Stuff YOU Should Know
Deadly Hurricane in Louisiana At least fourteen people are dead in Louisiana after Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm, made landfall last Thursday afternoon. Usually, hurricanes weaken as they approach the shore. Laura was one of the rare storms to intensify as it made landfall. With dangerous storm surges and sustained winds of over 150 […]
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Coronavirus Hits Prisons By now you’re probably very familiar with the phrase “social distancing.” Hopefully, you and your friends and neighbors have been practicing this policy. But what happens when people are kept together in close quarters and physically can’t practice social distancing–such as in prisons? The United Nations addressed this concern last week, saying […]
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Brexit Officially Underway On March 29, British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50, the official plan for any country that wants to leave the European Union (EU). The British government will also enact a Great Repeal Bill, which will end the rule of EU law in Britain. Once Article 50 is triggered, the […]
Political Activism and the Internet
This week, over on the Election Central Web site we take a look at President Trump’s first nominee to the Supreme Court. Whether you love him or hate him, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency has stirred up a level of political activism and participation that hasn’t been seen since the 1960s. However, the […]
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Happy Thanksgiving! Food Prices are Falling Grocery prices have been falling for eight straight months, the longest streak of falling food prices in the U.S. since the 1960s: bad news for grocery stores, good news for consumers. On average, egg and cheese prices have dropped 50 percent in the last year. Other staples, such as […]
Year in Review: People and Culture
The btw Year in Review continues. This time, let’s examine some of the People and Culture events that made the news in 2014. Anniversaries This past year marked major milestone anniversaries on a number of important cultural events. Here are some of the most significant: Seventy It has been 70 years since D-Day, the military invasion […]
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Workingman’s Holiday For many of us, the upcoming Labor Day means “last blast of summer” before returning to school (or a gentle reminder of summer if you’ve already started back). But how many of you know the origins of this holiday? There are conflicting reports over its earliest incarnations, but most agree on the year. […]
Happy Techniversary, World Wide Web
No one can deny the massive impact of the World Wide Web (WWW). If you were born in the 1990s, you have likely never known a world without it. But it has forever changed the way we learn, communicate, conduct business and even create political change. Before we take a look at its humble beginnings, […]
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Be My Gaekkebreve? Valentine’s Day Around the World As Americans load up on chocolate or flowers and head out for nice dinners this weekend, people all over the world will celebrate their Valentine’s Days in other unique ways. Japan The Japanese turn the tables on traditional gender roles. Women in Japan spend this day lavishing […]