Category Archive for : ‘Current Events’

As unpredictable as hurricanes are, there is often no telling what will happen when they make landfall. Hurricane Ian recently proved this adage when it washed away roads and bridges, leaving utter destruction in its path when it came to shore last Wednesday. And a bad situation was made worse by the greed of past developers who built a plethora of houses right where the storm surge should have flowed.

If you have flown anywhere in the past several months, you already know firsthand that the world of air travel is in chaos. From canceled flights to passengers sleeping for days on airport floors, the entire travel industry has had trouble recovering from the travel bans of Covid-19. And now that the summer traveling rush is upon us, the industry cannot rebuild itself with any sense of haste, leaving passengers stranded and an airline industry.

Gone are the days of people retiring from a company where they had worked faithfully for forty or fifty years. In this global, technological economy, that is just not feasible. Within the recent tumultuous job market, many employees have jumped ship for better pay, as businesses struggle to get and retain employees. But with the tides turning and a recession looming, where will a company’s loyalty lie when things get tough?

As if the political and economic news that we get blasted with every day is not enough, now there is a burgeoning mental health crisis in America’s teens. What many experts attribute to social media, parenting styles, and the growth of teen brains, is being exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic. No matter what the cause, the crisis is clear: America’s teens are not mentally healthy.

March is the time for women to shine, and there are no more amazing women than those who have started off in difficult situations and worked their way to the top. There are many musicians and celebrities that have started off with nothing and are now millionaires or billionaires. And the best thing about these women is that they try to help other women that come behind them.

As Russia creeps closer to the Eastern border of Ukraine, the world is watching and waiting to see what will happen. Talks last week with NATO and the United States did nothing to squelch the skirmish, and no one knows quite what Vladimir Putin has in mind. Besides the geopolitical uncertainty, the effect on the stock market is also in question.

With Omicron barreling through the country, now more than ever the issue of vaccination is resurfacing. Truly, most hospitals are reporting that the vast majority of those hospitalized with Covid-19 are unvaccinated, but for those unwilling to get the shot, there is another issue. Many employers are mandating vaccinations for their employees, and for those refusing to get vaccinated, more than their health is currently at stake.

As learning gaps continue to grow across the United States, there is one gap in education that legislators are finally addressing: the need for high school students to learn about personal finance.

Like a pebble thrown into a pond, the pandemic continues to send out ripples that are affecting the daily life of the consumers across the United States. The country is experiencing a phenomenon of severe labor shortages coupled with the highest wages in 20 years, and experts are not quite sure which way the pendulum will swing when all the dust settles. One thing is for certain: employers are straining their creative and monetary resources in order to keep their business afloat.

Crude oil prices are topping the charts at levels not seen in years. With the glut of oil stockpiled during the pandemic shutdown, getting the crude oil commodities back to an even keel has been difficult. And now that more fuel is needed with winter coming, crude oil is difficult to find. Oil prices are through the roof as global commodity prices have spiked, and experts are predicting a drought of fossil fuels to get the world through the winter.

You have probably noticed a shortage of your favorite items in the grocery stores these days, and although there are many reasons that the broken supply chain is causing empty store shelves, the most far-reaching reason is that there are not enough truck drivers to get items to the shelves.

With seemingly harmless games like “What is Your Favorite Color?” and “What Does Your Name Mean?” Facebook has garnered an enormous following of people seeking connections, relaxation, and information. But recently the harsher side of Facebook is under scrutiny, with whistleblower Frances Haugen telling the world that the safety of children is at risk. Social media companies need to forego endless profits in favor of safety, and algorithms are the way to do that.

International events of this past weekend have proven yet again that politics and business don’t mix. With China taking on a larger role in the world of trade in the past several years, and also looking to get their due as a global superpower, innocent entrepreneurs have been used as pawns in their political plans. Governments need to be careful to separate business from politics so that uninvolved people do not bear the weight of a country’s desire for trade.

American troops have been in Afghanistan for 20 years, keeping the Taliban quiet and helping the Afghan people live with some sense of autonomy and peace. They have also served as a deterrent to terrorist groups that wish harm to America and the rest of the world.