Were you too busy celebrating HPW last week to check out what’s been going on outside the Bubble? Get caught up here with some snapshots of five newsworthy events and findings.
Limit Your Sugary Drink Intake
Researchers at Harvard University released their study, which indicated that sugary drinks are linked to approximately 180,000 deaths worldwide. Those who conducted this study say that people who consume too many beverages with added sugar (such as sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks, or sports beverage) tend to put on additional weight, thus increasing the likelihood of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancers. Although the study found that 25,000 Americans death result from high sugary drink intake, the American Beverage Association rejects the study and says that the research “is neither peer-reviewed nor published and….in no way does it show that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages causes chronic diseases.” This release of the study’s findings comes recently after a state judge in New York City invalidated the city’s upcoming ban on sugary drinks that come in containers larger than sixteen ounces at particular venues.
For more information about the study’s findings regarding sugary drinks, visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57575332/sugary-drinks-kill-180000-people-around-the-world-study-suggests/
Lil’ Wayne Hospitalized for Seizures
Grammy-winning rapper Lil’ Wayne suffered from a bout of seizures last week and was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a few days as a result. After rumors surrounding his death began to be posted on various social media sites, Lil’ Wayne took to his Twitter account to calm his loyal fans down. The tweet read: “I’m good everybody. Thnx for the prayers and love.”
For more information regarding Lil’ Wayne’s hospitalization, visit: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/19/entertainment-us-lilwayne-idUSBRE92F00W20130319
Steubenville Trial Verdict
On Sunday March 17th, Judge Thomas Lipps ruled that Steubenville High School students Trent Mays (17) and Ma’Lik Richmond (16) were guilty of raping a girl after a night of drinking last August. Mays was also found guilty of disseminating a nude photo of the young woman, who was a minor at the time of the incident. Prosecutors stated that each young man “penetrated the victim’s vagina with his fingers,” which is an act that constitutes rape under Ohio state law if it is not consensual. Coverage of this scandal-turned-legal case has blown up thanks to social media posts, cell phone pictures, text messages, and videos that revealed what actually happened on that night in August. Mays was sentenced to a minimum of two years in a juvenile correctional facility, while Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year, but both young men could remain in detention until they are 21 years old. Many media outlets, especially CNN, are receiving criticism for their coverage of the trial verdict, saying that news reporters are being too sympathetic to the perpetrators rather than stressing the toll that this has taken on the victim.
For more information on the Steubenville Rape Trial Verdict, visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict_n_2895541.html
Obama’s Trip to Israel
President Obama landed in Israel on Wednesday March 20th amid US foreign policy concerns that chemical weapons in Syria could eventually ends up in the hands of the Hezbollah Islamic militant group, a staunch enemy of the Jewish state of Israel. This trip represents President Obama’s first trip during his second presidential term and his first trip to Israel as Commander in Chief. In addition to the issue of chemical weapons in Syria, the purpose of President Obama’s trip to the Middle East was to gauge the state of the Middle East peace process and to signal to Middle East political leaders that his administration supports Israel. President Obama met with Israeli President Shimon Peres to quash concerns amongst Israelis that the United States no longer supported Israel on key issues. Obama will also make trips to the West Bank and Jordan.
For more information on Obama’s trip to Israel, visit: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/20/17382317-on-historic-mideast-trip-obama-says-israel-has-no-greater-friend-than-us?lite
Lululemon Recall Yoga/Workout Pants
Don’t worry, ladies – this is only temporary. Lululemon released a statement announcing a recall of 17% of its popular black yoga pants in stores nationwide due to an “increased level of sheerness.” Lululemon first realized the problem with nearly one-fifth of its black yoga pants when store managers called the company’s higher level management officials to report that some of the black yoga pants were nearly “see through.” Only time will tell to see how this retail debacle affects the store’s recent overall economic success, as evidenced by Lululemon stock shares’ rising from $3 per stock in 2009 to more than $81 last May.
For more information about the Lululemon yoga pants recall and shortage, visit: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/lululemon-luon-sheer-pants-shortage/story?id=18762600