Wireless Charging: An Old Invention That Could Shape the Modern World

Wireless Charging: An Old Invention That Could Shape the Modern World

Shraiy Gupta

If you are a smartphone user, you may have heard of the recent phenomena of wireless charging. You just put your phone down on a pad, and the phone charges itself. You don’t have to haggle around for a cable and try to blindly attach your phone to a charger. The technology is everywhere, including phone stands, furniture, and a premium add-on feature in most modern cars. But it still begs the question, how is the power going from the source to your phone? We know Arthur C. Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” But is it really magic?

German Politics Are in Dire Straits

German Politics Are in Dire Straits

Adam Hilelly

Germany, long heralded as the leader of the EU, has recently been undergoing several political crises. Angela Merkel, the country’s long-standing and respected leader, has announced that she would not be seeking re-election in 2021. To complicate matters further, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was expected to replace Chancellor Merkel, has stated she would not seek the leadership role in Germany (The Guardian). The announcement stunned analysts, voters, and other EU members, as they had long thought that Merkel’s party, the CDU, would undergo a smooth and effective transition. However, the decision may have been ultimately wise: Kramp-Karrenbauer was not as widely popular as she seemed to be in the CDU itself, owing to several controversial jokes and an inability to rally voters around immigration. The politician did not have the full backing of the party and came to the conclusion that she should resign after insisting that the CDU not cooperate with the AfD, a far-right party that emerged out of the opposition to the open-door refugee policy enacted in 2015. Germany’s second political crisis concerns the AfD’s internal divisions that create uncertainty for the 2021 elections. These two sets of complications will greatly muddle Germany’s entrance into the 2020s.

Uber’s Attempt to Buy Grubhub

Uber’s Attempt to Buy Grubhub

George James

On May 12th, news broke that Uber was in talks to buy Grubhub in an all stock takeover that would combine two of the biggest companies in the meal-delivery industry. By June 10th, talks between the two companies had ended as news broke after the bell that Grubhub would be merging Just Eat Takeaway.

Is Racism an Inevitable Product of Capitalism?

Is Racism an Inevitable Product of Capitalism?

James Ottomanelli

The death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer has sparked protests across the globe, with thousands upon thousands rising up against systemic racism. In some ways, this feels disturbingly routine, echoing what’s happened in Ferguson, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and any other city that has exploded in response to police brutality. While the comparisons are unavoidable, this time around things are different. For one, this modern movement has been markedly interracial, suggesting a new wave of opposition that is uniting groups like never before. Additionally, the unprecedented backdrop of a global pandemic-induced recession seems to have expanded the conversation towards a broader anger over the brutality, injustice, and inequality that pervade American society, with African Americans at the brunt of all this. People are fed up with “the system”, which whether they realize it or not, is capitalism. Furthermore, calls to “ defund the police” are really just part of a much broader fight to eliminate capitalism.

How a Clock is the Missing Piece to Deep Space Travel

How a Clock is the Missing Piece to Deep Space Travel

Jaret Prothro

Imagine this scenario: You are tasked with shooting an arrow and hitting a target the size of a quarter. This in itself is a pretty difficult task that requires immense accuracy. Now, the quarter-sized target that you are tasked with hitting is sitting in Times Square, New York, and you are standing in Los Angeles. This is the example that Jill Seubert uses to contextualize her job as a deep space navigator. Seubert is in charge of steering spacecraft from the moment they separate away from the launch vehicle until they reach their final destination. She has the opportunity to adjust the course of the spacecraft (the arrow in the analogy) only a couple of times along its trajectory. But in order to make the necessary adjustments, she must know the exact location of the spacecraft at any given moment in time.

Bankrupt Companies: Retail’s Façade

Bankrupt Companies: Retail’s Façade

Jack Geiger

Institutional investors and algorithms that provide a massive amount of capital, and therefore volume, have driven markets since roughly the turn of the century. Hedge funds and investment banks simply have an immense amount of capital compared to individual investors. As of late, the weight of market players shifted. Federal stimulus recipients and even sports gamblers were introduced to the market recently, and provided an unprecedented result. Over the past year many online brokerages became commission-free, causing households to start trading outside their 401ks. According to the Wall Street Journal, TD Ameritrade’s daily average client trades before they became commission free was about 870,000. After they became commission-free, that number soared to almost 3,000,000. The increased volume has sparked a brisk recovery from March lows and volatility in bankrupt and near-bankrupt companies, creating a façade.

What’s Next for the IPO Market?

What’s Next for the IPO Market?

Michael Pagliaro

Companies spend anywhere from months to years preparing to launch an initial public offering. Many companies who were ready to go public this spring had to suspend their IPO due to reasons stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Record high volatility in the market has caused companies like AirBnb and DoorDash to push off their IPOs. These suspensions have left investors wondering when they will get their next fix of new stock.

Interest Rates, Refinancing, and the Threat to Mortgage-Backed Securities

Interest Rates, Refinancing, and the Threat to Mortgage-Backed Securities

Andy Colando
Business Current Events

While not the first viral illness to be labeled a “pandemic,” it goes without saying that the pervasive spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus is an unprecedented event in modern times. Likewise, the fallout of this pandemic, including that of economic significance, is equally substantial, and its full effects are still far from known. 2020 felt the sharpest spike in unemployment, with the national percentage (approximately 14.7% in April and still over 13% in May) comparable only to the Great Depression. This year has also seen one of the most severe and sudden stock market shocks in history, with the NASDAQ falling over 30% from its February peak in March. Despite impressive rebounds in most stocks, the forecast of the real US economy remains bleak, with some analysts expecting a 50% reduction in yearly GDP growth in 2020. Such devastating outlooks have persisted despite the historic $3 trillion stimulus package passed by Congress, as well as the Federal Reserve’s pledge to provide “unlimited” monetary support to the economy. Drastic times certainly do call for drastic measures, but even these great attempts are proving ineffective to shield many Americans from the effects of this economic slowdown.

Making a Real Change

Making a Real Change

Kexin (Carrie) Chen

“Equal justice under law.” A phrase engraved on the front of the United States Supreme Court. A societal ideal that influences our legal system. A symbol that rallies our trust and instills it in our justice system. The 14th amendment, ratified in 1868, guaranteed all citizens “equal protections of the law” (History.com Editors, 2009). This amendment, passed during the Reconstruction Era, aimed to abolish slavery and establish civil and legal rights for all (History.com Editors, 2009). As a nation, we have come a long way since the Civil War. Day by day, individuals are fighting to eliminate racism among other crimes. Unfortunately, it has not been enough. A tragedy took place on May 25, 2020. George Floyd, a 46 year-old African American man, was accused of using a $20 counterfeit bill to buy a pack of cigarettes at a deli (Hill, 2020). The consequence of this incident was his unforeseen death, after being pinned down on the ground by a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while three other policemen stood by, ignoring his pleas for air. This incident has unleashed a wave of protests and riots across our nation.

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