A Deep-Rooted History of Activism Stirs in College Football
Source: NPR
Threatening to boycott games has been a historic method for athletes to attempt to influence change. Listen to this radio piece to learn more.
Current Events
Immigration Fears Not New in US History: Photos
Source: Discovery
This slideshow presents a timeline of Americans’ reservations about immigrants.
Making the risky crossing
Source: Boston Globe
Wave after wave of refugees risk drowning to cross the narrow but unpredictable channel between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos.
Jews Are Fleeing Russia Because of Putin
Source: Radio Free Europe
Immigrants from Russia make up a surprisingly large percentage of the Israeli population. Find out why this is so, now more than ever.
Trash-mapping expedition sheds light on “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”
Source: The Guardian
A garbage dump twice the size of Texas? In the Pacific Ocean? Find out what scientists and volunteers have discovered and what they are saying about this human-caused disaster.
El Niño
Source: National Geographic
Learn about the periodic weather system known as El Niño and how it affects weather on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
8-year-old empties piggy bank, campaigns to save Syrian refugees
Source: USA Today
As the circumstances of those fleeing Syria’s long civil war grow more dire, it sometimes seems like too daunting a problem for one person to help solve from half a world away. A Washington elementary student thinks otherwise, though.
Moving Innovation in Education Forward
Source: Medium
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presents an initiative to foster innovation in the educational system.
This year marks a new language shift in how English speakers use pronouns
Source: Quartz
The use of “they” as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun has been growing recently. But the 2015 Word of the Year has a surprisingly long history.
A Civil War journal, up close and personal
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An American literature class at California University of Pennsylvania recently undertook the digital transcription of a journal written by a Civil War soldier. The task required them to decipher a text that was not only faded, but written in a style of English different from what we speak today.