Thoughts Without Borders

________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________A Glimpse of the World Through the Lens of a Millennial___________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ International relations college student analyzing world and domestic (U.S.) issues.

[obamawhitehouse]

Higher education is the best investment you can make in your future. If you’re a student, add your name to help make college more affordable.

[huffpost]

Anonymous ‘Spider-Man’ Feeds Homeless At Night, Proves Anyone Can Be A Superhero For Change

A U.K. man is donating his nights to making sure that those in need don’t go hungry. By day, this 20-year-old man from Birmingham, England, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a bartender. But by night, he dons a Spider-Man suit and takes to the streets to feed homeless people.  The “Birmingham Spider-Man,” as he is known, says that he hopes his work will show others that everyone deserves a helping hand — no matter their situation. Read our exclusive interview with the “Birmingham Spider-Man” here. 

[abcnews-deactivated20251106]

WATCH: As war ravages Syria, the light is literally being replaced by the darkness.

[nbcnightlynews]

ISIS demands $200 million ransom for two Japanese hostages

[huffpost]

#ReclaimMLK: Activists Nationwide Follow In MLK’s Footsteps To Protest Racial Injustice

[jtedesco-udel-edu]

Let it Snowden, Let it Snowden, Let it Snowden

And so we hear his name again. Don’t worry America, Edward Snowden did not do anything this time. The US Government just discovered some important information tucked away in the plethora of files he released. No biggie.

Word on the cyber-street is that Obama called out North Korea for the SONY attacks because guess who hacked North Korea first? You got it; USA, USA, USA!

Allegedly, back in ‘0? the NSA used South Korean access into the DPRK to activate malware on their networks. The files downloaded by the North Korean hackers did not raise alarm for any of the NSA crime watchers, which is why they never saw the SONY hack coming. However, after analyzing the hack, the NSA was able to provide Obama with enough evidence to prosecute the DPRK as the culprit anyway, thus his quick reaction to the events.

We all know what you are thinking: how could this double hack be of any use to the US if it does not implement prevention? No seriously, what is even the point? To some degree security operations such as these allow for faster recovery and good providers of evidence.

Luckily, the Prez will be talking about cyber security issues tonight, January 20th 2015 at 9:00pm during his sixth State of the Union Address. There will be many bills and executive orders on the table (or so the political spectrum predicts) that will cause speculation by both parties and especially conservative congressmen (cough, cough shocker—cough, cough AKA all of them). Let’s plow forward in 2015 with a hopefully safer internet. Hardy, har, har.

Thoughts?

[jtedesco-udel-edu]

There is Always a Movement

The hardest thing about progression is assimilating to change. On this Monday, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day to remind ourselves of the equality once fought for in the U.S. But we should also ask ourselves the importance of history; why take the time to teach our students the subject? Why memorize dates and facts and try to psychologically and sociologically analyze the past? The point is, history is important—not because teachers and professors are nuts about it, but because of the things we learn from these analyses. The frequent expression “history repeats itself” is not just a dramatic saying. If we do not learn from our mistakes or the resolutions that were effective, progression is nearly impossible. This is why we celebrate holidays such as MLK day. To remind ourselves of the movements we try to accomplish on a daily basis. MLK day is celebrated and pursued to try and end the violence that we see in today’s world. His peaceful approaches to spark change are what we as citizens should follow; we can all come together to act on our right of freedom of speech to protest and educate ourselves about issues. By voting, by posting, by talking, and by confronting we are always making a difference. MLK once said: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” However, it is also up to those that are already free to help spark change and take down the oppressors. This means fighting back against militant and terrorizing groups such as Boko Karam, Al Qaeda, The Taliban, and ISIS. This means standing up for gender equality within the workforce. This means allowing all people to peacefully practice their religions freely. This means continuing the legacy of MLK by not JUST remembering, but by following his example.

[jtedesco-udel-edu]

"Freedom is never handed by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed." - #MLK Today is a day to celebrate history, freedom, & equal rights. MLK's words are not outdated and should be used to fight the ongoing equity wars going on today. #LongLiveMLK #FightAgainstBokoHaram #FreedomOfReligion #EqualEducation #EqualityOfSex #PrayForParis

[huffpost]

Chris Pratt Takes Time Out Of Saving The Galaxy To Visit Children’s Hospital

[breakingnews]

Indonesia executes 6 drug convicts, including 5 foreigners

The Associated Press:  Indonesian authorities say they have executed by firing squad 5 foreigners and an Indonesian woman convicted on drug charges in first executions under new President Joko Widodo.

[chicagotribune]

Muslim terrorists killed 17 people in Paris earlier this month after storming the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. At the same time, Muslim terrorists who call themselves Boko Haram were killing an estimated 2,000 people in two Nigerian villages.

Guess which catastrophe drew more of the world’s...

[please-stop-raining]

Whether you like it or not, Marriage will be equal, and SOON. It’s time for change. Time for equality.

[stay-human]

Pakistani students recreate photo taken before Peshawar school massacre

In atrocities like the massacre at a school in Peshawar last month, the individual victims can sometimes be forgotten; replaced in headlines by a number - in this case the 145 murdered by the Taliban.

After returning to school this week, two of the pupils - Talha Munir Paracha (far left) and Hassan Javed Khan (second right) - have given a heart-wrenching reminder that everyone at that school has lost a friend, a classmate or a teacher.

Uploading two pictures to his Facebook page, Talha showed one from before the attack and one after.

In the second photo, two of his friends - Rafiq Bangash (second left) and Mohammad Yassen (far right) - were missing, tragically having lost their lives in the attack.

[chicagotribune]

Far more Democrats than Republicans hope to see female president

Sixty-nine percent of Democratic women and 46 percent of Democratic men hope to see a female president of the United States in their lifetime, according to a new Pew Research Center survey on women and leadership.

Just 20 percent of Republican women and 16 percent of Republican men hope to see the same.

[nbcnightlynews]

U.S. troops will be sent to the Middle East to train Syrian rebels as part of the wider fight against ISIS, Pentagon says

[huffpost]

Letter From LEGO To Parents In The ’70s Makes An Important Point About Gender

Daniel Fry posted a letter that LEGO included in boxes of its toy building bricks in the 1970s to Reddit. Addressed to parents, the note has a message about gender equality and gendered children’s products that many toy companies today still don’t seem to understand.

[crisisgroup]

Nigeria’s elections promise a genuine contest – but avoiding unrest is vital | Comfort Ero

With less than a month to go before contentious polls, Nigeria is facing a perfect storm. Elections on 14 and 28 February are not only about choosing a new president and political representatives; they also constitute a critical test for Nigeria’s unity, particularly after five years of insurgency by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram.

A public pledge for a peaceful election and the avoidance of violence after the polls has been signed by the seven presidential candidates, including the two front-runners: President Goodluck Jonathan and the former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari. It is certainly a positive first step, but it will be seriously undermined without full support and respect on the ground. 

Past elections have been violent, but the February polls could be particularly destabilising because they mark the first nationwide contest in decades between two relatively equal political parties – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which has held the presidency and most state governments since the return to democratic rule in 1999, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), a merger of the four largest opposition parties.

This genuine contest is a sign of progress. But the acrimony between the parties, aggravated by regional and religious claims of entitlement to the presidency, has created a volatile environment. Jonathan is a Christian from the south, while Buhari is a Muslim from the north.

FULL COMMENTARY (The Guardian)

Photo: Annaliese McDonough/Commonwealth Sectratariat/flickr