Stuff YOU Should Know
A Dangerous Fad
Vaping: it might seem like everyone is doing it, and that’s because a shocking number of people are. In fact, studies show that about one-fourth of all high school kids vape. And that’s a big problem because although e-cigarettes were originally marketed as potentially safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes, they are now being blamed for all sorts of serious health problems. Across the nation, there have been more than 450 cases of lung disease diagnosed recently in 33 states, which is more than double the usual number. Additionally, six people have died, possibly from the effects of vaping nicotine or cannabis-related products.
So what can be done about this problem before it becomes a full-fledged public health crisis? The White House and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working on a plan to make e-cigarettes less attractive to children and young adults, by eliminating certain kid-friendly flavors like bubble gum and mango. Instead, all e-cigarettes now will be tobacco flavored only. However, the Health and Human Services Secretary also added that if youth are still attracted to the tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, the administration will take further steps to remove them from the market as well.
Opponents to the plan point out that officials are still investigating the cases of lung disease and can’t yet prove that they were caused by vaping. But about 80% of the cases reported having a history of vaping. And because scientists are having difficulty linking the illness to any specific product, they’re advising people – especially young people – to avoid vaping altogether.
Dig Deeper Working with a partner, create a poster showing the dangers of vaping.
Dorian Survivors Arrive in the U.S.
Last week, we brought you the story of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane that slammed into the Bahamas, with devastating and deadly results, before losing power and continuing up the eastern coast of the United States, bringing heavy rain and flooding. Now, with the death toll in the Bahamas continuing to rise and large portions of some of the islands still underwater, thousands of Bahamian survivors are fleeing for the United States.
This has led to some confusion and disagreement about whether or not the refugees should be allowed into the U.S., and if they are, how long they should be allowed to stay. The Department of Homeland Security has now released a statement that anyone trying to enter the country from the Bahamas needs to have a valid passport and a valid travel visa. But the department also stated that anyone in need of humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter the country whether they have the correct documentation or not–though steps will still be taken to ensure that people with criminal records who are trying to take advantage of the situation will be kept out.
This decision comes on the heels of an event that made national headlines: a ferry full of more than 100 survivors was denied entrance to the country unless they had a U.S. visa, even if they had passports and proof of no criminal record. U.S. Customs and Border Protection blamed the incident on the ferry operator. Meanwhile, 20 Florida lawmakers, including both of its Republican senators, made an appeal to the White House asking that Bahamian survivors be allowed to remain with their families in the U.S. while their nation is rebuilt.
Dig Deeper What is the current death toll in the Bahamas, and how high is it expected to rise?
Moon Landing Nail Biter
Last week, India sent an unmanned spacecraft–a Chandrayaan 2 orbiter–to the moon’s South Pole. With this mission, India had hoped to become the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to explore the South Pole. Two other factors made this mission special: first, it was the first one headed up entirely by women; and second, it was remarkably inexpensive to carry out–it only cost about $140 million. But unfortunately, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) lost contact with the spacecraft on Saturday when it was just over a mile above the moon’s surface. The ISRO didn’t know if the craft had crash-landed or floated off into space.
The story has a happy ending, however. After 36 hours of silence, the ISRO was again able to establish contact with the craft, though they were quick to say that they weren’t sure what condition it was in. As it turns out, though, the orbiter is in good condition and functioning normally. It will continue to circle and study the moon for a year.
Scientists in the United States watched the saga closely, trying to learn all they could. Though the United States first landed on the moon fifty years ago, it has been decades since the last attempt. Watching the struggles that India faced was a reminder of how easy it is for things to go wrong. In fact, out of 109 lunar missions in the past sixty years, 48 have failed.
Dig Deeper Aside from the United States, what other two countries have successfully landed on the moon?
The People vs. Google
Quick: If you want to find out the answer to something, what do you do? You probably “google” it. But now, a group of attorneys general in 48 out of the 50 states have decided that the Google search engine has reached such a level of dominance over the Internet that it’s actually become harmful to consumers. According to their argument, Google controls the advertising you see. It controls what hits will pop up first in your search. And it also keeps track of your history online so that it can target specific goods and services directly to you. Meanwhile, the more people who use it, the more users and advertisers it attracts, which leads to more users, and so on. And as the popularity of Google continues to snowball, smaller competitors are overshadowed.
As a result, the attorneys general of every state (as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) except for Alabama and California have come together across party lines to try to limit Google’s power. Monopolies–when one company dominates a market–are illegal according to U.S. antitrust laws, yet Google controls 60 percent of all digital advertising. Led by Ken Paxton, the AG for the state of Texas, the attorneys’ general strategy will be to focus first on the company’s ad and search business. If that goes well, they may decide to expand the investigation further at a later date.
Google argues that it has always remained completely transparent and has always worked openly with federal regulators, and will continue to do so.