Happy Maewyn Succat Day!
Each March 17th, people of all cultures all over the world come together to celebrate Irish culture. We wear green, go to parades, attend church services, and eat corned beef & cabbage (and sometimes slurp down a “shamrock” shake, if you like green-colored milk). But how much do you really know about origins of the […]
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Protest Sparks Growing Tension in Ukraine Last week, more than 70 people were killed and more than 500 injured in a anti-government protest gone horribly wrong. In the aftermath, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was removed from power by the nation’s parliament and is currently missing. The situation that sparked the controversy was a trade deal […]
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Team USA! (How Did We Do?) Now that btw has brought you stories of the preparation, and the economics surrounding the Sochi Olympics, we thought we’d finally focus on the athletes and the games. The last winter Olympics (2010 held in Vancouver, Canada) was the first time since 1932 that the United States won the […]
White House Pays Tribute to France at State Dinner
Last week, President Obama hosted a state dinner, a formal affair thrown as part of a formal visit between the United States and another country. This event’s guest of honor was President Francois Hollande of France. Other guests included more than 300 politicians, influential businesspersons, celebrities and other notables. The décor for the evening was […]
Economics of the Olympics
There’s been a lot of press out there about how the current Winter Olympic Games is the most expensive in history. But what does this mean exactly? And if the cost to host the Olympics continues to rise to such epic proportions, why do countries keep bidding against one another for the privilege? Who Pays? […]
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“Perfect Storm” of Factors Paralyzes Atlanta A week after the Northeastern part of the United States was hit with its latest polar vortex chill, the Southern states experienced their own rare weather phenomenon. A two-inch snowfall in Atlanta, Georgia caused massive gridlock on the city’s highways, leaving thousands of motorists stranded in their cars and […]
Measuring Risk and Reward of Drilling in the Arctic
The long-running national debate over our dependence on non-renewable energy such as oil, natural gas and coal is not likely to end soon. While industry experts and lawmakers disagree over the severity of the problem and potential solutions, the reality remains that our supply of fossil fuels cannot possibly keep up with the growing demand […]
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A Year of Action: President Gives State of the Union When writing the Constitution, our forefathers decided that our president would, “from time to time, give to the Congress information of the State of the Union.” In it, he would “recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary.” This means summarizing the […]
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Polar Vortex Explained If you live in the northeastern quarter of the United States, then you probably spent the first of the year hunkered down waiting for the weather to change. The abnormally low temperatures are being blamed on a phenomenon known as the polar vortex. While it may sound like the name of a […]
Japan’s Shrinking Population
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan recently reported that there were 6,000 fewer babies born in 2013 (1,031,000 total) than the year before. This is the fifth consecutive period of decrease. At the same time, there were 19,000 more deaths (1,275,000). This trend is not new news, as Japan has seen a […]