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China's gymnasts don't quite reach the bar. |
The world is a strange place--so strange that no mere CNN or Fox News can possibly hope to capture all of the outrageous occurrences that take place every day. In recognition of this fact, it! has taken upon itself the task of providing you with a sampling of miscellaneous news that might have slipped through the cracks during the past few weeks, and which we hope you will find a bit more intriguing than the latest Gallup poll.
STRAIGHT TALK EXPELLED?
The Washington Post detailed an interesting facet of higher education on Sunday with an article about the travails of two college students kicked out of a University of Virginia summer program due to violating the school's honor code ("An Education in the Dangers of Online Research").
The students' infractions occurred when they paraphrased material from the much-maligned online resource Wikipedia and then failed to cite it properly in their research paper. While some students cried foul over this implementation of U.Va.'s strict honor code, an unusual event a day after the article was published served as a reminder that plagiarism, intentional or not, can befall anyone--even a presidential candidate.
Political Wire blogger Taegan Goddard pointed out Monday that John McCain, in a speech addressing the escalating conflict between Russia and Georgia, presented an overview of Georgian history using phrases oddly similar to some found on the country's Wikipedia page.
While McCain, himself, had nothing to do with writing the speech, it should be noted that, were he a student at U.Va., he would likely be facing a trial by fellow students and staff rather than some vague criticisms from left-leaning blogs strewn across the Web.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE NEST
As everyone knows, there's been a fair bit of controversy surrounding China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics. But one issue that has been remarkably absent from the firestorm has been the alleged use of underage athletes by the gold-medal winning Chinese women's gymnastics team.
Of course, we use the term "women's" loosely here since the athletes in question are required only to be 16 years old. Even so, The New York Times has reported on allegations that some of the country's gymnasts may be as young as 14 and carrying fraudulent passports.
While there is no proof that China is breaking International Olympic Committee rules, there are several worrying circumstances surrounding the country's team. Most notable is the testimony of one former gymnast who claimed to have competed for China in the 2000 Olympics as a 14-year-old. There is also the fact that China's gymnasts are, on average, 3 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than the United States team.
The IOC appears to be unperturbed by the allegations; however, there is speculation that the issue is not receiving proper attention simply because the organization is afraid of offending the host nation.
A CAPITOL IDEA
As our presidential candidates continue to bicker about the best way to alter American energy consumption and Paris Hilton continues to offer what is undoubtedly the best solution, there are several recent grassroots efforts to promote eco-friendliness and energy efficiency that could wind up having an even more immediate impact.
Washington, D.C., for example, has decided to take the battle against eco-destroyers to its own streets by becoming the first major American city to offer a fleet of rentable bicycles for residents to use instead of taxis or personal automobiles. While it is no secret that bike-riding is becoming more popular-- even in the notoriously lazy modern American environment--this bike-sharing program represents a huge step for a country that has been slow to emulate successful conservation efforts going on in Europe. As of now, bike rentals in the District will require a $40-a-year membership, which will allow individuals to borrow bikes for up to three hours from any of the city's 10 racks.
On the European front, Swedish furniture giant Ikea has announced that it will be investing 50 million euros (that's $74.5 million on this side of the pond) in environmentally friendly clean technology start-ups over the next five years.
Ikea already uses renewable energy in a number of its stores and began its GreenTech fund eight months ago; but this investment promise might have an even more direct impact on consumers' lives. With the amount of money Ikea has poured into the fund, the Cleantech Group has said it would be possible for Ikea to start selling renewable energy technology such as solar panels and smart meters in its stores.
Matt Cameron is a rising senior at James Monroe High School.
