http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/ en Copyright 2012 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:19:50 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Amid the financial crisis that has plagued much of Europe since the global economic recession began in 2008, Germany has been the biggest success story. Its manufacturing sector continues to be strong, and its unemployment rate is the lowest in Europe. What's the secret? Germans say it's innovation and demand for their products. German manufacturers continue to produce one-of-a-kind technologies, such as a massive drilling machine that adjusts to the substance it's drilling through, that aren't being produced anywhere else. And, instead of laying people off during the recession, many German companies just cut back everyone's hours until their business could recover. And, they continue to promote apprenticeship programs so young people can learn a trade and get a job. But, Germany's success is turning out to be a double-edged sword - because of its status as the economic leader of the European Union, it is on the hook to bail out struggling countries like Greece so the entire EU economic system doesn't collapse. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/whats_germanys_economic_secret.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/whats_germanys_economic_secret.html economics economicsdownload world worlddownload socialstudiesdownload socialstudies technologydownload technology Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:19:50 +0000 Victor Rios is able to work with youth on the fringes who struggle to stay in school because he used to be one of them. He was a gang member, a juvenile delinquent, and a high school dropout. But in the 18 years that followed, Rios earned his high school diploma, finished college, earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, and wrote two books on his life and his research on juvenile delinquency. He now teaches sociology at U.C. Santa Barbara and helps at-risk youth navigate the perils of adolescence. Rios says finding a teacher or mentor to help, finding a passion or a purpose and passing knowledge on to others are key ways to avoid the gang and drug problems many youth in his area experience today. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/gang_member-turned-phd_mentors.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/gang_member-turned-phd_mentors.html socialstudies socialstudiesdownload us usdownload Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:19 +0000 For the past five years, photographer and college professor Richard Ross has been documenting juvenile detention facilities throughout the nation. With money acquired from a fellowship and a variety of other foundations, Ross was able to visit over 300 juvenile detention facilities in 30 states across the United States. "Every kid that I spoke to, I would go into these cells, I would go into their environment, and I would sit on the floor, frequently a concrete cell. I would spend, like, half-an-hour sitting there taking notes, and I would always start with introducing what I was doing and asking them if it was okay if I talked to them," Ross said. The project started when Ross called up his cousin who is a prosecuting attorney in El Paso, Texas. His cousin was able to get him inside a detention facility and what he saw compelled him to expand the project as far as he could. For instance, Ross discovered that children as young as seven were part of the justice system and that treatment of kids varied from institution to institution. "There's no federal statute about how to treat kids. There really is no guidance, so it's all over the place," he said. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/through_a_lens_juvenile_detent.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/through_a_lens_juvenile_detent.html us usdownload Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:40:55 +0000 The.News correspondent Antonio Neves reports on the 13 billion devices connected to the Internet - the "Internet of Things." He talks to a Columbia University Professor and a director at IBM on how this interacting technology affects us and whether there are dangers involved. "The.News":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/ is an educational news site for middle and high school students that provides original video reports on topics of interest to young people. It is a partner site of NewsHour Extra. Use the lesson plans and transcript under "Additional Resources" to accompany this video in the classroom. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/the_internet_of_things_iot.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/the_internet_of_things_iot.html science sciencedownload socialstudies socialstudiesdownload technology technologydownload Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:19:04 +0000 In this video, the.News correspondent Antonio Neves reports on how new redistricting issues around the country can affect the outcome of state elections and federal policy. Neves talks to reporters from ProPublica and The Washington Post as the United States Supreme Court rules in a case that may have far-reaching effects on how we get to choose our representatives. "The.News ":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/is an educational news site for middle and high school students that provides original video reports on topics of interest to young people. It is a partner site of NewsHour Extra. Use the lesson plans and transcript under "Additional Resources" to accompany this video in the classroom. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/redistricting_drawing_the_line.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/02/redistricting_drawing_the_line.html government governmentdownload socialstudies socialstudiesdownload us usdownload Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:43:28 +0000 Learning about statistics, the science that deals with the collection and interpretation of data, might not be very exciting to most students. But what if the lesson included Lego building blocks and a man who swallowed swords? Meet Hans Rosling, co-founder of the Gapminder Foundation. Over the last five years, this professor has collected millions of online fans around the world with an usually un-glitzy topic: statistics. Rosling brings to life global health and development data by using props and a visualization software he and his team created. For example, he uses boxes to explain population growth and a washing machine to illustrate how the lives and health of poor women and their families are drastically improved by the device. Like many successful entertainers and plenty of great teachers, Rosling knows that, once he's got your attention, he can pull out something unexpected. Rosling said he is going to continue talking about important global health statistics whenever and wherever he can. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/bringing_life_to_statistics.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/bringing_life_to_statistics.html world worlddownload Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:56:21 +0000 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/post_36.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/post_36.html economics economicsdownload world worlddownload Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:48:48 +0000 Scientists are trying to develop tissue-like electronics that conform better to human organs. Elastic electronics, they call it. John Rogers, professor of material science and engineering at the University of Illinois has developed a device that can wrap around a rabbit heart and deliver current to the heart tissue to stop arrhythmia. He hopes similar devices can be used to treat brain seizures and monitor premature infants. "As the skin moves and deforms, the circuit can follow the deformations in a completely non-invasive way," Rogers said. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/materials_scientists_develop_e.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/materials_scientists_develop_e.html science sciencedownload technology technologydownload Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:53:12 +0000 NewsHour Extra Director, Imani M. Cheers interviewed original Tuskegee Airman, Dr. Roscoe Brown, director Anthony Hemingway and actors David Oyelowo and Cuba Gooding Jr. to discuss the making of "Red Tails" and how it relates to some of the contemporary issues young people face today. "The film is really a story of accomplishments and achievements and it really shows in such a brilliant way of how discipline combined with determination, combined with perseverance, combined with faith equals excellence [and] so many young boys and girls can really take something from this [film]," remarked Hemingway. Under the direction of Hemingway, the film is set during World War II and tells the story of a cast of young men, from various backgrounds, who were united in their desire to fight for their country. "Red Tails" was inspired by the heroics and valor of the first all-African American aerial combat unit, the Tuskegee Airmen. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/airman_actors_seek_to_inspire.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/airman_actors_seek_to_inspire.html arts artsdownload us usdownload Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:00:02 +0000 A year after Egyptians first took to the streets to demand the ouster of their longtime ruler, Hosni Mubarak, they took to Cairo's main square again to celebrate and, in some cases, to protest how slowly change is progressing. Egypt is being temporarily ruled by members of the military while parliamentary and eventually presidential elections take place. However, many Egyptians feel it's time for the people's elected leaders to take over. A trial is still ongoing for Mubarak for his role in the killing of more than 800 protesters last year. Some demonstrators say there can be no progress in Egypt without justice for past wrongs. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/egyptians_return_to_tahrir_for.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/egyptians_return_to_tahrir_for.html technology technologydownload world worlddownload Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:51:55 +0000 President Obama gave his third State of the Union address last night before members of Congress. He discussed ways to improve the economy, jobs and education, and called on Congress to put aside partisan differences to make decisions in the country's best interest. In the Republican response to President Obama's address, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels argued that the president has not done enough to curb high unemployment in the U.S. He added that more needs to be done to curb the nation's enormous debt and that U.S. energy sources must be developed to create more jobs. A highlight of the annual speech to Congress was the presence of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who recently announced her resignation from office so she may continue to recover from gunshot wounds suffered at a political event last year. Her colleagues in Congress gave her a standing ovation before the State of the Union address. This video provides complete coverage of the address; the first 11 minutes are pre-speech analysis; the speech occurs between 11:00 and 1:16, followed by analysis. The Republican response begins at 1:28. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/jobs_economy_headline_obama_sp.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/jobs_economy_headline_obama_sp.html government governmentdownload science sciencedownload us usdownload Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:41:27 +0000 The Syrian government rejected an Arab League peace plan -- a proposal the organization hoped would end violence in the troubled country. The plan called for forming a unity government within two months that would be followed by supervised parliamentary and presidential elections. The peace plan would also require President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his vice president and start negotiations with his opponents. The European Union endorsed the plan and so did the U.S. State Department. Mr. Assad, however, did not. A State Department spokesperson said Assad rejected the plan almost before the ink was dry. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/syria_rejects_peace_plan.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/syria_rejects_peace_plan.html world worlddownload Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:44:58 +0000 Opponents of Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, have reportedly gathered more than one million signatures to force a recall election that could oust Walker well before his term is up. Wisconsin voters protested in huge numbers a year ago when Walker and the Republican-controlled State Senate passed a bill outlawing collective bargaining, also known as unionizing. Now, workers have to verify each of the recall signatures to make sure there aren't duplicates and that all of them are authentic. If more than 540,208 of them are deemed authentic, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls again in the coming months to vote for either Walker or an opposition candidate. For now, the boxes of signatures sit at Wisconsin's Government Accountability Office under heavy security, waiting to be scanned by computers and checked for authenticity in a process that could take months. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/union_supporters_closer_to_rec.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/union_supporters_closer_to_rec.html government governmentdownload socialstudies socialstudiesdownload us usdownload Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:45:19 +0000 (Note to teachers: Please use the first 55 seconds of this broadcast piece for the exercise.) President Obama denied an application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would have carried oil 1,700 miles from the tar sands of Canada to refineries in Port Arthur, Texas. The president had postponed consideration of a permit last summer, citing environmental concerns. But Republicans demanded a decision, as part of December's deal on extending the payroll tax cut. The Keystone XL pipeline project has been billed as a way to both cut America's reliance on oil from overseas and create sorely needed jobs. But opponents say the pipeline will destroy valuable farmland and pose major risks. In a statement, Mr. Obama said he would not support the pipeline because the rushed deadline did not allow for proper assessment. House Speaker John Boehner criticized Mr. Obama's decision, saying the president had broken his promise since the pipeline would lead to the creation of many new jobs. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/keystone_pipeline_plan_rejecte.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/keystone_pipeline_plan_rejecte.html environment environmentdownload us usdownload Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:02:49 +0000 A cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of a small Italian island lies sideways in the water as divers try to determine whether any survivors remain inside. The biggest maritime disaster in recent memory has raised many questions about whether the ship's captain shirked his responsibilities and whether it's possible to safely evacuate today's massive cruise liners. According to early analysis, the Costa Concordia veered off course Friday night, sailing too close to the small island of Giglio, just off Italy's coast. It hit a reef, which ripped a gash in its side and caused it to take on water. Now, the massive, 4,000-person luxury liner has become a landmark in the water, and environmentalists are worried about the impact it could have on the reef and the protected animal and plant life around it. Now, the investigation is focused on the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, who coast guard officials say left the ship well before everyone had evacuated. Ship's captains are required to stay on the ship until the last person is off. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/rescue_workers_continue_search.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/01/rescue_workers_continue_search.html socialstudies socialstudiesdownload world worlddownload Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:14:15 +0000