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?
The U.S. flies solo in Iran
by: Casey O'Connor - printed on 02-06-2002
President Bush, in his recent State of the Union address, grouped Iran with Iraq and North Korea in what he termed an "axis of evil." He has since kept up his hard line rhetoric, stating that the three countries have been "put on notice." Putting Iran in the same category as Iraq and North Korea is seen by many in the international community as rather extreme and based on shaky evidence. European countries fear that such a confrontational stance toward Iran will be counter-productive and may inhibit recent moves toward liberalization and reform within the strategically significant Middle Eastern state.
Make Every Day Earth Day
by: Chris Sparks - printed on 04-11-2001
Simple Facts…
Some simple facts to keep in mind. Though already over 6 billion, the population of the Earth grows by 83 million people a year. 80 percent of the global population lives on under $2 a day. 20 percent of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water or adequate sanitation. The 20 richest countries in the world consume nearly 80 percent of the natural gas, 65 percent of the oil, and 50 percent of the coal produced each year.
In search for all the news that’s fit to print
by: Casey O'Connor - printed on 11-28-2001
I spent the first four months of my time in El Salvador reading the right wing Spanish language newspaper La Prensa Grafica. Shortly after the attacks of September 11th, however, my housemates and I decided to look for another, possibly more complete, version of the news, and so we ended up with the The New York Times on our table every morning. After my initial euphoria due to the presence of a credible English language periodical wore off, I realized that a significant portion of the news seemed to be missing from the paper that claims to publish “All the news that’s fit to print.
Protecting Freedom
by: Steve Groke - printed on 03-28-2001
STAR’s ongoing campaign to stop weapons training on campus, as well as its questioning of the image ROTC gives to a Catholic University, makes me reflect on why I joined the ROTC program. Why do I want to make a career out of serving our country? Why would I sacrifice my life and possibly the happiness of my family by joining the military?
All my life I’ve wanted to be part of something big—to stand for something I think is right.
A vision of peace
by: Hank Smith - printed on 03-27-2002
People who win the Nobel Prize for Peace are considered individuals of special talent and passion. They are seen as builders of a new world free of hate and war and murder. Books are written about them, television programs chronicle their lives, and their words are studied in classrooms throughout the world. These peacemakers, we think, are truly special people.
Yet do these Nobel laureates think of themselves as having more influence than other individuals? Do they see themselves as unique people with a special talent for peace building? The answer, gathered from their words, is a resounding no.
Government denies Umatilla disaster
by: Isaac Vanderburg - printed on 04-10-2002
Suddenly, Tony Kimball was choking to death.
A split second earlier he had been seated on a toolbox, reaching for the instrument tray while his coworkers hammered, welded and grinded through steel, cement and iron. But all the while a silent predator was stalking and, when it attacked, it came from everywhere, hushing the construction sight in a moment and arresting Kimball's hand in mid-reach.