Will Biden’s Climate Change Plan Ease Concerns Over Coastal Flooding?

Will Biden’s Climate Change Plan Ease Concerns Over Coastal Flooding?

Chris Thomsen

July 14th, in Wilmington, Delaware, amidst the hysteria of the coronavirus pandemic, democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held an associated press conference. Amongst the discussions of his plans to amend the response to the economic turbulence that the coronavirus has caused for the United States over the past four months, Biden also introduced a new plan. “Here we are with an incredible opportunity, not only to build back to where we were before, but to build better, stronger, more resilient” Biden petitioned. This new portion of his plan, estimated to cost $2 trillion USD, is an effort to put a stop to climate change.

Blacklisted: China’s Social Credit System 

Blacklisted: China’s Social Credit System 

Luke Jachim

United States’ Recent Conflict with China

In the early morning of Wednesday July 22nd, The United States government abruptly announced that the people’s Republic of China was to close its Houston, Texas consulate general and vacate the building within 72 hours. China now maintains one embassy in Washington D.C. and 4 consulates general in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. This order came in response to allegations by the Trump administration that the consulate was conducting “massive illegal spying and influence operations” (New York Times). Just one day prior, two Chinese hackers were charged with data-tapping United States-based companies with the aim of discovering Covid-19 vaccine research. In retaliation to their consulates’ forced closure, China seized the United States consulate in Chengdu (CNN). China and the United States closing each others’ consulates heightens the already overflowing tensions concerning data security between the two nations. On November 1 of 2019, the U.S. ordered the launch of a security investigation into the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok. On July 31 of 2020, the Trump administration announced that it is looking into forcing ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese internet company headquartered in Beijing, to sell its ownership stake in the company. Microsoft has been in negotiations with ByteDance to buy TikTok’s US operations. The app has been under scrutiny from Congress due to the possibility that it could pass data onto the authoritarian Chinese Government. On August 1, 2020, President Trump disclosed that the United States is looking into banning the TikTok platform, for its risk to national security. Even though the United States’ approach to China’s data collection policies might seem pre-cautious, China has been experimenting with a radical form of data surveillance on their own population.

Part 1 of 2: Working From Home – A Pandemic Necessity or Future Reality?

Part 1 of 2: Working From Home – A Pandemic Necessity or Future Reality?

Meryem Berrada

Most people never would have imagined a world where office buildings are closed for months and a majority of people are working from home. Remote work has been a rising trend the past two decades, but this year it happened on a major scale out of concern for public safety and circumstance. Could this be the new normal for some industries? In considering the viability of remote work there is a question of whether ethics, productivity, and employee satisfaction can be maintained.

Climate Change and Apple's Carbon Neutral Plan for 2030

Climate Change and Apple's Carbon Neutral Plan for 2030

Ina Patrice Gonzales

Think about how much technology you use in one day. To wake up, you probably use an alarm clock. After you open your eyes, you might reach for your phone and check for any notifications you missed during the night. Since most businesses are working remotely online, you might log into your computer to meet with your boss or take on a team project. To even read this article right now, you must be using some type of electronic device. Whether you realize it or not, technology is deeply integrated into our daily lives. A Nielsen Company report revealed that the average individual in the United States spends 10 hours and 39 minutes looking at a screen. Another Nielsen report showed that the average American might spend 50 hours per week on some type of device, which totals over two whole days!

The Bubble Experiment: How the NBA’s Bubble Restart Can Help Heal Our Country

The Bubble Experiment: How the NBA’s Bubble Restart Can Help Heal Our Country

Jonas Monieson

300 of the world’s greatest athletes blocked off from the rest of society in Orlando’s Walt Disney complex sounds more like the plot of a gimmicky reality TV show than the plan of return for the National Basketball Association. Nonetheless, following a four-month hiatus, the NBA season officially resumes on July 30th in the Walt Disney compound, often referred to as “the bubble”. Given the state of the nation today, with calls for social justice and a need for unity, the NBA bubble certainly can aid in enacting change. Through players’ statements and successful brand marketing, expect the NBA bubble to not only provide entertainment through sports but also boost levels of social awareness and potentially aid in economic relief.

Sports Bettors Have Become Traders, and Stocks Are Rising, But Can It Last?

Sports Bettors Have Become Traders, and Stocks Are Rising, But Can It Last?

Andy Colando
Investing

The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing global lockdown has impacted our lives in more ways than we can imagine. Some of the effects have been quite obvious, such as the transition to online learning for students or the inability to attend large scale events like movies or concerts. Other effects, however, have been less apparent, and are still not yet fully known. Perhaps one of the most novel pieces of fallout from the coronavirus on society within the last few weeks is the migration of gamblers and sports betters into the stock market as more conventional wagering methods remain inaccessible. With sports betting alone being a $150 billion industry in 2019, the shift of much of this money into stocks has had major effects on market behaviors. This wave of bullish sentiment from “entertainment investors” has contributed significantly to the recent rebound of stock indexes like the NASDAQ and the Dow. However, as coronavirus cases and related deaths continue to rise, the gap between stock prices from the overall health of the economy has continued to grow, leading to increased volatility within markets.

Is College Football Too Big to Fail?

Is College Football Too Big to Fail?

George James

On Wednesday July 8th, Ivy League officials announced that fall athletics, including college football, would be canceled due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in the United States. The Ivy League was the first conference to announce the cancellation of sports, and it may lead to other conference commissioners considering taking similar measures. Coincidentally, the Big 10 conference decided to cancel all its non-conference football games on July 9th according to USA Today, a step that could lead to the cancellation of the whole season.

A Glimpse into Data Protection

A Glimpse into Data Protection

Kexin (Carrie) Chen

In the age of technology, e-commerce continues to grow. In 2019, consumers in the United States alone spent $601.75 billion, a 15% increase from 2018 (Young, 2020). It has become one of the essential tools in our day-to-day lives. As online stores and platforms have burgeoned, the use of online personal data has had a heavy impact on individuals, businesses, governments, and other stakeholders. Consequently, the issue of personal privacy has evolved and grown in importance. Computer privacy refers to the way personal information is used, collected, shared, and stored on personal devices and while using the internet (Winston & Strawn). The increased reliance on the internet to make purchases and interact with others, especially in the wake of the pandemic has driven even more concerns about privacy (Berroya, 2020). With the unprecedented increase in online consumer activity, companies' use of consumer information will be ripe for further investigation.

Those Profiting From the Prison-Industrial Complex

Those Profiting From the Prison-Industrial Complex

Steven Obadiah

The internet was recently enraged at the COVID-related release of Michael Conahan – former Pennsylvania judge convicted of sending kids to jail for cash kickbacks. He and former judge Mark Ciavarella were accused of receiving over $2.8 million from a commercial builder and an attorney, and the four schemed to construct and increase the occupancy of private juvenile detention centers. Their case sheds light on the conflicts of interest rooted in the private prison industry, which housed 8.5% of convicted criminals and 73% of detained illegal immigrants in 2017. This article explores those fundamental flaws.

Effect of International Students on the US Economy 

Effect of International Students on the US Economy 

Shreya Sharma

Of the 19.9 million students that attend college in the US, 1 million of those students come from countries from around the world. In light of the pandemic, many of these students have not been able to travel back to their home countries due to travel bans and the danger of traveling abroad. But as per the policy issued by Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the week of July 6th, all international students were forced to leave the country as numerous colleges transitioned to online/hybrid classes for the fall. Under its policy, ICE ruled that all students with study visas will not be allowed to take a full course load or continue living in the United States if their colleges have transitioned to online-only for the fall semester. The policy also states that students that have previously left the country will not be allowed to return either. ICE put this policy in place due to the “extraordinary circumstances” posed by this virus and are calling for a suspension of employment and student visas. Colleges across the country decided to take a stand against this new policy and although the final verdict resulted in the policy being revoked, it is important to recognize the impact these students have on the US economy and our global standing.

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