With spring break coming to an end, it is time to crack open the books again and finish off the semester with a bang. Collegiettes should be well educated. With that being said, here are the top five current events happening around the world that every college student should be aware of.
1. Israeli prime minister makes controversial speech to U.S. Congress (Mar. 3): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Congress in an effort to sway the Obama administration against negotiating with Iran. Netanyahu calls the negotiations to get Iran to freeze its nuclear program “a bad deal.” In his speech, he says the deal that the Obama administration wants “could well threaten the survival of my country” because it will not prevent Iran from having and using nuclear weapons. To the contrary, he says, the deal “will all but guarantee” nuclear arms in Iran. During his speech, Netanyahu receives repeated standing ovations and is greeted by bipartisan members despite the fact that more than 50 democrats are not in attendance. Netanyahu’s speech is the biggest and most controversial by any foreign leader in years due to the subject matter, and the fact that Congress invited him without consulting the Obama administration was a move that created tension with the White House. The speech is seen by many as an effort by Republicans to undermine Obama’s foreign policy. Netanyahu’s appearance comes just two weeks before Israeli elections. President Obama does not meet with Netanyahu during the prime minister’s visit.
2. Justice department releases report on Ferguson police (Mar 4): The Justice Department releases a report showing that the Ferguson police has discriminated against and violated the constitutional rights of the city’s African-American residents. Using data from 2012-2014, the report includes stats such as 93% of the arrests made during that time were black citizens, based on an African-American population of 67% in Ferguson, Mo. The report includes examples of racist remarks used in emails and interviews by Ferguson police and court officials, as well as incidents of tasers and dogs being used in excess on African-Americans. Through the emails and statements by police and court officials, the report also shows how those officials have been more focused on generating revenue, through fines and fees, than on the safety of the city’s citizens. Overall, the report proves that the police department and city officials have been biased against the African-American citizens of Ferguson. Along with releasing the report, the Justice Department, which began their investigation into Ferguson after last year’s shooting of Michael Brown, says it will not prosecute the shooter Darren Wilson. (March 11): Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson resigns. Five other employees resign or are fired after the Justice Department released its report, including a municipal judge and the city manager. (March 12): During a protest, two St. Louis-area police officers are shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department. Both officers are seriously wounded. However, their injuries are not life threatening. The shots are believed to have come from a gunman on a hill more than 200 yards away from the police station, according to witnesses.
3. February brings more jobs than expected (Mar. 6): According to the Labor Department, the U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February, exceeding expectations. Even more good news, the unemployment rate decreases from 5.7% in January to 5.5% in February. The only disappointing news is wage increases, which have increased only 2% since last year, a sign that the economy still has a long way to go for a full recovery.
4. Is Philae alive? Mother ship Rosetta listens for cosmic buddy’s signal (Mar. 12) Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) believe that if enough sunlight falls on lander Philae’s solar panels, it could revive. As the comet gets closer to the Sun and more light illuminates the lander, the chances improve. Lander system engineer Laurence O’Rourke told CNN that Philae needs 5.5 watts of power to reboot itself, nine watts to switch on the receiver to accept communications and 19 watts to activate its’ transmitter to allow two-way communication with the orbiter. Modern energy-saving domestic light bulbs consume 20 watts or lower so it doesn’t need much to re-establish contact.
5. Robert Downey Jr. presents child with his own “Iron Man” robotic arm (March 13): Downey recently presented a robotic arm to young Alex Pring, a Central Florida boy who is missing his right arm from just above his elbow. The arm was made by Limbitless Solutions, whose mission is to make free bionic arms for kids. Through 3-D printing technology, Alex and others have had the chance to get a robotic arm so they can use their limbs again. Alex received his robotic arm in the summer, then later had it upgraded to resemble a “Transformers” arm. The volunteer group was started by Albert Manero, a University of Central Florida engineering student.
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