College students often only hear about big political scandals and crimes in the country. Here are 10 things that are happening in the world that you may not have heard about.
1. US Lifting Big Game Hunting Trophy Ban
The Trump administration is taking action to allow Americans to import body parts from hunted elephants, even after President Trump called the sport a “horror show.” Trump’s sons are known for trophy hunting, which has been criticized in the past by environmental activists. Elephants are considered threatened level animals, which is why the practice of trophy hunting these animals was banned in the U.S. The current administration is trying to lift this ban and has already lifted the ban on hunting African lions. Last summer, the administration lifted protection on grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, allowing them to potentially be hunted. Read the full story here.
Image by Unsplash.com
2. Today’s storm surge is tomorrow’s high tide
We have all seen the effects and flooding from the recent Nor’easters along the east coast in the U.S. Tons of beach towns and major cities have experienced flooding along the streets. Climate analysts predict that these levels of water will be normal in a few years. High tide levels have been rising, and by the year 2050 high-tide flooding could occur up to 130 days of the year. Read the full story here.Â
Image by Unsplash.com
3. YouTube trying to crack down on conspiracy theories
Many companies such as YouTube and Facebook have been struggling with the issue of propaganda, or “fake news” spread across their social media sites. Although not many details have been given yet, the CEO of YouTube mentioned that the company will be using Wikipedia and some of their own sources to try and debunk any conspiracy theories on their website. Will other social media sites follow in their footsteps? Read the full article here.Â
Image via Wikipedia/Creative Commons.Â
4. World’s oldest cave art found
A recent discovery found the world’s oldest known cave art in Spain’s El Castillo cave. This area is understood to have been occupied by Neanderthals. Previously, scientists and historians did not believe Neanderthals had the mental capability to use art and symbols, and were considered to be no more evolved than animals, but this proves that they may have been more intelligent than we thought. This evidence is leading some people to believe that Neanderthals are not a different species than Homo sapiens, but rather a different race. Read the full article here.
Image via Wikipedia/Creative Commons.Â
5. Vietnam 50th anniversary of My Lai massacre by US
50 years ago, American soldiers were sent on a mission to confront Vietcong enemies, but instead they ended up killing over 500 unarmed civilians, mostly women and children. On March 16th of this year, Vietnam leaders, civilians, and U.S. veterans gathered together to commemorate those lost in the massacre, and the celebrate the strong relationship between our two countries today. Read the full story here.Â
6. Cow in herd of bison
Last fall, a cow escaped from his farm in Poland and was adopted by some unlikely friends. The cow has been seen wandering around with a herd of Bison. Experts thought the female cow would return back to the farm once winter came around, but she continued to travel with her new friends. Although she seemed unharmed and accepted by the group, experts say that she could cause harm to the bison, especially if they start mating. So she was safely captured and returned back home. Read the full story here.
Image by Unsplash.com
7. Versace eliminates fur from fashion
Versace has joined the environmental movement to eliminate fur from their fashion lines. A couple other big brands have also joined this movement. Designer Donatella Versace said, “It doesn’t feel right” to kill animals for fashion. This is a huge step in environmentalism in our society, but the company did not announce when they found be eliminating yet. Read the full article here.Â
Image via Wikipedia/Creative Commons.Â
8. Toys-R-Us closing down all stores
Toys-R-Us, the beloved stores that tons of kids grew up on, is closing down all stores in the U.S. They filed for bankruptcy protection in September, and after continuous bad sales in the last year, they decided to close down. The company grew to over 2,000 stores in the country, and is now down to around 800. Closing these stores will mean losing 30,000 jobs in this country, a huge hit to many families. Sales will begin in all Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us stores soon. Read the full article here.Â
Image via Wikipedia/Creative Commons.
9. United Airlines killed family dog on flight
United Airlines has been receiving a lot of heat lately from many customer service mistakes. The latest incident has many people outraged. A family was traveling with their children and small puppy, a French bulldog. The airline forced the mother to put the dog in an overhead compartment instead of under her seat. After the 3.5 hour flight, the dog had passed away since there is no air flow in the overhead containers. Although the company apologized, 24 other pets have been reported to have died in United’s care. This doesn’t include the recent incident, in the same week of the bullgod’s death. A Kansas family dog, a german shepherd, was sent to Japan instead of Kansas. Read the full story here.Â
Image via Wikipedia/Creative Commons.
10. Maui recommends ban on certain sunscreens
A Maui county committee in Hawaii has proposed a ban on sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate in them. We all know about the danger our coral reefs have been in; they are dying from lack of fish population and lack of oxygen. These ingredients found in some sunscreens, ink and plastics are killing life in the ocean. If this ban passes, it will be the first like it in the country, and be a big step towards preserving our coral reefs. Hopefully the rest of our country will soon follow along. Read the full article here.Â
Image via Pixabay.Â
(Cover photo courtesy of Pexels)