More Guns Than Roses

“In the English language there are orphans and widows, but there is no word for the parents who lose a child.” – Jodi Picoult

“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” – Rabindranath Tagore

More Guns Than Roses in the United States, India, and China: Eighty-five percent of firearms worldwide are owned by civilians. In comparison, military stockpiles only account for thirteen percent of firearms and law enforcement a measly two percent. Out of the estimated billion (plus) guns and ammunition based weaponry, civilians have eight hundred and fifty million – the United States makes up forty percent alone. Second place goes to India, with seventy-one million registered firearms, and the bronze medal to China’s fifty million. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Japan, Indonesia, and Malawi all host less than one gun per hundred residents. In light of recent events, governments have been urged to control and regulate accessibility and implement legislature to control and track gun ownership across the globe.

– Angela Merkel has given the chancellor of Germany two weeks to resolve the migration situation which has rocked the Berlin coalition. Debates on ceasing the open door policy have been at the forefront of politics in Germany for some time and the government has released statements about their lack of control over the situation. (NYT)

– With urbanization speeding ahead at full speed in Uganda, the lack of architects may prevent further development. With only 178 registered architects within a country of 43 million, Uganda may face many struggles in building safe buildings. (Guardian)

– New satellite images of the Baltic Outpost may show Russia’s attempts at advancing their nuclear arsenal. The photos show many key features seen previously in Russian weapons storage facilities, and reports indicate that nuclear weapons could be stored at a moment’s notice, if not already present. (Guardian)

– Narrowly inching past his opponent with 53.9% of the votes, Ivan Duque has been voted as the new president of Columbia. Someone who opposes the FARC peace deal which had ended a fifty-two-year civil war, Duque had promised to change controversial components of the deal. Now, Columbians anxiously await upcoming changes to the long-time treaty.  (Guardian)

– Turkey’s generation of tomorrow is currently being reconstructed in the eyes of religion, as President Tayyip Erdogan recently shut down public schools, replacing them with religious studies. Looking toward re-election in the upcoming presidential race, Erdogan has already abridged the democratic processes during his first term by purging courts and civil services of opponents. (NYT)

Ten Years After the Economic Crash, Eurozone Is Back in Action: Eurozone members were once on the brink of collapse, but after a decade of austerity measures, they have slowly rebuilt. Ireland was the first to stand on its own two feet after it was saved from bankruptcy in 2010. Strict policies and cuts to public sector spendings have lead to an increase in household incomes and employment rates, but homelessness and dissatisfaction continue to loom over the country.

Portugal and Greece both left their right-wing government systems before they began rebuilding, and both suffered from an exodus of the youth when the crash hit. Portugal recently left the European Union’s bailout list, and Greece is looking forward to negotiating terms of leaving their third bailout. Spain had been able to avoid a bailout and has invested in infrastructure improvements leading to GDP growth. However, with different regions growing at different paces, political strife has stricken the country.

India’s Water Crisis: India is currently facing one of the worst droughts in history. Over 600 million Indians are facing extreme water scarcity, and around 200,000 people have died annually. The drought has caused many residents to point the blame at key men – designated civil servants who control the distribution of the water supply.

Children in Cages: A Texas facility was recently toured by reporters and lawmakers, and what was seen inside was horrific. A detention center for children who were separated from their parents under the Trump administration, with “inmates” of the center in wire-mesh, chain link cages. Over a thousand illegal immigrants were waiting to be processed, the majority of which were children or families who were caught attempting to cross the border. Separating the children from their parents, adults were seen in other cages away from the children, being registered as illegal immigrants, unsure of what was to come.

Government officials and civilians have taken to the internet, wondering how this could be going on under the government’s watch, and what effects these conditions may have on the hundreds of separated children. Psychologists have tuned in on the issue, stating that the separation of children from their parents may leave lasting scars deep into their adulthood. More inhumane conditions have been planned by the state government, which proposed the erection of tent cities to house children in the midst of Texas heat, which has the public up in arms.

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– “Dipsea: A Trail Race Where ‘You’re Either the Hunter or the Hunted’: Winners over the past decade include an 8-year-old girl (barely beating a 68-year-old woman) and a 72-year-old man.” (NYT)

– “Trees That Have Lived for Millennia Are Suddenly Dying: The oldest baobabs are collapsing, and there’s only one likely explanation.” (The Atlantic)

– “Coco,” a Story About Borders and Love, Is a Definitive Movie for This Moment” (New Yorker)

– “The ‘8 Hours of Sleep’ Rule Is a Myth. Here’s What You Should Do Instead: Sleep is the new worker’s rights issue. It’s also your gateway to improved productivity and cognition.” (Inc)

– “Pain Plus Reflection Equals Progress: Our most painful moments are also our most important. Rather than run from pain, we need to identify it, accept it, and learn how to use it to better ourselves.” (Farnam Street)

– “Making a Killing in Virtual Real Estate: Digital 1,100-square-foot plots in Genesis City are selling for as much as $200,000.” (Bloomberg)

– “Tesla workers say they pay the price for Elon Musk’s big promises: The CEO is known for outsized claims and ambitious goals. But numerous factory workers say he doesn’t follow through – and that his leadership sets a troubling tone.” (Guardian)

– “How Hunger Pangs Can Make Nice People ‘Hangry’” (NPR)

– “American toddlers are eating more sugar than the maximum amount recommended for adults” (Quartz)

LAST MORSELS

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

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