Stuff YOU Should Know
Newcomer Bellis Wows at U.S. Open
Credit: Glow Images; was a new star shining at the U.S. Open tennis tournament this year?
Everyone loves a good defy-the-odds success story, especially if the story involves a young person in an adult world. Fifteen-year-old Ci Ci Bellis has taken tennis by storm, becoming the youngest person in the history to win a match at the US Open (one of four championship tennis tournaments that make up the “grand slam”). She went into the competition a relative unknown, until she defeated 12th seeded Dominika Cibulkova. (Seeding is a bracketing system that is used to rank players so that the top players don’t meet one another in early rounds of a tournament).
Although Bellis was later defeated in the second round, she is being hailed by the media as “the future of tennis.” So far, she’d not been rattled by the attention, saying that she would gladly appear on the Ellen Show if asked. But one of the biggest perks of being in the spotlight is that she got to meet her favorite player, Kim Clijisters. Despite her big win, Bellis will not accept prize money so that she can keep her amateur status and play in college.
Dig Deeper Last month, btw presented a You Decide poll regarding young athletes and the media. Do you think the pressure could get to be too much for Bellis? Find at least two sources that support your opinion.
Update in the Ukraine
The last time btw reported on Russia, it was to report that the McDonald’s in the region were being closed under suspicious circumstances. This week, the country has bigger problems than a shortage of Big Macs. On August 29, around 1000 Russian soldiers illegally crossed the border into the Ukraine. Russia has denied the allegations in spite of proof by way of satellite images. Despite statements that the US would not engage in military action against Russia, the Pentagon announced that 200 troops will participate in an annual exercise in Western Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held a summit in Wales last week where they focused on what to do in the Ukraine. Because it is not one of the 28 countries that belongs to NATO, the organization is under no obligation to defend the Ukraine, but believe not doing so is a bigger risk to the security of their own countries. Shortly before the summit began, there was news of a ceasefire proposal by Russia that was ultimately dismissed by the Ukrainian Prime Minister.
Dig Deeper Do some research on the contents of Putin’s ceasefire agreement and why it was ultimately denied. Likewise, find out the reasons for its denial. President Obama has said that no agreement will be effective that is not about “controlling the separatists.” Find out what he means by that and how likely that is to happen.
Go Read a Book!
Are you an avid reader? If so, you’ll be happy to know that September 6 was National Read a Book Day. But don’t worry. If you happened to miss the day, there are books all around. Pick one up and start reading. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that reading for pleasure helps improve your memory and ability to concentrate, as well as your vocabulary. But you might be surprised to learn the some other benefits of reading are reducing stress, building self esteem, broadening your world-view, and creating a tighter bond with your family.
The books that continue to capture the imaginations of new readers (and obsessive re-readers) are those by John Green, and the Divergent, Hunger Games, and the Percy Jackson series. Some new titles sweeping the study hall (or backseat of the car on long, family drives) are Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, If I Stay by Gayle Forman and the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. Old-school classics that refuse to fade away include The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth books (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings).
Dig Deeper Check out this recent list of the Top 100 Teen Novels of All Time. How many books on this list have you read? Make a list of those you’ve been meaning to read but haven’t gotten to, or any that look particularly interesting to you.
Ferguson Schools Reopen
Like many cities across the country, schools in Ferguson, Missouri were scheduled to start on August 14, 2014. When the shooting death of Michael Brown by a police officer sparked ongoing protests across the city, several school districts decided to postpone the start of school because many bus routes ran through areas where protests and looting had taken place. Nearly 11,000 from two Northern St. Louis counties were affected. For many, returning to school meant a return to familiar routines and finding a place to process the chaos of the past month. For others, it is a nervous time to be sending children away from their homes.
While students were still home, school administrators and teachers participated in specialized trainings on crisis management. They also shared strategies on how to talk to their students about what happened in their city. More guidance counselors have been put into place to anticipate the needs of students as they return. Police presence, on the other hand, has been reduced as a way to lesson tensions caused by the Brown incident.