The Bubble Experiment: How the NBA’s Bubble Restart Can Help Heal Our Country

The Bubble Experiment: How the NBA’s Bubble Restart Can Help Heal Our Country

Jonas Monieson

300 of the world’s greatest athletes blocked off from the rest of society in Orlando’s Walt Disney complex sounds more like the plot of a gimmicky reality TV show than the plan of return for the National Basketball Association. Nonetheless, following a four-month hiatus, the NBA season officially resumes on July 30th in the Walt Disney compound, often referred to as “the bubble”. Given the state of the nation today, with calls for social justice and a need for unity, the NBA bubble certainly can aid in enacting change. Through players’ statements and successful brand marketing, expect the NBA bubble to not only provide entertainment through sports but also boost levels of social awareness and potentially aid in economic relief.

Sports Bettors Have Become Traders, and Stocks Are Rising, But Can It Last?

Sports Bettors Have Become Traders, and Stocks Are Rising, But Can It Last?

Andy Colando
Investing

The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing global lockdown has impacted our lives in more ways than we can imagine. Some of the effects have been quite obvious, such as the transition to online learning for students or the inability to attend large scale events like movies or concerts. Other effects, however, have been less apparent, and are still not yet fully known. Perhaps one of the most novel pieces of fallout from the coronavirus on society within the last few weeks is the migration of gamblers and sports betters into the stock market as more conventional wagering methods remain inaccessible. With sports betting alone being a $150 billion industry in 2019, the shift of much of this money into stocks has had major effects on market behaviors. This wave of bullish sentiment from “entertainment investors” has contributed significantly to the recent rebound of stock indexes like the NASDAQ and the Dow. However, as coronavirus cases and related deaths continue to rise, the gap between stock prices from the overall health of the economy has continued to grow, leading to increased volatility within markets.

Is College Football Too Big to Fail?

Is College Football Too Big to Fail?

George James

On Wednesday July 8th, Ivy League officials announced that fall athletics, including college football, would be canceled due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in the United States. The Ivy League was the first conference to announce the cancellation of sports, and it may lead to other conference commissioners considering taking similar measures. Coincidentally, the Big 10 conference decided to cancel all its non-conference football games on July 9th according to USA Today, a step that could lead to the cancellation of the whole season.

A Glimpse into Data Protection

A Glimpse into Data Protection

Kexin (Carrie) Chen

In the age of technology, e-commerce continues to grow. In 2019, consumers in the United States alone spent $601.75 billion, a 15% increase from 2018 (Young, 2020). It has become one of the essential tools in our day-to-day lives. As online stores and platforms have burgeoned, the use of online personal data has had a heavy impact on individuals, businesses, governments, and other stakeholders. Consequently, the issue of personal privacy has evolved and grown in importance. Computer privacy refers to the way personal information is used, collected, shared, and stored on personal devices and while using the internet (Winston & Strawn). The increased reliance on the internet to make purchases and interact with others, especially in the wake of the pandemic has driven even more concerns about privacy (Berroya, 2020). With the unprecedented increase in online consumer activity, companies' use of consumer information will be ripe for further investigation.

Those Profiting From the Prison-Industrial Complex

Those Profiting From the Prison-Industrial Complex

Steven Obadiah

The internet was recently enraged at the COVID-related release of Michael Conahan – former Pennsylvania judge convicted of sending kids to jail for cash kickbacks. He and former judge Mark Ciavarella were accused of receiving over $2.8 million from a commercial builder and an attorney, and the four schemed to construct and increase the occupancy of private juvenile detention centers. Their case sheds light on the conflicts of interest rooted in the private prison industry, which housed 8.5% of convicted criminals and 73% of detained illegal immigrants in 2017. This article explores those fundamental flaws.

Effect of International Students on the US Economy 

Effect of International Students on the US Economy 

Shreya Sharma

Of the 19.9 million students that attend college in the US, 1 million of those students come from countries from around the world. In light of the pandemic, many of these students have not been able to travel back to their home countries due to travel bans and the danger of traveling abroad. But as per the policy issued by Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the week of July 6th, all international students were forced to leave the country as numerous colleges transitioned to online/hybrid classes for the fall. Under its policy, ICE ruled that all students with study visas will not be allowed to take a full course load or continue living in the United States if their colleges have transitioned to online-only for the fall semester. The policy also states that students that have previously left the country will not be allowed to return either. ICE put this policy in place due to the “extraordinary circumstances” posed by this virus and are calling for a suspension of employment and student visas. Colleges across the country decided to take a stand against this new policy and although the final verdict resulted in the policy being revoked, it is important to recognize the impact these students have on the US economy and our global standing.

From Pig Poop to Power

From Pig Poop to Power

Jaret Prothro

Industrial-scale livestock farms have made meat more accessible than ever before by lowering costs and increasing availability across the United States. Obviously, producing more meat requires more animals. But one aspect that is often overlooked is the fact that more animals means more animal feces. For example, a single pig can produce up to 13 pounds of manure a day. Now consider Duplin County. The “pork mother lode for the $14 billion meatpacking goliath Smithfield Foods” houses 2.3 million hogs which are estimated to generate twice as much waste each day as the entire city of New York. With such an immense amount of waste to deal with, farms have to institute manure management infrastructure.

All Eyes Are on Rwanda

All Eyes Are on Rwanda

Adam Hilelly

Rwanda is quickly emerging as one of the strongest economies on the African continent. Its president, Paul Kagame, has successfully managed to steer its country into financial stability and success thanks to an iron will and pro-market policies. Furthermore, the president has sought to reunite the country along ethnic lines by emphasizing community-based actions and programs. The government was also quick to ensure the monopoly on the use of force back in 1994, contributing to the post-conflict transition (Rayarikar). While the ruling party was suspected of having fiddled with official poverty numbers back in 2019, the country has nonetheless demonstrated strong growth in other sectors and continues to pioneer industries on the continent, most recently launching a fully African-made cellphone. However, the leader, while economically beneficial to Rwanda, has been accused of infringing political rights and of becoming ideologically aligned with China’s model of government, which could spell dire consequences for the country’s democratic future.

Payments: The $100 Trillion Revolution

Payments: The $100 Trillion Revolution

Ethan Plasker

In the past decade, people have transitioned from using cash or in-store payments to online or contactless processes. More recently, these trends are speeding up as consumers spend more time shopping on their computers and phones than actually going into stores. This pandemic could be a reckoning for the payments industry. Transformation and convergence in payments on a global scale is changing the finance and technology landscapes. Integration between the two encourages an innovative space and increases competition. According to Paypal’s CEO, Dan Schulman, the digital payments industry could reach $100 trillion after only being valued at $979 billion in 2019. This is an extravagant prediction, but where is Schulman seeing this?

Locust Swarms: Will We Listen to Nature’s Warnings?

Locust Swarms: Will We Listen to Nature’s Warnings?

Catherine Chen

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc all over the world, everywhere from the U.S. Sunbelt region, with rapidly growing cases, to Italy, which has since recovered after being one of the hardest-hit countries. The pandemic has already taken such a physical and mental toll, yet developing countries in East Africa, like Somalia, are simultaneously battling an equally destructive plague: locust swarms.

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