News Briefs
- Trump or Clinton?
- With the general election less than two weeks away, most Americans are very anxious to see which presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, will make it to victory. A recent CNN/ORC poll on 916 registered voters shows that almost 7 in 10 voters think that Clinton will win the presidential election, and out of the same voters, 75% think if Clinton loses, she will concede, but for Trump on the other hand, only 35% think Trump will accept the results. According to CNN, 93% of Clinton’s own supporters believe she will win the presidency, and only 57% of Trump’s advocates believe he will be able to secure the position. On November 8th, the results for the United States presidential election will be announced nationwide.
- Say goodbye to the Great Barrier Reef
- Over the course of the last 30 years, the Great Barrier Reef has been losing bits of itself to environmental problems caused by human activity, such as coral bleaching, the complete whiteness of coral triggered by change in temperature and light, and runoff pollution from fishing and burning of fossil fuels. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the reef is home to over 1,500 fish species, and covers a great distance of 133,000 square miles, the size of around 275 football fields. In early October, Outside Magazine claimed the death of the Great Barrier Reef had occurred during what was viewed as the “worst, mass bleaching event in its history.” While the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies reports that 93% of the coral is on the verge of extinction from coral bleaching, it has not yet been entirely destroyed by human activity, which means that there is still time for recovery.
- Thousands show support for #BlackLivesMatter
- On October 19, 2016, thousands of Seattle Public Schools teachers and students wore “Black Lives Matter” t-shirts to spread the message of racial equity in society and more specifically, within the education department. The Black Lives Matter movement is about more than just police brutality- it also has to do with minimizing the amount of racial division and inequality within public institutions, like schools. At Garfield, teachers and students showed their support for this movement by holding rallies and giving speeches regarding institutional racism outside the school. However, this public display faced opposition from the Blue Lives Matter, a nationwide movement that supports the actions of the police, as they deemed this message should not be pushed. In response, the Seattle Education Association made it clear that Seattle’s education department is making it their mission to provide a racially equitable quality of public education.
- Google’s first phone ever
- Earlier this month, Google released its first phone, Pixel. With Apple’s launch of its new iPhone 7, many consumers have upgraded to the new edition. Google’s Pixel, similarly, was sold out within minutes on the Google Store. One main feature the Pixel boasts is its camera; Google claims it is “the best camera we’ve ever made.” One challenge Google faces is the satisfied Android users who don’t necessarily see the reason to switch to the Pixel, a relatively unknown device. Google’s main competitor on the Android market is the Samsung Galaxy S7, which has remained as one of the best Android smartphones out there. Both phones feature similar designs, as well as priced within the same range.
