Blasts in Boston
On the afternoon of April 15th, in the middle of the annual Boston Marathon, two bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring 180 more. A marathon is a long-distance footrace that stretches 26.2 miles. Many large cities host them, and Boston’s is one of the best-known in the world. Held each year on Patriot’s Day […]
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Education Reform Marks Anniversary On April 11, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) into law. This historic education bill was part of President Johnson’s War of Poverty initiative. Johnson believed that government could play an effective role in areas such as health care and education. ESEA provided equal access […]
Supreme Court Hears Cases Regarding Same-Sex Marriage
Last month the Supreme Court heard two separate cases concerning same-sex marriage. The first was a challenge to Proposition 8, the state of California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Prop 8 was approved by California voters in a 2008 referendum. The second was the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that was signed into law in 1996. […]
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Taliban Victim Returns to School In October, btw reported that a young educational activist named Malala Yousafzai had been shot by members of the Taliban in Pakistan. After five months of intense recovery and rehabilitation, she has returned to school. Malala, 15, was targeted by the extremist Islamic group because of her public opposition to […]
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New Premier of China On March 15, Li Keqiang became China’s new premier. Like in England, the premier acts as the head of the government, while the Chinese president functions mainly as a figurehead, similar to Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Unlike Great Britain or other countries that have democratic elections, China has only one […]
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Time for a New Pope The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, resigned on February 28th. This was a surprising announcement. Historically, the popes have remained in this leadership role until they die. The last time a pope resigned was all the way back in 1415. Pope Benedict XVI said […]
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Nazi-looted Art Returned In the years leading up to and during World War II, members of the Nazi party looted the homes of Jewish families sent to concentration camps. They stole millions of items, including valuables like silver, china, books, religious treasures, and art. It was been over sixty years since the end of that […]
The Super Bowl is a Family Affair
The journey to the Super Bowl for any sports figure is a long one. But very few of those journeys lead back to the same house. For the first time in sporting history, two brothers, John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh faced off as opposing coaches in the recent National Football League championship game– Super Bowl […]
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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 […]