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Letter to my 12th grade self (A)
Article posted June 18, 2008 at 10:12 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1870
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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 10:12 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1870
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AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Go Camping! (A)
Article posted June 5, 2008 at 07:32 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 396
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Can you hear the howl of the coyotes? Or the unearthly call of the Loon? They are welcoming you to the forest. Welcome to one of the most peaceful places on Earth. You should go camping.
First of all, you get to do target practice with a B.B. gun. You can use wrappers and boxes for targets. There are practically no people around so there is little danger of hitting someone. Plus, if you use Airsoft guns they are designed to not hurt so you can play battles with them. Who knows, that practice may come in handy one day.
Also, you are cut off from civilization. It is so quiet and peaceful camping. There is little or no other people around and no one to bother you. Once my Grandpa was camping with other people and they found an abandoned cabin. They slept there. They heard a horrible noise in another room so my Grandpa shot the noise with his army rifle. It turned out to be a loud porcupine! Now ain’t that funny!? The point is, people won’t bother you - but critters might!
Most importantly, you should go camping because you can have lots of fun. You can swim in the lake (if you dare) or go for a hike. You eat around a campfire (which I love) and go fishing. Also, if you have a canoe you can go for a nice ride in the lakes. You are very free. You can have time to relax, “an escape from annoying sisters.” Ha, ha, ha!
You should go camping because you can do target practice with a B.B. gun (bulls eye!), have peace and a rest from other humans, and, most importantly, you can have so much fun!
GO CAMPING!
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Article posted June 5, 2008 at 07:32 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 396
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Famous Stuntman's Son Sets New Record (N)
Article posted June 3, 2008 at 01:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 386
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Famous Stuntman's Son Sets New Record
May 28, 2008
The son of Evel Knievel has become one of the most successful (and daring) stuntman ever. His father made a jump, in 1975, that was over fourteen Greyhound buses. His son beat that record by jumping 24 Coke delivery trucks!! He jumped from a three story ramp and he was going at over 95 miles per hour!!! He needed to go that fast to be able to complete the 220 foot jump!! He was airborne for 2.5 seconds.
Robbie has been jumping bikes since age 4!! He started riding motorbikes when he was seven! He has done 250 jumps and he has set 20 records. His father still holds the record for most broken limbs; he broke 35!! Now Robbie wants to jump the Snake River Canyon.
Wow, he sure is daring (and stupid)!!! That was so cool when he jumped the 24 Coke trucks. He was going at incredible speed. What would happen if he should fall? He could paralyze himself. I would rather die than be paralyzed. Isn’t that picture (above) so neat! The article says he jumped from a three story high ramp. That’s really high up! What are those flames coming out of the trucks for? Are they there for a purpose or are they there on accident?
Read More About It Here!! ↓
target=_blank>http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/05/famous-stuntman.html#more
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Article posted June 3, 2008 at 01:47 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 386
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The Constitution Works: Justices’ Final Opinion (A)
Article posted May 29, 2008 at 02:51 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 438
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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 02:51 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 438
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Search for balloon record priest (N)
Article posted May 2, 2008 at 03:39 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 640
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There was a guy named Father Carli who attempted to break the record of 19 hours in flight with balloons. He was thought to have flown up to 6,000 meters then he descended to 2,500 meters. He brought a parachute, a satellite phone, and a device to help him find his way. After authorities found the remains of balloons, they tried to find him but they cannot. Father Carli said that he is doing fine and is a little cold.
That is so cool!! Imagine flying thousands of feet up in the sky by balloons. Wouldn’t that be dangerous? What would happen if the balloons all popped? He might get killed! Oh, right, he had a parachute. He said that his finding device wasn’t working. That is really not good!!! He could fly over the ocean and fall! That would be really bad. I wonder if they will ever find him.
Read More About It Here☺☻
target=_blank>http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7360000/newsid_7362400/7362405.stm
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Article posted May 2, 2008 at 03:39 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 640
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Frogs with no lungs discovered in Borneo (N)
Article posted April 18, 2008 at 03:50 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 432
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In the Indonesian section of Borneo, scientists found a frog that had no lungs!!!! Frogs have a very low metabolism so they do not need a lot of oxygen. The frog’s skin breathes and not his lungs since it doesn’t have any lungs. The frog has no airway in its throat. Scientists think that as the animals moved onto the land from the sea, many, many years ago, they developed lungs. There are only a couple of other creatures that don’t have any lungs.
That is so weird that the frog has no lungs!!! How can you live without lungs? Even if your skin breaths wouldn’t you need lungs to store the air? Is it possible for humans to breath through their skin? That would be so neat if we could! What does metabolism mean? It sounds weird. They found the frog in the Indonesian section of Borneo. Does that mean that another country owns the other part of Borneo?
Read more about it here=http://=http://
target=_blank>http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/04/lungless-frog.html#more
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Article posted April 18, 2008 at 03:50 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 432
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Baby With Two Faces Hailed As Goddess (N)
Article posted April 11, 2008 at 03:50 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 498
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There was a girl who was born 1 month ago and she has two faces=http://!! Her name is Lali. She lives in India and the people think that she is the incarnation of Durga. The baby has 4 eyes and 2 noses and 2 mouths. She can eat and suck her thumb at the same time. Durga is the goddess of destroying evil and protecting mankind from pain. She is the most powerful incarnation of god. Many people are journeying to see and be blessed by little Lali. Craniofacial duplication is what caused her to have two faces.
That is so weird=http:// Imagine having two faces. I would really not like that. She might get teased a lot. She could sleep with one face and not with the other. Oh, wait that is not possible because her eyes open and close at the same time. She is almost like Siamese Twins except that she has only one body. She probably has a better sense of smell than other humans.
Read more about it here=http://
http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/04/baby-with-two-f.html#more
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Article posted April 11, 2008 at 03:50 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 498
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Kids Cross CROC River for School (N)
Article posted April 4, 2008 at 03:54 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 393
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In Africa there are some kids who are risking their lives every day. They are crossing a river that has a lot of dangerous animals in it, including crocodiles. The kids swim across the river since their boat was stolen. They swim across the river instead of taking the twelve mile detour around the river. Some seven year olds cross the river in rubber tires. The school headmaster is worried and he said, “I worry all the time. There are dangerous animals in there-especially crocodiles.” There are no buses or cars on that part of the village. The villagers are demanding that a bridge should be put up.
That is so scary!!! Imagine that you are almost at the end of the river when a crocodile comes up and eats you=http://!!! If I were in those kids' position, I would take the 12 mile hike around the river. I am very scared of crocodiles. Those villagers are right. They should put up a bridge so that the kids can cross. If they can’t do that they should at least bring a boat or a bus to bring them across the 12 mile hike.
Read more about it here☺☻
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7310000/newsid_7316500/7316570.stm
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Article posted April 4, 2008 at 03:54 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 393
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