By Layne Friedman
The week in news from LREI, the United States, and the world.
WORLD NEWS:
North Korea Found Avoiding Sanctions:
Maputo, Mozambique has made in front and center in the world news with the discovery that North Korea is working its way into the large fishing industry in Mozambique. The Susan 1 and Susan 2 are fishing boats, maned by North Korea crews. While it may seem odd that these two small and old boats are how North Korea has chosen to avoid sanctions, they a small way into the lucrative fishing industry that provides North Korea with money it needs to survive. CNN claims that these fishing boats are a small representations of a much larger and far reaching relationship between Mozambique and North Korea.
Large Protests in Greece Over Name Macedonia:
Macedonia is both a country to the north of Greece and a region within Greece. The use of the same name for both the country and the region has led to controversy and massive protests in the Greek capital of Athens. To understand the protests one must understand the history of the name and places know as Macedonia. The region Macedonia was established in 1913 and is a part of the country of Greece. The country Macedonia, officially the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), came to existence in 1991. The Current Greek government has been working to reach a diplomatic agreement over the use of the name Macedonia causing Greek protesters to take the to streets. The protesters claim that the country Macedonia, should not be allowed to use the name because it “implies a territorial claim on Greece’s northern Macedonia region.”
U.S. NEWS:
Donald Trump’s First State of the Union Address:
Keeping with the tradition outlined in the constitution and upheld by presidents past, Donald Trump delivered his first state of the Union address this past Tuesday. His address lasted one hour and twenty minutes,making it one of, but not the, longest State of the Union addresses. Trump spent the first hour of his speech addressing domestic issues, which as CNN points out, is representative of Trump’s “America First” platform. Like other presidents Trump called for unity across parties, but the intense partisanship of the year was clear throughout the evening. While Republicans were constantly standing and clapping, Democrats remained predominantly in their seats. There were also multiple organized silent protests. Many democratic women wore black in solidarity with the #metoo movement and Congressional Black Caucus members wore kente cloth in protest of Trump’s “shithole countries” comment about Haiti and African nations. Red “Recy” pins were worn by many democrats in honor of the black woman Recy Taylor who in 1992 was raped and kidnapped by 6 white men who were never jailed for the crime. LREI students had a change to debrief on the State of the Union Address in a conversation hosted by Harry Kassen (Senior).
Super Bowl Sunday:
It’s Super Bowl Sunday again and football fan or not, you’re sure to have had at least one conversation about the upcoming game. Sunday night the New England Patriots will play the Philadelphia Eagles. The game will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, marking only the 6th the Super Bowl that has been hosted by a cold weather city. Most often the game is held in a warmer climate where the winter weather is more predictable. The kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 and NBC will be hosting the game this year. While many tune in to watch the big game, there are plenty of others who will be paying most attention during the commercials and Justin Timberlake’s much anticipated half-time show.
Click here to read more (and for everything you should know before the game starts).
LREI NEWS:
Black History Month Assembly:
LREI’s BSU (Black Student Union) prepared and hosted an informative and engaging assembly on the first day of the 2018 Black History month. Rather than a more traditional slideshow, BSU opted for an assembly centered around student panels featuring the voices of LREI’s black students. They focused on what it means to be black in a predominantly white institution and called on the student body, faculty and administration to be more aware and engaged regarding conversations about race at LREI. They called for people to stay tuned in, and called out the privilege associated with tuning out as well as discussing the different ways which students at LREI can and should use their voices.
Spirit Week Starts Tomorrow:
Get ready to show you’re LREI spirit, as the student government organized Spirit Week begins tomorrow. Every morning will begin in the PAC with a different competition between the grades. Monday you can roll right out of bed and head to school for Pajama Day, Tuesday the number of twins who attend LREI will skyrocket for Twin Day and Wednesday be prepared to come as your favorite character. Thursday is perhaps the most exciting day, each grade will be wearing the fashion of a different decade while everyone waits for the annual lip sync battle that will take place during assembly. Friday is your chance to show your LREI spirit. Also Friday, the student government has organized the first LREI dance in many years which will begin at 7pm in the PAC.