Author: lkr5351

Writing this blog has been therapeutic getting to write about all the things that have angered or upset me this year. But it also has been somewhat depressing as I dedicated posts to very impactful people who died too early and about topics that are scary to think about, i.e. women’s rights now that Amy Coney Barret is a Supreme Court Judge. I decided for my sanity and yours, I would end on a more positive note.

F1. Alex Trebek died on November 8th at the age of 80.

My posts only skimmed the top of all the bad things that happened in 2020. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021, there was a massive explosion in Beirut, locusts terrorize Africa and India, and most recently, Alex Trebek died from pancreatic cancer. All of these topics deserve a post written about them, but I think we all need to hear some positive things to have come from 2020.

It was announced that the hit TV sitcom, Friends is returning for a special reunion episode on HBO with all the actors returning to reprise their roles. Sports returned with the Lakers winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy from inside the bubble in Orlando, FL. The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup. The LA Dodgers won the World Series after 6 games against the Tampa Bay Rays. The NFL is 9 weeks in and continuing to taking steps to prevent players from getting covid-19. And to the joy of Penn State and other university students, the Big10 announced the return of fall football. (Although this is not much of a joy anymore as the Nittany Lions fell to 0-3).

One of the most positive things to come out of 2020, is the renaming of NASA headquarters to honor the first Black female NASA engineer. If you have seen the terrific movie, Hidden Figures, you know the story of how Mary W. Jackson did not let white men stand in her way of achieving her dreams. NASA’s headquarters in Washington D.C. are being renamed to honor Jackson and her fight for equality.

F2. SpaceX launch in May 2020. 

And speaking of NASA, it partnered with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to restart the space program in America. On May 30, 2020, SpaceX launched 2 astronauts into orbit. This weekend, on November 14th, SpaceX is launching 4 astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the first time an American rocket is sending astronauts to space since 2011 when the shuttle program was disbanded.

So despite all the horrible things to happen in 2020, there have been some positive things to come of the year such as more quality family time and more attention being drawn to mental health. Things did not look good for 2020, but here is to the hope of a better 2021.  

I feel like most of my post involve death, but 2020 really has caused the death of millions people including some very influential people. This week, I am covering the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

F1. The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born  on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. Three days before her high school graduation, RBG’s mother died from cancer. She graduated top of her class from Cornell University with a degree in government in 1954. At Cornell, she met her future husband, Martin Ginsburg. Both Martin and RBG continued their studies of law at Harvard. There, Martin was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He eventually graduated from Harvard in 1958. They moved to New York where RBG finished her degree at Columbia Law School, graduating top of her class in 1959.

Despite her impressive resume, RBG encountered gender discrimination and struggle to fins employment as a lawyer. Professor of hers from Columbia helped RBG get a job as a clerk in the U.S. District Court. After which, she taught at Rutgers University Law School for 10 years and Columbia Law School for 8. During the 1970s, RBG served as director of the Women’s Rights Projects of the American Civil Liberties Union where she became involved with gender equality.

F2. RBG in the court room presenting a case to the supreme court as part of the ACLU

In 1980, President Carter appointed RBG to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In 1993, President Clinton selected RBG to fill the seat vacated by Justice Byron White on the U.S. Supreme Court. She handled many important cases over the years, but stood her ground as the second woman is history to be appointed to the Supreme Court.

In 1999, RBG was diagnosed with colon cancer, she underwent emergency surgery and was back on the bench two weeks later. She continued to serve while undergoing chemotherapy treatment. In 2009, RBG was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Once again, she was back to work within days of having surgery. RBG died on September 18th, 2020 at her home in D.C. from complications regarding pancreatic cancer.

Days before her death, RBG is quoted saying “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Her wish was ultimately disregarded as President Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett to fill the position left by RBG. Not only is this a blatant disrespect of her dying wish but also her legacy. Amy Coney Barrett’s viewpoints differ from those of RBG. Amy Coney Barrett has the potential of undoing all the good RBG  did towards gender equality and women’s rights.

F1. Firefighters battle blazes as record wildfires tear across California. 

I didn’t think I would have to write a second post about wildfires, but 2020 just continues to prove itself as the worst year ever. Just as Australia was set ablaze in the beginning of the year, it is California’s turn. California experienced a hottest August in history, drought, and over 14,000 lightning strikes in three days. This resulted in fires that quickly began to spread. Firefighters where stretched thin as they tried to combat numerous fires. Just as the firefighters were beginning to make way pushing back the fires, a reckless gender reveal party set fire to forests in San Bernardino County, CA. The use of a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” is what caused the fire which has grown to over 8,600 acres. Over 3.2 million acres of land have been burned in California in 2020 alone. Just as firefighter contain one fire, another fire pops up out of nowhere. There have been a total of 28 major wildfires. Nearly 16,500 firefighters are battling the blazes as they continue to spread. The deadliest fire have been the North Complex Fire. Over 264,000 acres has been burned by this fire in Plumas and Butte counties.

pic.twitter.com/aZ2JzDf5ai

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020

F1. Twitter post from Chadwick Boseman’s twitter account announcing his death.

As a huge Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, I was devastated to hear about Chadwick Boseman’s passing. Boseman died on August 28th, 2020 at the young age of 43. He had been battling colon cancer since 2016 and finally succumb to the disease.

Chadwick Boseman was born on November 29, 1976 in Anderson, South Carolina. In high school, Boseman discovered his love for acting and directing as he wrote and starred in various plays. He graduated from Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, DC, with a degree in directing. He attended the British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer at Oxford Program at Oxford University in 1998 with the monetary help from Denzel Washington, who later became one of Boseman’s close friends. In 2003, Boseman moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He had various roles in TV shows and small production of plays, but he eventually got his breakout role in 2013’s 42 where he played the lead character, Jackie Robinson. His other famous roles include James Brown in Get On Up (2014), Thurgood Marshall in Marshal (2017), and his recurring role as King T’Challa in the MCU. He is set to be seen in theaters one last time in December 2020 with the release of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in which he plays Levee.

F2. Boseman as his most famous role, King T’Challa, the Black Panther. 

Boseman was diagnosed in 2016 with stage III colon cancer. He kept it a secret and continued to work on films between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. His cancer eventually progressed to stage IV during his fight. Boseman also secretly married his girlfriend of 5 years, Taylor Simone Ledward, earlier in 2020.  Boseman died at home with his wife and family.

In 2019, the MCU announced the plans for a ‘Black Panther II’ to be released in 2022. After the news of Boseman’s passing, the MCU announced they were not going to recast an actor as T’Challa. Boseman’s protrayal of the superhero was so memorial that a replacement does not seem like a feasible idea for Marvel.

F3. Boseman visiting terminally ill cancer patients

Boseman left a lasting impression on world. He portrayed countless inspirational black characters throughout his career. He devoted countless hours visiting children suffering from cancer while he himself was secretly suffering with it too. Chadwick Boseman truly was a positive influence on the world as he portrayed heroic characters while fighting for his life. His death was so unexpected and heartbreaking that it left an even darker 2020 in its wake as 2020 takes yet another black icon.

F1. Black Lives Matter protest

As many of you know, the Black Lives Matter movement had a resurgence during the summer of 2020. The fuel that started it  was the death of George Floyd on May 25th. The police were called after Floyd paid for cigarettes with a fake $20 bill. When police confronted him, he appeared intoxicated. They attempted to handcuff Floyd who was resisting arrest. To subdue him, Officer Dereck Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee firmly placed against Floyd’s head and neck. Floyd was killed by this action as he had underlying health conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. This altercation between the police and George Floyd was recorded by bystanders and soon everybody around the world had seen the video. Protests quickly erupted across the nation, spanning over 150 U.S. cities.

These protests only grew stronger as news of other reports of police brutality and systematic racism. These included the attacks on Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and Jacob Blake. Taylor, Brooks, and Blake were all shot by police officers, but Blake was the only one to survive. Arbery was shot and killed by father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, while on a jog in his neighborhood in Brunswick, GA. This one hits especially home for me as my grandparents live in Brunswick, GA and its scary to think that people capable of such horrible actions lived so close to loved ones.

F2. Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC

These acts of police brutality and racism incited protests of all forms. Some people were so hurt and afraid that they rioted. Minneapolis was one of the worst hit cities with more than 1,050 properties sustaining damages. This being said, over 93% of the protests across the nation have been peaceful. People walked hand in hand, putting their lives in the risk of coronavirus and police brutality, marching to protest the systemic racism in the U.S. Another form of protest came on social media with the effort of Black Out Tuesday. Black Out Tuesday consisted of people posting a single black square with little to no caption to offer a time to reflect on the racism around us. Many cities have showed their support of the Black Lives Matter movement by dedicating a segment of road to be painted with the words “Black Lives Matter.”

A second wave of protests came after the shooting of Jacob Blake. NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, tennis and other professional sports took a pause from playing to protest the injustice of society on people of color. While the protests have died down now, the racism is still there and every abundant.

F1. Videos released by the Pentagon depicting UFOs

Some mysterious things began occurring in the spring and summer of 2020, but were quickly overshadowed by the pandemic happening. On April 27th, the U.S. Pentagon released three videos of “unexplained aerial phenomena.” The videos were taken in 2004 and 2015. The video from 2004 was taken by two Navy fighter pilots who were dispatched to investigate an unidentified aircraft in the Pacific Ocean. The aircraft can be seen to be 40 feet long hovering above the water before spotting the pilots and quickly flying away. One of the pilots, Commander David Fravor said “It accelerated like nothing I’ve ever seen,” of the aircraft. The videos from 2015 depict objects moving at immense speeds as well as rotating in mid air. The release of these videos by the Pentagon indicates the credibility of the videos. In the statement released along with the videos, the Pentagon explains that it chose to release the videos to clear up any confusion as to if the videos were real. The videos were previously leaked in 2017 by an independent company. To me, the Pentagon releasing the videos raises more questions than it answers. Why does the Pentagon care if there was confusion about these videos when they do not care about the confusion as to what Area 51 holds? Why are they releasing them now? What does the Pentagon gain from releasing them? As of August 13th, the Pentagon decided to form a task force to investigate unidentified aircrafts that have been observed by U.S. military with Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist overseeing the project. With the pandemic in full effect, the release of footage did not make headlines as it normally would.

F2. Depiction of the Asian Giant Hornet compared to the common bumblebee

Other crazy things happened during 2020 including the rise of murder hornets. Murder hornets are actually called Asian Giant Hornets. They were spotted for the first time in late 2019. The Asian Giant Hornets are the world’s largest species of hornets as they can grow to be 2 inches in length. The hornets earned the name murder hornets as they seek out other beehives and decapitate all the bees there. They then claim the hive as there own and use the food stored there to fee their young and their queen. Once the food runs out, they have to find another beehive to invade. They are very detrimental to not only the already dwindling bee population but also agriculture as bees  help to pollinate crops. Unlike most bees, murder hornets have incredibly long stingers which carry more toxin. Being stung by murder hornets is rare, but is still possible as they are very territorial and capable of multiple stings. Multiple stings from a murder hornet can kill even nonallergic people. The murder hornets became prominent during July of 2020 as they entered their “slaughter phase” where they attack as many hives as possible to be able to collect enough food for winter. It is unknown how they got to the U.S. but Washington state officials are setting up traps as well as launching an app to report sightings. Like the UFO videos, the news of the murder hornets feels like it was swept under the rug as the pandemic occupied everyone’s attention. Other unusual things happened in 2020, but most are forgettable in comparison to the coronavirus pandemic.

F1. Live map of coronavirus cases

Sadly, it has come to that time where I have to talk about coronavirus. I have been dreading writing about corona because there is just so much to say. Anyway, to get on with things, the World Health Organization(WHO) was first informed about the virus on December 30th, 2019 as 41 cases of a “mysterious pneumonia” were found in Wuhan, China. Researchers believe the spread of the virus could have started as early as November. WHO originally found out about the virus from a group of doctors in Wuhan, including Li Wenliang. Li sent messages in a group chat of his peers indicating that the 41 cases in Wuhan were testing positive for SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome. It turned out that the outbreak was not SARS, but rather SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19. The messages Li sent ended up being posted online and the Chinese government interrogated Li and forced him to sign papers indicating that he would not say untrue statements about a SARS outbreak.

Meanwhile, coronavirus was spreading beyond China. On January 13th, the first case of coronavirus outside of China was reported in Thailand. And in January 20th, coronavirus officially reached the U.S. as a man in Washington was diagnosed with COVID-19. On February 7th, Li Wenliang died of coronavirus raising concerns of Chinese government corruption and intervention. On March 11, COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by WHO and by March 13th, President Trump declared a national emergency.

Now things only get worse in 2020 as COVID cases only continue to increase. COVID-19 U.S. deaths reached 200,00 cases by September which is officially more Americans killed than every war US troops have died in since 1945 combined. As of September 28th, over 1 million people have died worldwide from the coronavirus.

F2. Dog teaches how to wear a mask because some people just do not know how.

Now I have only talked about the timeline of the spread of corona, but it involves so much more. People across the world were forced into quarantine to “flatten the curve.” This has had a negative impact on economies, businesses(especially small businesses), mental health, unemployment, and education just to name a few. It is hard to stay positive during this time where everything is being converted to online format and the closest we can get to people is six feet. The worst part about this whole thing is that in the U.S. it is still a problem. Americans have been in and out of quarantine since March and as of right now, there does not seem to be an end in sight. Businesses continue to keep employees working from home, masks are still mandated almost everywhere, and school are going online. Vaccines are in the works, but it could be years until it is distributed and do not get me started on the anti-vaxers and how that will play apart in it all. But, in summary, 2020 has sucked and COVID-19 is a leading cause.

F1. Mural to honor the death of basketball legend, Kobe Bryant.

One of the most unforgettable days of 2020 happened on January 26th. Most people know what I am talking, but January 26th was the day that Kobe Bryant died. The death of 41 year old basketball legend shocked the world as his helicopter crashed killing him, his daughter, Gianna, and 7 other passengers.

Kobe was a basketball legend. He was born on August 23rd, 1978 in Philadelphia, PA. He went to Lower Merion high school in PA where he played basketball for the school team. He was drafted into the NBA immediately after high school. He was the 13th overall pick of the 1996 draft which made him the youngest player in NBA history at age 17. he married the love of his life, Vanessa, on April 18th, 2001. Together they had four daughters: Natalia (born in 2003), Gianna (2006), Bianka (2016) and Capri (2019). Kobe earned a total of 33,643 points throughout his career, with a high of 81 points scored in a game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. His last game was in 2016 where he scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz. Kobe earned MVP in the 2007 -08 season and Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. His 33,643 point total put him at 3rd all time highest scorer in NBA history.

On Saturday January 25th, 2020, Lebron James surpassed Kobe’s point total making Kobe now the 4th highest scorer. Kobe’s last tweet was to congratulate James on beating his record.

Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020

At 9:47 AM on Sunday, January 26th, 2020, the helicopter carrying Kobe, Gianna, and the others crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, California. The other passengers include Alyssa Altobelli, her parents Kerri and John, Christina Mauser, Peyton Chester and her mother Sarah, and the pilot Ara Zobayan. Peyton and Alyssa were teammates of Gianna’s on the basketball team coached by Kobe. They were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for the girls’ basketball game when the crash occurred.

F2. The path taken by the helicopter before its crash.

There is speculation as to why they were flying due to poor weather conditions. The air was extremely foggy and muggy which makes it very difficult to fly. The Los Angeles Police Department grounded its helicopters Sunday morning due to the poor conditions. So why was their helicopter authorized to fly? If they had just driven or waited for better conditions, then maybe Kobe would be alive today.

After his death, there was outpouring support for the Bryant family. Even if you are not a fan of basketball Kobe’s death still hurt. He was seen as a unstoppable legend and the fact that he died so young reminds us all that we are human. Kobe’s death shocked the whole world and made it very clear that 2020 was not going to get any better.

F1. The view of the fires from the International Space Station.

Not long after the events unfolded between the U.S. and Iran, Australia declared a state of disaster as bushfires burn through the country. The fire began in September 2019 as the dry season in Australia was coming to an end. The typical dry season for Australia ends in October, but this year was relatively worse as 2019 was the hottest and driest year on record and Australia was also going through a drought since 2017. The fires began along the eastern coast of Australia in New South Wales. It was spread by strong winds and hot temperatures as Australian summer goes from December to February. The temperatures in December 2019 reached up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This enabled the fires to spread across the country. It is estimated that more than 15,000 fires erupted across Australian to create the devastation. These fires have burned more than 12.6 million hectares (31.1 million acres) of land in Australia. Bushfires are common in Australia, but the the average destruction is 300,000 hectares (741,316 acres). To give you more perspective, the entirety Australia is 768 million hectares (1898 million acres). This bushfire is unprecedented.

F2. The bushfires destroying homes and displacing wildlife

Over 3 billion animals were killed or were displaced by the bushfires. That’s right, billion with a “b”. It is estimated that 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, and 51 million frogs were affected. The animals most at risk are those located in niche environments, because their entire population can be completely annihilated if fire enters their habitat. Not only were animals displaced, but so were people. 33 people died due to the rapid spread of the fires. Over 11.3 million people were affected either by the fire or by the smoke caused by the fire. Areas of Australia have been covered in dangerous amounts of smoke.  The air quality of Sydney measured 11 times the hazardous level. Over 478 million pounds of carbon dioxide have produced by the fires which cause the increase in the hazard level of the air quality.

F3. Smoke covers the view of the Sydney Opera House

More than 2,000 firefighters were stationed in New South Wales alone. Other countries, including the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, have provided help. They help in the form of money, firefighters, and animal care. The fires devastated Australia, but 2020 has only begun. Australia will soon enter a recession as the effects of the pandemic hit the economy even before the fires ended.

F1. Qasem Soleimani

To be fair 2020 never really had a chance to be a good year. Only two days after the start of the year, President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was the leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force which is a taskforce that handles Iran’s overseas operations.  The Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force is considered a terrorist threat to the United States in an ongoing conflict between Iran and America that began in 1951. Soleimani became leader of the Quds Force in 1997 where he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans. Once Trump came into office, he withdrew the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Deal developed by the Obama ministration. This allowed Iran to restart its nuclear program. Soleimani led the Quds Force to mass produce nuclear missiles. This continues to escalate throughout 2019 until Trump both figuratively and literally pulled the trigger.

In response, Iran fired missiles at every American target within reach, even shooting down an Ukrainian passenger plane in their fear, killing all 176 people aboard. Thankfully, Trump was actually smart enough to not retaliate militarily after these attacks. Instead he applied more sanctions on Iran. This was probably the most intelligent thing Trump has ever done. By doing this, he stopped the U.S. from entering World War III. Many people thought it was only one twitter post away from a full on war with Iran. Literally two days after we rang in the New Year, the world was already going to end. Trump had gone where no other U.S. president had gone before by proclaiming a part of another government’s military a terrorist organization.

F2. The funeral Procession for Soloimani

Iranians reacted a very differently to the death of Soloimani. Some were irate at the death of their beloved leader. They sought vengeance against the United States for killing Soloimani. Millions of people flooded to Tehran to attend the procession. Other Iranians are glad the terrorist leader was killed in such a quick and easy way. They attributed the death of fellow Iranians to his regime and, therefore, blamed him for it.

All in all, 2020 had one of the roughest starts to a year that you can get. World War III almost became a real thing. And it all happened right as we were making our resolutions to have a better year. Little did we know things would get a lot worse. Stay tuned to hear about all the reasons why 2020 was truly an awful year.