International News

Americans unable to locate the country on a map

A recent international survey of more than 3,000 18-24 year-olds conducted by America's National Geographic Society found alarming results after testing people from nine countries.

Despite the strong possibility of war with Iraq reported all over print and electronic media, only 13 percent of Americans in the study could locate Iraq on a map.

More outrageous is that only 89 percent of Americans could locate the United States of America on the same map.

The participants were tested on 56 questions on geographic knowledge and current events. The results were then graded according to the grading system used in the U.S.

The best scoring country, Sweden, only got an average of 40 questions right—in other words a B grade.

Sweden was followed by Italy and Germany with 38 points each. The U.S. scored a D grade with an average of 23 correct answers. They had cause to celebrate as Mexico (21 score) now occupies the last place standing that the U.S. scored in the 1988 previous survey.

Other countries tested were France, Japan, Britain and Canada.

The survey was conducted during June and July 2002.

Some result highlights:

• Eleven percent of Americans could not find America
• Seventy-one percent of Americans could not locate the Pacific Ocean—the world's largest body of water. Worldwide, three in ten could not locate the Pacific Ocean.
• Apart from the Swedes, less than 40 percent of young adults could name China and India as two countries with a population over one billion.
• Less than 25 percent of French, Canadian, Italian, British and Americans could name four countries that officially acknowledge owning nuclear weapons.
• Fifty-eight percent of Americans know the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were based in Afghanistan, compared with 84 percent of Britons, but only 17 percent of Americans can locate Afghanistan.
• Thirty-four percent of Americans know the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific where the last season of "Survivor" was filmed, while only 30 percent could locate New Jersey.
• Fifty-six percent of Americans were unable to locate India, home to 17 percent of the world's population.

U.S. soldier cleared over death of Koreans

On Nov. 20, a U.S. military court at a military base in Uijeongbu, South Korea found Sergeant Fernando Nino not guilty of negligent homicide in the deaths of two Korean girls on June 13.

The girls were walking to a friend's birthday party when they were crushed under a U.S. armored vehicle during a training exercise on the outskirts of Seoul.

The trial of the driver, Sergeant Mark Walker—also charged with negligent homicide—started yesterday in the same court.

Activists dismissed the trial as a sham and vowed to hold a large protest.

"I'm shocked. I have lost words to speak," said Yoo Young-jae, one of the activists outside Camp Casey on Wednesday.

Sergeant Nino would have faced up to six years in U.S. prison if found guilty in the deaths of the two 14 year-old girls.

The U.S. military in South Korea rejected requests that the soldiers stand trial in a South Korean court.

Under a bilateral agreement, the U.S. command has jurisdiction over military personnel while on duty. It can transfer jurisdiction to the host country, but has never chosen to do so.

Senior U.S. military officials and the U.S. ambassador to Seoul have issued formal apologies over the incident, but the apologies have failed to mollify public anger.

The case has fanned opposition to the presence of 37,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. Some protests have turned violent and there have been several recent related attacks on U.S. military personnel.

National News

Two University of Virginia fraternities suspended after members attend party in blackface

Two predominantly white fraternities at the University of Virginia were suspended by their national organizations after students showed up at a Halloween frat party in blackface.

According to news reports, fraternity members were dressed as tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

Photographs taken at the Oct. 31 party circulated on the Internet.

National leaders of Zeta Psi and Kappa Alpha said Nov. 20 that they are investigating the incident. The student-run Inter-Fraternity Council at the college also suspended the fraternities and is investigating.

"Obviously I am disappointed in the choice of a few of our students to display imagery or portray individuals in a way that is very offensive and painful to other students," Aaron Laushway, Assistant Dean of Students for Fraternity and Sorority life.

Local News

Deer hunter in Minnesota mistakes horse for deer—while it was ridden by a 12 year-old girl

An 89-year-old deer hunter was charged with shooting a white horse while it was being ridden by a 12 year-old girl.

Clinton Hurlbut told authorities he thought he had seen a deer.

Authorities said he fired the shotgun slug from his property, about 200 yards from where Lindsey Duffield was riding her horse, Princess. The slug narrowly missed Duffield's leg and struck the horse in the shoulder.

Hurlbut was charged with reckless use of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1000 fine.

Traverse County Sheriff Don Montonye said Hurlbut feels terrible about the Nov. 9 shooting. "He's taking it real hard. He apologized and just sat and cried the whole time."

The girl was riding on her grandfather's farm on the outskirts of Browns Valley, a town of 800 near the South Dakota line.

Princess is recovering, but will sustain permanent injuries and will probably not be ridden again.

Today in History

• 1718 —- Pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach) killed with 25 bullets
• 1842 -- Mount St. Helens in Washington erupts.
• 1916 —- Writer Jack London dies by his own hand. Ford Madox Ford remarks: "Like Peter Pan, he never grew up, and he lived his own stories with such intensity that he ended by believing them himself.."
• 1936 —- In Spain over 500,000 attend the funeral of the anarchist Buenaventura Durruti.
• 1963 -- U.S. President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas. "I think 'Hail to the Chief' has a nice ring to it," said Kennedy, when asked about his favorite song.
• 1982 -- The MX is the right missile at the right time, President Reagan said in a nationally televised speech in which he renames the deadly weapon the Peacekeeper, prompting Dallas columnist Molly Ivins to wonder if it will be armed with "Peaceheads."