“Because that’s exactly what they want you to think,” said Marty, whilst hiding in a restaurant freezer. Why was Marty McFly in the freezer of a fast-food restaurant, you might ask? Well, using Doc Brown’s time-traveling Delorean, Marty successfully traveled back in time to 1981, just before McDonald’s planned on launching the first round of the fabled McRib. What you may not know is that the release of the McRib inadvertently allowed Russians to access the polling machines used in the 2016 US presidential election. Marty called Doc back on his walkie-talkie…”Doc, come in, Doc!. Doc responded, “Marty, I’m here, and you’re in terrible danger! Right now, former, I mean the current leader of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, is on the way to your location as we speak! He’s on to our plan, leave Marty!” But Doc’s message never made it Marty, and…to be continued in Back to the Future Part IV: The McRib Diaries.
Like that piece of fan fiction? Well, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
And A Lump Of Coal For President Trump
This year’s UN COP24 clime talk was chock full of incredible keynote speakers, informative break out sessions, and a significant amount of chatter on coal, mostly emanating from the American delegation. I find it hilarious but also incredibly embarrassing that representatives from the US came to a climate talk conference and presented fossil fuels as a reusable source of energy for the future. In fact, the Americans were openly mocked by other delegations present at the event.
A spokesperson from the US State Department attempted to justify fossil fuels to the attendees of the conference:
“These job-creating innovations have contributed traducing U.S. emissions while also growing our economy and providing reliable and affordable access to energy. All energy sources are important, and they will be utilized unapologetically. The important piece is to utilize them in the most cleanly and efficient way, and that’s something I think all countries are committed to.”
–A spokesperson from the US State Department
This Trade War Just Won’t End, Will It?
The G20 summit seemed to have boded well for tensions between the US and China, but alas, nothing positive lasts forever. Over the weekend, Rea Zhengfei, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, was arrested in Canada. For those unfamiliar with the business dealings of Huawei, the company is the largest telecommunications and consumer electronics manufacturer in Asia. Throwing it back to Zhengfei’s arrest, she is expected to be extradited to the US on suspicion of violating US sanctions imposed on Iran by the Trump administration.
“Public opinion in China will likely become more negative with respect to the trade war, and potentially against US companies. The government may find it difficult to tell the public that they have offered significant concessions to the US. The trade talk has just been resumed at the G20 meeting; now its outlook has darkened
-Zhiwei Zhang, Deutsche Bank’s chief China economist
