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Letter to my 12th grade self (A)
Article posted June 18, 2008 at 09:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1992
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[Editor's Note: The 2007-2008 students have just graduated 5th grade. They have been in school for about six years. In another six years they will be a senior in high school. Believe it or not, they are about half way through their public schooling life! Below is a postcard they wrote to their "12th grade self." It will be mailed it to them in June 2014!]
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Article posted June 18, 2008 at 09:53 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1992
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Get Healthy and Live Longer! (A)
Article posted June 6, 2008 at 07:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 383
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Do you exercise and eat right? Do you want to?
YES!
Read on to learn why you should be healthy and eat right.
First of all, there are so many ways to do this! You can run, jump rope, lift weights, play a sport, and more. Once I was playing outside with my neighbor and we were running around and having so much fun! I came in and if felt great! I was exercising and I didn’t even realize it!
Also, you should exercise and eat right because it makes you strong and takes off fat. If you exercise and eat right you might be able to lift an elephant, out run a cheetah, or jump the Empire State Building! You’ll be so strong!!
Most importantly, it’s good for you! It is good for your heart and your body. You need to help your white blood cells to fight off disease from your body, to keep a good heart and cholesterol rate, and even for your mind. If you don’t start to eat right and keep in shape, it will get to be a habit that you will do for the rest of your life.
If you exercise you can have fun, take off calories and it’s good for you.
Exercise and eat right!
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Article posted June 6, 2008 at 07:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 383
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Jakob and Dean #2 (WP, Audio)
Article posted June 2, 2008 at 03:27 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 377
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[Editor's note: Click the "play in browser" podcast icon below to HEAR Kmoney & LillJJ read this piece!]
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Article posted June 2, 2008 at 03:27 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 377
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The Constitution Works: Justices’ Final Opinion (A)
Article posted May 29, 2008 at 02:47 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 392
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[Editor's note: "The Constitution Works" is a role-playing exercise that gives students a chance to learn about the United States Constitution and government. The students role play a hypothetical court case, Denver Dispatch v. United States. Students take on roles as a lawyer or Supreme Court Justice. They think about what is more important: the freedom of the newspaper to print what it wants OR the government's duty to protect our nation's security. Read more about the Constitution Works program HERE.
Denver Dispatch v. United States 2008
Docket Number 93-8000
1. The Story
The Denver Dispatch wrote about a secret weapons lab in Boulder, Colorado. The government argued that the Denver Dispatch let out too much information, so they went to court.
2. The Denver Dispatch Goes to the Supreme Court
The lawyers for the government argued:
· The Denver Dispatch gave out too much information.
· There isn’t as much Freedom of Speech during wartime.
· The articles might cause people to panic.
· The articles are a threat to national security.
The lawyers for the Denver Dispatch argued:
· The Denver Dispatch thought their articles were fine.
· The public has a right to know.
· If the virus leaked, the public would be ready.
The Supreme Court Justices decided:
The Supreme Court voted 7 to 2 in favor of the government.
Writing for the majority, Justice “J” wrote:
I vote for the government because the Denver Dispatch is telling too much information about the laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. The Government had good arguments like the newspaper getting into the wrong hands and the enemies could “accidentally” leak the Anthrax X. If the Denver Dispatch keeps on publishing then it will keep the government from doing its constitutional job which is keeping the nation safe. That would be a safety violation against the Nation. The Government had good petitioners and very well organized arguments. They also worked as a team which I thought was really interesting.
I think that if the Denver Dispatch hadn’t put so much information then I would have agreed. The Denver Dispatch argued that they had the freedom of the press from the First Amendment but that is not the whole Constitution. The Preamble says that the government’s job is to keep the nation safe. If the Denver Dispatch keeps on publishing then they are not allowing the government to do their job responsibly.
Writing for the majority, Justice “NinjaKitty” wrote:
I think the government was not correct but their presentation was a very convincing argument. They used three different cases, and they were very professional looking and they actually knew what they were talking about. Also they argued for National Security. They have my vote. I’d rather be alive and safe than informed.
Writing for the majority, Justice “Kmoney” wrote:
In court the government spoke what they believed in, and they had really nice briefs. I think the Denver Dispatch has no right to put that much information in an article that might go out to the town! The public needs to know, though, so they should take off the picture and take off some of the safety procedures. The public also needs to know if there is an emergency. That’s why the public needs to know and the Government is absolutely right.
Writing for the majority, Justice “LillJJ” wrote:
The Government did very well presenting their case, communicating, and they looked very professional. I agreed with everything they said. When they brought up National Security, they had my vote. I think that people would rather be safe and alive than informed. I don’t even read the newspaper. They convinced me, and so my vote goes to the government.
Writing for the majority, Justice “Rman2000” wrote:
I vote for the Government because the Denver Dispatch only said the same thing: “The people need to know.” But the Government said that national security was at risk. The Government lawyers used the NEAR case, the SCHENK case, and the PENTAGON PAPERS. The Government also said the Denver Dispatch was giving too much information. I agreed with that too.
Writing for the majority, Justice “Railroad” wrote:
I am voting for the Government because of its arguments. They had really good facts. They also had a very good presentation. Their reasons are: if the government let the people know about Anthrax X the people might panic, terrorists might attack, and our enemies might develop a similar weapon and maybe use it against us. The Denver Dispatch had the right to publish the article but they abused their right by telling all of the secrets about that lab.
Writing for the majority, Justice “D-Man” wrote:
The government is right, the Denver Dispatch is giving away too much information. They have proof that the Denver Dispatch is giving away too much information; their proof is in the article itself! There were pictures, safety procedures, and information about Anthrax X. It was OK to give away information but it was not OK to give away too much information! Now that article will be a risk to national security if we do not stop them from publishing it.
Writing for the minority, Justice “J” wrote:
I, Justice Jackson, vote in favor of the Denver Dispatch because it is their right as members of the United States of America to be able to write whatever they want to say and to print what they. If the government felt that it would be a danger to our nation’s security they should know that it has been said in the biggest document in the world that they can print anything they want. It would be unconstitutional to strip them of this right as Americans.
Writing for the minority, Justice “BalletGirl” wrote:
I favor the Denver Dispatche’s arguments over the government’s arguments because I don’t think it is a risk of national security when the Denver Dispatch wrote these articles. Even though it is wartime (and that makes the 1st amendment rights tighter than usual), they were just informing the public of this lab. They did not, and I quote, “have an environmental impact statement” which research labs don’t need to have to do biological research but they do need an National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which they also don’t have. The Denver Dispatch was not trying to hurt or scare anybody and they weren’t trying to rebel against the government, they were only trying to inform the public. Yes, they gave out too much information but I don’t think they meant to give out that much information. In the next articles they will write they will be informed not to give out that much information as they did in their first article. They used the Near vs. Minnesota case a couple of times and made a point about why they were using it. They made connections with past Supreme Court cases, which is not that easy to do. Therefore and in conclusion, I am fully agreeing on the Denver Dispatch’s side.
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Article posted May 29, 2008 at 02:47 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 392
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'Hello Kitty' - Japan's New Tourism Ambassador (N)
Article posted May 28, 2008 at 04:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 315
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Hey everyone, did you know that Japan's new tourism ambassador is Hello Kitty!!!! Wow, a shock for me too. And I learned some facts about Hello Kitty, like she has no mouth because she speaks with her heart. Her products made over $500 million dollars.
Wow, I didn’t know anything about Hello Kitty at first, and, to be honest, I think it’s kind of stupid.
Read more at:
target=_blank>http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/05/hello-kitty---j.html
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Article posted May 28, 2008 at 04:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 315
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7-Year Old Pianist Makes History (N)
Article posted May 13, 2008 at 02:32 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 563
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This seven year old is naturally gifted for playing the piano. He has been playing for only 2 years, and he can pass a grade 4 piano exam. It usually takes people four years to pass that. He was also the youngest student to be admitted to the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover, Germany. He was recently admitted into London's Royal College of Music.
Wow!! That is crazy. I mean I probably didn’t even know what a piano was at five=http://
Read more at:
target=_blank>http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/05/7-year-old-pian.html
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Article posted May 13, 2008 at 02:32 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 563
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Buddy -The most beautiful Bulldog! (N)
Article posted May 2, 2008 at 03:40 PM GMT0 •
comment (3) • Reads 601
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They came dressed in all kinds of crazy costumes, but in the end, it came down to natural good looks. And Buddy, a three year old dog, stole the show and was awarded “Most Beautiful Bulldog.” Buddy usually spends his days lazing around, sleeping, eating, and doing his business, but now he is a mascot to Drake University while he competes in some track and field competitions.
I think this is a cute bulldog and that Drake made the right choice. But I wonder if everyone has a mascot or he just wants to be the best.
Read more at:
target=_blank>http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/04/the-most-beauti.html
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Article posted May 2, 2008 at 03:40 PM GMT0 •
comment (3) • Reads 601
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China is world's worst polluter (N)
Article posted April 18, 2008 at 03:39 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 425
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I’m mad at China! They are making so much pollution that it is affecting its neighboring countries and even the USA!! China's factories are making too much green house gas, which is like torture to the earth=http://!!
I think that if even everybody recycled everything and went completely green we still could not save the earth, which is sad.
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Article posted April 18, 2008 at 03:39 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 425
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