I know that all of us college gals are busy people who are just trying to find the right balance between going to class, getting enough time in for a good nap, and managing all of the amazing nightlife opportunities that Penn State has to offer. Even though all of these things are important, knowing what’s going on in the world is a priority that a lot of us let slip due to lack of time. To remedy this problem I created this fun weekly news roundup to help all of us (including myself) stay updated with current events and be able to impress tons of people with our savvy.
So what is going on in the world you ask? Well, I’m sure that you guys have all heard about Syria, but may not actually know what’s going on there. It’s definitely a long story so to catch yourself up you can check out this timeline. All eyes have been on this conflict because President Obama’s administration said it had “high confidence” that the Syrian government was the culprit of the chemical weapons attack that killed over 1,400 Syrians outside the capitol, Damascus. The President also announced that he thinks the United States should take military action against Syria for their involvement in this attack, although he was clear to say he will seek congressional authorization for this military action. Basically he isn’t going to just go into Syria with guns blazing unless the American public approves.
In other news, Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who held three women captive, has committed suicide. These women were held for over a decade, and were at some points chained up, raped, and even prevented from eating or using the bathroom. He was sentenced with life in prison plus 1,000 years, and ended up pleading guilty to 937 criminal counts so he wouldn’t receive the death penalty. He was under protective custody while in jail, but not suicide watch so he did have enough time to plan his suicide and go through with committing the act. The Ohio state prison in Orient, where he was staying is launching a full investigation into how this could have happened.
Finally, if you haven’t heard yet, Diana Nyad – a 64-year-old swimmer who has been going to the gym a lot more than you and I – swam from Havana to Key West unaided on Monday, September 2nd. She was the first person to do so without a shark cage, relying on shark divers to swim ahead of her equipped with special zappers to ward off these predators. She used special drinks and nutrition gels to stay hydrated and get her food, all the while rocking out to some Beatles tunes. She has attempted this swim a few times before and last time suffered a crippling asthma attack, which was the first one she has ever had in her life. This is an inspiring story; one that reminds us all even if we have setbacks we should always keep trying and we will eventually find success. So I’m going to eat this bagel and hope that one day it won’t go straight to my butt.
And to help us wash down all of this news, here is a video of an adorable puppy that just CANNOT get enough of this doorstopper!