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?
El Salvador: A Country of Beauty
by: Emilio Lopez - printed on 11-15-2000
Lying in the southwest corner of Central American, bordering Guatemala and Honduras, rests a country not commonly know by many people. It is a small hidden paradise about less than half the size of the State of Oregon. With a population of about 7 million people, El Salvador is the smallest and second most populated country in Central America.
Unfortunately, many of the few things people have ever heard about this country are related to war.
Bush & Blair: Future Nobel Laureates?
by: Casey O'Connor - printed on 03-27-2002
A little over a month ago a member of Norway?s parliament, Harald Tom Nesvik, nominated Mr. George W. Bush (our president) and Mr. Tony Blair (Britain?s Prime Minister) for the (rather) prestigious Noble Peace Prize.
"The background for my nomination is their decisive action against terrorism, something I believe in the future will be the greatest threat to peace. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to use force to secure peace," said Nesvik.
Nurturing our Bodies/Nurturing Mother Earth
by: Tim Crump - printed on 03-28-2001
My morning bicycle ride to the University of Portland is one of the few times in the day that I feel good, truly and deeply good, about what I am doing. In our lives, so many of our decisions and actions involve trade-offs. To keep the apartment warm we have to turn up the heat and burn more energy. To learn more about an important subject, we print out an article, using a few more sheets of paper.
What exactly is the meaning of the mystical word 'mantra'?
by: Kelly Maggi - printed on 10-24-2001
Since the debut of this column two months ago, readers have brought one question to me repeatedly: “What in the world is a mantra???” I hope that this will answer your question.
The Modern Mantra:
I use modern mantra in this column. A modern mantra consists of a simple phrase or a couple of words that are meant to help one get through the day or a particular situation. You probably already use these without knowing it.
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.
An American Dream from Thailand
by: Outhorn Keophelia - printed on 04-25-2001
In 1975, at the tail end of the Vietnam War, 35-year-old Sisouk Keophila, his wife Sengphet and their three-year-old and one-year-old daughters were struggling to break free from war-torn Laos. Searching for a way to escape from the communist-ruled country, the Keophilas finally found an opportunity to flee to America.
In 1978, Trinity United Methodist Church in Salem, Oregon sponsored the Keophila family to come to America.