Stuff YOU Should Know
California Wildfires Worst Ever
The six wildfires blazing across Southern California continue to rage, leaving death and widespread destruction in their path. As of Sunday evening, the six fires combined had claimed nearly 200,000 acres, destroyed 792 structures, and were responsible for the deaths of 43 people.
The largest of the six fires is the Thomas Fire, which broke out in Ventura County last Monday. As of this weekend, it had destroyed 173,000 acres. Roughly 4,400 firefighters battled the blaze with water-dropping helicopters and at least one hundred fire engines. Even so, by early Sunday, the Thomas fire was only about 15 percent contained. The second-largest fire, the Creek Fire, started a day after the Thomas Fire in nearby Los Angeles County. As of Sunday, it had burned 15,619 acres but was 90 percent contained.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, firefighters are pushed to their limits. High winds over the weekend worsened the fires, causing them to spread erratically. Wind gusts and warm temperatures early in the week, combined with no rain forecasted for California for the next two weeks, means that fighting the flames will continue to be an uphill battle.
The 2017 California wildfire season has been the most destructive one on record. California Governor Jerry Brown says that this is largely due to climate change and that Californians will need to accept this recurrence as Southern California continues to heat up.
Dig Deeper Use internet resources to locate each of the six wildfires–Thomas, Creek, Rye, Lilac, Skirball, and Liberty–on a map of California. Based on your map, where do you think the fires are most likely to spread if they are not contained? Are any major cities in danger? Explain your predictions.
Trump’s Statements About Jerusalem Lead to Protests
Last Wednesday, President Trump generated lots of discussion and disagreement when he officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This move reverses decades of U.S. foreign policy and has led to widespread protests.
The political and legal status of Jerusalem has been in the news a lot this past week. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-DIG-matpc-22753]
The policy of the UN and all other U.S. presidents has been to try to remain neutral in the conflict between Israel and Palestine in order to hopefully achieve eventual peace in the region. Trump’s statement seems to indicate a shift in a different direction.
Trump’s speech led to protests all over the world. Some were peaceful, but others were not. In Beirut, for example, protestors chanted, threw rocks, and set fires near the U.S. embassy, until police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the crowd. Reports circulated of U.S. and Israeli flags being burned in Palestinian territories. Thirteen leaders of Christian churches in Jerusalem also came together to write a letter speaking out against Trump’s plan, saying that it will only lead to further divisiveness and violence in an already unstable region.
Dig Deeper Jerusalem is considered a holy city by all three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Use internet resources to find out why.
Australia Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Last Thursday, Australia passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill passed overwhelmingly in Parliament, with only four legislators voting against it.
The road to this point has been a long one. Since 2004, there have been 22 attempts in the Australian Parliament to legalize same-sex marriage. All have failed. The former prime minister, Tony Abbott, was strongly against it. Last month, however, the people of Australia voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. In a nonbinding referendum conducted by mail, 61 percent of Australians voted in support. The current prime minister, Malcolm Turnball, is a supporter of same-sex marriage. However, many people criticized his decision to hold the referendum in the first place. Doing so opened up public debate on the issue in a way that was often hurtful to gay couples, as opponents of same-sex marriage rallied against them.
Nevertheless, after the referendum passed, it took just three weeks for the legislation to make its way successfully through Parliament. The new law guarantees equality to same-sex couples in terms of benefits, employment, and taxes. It changes the definition of marriage from including one man and one woman, to “the union of two people.” It also recognizes same-sex marriages from other countries as legal. However, it doesn’t require ministers or other officials who are opposed to same-sex marriage to perform same-sex weddings.
Dig Deeper One of the most unique speeches to come out of the debate in the Australian Parliament was given by representative Tim Wilson. Use internet resources to find out what was so special about Wilson’s speech.
New “Pro Hijab” is a Game Changer
Imagine that you are a Muslim woman or girl who wants to participate in active sports. That can be tricky: how do you play sports while wearing a hijab?
This year, sporting goods giant Nike came up with a solution. It’s called the “Pro Hijab,” and retails for about $35. The Pro Hijab is made of special lightweight, breathable, stretchy polyester: light enough that it won’t cause extra sweating, heavy enough that it won’t fall off while you compete. It’s also moisture-wicking for added comfort. Originally slated to come out in the spring of 2018, it is actually available to customers now, several months earlier than expected. At the moment it is only available in black and obsidian, though white and gray options will be released in January. German boxer Zeina Nassar, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari, and Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad all provided feedback to Nike as it developed the product, and now star in its advertising campaign.
The Pro Hijab, featured in Time magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2017,” will obviously help female Muslim athletes compete more effectively while maintaining their beliefs. But aside from its obvious practical benefits, the Pro Hijab has important value symbolically. It means that Muslim women are finally becoming accepted, empowered, outspoken members of the worldwide sports community.