Wise Monkey News is here to provide young people an opportunity to discuss the issues that affect their lives. We hope that, through your participation, this website serves as a forum for the development, exchange, and expression of ideas that will prepare us to assume our positions as the leaders of tomorrow's world. Have something to say?
Kenji-san ni shoten o atteru - A focus on Kenji
by: Teresa Abbene - printed on 04-11-2001
“The biggest difference between the U.S. and Japan is that Americans describe every single detail. I have a friend living in Japan who is from the U.S. and every time we talk he drives me crazy! He’ll ask me, How’s it going? And I’ll answer, Fine. OK. And he’ll ask again, How?”
Aside from Americans’ insistent focus on details and feelings, Kenji Ishikawa likes living in the U.S. Kenji is a 23-year-old senior majoring in sociology.
The “Good Life”
by: Heather Burns - printed on 01-31-2001
“Where are you from?” People often ask me.
“I’m from here, Oregon.” I answer. It’s part of the truth.
It’s too difficult, most of the time, to explain that part of me is from Africa. I’m white and don’t have any sort of “strange” accent so I can usually pass for a typical US American (if such a thing exists). But, the truth is that I spent six years of my life before the age of 18 in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), West Africa.
Society and Biology Influence Gender
by: Katia Moles - printed on 09-25-2002
of my earliest childhood memories is of my dearest friend and I happily bouncing on my bed when he abruptly said, "My mom says if boys wear girls’ clothes, they go to hell."
Disney Perpetuates Gender Stereotypes
by: Marcilla Lucero-Miner - printed on 09-25-2002
What is worrisome is the values those heroes, princesses and villains represent. Using DisneyÂ’s most famous animated motion picture, Cinderella (1950), as an example, the way in which Disney characters are continually cast in traditional gender roles becomes clear.
Minority Nations in UK Don’t Need Unity
by: Chris Costello - printed on 11-15-2000
The United Kingdom’s principle island of Britain is composed of England, Scotland and Wales. Scotland, with a population of 5 million, and Wales, with roughly 2.7 million inhabitants, are known as the UK’s minority nations. Meanwhile, the mass majority of the UK resides in England, nearly 50 million. With such discrepancies in population, one ponders whether these minority nations can fully express themselves within the UK.
Who is in charge?
by: Chris Graham - printed on 09-12-2001
At the center of the debate over stem cell research, the value of human life is being debated from both sides of the issue. On one hand, stem cells are believed to potentially have the ability to regenerate damaged organs and tissues which would prove extremely valuable in the fight against diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. The opposition stems from the fact that these stem cells are taken from embryos grown in fertility clinics.