A "New Deal" for 2009 and beyond?

With a historian's keen eye, the task of studying past and linking to present becomes a habit--of both heart and of mind. That said, occasionally there are such parallels between past and present that the comparison is transparent, glaringly obvious. Many connections have been made of late between the Great Depression and today's economic woes, FDR and President Obama, and the New Deal and the Economic Stimulus package. Criticisms leveled against the New Deal--namely that it was rushed, but also that it is not a perfect solution to the problem--were replicated. Rebuttals, too, were recycled. Using a New Deal line, a political commentator pointedly remarked that while a perfect plan might materialize SOMEDAY, the flip-side was that people can't live on SOMEDAY.

If you were unable to catch President's Obama first speech to Congress Tuesday, use this link to familiarize yourself with his arguments--including the importance of the Economic Stimulus package. For fun, click on the red arrow on the left hand side under his picture. This feature breaks his speech into six key areas. Clicking on each word "cloud" will provide a summary of his thoughts and footage dealing with that area. Work your way through the six areas, reading the summaries and watching the footage what goes with it. Lastly, be sure to push the red arrow that says "see Obama's speech as a word cloud." HOORAY, his speech expressed as a WORDLE--with the ideas most frequently mentioned in larger text.

Having familiarized yourself with the Economic Stimulus package and what it's meant to do, watch this clip called "Ballad of an Ordinary Man."





When economic times sour, often, the Ordinary Man gets pinched. In your post, please identify the one measure, as identified in the Economic Stimulus plan, that you believe will BEST help the Ordinary Man. Naturally, you must provide a rationale or reasoning for what you say. Don't forget to identify yourself if you'd like to have extra credit. Should you have any original ideas on what else would best help Mr. Ordinary Man, please include these also.

21st Century Controversary--Man and Monkey

As you already know from class, the Scopes Monkey Trial was about more than just teaching evolution or creationism. In a larger sense, it was a face-off between embracing or rejecting modernity in an ever-changing world.

To bring the issue full-circle, please watch this clip called "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" from PBS Nova.



To watch the entire program (a 2 hour show divided into 12 segments), click here. Now that you know the story, the players, the case and subsequent ruling, imagine that the Kitzmiller v. Dover ruling has been appealed. As a Supreme Court Justice writing the majority ruling, you must answer the following crucial question: "Is Intelligent Design a scientific alternative to evolution, or religion in disguise?" Be sure to provide reasoning for the opinion you provide.