March 2013

VOLUME #1 ISSUE #3

GLOBAL CURRENT
PROVIDING YOU WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS STORIES

Hugo Chavez Dead at 58

Thousands of Venezuelan citizens gathered on March 5th, 2013 to mourn the death of their leader of fourteen years, Hugo Chavez. Chavez was well-known in the international community for his blatant socialist leanings. Additionally, many Venezuelans revered the work he was doing in the country, as he implemented many policies to aid the poor. With crime rates still on the rise, however, many question the success of Chavezs policies.

FACT CHECK There are more television sets in the United States than there are people in Japan. The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents Europe and Asia. The world's deadliest recorded earthquake occurred in 1557 in central China, more than 830,000 people were killed.

Hugo Chavezs death has triggered what is referred to as a snap election. Venezuelans will soon have to vote on a new president. Current acting president, Nicolas Maduro, is seen as the candidate that will likely win the presidency. Maduro is set to continue the socialist, anti-American legacy of Hugo Chavez. All of the prophecies of Hugo Chavez, the prophet of Christ on this earth, have come true, Maduro said at a recent campaign rally. He is using Chavez as the platform for his campaign.

GLOBAL CURRENT GLOBALCURRENT.TUMBLR.COM AUSTIN SPENCE

MARCH 2013

VOLUME #1 ISSUE 3

SUPREME COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST PROPOSITION 8 AND THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT
Recently, the Supreme Court heard arguments for the repeal of Proposition 8 in California. Additionally, they heard a case for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996. Both of these cases could result in big changes for same-sex couples in America. Of course, the key word in that sentence is could. While the Supreme Court will not release their official decisions until the end of June, many experts have evaluated the response of the Justices to the cases. Many believe that neither case will receive the majority needed to release an official decision. In other words, both cases could potentially be ignored by the Supreme Court, without any decision at all. Only time will tell.

THE SUPREME COURT GRANTS AND HEARS ORAL ARGUMENT IN ABOUT 75-80 CASES EACH
YEAR

MARCH 2013

VOLUME #1 ISSUE #3

CHINAS AIR POLLUTION: ONE MILLION DEAD

A study has revealed that over one million die each year due to the air pollution in China. "This is the highest toll in the world and it really reflects the very high levels of air pollution that exist in China today," says Robert O'Keefe of the Health Effects Institute in Boston, who presented the findings in Beijing last month. The air pollution in China has reached such high levels that people often wear masks when going outside. Some have even demanded that their children remain inside, rather than letting them go out and play. Barbara Finamore, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's China program based in Beijing, reports some days she cannot even see the building across the street from her. When you get off the airplane, if you were to travel to Beijing, you would immediately feel your eyes stinging and your throat rasping," she says.