For Monday’s class, PeterPan5, Juniorgirl03, and soccerstar101 facilitated a discussion on four recent news stories.
Local News:
Over fall break, JMU decided to remove all non-JMU-related signage from the exterior of buildings or anything visible from the exterior. JMU altered a few different campus sign usage policies at the beginning of August. They stated that everyone was given enough time to adjust to these policy changes, therefore, it should not be a surprise when faculty, staff, and students return after the break. This was set to occur over fall break in order to minimize disruptive responses from those affected. JMU states that they remain committed to supporting faculty, staff, and students as they exercise their First Amendment rights.
National News:
On Sunday afternoon, Donald Trump spent thirty minutes working the fry machine at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The customers were pre-selected by the local Trump campaign team. All of the cars were searched along with screening of all the customers prior to entering. Kamala Harris worked at a McDonald’s in the summer of 1983 and she has talked about the brutal conditions of working in such a place. However, Donald Trump claims that it was a fun job and that he enjoyed doing it even though it was only for thirty minutes. He also claims, without any evidence, that Harris made up the entire story and never worked there. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-tries-troll-harris-serving-french-fries-mcdonalds-rcna176294
International News:
China’s National Health Commission recently launched a national survey regarding the declining rate of childbirth. This survey aims to configure more information as to why the birth rate is declining and why people are afraid to have children. The NHC surveyed 30,000 people from 150 different counties in China and 1,500 different communities. They examined the external factors associated with the fear of having children, such as economic pressure, work-life balance, and societal expectations. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-launches-survey-understand-fear-children-rcna176214
International News:
New Zealand naval ship HMNZS Manawanui was surveying a reef about a mile off of the Samoan Island of Upolu when it caught on fire and capsized. There were 75 members on board of this ship and all 75 were rescued and evacuated safely. The captain of this ship was a woman named Yvonne Gray. Ever since this accident occurred, Gray has been receiving numerous comments from armchair admirals, stating that the reason for this crash was due to her gender. The cause of this accident was investigated, and it was not the fault of anybody on board the ship. New Zealand has a long history of gender equality and also being the first country to grant women the right to vote. However, in recent years, there has been far more misogynistic abuse of women in power than ever before. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwylvw9qqd5o
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