News for Week of April 19- April 24

Article 1-

Cumming-bruce, Nick. "U.N. Urges Countries to Take in 480,000 Syrian Refugees." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/world/middleeast/united-nations-ban-ki-moon-syria-refugees.html>.

Syrian refugees are fleeing from their homeland to escape the dangers that face them everyday.  The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has made a statement from a one day conference in Geneva, to countries in Europe, urging them to take in refugees, to help this crisis.  The neighboring countries of Syria have done far more than their share, now he has asked other countries to step up and do their share in helping.  

The current refugee crisis happening in Europe is one of the worst of our time. The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and we have the capability to take in refugees just like some of the European countries, but there is always the risk of taking terrorists without knowing they’re terrorists. Refugees are humans who need help and the world can not turn their backs on them however we must be careful when taking them in.

Article 2-

Kamenetz, Anya. "Software Flags 'Suicidal' Students, Presenting Privacy Dilemma." NPRed. NPR, 28 Mar. 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016. <http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/03/28/470840270/when-school-installed-software-stops-a-suicide>.

Some schools, like Ontario Christian Schools, provide Chromebooks for their students to use in school and at home. Commonly, they use a software system like GoGuardian to block certain sites and track students' browsing. This software alerts the school if a student's browsing indicates a risk of severe emotional distress. Although most of the time it leads to intervention to help the student, some criticize this strategy for being an overreach in monitoring. Often, the school staffers who receive notices from the software have no mental health training, which could lead to well-intentioned blunders.

Since Chromebooks are school property, the school should be allowed to monitor their students’ activity. However, this method of watching over students is a violation of privacy and could potentially cause trust issues between the students and teachers. It’s also not okay for people with no training in mental health to be the first responders to potential self-harm or suicidal ideations. Instead of using Internet to spy on students, schools should work on having stronger mental health support for them. The schools want to protect students, but there are more positive and effective ways to do that than spying on them.

Article 3-

Dwyer, Liz. “A’s for Everyone: How Grade Inflation Is Wrecking Higher Education.” Yahoo! News. TakePart, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 2 Apr. 2016. <https://www.yahoo.com/news/everyone-grade-inflation-wrecking-higher-education-232531829.html>.

Stuart Rojstaczer, a former geology professor or Duke University, recently stated that college grades in the USA are being inflated. He conducted an analysis of grades over the past seventy years at approximately 400 colleges. The study found that in the 40’s and 50’s, a “C” grade was common.  Starting in the 60’s, he found that “A” was the most common grade given at colleges regardless of two or four year, private or public schools. Rojstaczer believes this change started during the Vietnam War to keep male students from failing and having to be drafted into military service. Presently, he believes the practice continues due to student and parent pressure, the high cost of college and mandatory teacher evaluations by the students. Rojstaczer’s fear is that the inflation of grades will make the American students appear brighter and more qualified than they really are, making them less marketable and job ready than the rightfully high-ranking students from around the world.

This is similar to the “you get a trophy because you participated” idea that is present in many recreational sports for young children. It is true college tuition is very expensive and parents like to see good grades, but it makes working hard while someone else slacks off meaningless. The grading process of teachers should be changed from their opinions on students to less easily influenced and biased evaluations so teachers don’t fear losing their jobs because they give lower grades.

News for Week of April 11- April17

Article 1-

"Syria War: IS Group Killed 21 Christians in Al-Qaryatain, Says Patriarch - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36011663

On April 10, 2016, Syrian Christians were killed by Islamic State militants in the town of al-Qaryatain. The town was retaken by Russian-backed Syrian forces and their allies earlier in the week. According to the Syrian Orthodox Church, there were 300 Christians. Approximately 21 citizens were murdered and five more Christians are still missing, believed to be dead. The rest of the Christians have rejoined their families after ransoms were paid. The town is now utterly devastated, with streets, buildings, and even a 1500 year old Church in ruins. Islamic State captured al-Qaryatain in August, and abducted hundreds of residents, including dozens of Christians.

This event shows how basic human rights are taken away from people all around the world. The Islamic State have stripped Christians of their freedom of religion by forcing them into being Islam. Military superpowers like the United States must stop these terrorists by sending support to civilians that are in similar dilemmas. By doing this, we can put an end to terrorism and also improve the United States's reputation in the world.

Article 2-

Morello, Carol. "In Hiroshima, Kerry won't apologize for atomic bombs dropped on Japan." Washington Post. April 16, 2016. Web. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-hiroshimak-kerry-will-not-apologize-for-a-bombs/2016/04/10/b9a941b6-fb58-11e5-813a-90ab563f0dde_story.html>

The Secretary of State of the United States, John F. Kerry, visited Hiroshima on April 10, 2016.

His goal was to focus on a nuclear-free world and not apologize for the bombing of Hiroshima at the end of World War 2. Also, while he was there, current issues like the war on Syria and the refugee crisis were discussed between Kerry and a group of foreign ministers. Both the United States and the Japanese still have strong opinions about the atomic bomb, however both countries have agreed to focus on the future instead of dwelling in the past.

The bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagesaki marked a milestone in history for the evolution of weaponry. They took many Japanese lives but also prevented the risk of sending American soldiers into mainland Japan by ending the war. The question of whether or not the United States should have used them will always remain without a clear answer but we must now focus on preventing such weapons from being used again. Since so many countries have possession of nuclear weapons, it is imperative to send a message that something like the bombings cannot happen again.

Article 3-

Khullar, Dhruv. "Let Patients Read Their Medical Records." New York Times: Well. The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/let-patients-read-their-medical-records/?ref=health>

Health records often have inaccuracies and errors. A portion of these errors are due to the electronic ease of doctors copying and pasting notes, which can create mistakes. The increased digitization of medical records also is making the doctor-patient relationship less personal, potentially leading to deficient medical treatment and handling. Some doctors, such as Dhruv Khullar, propose that allowing patients to read their medical records can encourage doctors to be more vigilant in the accuracy of their notes, as well as redirecting the focus of diagnosing back onto the patient's story.

Medical inaccuracies provide a life-threatening situation for patients because they may receive the wrong diagnostic or wrong medication. Doctors should encourage their patients to look at their records for any mistakes. A patient would recognize mistakes about their health history better than a doctor who has perhaps only seen this patient for an hour a year. This would also give motivation for doctors to be a little more cautious and accurate when taking notes on a patient.

News for the Week of April 4- April 10

Article 1 -

Palmer, Alex W. "The Fall of China’s Hedge-Fund King." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/magazine/the-fall-of-chinas-hedge-fund-king.html?_r=0>.

In November 2015, Xu Xiang, a self-taught stock market trader and founder of a lucrative Chinese hedge fund, Zexi Investment, was arrested by local officials when he tried to flee his grandmother’s house during her 100th birthday party.  He was making millions in profits with his funds while the stock market was crashing.  He was seen as having great luck and timing in protecting his investments, and the public grew suspicious of his unbelievable success and thought he was cheating.  His anonymity, access to secret information, connections to government officials, and investments for rich clients who were the second generation of the Communist Party, made him the scapegoat when the market crashed. His arrest for corruption was his downfall.

Based on this article, corruption is a big problem in China and needs to be stopped as it impacts their economy as well internationally. In order to stop corruption, strict laws must be created and enforced by non-corrupt government officials. Those who are found guilty of violating these laws need to be punished and made examples. Though this may be the ideal solution, it is ironic that it is the greedy government officials themselves who will turn a blind eye to those laws in order to make money and make it difficult to stop corruption.

Article 2 -

Smith, Alex D. "Polish Prime Minister Favours Total Ban on Abortion." The Guardian. The Guardian, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/31/polish-prime-minister-favours-ban-on-abortion>

Poland's prime minister, Beata Szydlo, supports a total ban on abortion which is in line with the Roman Catholic Churches. This will be taken to the Warsaw Parliament for a vote. The current limited abortion law allows women to abort a pregnancy before 25 weeks only under the conditions that the woman's life is in danger, the pregnancy is due to rape or incest, or if the fetus is seriously deformed. Monika Platek, a member of Poland’s Women’s Congress, claims this act clearly illustrates the influence of the Catholic Church on the government by using religious beliefs to control laws.

This campaign is disgraceful and limits the freedom of choice for women.  

It is ironic that a female prime minister would support a campaign that would take away women’s rights.  The church’s influence on state laws is out of control and needs to be separated so people can make their own choices. Prime Minister Szydlo has no choice but to follow the Church’s demands or lose their support, and subsequently, the people’s support because they are deeply committed to the Church.

Article 3 -

Mcneil, Donald G., Catherine Saint Louis, and Nicholas St. "Short Answers to Hard Questions About Zika Virus." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html>

On February 1 2016, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a public health emergency because it has been spreading rapidly across the Western hemisphere over the past year and can cause serious birth defects, specifically microcephaly, if a pregnant woman contracts it. This is an informative article that provides questions and answers surrounding the Zika virus, its affects, how it spreads and places to avoid.

If the Zika virus continues to spread, it could potentially have a big effect on babies born to infected mothers.  We may experience a generation of babies with major birth defects, causing a large financial impact on society. This includes increased health care costs to take care of these children, funds to provide additional support in schools and research money to find a cure.  To prevent the spread, pregnant women should avoid travel to impacted areas or avoid getting pregnant if they need to travel there.

News for the week of March 28- April 3

Article 1 - "Nuclear Job Half Done" The New York Times. Ed. The Editorial Board. The New York Times, 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/02/opinion/a-nuclear-job-half-done.html?ribbon-ad-idx=5&rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article>

The Nuclear Security Summit took place in Washington D.C. on Friday, March 2, 2016. Fifty world leaders attended this meeting to discuss the distribution of 1800 metric tons of nuclear material stored in 24 countries. Some of the world’s superpowers, including Japan, China, The United States, and Great Britain, have all agreed to convert dangerous materials like uranium and plutonium into forms less suitable for use in the creation of weapons. Russian president Vladimir Putin refused to attend the meeting and continues to modernize Russia’s arsenal with disregard to the world's attempt to regulate nuclear weapons.

This article illustrates a sense of unity between the U.S. and its allies in that they all agreed to decrease their amount of nuclear material instead of creating more dangerous weapons so no country can overpower another with weapons of mass destruction. With rogue nations continuing to threaten world peace by continuing to build up their supply of nuclear weapons is a major global issue. The fact that Vladimir Putin did not attend the meeting clearly represents the tensions and power struggle between the United States and Russia. Since the Cold War, we have been in a race with them to acquire nuclear weapons, which is the opposite of Obama's goal to create a world in which there are no nuclear weapons. Another issue that is mentioned in the article is North Korea adding to its collection of nuclear weapons and the creation of missiles needed to launch them. The United Nations must apply harsher sanctions on North Korea to prevent Kim Jong-un from launching a nuclear attack.

Article 2 - Kaplan, Fred. "Nothing Like a Challenge to Bring Out the Hackers." The New York Times. N.p., 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 2 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/03/30/should-hackers-help-the-fbi?rref=homepage&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Room%20for%20Debate&pgtype=blogs>.

In late March 2016, an external group of hackers hired by the FBI successfully unlocked the iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, who killed 14 co-workers at the Inland Regional Center during a holiday gathering. The FBI could not accomplish this without Apple's assistance, which was denied due to the potential weakening of the phone's security and compromising customer privacy. So the FBI turned to the hackers to accomplish this, but the question remains as to whether or not this is a good practice.

I disagree with Apple's decision not to help the government in this terrorist attack investigation because it is a matter of national security. Therefore, the government should hire patriotic hackers to find ways to access locked data when needed, defend our electronic information, prevent infiltration into our systems, and identify and patch any potential holes before bad hackers find them. The evolution of technology has made it easier for bad hackers working with criminals to steal digital information such as credit card, bank account, health care and other sensitive personal data for their financial benefit. The best way to stop the bad hackers is to recruit the good ones as the first line of defense, compensate them well and give them a good challenge.

Article 3 - Chappell, Bill. "Judge Strikes Down Last Same-Sex Adoption Ban In The U.S." NPR, 1 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/01/472667168/judge-strikes-down-last-same-sex-adoption-ban-in-the-u-s>.

Last Thursday, the last ban on same-sex adoption was overturned by federal judge Daniel P. Jordan III in Mississippi. This ban has been in effect since 2000, and the lawsuit was filed in 2015 by four same-sex couples, backed by two advocacy groups. This event has now made it legal for same-sex couples to adopt children in every state of the US. However, this ruling came the same week that House Bill 1523 was approved by Mississippi's senate, allowing businesses to reject services to same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs.

The action to allow same-sex adoption is a major step forward in the battle for gay rights across the United States. The country as a whole can finally accept that having a different sexual orientation should not prevent gay couples from being parents. However, this brings up the important question regarding the impact to children who are not raised in a traditional family with a mother and a father. In regard to House Bill 1523, this was a major step backward as this continues to allow discrimination against gay couples. All people should have the same rights, regardless of their sexual orientation.

2nd Quarter Reading Book

Why Soccer is the #1 Sport in the World-

1. Equipment is cheap. All you need is a ball, shoes and a playing surface

2. It challenges players not to use their hands

3. Prevents suicide by allowing individuals to share a common passion

4. The British call soccer "football", cleats "boots" and a field "a pitch"

5. Juggling a soccer ball looks really cool. Exhibit A-

Soccernomics

Why do the almighty British lose? Why are their neighbors, the Scots, bad? Why can't America dominate the international level and why do the Germans play a robotic but highly effective style? These are questions every soccer aficionado has asked. Soccernomics answers them. The authors, Simon Kuper and the economist Stefan Szymanksi, contribute to soccer what "Moneyball" contributed to baseball. The game is analyzed through statistics, economics, psychology, and intuition to try and understand the unanswered questions that have come up throughout the history of the sport, such as how Turkey and South Korea made it as far as the semi-finals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Kuper and Szymanski capture what 'everybody' knows about success and failure in soccer and put it under rigorous analysis that is made into good stories that carry the narrative along.

"...the thinking in soccer is outdated, backward and tradition-based. It needs a fresh look based on data. There’s a new global map, with countries like the U.S. and Japan already rising. And they will continue to rise at the expense of Europe as knowledge gets disbursed. And it’s happening very quickly.” - Simon Kuper

Since 1930, the FIFA World Cup has dominated the sports viewing industry, averaging more than 750 million viewers per tournament, whether they watch it on television or attend the live games. Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski provide their opinions on why this event is so popular through statistics and philosophy.

Kuper and Szymanski explain that before each World Cup, a catchy theme song is written to capture the passion of this infamous sporting event. The most popular one, Waka Waka by Shakira, written for the 2010 World Cup, stole the hearts from almost every soccer fan with its upbeat tempo and unified support for their country's team like an army preparing for battle against their enemy, which is the underlying meaning of the song.

"Gentlemen prefer blondes" is a phrase that can be used to describe how the managers of soccer teams buy new players. They tend to invest in players that have "attractive" stats such number of goals scored or assists which is also a big selling point for the fans of the club.

Soccer teams are very inefficient when it comes to handling money. 70% of all player transfers have resulted in either the buying club spending too much money or the selling club losing money.

This book is a must-read for any fan who wants to know the secrets behind the business of soccer

- Which corner kick routine is more dangerous? the inswinger or the outswinger?

- What is the relationship between the love for soccer and the love for numbers?

- Why are soccer clubs some of the most stable businesses on Earth?

- Are penalty kicks really unfair?

- Does a fan love their club more than their spouse?

So what are you waiting for? Grab a copy of Soccernomics today and impress your friends with your soccer knowledge