Whether we’re out having a good night in the backstreets of our college town, or cramming ourselves up in the library for the three essays we have due Wednesday, sometimes we find ourselves out of the loop. We go home during breaks and get this reality check—the world isn't actually all food, Uber’s, and books. We don’t really make time to catch up on all the international and political atrocities we missed during our semesters. So here’s your ultimate college guide to weekly current events explained in a fashion that can relate to your everyday life.
I Don’t See Nick, Joe, Or Kevin, But I Do See A Jonas!
The Jonas Brother’s better watch, this guy stole the spotlight. Last weekend, the East Coast got hit with one of the four largest blizzards to hit since 1950, according to National Oceanic, named “Jonas”. From Friday to Sunday, areas in New York had up to 30 inches of snow while those poor Virginians were trapped in 40 inch snow. While we were all cozied up in our dorms with our Sodexo hot chocolate and Netflix binging, Jonas got so bad it killed 48 people. Yeah, not so insta-worthy of a storm for everyone.
Trains and cars were suspended from leaving and coming into New York and Long Island until Sunday morning, causing a lot of people being stranded in either their cars or nearby hotels. But that didn't stop the West Virginia University swim team from practicing; their video went viral after swimming through the 42 inches of snow. Go team (while I sit in bed and finish New Girl season 4)! Check it out here.
And now, Jonas leaves us with a whole bunch of brown slushy piles of snow and $1.5 million in tow and ticket charges. Obviously, parking enforcement is just as stubborn as our professors when we ask them to round up our 89%. In DC, almost 5,500 cars were ticketed and charged up to $250.
The Billionaire Battle: A Battle We Wish We Were In
Trump, the man, the myth, the a**hole. That guy who flaunts his money like we flaunt our freshmen 15 gain? Yeah him. He’s super rich aside from his racist ideology, with a net worth of $4 billion. If I got paid that much, I probably would stop stressing about my overpriced $5 chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery (you have to check out this insane bakery in NYC). He is in the eye of all media, with obtrusive comments about wanting to date his own daughter to banning an entire religion from entering the country, until another womanizing billionaire dropped hints he might run for the presidency.
Former NYC Mayor Bloomberg, a New Yorker's best friend from 2002 to 2013 when it came to improving the subway system or spreading more salt on the sidewalks during winter, is thinking about running. The only thing stopping him, along with the fear that he “may not win”, is exposing his private life to the vultures we call the media. He’s an old single billionaire guy who needs his weekend pleasure, so what if we see one (maybe two) women holding onto his arms. Now that The Donald is securing that GOP nominee position and #FeelTheBern is leading the democrats, Bloomberg wants to run as a third party candidate. Bloomberg isn't new to this, but we are, so here’s a quick summary of his past: he ran in 2008 as an independent and in 2012 also as an independent, but declined both times to seek office because he wanted to continue his time as NYC mayor. Hmm, a mayor of a city or the most powerful leader of the world? I choose ice cream.
He’s not doing bad with media as of now, as he's appealing to a large group of conservatives for his push of gun control. As DJ Khaled would say, “Let’s see, let’s see” what Bloomberg has for the 2016 election. How many New Yorkers could a presidential election take (Clinton, Sanders, Trump, and now Bloomberg)!
Ebola, Now Zika. BTW, Who Comes Up With These Names?
Scientists at The World Health Organization (WHO) do. The Zika Virus is a virus that is mosquito-borne and affecting people in Latin America, specifically 20,000 Columbians, 2,100 of them being pregnant women. The Zika Virus was recently linked to microcephaly, a birth defect which prevents fetus' brains from developing properly. As of today, scientists have no way or treating or curing the spreading disease. Because so many pregnant women have been infected, women are pacing to get abortions since they meet the legal requirements. Since many of these countries are still developing countries, some women have no choice but to illegally abort the baby, causing more political and health outrage.
Expecting up to 700,000 cases within the next few years, the government is strongly urging women to delay pregnancy for six to eight months to avoid infection. You can probably imagine how smoothy that’s NOT going to go for some women.
#TBT To Warmer Days And Avoiding Dirty Water During Vacations In Mexico
Remember when we were told to never drink the tap water in Mexico? America is following the trend, specifically in Flint, Michigan.
In 2014, Flint played the economic hero card and left the Detroit water system and turned to a local river. It took 2 years, but mother nature was planning a good backfire. Just a few days in 2016, locals in Flint started taking second glances at their water source. Complaints about the smell and appearance of the water overfilled that government suggestion box. Like literally, their water looked and felt like brown honey. Doctors began noticing this drastic increase in lead levels in children’s blood tests. So while the governor of Michigan is taking his sweet time (like we are with that English paper due in a few days), people are living off environmentally-UNsafe water bottles.
California And Prisons, Huh? First Alcatraz, Now Orange County Men’s Central Jail
Last week, three inmates escaped a maximum-security jail unit. Thought you were sneaky when going around your parents curfew in High School? Not as sneaky as these guys. They escaped by using a makeshift rope to rappel from the roof of the facility and severing steel bars and gates with various tools, it sounds simple but it was a complicated escape. Jonathan Tieu, imprisoned for murder and gang hit charges, Hossein Nayeri, imprisoned for kidnapping and torture and Bac Duong, imprisoned for attempted murder, were all awaiting trial.
After a San Francisco citizen alerted police officers of a stolen white van, the inmates were found and caught on January 22. BTW, it took 15 hours for authorities to realize they escaped. IDK about you, but that doesn't make me feel too safe.
Syria In 200 Words
Okay, for starters, Syria is a country in the Middle East, located in Western Asia. Syria was a tourist hot-spot, until a few kids wrote some antigovernment slurs on their classroom chalkboard and got detained. Yeah, not a chill principal. It’s been five years, and since then, the country has been wrought through liberal uses of tear gas, 220,000 deaths, and ISIS gaining more control. Basically, the country is split into two sides: #TeamRebels and #TeamAssad, AKA President Assad who’s most to blame for the country’s drastic turmoil. Seeing the division and vulnerability of each side, ISIS decided to take advantage and lead #TeamISIS, except that their recruitment is more forceful and violent.
So basically, at this point of the brutal civil war, we can conclude three motives:
#TeamAssad: Starve and bomb as many innocent rebel civilians as possible until they surrender to his power.
#TeamRebel: Assad steps down and stops starving and bombing innocent civilians.
#TeamISIS: Seizes land and power through tyranny and acts of war committed on a global scale.
Now, the UN is desperately trying to get both #TeamAssad and #TeamRebel together for peace talks. However, both sides are being stubborn as they refuse to discuss any solutions until each side gets what they want. This is going to take a while.
And I Thought My Professor Had It Out For Me… #Denmark
Denmark established a law that was meant to help the immigration crisis in Europe, except it kind of does the opposite. So Denmark hasn't been keen on becoming BFFs with the Middle East lately, or rather... the last 10 years. Here’s a 30-second explanation on why the Middle East and Denmark aren't on each other’s Snapchat bestie list: In 2005, a Danish cartoonist drew and published a cartoon depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. Unlike Christianity, Islam prohibits any visual representation of historical figures, such as the Prophet. It is considered a sin to depict him therefore when the cartoons went viral, Denmark was labeled a xenophobic country by critics and many in the Islam community.
Denmark, not being a college student, obviously didn't learn from it’s mistakes. In a time when many refugees, mostly Syrians, are being forced to leave behind the ash remains of their homes at the risk of their lives, migrating to Denmark isn't an option. Denmark had the opportunity to receive Syrian refugees and begin forging a relationship with the Middle East. Danish parliament completely side-eyed that opportunity chance and embraced an anti-immigration stance.
Here’s a controversial law showcasing their stance towards refugees: “The law empowers Danish authorities to seize any assets exceeding $1,450 from asylum-seekers in order to help pay for the migrants’ subsistence in the country (items of “sentimental value,” such as wedding rings, are exempt). It also extends, from one year to three, the period that those who are resettled must wait to apply for family members to join them in Denmark” (The Atlantic).
Looks Like 2016 Isn’t Going To Be An Immigrant’s Year To Shine Either.
On Friday, a ship en route to Greece sank in the Aegean Sea, drowning 37 Syrian migrants, 10 of them being children. 75 survived, according to the Turkish Coast Guard. Unlike the EU cutting off support for their search and rescue team, Turkey has been one heck of a team player in this refugee crisis. The coast guard sent shops, helicopters, and divers to retrieve any survivors or bodies.
