Stuff You Should Know
Ongoing Debate on Gun Control
In the wake of last December’s shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama moved gun control to the top of his agenda. He proposed a number of new gun laws, including a renewed ban of assault rifles as well as stricter background checks. Lawmakers in Washington are deeply divided on both sides of this issue. On January 29th, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to listen to testimony from those with strong opinions for and against the proposed laws.
Gabrielle Giffords, a former U.S. Representative from Arizona testified. In 2011, Giffords was shot during a political meet-and-greet at a grocery store. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly also testified, urging lawmakers to close loopholes allowing persons to by-pass background checks. Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association (NRA) also testified. He told Congress that gun control measures of the past have failed. He said that gun-owners who obey the law should not be blamed for the acts of criminals or those with mental illnesses. LaPierre said that the NRA no longer supports universal background checks.
Dig Deeper–Find out why gun control causes such political gridlock. Are there any issues on which either side agree? Research recent proposals made to Congress in the past ten years. Make a list of which have passed and which did not. Are you able to find out why?
World Hijab Day
The hijab is a common clothing style for Muslim women. World Hijab Day wants to celebrate this clothing article.
Perhaps you have seen woman or girls who always wearing headscarves that cover their heads and wrap around their face, neck, and shoulders. These garments are called hijabs and are mostly worn by female Muslim practitioners of the Islamic faith. The first annual World Hijab Day was celebrated on February 1st,. The event encourages non-Muslim women to wear a hijab for a day to better understand what it’s like to wear one in public. The event was created by Nazma Khan, a Bangladeshi-American woman living in New York. As a young girl, Khan was teased because of her hijab. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this teasing got worse. Khan created World Hijab Day to increase awareness of Islamic faith and the Muslim culture and to correct misconceptions about the hijab as a symbol of oppression for women.
Celebrated in more than 50 countries around the world, the organizers of this event reject the idea that women only wear hijabs because a radical male family member insists they do so. According to the World Hijab Day website, a Muslim woman covers herself to send a message that she respects her body and that others should judge her for her mind.
What Do You Think? If you are female, would you consider wearing a hijab for a day? Why or why not? If yes, what challenges do you think you might face? What advantages? If you are male, how do you think you would react to a female friend who decided to take part in World Hijab Day?
Number of Syrian Refugees Grows
btw has posted periodic updates on events in the Middle East since the beginning of the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring is the term describing when large numbers of protestors in several Middle Eastern countries stood up against dictatorships in the region. These protest efforts have eventually aided in removal of some leaders such as Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddafi. However, the Syrian government used lethal force against its citizens, killing more than 40,000 of them. Many Syrians have fled the country, seeking safety in neighboring countries of Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq. Syria has a population of approximately 6 million people. At the end of 2012, there were more than 408,000 registered refugees living in temporary tent cities. Millions more are considered “internally displaced persons” (IDPs), which means they have left their residence, but still live within their country, which is considered unsafe.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is an agency of the United Nations. Its function is to protect and support the well-being of refugees world-wide. Taking in large numbers of refugees can place a large burden on the host country. Recently, King Abdullah of Jordan announced that his country resources are becoming exhausted by the many demands on the refugees in his country’s borders. The UNHCR is seeking more support.
Dig Deeper–Look at the recent history of political refugees (Vietnam, Cuba, Somalia, Sudan). How are these conflicts similar and different than that of Syria and what are the long-term effects?
Facebook, Inc.
It has been almost ten years since Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg launched the popular social networking site from his dorm room at Harvard University. After years of being a privately-held company (which means it was owned by a small number of shareholders), Facebook filed for an “initial public offering” (IPO) in 2012. This means the public could buy and sells shares of its stock on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The greatly anticipated stock became available on May 18, 2012 for the price of $38 a share.
On the day Facebook went public, there were many problems–computer glitches and delays led to a great deal of unfortunate confusion. By the end of the day, the company stock value had dropped by almost $4, and continued to decline in the following days. Many financial experts called the situation a fiasco. Facebook shareholders have filed class action lawsuits against both Facebook and Morgan Stanley, the bank that underwrites the stock. There are many other lawsuits as well, including one against NASDAQ for mismanaging the trading event.