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It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than just people and the economy. New research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “‘unusual or aggressive’ behavior in American rats as a consequence of more than two months of human lockdown” (The Guardian, May 25, 2020). Urban rats that normally feed on food waste from...
For the last few months, the novel coronavirus pandemic has seemed at times like a cosmic black hole: It has relentlessly consumed everyone’s attention—especially in the media. Turn on the television or radio, scan headlines on the web, or swipe through the news on your phone, and COVID-19 often dominates the headlines and discussion. However, behind the ominous...
As the world watches China and Hong Kong struggle over differing definitions of freedom, and many nations express individual concern, why have four nations recently chosen to issue a joint statement disapproving of how events are unfolding in southeast Asia?
Millions of people around the globe have been outraged by the viral video of a policeman kneeling on the neck of a defenseless George Floyd. This action was, by all appearances, an excessive use of force on the part of the officer. Since then, protests have broken out across the United States and even in Europe.
The new coronavirus has rapidly infected millions around the globe. Most efforts to control the spread of the virus have focused on handwashing, disinfecting surfaces, wearing masks, social distancing, and providing medical care. In the minds of many, the only hope for halting the virus is finding an effective medicine until a vaccine is developed. However, many...
“When the Pandemic Is Over, the World Must Come Together” is the title of a recent article in TIME magazine by former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev. Mr. Gorbachev harkened back to the diplomatic success of the 1980s and the end of the Cold War.
The coronavirus pandemic has magnified cracks in the foundation of the European Union, causing many member nations to go it alone in their attempts to handle the crisis. For years, Germany has been a primary advocate of a strong and centralized EU, yet in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Germany has felt compelled to make unilateral decisions.
This week the World Health Organization (WHO) held the 73rd annual World Health Assembly by teleconference instead of in Geneva, Switzerland. What made this meeting unique is the fact that it was held in the midst of “the worst pandemic in modern history,” which has most of the world locked down in quarantine (NPR, May 17, 2020).
In 2018, the last year for which accurate statistics are available, the marriage rate in the United States dropped to its lowest level since 1900 (Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 29, 2020). Just 6.5 out of 1,000 people got married in 2018, down from 7.0 in 2016. Many experts believe this number will continue to drop in future years.
During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan this year (April 23–May 23), mosques in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and several other American cities are publicly broadcasting the “call to prayer” five times a day (Al Jazeera, April 24, 20202).