Current Events Issue 13, 2009

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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 13 News Updates

President-elect Barack Obama and the soon-to-be first family moved to Washington, D.C., in early January. Obama and his transition team are preparing for him to take office on Jan. 20, while Obama’s daughters are starting school. On Jan. 5, the first daughters headed to their first day of classes at Sidwell Friends School, a private Quaker school that emphasizes intellectual inquiry and service to others. Sidwell has taught a long line of presidents’ children, including Chelsea Clinton, Richard Nixon’s daughters, and Teddy Roosevelt’s children. The Obama girls – Sasha is in 2nd grade, Malia is in 5th grade – will have company: Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s grandchildren also attend the academy.

Introduce your students to blogging in a controlled environment by having them share their New Year’s resolutions with other Current Events readers. Go to the CE News Blog at www.cenewsblog.com and click on “How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution” in the student bloggers section. To comment, click on “Comments” below the story.

OBAMA CABINET WATCH: President-elect Barack Obama has announced several of his nominees for Cabinet posts. The department secretaries will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Obama's choices so far include:

Secretary of State: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's former Democratic rival for the presidency
Attorney General: Eric Holder, a longtime Justice Department official and former judge
Defense Secretary: Robert Gates, currently President George W. Bush's secretary of defense
U.S. Treasury Secretary: Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank
Energy Secretary: Steven Chu, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and director of the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California
Education Secretary: Arne Duncan, head of the Chicago Public Schools
Transportation Secretary: Ray LaHood, a U.S. House member from Illinois
Labor Secretary: Hilda Solis, a congresswoman from California
Interior Secretary: Ken Salazar, a U.S. senator from Colorado
Agriculture Secretary: Tom Vilsack, former Iowa governor
Homeland Security Secretary: Janet Napolitano, governor of Arizona
Veterans Affairs Secretary: Gen. Eric Shinseki, former Army Chief of Staff
Health and Human Services Secretary: Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senate Democratic leader
Housing and Urban Development Secretary: Shaun Donovan, New York City Housing Commissioner

Chief economic advisor: Lawrence Summers, former U.S. Treasury secretary
National Security Advisor: Retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Jones
Chief of Staff: Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice, a foreign policy expert and former National Security Council staff member
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Lisa Jackson, former head of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
White House Council on Eneregy and Climiate Director: Carol Browner, who headed the EPA in the Clinton administration
Office of Management and Budget Director: Peter Orszag, Congressional Budget Office director

EYEWITNESS TO HISTORY CONTEST!
The 2009 Eyewitness to History Contest is open. Check your issue 8 teacher's guide or click here for the rules. Check out last year's winners, too.

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