Current Events Report
What Happened in Our World
November 2015
Section 2 Social Studies
Some Fantasy Sports Are
Considered Gambling
By Luke and Jaclyn
By Associated Press
October 20th, 2015
NewsELA
Summary
Congressman Jim Leach says that all fantasy sports
are considered gambling; it’s only outlawed in five states. In
Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Washington, and Montana
fantasy sports are outlawed. Jim Leach is trying hard to
persuade people to further outlaw fantasy sports. A law was
made in 2006 that outlawed many online gambling but not
fantasy sports.
Passage From The Article
“A former lawmaker says online fantasy sports is actually gambling.
Jim Leach should know. When he was in Congress, he wrote a 2006 law
that made most Internet gambling against the law. Gambling is when a
person bets money on agame. Fantasy sports, though, was allowed under
the law.”
Fantasy sports are not gambling. Fantasy sports takes skill and is
for fun. Gambling is betting money beforehand and mostly luck.
Surprise
One thing that really surprised us is that all fantasy sports are
outlawed in five states. Poor Cardinals and Saints fans! Lots of
people are into fantasy sports and they care about it very much. The
people in those five states that are like that must feel very upset and
not like the people who outlawed it in their state.
First Lady Announces U.S
Pledge to aid Pakistani Girls’
Education
By Beatriz and Grace
Article written by Associated Press
Published- 10.27.15
Summary
The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, is running an
organization called Let Girls Learn to help girls worldwide have an education. First of
all, the Pakistani government has promised to spend twice as much money on
education. This will send more girls to school and they have also promised to hire
more female teachers. Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif, the wife of the prime minister of
Pakistan, stood next to Michelle Obama when she made this announcement. America
is not the only Country contributing to this organization, other countries such as
Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom have also contributed and have
promised more than $800 million combined. In the end, this shows that the world
does care about education!
Quote
"We shall not rest until every girl is learning and in school. We shall not rest until
every mother is confident that her daughter will have a better life than what she had,"
Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif said.
This quote explains that Sharif really wants the best for the young girls in Pakistan. It
also shows that Sharif is very determined and confident that this will work and the
girls from Pakistan and all around the world can all have an education. This is
important because it is very good to have high hopes for education.
Grace And Beatriz
Going Further/Affect
Beatriz: The effect this had on me was this: I found out that the world really does care
about education! Of course, I did know this before, but I thought that some places
really just cared about themselves. It’s also great that the First Lady was so brave and
didn’t do what most others would do; sit and watch.
Grace: The effect this has had on me is very large. I think that it is truly amazing that
the First Lady of the United States of America is standing up for girls rights in other
countries. It is inspiring that she has started an organization that has raised an
enormous amount of money for the cause. I could only dream of forming such a great
organization for the wonderful cause of educational rights for girls from all over the
world.
Nick and Ethan
Milk in India By Smithsonian institute/tween tribune
Date published - By Yirmiyan Arthur Associated Press
October 30, 2015
Summary
To the people of India, cow’s and milk are sacred for many reasons.
In india cows are a special thing to them because they believe that
there god came down in a form of a cow and now they protect all
cows from harm. India is the world's largest milk producer in the
world with United States right behind them. The Indians eat lots of
milk related products such as the famous Ghee. This is a spread that
you can put on bread and other things. To conclude the people of
india love to use milk for many different things.
A passage
Many dairy operations are quite small. In a rural corner of India's northeastern Indian state of
Assam, 24-year-old Srimoti Mandal milks her three cows in the early morning, getting an average
of about 6 liters per day and selling it for about $3.50. With her husband unable to work because
of asthma, she depends on the milk to support her family of four, which includes two young
children.
In this passage, it mentions a woman who milks her cows every day and lives off of the small
profit they get from it. This shows how anyone with cows can make a company and how little you
will earn. The small family relies on the milk to run the entire family. This is how milk is so
important to the people of India.
The Affect
Since so many people are converting into milk producers, lots of
businesses are falling and families are turning poor. They are
getting poor because their not getting money from what they are
doing so they don’t get any money which is a necessity to live.
Syrian Poets bear witness to violence:
“There’s nothing civil about a war”
Article by The Los Angeles Times
September 10, 2015
By Isabella and Emily
Summary
This article is pretty much about musicians and poets telling what they think
of the war and that “there’s nothing civil about war”. Most poets write their poems
about war, violence, bombs, and betrayals to tell people how they feel about this. Now,
that these poets wrote these poems, in bars and markets, these poems flourish through
the people and their culture. Even a rapper wrote a rap about the wars going on!
“Quote”
“Poet Amal Kassir summons the shattered orchard on her
grandmother’s farm. Her poem "My Grandmother's Farm"
describes a farm taken over by a violent "tyrant."
My grandmother knows Syria better than anyone.
It is the arthritis living in her knees.
She had a farm whose dust she knew by name.
… And the tyrant,
The dirt is waiting for him.
Like the rest of us,
He will learn his grave,
Feel the weight of the entire country on his chest.”
Poet Amal Kassir wrote this poem during the war when her
grandmother was farming and was taken over by a
“Tyrant”. This pretty much means that people are suffering
terribly because of the war going on in Syria. This impacts
the article because it shows what Poet Amal Kassir is
feeling about this.
Going Further: Affect
This story or article makes us feel sad and disappointing. The reason we’re
responding this way is because poets and musicians are literally writing about the war,
the bombs, and the violence. When the rapper wrote his poem about people dying, It
made us feel terrible and depressed. These poets and musicians are standing up for
what’s right, and we think that’s a great way for them to express their feelings.
University of Missouri
president quits over campus
racial complaints
Author:Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff
Date: 11/11/15 Copyright 2015
By Cam and Ella
Summary
In the University of Missouri the president of the school says, “I will resign over racist
complaints from the football team”. Several racist comments were yelled at several
black people on the university. Such as, when a young black boy from the university
was in his car a boy drove by in his pickup truck yelling racist comments. Tom Wolfe
(president of the school) is currently doing nothing to stop these comments even
though he said he would stop it. Several of the black people are threatening to drop
out of school. Other boys are saying they will not play football in their next
game(Tigers versus Brigham Young University) which would cause them to cancel (1
million dollars would have to be spent to cancel this). Food strikes and sit-ins are set
into action. The racist comments began to get physical when a white boy draws a
swastika in a dorm bathroom to show white power. Also a black boy had been shot
over racist comments. Matters begin to get horrible and gruesome so people begin to
step up beginning the end to this madness.
Quote and Summary
“ ….The protests began after after the student government president, who is black said in September that people
in a passing pickup truck shouted racist insults at him….” “..... Also a swastika was recently drawn in a
dormitory bathroom. The swastika is originally associated with the German Nazi Party and has long been used
as white power….”
Summary - Several colored people in the campus are revolting against the comments made by white people to
colored people. The white people are responding by leaving marks of swastikas to show they have power over
the colored people. This quote is important because without this quote we wouldn't know what the swastika
means and why it is important also we wouldnt understand why people are revolting. The quote shows why
colored people are angry. This impacts the whole essay because it is explaining how the white people are acting
Going Further
Question: Explain the emotional affect on you. Answered by Cam: The emotional effect on me is I think Wolfe
is not using his power right and letting these things happen. I feel like it's deja vu. It's already happened and it's
very hurtful emotionally and physically. If I was wolfe I would have already stopped it by day one. Now it's
gotten out of hand with the walk outs and the sit downs and people drawing swastikas in the bathrooms I mean
come on! I hope Wolfe gets what he deserves and the people who are harassing are removed from the school
immediately.
Paris is target of deadly attacks that
were planned across the city by
Washington Post 11.16.15
By Madison And Ryan
Summary
A terrorist group called ISIS (Islamic State) attacked the most popular destination
in France, Paris. On the night of the attacks 132 people died and 350 people were
injured. This was the deadliest attack in Paris since World War ll. The killers targeted
professional soccer games, concerts and cafes. Citizens and tourists hid inside while
French police and military went into the streets.
Quote
Going Further
The attacks on Paris went worldwide. The Newsela article is just one in thousands
of articles. This article relates to the attacks in Kenya. The attacks in Kenya relate
except the Kenyan attacks were not worldwide and no one mourned the people who
died. The complete opposite happened with france. People changed their social media
profile pictures to the eiffel to or pictures of paris. There was even a #Pray for Paris. In
conclusion the attacks in Kenya and Paris were very alike and different at the same
time.
Obama’s rule and
purpose and proposed
law would help exinmates get hired
By: Washington Post, adapted by Newsela
staff on Nov. 17th, 2015
Presented by:
Sami Smith & Joe Gora
Summary
President Obama want for interviews or applying for a job easier
for ex-prisoners. There is a debate between the President and
government whether they should add this rule. First, Obama
pushes for non-inappropriate questions during interviews. Second,
when for a job, they would talk about their skills and what they can
do instead of the past criminal life. Also, services and organizations
help to prevent prison population.
Article’s quote . . .
(We have a small quote)
Obama says:
“Folks deserve a chance to get through
the door first.”
What we think:
We thought that this quote means that
people should not be judged first
before they are introduced. Personally,
all of us don’t have any experience with
this topic but we think that this is a
smart idea. Past-prisoners should apply
to jobs should be seen on their skill and
“knowledge.”
Affect
The affect this project had on us was that we feel that it is not fair
for ex-inmates to have a hard time finding a job. We feel this way
because even if these people were in jail they were let out for a
reason. It is unfair that these people are being asked questions
about their time in prison, instead of why they want the job. This is
the affect this subject has on us.
“At Least 19 Dead in Terror Attack on
Mali Hotel”
Article By: Baba Ahmend
Date Published: 11/22/15
By: Emma Callanan and Caroline Sheridan
Summary
The article At least 19 dead in terror attack on Mali hotel is about a terrorist attack led
by a subgroup of ISIS. The terrorists killed eighteen citizens and one Malian soldier.
The attacks took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel early Friday morning on November
22, 2015. These attacks took place because a small group of Muslim extremist, known
as the Mourabitounes, want Malians to live under their rule of Islam and want to
control the country of Mali.
Quote
“The gunmen belong to an extremist group known
as the Mourabitounes. They are one of several
groups that is trying to take over Mali. They want
Malians to live under their brand of Islam.”
This quote is important to the article because it
gives background information on the terrorists and
their belief structure. It introduces the
Mourabitounes, their terrorist actions, and the
agenda behind these attacks. The Mourabitounes
goal is to take over Mali and force everyone to live
and think according to their beliefs.
Going Further
Affect: This passage is very emotional because groups like the Mourabitounes and ISIS
are destructive and want to cause violence for the sake of making others accept and
follow their beliefs. These extremists want to take over the world and make everyone
live their lives according to their religion. “There are other Islamic extremist groups
like the Mourabitounes, though. They include al-Qaida, which launched the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks in New York. The Mourabitounes once worked with al-Qaida. Another
Islamic extremist group is ISIS, the group that recently attacked Paris, France. It is also
called Islamic State.” This paragraph from the article is gives examples of other
terrorist groups and what their overall agenda is for the attacks and violence they
commit.
U.S. resistance to Syrian refugees sparks comparisons
to WWII Jews' plight- By Newsela (11/25/15)
By Matthew Deacon and Hailee Fonseca
Summary
The article U.S. resistance to Syrian refugees sparks comparisons to WWII Jews’ plight is about how
the Americans would not accept the Jews during WWII and are not accepting immigrants now. The article
starts off by telling how it was for Jewish immigrants during World War II by showing the results of an
interview with someone who came over from Germany. This person, Sol Messinger, tells how when he was just
seven, he boarded a ship that would take him to St. Louis in hopes of freeing Germany. However, when he
reached America, they would not accept him and the other ship members so he had to turn back. The article
goes on to tell how a similar problem has arised now with countries not wanting to allow Syrian immigrants.
Although President Obama is allowing 10,000 immigrants to come over, the tons of people are not being
stopped. Finally, the article is tied up by going back to World War II and how Luis Gutierrez had regretted
prohibiting Jewish people from Germany. To sum it up, the article is about the similarities between the problem
of accepting immigrants to America.
Passage From Article
“...On Nov. 13, the Islamic State group killed 130 people in Paris, France. Also known as ISIS, the extremist group wants to start its
own country under its version of Islamic law. Its fighters have taken over parts of Syria and Iraq. Millions of people have fled,
causing a massive refugee crisis. President Barack Obama has announced a plan to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year.
Most of them are Muslim…”
The quote informs people (If they had not already known) of the terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS, also noting
the Islamic State’s goal to start a country under its own law. The quote then states the ISIS fighters have taken over some
countries (Syria and Iraq). As the quote continues on, it tells the reader that many have fled the countries due to living in such a
war zone, but as more people flee there are larger numbers of people that have to be taken in by countries. Lastly, the quote states
President Barack Obama’s plan to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees. The importance of this quote would be to inform the reader of
present events of ISIS and what we are doing to the refugees. In the full article it compares how we now do not want more
refugees as there might be undercover terrorist, to the same way we did back in WW11 where we did not want Jews as they may
be Nazi spies. As time continues, there have been more refugees taken in and since 9/11/2001, we have taken in over 784,000
refugees, only 3 imposing a threat.
Going Further - Persuasion
I found the article persuasive in general. Although the article was informative, it changed my mind of
Syrian refugees. The article had statistics, saying that since 9/11/01 the United States of America has taken in
over 784,000 refugees, only 3 imposing any threat. If we minimized the number to 10,000 refugees (which is
what the US plans to take in) there would likely be no threat. The word “likely” is always going to have its small
probability of the worst happening, and that's what the government is thinking of, as there is screening going
through every last one of the 10,000 refugees. Continuing on to its references to WW11, there was a poll
mentioned. Within it, most Americans, did not want Jewish children, because they could wind up spies. Later
on, the US regretted not saving the Jews. As I continued reading, the Jewish refugee that was being interviewed
said he thinks the same thing will happen in the US. We will take in less refugees, but later regret it as they did
not impose any threat to the country. In conclusion, I was personally quite paranoid of terrorists entering the
United States as refugees, but the statistics and historical references really changed my mind.
Fast Food Workers Fight For
Higher Wages by NewsELA Staff
11/25/15
Slides by Robby Feulner and Joshley Calix
Summary
This article is about how fast food workers want to be paid fifteen dollars or more
per hour. These people think it is unfair to be paid under fifteen dollars an hour.
Because of their beliefs, they started a program promoting the idea of being paid more
than fifteen dollars an hour. They complain that under fifteen dollars is not enough
money to support their families and ask for more. Often the members of the campaign
“fight for fifteen” protest specifically outside fast food restaurants like McDonald's.
The fight for fifteen continues as it approaches its four year mark and have made
many protests and are progressing and getting higher wages.
Quote from Article
Quote from Dominique McCrae, a fast food
worker from North Carolina:
‘ "We just want to be able to support our
families," McCrae said.’
We think this quote is important because it shows
the attitudes of the workers. They aren’t greedy
and want more money for spending. Most of these
workers are hardworking parents who need a job
to support their families.
Suprise
I’m not surprised that people in the fight for fifteen campaign don’t like their
wages, I’m surprised that they have not reached their goal yet. The fight for fifteen
campaign has been around for three years, made multiple protests, and is getting lots
of attention. They must do something quick or they might not reach their goal of
fifteen dollars an hour.