Category Archives: Uncategorized

Map and count is current as of 10/14/08. Presentation by Sophelia, Crystal, Rhea, and Sam.

• Obama / Biden -286
• McCain / Palin – 155
• Toss Up – 97

Each week between September 15 and November 4 (the election) Senior Current Issues will provide you an update on the progress of the 2008 Presidential Election. Each week at this site you will find a photo (USA Electoral Map in room #112) of the updated polling comparisons between Barack Obama and John McCain. Each week a different group of seniors will offer you a three to five minute podcast of where this election currently stands and the trends they see on the horizon. Student groups will provide a news article that they think will help you to better understand the dynamics of this election. All students are encouraged to listen to the podcast and read the article.

SCI students will offer a “what do you think” question that goes with the news article. All Senior Current Issues students must do the ensuing 20 point blog. All other students may choose to answer the question as an extra credit blog assignment (5 pts max.)

All electoral votes come from estimates located on Real Clear Politics.com Remember polls are only estimates of how people may vote. Until Nov 4 nobody really knows the outcome of this election.

Podcast – click podcast. Go to Real Clear Politics while you listen. Podcast coincides with photo of map in room 112, located at the top of this post. Special Note the podcast does not work in Firefox browser.

News Article – CNN Politics.com – “Most Believe McCain’s attacks on Obama unfair, poll finds”

Question – Read the article. How are John McCain’s attacks on Barack Obama going to affect him as a politician on election day?

Postings for the question must be made by 7:00 PM Friday of the week in question.

Check the category “08 ELECTION – The News” for more news about the candidates and the Election.

Podcast: (95% / A) Students Very good podcast.  Good reviews by Econ classes.  Good reviews by teachers.  Nice info – good input of the Powell endorsement and the reasoning for blue states turning blue – and toss up states staying toss up.  Also, good input on the Virginia situation as a possible blue state.  Interesting.  Nicely done guys.

Article / Question: (92% / A-) The issue of negative campaigning is something that needs to be addressed in this campaign.  The article does a pretty good job of dealing with that.  Question is pretty good as well.  Again nice job.

Presentation: (95% / A) Very inclusive presentation.  All involved.  Clear – interesting – nice job.  You guys have done an all around good job.  Well done

Overall Grade: (94% / A) – This is the way I’d like to see the assignment play out.  Reviews from other classes and from teachers – was positive.  This is a very inclusive with ALL members – the podcast is nicely done – with reasons for the changes in the states.  That’s good.  The pace and sound of the podcast is good.  And presentation was clear.  I think we all learned a lot!  Nice job guys!

Watch the clip – Greed is Good from the movie Wall Street.

In the movie Wall Street (1987) Gordon Gecko is a Wall Street corporate raider. He buys up company stock until he gets ahold of a majority shares – and then breaks the company,  and sells it off in pieces; he makes a fortune in the process and thousands of people are put out of work. In this clip from the movie Gecko is speaking before the Board of Directors of Teldar paper.  It’s a company that he has bought up a majority of shares and intends to take it down – providing all the shareholders a good profit in the process.  This speech is at the annual Board of Directors meeting before the shareholders.  Besides hammering the vice presidents of the company and the corporate state of  America he almost poetically asserts that Greed is Good.

Watch the piece from the movie.  Listen to Gecko’s call for greed.  Agree or disagree with Gecko – and explain.

Post your blog by Sunday 7:00 PM – Assignment is 20 pts.  Make sure to follow Blogging Guidelines. 

• Check here for more info on the Barack Obama campaign.
• Check here for more info on the John McCain campaign.
• Check here for more info on the Holly Hughes campaign.
• Check here for more ino on the Mary Valentine campaign.

If you are going to volunteer for Mary Valentine or Holly Hughes please contact offices first!

Upcoming Events for the week of Oct 20:

ALL FOUR CAMPAIGNS ARE IN NEED OF WORKERS IN THIS FINAL THREE WEEK RUN:

G.O.T.V. – Get out the Vote – Just give them a call. Warm up the car, post when you’re going here, and head on down for hours.

Please use this site to post weekly questions or comments on the candidates or volunteering options. You may use this site to communicate with other students on when and where and how you plan on getting involved. Don’t forget – any questions call Mr. Wood at (616) 402-8668 or email him bobwoodmsu@charter.net.

Click here for extra volunteer notebook pages.

click here to go to “Climbing down the Ladder”

Bob Herbert is an editorial writer for the New York Times. Often times he writes about the hardships facing the average American. In this article “Climbing Down the Ladder” he relates how these hard financial times are socking average Americans right in the gut. And while this story is not about the Election per se, the Election is all about the Economy. So for up to ten points extra credit added onto your blog point totals – read this article and answer the following questions:

1. Who specifically in this article is hurting? And why?
2. Which presidential candidate do you think would better help these people to cope – Senator Obama or Senator McCain?
3. Support your answer in number 2.

This is a ten point possible EXTRA CREDIT post available to all classes. Post your answer before 7:00 PM on Friday October 24.

ICELAND

Real World Economics (redux) provides you an opportunity to add points to your RWE presentations on a weekly basis. Every week we do a (S-Option) Student Option choice in RWE I’ll choose one article from all student assignments. I will link that article to the blog and I will post a question or series of questions that you must answer. You may earn up to ten points extra credit on the previous week’s RWE assignment. This work will count individually – you do not have to work with your partner. I will post the due date and time, however expect that it will be at 11:00 PM on Wednesday of the week assigned. Students from Government and Senior Current Issues may choose to answer RWE ‘redux’ for extra credit. All written blog assignments must adhere to posted Blogging Guidelines.

Article selection for 10/20/08 –

Iceland Shivers From Financial Crisis – NPR

National Public Radio is one of the best sources of unbiased news in the world. They run a news program every morning called “Morning Edition”. They run a news program every night called “All Things Considered.” Each is 90 minutes in length. Each covers the issues of the day in interviews and vignette story form. It is a great way to learn. Many of you in your RWE articles examined the woes of Iceland. I have taken a (3:57) report on the topic. It’s very interesting. I think you’ll like it.

Listen to the podcast and answer the following four questions on the blog.

• 1 – Explain how Iceland got involved in this global crisis.
• 2 – How is Iceland’s problem like the USA’s?
  
• 3 – How is Iceland’s problem unlike the USA’s?
  
• 4 – Why did Iceland go to Russia for a loan?

All students may earn up to ten points extra credit. Assignment must be posted by 11:00 PM Wednesday.