Lesson Plan #2 - Sample News Summaries
Note: We recommend that you print this article
and distribute it to your students.
News Summary #1
Mandela urges action not dissent
on AIDS
CBC Newsworld - WebPosted Fri
Jul 14th http://www.cbc.ca/newsworld
Nelson Mandela has defended the right of
the current South African president to question whether HIV causes
AIDS. Mandela made the closing speech at the 13thannual International
AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. He called on the opposing
parties to unite. The former president of South Africa says
its time to "rise above our differences. . .and save our
people."
Mandela's speech was much anticipated in
light of comments by Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president. Mbeki
has called into doubt the link between HIV and AIDS. He has
appointed people to an advisory panel who share his beliefs.
And he has banned the use of AZT for pregnant women and rape
victims at government health centres. AZT is an anti-AIDS drug.
Critics say the president is being reckless
with peoples' lives. Scientists say Africa is experiencing an
epidemic, that 28 million children could be orphaned by the disease
at the end of 2010.
But Mandela countered that Mbeki is committed
to fighting the disease. "He will, with me, be the first
to concede that much more remains to be done. I do not doubt
for one moment that he will proceed to tackle this task with
the resolve and dedication he is known for," said Mandela
in an emotional speech. Mandela says too much energy has been
spent on this debate. "The challenge is to move from rhetoric
to scale."
More than 25 million people in Africa are
infected with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
News Summary #2
Honda robot walks on two feet
CBC Newsworld - WebPosted Mon
Jul 24th http://www.cbc.ca/newsworld
TOKYO - The proud parents of the Honda
P3 robot showed off their little one's skills over the weekend
at the Future Technology Fair in Tokyo. P3 is a 5-foot-tall,
287-pound robot that can walk on stairs and ramps.
The bipedal robot's eyes are cameras. It
uses them to sense its location and positioning, adjusting its
movement accordingly to keep itself from toppling over.
Honda engineers have been working on two-legged
robots since 1986. They say their goal is to create a robot that
can move on different terrains and around objects so people will
eventually have robots to help with daily life in their homes.
Honda also hopes the robot will replace
human labour, particularly dangerous jobs. But the P3 robot still
moves much slower than most of us do. It has a maximum speed
of 2 km/h. Honda engineers say it will be another 10 years before
their robots can move like people.
Robots have been widely used in factories
in Japan since the 1970s. In 1997, there were 710,000 industrial
robots being used in Japan, nearly 60 per cent of the world's
total.
News Summary #3
Proposed greenhouse tax unfair,
farmers say
By Mike Howell, Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/
Delta city council's proposed $23,000 tax
on greenhouse expansions is an arbitrary attack on farmers who
already pay a fair share of development costs, a spokesman for
the B.C. Horticultural Coalition says.
Stephen Torrence, whose organization represents
vegetable and flower greenhouses, nurseries and mushroom farms,
said he finds it odd that Delta is the only municipality in B.C.
considering such a tax.
"There are greenhouses in Richmond,
there are greenhouses in Surrey and we don't have this dispute
about intensive agriculture in any municipality in this province
except in Delta," he said a few hours before farmers and
councillors were to discuss the issue at a public meeting Monday
night. Torrence said if Delta adopts the charge -- purely as
a money-maker -- other municipalities could follow suit and ultimately
stop greenhouse farming expansion in B.C.
But Delta Mayor Lois Jackson and some city
councillors say it costs all taxpayers when greenhouses get larger.
For example, Delta is spending up to $300,000 to upgrade 46A
Street, a road that only serves one greenhouse and a farm. "So,
you know," Jackson said, "we're looking at that and
saying, 'Is this really fair?' "
The proposed fee already has preliminary
approval from city council. Jackson wouldn't predict if or when
city council would give it final approval or amend.
News Summary #4
Stop CD 'cyber shoplifting':
music industry
CBC Newsworld WebPosted Thu
Jul 13th http://www.cbc.ca/newsworld
The music industry is fighting back against
Internet pirates. In a conference Thursday, artists, producers
and distributors urged consumers to put a halt to CD "cyber
shoplifting". The International Federation of the Phonographic
Industry (IFPI), the industry's main watchdog, calls Internet
pirates the largest new threat to the business. There are at
least 25 million illegal files available and up to one billion
downloaded annually, according to IFPI.
The law needed to govern music in cyberspace
is not in place, says the group. Artists, such as The Corrs,
are also voicing their concerns. "Most people would not
dream of stealing a CD from their local record store. In the
same way we don't think it is cool to go cyber shoplifting,"
says Jim Corr. He says over 18,000 illegal Corrs music files
were found on the Internet in just an eight-hour period. "This
is our music. We need to have proper control," says sister
Sharon Corr.
The music industry is campaigning worldwide
to get governments to approve tougher copyright laws. The IFPI
says it's not happy with the European Union governments' position
on a draft copyright directive. It's pushing the European Parliament
to change the law in its favour. The IFPI states the music the
next five to 10 years will be crucial to the industry.
News Summary #5
China Tightens Reins On Political
Speech
New York Times http://www.nytimes.ca/learning
Political discussion in China these days
may be looser than it has been for years, but last week there
were reminders of just how narrow the limits remain. A few weeks
after China signed an international covenant on political rights,
a new research center exploring democracy and development, started
by a 42-year-old former businessman, Peng Ming, was shut down.
Censors have halted distribution of a popular
book of essays on political reform. And the police detained or
warned dozens of dissidents who had planned a show of support
for a colleague who lost his house, and whose wife was fired
from her job, when he applied to form a new political party.
