Been ignoring and/or sleeping through your responsibilities this week? You’re not alone!
Happening in the World: According to data the Brazilian government released yesterday, the rate of deforestation in the Amazon is at its highest rate in eleven years, with 3,769 square miles of rainforest lost from July 2018-2019. Many blame President Jair Bolsonaro for the increase, as he has faced criticism in the past for his lack of concern for the rainforest, going so far as to refuse $20 million in foreign aid that would have gone to fighting forest fires. (CNN)
Happening in the US: A new study found that of the 459 endangered animal species in the United States, all but one will have significant trouble adapting to rising global temperatures. Despite this, the government only considers 64% of the list to be threatened by climate change and there are only protection plans for a measly 18% of listed species. (The Guardian)
Happening in NYC: The two federal prison workers that fell asleep on duty when they were supposed to be watching Jeffrey Epstein the night he died may face charges as early as this week. The workers, who covered up their joint nap by falsifying records, would be the first people to be charged from a criminal inquiry into Mr. Epstein’s death, which took place in a high security unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. (NYT)
Happening on Campus: Tonight, transgender journalists Meredith Talusan and Lewis Raven Wallace are giving a talk about the failures of media coverage of trans issues, particularly among sources that claim to be “objective and fair” but still report through a transphobic lens and in other problematic ways. The talk will be held at the Event Oval in Diana at 6:30 pm.
Poem: Check out “Ars Poetica” by Columbia poetry professor (!!!) Dorothea Lasky. An Ars Poetica poem is essentially a poem about poetry, named after Horace’s “Ars Poetica” that got the tradition started hundreds of years ago, and this one is a particularly beautiful example.
Sleepy dude via Wikimedia Commons