News

The Guardian reported dire news from Brazil, noting that beekeepers have lost over half a billion honeybees in only three months (August 29, 2019). For many, the die-off brings to mind colony collapse. However, the standard symptoms of colony collapse are not evident with the Brazilian die-off. Normally with colony collapse, bees just disappear from their hives.

Many people in America and abroad see the country’s moral and political decline. The U.S. president at least partially acknowledged this fact with his “Make America Great Again” slogan—you do not need to become “great again” if you are already great or unless you see the country in decline. This catchy slogan looks back to what many view as a better time.

Between 2014 and 2017, the German Environment Ministry and the Robert Koch Institute examined blood and urine samples of 2,500 children. The study found plastic by-products in 97 percent of those samples (Deutsche Welle, September 14, 2019). One of the study’s authors reported, “Our study clearly shows that plastic ingredients, which are rising in production, are also showing up more and more in the body.”

On September 14, drones and missiles, allegedly from Yemen, struck a Saudi oil refinery, causing damage that could take months to repair (The Guardian, September 16, 2019). However, Saudi Arabia and the United States have accused Iran of backing the attack. Experts warn that if Saudi Arabia responds with an attack on either Yemen or Iran, the situation will continue to escalate.