Problem: Baghdad (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Baghdad that his current visit to Iraq will probably be his last.

He has previously announced that he intends to retire sometime this year.

Gates made the comment while speaking to reporters at the U.S. Division-Center headquarters, where he addressed about 200 soldiers from Kansas and Hawaii. He called it "the high point of my trip."

Gates also addressed the possible U.S. government shutdown. He explained that, even if troops didn't get a paycheck due to a government shutdown, they would be paid back.

Differences between U.S. Democrats and Republicans have kept them from reaching agreement on a budget for this year. If there is no deal by midnight Friday, when the current spending authorization measure expires, parts of the government will close down.

"As a historian, it always occurred to me the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first," he said in response to a query on a shutdown's possible impact.

Earlier Thursday, Gates met with the Commanding General of U.S. Forces in Iraq, General Lloyd Austin, and with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey, at Al Faw Palace in Baghdad.

Later, Gates will meet with Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish regional government, said a senior defense official who agreed to talk on background

Gates message to Iraq's leadership will be "that it is important for them to complete the government-formation process, particularly to get the security ministries dealt with," a senior defense official said.
1. Who was talking to reporters?
2. And what's his title?
3. And where was he talking to them?
4. And what did he tell them?
5. And when?
6. What other issues did he speak on?
7. And what is causing the possible shut down?
8. How soon must they act to prevent it?
9. If they don't prevent it, will all of it be shut down?
10. How much will be?
11. And who did the secretary talk to on Thursday?
12. And?
13. Where?
14. In what city?
15. Will Gates speak with anyone else in the future?
16. Who?
17. What's his title?
18. And will Gates say something to Iraq's leaders?
19. What will he say?
20. According to who?
Answer: 1. Robert Gates
2. Defense Secretary
3. Baghdad
4. he intends to retire
5. sometime this year
6. possible U.S. government shutdown
7. Differences between U.S. Democrats and Republicans
8. Friday
9. No
10. parts of the government
11. General Lloyd Austin
12. James Jeffrey
13. Al Faw Palace
14. Baghdad
15. Yes
16. Massoud Barzani
17. president of the Kurdish regional government
18. Yes
19. "that it is important for them to complete the government-formation process, particularly to get the security ministries dealt with,"
20. a senior defense official

Problem: Even though there is a broad scientific agreement that essentialist and typological conceptualizations of race are untenable, scientists around the world continue to conceptualize race in widely differing ways, some of which have essentialist implications. While some researchers sometimes use the concept of race to make distinctions among fuzzy sets of traits, others in the scientific community suggest that the idea of race often is used in a naive or simplistic way,[page needed] and argue that, among humans, race has no taxonomic significance by pointing out that all living humans belong to the same species, Homo sapiens, and subspecies, Homo sapiens sapiens.

There is a wide consensus that the racial categories that are common in everyday usage are socially constructed, and that racial groups cannot be biologically defined. Nonetheless, some scholars argue that racial categories obviously correlate with biological traits (e.g. phenotype) to some degree, and that certain genetic markers have varying frequencies among human populations, some of which correspond more or less to traditional racial groupings. For this reason, there is no current consensus about whether racial categories can be considered to have significance for understanding human genetic variation.
1. Do people think race labels are natural or made by society?
2. Do they think race can be attributed strictly to biology?
3. Does everyone agree?
4. Why not?
5. Do they have any other reasons?
6. What are they?
7. Does this cause a division of opinion?
8. About what?
9. Are there any wide ranging things that are generally agreed upon?
10. What are they?
11. Anything else?
12. What core group are all people a part of?
13. What's that called?
14. Is there a subgroup?
15. And what is that?
16. What do most science enthusiasts agree about essentially?
17. Does this cause the majority to view it the same then?
18. How do some folks feel racial comparisons come across?
19. What do they think isn't significant?
20. Do some folks have distinct racial concepts for hyper clear trait settings?
Answer: 1. socially constructed
2. no
3. no
4. some argue that racial categories correlate with biological traits
5. yes
6. certain genetic markers correspond to traditional racial groupings
7. yes
8. about whether racial categories can have significance for understanding human genetic variation
9. yes
10. racial categories are socially constructed
11. and racial groups cannot be biologically defined
12. the same species
13. Homo sapiens
14. yes
15. subspecies, Homo sapiens sapiens
16. that essentialist and typological conceptualizations of race are untenable
17. no
18. naive or simplistic
19. race has no taxonomic significance
20. no

Problem: The Goldman Environmental Foundation recently recognized a group of individuals for their efforts to protect the environment. Each year, the American-based group honors environmental activists from six different areas.

The first three winners of the 2012 Goldman Prize are from Kenya, the Philippines and China.

The Goldman Environmental Foundation says Ikal Angelei is a hero to those who live around Lake Turkana. The Kenyan woman received the award because of her efforts to stop a dam project on a river in Ethiopia. Critics say the dam will harm the lake and restrict the flow of water for people who live nearby.

The Philippine island of Mindoro is home to those who depend on the area's natural resources for food and jobs. Edwin Gariguez became concerned when a European company announced plans to mine for nickel on the island. The Roman Catholic minister said waste materials from the mining project would pollute the water and destroy the forests. So he started a campaign to stop the project.

In China, Ma June is working with businesses to clean up their pollution. He formed a group that collects information about pollution, and publishes it on the Internet.

The Goldman Prize was also awarded to activists from Argentina, Russia and the United States.

Sofia Gatica of Argentina is from a town where farmers commonly use pesticide products to protect soybean crops from insects. The town also has a high rate of cancer. Miz Gatica believed that pesticide use was responsible for the death of her baby. She worked with other mothers to get government officials to ban the use of chemicals near populated areas.

Evgenia Chirikova objects to the plans to build a road through a protected forest just outside Moscow. She has demanded that Russian officials redirect the road away from the forest. She and her followers have been arrested for their activities. However, their campaign has gained widespread public support.

The sixth winner is American Caroline Cannon -- a community leader in Point Hope, Alaska. Miz Cannon is fighting to keep Arctic waters safe from oil and gas exploration.
1. Who was one of the winners for the Goldman Prize in 2012?
2. What is the name of the foundations?
3. Who is Ikal Angelei a hero to?
4. What did she stop?
5. What would it have restricted?
6. What was being planned on Mindoro?
7. What would happen to the water?
8. And the forests?
9. What was MaJune trying to achieve?
10. In what country?
11. What other countries received the Prize?
Answer:
1. Ikal Angelei
2. The Goldman Environmental Foundation
3. to those who live around Lake Turkana
4. a dam project on a river in Ethiopia
5. the flow of water for people who live nearby
6. to mine for nickel on the island
7. pollute it
8. destroy them
9. to clean up their pollution
10. In China
11. Argentna, Russia and the United States