By: Molly Weisner
Alas, it’s time to tuck away the sappy chick flicks, Valentine’s Day cards and half-eaten boxes of chocolate, for the real world is calling.Your binge-watch sessions of Nicholas Sparks’ movies may have isolated you from this month’s current events, but this quick debrief of February’s headlines will highlight the most significant national and international news.
HOLD THE VOTES: Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, made the executive decision on February 6th to postpone Nigeria’s presidential elections due potential attacks on Northeastern voters by the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram. While his re-election is by no means guaranteed, President Jonathan did not want his citizens terrorized just because of their political orientation. Until these voters can be protected, elections will remain at a stand-still.
PEACE POSSIBLE: European diplomats came together on February 12th to renegotiate the Minsk Protocol, a peace agreement between Eastern and Western Europe to end the fighting in Ukraine. However, peace is not guaranteed considering some aspects of the agreement, like the location of the truce boundary and the ownership of weapons, are vague and largely undefined. Originally signed in September of 2014, the peace agreement did not hold and violence continues to ravage the region.
BLUE 42 SET-HIKE! It was a good day to be a Patriots fan on February 1st, for the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to claim their fourth Super Bowl win. With Tom Brady claiming his third MVP award, the previous ten-point deficit early in the game quickly transformed into a thing of the past as fans sat on the edge of their seats in the close game.
TIGHT GRIP ON WORLD WIDE WEB: On February 26th, the FCC passed a bill that enforces possibly the tightest restriction on internet services yet. Companies specializing in telecommunication, like Verizon, AT&T and Comcast, are no longer permitted to slow down internet traffic in order to make internet service faster for their paying customers.
TRANSASIA TRAGEDY: On February 4th, Transasia Airways flight 235 crashed down into a river suddenly after taking off from the Taipei airport in Taiwan. Flying very close to the ground, the wings grazed a nearby highway that rendered thirty-one casualties in the crash. Two people riding in cars were also killed by the airplane’s shocking proximity to the street.
YOURS TRULY, JON STEWART: On February 11th, the acclaimed host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart threw in the towel and announced he would be stepping down after sixteen years of hosting the show. He is the second major comedic genius to leave their platform this year, behind Stephen Colbert’s earlier resignation.
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