Final

May 2020
Low Airline Fees and Adventurous People: and How They Worsen Our
Lives.
By: Abhiram Dasari

As we all know, since March 30th, the state of North Carolina has been
under an official stay-at-home order by the command of Governor Roy
Cooper. Some states have been quarantined before that, some after. This has
affected our lives and the lives of others in many ways, but there is one way
that many of us haven’t been thinking about, and for good reason. Due to the
worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, and the extreme unwillingness of people
to travel, airline tickets have been extremely discounted due to low demand.
However, while most are still staying at home, some are taking this as a sign
to pursue their dreams of world travel.

According to NBC News, “As flight schedules are scaled down and
airline stocks plunge, carriers are offering deals that have put air travel
within reach for people who usually can't fly. It's a high-risk, high-reward trip,
people say”. To put this in perspective, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelley
has stated that the pandemic is a more serious challenge for the airline
industry than the attacks of September 11th. As people continue to travel,
the rest of the world can only think one thing: “Why?”. Why endanger the
lives of others and yourself just to hop on a plane? NBC News asked this
same question to Henkel, a 20 year old waiting to see the world. She states, "I
feel like if the coronavirus would get even more serious and like wipe out a
large amount of people, I might as well be somewhere having fun". It’s this
type of high-risk high-reward mentality that experts at the CDC say is
perpetuating the virus. So don’t be enticed by the low prices and “steals” for
travel plans. Instead, #stayhomewithus, and help protect those who can’t
protect themselves.

Spinosaurus makes history as first known swimming dinosaur

By: Arya Bharti

Spinosaurus, considered to be the largest predator to ever walk the earth,
has recently been declared the first semi-aquatic dinosaur. Some people
point fingers to the plesiosaurs (often thought to be the loch-ness monster)
as the first, but they fall under aquatic reptiles and aren't considered part of
the dinosaur family. But what makes Spinosaurus so unique? First excavated
in 1912, scientists failed to determine how the creature might look or act. It
had a massive finlike sail on its back, huge dagger-like claws and a 3 foot long
jaw similar to that of a crocodile. Bigger than both T. rex and
Giganotosaurus, it lived in the swamps and rivers of North Africa during the
Cretaceous Period, about 112 million to 97 million years ago. Spinosaurus
was considered to be an Apex Predatory, which means it had few to no
enemies to challenge it. Although it lived during the cretaceous period,
Spinosaurus did not suffer the same dramatic end as other dinosaurs during
the KT mass extinction event. Being heavily dependent on rivers and
waterbeds, towards the end of the Cretaceous, climate change drove these
fascinating animals towards extinction rather than a meteor.
The Rise of a Resurgent Russia

By Aaryan Kumar
Almost 30 years ago, the Soviet Union was in a state of financial collapse and
it’s sphere of influence in Europe rapidly eroded. It was the height of
embarrassment for a proud Russian nation, who had claimed the lion’s share
of glory during the bloody Eastern Front of WWII. But today the Russian
nation is back on the rise. Russia has seen its neighbors fall to the opposing
NATO block to try and stop them. In 2008 Russia invaded a Western-leaning
Georgia, which resulted in a brutal and bloody war in the Southern Caucus.
Russia was also directly responsible for war crimes against the Georgian
nation which included the ethnic cleansing of it’s people. Overwhelming
evidence showed that the Russian military had knowingly overseen and
possibly participated in war crimes against Georgia. International
condemnation immediately came as several Western nations criticized
Russia for starting the first armed conflict in Europe since WW2. Parallels
were drawn between Soviet war Crimes before, during, and after WW2 and
the Cold War. Although trade restrictions were implemented, Russia did not
learn her lesson, and when Ukraine underwent revolution, it seized on the
opportunity to take Crimea from the pro-Western Government. This created
a brutal insurgency war with Russian troops fighting alongside Ukranian
rebels against the Ukranian military. If the West does not take drastic action,
they will find a resurgent Russia and with it, the rise of another Cold War.

Speculations on Coronavirus Origination
By: Pavitra Madala

The coronavirus pandemic is a globally known topic and many people are
concerned about the death toll that this virus brings. Until now, many people
have known that the virus originated from the consumption of a bat, but
recent intelligence reports have proven otherwise. Evidence shows that the
Covid-19 virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The US
Intelligence Service confirmed that Covid-19 is not man-made or genetically
engineered, and thus investigation is taking place to provide further
confirmation on the source of the virus. However, Covid-19 is rumored to
have escaped the lab due to poor safety procedures after performing deadly
bat virus experiments. China supposedly tried to cover this up by ordering
actions such as the deep clean of Wuhan’s wet market, the area where
Covid-19 reportedly began to spread after leaking from the virology lab. To
make the situation worse, many people left Wuhan after the outbreak, which
helped facilitate the spread of the virus. However, China had denied all the
claims made against their country and brought about further speculation that
the United States brought the virus into Wuhan itself. Further investigation
is still being done on the origin of the virus, but more information is yet to
come. Please remember to wash your hands!

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Spinosaurus makes history as first known swimming dinosaur

The Rise of a Resurgent Russia

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