Category Archives: Nation

COVID-19 Testing Troubles

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Let’s pretend you woke up this morning with a sore throat, a headache, and body aches. You are needed at work, but you work at a nursing home. Sure, it may just be allergies, but it could also be COVID-19. Since you work in close quarters with at-risk elderly patients, you decide to be cautious and get tested for COVID-19, just to be safe. However, all medical offices near you are booked until the end of the week, and at-home tests are sold out everywhere. Do you risk it and go to work anyway? This is a scenario people are faced with regularly right now.

As infection rates rise and fall, the chaos continues. Controversy arises from conflicting opinions regarding all things COVID-19. Should we get vaccinated? Should we wear masks? Does social distancing actually work? The opinions and ideas vary across the nation. Amongst the confusion, one thing remains true: people are still contracting COVID-19 everywhere. The demand for COVID-19 tests is at an all time high. We test when we feel symptoms. We test when we are exposed. We test before traveling. We even test when we are in recovery and need to know if it is safe to return to normal life. In short, massive quantities of COVID-19 tests are needed every day.

During a time of such increased demand for COVID-19 tests, the citizens of the United States have received some good news. According to VOA News, “The Biden administration will soon require health care insurers to cover the costs of up to eight home test kits per person per month.” Under normal circumstances, this would be greatly beneficial to the United States.

However, it is incredibly difficult to get an at-home test right now. Jennifer Avegno, New Orleans Health Department Director, says, “We placed an order for tens of thousands of tests almost a month ago, but have yet to receive it.” The national shortage of tests is causing an abundance of setbacks, and unfortunately, it is unknown when the issue will be resolved.

For the time being, there is an official U.S. Government website that offers four free at-home COVID-19 tests to be shipped to you. While waiting on the shortage to resolve, be sure to visit COVIDtests.gov – Free at-home COVID-19 tests to order your free tests. Fingers crossed you don’t need more than four before they are replenished!

A New Era Is Coming

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Dua Lipa may be, if not, one of the world’s biggest pop stars out right now. Just recently, Dua Lipa has released her brand new hit single, “Don’t Start Now” on Halloween of this year. Ever since Lipa has released this worldwide smash hit, she has been traveling the world everywhere! 

Just within a short span of two-weeks, Lupa has performed Don’t Start Now at the: MTV EMA’s in Spain, ARIA Awards in Australia, AMA’s in Los Angeles, MNet Asian Music Awards in Japan, Hamilton Island Australia, Mumbai India, and the Graham Norton show are just a few to name at the moment.

Dua Lipa is also set to release a brand new album titled, “Future Nostalgia” in 2020. The brand new album will include genres of disco and pop while also incorporating a new version of Dua Lipa as a pop star. Lipa wants to give her fans something as she called it, “Futuristic & Fresh”. She wants to give them something they have never seen or heard before. In other words, she wants to have it where her fans can just get up and dance while also feeling the lyrics at the same time. 

Lipa performing Don’t Start now at the EMA’s

In the meantime, Dua has announced that she will be going on tour in Europe mid 2020. The new tour will showcase her brand new album that she is expected to released in 2020.

If you have not checked out “Don’t Start Now” yet, check out the brand new worldwide sensation or a.k.a., the best song out right now below.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oygrmJFKYZY

The Scary Future

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What is a climate activist? Who is Gretta Thumberg? Why have “#ClimateStrike” and “#FridaysForFuture” become trending hashtags/topics worldwide? Although these terms are almost unheard of in Texarkana, they continue to take the world by storm as society begins to acknowledge the clock is ticking on our planet earth. 

Gretta Thumberg is a 16-year-old climate activist who influenced the Fridays For Future movement. Climate and environmental activist are just what they sound like; people who are protesting to make changes in an effort to protect our planet and slow down the irreversible effects of climate change. Thumberg began a climate strike in August 2018, skipping school on Fridays to protest outside of the Swedish Parliament, holding signs and passing out flyers. Thumberg quickly caught the attention of local media outlets which helped spread the movement, these strikes have now spread to almost 150 countries. September 20th-27th was Global Climate Strike Week, where protests occurred worldwide leading up to the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

The U.N. Summit happened on September 23rd with an estimated 7.6 million people protesting throughout the week in an effort to show a demand for change. Thumberg delivered a powerful speech, scolding the world leaders for the way they’ve prepped planet earth for her generation. The U.N. supported the protests, hoping it would encourage countries to come with solid plans for major changes in the near future. However, many were left disappointed as some countries, including the United States: one of the worst perpetrators of emissions, did not attend the summit. Others attended with weak plans that would barely keep the temperature survivable for long.

The U.N. Summit concluded with both hope and fear. Key messages from the SDG Summit read: “…it is clear that the world is not on track to meet the SDG’s by 2030. The future is now, and the Earth’s systems are changing quickly.” However, the great outcry for change across the globe shows there is hope for a climate revolution, which has become necessary for survival of our younger generations. Young leaders like Thumberg need to stay strong in their battle as they continue to inspire and inform others about our struggling planet.

Despite Fall, Carter’s Habitats Rise

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Former President Jimmy Carter was in the news recently showing his passion for helping others. He has been an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity since 1984 and continues to this day. The 95-year-old took part in a Habitat for Humanity build on Monday, October 7, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee after falling at home the night before. He showed up to help with a black eye and 14 stitches. According to Stephen Sorace with Fox News, “Carter feels that ‘God gives us life and freedom and with that freedom, everyone can make a basic decision as to what kind of a person they choose to be,’ but he encourages all to help others.”

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that builds houses for the needy with the help of volunteers in the community. They depend on financial donations to fund their work. An international board of directors oversees the work of Habitat for Humanity. Their vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. For anyone wanting to get involved and make a difference, this is a great place to start. It is a global organization located in local communities in all fifty states as well as more than seventy countries around the world. Texarkana has an active local chapter.

Habitat for Humanity makes the application process easy. Any family in need of affordable housing, regardless of race or religion, can apply through their local Habitat for Humanity. Each local chapter has a selection committee who chooses homeowners based on their level of need, willingness to partner with Habitat, and ability to repay a mortgage through an affordable payment plan. Homeowners take an active part in the building process working alongside volunteers. They also receive financial education to teach them how to manage their money.

Everyone is in need at some point in their lives to some degree and it is our duty to step up and help. For anyone wanting to donate or get involved, call the Texarkana Habitat for Humanity chapter at 903-832-1746 or visit their website.

Cowboys Hit a Speed Bump in NOLA

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Football season is here and every team is fighting for one thing, to be the best. Battling heat through constant practices everyday can be tough, but that is what makes players perform on the highest levels. At first, the Dallas Cowboys were running over teams like nothing I have ever seen. 

The Cowboys have been a big name in football not only in the United States but also worldwide. Top name players such as Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin turned the franchise into something special by winning three Super Bowls together. That winning mentality has seemingly carried all the way to the current season. The team is focusing and working together, which definitely is paying off.

Their perfect form started slowing against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday the 22nd. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was on fire in the first two games but was trying to find his feet in this one. The Dolphins definitely came to play. As the team itself reported, Dak said that greed led to a slow first half. “One of those heat checks or whatever you call it, just trying to do too much in the first half.” The team finally kicked it in after halftime and ended up winning the game thirty-one to six.

On Sunday, September 29th, the Cowboys headed to New Orleans to face a very good Saints team. As I watched the game, I was very stressed out, but excited because of the constant battle on the field. The game kept going back and forth all night, but it ended up being the Saints that came out with the win. After the game, the quarterback Dak Prescott said that the outcome will help them come back better.

The Cowboys have gotten a lot of attention lately with the new contract made with Ezekiel Elliott. Troy Aikman, the former Cowboys quarterback, recently weighed in on the deal made with Elliott and what he thinks about the current team. Aikman said he thought the deal the Cowboys made with Zeke Elliott shows how much trust they have in him as a player to get the job done. Anyone that knows Jerry Jones knows that he is aiming for another Super Bowl title. “There is a great deal of pressure, there always is, but the expectation right now for this team is as high as I’ve seen in quite some time,” Aikman told the Dallas Morning News. “Can they meet those expectations and make it all the way to the Super Bowl? Time will tell.”

ESPN has ranked the Cowboys as one of the best in the league this year. According to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, the Cowboys should make an incredible shift to the top in the rankings by his examination of skill position groups.

 

College Admissions Bribery Scandal

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The recent college admissions bribery scandal continues in the news with the beginning phase of sentencing for the people who have plead guilty. The scandal, given the name Operation Varsity Blues, is the largest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted. In the center of the scandal is William Singer, a businessman who allegedly collected $25 million in bribes from wealthy parents who were trying to get their children into some of the top colleges in the country.

The indictment claims that Singer’s company called the Key was a front to allow briberies of college sports coaches and cheating on standardized tests. Parents would pay non-taxed donations to Singer’s non-profit organization which promoted itself as a college preparation and counseling program. Prosecutors say the scam ran from 2011 to 2019. Larry Davis, Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University-Texarkana said, “Some wealthy people think they can buy their way into things that other people cannot. If you have money to buy things, that is fine, but if you use money for illegal payoffs, that is wrong.”

Fifty people have been charged in this scheme including thirty-three parents, Mr. Singer, and coaches and professionals from multiple universities. Universities including USC, Yale University, Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, University of Texas, and Wake Forest University. No institution has been charged in the case. Mr. Davis stated that, “Texas A&M University-Texarkana has criteria that students must meet to be admitted. High school students must have a certain GPA and if they do not, they can appeal it and then they might have some guidance on remedial courses they can take to be admitted.”  Twenty people have pleaded guilty in this case.

The three most well-known parents indicted in the scandal are Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer; Mossimo Guinnalli. Huffman plead guilty to charges that she paid $15,000 for someone to correct her daughter’s SAT answers. The maximum sentence for her act is 20 years but prosecutors have recommended only four months in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced on September 13, 2019. Loughlin and her husband, on the other hand, have pleaded not guilty to paying $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters admitted to University of Southern California as crew recruits. All the university coaches involved are either on leave or fired from their universities.  It is believed that many of the students involved were not aware of the illegal activities taking place to get them admitted. As of now, no students involved have been charged in the scandal.

HOPE for Homeless Students

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Massachusetts recently instituted a pilot program which addresses the issue of youth homelessness, according to the Boston Globe.

Governor Charlie Baker announced four colleges were chosen to receive $120,000 in state funding to offer housing to homeless students: Bridgewater State, Framingham State, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Worcester State.  More funding will be  included the next budget, for an estimated total of $3 million in grants to organizations assisting homeless students.

Recently, Massachusetts’ universities have experienced reduced enrolments, so extra dorm rooms have become available to offer community college students who are unable to afford housing.  The state hopes this program will diminish problems these students experience, such as inefficient transportation from the homeless shelter to campus, lack of privacy to study, and no computer access. These factors lead to waning grades, discouragement and eventual drop out.

So far, 20 homeless students in the area have begun participating.  The stipulations include: students 25 and under, enrolled in school full-time, and in good academic standing. In addition to the safety of living in a respectable and convenient place, these students enjoy the benefits of free meals at their host campus dining halls, privacy for studying, computer access and free mental health counseling, all in hopes to increase their chances of graduating.

Other states are expected to duplicate the Massachusetts model for their homeless students to encourage their higher education endeavors.  For instance, the Seattle, Washington area has been notorious for years of struggle with youth homelessness.  The high cost of living in the Seattle area makes it difficult for young college students to afford housing.  To counteract this, Tacoma Community college is working with their local housing authorities to offer federal rental assistance vouchers.  Also, a private developer in Tacoma is renovating some apartments near campus where he has already begun to open to homeless students.

HOPE is an academic organization which researches solutions for hunger and homelessness.  It’s founder, Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, reported some U.S. colleges are considering opening their parking lots at night, staffed with security guards, for homeless students who live out of their cars. The goal of HOPE is to continue to work toward U.S. students’ ability to gain the freedom to focus primarily on school, instead of  worrying where they will sleep each night.

For more information, visit https://hope4college.com/

Twitter at #RealCollegeStudents

Instagram at Hope4College

Fear of Losing Connection — to Safety

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Sit up straight. Cross your legs. Carry this pepper spray at all times. Call me when you leave. Listen to your surroundings. Don’t go anywhere alone. Keep the police on speed dial. Don’t stay out past dark. If you do, you’ll be asking to get assaulted. It’s scary being a woman. In a matter of one week, at least 3 women from across the United States appeared on our local Texarkana news station as physically assaulted and beaten by men in broad daylight. 2 of these women died. Did they ask for this? Seeing the horrifying and gruesome images cast on-screen, alongside the details from the sole survivor, pulled me back to a recent concert I attended in Shreveport, Louisiana. Originally I was going to write a review, but there’s a more pressing issue here. There were no cellphones allowed at this concert.

Some might argue that it’s just Gen Z/millennial exaggerated worry of exiting the digital world, but it goes deeper than that. The worry wasn’t a loss of letting everyone know I was at a concert. The problem became more intense every time I had to leave my seat. True enough, the of exposure to stories of pain rather than pleasure skews our perceptions a bit, but the fact that my first thought when told I wasn’t allowed to have a form of digital communication was not ‘how will my friends know I’m having a good time,’ but ‘I shouldn’t go to the bathroom by myself.’ The fact that this occurs to women to the extent it does is disgraceful and disgusting.

According to NPR, in 2018, 81 percent of women had been sexually harassed at some point, with 77 percent having been verbally harassed, 34 percent being followed, and 27 percent being sexually assaulted. And the fact that one cannot google search the amount of women assaulted in a time frame without running into anything but sexual assault cases is baffling. Understand that women who feel this way aren’t just terrified of rape. Fear of leaving the side of someone else for various reasons strikes some women. These include being beaten to death, being raped, being shamed for being raped and wanting to abort a fetus that resulted from it, being shamed for what they wear, hearing people say that they could have prevented it, and the list goes on.

This is in no way meant to say that men do not experience some of the same things, but they certainly do not to the same extent (a Huffington Post article says that 90 percent of rape victims are women) and cannot fully understand the scope of the matter because they have not lived it. This is true for any situation involving someone of a different gender, race, or ethnicity. We cannot begin to comprehend some of the things our brothers and sisters have experienced. For this reason, women all over are just begging anyone to listen, a basic human interaction that many women don’t always get.

In terms of cell phone use, the problem with taking them away during a large public event where everyone are strangers is that something terrible, like the above mentioned beatings, could happen to anyone. But, as a woman, I felt more threatened. Accompanying men thought I was being ridiculous, but that is the meaning behind saying it’s difficult to understand if you haven’t been there. And, whether it’s the media or a random stranger who doesn’t know anything about the victim, someone will offer the ideas mentioned above: that they did something to deserve this, that they could have prevented it, and so on. And if they’re lucky enough to survive, they have to live not only with the traumatic experience, but also the pain of harsh side glances and crude gestures.

The gender problems in society run deep. Having to raise our daughters to constantly watch their backs, only wear one ear bud at a time, make sure their always wearing long pants and t-shirts, and so on, is terrifying. Having to design products specifically for women, like bejeweled pepper spray or security bras is insane. The problem has shifted from needing protection to needing self-defense training and better human interaction education.

So, don’t stand around and wait for big companies to tell you what is safe, because, despite rape incidents dropping sixty percent since the nineties, an alarming number of our women are still experiencing issues and feeling trapped. Get out there and fight for a better future, not just for you, but for your daughter, mother, girlfriend, self.

The Return of the 19th Century

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Begone high waist shorts, belted swim suits and strappy sandals! Summer fashion has come to an end. It is now time to prepare for the return of the 19th century. The season of boots and scarves are about to take its rightful place among us.

Courtesy of Vogue

Fall officially begun September 22, 2018 and so much is in store for the fall fashion season. The new trends to be on the lookout for this Fall 2018, are going to be a sight to see.

Starting with both Checks and Plaid, a popular trend from the 1800s until the late 1890s. Plaid is perfect for the fall and extremely versatile. Plaid and checks can be styled as casual or upscale. Designer Christian Dior has already been seen with plaids on his runway!

Fashion Designers are beginning to add more Gloss and Leather to the market. Fashion is taking it back to the 40s and 50s with this style.

Courtesy of New Leather Jacket

Styles inspired by the Late Michael Jackson, dressed in his red leather jacket with the strappy bottom, are a LOOK.

Think big – very big.  Upgrade your denim. Go loud with your colors and remember real animal clothing isn’t as comfortable unless it’s on a heel or boot. Returning to the market this fall will be Animal print. Animal print has been around since the early 1920s. Models have been captured wearing animal print while being on the runway, for The New York fashion week.

Courtesy of Yoox

Celebrities have been spotted cheetah blazer coats, dresses, and shoes from designers across the globe like Dolce&Gabbana, Caroline Charles, M&Co., ASOS, and Missguided.

Remember 80s cocktail designs? Miniskirts, bandage dresses foil and big shoulders. Saint Laurent has designed a fashionable blazer with floral print and exaggerated shoulders to die for!

Cover your head all fall with a fashionable hat. Head fashion can be seen on citizens across the world. Oversized topper have been a thing since the 70s. Imagine this, an all red outfit with red shoes and a cheetah hat. The cheetah topper was so simple that it completed your whole outfit.

You can’t step into fall without that perfect shoe. Tis the season of boots, boots, and more boots. There are slouch boots, ankle boots, knee boots, booties, over the knee boots, thigh boots, lace-up lug, combat boots, and of course cowboy boots. Boots are available in all shapes, colors and prints to go right along with the Fall fashion trend that’s coming.
Mules and slides are also important and breathable. These two can be perfect for any business casual look.

Courtesy of Highsnobiety

Who doesn’t enjoy a great pair of Sneakers? Sneakers can also be key look to your fall fashion statement, especially when matched with a cute jumpsuit, sweat suit, wind breaker or sweatshirt. I know I’ll around campus in a few sporty chills looks myself. Brands like Nike released  Nike Air Span 2 Premium “Desert Camo” on September 6thand Skepta x Air Max Deluxe on September 8th. Adidas released their new line of Yeezy with Kayne West on September 15th.

When shopping for your fall clothing this season, never forget the words of The legendary Coco Chanel “The best things in life are free. The second best are very, very expensive.”

Net Neutrality Negated

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On December 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed the Obama era changes on net neutrality, the principle that the public have fair and equal access to the Internet and the information that is on it. Due to this, the companies that provide Internet services have more power to regulate what we as consumers can access through their network as well as to charge more for better or more reliable Internet connection.

In 1990 the World Wide Web came available and forever changed how the average person can find information and make our world even smaller. With that such access, some governments called for regulations, restricting what their citizens can do. Others treated the Internet as a commodity, available for all, but still with some regulations. In the United States, the FCC controls Internet regulation. More intense regulations were put into place after 9/11, but rolled back during President Obama’s term administration to help regulate companies control of Internet access and prices.

The FCC’s decision was highly controversial, even across party lines. A survey from the University of Maryland shows that 83% of those polled disagreed with the FCC with three out of four Republicans polled disagreeing. Even when the country is harshly divided along party lines after the 2016, both agreed here. The FCC had gone against what the people had wanted and listened to the Internet providers so that they would make more profit from the Internet and its consumers.

Internet providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon have already been regulating what their consumers can do with their networks even with the Obama era regulations. According to the ACLU, in 2007, Verizon cut off a messaging program that the pro-choice group, NARAL, had used to reach its supporters. Once this was discovered by the public, the outcry had been enough for Verizon to reverse its censorship.

Obama era regulations are what had ended this. Now that they are gone, Internet providers can get away with this if the public does not fight back as it had before. They are able to slow connection speeds to certain websites, get their customers to go to certain websites, or entirely block certain websites. They also can control internet speeds through their prices: the higher the price, the higher the speed.

This has already been happening for years. Consumers have found when getting a new phone plan two different plans for mobile data: the cheapest one had slower connections on a non-priority line, with the more expensive one on a priority line with better connection speeds. Without the Obama era rules of net neutrality, Internet providers will be able to widen the gap between costs for good or bad Internet as well as control more of what we can or cannot access as consumers.