Betsir Zemen


Name: Betsir Zemen
Position: Online Foreign Desk Editor
Graduation Year: 2008


Stories (33)


International News for May 3 - 16

By Betsir Zemen | May 16, 2008, midnight | In International »

May 11 - An earthquake struck Western China, destroying homes, schools and offices and killing nearly 15,000 people. The Chinese government led by Prime Minister Wen Jiabo launched a rescue effort sending tens of thousands of troops to the danger zone.

International News for April 19 - May 2

By Betsir Zemen | May 2, 2008, midnight | In International »

April 29 - Investigators were shocked to discover that an Austrian man, Josef Fritzl, had been holding his daughter captive in his cellar for 24 years. He had repeatedly raped her and fathered seven of her children, one of whom he was also holding captive. Fritzl was discovered when he took her to a hospital.

International news for April 5 - 18

By Betsir Zemen | April 17, 2008, midnight | In International »

April 11 - A vehicle exploded, killing eight civilians and wounding 20 more. The circumstances of the bombing remained unclear, but the Taliban did claim responsibility for the attack.

International News for March 22 - April 4

By Betsir Zemen | April 8, 2008, midnight | In International »

April 3 - Al-Qaeda denied rumors that Osama Bin Laden is sick and vowed to attack Jewish people in and outside of Israel.

International News for March 8 - 21

By Betsir Zemen | March 21, 2008, midnight | In International »

March 16 - A chain of blasts were set off, killing five people and wounding at least 240, as Albanian workers moved stocks of bombs and bullets stored at a base. Albania was required to dismantle its arsenal as one of the requirements to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

International News for Feb. 23 - March 7

By Betsir Zemen | March 7, 2008, midnight | In International »

March 7 - An 8-year-old boy was blocked from entering a law university after passing an entrance exam. The university wanted him to finish elementary and high school first. His father is planning to take the matter to court.

International News for Feb. 9 - 22

By Betsir Zemen | Feb. 25, 2008, midnight | In International »

Feb. 20 – After a long illness, Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president. His brother, Raul Castro, will become the next head of state.

International News for Jan. 26 - Feb. 8

By Betsir Zemen | Feb. 8, 2008, midnight | In International »

Feb. 3 - A rebel army entered the capital of Chad, resulting in gun battles surrounding the president's palace. The attack was linked to the arrival of a European Union force attempting to protect refugees from bordering Sudan.

International News for Jan. 8 - 25

By Betsir Zemen | Jan. 28, 2008, midnight | In International »

Jan. 23 - The Chinese government proposed a detailed plan that would limit the pollution in Chinese lakes by 2010 and have them returned to their original state by 2030. Last year, algae in lakes created a crisis that threatened the livelihood of fishermen.

International News for Dec. 19 - Jan. 7

By Betsir Zemen | Jan. 10, 2008, midnight | In International »

Jan. 4 – A suicide bomber attacked a group of Indian engineers traveling by convoy. Six policemen and one of the engineers were killed. The attack was tied to "terrorists," the term used by Afghan officials to describe Taliban insurgents.

International News for Dec. 3 - 19

By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 23, 2007, midnight | In International »

Dec. 13 - A fire killed 21 people in a 28-story apartment in Wenzhou, China. Over 200 firefighters battled the fire for three hours.

International News for Nov. 17 - Dec. 2

By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 4, 2007, midnight | In International »

China Nov. 27 - Chinese officials asserted that the Three Gorges Dam project is not responsible for any problems or disasters in the geology of the area. The government has spent $1.6 billion to shore up areas in the region prone to landslides, said Wang Xiaofeng, director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee.

International News for Nov. 2 - 16

By Betsir Zemen | Nov. 19, 2007, midnight | In International »

November 16 - Iran has been blocked at least 75 times in the past nine years from buying nuclear-related materials. Iran has been prevented from purchasing the nuclear materials due to suspicions that the purchases could be used for making bombs, according to an international monitoring group.

International News for Oct. 16 - Nov. 1

By Betsir Zemen | Nov. 3, 2007, midnight | In International »

November 1 - Tropical Storm Noel hit the Bahamas and Cuba, killing 107 people. Rescue workers from the Dominican Republic were sent to reach the dozens of communities affected by mudslides from the storm. Noel is the deadliest storm in the Atlantic region this year.

International News for October 1 - 15

By Betsir Zemen | Oct. 16, 2007, midnight | In International »

October 11 - State media in China reported that the Chinese air defense radar almost matches networks in other similarly developed countries. The announcement coincided with Taiwan's first military day National Parade in 16 years.

International news for Sept. 15 - 30

By Betsir Zemen | Oct. 4, 2007, midnight | In International »

China September 29 - Federal officials in China executed multiple drug crackdowns, showing how difficult it is to break up the market for illegal performance-enhancing drugs in China. Drug flow also exists from China to the United States.

International News for Sept. 1 - 14

By Betsir Zemen | Sept. 15, 2007, midnight | In International »

China September 14 - Zhao Yan, a Chinese research assistant for The New York Times, is to be freed Saturday morning after serving a three-year prison sentence for a fraud conviction that brought criticism to China. President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice lobbied on the behalf of his freedom with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

International News for July 23 - August 5

By Betsir Zemen | Aug. 7, 2007, midnight | In International »

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the New York Times International News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

International News for June 25 – July 8

By Betsir Zemen | July 9, 2007, midnight | In International »

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the New York Times International News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

International News for June 11 - June 24

By Betsir Zemen | June 25, 2007, midnight | In International »

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the New York Times International News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

SGA wraps up eventful year

By Clement Yang, Betsir Zemen | June 14, 2007, midnight | In Features »

With the ID policy controversy, hallway sweeps, and a host of new events, it has been a very busy and tumultuous yet successful year for Blair's SGA under the leadership of 2006-2007 SGA President Eric Hysen. In spite of such success, the SGA has realized major flaws in its organization and methods of operation, leading to structural changes that will be incorporated into next year's SGA. The SGA will also face the challenge of meeting and working with a new principal next year.

International News for May 28 - June 10

By Betsir Zemen | June 11, 2007, midnight | In International »

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the New York Times International News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Same "Shue" on a different foot

By Betsir Zemen | June 5, 2007, midnight | In Movies »

"Gracie" is yet another inspirational film, with the tried and trite "girl tries to join boy's sports team" plot line. A few added tweaks to the plot, including the 1970's time period and the death of a family member do little to increase the appeal of the overall cliché movie

First Sports Challenge and Health Fair to be held Sunday

By Betsir Zemen | June 1, 2007, midnight | In Local »

Students Oppose Smoking (SAS) and the Montgomery County Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) are holding the first annual Sports Challenge & Health Fair on Sunday, June 3, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The smoke-free event will be held at the Bauer Drive Community Center in Rockville. For free admission, students can participate in various sports challenges.

Yearbooks distributed this week

By Betsir Zemen | May 30, 2007, midnight | In Local »

The yearbook for the 2006 - 2007 school year will be distributed to seniors with their caps and gowns today and Thursday. The rest of the school will be able to purchase yearbooks starting lunch Thursday.

International News for May 10 - 27

By Betsir Zemen | May 29, 2007, midnight | In International »

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the New York Times International News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Same old musiq

By Betsir Zemen | April 24, 2007, midnight | In Music »

With his first album in over three years, Musiq Soulchild is back with Luvanmusiq. As if it would make him a better artist, Music made a few changes, like adding "soulchild" to his name and transferring from Def Jam Soul to Atlantic records, but no changes were grand enough to improve his music. His storytelling lyrics and laid-back beats in "Luvanmusiq" maintain the one-dimensional theme of love he is known for, but if that's up your alley, then please, read on.

Chalk Out the Smoke to be held tonight

By Betsir Zemen | March 26, 2007, midnight | In Local »

Students Oppose Smoking and Montgomery County Youth Advisory Committee are holding Chalk Out the Smoke, a smoke-free event, today from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Orange Ball Billiards in Rockville. For $3, or $2 with a canned food, and a Montgomery County public school ID, high school students can play pool, dance, listen to music provided by Hot 99.5 and enjoy a free buffet.

Doro Wat

By Betsir Zemen | Feb. 20, 2007, midnight | In Entrées »

Doro Wat, also called Dorho Sebhe, is one of the most common Ethiopian dishes. Doro Wat, a spicy Ethiopian sauce with chicken and eggs, is normally served with injera. Injera is a spongy, flat bread that can be bought at any Ethiopian market in Maryland. Once you try this Ethiopian dish, your taste buds will experience a unique, unforgettable delight!

"Pac's Life" doesn't keep him living

By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 14, 2006, midnight | In Music »

Pac's Life commemorates the ten-year anniversary of Tupac's death at age 25. His eleventh posthumous album, "Pac's Life" is an entire album of collaborations with artists who knew or grew up listening to Tupac. Unfortunately, with all the featured artists and re-mastered beats, Tupac's true talent fails to shine through in "Pac's Life."

Jay-Z doesn't show us what he's got

By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 11, 2006, midnight | In Music »

Barely two years after retiring in 2004, Jay-Z is back with his highly anticipated album "Kingdom Come." Head of Def Jam Records and one of the most successful living rappers, Jay-Z has set high standards for rap with his previous albums including Reasonable Doubt and Black Album. Unfortunately, Jay-Z can't seem to make the kingdom succumb to liking his new album.

"School for Scoundrels” gets an average grade

By Betsir Zemen | Oct. 4, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

With actors famous for being funny, including Jon Heder and Billy Bob Thornton, one would think "School for Scoundrels" would be an exceptional comedy. Unfortunately just the opposite is true: the plot follows the average template of endless competition, failing where it could have succeeded.

Janet sounds "20 Years Old"

By Betsir Zemen | Oct. 4, 2006, midnight | In Music »

Janet Jackson has covered a lot in her 20 year career. As she says in the intro to her new album, "20 Years Old," "I've talked about racism, spousal abuse, empowering women." But this time, Janet wants to "keep it light," she does not want "to be serious," she just wants "to have fun." And that is exactly what she did.