s on the World
tunnel, slicing through a chain link fence, and running through
an empty lot. It turns out they were mistaken. Fabio Beltrones,
a Mexican politician, stated how, “The crisis in the Mexican
prison system is serious and must be addressed urgently.”
Middle East:
An anti-Islam video titled ‘Innocence Of Muslims’
was released by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and has resulted in
an outbreak of violence in countries such as Pakistan, Egypt,
and Afghanistan leading to the deaths of many. The violence
began in Cairo where Islamist protesters climbed the U.S.
Embassy walls and tore down the American flag from a pole in
the courtyard. Recently, Pakistani TV channels are airing clips
of President Obama and Hilary Clinton condemning the film
in order to deny the idea that it represented the thoughts of the
U.S. government. The U.S. spent $70,000 to air the 30-second
clip on seven Pakistani TV stations. Already there have been
positive results such as the peaceful ending of an originally
violent protest outside the U.S. embassy.
France:
In Paris, Charlie Hebdo of French Satirical Weekly
published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
French authorities criticized him for this and had to send riot
police to protect the magazine’s office after his Paris office
was fire bombed last November for publishing other satirical
pictures of the Muslim prophet. Many Muslims consider any
representation of Allah or Mohammad offensive. The French
government called for restraint over the cartoons, and Muslim
leaders in France (France accounts for Europe’s largest Muslim
population) appealed for peace. 150 people were arrested after
trying to protest near the U.S. Embassy in Paris last week.
China:
September 18 marked the 81st anniversary of the
Japanese invasion of China and resulted in an outbreak of
anger from the Chinese people. Protesters lined the streets
and outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, thousands stood
shouting for the boycott of Japanese goods. Some other
protests have even resulted in violence (torching/looting of
Japanese-invested factories and shops). In China, where the
authoritarian government rarely allows protests, these recent
ones seemed to have received some degree of official approval.
One of the major disputes between these two nations is that of
the ownership of the East China Sea Islands.•
Catalina Acebal, Sophomore
Brazil:
Many of us watched the 2012 London Olympics this year,
but in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, preparations have already begun
for the 2016 Olympic games as well as the 2014 World Cup.
One of the major projects that this country is undergoing is
“
cleaning its image” by bringing police control over the favelas
(
Brazilian shanty towns or slums). One example is Santa Marta,
a favela in Rio de Janeiro that lies below the famous Christ the
Redeemer statue. In 2008, special ops police invaded the slum,
evicted the gangs, built brightly covered apartment blocks, and
installed a new electrical service with 700 free refrigerators for
the residents. And that is just the beginning.
North Korea:
You’ve probably heard of PSY’s popular “Gangnam Style”
song and the horse-riding dance that comes with it. Well it turns
out that North Korea has as well. A few days ago, they posted
a parody video of that song on their government website that
has the horse-dancing character with the face of conservative
South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye’s face on
it. The lyrics in this parody video have her satirically defending
her late father, ex-president Park Chung-hee. Though he was a
harsh autocrat with a dictatorial rule, many believe that his rule
is what helped South Korea’s economy after the Korean War.
Mexico:
129
inmates in a northern Mexican prison escaped, not
by some elaborate plan, but by walking out the front doors. A
manhunt in Piedras Negras, Mexico ensued after the prisoners
escaped on Monday, and around 16 employees (including the
prison director) were arrested. Authorities had originally said
that the prisoners had escaped by slipping through a 23-foot
World News Overview
to see the different points of views that were shared and not
shared by the panelists. Also, L.A.S.A. had a benefit concert,
DALE 2012, which stands for Displaying American and Latino
Entertainment. It was held on October 5th and students
performed as well as finalist on NBC’s The Voice, Ashley de la
Rosa. There were Latino acts, but also an array of American
acts so anyone could have performed. There was also Latino
foods served and all the money raised went to a charity in
Ecuador, Fundación Amor y Esperanza. Also, L.A.S.A. gave
students an opportunity to literally pin point where they are
from on a map of Latin America. It was interesting to see just
how diverse our population is. L.A.S.A. also had a Latino-
themed food sale called Arepa Time on October 3rd.
As a Latina student, Hispanic Heritage Month is important
to me because it gives me a chance, as well as everyone in the
community, to embrace my culture and honor my ancestors and
roots. This is a time dedicated to educating my friends and fellow
students about where I come from and a chance to explain that
there are so many different cultures within the Hispanic culture.
Latinos can come together as a community and celebrate
together as well as invite the rest of the community to celebrate
along. You do not have to be Hispanic to be able to appreciate
this month. Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity to
learn about where your friends and fellow students and staff are
from. Latin Americans are proud Americans, but we integrate
our Latino identity with our American one.
Enjoy Hispanic Heritage Month and think about Latinos
and their presence in society and culture today.•
Chloe Suridis, Sophomore
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15
–
October 15. This is the time of year when we celebrate and
recognize the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to
history and our country.
Hispanic Heritage month begins September 15th
because five countries in Central America all share this date
as an independence day and other Hispanic countries have
independence days around September 15th. There are also
significant dates surrounding October 15th such as Columbus
Day and Día de la Raza on October 12th. President Lyndon
Guest created Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and President
Ronald Reagan extended it to a whole month in 1988.
It is important to learn about the impact Latinos have had
on society and history because it essential to know why society
is the way it is and where the American culture has come from.
This is a time when we can embrace the cultural diversity to
which America has become a haven. Celebrating this month
is especially easy for those who lives in Miami because of its
high concentration of Latinos. On a smaller scale, Hispanic
Heritage month is being celebrated at Ransom Everglades in a
way it has never celebrated it before.
This year, Latin American Student Association (L.A.S.A.)
put together events for the Ransom Everglades community
to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. For example, on
September 25th, L.A.S.A. had an assembly educating the RE
student body about Latinos, their culture, Latinos in American
History, and problems that they face and overcome. On top of
that, Latino guest speakers visited and shared their personal
experiences and thoughts on being Hispanic. It was interesting
Hispanic Heritage Month
8
PHOTOS FROM: 3NEW.CO.NZ,AWOMANSBRIDGE.ORG, BBC.CO.UK