Contemporary Problems Senior Project p. 2

Belgium Terror Attacks

The Belgium terror attacks: Complete coverage - CNBC.com
Mar 23, 2016 - A series of deadly explosions rocked Belgium's capital on Tuesday, targeting the main airport of Zaventem and the city's metro system. ... At least 34 people have been killed in bombings at the Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station that took place on Tuesday.

Graphic: What Happened at Each Location in the Brussels Attacks ... The New York Times
Mar 24, 2016 - One brother was detained by Turkey near the Syrian border last year and flagged as “a foreign terrorist fighter.” Belgium's interior and justice ..

Brussels Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know
By Victoria Shannon March 22, 2016, New York Times

The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office confirmed the three men in a picture published in the Belgian news media are suspects in the airport bombings.

Brussels attacks - The Telegraph
Mar 26, 2016 - The Brussels attacks came a week after Belgian police killed a .... Amid heightened fears of a terror attack in the UK, Dr Barry Morgan will ...

Supreme Court Nomination (Death of Anton Scalia & the appointment of Merrick Garland)

7 Things To Know About Presidential Appointments To The Supreme Court
Find out what the U.S. Constitution says about Supreme Court nominations. The role of the Senate has been interpreted in different ways throughout history. In early American history, it took the Senate about a week to consider and vote on nominees. By the late twentieth century, it took over two months. The current record for a confirmed nomination is 125 days and nineteen Senate hearings. The longest Supreme Court vacancy was twenty-seven months when Tyler was president. The Senate didn't like his nominees. Nixon also had trouble getting his nominees through the Senate, leaving a vacancy for 391 days.
Topic: Executive power--United States, United States.--Supreme Court Lexile: 1230 News Source http://www.npr.org

The Supreme Court after Justice Scali
The death of Justice Scalia less than a year before the 2016 presidential election raised controversy about whether the sitting president should nominate a justice and whether the Senate should consider his candidate. Nominations for a Supreme Court justice have happened twenty-two times in an election year. Half of those candidates were approved by the Senate. President Tyler tried to force through his choice of three nominees by repeated submitting them to the Senate. It didn't work. Supreme Court nominees have been sent to the Senate for approval thirteen times between an election and the new president taking office. Seven were successful.
Topic: United States.--Supreme Court--History, United States.--Supreme Court Lexile: 1430 http://law.gsu.edu

Battle Lines Sharpen in Fight Over Supreme Court Vacancy
Appointing a new Supreme Court justice to replace Antonin Scalia could shift the balance of the United States' highest court. Justice Scalia was conservative, but President Obama is liberal. The president has the constitutional responsibility to nominate a justice, but is unlikely to get Senate confirmation for a candidate with significantly different views than Scalia. Obama has less than a year left in office, and the seat in the Supreme Court could stay empty until a new president is in office. The decision has risks for both parties with an upcoming election.
Topic: United States.--Supreme Court Lexile: 1420 Video News Source http://america.aljazeera.com

President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination | The White House
Meet President Obama's Supreme Court Nominee. Watch Chief Judge Merrick Garland share his story and his thoughts on being nominated to sit on the
nation's ...

The Opioid Crisis in New England the United States

About the Epidemic | HHS.gov
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, in addition to this important role in pain management, the abuse and misuse of opioid medications has become a public health crisis.
The U.S. Opioid Epidemic | Prescription Drug Abuse | Prescription Drug Overdose | Heroin Abuse |
Opioid Prescribing Practices | Federal Response to the Epidemic |Federal Plans to Combat Opioid Abuse
www.hhs.gov › Opioids

Prescription Pain Medications (Opioids)
Opioids are prescribed for pain relief, often to deal with post-surgical or chronic pain. They may also be used for short-term severe pain, or to reduce a cough or diarrhea. Common opioids include morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, and methadone. Painkillers are relatively safe when used under a doctor's supervision, but are often abused. Opioid abuse occurs when you take someone else's prescription, take more than prescribed, mix it with other drugs, or take it to feel euphoric. These drugs block pain receptors in the brain and spinal cords. They can also affect breathing. Investigate the difference between dependence, addiction, and withdrawal.
Topic: Morphine Language: English Lexile: 1200 http://teens.drugabuse.gov

Heroin
Nicknamed black tar or smack, heroin is a psychoactive opioid drug. It varies in color from a white powder to black tar. Prescription painkiller addicts sometimes choose heroin because it can be easier to obtain. Heroin is often injected, but can be smoked or snorted. In the brain, it works like morphine. After an initial high, users often sleep as their breathing slows. Repeated use can lead to tolerance, dependence, and addiction. A quarter of a million people end up in the emergency room each year from heroin overdose. Half a million people are addicted to heroin.
Topic: Heroin Language: English Lexile: 1190 http://teens.drugabuse.gov

ISIS and the War on Terror

ISIS Trail of Terror
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) emerged out of an al-Qaeda faction. ISIS brutally executes Westerners and terrorizes unarmed citizens in Syria and Iraq. The Iraq branch of al Qaeda (AQI), under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, began bombing and beheading during the Iraq War. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took over when al-Zarqawi was killed in an American airstrike. He expanded AQI into Syria and renamed it ISIS. Al Qaeda severed connections with ISIS due to conflicts between al-Baghdadi and al-Zawahiri. Learn about ISIS' fighters, Western supporters, and the campaign against ISIS.
Topic: Islamic State (IS) Lexile: 1490 Video News Source http://abcnews.go.com

Selling Terror: How ISIS Details Its Brutality
ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is not your average, run of the mill terrorist organization. Since 2012, ISIS has issued glossy annual reports outlining things like the number of bombings (4,000), assassinations (1,000), suicide missions, checkpoints, cities gained, and even ‘backsliders’ converted to the ISIS cause. In 2013 ISIS reportedly sponsored nearly 10,000 operations in Iraq, including radical prisoners freed. The Institute for the Study of War analyzed the report and said it looked similar to what organizations do in order to attract donors. In 2013, 8,000 civilians were killed in Iraq from terrorist attacks.
Topic: Islamic State (IS) Lexile: 1410 Video News Source http://www.ft.com

What ISIS Really Wants
Terrorists are often seen as psychopaths, but the Islamic State (ISIS) has a particular set of beliefs that motivates the terrorists. The guerrilla commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a Ramadan sermon from the Great Mosque in Mosul as caliph. Jihadists have come from around the world to join ISIS. The Islamic State rejects peace, supports genocide, and is determined to lead the world to the apocalypse. Analyze how al-Baghdad is different from bin Laden. Discover the Islamic strategies against infidels encouraged by al-Baghdad. Psychopaths have joined ISIS, but understanding the Sharia is essential for combating ISIS.
Topic: Islamic State (IS) Language: English Lexile: 1290 Magazine : http://www.theatlantic.com

ISIS Fast Facts - CNN.com
View ISIS Fast Facts at CNN.com and learn more about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Flint, Michigan and the Water Crisis

Flint Water Crisis: 5 Faces Dealing With Lead-tainted Taps in Michigan
Cutting costs was at the heart of the decision to change water sources for Flint, Michigan. They used the Flint River rather than Lake Huron. Flint River water is corrosive and caused lead to get into the city water. People drank this polluted water for a year and a half. In this article read about five people who will be affected the rest of their lives because of this crisis. Meet a doctor who discovered the high levels of lead in Flint’s children. Meet a mother and father who struggle to live on bottled water. Meet a sheriff and a soldier trying to help in the crisis.
Topic: Flint (Mich.), Water pollution, Lead poisoning Lexile: 1080 News Source: http://www.cbc.ca

Flint’s Water Crisis infuriating Given Knowledge About Lead Poisoning
An expert in environmental pollution from the Harvard Chan School, Philippe Grandjean, answers questions about the Flint, Michigan water crisis. The first question is whether city officials could have known that there would be lead contamination. Grandjean’s answer is yes. People have known about the problem with lead pipes and corrosive water since the Roman times. Read his answer on the possible extent of the lead poisoning, and what he believes are the long-term consequences of the crisis.
Topic: Flint (Mich.), Water pollution, Lead poisoning Language: English http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

Guide to FlintWaterStudy.org
This webpage functions as an outline of information available on the Flint, Michigan water crisis. In simple terms, the crisis was caused by lead in the drinking water. More complex information covers why that happened. This website is the product of a Virginia Tech research team, volunteering their time and expertise
to resolve the water problem in Flint with the aid of a research grant from the National Science Foundation. There is a blog with updates and links to articles on testing. Lead was not the only problem. Read articles about the bacteria and pathogens also in the water.
Topic: Flint (Mich.), Water pollution, Lead poisoning Language: English Lexile: 1550 http://flintwaterstudy.org

Could What Happened in Flint Happen Anywhere?

In midwestern United States, there is a concentration of lead pipes used for bringing water into homes. Utilities can compensate for the lead with a balance of treatment methods. When city officials in Flint, Michigan, decided to use water from the Flint River as a stop-gap measure until a new pipe was laid, they didn't treat the water for lead. This was despite a study that showed lead levels at twice the amount that should have triggered their action. A map shows every ward of the city exceeding legally allowed levels of lead. Find out how difficult it will be to fix the problem.
Topic: Flint (Mich.), Water pollution, Lead poisoning Lexile: 1300 News Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com