The Time Period

Browne, Carol. "December 2010 - Cynthia's Calendar". 2/7/2016 via Flickr. Attribution Non-Commercial
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Obviously, December of 2010 consisted of things other than the arsenic bacterium controversy. The following is a snapshot into the rest of the enticing month.

Local stories?

This story was posted one day after the press conference held by NASA, and discusses the erection of signs on the side of a half-built religious structure. The issue at hand is not necessarily the signs being put up on the unfinished building, but the nature of the religious structure itself. It was initially unclear as to what religion was building their holy place, as the dome that was built implied that it was a mosque. Apparently in 2010, the religion associated with new buildings was somehow newsworthy. This story does not have any foreseeable impact on the controversy I am reporting on.

This story was published on the same day, and thankfully discusses something more interesting. The Arizona Dispensary University was just getting started, and was the first university to offer classes on medicinal marijuana. Though at the time medical marijuana had not been fully legalized, the school was centered around the idea. Classes weren't about growing or cooking with the ganja, but rather informed students about the business behind owning and operating a medical marijuana dispensary. This story also does not have any impact on the arsenic bacteria controversy. 

National stories?

This article posted in December of 2010 discusses the former work of art found in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. The video, produced by David Wojnarowicz, depicts a man suffering from AIDS in the 1980s. The video evidently offended the Catholic League, amongst others, and was removed from the museum. This has no impact on the  bacteria controversy. 

This source is sort of hilarious. Posted in December 2010, it provides readers with statistics that "prove" that watching Fox News inhibits one's intelligence. The author explains that there is a significant amount of false information broadcasted on Fox News, and thus regular watchers are likely to have correct information. This is worse than ignorance. This is thinking you are right, but being brutally misinformed. This does not have an effect on my controversy.

Global stories? 

Children scientists published a scientific paper about bumblebees in this article. The article discusses the procedure the eight-year-olds followed to conclude that bees do associate colors with food. Though it is adorable and intriguing, it does not have any effect on the controversy I am discussing.

This source essentially compares the United States education system to those in the rest of the world. Every three years, a standardized international assessment is given to students across the world to asses the success of the education departments. In summation, Shanghai houses the most intelligent students by far, while the US ranks towards the bottom of the list. The article also points out that the global economy will likely be led by mostly Asian countries in the coming years, as those countries hold spots on the top of the list according to the assessment. This story also does not have any bearing on the controversy I am reporting on.