Welcome to another edition of the news. Unfortunately, this week is loaded with a bunch of negative news. There has been a lot of tragedy in the news these past couple of weeks, and unfortunately I set out to report stories that you may have missed, and that includes good and bad. However, since things are rather on the negative side, I have chosen to forgo the subheadings this week and just jump right in.
Demi Lovato hospitalized for suspected overdose. Lovato has been very open about her struggles with drugs and substance abuse. She has previously sought help for substance abuse as well as performed about it. Unfortunately, substance abuse is usually a sign of a larger problem. Addiction is not something that should ever be taken likely and I hope that she find support from her family and friends. I am not going to sit here and speak ill of Lovato in light of this news, nor anybody else who has overdosed. The unfortunate reality is that many celebrities struggle with drugs, and we have not progressed to a point where they are able to find an escape from the temptations. It is so tempting for us to look at the situation and make opinions and judgement calls, but think about how you would look at the situation if this was a friend or family member and extend the same courtesy to Lovato. Praying for you girl.
No gender? No problem! Parents are now raising “theybies” in which children are not given assigned male/female pronouns based on their anatomy and rather allowed to choose their gender when they get older. All tout gender-neutral names and androgynous clothing. Many of the news outlets that reported this story, reported it in a negative light. I admit, when I first saw this I was very skeptical and immediately wondered how anybody could do that to their children. Then, I sat back and thought some more and thought that it is probably just as hard for the parents as it is for the children in terms of community acceptance. It is also impossible to ignore that this does open a door for children to feel comfortable with whatever they choose when they come of age, which is something I believe needs to happen. Just because something is strange to us, doesn’t mean that we should shut it down and call it awful. For me, the jury is still out on whether this is a good idea or a bad idea, but it is a choice and I am not going to tell anybody that they cannot make that choice.
Trump threatens government shutdown if Democrats do not vote in favor of border security. This is bullying, anybody who wants to argue with me can feel free. When somebody in power, especially a rich, white male, threatens a punishment when you do not agree with them, that is unfair. This is the type of thing that we are increasingly trying to avoid with movements such as “Me Too” and “Black Lives Matter”. The announcement came via Mr. President’s Twitter account, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated in a radio interview that the shutdown would not happen. Regardless of whether this shutdown is real, a scare tactic, or something else entirely, I have to point out that this is quite far into a presidency for someone to still be pushing for one of their campaign promises, so there’s that.
Impeach Rosenstein? House Republicans introduced articles of impeachment against the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Republicans state that he has stalled and/or withheld information in the Russia investigation. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan opposed the bill stating there have been no “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House will be on break until after Labor Day. The Deputy Attorney General of the United States is the second-highest ranking official in the Department of Justice. It is unclear what will happen following these articles, however, it appears that no action will be taken with the information that is available right now.
Water on Mars. Researchers claim to have found evidence of liquid water on Mars (again). Sorry, but I feel like I’ve been hearing this story my entire life. So what makes this time different? Well, it is possible that a liquid lake was found under Mars’ south polar ice cap. The suspected lake is an estimated 12 miles wide, which ironically is the same distance that the edge of space has crept closer to Earth. The discovery was made by Marsis, a radar instrument on the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter. Marsis could not determine the depth of the lake, but scientists claim this is definitely a lake and not another type of water. If you’re wondering if this brings us any closer to the life on Mars debate, the answer is “not yet.” As of now, Marvin is still the only Martian we can confirm.
Man received car after walking all night to get to work. I had to end with an uplifting story. I was almost in tears reading this report. Walter Carr is working on his Associate’s degree with a plan to join the Marines. His car broke down before his first day of work, so he walked through the night to make it to work on time. Even after walking for 20 miles, with breaks, he arrived at the home he was supposed to work in ready to get his job done. Local police officers helped him by giving him breakfast and lunch, and transporting him closer to his destination. Even after the first set of police officers had left, another police officer found him and helped him along on his journey. This is seriously an amazingly touching story about determination and never giving up. The CEO of the company he was working for rewarded Carr for his persistence by giving him his 2014 Ford Escape. I happen to think of myself and many others around me as people who do not give up easily, but I can honestly say that I would not have had the mental strength to go through this journey as he did.
She’s Got a Whole PhD 