Jasmine Lin Per. 6 8/24/11 Headlines 1. Fixing No Child Left Behind http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-nclb-20110813,0,7964411.

story Summary: Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has finally decided to take action in rewriting the No Child Left Behind Act in mid-August, a process that has been in talks among Congress for several years. The No Child Left Behind Act grants extra money for schools with a proportion of low-income students and incompetent teachers; however, the funds have not caused any evident improvement among these schools. Because the law does not possess an effective accountability system regarding measuring schools' progress, Duncan plans to revise the act to be more realistic and reasonable by judging individual improvements and considering teacher evaluations in standardized-test evaluations, dropout rates, college attendance, and portfolios of work outside of testing. Significance: The No Child Left Behind Act is undoubtedly a law code of the upmost importance, providing equal opportunities for children with poorer backgrounds. However, some of the schools that have been receiving extra government funds seem to be taking an unethical advantage of the cash, using it to whatever means they wish, as shown through their students' unchanged poor test scores. Although Congress has discussed the problem for many years, they have failed to take action. Instead, Duncan is carrying out Congress's duties by dedicating himself to the improvement of the act. Both issues raise the topic of abusing power, as schools abuse the money given to them and Congress abuses their jobs by ignoring urgent duties. 2. The wrong kind of sea foam http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-foam-20110815,0,1996040.story Summary: Los Angeles is currently deliberating the bill SB 568 regarding the phase-out of polystyrene, or Styrofoam, from food containers, before it goes to the committee on Wednesday, August 24th. The bill passed the state Senate in July, and since then, has been improved with more realistic provisions for a steady transition away from foam without having a huge impact on restaurants and consumers. Since there are many other alternatives for Styrofoam, as well as a steady food container job industry, the change should not significantly effect businesses or employees. The new bill now gives cities until 2016 to either recycle 60% of the foam, or preferably ban the substance altogether. Significance: It is heartening to know that the state is actually taking action, despite opposition, to protect the environment by removing Styrofoam, which pollutes the oceans with its crumbling, small pieces that are difficult to remove. Luckily, our government has joined in on taking care of the Earth in which we live in, support that can be helpful with future environmental issues as well. Although Californian coastal cities are already

required to keep plastic trash out of the ocean, the small crumbs of Styrofoam easily pass through the ineffective filters. Styrofoam and its business are not a necessity in our society, so shifting to environmentally friendly containers is a logical decision. Reducing Styrofoam will benefit our city, state, as well as our oceans, and their inhabitants, that coastal cities enjoy. 3. A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-adv-galileo-wrong20110828,0,3264179.story Summary: Although the heliocentric theory has been proven and accepted for many centuries, there are still a handful of conservative Roman Catholics that claim that the world is geocentric, according to Bible verses. The movement has surprisingly gained followers who strictly follow the early, outdated church doctrine. Followers claim the text in the Bible to be definite proof that the Earth is the center of the universe. These conservatives are using ancient writings to argue against modern, advanced science. They have held conferences, such as one last fall named, "Galileo Was Wrong. The Church Was Right." Significance: The stubbornness of a few Catholics has embarrassed as well as damaged the modern Church's reputation. Their shocking revelations expose the fact that there are still many staunch, outdated believers that still exist, and who refuse to accept what modern science has proven over and over again. Many are not even sure whether to consider the movement legitimate, a prank, or even a conspiracy to damage the church's reputation. These false ideas that are spread will lead to false information and immoral actions that may take a toll on the church's credibility, as few Catholics seem to disregard the concept of the separation of religion and science. Their absurd comments and beliefs come to a shock, as they continue to challenge what has been common knowledge for centuries. The geocentric has been dead for centuries due to its misinformation, but conservative Catholics are trying to resurrect a concept that is dead for a reason.