Who Runs The World?

Do you like to mock The New York Times’ weekly wedding announcements? Get in line, the newspaper says. You’re not the only one who wonders if the summa cum laude graduated bride will make it very long with her obviously inferior magna cum laude groom.

Trump Administration Expands Government Authority to Deport Immigrants:  The Department of Homeland Security issued new rules that greatly expand the number of undocumented immigrants prioritized for deportation. These rules include undocumented immigrants who are seen as a risk to public safety, who have committed a crime but have not been charged, or who have abused any program that distributes public benefits. Immigration law experts state that the new rules are written so broadly that they could include as many as 11 million immigrants.

Enforcement of the government’s expanded powers to deport immigrants, along with Trump’s continued desire to build a wall, will cost the government billions of dollars. Where the funding for these measures will come from is still uncertain. The timing of these measures will likely not help Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who are looking to mend relations with Mexico as they visit the country this week.

Elections in Germany Becoming Heated: After 12 years in power, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has found a worthy opponent in Social Democrat Martin Schulz. It speaks volumes about the German political landscape that the most exciting election in decades is between a 63-year-old with a doctorate in physical chemistry and a 61-year-old bookseller turned Eurocrat. Nonetheless, Schulz has been able inspire many that are disillusioned with Merkel’s “don’t rock the boat” political style. His attacks on Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU),  and even on his own party’s achievements have garnered him the title of the ‘mainstream populist.’ German finance minister and Merkel-ally Wolfgang Schaüble even compared Schulz to Trump with regard to his fiery rhetoric. Seeing that Trump currently resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Schulz may choose to take this as a compliment.   

Mobile Money? That’s Old News in Africa: Paying bills? Need a quick loan? Millions of Africans have been paying these transactions by cell phone–long before you and your buddies were using Venmo to split the dinner bill. M-Pesa, the continent’s largest provider of mobile money services, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with 30 million users in 10 countries (including countries outside of Africa: India, Romania, and Albania). In 2016, M-Pesa processed around 6 billion transactions worldwide. Other competitors are joining the field, but the CEO of M-Pesa’s parent company says he will continue to serve the “one shilling” crowd, stating that the “banking sector across the world has always ignored the so-called base of the pyramid. We haven’t because we understand that the base of the pyramid needs to be served and there’s also commercial viability in doing that.”

Venezuela: A new study revealed that Venezuela’s food crisis means people are skipping meals and losing weight. The survey indicated that many people are eating two or fewer meals a day, and 72 percent of respondents had lost 19 pounds on average. In addition to food staples, there is also a shortage of basic goods such as toilet paper and healthcare supplies. Venezuela cannot import goods because its government coffers are virtually empty after years of mismanagement of funds, heavy spending on poorly run government programs, and lack of investment in its oil industry.

Don’t Say It, Triple Talaq: In India, a husband can instantly divorce his wife by saying “talaq, talaq, talaq.” India is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world and does not ban the controversial and ancient Islamic practice of triple talaq. But this could change as India’s Supreme Court revisits whether talaq is unconstitutional. The practice of talaq is sowing divisions politically as some Muslims in India see its ban as an attempt by the ruling Hindu nationalist party to infringe upon “personal laws” that govern marriage, divorce, and inheritance.

Animals vs. Drones, Not a Michael Bay Movie: Reports of terrorists using drones to attack or conduct surveillance has steadily increased over the last year. France’s air force is taking this threat seriously and has trained eagles to snatch these drones from the sky. They have also designed kevlar mitts to protect the eagle’s talons. Speaking of Michael Bay, here’s a video on how to understand the director, Bayhem, and modern filmmaking.

More Reads:

• As Beyonce (or Bey or Queen B) knows, it’s all about the Single Ladies and indeed single women are changing society, or as Beyonce says–They Run the World (Nautilus)
• Don’t own a cellphone? We won’t judge you and call you a Luddite. Not owning a cellphone means you save more, you save the environment, and maybe you save your sanity (Aeon)
• Do you ever feel like life passes you by as you are transfixed by the seemingly never ending response bar on your software products? Well, it’s because software designers build in these artificial waits (The Atlantic)
• Afghanistan War: Abandon all hope ye who enter here or why the US military is still in Afghanistan (War is Boring)
• Trump’s election and Betsy Devos as the new Secretary of Education has resulted in the stocks of for-profit schools to shoot up (The New York Times) #FakeEducation
• Two out of three Americans are checked out at work, and it’s because they aren’t having any fun. According to this study, salaries and promotions do not drive people as much as we think they do–what matters is whether people enjoy their work (The New York Times)