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Monday, January 25, 2021
One year ago, on Friday, January 24, 2020, reports surfaced that a type of coronavirus was starting to circulate in Wuhan, China. The WHO said that day that the outbreak was not a public health emergency, which was changed six days later. The same day, the US CDC said people should avoid Wuhan, and a week after that, the Trump administration banned non-US citizens who had been in China within the last two weeks. At that point, less than 10 cases had been identified in the US, and that number has since exploded to 25 million. In Wuhan, the origin of the disease, the seafood market from which the virus is believed to have originated is bustling again. Though there is still pain and secrecy, the people of Wuhan say that they are resilient. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed and are now scheduled for July of this year. If they are not held then, they will be canceled, and the outlook is grim. There is a surge in COVID-19 cases across Japan, and although the IOC and Japanese Olympic Committee say that the games will go on, support from the populace is declining. 77% of Japanese think the games should not go on, and several anti-Olympics groups are saying that they would sacrifice lives. Of course, there is a lot on the line for Japan. The country spent over $25 billion in building and remodeling Tokyo, and the lack of tourism would hurt businesses preparing for extra tourist spending.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Earlier this month, the House passed a resolution formally accusing Former President Trump of Incitement of Insurrection based on the events at Capitol Hill. His critics say he openly called on his supporters to violence, while he and his supporters say he only called for a peaceful protest. The articles were introduced to the Senate on Monday, they will be sworn in today, and his trial will be on February 9th. It will take 2/3 of the Senate to convict him and 1/2 to bar him from public office. Of course, Trump has already left office, so he won't be removed if convicted, but the Senate could vote again to prevent him from running for public office. Streetlife is one company offering autonomous travel. As countries have varying travel restrictions due to COVID, tour companies are becoming more important in helping people stay on top of things. Now, apps where people can record and share their experiences and look at others' experiences to make their own tours are being developed to help people travel autonomously. Neonicotinoids are commonly used to kill pests on crops. However, new studies indicate that they also mess with bees' body clocks so that they forage at night rather than day. This would negatively impact pollination.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
The American southeast may be seeing severe weather. Alabama has already initiated a search and rescue program as tornadoes hit several suburbs around Birmingham. Tornadoes watches and warnings were issued across Alabama and Georgia, and the storm system may bring snow as it turns north. The difference between a tornado watch and a warning is the magnitude. A watch means that a storm might form and you should be prepared for one. A warning means that one has formed or has been sighted, and people should take shelter immediately. Coronavirus cases are on the rise across the world as the new South African and British variants begin to spread. Several countries are trying to decide whether to lift lockdowns and gain a larger supply of the new vaccines. Reports indicate that Moderna's vaccine, at the very least, should work against the new strains, though it may be slightly less effective. There's a new theory about how dogs got to the Americas. Analysis of human and dog remains show that dogs may have first arrived in North America around 15,000 years ago on the Bering land bridge from Siberia. The author of the study also says that dogs and humans may have gotten together because dogs made work easier and humans fed leftovers to wolves.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
The current minimum wage is $7.25, though many states and localities have higher rates. Democrats in the House are looking to gradually raise that to $15 over the next 4 years. President Biden has also included this in his coronavirus stimulus package, but Democrats introduced the separate bill in Congress in case that part of the package doesn't pass. They are doing it now because, for the first time since 2010, Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman and the first woman of color to hold the office. She will be fulfilling the role of President of the Senate and the president's backup. In modern times, the vice president has also been actively involved in the government, often at the president's side. Atlantic salmon are considered endangered. They travel downstream to the ocean after birth, then fight back upstream to lay their eggs. Dams are extremely dangerous to their survival because they cannot go over. So some people are using hatcheries that almost perfectly mimic natural conditions to help them survive.
Friday, January 29, 2021
The US Commerce Department reported that the US GDP for 2020 was $20.9 trillion. The GDP stands for gross domestic product, and measures the worth of all the goods and services in a country. The US has the biggest economy and GDP in the world, but it has dropped from $21.4 trillion in 2019, a sign that the economy did worse, primarily due to COVID shutdowns. It's also a bigger dip than the one caused by the 2008 recession. On the bright side, most of that decline came in the first two quarters of 2020, while the GDP actually increased in Q3 and 4. Perseverance is the name of the latest rover going to Mars. It will touch down on Mars in 20 days as the most advanced and largest rover ever built. The transmission time from Mars of 11 minutes is longer than the 7-minute landing process, so it will be completely automated. The mission also carries a helicopter called Ingenuity, whose sole purpose will be to see if extraterrestrial flight is possible. Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, is one of the most popular surfing destinations in the world. A series of three underwater reefs make perfect conditions for waves up to 20 feet high, which, of course, are only for experts. Xiao Qi Ji is a panda at the Smithsonian who had his first virtual showing the other day. He was born undersized and not expected to survive by all records, but is now perfectly healthy.
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