For Thursday: Research with links and image

This woman fled the mall takeover by the Al Shabab in Kenya.

Students,

You've been writing about and interpreting the events, themes and characters in The Things They Carried.

Now let's apply some of the themes and issues we see to today's stories.  We have been at war in Afghanistan for 13 years.  We've finished a war in Iraq.  There are current conflicts in Syria, the Sudan, and Iran that bear a lot of watching.  We just had a huge conflict in Kenya at a shopping mall with Al Shabab terrorists.  War and rumors of war are a part of our world, like it or not.

Do some research on veterans and/or current military issues.  See if you can find out more about an issue that interests you and which you may need to know more about.

Then write a blog post where you share your research results.   Include a link to at least one research source.  Include an image.

Then write a paragraph or two to help summarize what you learned in your research, and how you think we might apply it in our lives.

Here's are questions to get you started:

Who are the most recent Medal of Honor recipients in our military?  What might their stories teach us about the current conflicts we are in?

What is happening in Sudan?

Should the U.S. intervene in Syria, and what is the situation there currently?

Can Iran's new leader be trusted?

Was Bradley Manning's sentence too harsh or too lenient?  Why?  What military secrets did he leak in the fist place?

Will the extremist group Al-Shabab continue to cause havoc in Kenya?  Why are they doing this there?

 Etc.

Do you know the Bradley Manning story? His trial just finished and he'll spend years in prison for his actions.  Was it whisltleblowing or dangerous security leaks?  You'll need to be informed to make that judgement.

Clint Romesha