the VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 4
arrow Westlake High School
100 N. LAKEVIEW CANYON ROAD, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362
December 11, 2009
2000-2010:
DECADE OF DISASTERS AND CHANGE Max Avruch Copy Editor September 11, the Harry Potter phenomenon, the iPod frenzy and Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration—all are major landmark events that flash through people’s memories of what occurred in the first decade of the 21st century. In the past ten years, the world has changed dramatically, most notably in the political and entertainment spheres, but the ideas and innovations born just in these past ten years have revolutionized the way people operate today.
WORLD NEWS The beginning of the decade marked the beginning of George W. Bush’s tenure in office as the 43rd President of the United States. America enjoyed a peaceful year at the start of the next millennium without a major war. On September 11, 2001, two hijacked planes crashed into both of the World Trade Center towers, killing innocent victims and terrorizing a nation. Another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, causing about 3000 deaths. “It changed everything. I mean, people took the liberties and freedoms
for granted before it, like going to the airport gate and even small liberties too. It really changed America and at the same time, it united it. America was based on being open to ideas, and after 9/11, we lost focus,” said AP United States History teacher Matthew Baldwin. Less than a month later on Oct. 7, 2001, America went to war in Afghanistan in the War against Terrorism, fighting against local Al Qaeda and Taliban military; this war effort has continued since 2001. By November 12, the Taliban government had left the capital of Kabul, marking a strong American resistance in Afghanistan. The War in Iraq began on March 19, 2003 with the bombing of Baghdad after additional measures and mandates from the United Nations and the United States coalition failed to gain concessions regarding the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The U.S. coalition, upon failure to extract authority from the United Nations for action due to the veto power of France, began to land operations one day later with participation from the American, British, Australian, and Polish troops. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were simultaneously occuring. Mastermind Osama bin Laden was never captured after the 9/11 attacks, but Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein was captured in a small bunker in Tikrit on Dec. 13, 2003, nine months after the start of the Iraq war.
On March 11, 2004, Madrid witnessed a devastating terrorist attack by the Al Qaeda terrorist cell on its commuter train lines, killing 191 people and wounding an additional 1,800 people. In 2004, George W. Bush was reelected over Democratic Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts, in Nov. 2004. The day after Christmas 2004, the Southeast Asian tsunami occurred following a 9.3 Richter scale earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Approximately 290,000 people from Sri Lanka to Indonesia died. The tsunami created one of the most devastating natural disasters in history. About 56 people died and 700 were injured in coordinated and simultaneous suicide bombings in the city’s public transportation system in London on July 7, 2005. In late Aug. 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the U.S. Because the levees that maintained the city below sea level broke, New Orleans flooded with water. About 1300 people from Alabama to Louisiana perished in one of the worst natural disasters in the country. The population of the U.S. reached the 300 million milestone on Oct. 17, 2006. At the same time, a vibrant debate on immigration policy, particularly illegal immigration, has since ensued across the nation.
POLITICS In Jan. 2007, President George W. Bush announced a troop surge of 21,500 for the war in Iraq to stop the violence erupting in Iraq cities. The 2008 election marked one of the longest campaigns in U.S. history. Republican John McCain chose Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his running mate, while Democrat Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden ran for the presidency and vice-presidency. This election marked the first time an election included an African-American and a woman for the presidential and vice-presidential nominees. Last year, 2008, also marked the beginning of one of the worst economic fallouts of the past century. The Congress passed legislation on Oct. 3, 2008 for a $700 billion bailout plan, approved by President George W. Bush. Also, because of oil prices costing above $140 per barrel during the summer 2008 and joblessness, 2008 saw a global economic crisis. Democrat nominee Barack Obama won a landslide victory in the 2008 election, becoming the first African-American president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2009. (continued on CENTER)
Senior Advocates Climate Change in Copenhagen Sarah Gerlach Staff Writer
two-page essay “I wrote the paper about Students for Solar Schools and about what I hope to offer as a representative at Copenhagen.” Raudonis said. At the UN Convention, Raudonis will be oberving negotiation sessions, meeting the United States Delegation, and living with students from all over the world, from Brazil to Zambia. The main objective of the deliberations will be to create a strong political (continued on PAGE 2)
COURTESY PHOTO
Senior Adam Raudonis is currently attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark as one of two International Climate Change Champions representing the United States Raudonis left for Europe on Dec. 3 as part of the Climate Change Champions program that aims for schools to help their students understand and reduce their carbon footprint. He started Stu-
dents for Solar Schools for Climate Change Champions and was thenselected as a California Climate Change Champion. The British Consulate trains its Champions to become environment ambassadors, to communicate the message of Climate Change, and to work on mitigating initiatives across the country. The chosen students are going to become environment ambassadors, to communicate the message of Climate Change, and to work on mitigating initiatives across the country. He was then selected for the Copenhagen trip from a number of finalists for his
STUDENT AMBASSADOR: Adam Raudonis ‘10 attends the Climate Conference in Copenhagen.