Tag Archives: current events

On the state of the world, at the time.

Popping the Olin Bubble: February Edition

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12/1 Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo withdraw from the city of Goma, located on the country’s border with Rwanda.

12/4 More than 40,000 people move to shelters in the Philippines in preparation for Typhoon Bopha.

12/5 Australian radio DJ’s pose as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in order to get information from hospital workers about Kate Middleton who was being treated for severe morning sickness.

12/6 John McAfee is arrested in Guatemala and accused of entering the country illegally.

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Popping the Olin Bubble: December Edition

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11/1 Cuban President Raul Castro said that the city of Santiago “looked like it had been bombed” after Hurricane Sandy hit.

11/2 Andrew Lloyd Weber announced he would donate over $600,000 to arts education projects across the UK.

11/3 Cuba accused the US of helping Cuban dissidents access the internet.

11/4 Syrian opposition groups held a first day of talks in Qatar. They hoped to shape the Syrian National Council into a possible government in exile.

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Popping the Olin Bubble: October Edition

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10/1 The White House confirmed that it was the target of a cyber-attack, but that said attack only affected a non-classified system.

10/2 An annual mangold hurling event in Sherston, England, had to be cancelled due to a lack of vegetables.

10/3 Turkey returns fire into Syria after a Syrian shell hit near a Turkish plant, killing five civilians.

10/4 The maple syrup stolen from the Canadian Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve was found unharmed. There was much rejoicing.

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Kennedy vs. Bielat for CD4

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On October 15th, the two candidates for the 4th Congressional District in Massachusetts, Joe Kennedy (Democrat) and Sean Bielat (Republican), debated at Wellesley College. Olin is in the 4th Congressional District, and is currently represented by Barney Frank. At the end of this congressional session, he is retiring, in part because the district was redrawn after the 2010 census and now includes more conservative areas
Despite the saying that “all politics is local”, many of the issues touched on in the debate were of national significance. Both candidates reflected their party’s orthodoxy, though Bielat broke from his party in three ways: supporting certain military budget cuts, believing legislative authorization is necessary to use military force, and acknowledging that the EPA has a role in protecting the environment.

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Popping the Olin Bubble: September Edition

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9/1 Thieves steal millions of dollars of prized maple syrup from a warehouse in Quebec.

9/2 The White House releases President Obama’s beer recipe.

9/3 South Africa frees ~50 miners who were held for murder charges relating to the deaths of 34 other miners who were shot by police.

9/4 Three Indian white tiger cubs are shown to the public for the first time at the Liberec Zoo in the Czech Republic.

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Ripped from the Headlines: May Edition

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4/1 Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy declared it had easily won the by-elections in Myanmar. This was supported by a later official announcement.

4/2 A 43-year-old former student of Oikos University in Oakland, CA, goes on a shooting rampage at the college, killing seven people.

4/3 General Services Administration chief Martha Johnson quit after it emerged $820,000 was spent on a training conference near Las Vegas.

4/4 The Chilean Supreme Court ruled in favor of building a dam in the Patagonian wilderness. The project still needs government approval.

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Violent Response to Syrian Uprising

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February 2011 shook the world with the popular uprising known as “the Arab Spring.” The Arab Spring began with a Tunisian street vendor who lit himself on fire in protest of government corruption.

The Tunisian regime peacefully gave over power, but the spirit of revolution spread into Tahrir Square in Cairo, and then to the rest of the Arab world. Mubarak of Egypt was forced give over power because the military refused to break up protests. Bahrain’s revolution failed because the government had a strong hold over the military and media. In Libya and Syria, some military members defected to the protestors’ side in light of violent responses to protests.

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