Today is a day of rememberance for those who lost their lives in the September 11th terror attacks. To honor those who lost their live at the pentagon a new memorial was built. The memorial consist of benches that acknowledge each of the the people who lost their life. All of the benches are in order from the youngest victim, whom I belive was three, to the oldest victim who was seventy-one. The memorial also has a wall that begins at a height of three inches and increases an inch with every age until it get to a total height of seventy-one inches. This memorial was well thought out and it is really nice looking. This link will show you the memorial and explain it a little better.

Obama's Rebutal

Like Terrence this wasn't assigned either but I thought it was important enough to blog about. Senator Obama made a comment the other day about John McCain's economic plans. In those comments he stated "you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig," or something close to that. Of course the McCain campaign thought of this as slander towards Gov. Palin. This link below gives a video of Obama's response to this new story that he was being sexist. Do you believe he was using those dirty politics tactics that he disagrees with, or that he was speaking the truth about the situation?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26640762#26640762

-Kanisha F.

"Can You Hear Me Now?"

I know this wasn't assigned, but i have a question. If the electoral votes overrule the popular votes, do we (not really us because we can't vote) really have a voice? I've had this debate with my dad, he thinks that the electoral votes depend on the popular vote, but I say that the members in the electoral college can make any decision they want. I went to this one website http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html. It told me about the electoral college, but it still didn't answer my question? Can anybody help me?????



-Terrence O.

Governor Palin: Superhero????

By: Kanisha F. : Thanks for the great reviews everyone!!!!

MSNBC reporter Chris Matthews discusses today's highlights on his sideshow discussion, on Sarah Palin and her past:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26629500#26629500

Today on Hardball With Chris Matthews, he discussed Palin's past and present actions. The enterprise HeroBuilders.com, has now decided to sell a new action figure doll of Gov. Sarah Palin. The public has yet to determine whether or not this is meant to express that she's ready to take action, or for another reason. That particular Enterprise has taken a fond liking of Mrs. Palin for unexplored reasons. Go figure Palin as a hero!

Palin was a hot topic on today's show. Chris, later went on to analyzing and critiquing her unclear stance on the "Bridge to Nowhere" scandal in Alaska. There is factual, concrete proof that Palin supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" project in the beginning. She later on, especially after becoming McCain's running mate, started portraying that she never backed the project. In the video link I listed earlier, it shows 7 times so far since becoming a nominee, that she has untruthfully or lied in telling supporters her views on the project. LIES, LIES, LIES!! (Or dishonesty.) By the way, she received money for backing the project. However, when she began disapproving the project instead of returning the money, she just reallocated it elsewhere.

In conclusion of today's unconventional current events, John McCain's daughter spoke about his past in an interview. She stated that her father was a rebellious young man into fast cars, who even once dated a stripper. Surprise!

This current event is very important to our future. Why should we care, because if Sarah Palin becomes the VP along side of John McCain, her views as well as his will impact how and what our future will be like.

The question I pose to you, is whether or not Gov. Sarah Palin, who is one heart beat away from the white house, is ready to lead?

__Kanisha F.

Class Practice

Ken Burns Video : Video about the Civil War and Slavery from PBS

Financial Crisis??

U.S. Announces Takeover of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

As the financial crisis continues, the government has stepped in to take over the two largest mortgage finance companies in Washington, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said, "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are so large and so interwoven in our financial system that a failure of either of them would cause great turmoil in our financial markets here at home and around the globe. A failure would be harmful to economic growth and job creation. That is why we have taken these actions today." He called for Congress to take this opportunity to restructure these companies which, he said, would prevent this from occurring in the future. 

These companies buy mortgages and then sell them in pieces to new investors. This creates new money which can then be used to sell more mortgages. Risky lending practices (for example, lending to people who can not repay their loan) over the past few years have made the financial system unstable and many banks and mortgage companies are now unable to sell the mortgages they bought. Fannie and Freddie, thus, became responsible for a majority of the home loans in the nation. Because they, too, are having trouble selling the mortgages they are backing, the government stepped in to make sure that they are able to pay their debts and continue backing new mortgages.

Fannie and Freddie are only viable as long as investors trust in their strength. If investors fear that these companies are not safe investments (that is, if they think they will lose money), they will cease to buy bonds and securities from these companies. This would make Fannie and Freddie unable to pay back the loans they took out to buy the mortgages in the first place. This would trigger a domino effect of bankruptcies in the financial industry. The government takeover is meant to reassure the public that our financial system is under control. 

Discussion Question: What are the global implications for a collapse of the American financial system?

- Ms. Hansen

Getting off to a great start!

The past two weeks have been busy, both in our classroom and in the nation. Against the backdrop of the 2008 Presidential Nominating Conventions, we have been exploring how the major issues in this election are affecting us. We've discussed the challenges that Senator Barack Obama and Governor Sarah Palin face in this election as they defy the odds and hope to make history as the first black president or first female vice president. We decided, however, that it does not matter what you look like, or what your family situation is: the candidates should be judged by what they can do for the country. 

We're also worried about the economy. Everyone is interested in the changing price of gas and we discussed ways to solve this problem, 

including drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and alternative fuel sources. 

Meanwhile, we have also been learning about the Civil War. 

We discussed some if it's causes, including the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the results of the Dred Scott Case, and the Election of 1860. We very briefly reviewed the events surrounding the South's secession and the major events of the war. 

- Ms. Hansen