The Post

 The Oscars are this Sunday, and Meryl Streep extends her record for nominations to 21 for her performance as Katherine Graham in “The Post.” The nod extends Streep’s record by nine over Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, who are tied in second place with a dozen each.

 As Graham, Streep plays a leader who decides to publish the incendiary information about the Vietnam War amid great pressure, in both directions, from government officials, her lawyers and her own employees. The papers fell into the Washington Post‘s hands at a delicate time.

 The New York Times, which first reported on the papers, had been temporarily banned from publishing the information, which exposed that the government had repeatedly lied to the public about progress in the Vietnam War. Editors at the Post had a small window of time to jump on the story. President Nixon and his administration fought hard to keep the information from going public, even taking the case to the Supreme Court.

1) Why did Nixon fight so hard to keep the information from going public?

2) Who was the real Katherine Graham?  What in her life led her to this historic moment?

3) Do you agree with her historic decision to publish the papers which criticized Nixon and the government?  Would you have made the same decision? Why/not?

4) How did the publication of the Pentagon Papers change the perception of the press and the government in America?

5) If history is an indication do you think Meryl Streep and The Post will win the Oscar Sunday night?  Why/not?

Another School Shooting

Some of those mothers and fathers were still waiting into the night for word whether their child survived the massacre. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said five of the 17 victims have still not been identified as of 9:30 p.m. ET — about seven hours after the shooting.

The gunman, who had been expelled and didn't graduate, was identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. Israel said Cruz was armed with “countless” magazines and an AR-15-style rifle.

Cruz was arrested a short distance from the school near a home, a law enforcement official who is not authorized to comment publicly told USA TODAY. Students recognized the suspect during the assault, he said.

Flanked by officers, the suspect was later escorted into a police station wearing a hospital gown.

"Another horrific day, a detestable day," Israel said. "I'm absolutely sick to my stomach to see children who go to school armed with backpacks and pencils lose their lives."

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?



Who is RT News and why would  they make a documentary about 2nd Amendment gun rights in America?

Can the Olympics Bring the Koreas Together?

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have sharply escalated recently, with North Korea firing a ballistic missile over Japan and threatening to launch missiles into waters near Guam, and President Trump mocking the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, as “Rocket Man,” and Mr. Kim responding by calling Mr. Trump a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”


But then the Olympics approached, and suddenly the tone seems to have changed. Athletes from North and South Korea will march under one flag; the two countries will field a joint women’s hockey team; and a North Korean pop orchestra will stage performances in South Korea during the Games. Do the 2018 Winter Olympics offer a real chance to ease political and nuclear tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula?

Read the related article.

What Makes a Good Commercial?

The Super Bowl is much more than just about football — it has become a widely anticipated advertising blitz that costs companies close to $5 million for a 30-second commercial. Every year advertisers roll out what they hope will be the cleverest, funniest and most memorable commercials. 

 What do you think makes a good commercial?

What techniques do advertisers use to get what they want?

 What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial this year?  Your least favorite?

 How do this years commercials compare to the past?

 What about the ads that weren't shown? Does getting a 'banned' commercial still sell your product?

Do you think you could do better than the 'Mad Men?'

Words Matter

President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address Tuesday night (Jan. 30), stressing growth in the economy during his first year in office, his stance on immigration and ramping up the battle against terrorism. He rarely strayed from his script and made a point to praise several individuals he deemed "the best of America."

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune placed text of the Trump's address in a word cloud generator, which filtered out articles, pronouns, as well as common and modal verbs to determine the 100 most frequently used words in his speech. It generated the image above -- the bigger the word appears, the more often it was used.

Our words matter. It's not how much you say, but it's making what you say count. Are your words making an impact or is it just chatter? Are you contributing to the conversation or trolling? Right now, there is a lot of noise out there that, unfortunately, is drowning out real, constructive conversations. Political correctness is dead and has been replaced by a spare-no-feelings, tell-it-like-it-is attitude. I'm not a fan mainly because, as a communicator, I understand that it's not so much what you say as how you say it. Being politically correct doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't speak truth, it is just the recognition that I need to take other people's feelings and dignity into account when I speak. I value frankness as much as anyone, but our words carry more impact if they are not weighed down by rudeness and baseless stereotypes.

Click the link below to watch the video on 'Active Listenting' and practice your skills.

The Difference Between Reflective & Active Listening - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Do you think you are a better listener than the late Jerry Lewis?  Take the 'Announcers Test.'

For Fake's Sake: The Dangers of Fake News

There's a whole industry dedicated to producing fake US news in Macedonia -- and it's gearing up for 2020. (Source: CNN)

Fake news isn’t new, but it’s provoking division and distrust, both in institutions and amongst ourselves. Fake news isn’t always political, but it’s almost always personal. And guess what? Anyone can fall for it. Even you.

What are the dangers of 'Fake News' and what can we do to protect ourselves?

What is Current Events?

What do you think was THE most improtant event of 2017? Why?

1) What made these events Headlines?

2) What similarities or differences did these events share?

3) Which do you think is the most important? Least?  Why?

4) What predictions can you make up about the events we will study this year?