Infants Are Being Put in Jail
According to CBS News, there are at least nine babies, all of which are younger than a year old, that are being held in detention centers by ICE.
The article claims that they are not receiving proper medical care. According to the Flores v. Reno Supreme Court case, ICE is required to provide care (medical or otherwise) to detained minors in their custody. Mothers of these children are stating that their babies are rapidly losing weight and are having difficulty sleeping due to the conditions of the detention center.
Long story short, these babies are in jail. They are not receiving proper treatment and ICE does not seem to care. These babies and their families pose no threat to national security and do not deserve this kind of treatment for seeking a better life.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigrant-children-de...
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – "For the Lord your God...loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
1.5 Million Children are at Risk of Starvation in the Central African Republic
A war-torn country has found over a million people displaced and tens of thousands dead. For the past few years, a civil war between Muslim and Christian armies has destroyed much of the Central African Republic.
Over a million children are at risk of starvation due to lack of resources and forced displacement. According to David Brownstein, "there are a lot of people who are benefiting more from war than they could gain from peace."
There have been over 396 attacks on humanitarian workers in the past year alone, which makes it nearly impossible to bring aid to those in need.
The government is only able to keep control of the capital and small areas throughout the country; attempting to move elsewhere leads to violent attacks. Because the government is unable to keep control, over fourteen different groups have claimed control over about 75% of the country. Many fear that ISIS will take advantage of this lawlessness and attempt to move into the country.
Many of the rebel groups focus on attacking civilians instead of their rival armies. They burn villages and destroy resources, forcing families to leave their homes behind. The United States has provided over $120 million in aid, but other countries are looking to profit off of the crisis.
They know that these destroyed villages sit on expensive resources, like oil, gold, and diamonds.
The hunger crisis has gotten so severe that, according to UNICEF, over 43,000 children below age five face a high risk of death due to malnutrition.
Many children, as young as 10 or 11, are being forced to become child soldiers to survive. Many of the young girls who are "recruited" are sexually abused by other soldiers, which cause them to be rejected by their families if they ever get to return.
India Faces a Severe Pollution Problem
According to an article by The Weather Channel, "15 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India." In 2013, a study was released saying that "13 of the 20 most polluted cities were from India."
This could come as a shock to some who know that many local governments have put laws in place to help reduce the pollution in their cities. Obviously, these laws have done little to help.
We are able to find how polluted a city is by testing how much fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are in the air. We look at PM2.5 because of the specific pollutants that reside in it are known to cause serious health complications that can remain for a long time. They also cause respiratory issues and cardiovascular problems (like heart attacks and strokes).
In 2018, Gurugam, which is located in northern India, was listed as the most polluted city in the world in 2018. Their PM2.5 got as high as 135.8 units. To understand how bad this is, know that the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 10 units are the mean threshold that must be maintained in order to minimize health impacts. They also state that NO LEVEL OF EXPOSURE is safe, so 10 units are already worrying!
Delhi, the capital territory in India, was listed as the most polluted capital in the world, with the PM2.5 at 113.5 micrograms per cubic meter. This pollution is due to excessive traffic and factories that are located in the city.
The World Health Organization is in charge of monitoring PM2.5 levels around the world. In 2018, the World Air Quality Report uses data from over 3,000 cities to determine the quality of air on Earth. What is shocking is that 64% of the 3,000 cities exceed the PM2.5 standard (10 units).
While reducing the use of plastic straws and making sure we turn out all of our lights before leaving the house is a great way to feel like we're helping our planet, it is not enough. The fate of our world lies on the shoulders of big business owners with giant factories puffing smoke. It lies on the oil companies who have turned to fracking instead of finding solutions to aid our planet. Our government leaders and the leaders around the world have needed to act for a long time... we are already doomed.
https://weather.com/en-IN/india/pollution/news/2019-03-05-indian-cities-dominate-worlds-most-polluted-list-with-15-among-top
The Next Nuclear Arms Race May be Upon Us
On February 1st, Trump announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Intermediate-Rang Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty because of the belief that Russia had built missiles and refuses to destroy them. Russia responded by withdrawing from the treaty as well.
The INF treat was originally ratified in June of 1988, near the end of the Cold War. It was signed by President Reagan and General Gorbachev, in an attempt to end the tension between the United States and Russia. After 31 years, the treaty has ended.
Donald Trump is back by NATO, who believe that Russia is building nuclear missiles. Putin, who disputes these claims, as accused the United States is the one that breached the agreement.
After Trump announced that they were suspending and withdrawing from the agreement, Putin announced that they would do the same. According to Carl Bildt, who is a co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, stated that the end of the treaty could be a big threat to Europe, who could be targeted by Russia.
In accordance with the treaty, both countries must wait six months for the agreement to officially end. Many people hope that the U.S. and Russia will come to an agreement before this time. If they don't, both countries will have the opportunity to develop nuclear weapons. Officials of the United States have stated that there are no mid-range nuclear missiles being developed at the time.
https://qz.com/1541032/russia-withdraws-from-inf-treaty-amid-fears-of-nuclear-arms-race/
The Jonas Brothers Have Returned
Okay, I had to put one good thing in here. Who doesn't love The Jonas Brothers??
A little over week ago, fans noticed that The Jonas Brothers "blacked out" their social media accounts. The next day, they announced that they would be dropping a new song at midnight.
Of course, all of the 19-25 year-olds on social media lost their minds. For many of us, The Jonas Brothers were boys that started our "fangirl" phase. Many young girls had posters of them covering every inch of their walls (and sometimes, ceilings). And, who blames them? Songs like Burnin' Up, S.O.S., and Lovebug were absolute bangers. With the recent announcement fresh on their minds, many people shared their excitement with the world. There were new memes, old concert stories, and a sudden rebirth of the age-old argument: who is the hottest Jonas Brother?
The great news is, the new song is actually really good. It is hard enough to return from a long-time hiatus, but knowing that your audience is a group of young adults that are fueled by nostalgia most be even harder. Their new song, Sucker, is a song that highlights the love the boys' have for their significant others. The music video takes place at a large castle, with the women donning extravagant costumes and the boys constantly vying for their love. Also, their all in bathtubs at one point. What's not to love?
Since the song was dropped, the Jonas Brothers have appeared on the Late Late Show and have gotten shoutouts from Spotify, Camila Cabello, and MTV.
It's been a long time coming, but we are thankful that the JoBros have been able to shed a light during a dark time.
