Redistribution of wealth debate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redistribution_of_income_and_wealth
http://origin-www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-11-25/leaving-the-justice-out-of-wealth-redistribution
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/09/americans-reject-wealth-redistribution/404806/
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/redistribution-of-wealth.html
http://www.debate.org/redistribution/
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/progressivetax.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/02/04/can-tax-policy-distinguish-the-rich-from-the-middle-class/we-need-a-truly-progressive-tax-rate
https://toughnickel.com/personal-finance/Flat-Tax-vs-Progressive-Tax-Pros-and-Cons-for-the-US
http://www.debate.org/opinions/progressive-tax-vs-flat-tax-does-progressive-taxation-help-the-poor
http://study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-the-progressive-tax-code.html

Current Events Report

1. Use a reputable news source. Choose a source that offers well-written and well-researched news. Avoid blogs and other personal websites. Determine the credibility of the source by examining the author, the news source, who owns the news source, and so on.^[1] Some possible news sources might include your local newspaper or larger newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Atlantic monthly.

2. Choose an article on the topic that interests you, such as healthcare, government, technology, international news, or sports. These are still very broad topics, so you should be able to find plenty of news.
3. Make sure the article is a good length. You should choose an article that gives you enough information to work with. It should help you understand the topic at hand, and it should give you enough material to write about in your summary. An article that is one to two paragraphs long is not going to be lengthy enough.
4. Read the entire article. Take some time to read through the entire article. Make sure you understand what the article says. Your objective with this assignment is to write a summary of the news story, so you need to fully understand the article.
5. Outline the news article. The first paragraph of the current events summary is a summary of the events discussed in the article. Write an outline of the article, focusing on the five Ws and H. You may choose to rearrange the five Ws and H so that your summary makes sense.
6. Outline your thoughts about the article. The reflection paragraph is your opportunity to make connections between this article and the community at large. Think about why this story is important. Think about the connection to your community, or your state, or the country. You might also think about the connection to your class. What themes are you discussing in class that relate to this article? ^[6]
• Even though the reflection is short (usually just a paragraph), you should still aim to make an argument, at least to some degree. Determine the main point that you want to make and think about how you will support that main point.

You can choose an article from:
http://www.theatlantic.com/
http://time.com/
Popular Science, etc.

Current Events Report

Due October 5th, 2016

We have a long weekend ahead of us.  Rosh Hashana is a Jewish holiday that celebrates New Year.  If you are Jewish, La'Shana Tova to you and your family. If you are not, enjoy the long weekend.  We have our first periodical report due. This assignment is not designed to inundate you with work.  It goes together with my evil master plan to help you develop your reading, writing, and critical thinking. The following list is a suggestion on the process of writing this report.  I want to eliminate guesswork and concentrate on text analysis.

1. Use a reputable news source. Choose a source that offers well-written and well-researched news. Avoid blogs and other personal websites. Determine the credibility of the source by examining the author, the news source, who owns the news source, and so on.^[1] Some possible news sources might include your local newspaper or larger newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Atlantic monthly.

2. Choose an article on the topic that interests you, such as healthcare, government, technology, international news, or sports. These are still very broad topics, so you should be able to find plenty of news.
3. Make sure the article is a good length. You should choose an article that gives you enough information to work with. It should help you understand the topic at hand, and it should give you enough material to write about in your summary. An article that is one to two paragraphs long is not going to be lengthy enough.
4. Read the entire article. Take some time to read through the entire article. Make sure you understand what the article says. Your objective with this assignment is to write a summary of the news story, so you need to fully understand the article.
5. Outline the news article. The first paragraph of the current events summary is a summary of the events discussed in the article. Write an outline of the article, focusing on the five Ws and H. You may choose to rearrange the five Ws and H so that your summary makes sense.
6. Outline your thoughts about the article. The reflection paragraph is your opportunity to make connections between this article and the community at large. Think about why this story is important. Think about the connection to your community, or your state, or the country. You might also think about the connection to your class. What themes are you discussing in class that relate to this article? Even though the reflection is short (usually just a paragraph), you should still aim to make an argument, at least to some degree. 

You can choose an article from:
http://www.theatlantic.com/
http://time.com/
http://www.economist.com/
http://www.popsci.com/
And other reputable sources.  You can also visit your local library and peruse the printed periodicals.
Here is an amazing piece of argumentative writing

Art & Poetry

“When I say artist I mean the one who is building things … some with a brush – some with a shovel – some choose a pen.” ~Jackson Pollock

Please click on this link to view the list of New York City museums.  We live in the best place on earth when it comes to culture (and food and people).  We are going to visit two.  Spend some time exploring the rest.  Most of the time, you get student admission at a discount or free altogether. 

In the very least, go see my lilies at MoMA.  Sit in front of them and give yourself at least 15 minutes.  Keep looking... 

If you like music, turn on Debussy's Clair De Lune.  Enjoy!

Things to read & Think about

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-unlikely-story-of-a-change-is-gonna-come
http://www.npr.org/2014/02/01/268995033/sam-cooke-and-the-song-that-almost-scared-him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4
http://newsreel.org/video/THE-LANGUAGE-YOU-CRY-IN

Here are the questions for chapter 19.  Please answer all in your reading journal.  Be prepared to discuss the contents of 17, 18, 19 on Tuesday. As you finish reading 17 & 18, continue to take notes on Hester's actions and descriptive language for Dimmesdale.  This type of close reading/note-taking is an essential academic skill to have.

1. Beyond Hester’s explanation, why won’t Pearl come to Hester without the scarlet letter?
2. What is significant about the fact that Pearl will not bring her the scarlet letter, but makes her pick it up for herself?
3. Why won’t Pearl show any affection to Dimmsdale? Why does she want him to walk with them hand-in-hand in the marketplace?
4. This chapter begins on the same optimistic note that ends the previous chapter. On what kind of note does the chapter end? Why?

Extra credit:
Here is a quote for you to think about:

“Man has been called a rational being, but rationality is a matter of choice—and the alternative his nature offers him is: rational being or suicidal animal. Man has to be man—by choice; he has to hold his life as a value—by choice; he has to learn to sustain it—by choice; he has to discover the values it requires and practice his virtues—by choice. A code of values accepted by choice is a code of morality.”

How does this relate to our characters (Hester, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale)? How does this relate to your life in the next year? Do you agree with it? Disagree? Why? Thoughts, feelings, comments, arguments, rants are welcome.  

Think about the legacy of Dr. King and his message.  Spend a meaningful and reflective Monday.  

Homework for 01.09-10 weekend

›

Read Chapters 13 & 14. Choose ONE questions to answer in your reading logs. 

What social and philosophical changes is Hawthorne describing in this chapter?

›What social and philosophical changes is Hawthorne describing in this chapter?

›Compare the initial intent behind the scarlet letter to the actual effect on Hester.

›What image is Hawthorne evoking with Chillingworth, old, one shoulder higher than the other, digging up roots and collecting leaves, etc. in the forest?

›What is Hester’s response to the announcement that the Council had debated allowing her to remove her scarlet letter?

›How is the doctrine of predestination reflected in this conversation between Hester and Chillingworth?

›What pleas of Hester’s arouse sympathy and admiration in Chillingworth?

Saturday Regents prep - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. We will concentrate on multiple-choice questions: types, tricks, format, etc.  Come!

January 26th is the ELA Regents day. I am celebrating at the Met. Join me! Turandot is playing at 8 p.m.

For more information, Metropolitan Opera