Newsbank Hot Topics

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HOT TOPICS

CURRENT EVENTS
Find more information about these topics in NewsBank Special Reports
ENVIRONMENT – California Wildfires
TOPIC: Southern California has suffered devastating damage in a wildfire that has burned over 40, 000 acres. What is said to have been the cause of this wildfire? What are some of the conditions in Southern California that make it so vulnerable to fire damage? How are fires of this magnitude brought under control?
SEARCH TERMS: forest and brush fires

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Hubble Repairs
TOPIC: Repairs and upgrades to the Hubble Space Shuttle will be made according to the latest NASA decision, in spite of concerns over risks that had prompted an earlier decision to abandon this mission. What are the repairs and upgrades to be made? What are the risks that caused the concern?
SEARCH TERMS: Hubble Space Telescope

INTERNATIONAL – Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
TOPIC: The five leading nuclear powers and 8 other nations are holding a meeting to decide how to prevent nuclear weapons from reaching terrorist organizations. What meeting brought about the idea for this initiative? What are the five nuclear powers that are involved in this meeting? What are the 8 other nations?
SEARCH TERMS: meetings AND nuclear technology

SOCIAL STUDIES RESEARCH TOPICS
CIVICS, GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS – Mid-term Elections 2006
TOPIC: The final campaign push is on to determine which of the two major U.S. political parties (Democrats or Republicans) will be able to make the most of the congressional mid-term elections. What are the most significant areas for each party? What have been some of the top news stories to come out of this election cycle?
SEARCH TERMS: congressional elections

CIVICS, GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS - Campaign Advertising
TOPIC: Campaign advertising for the congressional elections is a primary focus in the media. This focus on political advertising ranges from a candidate's attributes, disparagement of an opponent, a focus on specific issues or some combination of these three areas. What are some of the campaign ads in this election cycle that have gained the most attention? What is meant by "negative advertising"?
SEARCH TERMS: congressional elections (2006) AND advertising

CIVICS, GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS - Voting Machines
TOPIC: As mid-term elections come up, there has been a lot of media coverage on the modernization of voting machine technology. What have been some of the concerns over these changes? What have been recognized as benefits of new voter technology?
SEARCH TERMS: voting technology

CRIME AND LAW – St. Louis Crime
TOPIC: St. Louis, Missouri has been named the country’s most dangerous city by research firm Morgan Quitno Press. What city has been listed as most dangerous for the past two years? What region of the country has seen the most dramatic rise in crime? What are the reasons for the rise in crime rates in some areas?
SEARCH TERMS: crime and criminals AND rates

ECONOMICS - Newspaper Industry Conditions
TOPIC: The Audit Bureau of Circulations has released information showing that 18 of the top 20 newspapers have dropped in circulation over the past 6 months. What are the two newspapers that did not show a drop in circulation? What are some of the factors challenging the newspaper industry?
SEARCH TERMS: newspaper publishing

EDUCATION – College Educated Earnings
TOPIC: Data from the Census Bureau has recently shown that the pay of those with an undergraduate college degree averages $23,000 more than those without a degree. What are the reasons for this difference? What state has the highest percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree? What state has the lowest proportion of college graduates?
SEARCH TERMS: college graduates AND income

HISTORY – 50th Anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising
TOPIC: 50 years have passed since Hungary’s 1956 failed uprising against their Soviet occupiers. How did Moscow respond to the uprising in Hungary? What was the complicated role of Hungarian communists in the uprising?
SEARCH TERMS: anniversaries AND Hungary

SCIENCE AND HEALTH RESEARCH TOPICS
HEALTH – Trans Fats
TOPIC: The fried chicken fast food chain, KFC has banned trans fats from its food and New York City is considering imposing a ban on trans fats from its restaurants. What are trans fats? What foods carry the most trans fats? What are the health concerns about eating trans fats?
SEARCH TERMS: fatty acids

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – Looking for Blackbeard’s Ship
TOPIC: The wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the pirate Blackbeard, has been found – so people think. Where has this discovery been made? What new efforts have been made to excavate this historic wreck? What has been found so far?
SEARCH TERMS: Blackbeard

SPORTS RESEARCH TOPICS
SPORTS – World Football
TOPIC: The NFL has expanded its regular season games to include at least two games outside the United States starting in the 2007 season. Which countries are the first to be considered? How is it organized so that teams have a chance to play internationally?
SEARCH TERMS: professional football AND international aspects

SPORTS – Red Auerbach
TOPIC: The passing of former Boston Celtic coach Red Auerbach brought professional basketball together to mourn the end of an era. What years did Red Auerbach coach? Who were some of the most outstanding players that made up Auerbach’s team during the dynasty years?
SEARCH TERMS: Red Auerbach

SPORTS – Dean Karnazes
TOPIC: Dean Karnazes is an ultramarathoner who is running 50 marathons back-to-back across the United States. What is an ultramarathon? What will be Karnazes final marathon? What is his purpose in running this distance?
SEARCH TERMS: Dean Karnazes

SPORTS – World Series
TOPIC: The St. Louis Cardinals have beaten the Detroit Tigers to capture the World Series title. When was the last time the Cardinals won a World Series? Who were some of the stars of the series?
SEARCH TERMS: World Series AND baseball

ARTS AND LITERATURE RESEARCH TOPICS
FILM AND TELEVISION – Flags of Our Fathers
TOPIC: Clint Eastwood has come out with a new, acclaimed film remembering the WW II battle of Iwo Jima. What have been some of the acclaimed films remembering WW II? What are some of the stories of the men made famous by the photo of the U.S. flag raising on Iwo Jima?
SEARCH TERMS: “Flags of Our Fathers” AND film

ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE – Louis Sullivan Building Damaged
TOPIC: Chicago architecture preservationists are asking why the city wasn’t more active in monitoring the repair work of Louis Sullivan’s Wirt Dexter Building. The building was the second this year to be heavily damaged from fire caused by torches that were being used for repair. How many buildings did Louis Sullivan build in Chicago? How many of his buildings still remain today?
SEARCH TERMS: Louis Sullivan

LITERATURE – Orhan Pamuk
TOPIC: Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. What are Pamuk’s most famous books? What has Orhan been recently tried for in Turkey?
SEARCH TERMS: Orhan Pamuk

PERFORMING ARTS – New Who
TOPIC: After a long time without recording, the famous rock act The Who has come out with a new recording called Endless Wire. When was the last time The Who released a recording? What is an aspect of their new recording that is shared on some of the Who’s most famous recordings?
SEARCH TERMS: “ The Who” AND music

PEOPLE – Enolia McMillan
TOPIC: The first woman to head the NAACP, Enolia McMillan, has passed away. What was McMillan’s occupation before becoming involved with the NAACP? In what city did McMillan make her name?
SEARCH TERMS: Enolia McMillan