We’ll stay in D.C. for our next story, which takes us from Congress and the Capitol building over to a different branch of the US government – the US Supreme Court. Yesterday the court heard a case about affirmative action, specifically should race be a factor in college admissions? You can check out our show from Tuesday for details on the case. We asked for your opinions on our blog. Olivia said, I think that affirmative action is one of the best ways to give minority groups equal opportunities, but Brian disagreed, saying college admission should be based on ability, not appearance. He believes affirmative action keeps the idea that there is a difference between people. Our quick poll results were pretty definitive(最后的；权威的). 94 percent of you said race should not be a factor in college admissions.

 

With still Hispanic heritage month, so today we are talking about some words with Spanish origins. Did you know, some words we use actually have Spanish ties, like Cafeteria. You might be thinking about the one in school, but in Spanish it’s pronounced cafeteria, and in that language it means coffee house.

 

Gator sounds pretty American, but alligator dates back to the 1500s and the Spanish word el lagarto, which means "the lizard." We have one more for you, key, not like the one in your pocket, we mean like a reef or an island like the Florida Keys. The word is a noun, and it comes from the Spanish word for key, which is cayo. 

Today is October 11th, which is the International Day of the Girl. The United Nations started the observance in order to raise awareness about the struggles that girls face around the world. That’s the same thing a Pakistani girl named Malala was doing when she wrote in her blog. Malala is the same age as some of you, she is 14. The area where she lives, had experienced a lot of violence from the Taliban, it’s a militant group, and one of its goals is to stop girls from going to school. Malala blogged about her struggle to get an education. This week Malala was targeted and attacked. Shot by the Taliban while she was riding home from school. Doctors worked for hours to remove a bullet from her neck, and yesterday they said Malala was slowly recovering. One Pakistani official described Malala as an icon of courage and hope. Reza Sayah has more on this remarkable young woman.

 

Many here in Pakistan know Malala, but if you lived outside the region, you may not have heard of her. We happen to interview this pine(松子；消瘦)-sized activist late last year, she was incredibly articulate and confident. The best way to understand why she inspired so many people is just to listen to her speak. Here is a look at the interview.

So why do you risk your life to raise your voice?

 

Because I thought that my people need me, and I shall raise my voice, because, because if I didn’t raise my voice now, so when will I raise my voice?

 

Some people might say you are 14. You don’t have any right, you just have to listen to mom and dad.

 

No, I have rights, I have the right of education, I have the right to play, I have the right to sing, I have the right to talk, I have the right to go to market, I have the right to speak up.

 

But what if you give that advice to a girl who may not be as courageous as you, and she says, Malala, I’m afraid, I just want to stay in my room.

 

So I’ll tell her then don’t stay in your room, because God will be asking you on the day of judgment that where were you when you people were asking you, when your school fellows were asking you, and when your school was asking you that I am being blown up, when your people need you, you should come up, you should come, and you should stand up for their rights.

 

If you were the president of this country, how would you handle the Taliban?

 

First of all, I would like to build so many schools in this country, because education is the must thing. If you have, if you don’t have educated people, so the Taliban will come to your area, but if you have educated people, they will not come.

 

That was Malala Yousufzai when we first met her, never backing down to any of our questions, fearlessly determined and confident. That’s why many say, she represents the best of Pakistan.