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?
A journey through Paris
by: Jefferson Azevedo - printed on 09-12-2001
Paris is romantic by definition, gallant by tradition, sophisticated by choice. I spent last year living, studying, and working in Paris; each day, upon exiting a metro station or turning a street corner, I came across a glamorous café or a staggering monument erected to celebrate French power. It sometimes felt like time had stopped in the bohemian life of the 20’s, as if I had been caught in a live oil canvas by Picasso or Van Gogh.
Studying abroad in Spain proves to be an adventure
by: Sally Starker - printed on 02-28-2001
I couldn’t believe I was actually going to Spain. I was so excited, yet so scared. I arrived in Granada and my roommate and I met our host mother. We knew everything would be wonderful because she greeted us with a huge smile on her face.
I soon realized I had lots to learn about the Spanish culture. Once, I went into a grocery store to buy an onion. I went right over and picked it up, but when I turned around, I noticed everyone was looking at me.
The need for change in America's high schools
by: Ryan O'Connor - printed on 01-23-2002
A bull's eye has been strapped to the back of the public education system. Republicans, Democrats, the Christian-Right, Libertarians, rich, poor, black, red, white, brown, everyone has discovered to root of societies ills-today's high schools.
Most public schools today are in fact a microcosm of society: numerous factions competing for limited resources, with those with the loudest, strongest, most visible, supporters commandeering the spoils.
The Equal Rights Amendment: Why women are still not full citizens
by: Cassie Terry - printed on 09-25-2002
Some questions on citizenship: are you a native-born American (not a green card holder)? Is your criminal record free of felonies? Can you vote? Can you run for office? Can you sue or be sued? Are you male? If you answered no to any of these questions, your rights are not being protected by the constitution. Yes, that is right, girls. The law of the land does not afford you equal rights. In fact, the only women’s right formally protected by the constitution is your right to vote. Only recently has the law recognized a woman’s right to equal protection.
Monologues help women
by: Sruthi Mathews - printed on 09-25-2002
It was on a whim really. I had no idea. I wasn’t prepared for the depth of experience and truth which would resonate the theater walls on the day of auditions. Some of the women recalled the basic and occasionally humorous frustrations of simply belonging to the female gender— PAP smears, tampons, etc.—
Research, diversity and prospects for herpetological survival in Costa Rica and the rest of the world
by: Eron Osterhaus - printed on 04-24-2002
Since the middle of the nineteenth century, the number of species of amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica that have been identified has increased significantly. Although new species are occasionally added to the list of Costa Rican herpetofauna, the rate of discovery has slowed considerably. One might, therefore, expect that contemporary research efforts would be directed towards studying the biology and natural history of the already-identified species, particularly since current understanding is far from complete and, in many cases, has been derived solely from the examination of preserved museum specimens.