THE WORLD
From Issue #12
Oh Canada...And Beyond!
Teen Beaten for Muslim Ancestry
A muslim teenager was severely beaten in a racially motivated attack, which left the 19-year-old needing reconstructive surgery to rebuild his shattered jaw, nose and cheekbones. Four boys with bats and golf clubs attacked Rashid Alam yelling racial slurs and white power slogans as they stomped his head and beat him unconscious in a Los Angeles, California park. Rashid’s father said his son has always been teased about his Lebanese ancestry and that “there are a lot of sick people...who think everybody who is Arab is bad like Saddam."
Source: Reuters
U.K. Teen Tycoon Logs On To Success
Chris Mole, 18, formed his own company, that sells computers to students, after day-dreaming in a physics exam. He is now poised to become a millionaire. He said while struggling through a question he “realised that although all students need computers, no-one was specifically catering for them." So, using his experience from Young Enterprise projects at school, he found a company able to make computers at a competitive rate. He then arranged a deal with the National Union of Students to sell to their members. His company, Studentdesktops.com, began trading in September 2002, and has made almost $700,000—with projections for over $9 million this summer.
Source: BBC News
Student Fined for 'Apple Cannon'
An Australian boarding school student has been fined $180 for firing apples from a homemade cannon into a Brisbane shopping center car park.
The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to two firearm offences after firing five "hard green apples" off a balcony. The student had been showing off his cannon-making skills when a witness called police. He told police he loaded the cannon, made with two pieces of PVC pipe, with apples and used aerosol deodorant and a flint striker to ignite the pipe and propel the fruit through the air. The teen was issued a four-month good behavior bond with the fine.
Source: AAP
TV Series Gives Teens the Scoop On Sex
Beijing, China has created its first TV series focusing on sex education for teens. Entitled "How Can I Tell You This?” the series is centered on a group of junior high school students.
In traditional Chinese culture, "sex" has long been considered a disgraceful word that few discuss openly.
"Most of my classmates are sensitive to our physical changes...which we can only discuss in private," said a leading actor in the series and a third-year junior high student.
Juvenile pregnancies, drug abuse and STDs have risen among teenage students in recent years.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Teens Riding With Drunk Drivers
A medical journal says nearly a third of teens surveyed in Ontario admit they've been a passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver. In 1977, 58 per cent of students who took part in the survey said they had driven within an hour of having two or more drinks. In 2001, the same survey found that 15 per cent admitted driving within an hour of drinking.
Source: CBC News Online
