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?
US applauded for recognizing anorexia as a problem
by: Katie King - printed on 02-28-2001
Studying abroad in Spain last semester opened my eyes, wide and clear, to many differences between our two countries, and reading Erin Smith’s words last week in her article “Social pressure causes unhealthy behavior” struck a chord with me. Among other things, Spain is known for its beautiful people, but this attraction comes at the expense of their health.
At first, it seemed as though Spain didn’t have many social problems, especially in comparison to Franco’s dictatorship and the monarchies preceding it.
Illegal immigrants gain priority admissions to California universities
by: Jaime Denning - printed on 03-06-2002
You live in New York. Your dad, his dad and his grandfather all attended the University of California at Berkeley. Family tradition and desire push you to apply to the university. You harass the mailman daily, waiting for your acceptance letter. Finally it comes and you run triumphantly with it into the kitchen where your step-mom is making cookies. You tear open the creamy cardstock envelope and find "Dear Joe, We regretfully inform you.
"Just some banter about trees"
by: Meghan Molenda - printed on 02-06-2002
I sat down and introduced myself as an inquisitive mind wondering about the other side of the story. Mere human knowledge, although it was abundant, was not enough for me to form an unbiased, educated view. No matter how many facts you have on a subject, you can?t make an educated decision if you ignore a valuable position. I wanted to know about the world from the viewpoint of a tree, and human knowledge just wouldn?t cut it.
Helping Alaskan honey buckets
by: Maia Nolan - printed on 04-10-2002
Spring has come at last to Anchorage, Alaska. After a record-breaking St. Patrick's Day storm that dumped more than two feet of snow on the city in just over 24 hours, canceled school for two days and left residents piling snowberms up to six feet high as they dug out, it was starting to seem like winter was here for good. Today, though, the sun is shining and a new, unfamiliar substance is starting to replace the ice: pavement.
Ice shelves fall; the heat is on
by: Sarah Dempsey - printed on 03-27-2002
Last week the world saw first-hand the disturbing effects of global warming. Part of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, made up of 720 billion tons of ice (roughly the size of Rhode Island), collapsed into the ocean after a month of rapid melting and disintegration. This was not a prediction, not some scientist's dreadful warning, this was real life. This was the result of five decades of sharp temperature increases of as much as 4.
A pace protester reflects
by: Casey Terry - printed on 09-11-2002
Had it been any other day, the ungodly hour at which I was awoken would have caused quite a riff between mother and me. Instead, it left us huddled close together, staring at the TV screen in shock and horror. Like most Americans, I cried for the devastating loss of life.