Current Events Issue 10, 2008

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Welcome to Current Events!

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.” —Albert Einstein

The world events of today shape our future in every way, from how well we understand one another to how healthy we keep our planet. Current Events gathers the most important and unique news stories into a magazine written and designed for students. Our readers don't just learn facts, they learn to think critically about the influences within their world and about their own responsibilities to make this a better world for everyone.

On this site you will find story updates, additional resources, including Smart Stuff quizzes, and links to CE’s News Blog for students. Be sure to check back each issue!

Issue 10 News Updates

President-elect Barack Obama named his first Cabinet member on Nov. 7. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel will be Obama’s chief of staff. The chief of staff controls access to the president and often plays the bad cop to the president’s good cop. While Obama has a reputation for calmness and consensus building, Emanuel, who worked as a White House advisor to President Bill Clinton, has a reputation for being tough and twisting arms to get things done.

In his first news conference as president-elect on Nov. 7, Obama talked about the economy. He urged Congress to approve a new economic stimulus package and to extend unemployment benefits and help for small businesses. Obama also spoke of helping the struggling U.S. automakers, saying “The auto industry is the backbone of American manufacturing and a critical part of our attempt to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” He did give specifics of how he would help automakers.

President George W. Bush invited his successor to the White House for a tour and personal meeting in the Oval Office on Nov. 10. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush described the meeting as “good, constructive, relaxed and friendly.” While the president and president-elect talked, first lady Laura Bush took Michelle Obama on a tour of the Obama family’s future home. Obama says he has also spoken with Presidents Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter, and that he has been reading the writing and speeches of Abraham Lincoln.

A New Tool For Teachers
WR BOOST gives your students online access to Current Events stories. Students can earn points for taking quizzes about those stories, and you get useful reports outlining how they did. Interested? Find out more at wrteachers.uboost.com/.

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