The Father of Modern Surfing
As we celebrate the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community during the month of May, btw remembers the father of modern surfing. Hawaiian legend Duke Kahanamoku was also a five-time Olympic medalist in swimming. Duke Kahanamoku’s Early Life Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was born in Honolulu in 1890 when Hawaii […]
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Fake Snow at the Winter Olympics The Winter Olympics has been affected by climate change. In fact, all the downhill skiing events this year have taken place on fake snow. That’s because, despite the freezing temperatures in Beijing, very little snow has fallen. The Winter Games have used artificial snow for several years, but this […]
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Tokyo 2021 Olympics Update Have you been following the Tokyo Olympic Games so far? Now that the event is more than halfway through here are some highlights. At the end of the second weekend of the Games, China leads the gold medal count with 24, followed by the United States (20) and Japan (17). The […]
Tokyo Olympics: Full Speed Ahead?
After cancelling the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games last year, the event’s organizers are ready to go forward with in-person competition in Japan this year. The Games will take place from Friday, July 23, 2021, until Sunday, August 8, 2021. But is it too soon to hold such a large international event? Here, btw takes a […]
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Reconsidering Facial Recognition Technology Imagine that you are accused by law enforcement of a crime you didn’t commit. Imagine that the reason for your arrest is that you were misidentified by flawed facial recognition technology. Following the protests surrounding George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Democrats in Congress have been considering widespread police reform. One of […]
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Angry Americans You’re walking to class and someone accidentally bumps into you, knocking your things to the ground. How do you respond? If you get angry at the person, you’re not alone. A new study shows that Americans are angrier than ever before–and that this trend applies to Americans of all ages. The study also […]
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Reversal in Bermuda In May 2016, Bermuda’s Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage to be legal. Now, only nine months later, the island has banned it. Here’s what happened. Last year, residents voted against same-sex marriage in a referendum. Then came the Supreme Court ruling, which legalized it. Bermuda’s legislature responded by drafting a bill which […]
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Trump’s Surprising Offer Last week, the investigation into the Trump administration’s ties to Russian tampering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election took yet another strange turn. President Trump agreed to be interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation against him. Trump also said that he would be willing conduct the interview […]
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Cold Start to 2018 Did you miss any school last week due to snow and freezing temperatures? Over a million students did, particularly along the East Coast, where an intense winter storm–known as a “bomb cyclone,” a “winter hurricane,” or a “nor’easter”–shut down schools and airline flights, and led to floods and even several fatalities. […]
Should Your Hometown Host the Olympics?
Every four years, the Olympic Games bring the attention of the world to a single city. In 2016, that city was Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hosting the Olympics is considered a great honor, and “candidate” cities must go through an intense multi-stage evaluation process lasting two years in order to become eligible. However, with each […]