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Why January 2020?
January 1st, 2020, marked the start of a brand new decade. This year also happens to be a Leap Year, giving it a length of 366 days as opposed to 365. As with other New Year’s Days, the day was celebrated through fireworks, parties, gatherings, or other special events. Before the 2020s decade began, many people took the time to reflect the changes , challenges, and opportunities they have been through during the 2010s. Likewise, people also expressed the excitement and things that wait in store for their lives going forward. One’s personal experience with how January 2020 went for them will vary significantly from person to person. Many may report feelings of mediocrity, excitement, sorrow, anger, or fear for a variety of reasons. Outside of people’s personal responses, January 2020 unfortunately made a lot of headlines that have either been shocking or both shocking and sad.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
On January 08, 2020, a plane crashed between the Iranian cities of Parand and Shahriar. 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, 4 Afghans, 3 Germans, and 3 Brits, bringing the total to 176 casualties. Investigators were scrambling that Wednesday to determine the cause of the crash. Iranian state media blamed it on technical issues, while Ukraine said it was a rocket attack. It has since been definitely proven to be an attack, with Iran even admitting that it fired 2 ballistic missiles at the plane. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine, says leaked audio proves Iran knew what happened to flight 752 before they even shot it down.
Motive
Why did this happen in the first place? Tension. Hostilities between Tehran and Washington District of Columbia were soaring. Iran fired rockets at the Iraqi bases in retaliation for an American drone strike that killed Iran’s top commander, Qasem Soleimani, in Iraq on January 03, 2020. As a result, this put Iran into a very defensive mode, thus leading them to firing missiles at a plane, only to come out with the truth after being widely condemned for their action.
“If there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families. This is something that happens when you have conflict and war. Innocents bear the brunt of it and it is a reminder why all of us need to work so hard on de-escalation, moving forward to reduce tensions and find a pathway that doesn’t involve further conflict and killing” — Justin Trudeau
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more critical diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The current ongoing novel coronavirus is a strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The virus was first reported from Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. Since then, it has been wreaking havoc on China. Due to travelling or even proximity in the case of countries such as Japan and Korea, there have been a number or coronavirus cases outside of Asia as well. Despite the official report date of December 31, 2019, individuals have been reporting unusual respiratory problems since early December 2019.
Symptoms
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. In more serious cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or kidney failure, ultimately leading to death. Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing with soap, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Close contact with anyone showing symptoms should be avoided.
Origin
The source? It is still not absolutely certain. Officials have been trying to identify whether it were bats, snakes, civets, or seafood, but there is still not a definite agreement. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market has been widely considered as the main source of the outbreak of a novel coronavirus. Again, not everyone agrees, with some parties saying that it was caused from bats — a species not offered at the Huanan Market. Xinhua has confirmed that some samples from the Huanan Market were found to have the virus. This also proves that the virus is highly relevant to the trading of the wild animals.
Cure
The vaccine for 2019-nCoV is under development at this time. Medical supplies, masks, gloves, and hazmat suits have been surging in demand ever since the outbreak started making headlines. For now, proper sanitation, handling, cooking and storing of foods, as well as healthy dieting is the key to preventing and fighting the disease.
Cancellations And Deaths
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has caused many events within China to be cancelled, as well as travel to be either restricted or temporarily forbidden in the case of some countries such as the United States. At the time of this writing, the death toll stands at 492 and counting. Racist abuse towards Asians has also been on the rise, creating more problems alongside an already critical problem.
Departure Of The Sussexes
The departure of the Sussexes is not a tragic event by any means.It is, however, one that made notable headlines across the world in January. The biggest shock was to the Royal family. Despite Harry mentioning that it was something he thought about for a long time, it still brought much shock the Queen and other Royal members.
Motive
Privacy and safety. Harry openly mentioned that the death of his mother Princess Diana is a wound that still hurts. She died during an accident while desperately trying to get away from paparazzi in Paris. After watching the media harm both Meghan and himself for years, they decided to move away from the Royal life in 2020. The Queen confirmed this with a statement released on January 13, 2020.
What This Says About The Monarchy
The Sussexes have admitted trying to keep a tough face about their struggles. Meghan in an interview last year said that nobody ever asked if she was ok. This brings up numerous questions:
- If the Royal family members wanted them to stay, why did they do so little, if anything to look after their mental health?
- Why did the Sussexes feel afraid to tell at least one person in the family that they were struggling and could do for some support?
- Was the Royal family oblivious to the malicious media about the Sussexes? Did they not notice that all the harmful press towards the Sussexes was weighing on them?
Ultimately, the departure of the Sussexes proves that the Monarchy has much improvement to do in regards to offering better personal support for their members. Additionally, it needs to do a better job at offering more privacy, curbing racism, sexism, and other toxic attitudes. All of which are issues that have been brought up through statements in the past.
Brexit
The word “Brexit” is portmanteau of the words “British” and “Exit” referring to the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. A referendum (also called public vote) was held back in June 2016, where 17.4 million people opted for Brexit. This resulted in 52% for Leave, 48% for remain.
European Union
The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union involving 28 European countries. The Union allows free trade, meaning goods can move between EU countries without and checks or extra charges. The Union also allows free movement for people to live and work in the countries they choose. The United Kingdom joined back in January 01, 1973.
Motive
There are many reasons behind the reason for the United Kingdom wanting to leave. Ultimately, these are the three major reasons: Immigration, economy, and sovereignty.
Immigration
The European Union allows anybody within the Union to move and work freely between EU nations. Some Leave voters cited frustration with the lack of control they have over their borders. Others expressed disdain over immigrants taking jobs and not adapting British culture. Another thing voters hated was the right of migrants to claim welfare benefits in the United Kingdom, which Brits believed was putting a strain on the National Health Services.
Economy
The United Kingdom prefers being in control of its economy. The fact that the country uses the British Pound Sterling as its currency as opposed to the Euro, is an example of this. Some people have expressed frustration and competition over jobs caused from the free movement policy of the European Union. Criticism of the Union irresponsibly spending money has also been brought up.
Sovereignty
The United Kingdom prides itself on being a nation with a long, rich history, and having immense international influence. Over time, a number of British people began feeling disconnected with the European Union, and frustrated with its policies. By leaving the Union, they believe that Britain will have far greater independence and a better sense of British nationality.
Concerns Over Brexit
The United Kingdom has been in the European Union for 47 years. Naturally, this created shock and disappointment from other European Union countries when their Leaders heard the news. Many Remain voters are greatly concerned about the future economy of Britain, as well as ease of movement. Though Britain left the Union, there is still a lot of matters that must be dealt with during its transition period:
- Law enforcement
- Data sharing and security
- Aviation standards and safety
- Access to fishing waters
- Supplies of electricity and gas
- Licensing and regulation of medicines
Until December 31, 2020, the United Kingdom must abide by European Union rules.
Calabasas Helicopter Crash
On January 26, 2020, the following people died in a helicopter crash:
- Ara Zobayan, 50
- Kobe Bryant, 41
- Gianna Bryant, 13
- Sarah Chester, 45
- Payton Chester, 13
- John Altobelli, 56
- Keri Altobelli, 46
- Alyssa Altobelli, 14
- Christina Mauser, 38
Motive
Kobe was supposed to coach a youth basketball team, the Lady Mambas, for 12:00 PM in Thousand Oaks, California. Gianna, Alyssa, and Payton were involved with the game. A Sikorsky S-76B helicopter took off from John Wayne Airport en route to Camarillo Airport. Weather conditions were not good that day, leading the pilot to seek special permission to fly through fog. The helicopter took off at 9:06 AM, only to end up striking a hill 40 minutes later, killing all 9 occupants from blunt trauma.
International Reaction
Kobe Bryant was recognized as an international basketball icon that many fans admired. As such, the annunciation of his death had millions in shock. Numerous celebrities, officials, and regular people paid various tributes to his death. Ceremonies were held for the families that lost their love ones in the crash.
Newfoundland Snow Storm 2020
Newfoundland is a province in Canada that normally snow a lot. Unfortunately, this year brought a record-breaking amount of snow. Enough snow that caused the province to declare a state of emergency for 8 days, last month. The last time the province declared a state of emergency was 35 years ago.
Details
Before the snow storm took place, Newfoundland had already been getting a lot of snow. When the storm did arrive, it only further exacerbated the situation. During the rage of the storm on January 16, 2020, winds topped speeds of up to 130 km/h on some parts of the province’s coast. The storm was large enough for it to be seen outer space. Thousands of homes and businesses lost power. On the evening of January 18, 2020, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) commenced planning and began activating forces to support the province of Newfoundland and Labrador following the unprecedented winter storm. The mission was wrapped up on the 28th of January. Snowfall totals from a Tweet shared the heights for some municipalities:
- 93 cm (Mt. Pearl)
- 91 cm (Paradise)
- 82 cm (St. John’s East)
- 77 cm (St. John’s YYT)
- 48 cm Lethbridge
- 35 cm (Gander West)
- 34 cm (Gander YQX)
The Rest Of 2020?
Despite the deaths caused from fallen aircraft or disease, and the political moves that happened in the United Kingdom, a nation who many other countries trade with extensively, there is still much to be seen for the duration of 2020. The situation with the novel coronavirus serves as a reminder for the science industry to be prepared for unexpected outbreaks. Most importantly, taking early warnings more seriously, and preventing potential outbreaks by engaging in more sanitary practices across all industries — be it hospitality, culinary, health, or engineering.
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