When was the last time that you paid a visit to a public library? I ask this because I believe that a significant percentage of Americans have either never been to a library, or make it a point to avoid these places like the plague. Well, if you fall into either of those categories, you are truly missing out on an incredible place. First of all, some libraries have cafes which serve coffee and treats, and you can snack on a muffin or slice of lemon loaf while reading Vonnegut. Next, almost every library has free wi-fi, and their own computer lab if you cannot afford a laptop or if you simply forgot to bring yours that day. Lastly, and this the most incredible part; libraries have books, CDs, movies, and every type of media you could imagine, all for free. Why wouldn’t you spend every waking moment in one of these lovely places?
Check out a library and maybe a book, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
The Scandal Continues
Earlier this week, it was discovered that over fifty people were involved in one of the largest-scale college admissions scandals in the history of the United States. These people, all of which were parents of college-hopefuls, worked with TV producer Rick Singer to collectively pay over $25 million for Singer’s “company” to falsify student test scores and athletic performance records to help students get into universities they otherwise wouldn’t have a chance at getting into. While this scandal is exciting and upsetting for the students who probably had only good intentions, at the core of the story lies a dangerous systemic issue relating to affluent individuals believing they can simply spend to fix their problems.
According to the official court filing, Rick Singer, and others known and unwon to the Grand Jury:
“…carried out the racketeering conspiracy which included facilitating cheating on the ACT and SAT exams in exchange for bribes by arranging for or allowing a third party — to secretly take the exams in place of the actual students, or to replace the students’ exam responses…designing applicants as purported recruits for competitive college athletic teams, without regard for the applicants’ athletic abilities…”
–United States District Court of Massachusetts
In addition to faking standardized test scores and athletic statistics, the scandal also included bribing athletic coaches at elite colleges including Yale and USC, who would subsequently vouch on behalf of these students to the respective school’s admissions departments. Coaches would advocate for students who, in some cases, didn’t even play sports.
Boeing, You’re Grounded!
Following the tragic crash of a Boeing 737 Max plane which killed 157 people on Sunday, and 189 people back in October, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the Federal Aviation Administration ground all Boeing 737 Max aircrafts until further notice.
“We’re goin to be issuing an emergency order of prohibition to ground all flights of the 737 Max 8 and the 737 Max 9 and planes associated with that line. Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and thereafter be grounded until further notice. So planes that are in the air will be grounded, if they’re the 737 Max, will be grounded upon landing at the destination.”
–President Donald Trump
