Current Event 3

Protest votes add to uncertainty in close Italy election

On Monday, Italians finished voting in one of the most closely watched and unpredictable elections in years. The only concern was fueled by the surge in protest votes, in that the ballot may not produce a strong enough government to pull Italy from its economic struggle. The campaign, which was watched closely by financial markets, was fought mostly over economic issues. Former industry minister Pier Luigi Bersani was given a narrow lead by opinion polls but the huge protest vote against austerity policies imposed by Monti threw the race wide open. Many have voted for the 5-star Movement of Beppe Grillo, but still don't believe that there will be a strong government. The movement was backed by a younger generation who were continuously shut out of full-time jobs and polled strongly and is believed by some to challenge Berlusconi's PDL party. This is where the real rivalry comes in, with Berlusconi and Grillo both attacking Monti. This has decreased support for Monti, and he appears to come in well behind the other main parties. 

This event is happening in Italy. 

This article relates to the political, economic and social PIEs because it is an election that is based on the economic struggles tha Italy has been having and the people are voting on this.

This article made me think about how all countries have struggles, and not just us. It also made me think about how different the world is. The government is already involved, seeing as it is an election.

Visual 2

This photo was taken in South Korea on Sunday, where thousands of couples took part in the Unification Church's International Mass Wedding Ceremony at Cheong Shim World Peace Center. More than 20,000 people attended, with 1,000 couples getting married for the first time, 2,500 previously married couples and 13,000 guests. This relates to the social and intellectual PIEs because the amount of people getting married at mass weddings has grown in the past few years and this makes the church grow in size. This visual relates to class because it shows how a larger percentage of people in the world are starting to get married at mass weddings.

Current Event 2

Heathrow airport hits record 70 million passengers

Heathrow is the UK's busiest airport. Lately, it has been operating at almost full capacity, with 471,341 flights in 2012, which is just below the legal limit of 480,000 per year. During the Olympics, numbers fell by 400,000, because people were staying home to watch the Games and people arriving in the country dipped. Rival airports in Europe and the Middle East were presenting competition, so chief executive Colin Matthews decided that now airport capacity was urgent. Terminal 2 at the airport should be finished near the end of this year, which will increase the limit of passengers. 

This event took place at London Heathrow Airport in England. 

This article relates to the social and economic PIEs because the number of people arriving and departing from Heathrow airport generate revenue and income for the airport.

This article made me think about how people are traveling more and how this affects not only economies but also the environment. I think the government should get involved just to regulate the flow of traffic and create more efficient travel ideas.

Visual 1

   

This photo was taken at New York Fashion Week, which kicked off on February 7. Though lots of the fashions that are debuted will never be worn by someone on the street, some styles (like the ones shown above) can be worn off the runway. This relates to the social and PIEs because now people can feel more "in the loop" of the fashion world, without having to buy an outrageous outfit. This also helps the economy because people will want to buy more clothing. This visual relates to class because the environment is affected by the production and people are affected by the price of materials and the product.

Current Event 1

The Sockeye's Secret Compass


Millions of sockeye salmon flood to the Fraser river in British Columbia every summer. It has been known for years that a salmon can smell its way up the river to find its mating stream, but no one could explain how these fish find their way back from the open ocean, almost 4,000 or 5,000 miles away, back to the river. Now, research from Oregon State University has evidence that the sockeye are guided home by memories of the magnetic landscape of the river. Scientists discovered tiny iron crystals in the nose of rainbow trout, a close relative to the sockeye, that allow the fish to detect the magnetic field. Some people find it impossible that fish have evolved and developed compasses in their noses, but a sockeye only gets one chance to spawn and pass on their genes.

This event takes place every year along the coast of British Columbia.

This article relates to the social and economic PIEs because the fish who's spawn survives can carry on the sockeye population which helps the fishing economy.

This article made me think about adaptation and how to keep a population alive by changing and developing new technologies. I don't think that the government should become involved because it is a process of natural selection.

Current Event 4

Plane with 3 on board missing near South Pole; emergency locator beacon activated

Last Wednesday, a de Hallivand Twin Otter aircraft, with three Canadian men on board, was reported as missing after the base lost contact with the plane over a remote part of the Trans-antarctic Mountains. The flight was en route from the South Pole to Terra Nova Bay, where the Italian Antarctic Program is based.  An emergency beacon was activated late last week, but the weather conditions are making it difficult to track the signal. The condition of those aboard are unknown, and no one is sure if the aircraft was equipped with cold weather gear.

This event took place in the Trans-antarctic Mountains in Antarctica.

This article relates to the intellectual and social PIES because there are people missing and they went out to collect information that could be important to finding out more about Antarctica.

This article made me think about how dangerous uncharted places are, even if you are knowledgeable and well-equipped. It also makes me wonder how many governments are involved with this event. I think there should be government largely involved with this because there are people missing.

Visual 3

This photo was taken in Tahrir Square in Cairo on January 27 as protesters clashed with riot police. This unrest started on the two-year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution and escalated when a judge issued death sentences to 21 people involved in a deadly football game riot in 2012. This relates to the social, intellectual, and economic PIES because the riot was started by the people who were angered by an unfair event. It relate to the economic PIE because riots hurt the economy because people stop work and it is dangerous. This visual relates to class because it shows how differently people react in other parts of the world.

Current Event 3

Deadly Storm Brought Weather of All Kinds

On Thursday, a deadly storm that stretched across 1,700 miles wreaked havoc in the South, brought flooding to the Mid-Atlantic, and weird weather to northern New England. Three people died because of the massive storm that swept across the U.S. — tornadoes killed one in both Tennessee and Georgia, while flood waters killed a third in Maryland. In Adairsville, Ga., a tornado swelled to 900 yards wide and tore across northwest Georgia for nearly 22 miles. Crews believe the tornado was a strong EF3 tornado. Tens of thousands of people were without power at the storm's peak as the unseasonably hot weather plummeted to near-freezing temperatures. 

This event took place in the middle and eastern U.S.

This article relates to the economic and social PIES because a lot of families lost their homes and all their belongings and how this can affect the whole nation's products and growth as well as personal lives.

This article makes me think about how lucky I am to be safe and healthy. It also makes me aware that weather and tragedies like this can pop up out of any storm. I think the government should be involved because even though th event is passed, the people directly affected by it are still going to need a lot of help.

Visual 2

This is a picture of a family floating down the middle of a street-turned-river. This occurred because of Global warming. The water levels rose almost 8 meters last time the Earth's temperature rose 2 degrees. This relates to the economic and social PIES because the climate affects many things, especially economies (losing/gaining products) and people's personal lives. This relates to class because it shows how climate changes depending on other actions.