida and federal investigators dig into the Feb. 26 shooting and the Sanford Police Department's decision to not charge Zimmerman with a crime, attempts to understand the shooting have focused on the extent to which Zimmerman's past experiences colored his decisions in the moments before Trayvon died.

Has the Media been fair?

What examples of bias can be found in the media coverage of this case?

Trey Martin Tragedy

(CBS News) The father of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot last month by a neighborhood watch volunteer, said his son was his hero for saving his life in a fire when the boy was 9 years old.

The boy's parents appeared on "CBS This Morning" on Friday, a day after thousands attended a rally in Sanford, Fla., calling for the arrest of George Zimmerman.

What were the details surrounding this case?

Why hasn't the shooter George Zimmerman been arrested?

What Constitutional rights protect you if you are accused of a crime? Has Mr. Zimmerman been given those rights?

Would you recommend that charges be filed against Mr. Zimmerman? Why or Why not?

Write your own opening statement for this case.

Can Mr. Zimmerman be given a fair trial given the media attention in this case? Why hasn't he shared his side of the story?

Want to show your support for Trey?

Mascot Mayhem

The "Brave," an American Indian warrior, became the symbol of the Talawanda Schools in the 50s.

But who was Talawanda?

The Coalition for a New Talawanda Mascot fought to remove the Braves mascot from the Talawanda school district in 2010.

How did the NCAA rule on the use of Inidian Mascots in the March Madness Tournament?

What do you think?

March Madness

Mitt Romney clearly is not running to be the nation's top sports fan. The GOP presidential candidate says he won't be filling out a college basketball tournament bracket, an annual tradition for millions of Americans including President Barack Obama."I'm not plugged in well enough this year to do that," Romney said Tuesday during a brief exchange with reporters traveling with him in Missouri.

Basketball player and fan Obama is making his NCAA tournament predictions public for a third straight year. ESPN on Tuesday revealed Obama's Final Four: Kentucky, Ohio State, Missouri and North Carolina. ESPN said it would unveil the president's entire bracket on Wednesday.

Think you can beat the President: fill out your own bracket.

Who Is Mr. Kony?

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

If you'd asked me that just last week I'd have said you could find him at 'Skyline.'

The online video about the Ugandan Resistance Army leader — who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, sexual slavery and abusing children — now ranks as the fastest-growing viral campaign in history, according to online measurement firm Visible Measures Corp. The clip sought to make Joseph Kony famous in order to spur his eventual capture.

Posted to YouTube on Monday by the non-profit group Invisible Children Inc., the 30-minute video captured more than 70 million views by Friday morning, with more than 200 clips associated with it and more than 500,000 comments.

Where is Uganda?

What is its political History?

How could guys like Kony have gone invisible for so long?

How has Social Media changed that?

If you were Joseph Kony would you be nervous?

What will you do if anything to help capture Kony?

Is Joseph Kony the most important social issue out there right now?

What do the people of Uganda think?

Is the film accurate and will the money raised be well spent?

Gun Control and The Second Amendment

Last week's school shooting in Cleveland brings up interesting questions about our right to bear arms.

Some argue that it is far to easy for young people to get their hands on guns to carry out such crimes.

While others argue the importance of keeping guns in preserving our freedom?

What do you think?

One Marines Journey

Photojournalist Danfung Dennis has captured the brutalities of the war in Afghanistan for The New York Times, Newsweek, The Guardian and The Washington Post. But as the war stretched on, he started to feel that the images were losing their impact.

"After so many years of war," he tells NPR's Neal Conan, "society's become numb to pictures of conflict, and so I felt like I had to move into a new medium to try to shake people from their indifference."

Read more...

How does this movie differ from reality TV?

Was this an 'anti-war' movie?

Do you think this movie deserved to win the Oscar for best documentary? Why or why not?

What are the costs of war? What are the rewards? Is it worth it?

What do you think should be done about Afghanistan especially given recent headlines?

The Taliban

From Time Magazine (July, 2010)

The Taliban pounded on the door just before midnight, demanding that Aisha, 18, be punished for running away from her husband's house. They dragged her to a mountain clearing near her village in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, ignoring her protests that her in-laws had been abusive, that she had no choice but to escape. Shivering in the cold air and blinded by the flashlights trained on her by her husband's family, she faced her spouse and accuser. Her in-laws treated her like a slave, Aisha pleaded. They beat her. If she hadn't run away, she would have died. Her judge, a local Taliban commander, was unmoved. Later, he would tell Aisha's uncle that she had to be made an example of lest other girls in the village try to do the same thing. The commander gave his verdict, and men moved in to deliver the punishment. Aisha's brother-in-law held her down while her husband pulled out a knife. First he sliced off her ears. Then he started on her nose. Aisha passed out from the pain but awoke soon after, choking on her own blood. The men had left her on the mountainside to die.

This didn't happen 10 years ago, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. It happened last year. Now hidden in a secret women's shelter in the relative safety of Kabul, where she was taken after receiving care from U.S. forces, Aisha recounts her tale in a monotone, her eyes flat and distant. She listens obsessively to the news on a small radio that she keeps by her side. Talk that the Afghan government is considering some kind of political accommodation with the Taliban is the only thing that elicits an emotional response. "They are the people that did this to me," she says, touching the jagged bridge of scarred flesh and bone that frames the gaping hole in an otherwise beautiful face. "How can we reconcile with them?"


Questions for discussion:

1.) How are Aisha’s rights as a person being violated? How would this sort of event be viewed in the United States? Why is it so different in Afghanistan?

2.) What does this type of event say about the US progress in Afghanistan?

3.) Why did we go into Afghanistan to begin with? Should this ongoing conflict be viewed as a success? Why or why not?

Click here to learn more.