Also Try Government Politics and Elections Lesson Plans Censorship and Propaganda During Wartime (British Library - Words Alive) Helps students explore different points of view regarding censorship and propaganda of newspapers during wartime. Note - British spelling of English words is sometimes different from American spelling. 2-02 Propaganda - Analyzing the Use of Propaganda (New York Times - Hambouz and Khan) "In this lesson, students analyze the use of propaganda in the war against terrorism, focusing specifically on the attacks in Afghanistan, exploring the distinction between ideas spread to benefit a cause and those spread to damage an opposing cause." 2-02 Propaganda Sources (Donn) Provides three dozen sources of lessons on propaganda, media, and public opinion. Helps students look for hidden messages. 2-02 Lists Contact Legislators (Votenet.com) Provides information on U.S. senators and representatives, committees, state legislators, governors, federal government officials, and judicial members. 6-01 Countries - Search Engines by Country (Search Engine Colossus) Provides search engines from within many countries in both the language of the country and English. 3-00 Globalization Issues (Awesome Library) Provides sources that discuss the pros and cons of globalization and "Americanization." 8-02 Leaders by Country (Peoplespot.com) Provides six sources of information on of leaders by country. leaders, rulers, Presidents, and Prime Ministers 9-00 Terrorism (Awesome Library) Provides sources of information on terrrorism, how to help children cope with television images on terrorism, and related topics. 9-01 Materials Maps for Current Events (University of Minnesota) Provides maps of areas of the world that are in the news. 7-01 News -Homeland Security to Become a Vast New Department (CNN) "President Bush on Friday acknowledged he expects turf battles between federal agencies and congressional committees as lawmakers tackle his proposal to create a vast new Department of Homeland Security." 6-02 10-07-02 U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Intervene in Senate Race (Bloomberg News) "The U.S. Supreme Court refused to keep Democrat Frank Lautenberg off the ballot for the U.S. Senate race in New Jersey, dealing a blow to Republican hopes of recapturing control of the Senate." "Republicans had asked the high court to block a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for Lautenberg, a former senator, to replace Senator Robert Torricelli in the race against Republican Douglas Forrester." "Republicans wanted the court to inject itself into an election battle much the way it did two years ago in the presidential election standoff. In that case, the court, by a 5-4 vote, sealed Republican George W. Bush's victory over Democrat Al Gore by halting recounts of Florida ballots. " 10-02 African Children Dying of Hunger - Again (Independent - MacGregor and Butler) "Nearly 13 million people are on the brink of starvation as the worst food crisis in a decade spreads across six countries: Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho." "In Malawi, the men risk their lives to dive for water-lily bulbs in crocodile-infested rivers and kill mice to eat and sell. The women gather wild grasses and boil up weeds to feed their children." 6-02 Assisted Suicide Law in Oregon Upheld by Federal Judge (Bloomberg.com) "Oregon's assisted- suicide statute was upheld by a federal judge who ruled U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft overstepped his authority in attempting to block the nation's only law letting doctors help patients die." 4-02 Congress Pursuing Corporate Tax Evaders (Washington Post - Eilperin and Weisman) "With major corporate responsibility legislation passed, elected officials are turning to a new target -- business tax evaders -- in a scramble to convince voters they are cracking down on corporate wrongdoing." 7-02 Dispute Over War Crimes Court Settled Temporarily (BBC News) Summarizes the settlement between the USA and the United Nations regarding war crimes. The Bush administration of the United States has demanded immunity for US citizens from prosecution for war crimes. An International Criminal Court (ICC) has been set up by the United Nations to bring individuals to justice who have been involved in genocide and similar war crimes and who live in nations without the ability or desire to bring them to justice. 7-02 Karzai Elected President of Afghanistan (MSNBC) "Hamid Karzai, widely praised for his reconciliation efforts during six months in power, was chosen as Afghanistan’s new head of state Thursday after receiving the overwhelming support of delegates at the grand council, or loya jirga, meeting in Kabul." 6-02 Legal News (FindLaw.com) Provides legal news related to current events. 12-00 Local Sources of National News (Associated Press) Provides sources of national news, by state and then source. 2-02 News Related to President Bush (Whitehouse) Provides news from the Whitehouse of the United States. 11-01 News Sources (Awesome Library) Provides sources of national and world news, by subject or country. 2-02 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for 2001 (BBC News) Describes why the United Nations and its Secretary General, Kofi Annan, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001. Patriot Day Declared as September 11 (Chicago Tribune) "President Bush issued a formal proclamation designating Sept. 11 as Patriot Day in honor of those who perished in the terrorist attacks." 9-02 Political Headline News (Yahoo) Provides headline news. 2-02 President Bush's Speech Against Business Crime (CBS News - Bush) Provides the text of President Bush's speech, given July 8th, 2002. 7-02 Switzerland Joins the United Nations (CBS News) "After nearly two centuries of neutrality, Switzerland became the 190th member of the United Nations on Tuesday with the unanimous support of the General Assembly." 9-02 U.S. Supreme Court Rulings (Yahoo News) Provides the latest Supreme Court rulings. 11-01 USA Fights for Immunity (ABCNews.com - Arieff) "The United States vowed on Friday to fight down to the wire to keep its peacekeepers out of reach of a new global war crimes court and renewed a threat to kill the U.N. mission in Bosnia if it did not get its way." 6-02 USA to Block Torture Vote (ABC News - al-Kashif) "Fearing independent visits to U.S. prisons and to terror suspects on Guantanamo, the United States is planning to block a U.N. vote on a plan to enforce an international convention on torture, U.S. diplomats and human rights campaigners said Tuesday." 7-02 United Nations Condemns Israeli Attack on Palestinians (Bloomberg.com - Varner) "Representatives of more than 20 nations and the 15-member European Union used an open meeting of the United Nations Security Council to condemn Israel's air attack yesterday in Gaza City that killed a Hamas leader and 14 other Palestinians." 7-02 View - Arafat's Government Will Not Change (World Press Review) Argues that the Baaya agreement between Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian people will not change into a democratic form of government, despite referendums or other democractic processes. 6-02 Papers 2020 News (ABC) Provides the results of investigative studies. 8-00 Bush - Inaugural Speech, 2001 (PBS) Provides President George W. Bush's inauguration speech. 1-01 Bush and Europe - Cultural Differences (BBC - Roxburgh) Describes the areas of disagreement between President George W. Bush and European leaders. Areas include national defense, capital punishment, global warming, and more. (Uses British spelling of words, which is sometimes different from the United States.) 6-01 Bush, George Walker (POTUS) Provides facts and biographical articles. 1-01 China's Relationship With the United States (PBS - Frontline) Discusses the delicate political and economic relationship between China and the USA, with a special emphasis on the role of Taiwan. The discussion is called "Dangerous Straits." 10-01 Count of Presidential Votes in Florida - What If (New York Times) Allows you to set the standard for the votes in Florida and then gives the results of the election based on those standards. Statistically, the election was a tie or inconclusive because of the small percent of difference in results. 11-01 Courts Struggle to Strike a Balance on Personal Liberties (MSNBC - Lane) "Thus, the skeptics argue, it [terrorism] can be fought largely with the conventional tools of civilian law enforcement, wielded by an executive branch overseen and constrained by the courts and Congress — especially since the indefinite duration of the war could mean restrictions on liberty, once in place, could be perpetuated forever." '" 'The sacrifice of checks and balances has to be weighed not as a temporary expedient,' said Laurence H. Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University, “ 'but assessed as a proposed permanent change.' ” 8-02 Death Penalty (Michigan State University) Provides resource materials for examining pro and con arguments related to the death penalty. 1-01 European Union Sparks Questions About Languages (NandoTimes.com) "As the Union prepares to expand eastward and absorb a tangle of new languages, the question of how Europeans communicate is becoming more urgent." 7-02 Europeans Very Close According to DNA (Time Europe - Graff) Provides genetic support for the theory that Europeans are more related to each other than formerly believed. "The vast majority of Europeans, be they Italians or Swedes, whether they pride themselves on their aristocratic or their peasant origins, can trace their ancestry to just seven female lineages and as few as 10 male ones." 5-01 Geneva Convention on Treatment of Prisoners of War (University of Minnesota) Provides the rules, adopted by most countries, for treatment of prisoners of war. Killing, torturing, starving, injuring, mistreating, or failing to provide medical assistance for, prisoners of war is a war crime. 11-01 How Congress Passed a Bill Against Corporate Fraud (Washington Post - Hilzenrath, Weisman and VandeHei) Describes the struggles and negotiations involved in passing a law to make corporations more accountable for the financial information that they release to stockholders and the public. 7-02 Leaders - Political Leaders in the News (ABC News) Provides a brief background on how each leader came into a position of power. Also provides quotes and a short biography. Patriot Day Declared as September 11 (Chicago Tribune) "President Bush issued a formal proclamation designating Sept. 11 as Patriot Day in honor of those who perished in the terrorist attacks." 9-02 Peace and War (Waging Peace) Provides articles and news stories regarding peace and war. 5-02 Public Opinion on Current Issues (Public Agenda Online) Provides results of surveys of public opinion on key issues related to health, education, and other current concerns. 9-00 Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense from 1975-1977 (DefenseLink.mil) Provides a summary of the style and direction of Rumsfeld's leadership as Secretary of Defense for President Ford. 1-01 Sharon, Ariel (BBC News) Provides a political profile on the Prime Minister of Israel. 8-01 Sudan - Possible Peace (PBS.org - Ifill) "Sudan, the largest country on the African continent, has endured a bitter and bloody civil war for nearly 20 years. Former Senator John Danforth, who recently traveled to the region as President Bush's special envoy, discusses new hopes for a peace accord and his participation in negotiations between the battling factions." 8-02 Views of America from Europe (ABC News) Provides a summary of the changing views of Europeans toward the United States. 2-02 Who Owns What in the Media (Columbia Journalism Review) Provides a listing of companies owned by each of the largest media companies to show who controls what we see and how we see it. 6-01 Periodicals International News (Foreign Wire.com) Provides international news stories for current events assignments. Projects Finance Reform - Your Way (PBS) Provides an opportunity for you to clarify you own position about how elections should be financed. 7-01

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