Today’s Bwoglines is here to remind you that it can only get better from here!

Happening in the World: Truck drivers with an expressed loyalty to President Bolsonaro have blocked roads across Brazil, in response to his defeat in the polls to left-wing politician Lula, who received 50.9% of the votes in comparison to Bolsonaro’s 49.1%. The outgoing president has neither conceded defeat nor challenged the results of the election, leaving concerns that this could complicate the two-month transition period with former president Lula. Many truck drivers have experienced lower diesel costs during the Bolsonaro administration, with federal police reporting 342 road blocks across the country in response to the election results. (BBC)

Happening in the US: The pandemic has created a knowledge gap for many students, and while it has been two and a half years since the initial shutdown, the impacts still remain amongst college students. Some school districts experienced a rocky transition to online learning, leaving many high school students without a strong math background. National exam results reveal that fourth and eighth graders are receiving lower test scores in math and reading, while undergraduate students are facing knowledge and mental health concerns as a result of their limited academic experience during the pandemic. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: The Civilian Complaint Review Board, the NYPD’s misconduct agency, is rapidly cutting down its budget, leaving many concerns about several ongoing investigations and prolonged cases into poor behavior by the police. The Board already cut 3% of its budget earlier this year, and has been requested by Mayor Eric Adams to cut another 3%, which is approximately $700,000. The Board is not the only department that is impacted by these cuts, although it is facing severe negative impacts, leaving around 3,300 open cases at risk of slower resolution. In particular, more than 700 of these cases are already over a year old. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Juniors in CC and SEAS can join their class representatives and the Director of Academic Integrity on Lerner Ramps from 1 to 4 pm to pick up their Honor pins. These pins are a symbol of the students commitment to “Wear the Crown with Honor.” Current Columbia juniors began their time as undergraduates virtually, and so this tradition will give them a chance to pick up their honor pin and grab some free Fumo food.

College Students via Wikimedia Commons