This week’s news update will be a compilation of many news stories that hit the press this August. As such, it’s going to be somewhat of a longer post.
Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student, was running in her hometown when she was abducted. Police have a suspect in custody, who confessed both to abducting and killing Tibbetts. As a member of the University of Iowa community, this shook me so hard. You just never know when tragedy is going to strike close to home. The University of Iowa has also lost several other undergraduate students this summer, and while the others didn’t make national news, it is still heartbreaking to have a community suffer so strongly all at once.
Celebrity Deaths
8/18/18 Kofi Annan was a world leader, and in fact he was the first black African to lead the United Nations (UN). Annan was born in Ghana and lived to see his 80th birthday. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, jointly with the UN. His career, like many, has been both hailed and criticized. However, in light of his passing, I am looking to him as an example.
8/19/18 Aretha Franklin was also known as “The Queen of Soul” and passed away at the age of 76. According to her publicist, Franklin passed from advanced pancreatic cancer. What is perhaps her most famous song, Respect, was a cover of an Otis Redding song. I, like many others, love what Aretha made it and how wonderfully she used her voice for good. I think it is widely overlooked that Franklin’s powerful singing voice was just as powerful in her philanthropic initiatives and her progressive views.
8/24/18 Robin Leach also passed at the age of 76, and you may recognize this name from Biggie’s song, “Juicy” or maybe “Glamorous” from the Fergie/Luda combo. You may also recognize him from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” from which he arguably attained his fame. If you don’t know this show, think MTV Cribs. Also, if you’re a reality TV lover, you probably owe this guy some thanks. Additionally, his 77th birthday would have been tomorrow (8/29) so a special happy birthday to you in heaven.
8/27/18 John McCain announced that he was discontinuing treatment for brain cancer. McCain passed on the next day. John McCain had a wonderful career in the public eye, and always conducted himself with respect and dignity. I honestly feel like he set an example for politicians and the general public. I am excited to see how he is honored this week before he is interred in his final resting place. Much respect from this girl to that man and his family.
Hurricane Maria Wait?! Wasn’t that a hurricane last year? Wasn’t the hurricane that just hit Hawaii called Hurricane Lane? Yes, you are correct, good job. Hurricane Maria was the hurricane that wrecked Puerto Rico (among other islands). The death toll estimate was logged at 64 individuals for most of the past year. Now, this death toll is approaching 3,000, which may be the new official number (2,975 to be exact). This should bother you because (1) Puerto Rico is an American territory, which means these are your fellow Americans suffering, and (2) the help and assistance given to Puerto Rico was insufficient. It paled in comparison to the help given in the mainland U.S., and the infrastructure of Puerto Rico is not such that recover on its own. We often forget how tragedy lingers, so this is your friendly reminder.
The Impostor Okay, maybe this isn’t news to some people. However, this post is getting long and you know I like to end on a lighter note, so this week it’s going to be a new book release. This book, by Javier Cercas, is about a man who lied about escaping the concentration camps during World War II. This book has recently been translated from Spanish to English, which is how it appeared on my radar. Although the book is based on true events, it is officially a work of fiction. Thank you Frank Wynne for the translation, and I look forward to reading this one!
Did I miss anything? (Of course I did). Would you like to hear my objective opinion on other news stories that have popped up with a little bit of opinion mixed in there because after all, this is a personal blog and I have the right to my opinions ;). Let me know in the comments!
She’s Got a Whole PhD 