SEPTEMBER 13 QUIZ ANSWERS
1) Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas threatened to break off peace talks with Israel if the Israelis begin settling in this region on September 26 (when a temporary freeze on settlement expires). What region?
b) West Bank
Israel and the Palestinians disagree about who owns the West Bank. The freeze was initially put into place last November as a result of US pressure. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has recently indicated that he will not renew the temporary freeze, despite pressure from the US to do so.
2) On Monday, Pres. Obama proposed $50 billion in spending on what?
a) Building roads, railways and runways.
Pres. Obama claims the plan will not only rebuild infrastructure but also provide jobs. He proposes paying for the plan by raising taxes on oil and gas companies.
https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41807.html
3) A recent study debunked what common myth?
a) Money can’t buy happiness
According to the study, people making more than $75,000 a year were happier than people making less than $75,000. But people making substantially more than $75,000 were not markedly happier than people making slightly more than $75,000.
https://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100907/NEWS12/309079981/1006/NEWS
4) According to General David Petraeus, if this event goes forward, it would incite violence against our troops. What event?
b) The burning of the Koran on September 11
Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center eventually cancelled the event.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/06/petraeus-warns-churchs-koran-burning/
5) Mark Hurd was sued by his former employer in an effort to prevent him from taking a job at Oracle. Mr. Hurd was formerly the CEO of what company?
d) HP
HP ousted Hurd last month in the wake of a sex scandal, but believes that if he went to work at Oracle, he would reveal HP’s trade secrets.
6) According to a recent study, what percentage of Americans smokes regularly?
d) 20
This rate has remained about the same for five years.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/09/in-us-decline-in-smoking-rate-remains-stalled.html
7) President Obama announced his belief that Congress should allow this George Bush – signed law to expire at the end of the year. What law?
a) Tax cuts on people making more than $250,000 a year
When the tax cuts were enacted, they were designed to automatically expire at the end of 2010. Pres. Obama wants to let the tax cut expire for top earners but keep the tax cuts in place for everyone else.
8) This country first announced that it would release imprisoned American hiker Sarah Shourd, then later announced it would not, then announced that it would. What country?
d) Iran
Shourd was imprisoned for allegedly spying. The inconsistent statements appear to be the result of a power struggle between President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and the Iranian judiciary.
https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100912/ap_on_re_us/iran_us_hikers
9) Earlier this week, United States Marines took control of a cargo ship that was being held by pirates. The ship was located off of the coast of what country?
a) Somalia
The Marines took the ship without firing a shot.
https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy
10) A federal judge in California recently ruled that this federal government policy is unconstitutional. What policy?
a) The “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy
Judge Virginia Phillips held that the policy violated the free speech and open association rights of homosexuals. The request for the injunction was made by the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay Republicans.
https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0910-gays-military-20100910,0,3185943.story