This series, which I'm labelling "Odds and Ends" will consist of little to no juxtaposition as far as different partisan news sources, but will instead include stories that have less room for opinionated and biased fluff.
Today I will be briefly covering some older news that you might still need some basic information on: the royal wedding, the Santa Fe shooting, the Obamas' Netflix deal, season 2 of 13 Reasons Why, and the Hawaiian volcanic eruption.
First, some numbers on the royal wedding coming from BBC.
110,000 people attended the wedding of American actress, Meghan and Harry. In the wedding Meghan brought aspects of modernity and reminders of her biracial heritage; one of which being an invigorating sermon from Bishop Michael Curry, who talked of Martian Luther King Jr and the spirituality of slaves. The wedding makes Meghan the Duchess of Sussex. Meghan showed the world that she was not planning on being an idle bride. In a speech typically given by the bride's father, Meghan said: “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.”
Next we can take a look at the far more serious school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas. CNN reports that there were 10 victims during the half hour incident. The gunman was 17 year old, Dimitrios Pagourtzis. Due to laws in Texas, the gunman cannot receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Pagourtzis is being charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault against public servant and is being held without bail.
The cameras within the school are helping investigators put together a solid timeline of the shooting, including the 25 minute crossfire between deputies and the gunman. The victims included a Pakistani exchange student, 17 year old Sabika Sheikh, who was counting down the days until she would be able to come home to her family. All victims have been identified; 2 were teachers and 8 were students. There were an additional 13 students who were hurt in the incident.
To keep up with the ongoing inflowing information on the subject, I recommend the CNN page linked above.
On a lighter note, it was announced just today that the Obamas are planning to pursue series on Netflix. BBC reported today that they are planning to explore the possibility of scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features and have entered into a multi-year agreement with the company.
Continuing with news on Netflix, the second season of 13 Reasons Why came out this past week. The first season of the show was frankly a cultural phenomenon, and did exactly what it intended to: to start a conversation about suicide; however, the conclusion some are coming to from these conversations, is that the show has caused more harm than good, and that a second season is unnecessary. The show can be very triggering for some viewers and that's one of its biggest criticisms. This time, the cast came out with an official warning about its triggering content, and for good reason.
After conducting research after the first season, Netflix found that "nearly three-quarters of teen and young adult viewers said the show made them feel more comfortable processing tough topics", and has also put out a guide for understanding and dealing with the topics dealt with on the show. Even with those significant measures, it's not stopping critics from ripping into it. USA today gives the second season a 1 star rating, calling it a grab for headlines, while The Guardian calls it "pointless, cumbersome, baggy, [and] badly written."
On the other hand NME says "Those who say it's run its course are missing the point. 13 Reasons Why was never about one girl's suicide. It's about endemic problems with society and shining a light on the [issues] young people have to deal with on a daily basis." Meanwhile, Entertainment weekly compares the show to adolescence itself: "It finishes season two as a show you don't so much enjoy as endure and appreciate later - much like adolescence itself." Much of my information on this bit was found from this BBC article.
Finally, we can look at the volcanic activity in Hawaii that has been developing over the past week or so. Kilauea erupted earlier this month and the situation has only been slowly worsening. In addition to avoiding the lava flow itself, BBC has reported that two lava flows have reached the Pacific, creating thick hazardous clouds known as "laze" which can be toxic. It goes on to state that "The US Geological Survey describes laze as a "hot, corrosive, gas mixture". There has only been one serious injury so far, although due to the unpredictable nature of the lave, more are likely.
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