The Weekly Top 5 in Politics

[Keroro1454]

Ever felt out of the loop when it comes to current events? Confused when someone asks your opinion on what socio-economic factors will likely lead to IS's own downfall? Befuddled when a stranger emerges from a dark alley, only to question you on the economic policy of Angela Merkel? Fear not, for now you backpack.tf browsers have an easy, convienent method to stay in "the know" with politics! Introducing: The Weekly Top Five!

 

What is this new forum thread, you may ask. Effectively, the forum thread will serve as a gateway into the various important events in politics. I will compile a list of the Top Five events in global politics that week, summarize, and provide back story to them. Afterwards I will provide some valuable sources, should you wish to pursue the topic further.

 

Q & A:

Q: Will this be a global summary, or will it be solely focused around your home country of the U.S.?

 

A: I will do my hardest to compile a global, broad-reaching list that does not focus on one country. There may end up being a bit more on the U.S. than you would expect, but I will try to ensure that does not occur.

 

Q: And these events are recent, correct? How are you obtaining your sources?

 

A: I have provided a list of sources I will use below. I will use only the most reliable, "unbiased", sources obtainable. However, because I will be reporting on recent events, my source variety may be limited. Please bear with me, and if I really feel unsure about the source, I will insert a disclaimer.

 

Q: What about your bias? How can I be sure you won't just report on what you like?

 

A: As for material, I will be reporting on the most important items, simply because it would not serve me well in practicing for extemporaneous speaking, but it will also lack a purpose if it doesn't serve you. As for me, I am American and Catholic, with a very slight Republican  slant, although I will do everything in my power to make sure none of these traits show through, unless it serves the material (As in I'm evidencing some trait of Catholicism, etc.).

 

Week of 4/5-4/12

 

 

President Obama and Raul Castro sit down for a historic meeting, Kenya remains gripped by panic and more in this week's summary.

 

1. President Obama and Raul Castro sit down for a historic meeting to discuss country relations.

 

President Obama and Raul Castro, leader of Cuba, met in New York on Saturday to discuss relations between the two countries. While hostilities have been present in the past between the two countries, tensions have been slowly easing as of late, thanks to Cuba's increasing willingness for negotiation. This extends deep into the government, with Fidel Castro himself writing into a newspaper a bit ago to discuss a desire to build positive relations with the world power. President Obama was quoted as noting the event as being a "historic event" according to NYTImes, and quoted in the WSJ stressing the importance of "more direct engagement with the Cuban people". Hostile feelings from the U.S. have been fading over the years, as immigrants who would have been hostile towards open relationships with Cuba have been being replaced with their children who do not harbor these feelings. While President Obama did note that normalization processes would be lengthy and slow, the meeting was noted as being "an important first step".

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-has-historic-meeting-with-cuban-president-raul-castro-2015-4

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/04/11/world/americas/ap-summit-united-states-cuba.html

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/04/11/world/americas/ap-summit-cuba-reaction.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2015/0411/What-do-Obama-and-Castro-hope-to-accomplish-by-meeting-video

 

2. Hillary Clinton launches presidential bid.

 

Ending major speculation, Hillary Clinton, wife of former president Bill Clinton, formally announced her election campaign on Sunday. The current favorite for the Democratic candidate (Being the only particularly popular potential, the other being Elizabeth Warren of MA who has repeatedly refused to run), Clinton is a well-known figure thanks to her diplomatic involvement, her previous holding of the secretary of state position, and her association to her husband. However, Clinton faced a series of scathing attacks following the announcement from various Republican figures including potential candidates Jeb Bush and Rand Paul. She will likely face re-hashes of several incidents by opposition Republicans such as the Benghazi Incident and her personal email scandal. She will likely come under close fire as will concerning the recent discovery that her charity foundation accepted significant donations from various foreign powers, including Saudi Arabia.

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-launches-campaign-for-president-1428865699

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/us/politics/hillary-clinton-2016-presidential-campaign.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32275608

 

3. Iran nuclear deal faces serious hurdles, despite its potential benefits

Despite excited and optimistic announcements about a "solid framework of a deal" from President Obama, the Iranian nuclear deal remains in turmoil. This is from several causes, one of which being President Obama announcing Congress will be given a say in the Iranian nuclear deal- and given the Republican Party's adamant resistance to the deal (The Republicans currently have a major majority in Congress), could be an issue. This was highlighted especially in the Party's recent letter threatening Iran that if a deal was struck, a Republican president would be fully capable of killing it. Another major issue are the hard-line demands by both Israel and Iran (Such as a demand by Iran for immediate removal of all sanctions upon the completion of the deal). However, there are major reasons that the deal will go through, and these are believed by many experts as being enough to push the deal through. Firstly, most Iranians actually support these improved relations- only hardliners truly still subscribe to the "Down with America, Down with the World" mentality. Another benefit are the potential markets a post-deal Iran would open up, especially given the trend of serious brand loyalty many Iranians tend to exhibit. These reasons compound into the idea that Iran (For the most part) wants to be a part of this new global economy, and that is a powerful force.

 

http://theweek.com/speedreads/548258/israel-issues-list-demands-iran-nuclear-deal

http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21648013-odds-momentous-agreement-have-shortened-it-no-dead-cert-too-soon

http://www.ibtimes.com/iran-nuclear-deal-division-politics-communities-unsettles-longstanding-alliances-1869926

http://www.wsj.com/articles/western-companies-see-potential-in-reaching-irans-consumers-after-nuclear-deal-1428313107

 

4. Kenya remains gripped in panic following the brutal terrorist attack on a university

Last week (Technically 2 weeks ago now), Kenya was plunged into panic when militant terrorists al-Shabab stormed into a Kenyan university, systematically executing any student that professed a faith other than Muslim. The death toll was found to be 147, including 5 noble guards who attempted to hold off the attackers. The Kenyan authorities have been criticized both at home and abroad for their horrifically slow response- taking around 4 hours for actual backup to arrive, despite politicians, etc. arriving far earlier. There has additionally been serious questions concerning Mr. Kenyatta's recent responses, including the freezing of scores of bank accounts and money transfers to Somalia, where the terrorist group is based. These actions were seen as simply an excuse to consolidate power, and also included an attempt to enstate 10,000 more police officers (The law enforcement is know for being horribly corrupt, unlike the somewhat-surprisingly sparkling judicial system). Recently, one student was killed and 150 were injured in a terrorist scare caused by an electrical box explosion. This occurred thanks to the "jumpiness" the country has remained in following the botched siege operation that left confidence at a serious low.

 

http://mgafrica.com/article/2015-04-12-one-student-dead-150-injured-in-kenya-university-false-terror-scare-some-jumped-from-5th-floor

http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2015/04/05/kenya-attack-147notjustanumber-remembers-the-victims-of-garissa-assault/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/al-shabaabs-kenya-killings-part-of-broader-strategy-1428523966

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/world/africa/kenya-struggles-over-best-response-to-university-attack.html

 

5. After Rolling Stone redacts campus rape story, framed fraternity vows legal action

2 weeks ago the magazine Rolling Stone redacted its controversial story about a  the fraternity accused of the action, UVA, declared it would pursue all potential legal action against the publication. Rolling Stone published the story of a freshman referred to only as "Jackie". The story illustrated her going to a UVA frat party, then being brutally raped by 7 men, along with various physical abuse from a glass coffee table and several beer bottles. Upon publication, the fraternity was suspended. However, the story came under initial fire when UVA protested against the story, saying the reported date the rape occurred had "no functions occurring that weekend." After this, the article was scrutinized by several separate agencies, including a prominent Columbia research team. They concluded that nearly every principle had been sidestepped with the articles publishing, and as such Rolling Stone retracted the article, though they refused to fire the author who committed all these errors. After this announcement, the now-reinstated fraternity vowed to pursue any legal means available.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/business/media/rolling-stone-retracts-article-on-rape-at-university-of-virginia.html

http://abcnews.go.com/US/rolling-stone-apologizes-retracts-uva-rape-article-cjr/story?id=30111150

 

 

 

Week of 4/12-4/19

1.      Europeans address human smuggling after yet another migrant ship capsizes

Over the weekend a fishing boat carrying reportedly from 700 to as many as 900 migrants from Africa capsized off the Libyan coast, a continuation of the deepening and tragic issue of migrant influxes Europe now faces. The route the boat was taking is noted by the WSJ as “becoming the deadliest migrant route in the worldâ€, with the number of deaths of people attempting to cross the treacherous sea this year alone reaching around 1,600. This recent influx of migrants, and in some cases subsequent deaths are in part thanks to the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya, which had previously maintained several accords with Rome to assist in stemming the flow of migrants. With the regime gone however, the chaos and war Libya now faces, compounded by the recent vicious attacks by IS, has only served to further encourage people to take advantage of the now-open business of human trafficking. The massive scale of the incident as now prompted a slow response from Europe to the humanitarian crisis, which was hurried somewhat by news of a second crash off Rhodes. Several European foreign ministers hastily met in Luxembourg to determine the most effective method of response- while at the same time keeping it within the already-troubled budget of many European countries. However, with no firm proposals was agreed upon, and with Italy calling for “major commitments†to halt the crisis, European leaders have scheduled a meeting on Thursday to further the matter.

2.      Iran refuses any weapon inspector access under any nuclear deal

With the deadline for a framework nuclear deal looming over the P5+1 negotiating the deal, Iran has throw yet another wrench in the already troubled and controversial plan. While Yukiya Amano, head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency stated that to ease international communities Iran must agree to snap inspections, Iran has vehemently denied such a provision, with high-ranking general Hossein Salami claiming agreement to such a demand would be “selling out†and turn Iran into a “paradise for spiesâ€. Interestingly, Iran has agreed to one such snap inspection in the past in 2005, although has since denied them, along with most inspections in general. The actions prompted suspicion for opponents to the deal, most notably in the U.S. Congress, who now has a larger role in the deal due to a bill signed by Obama to be discussed below.

3.      IS allegedly commits several new attacks, renewing focus and efforts to stop them

IS (ISIS) roared back to the forefront of attention after committing to major atrocities. First, IS released a video that purportedly depicts approx. 30 Ethiopian Christian men being executed in Libya, with 15 being shot and the second group being executed in a similar fashion to that seen in several other execution videos released by IS, including those for several U.S. journalists and aid workers, and more recently one with two Japanese aid workers. While the video could not be independently verified, the similarities between clothing worn, execution styles, and overall content has made it highly likely it is in fact IS’s, especially given the close semblance to the execution of 21 Coptic-Christian Egyptians two months ago. Ismail Shukri, head of military intelligence for a Libyan militia pointed to the video as further evidence of IS’s role in de-stabilizing the already chaotic country, noting that “there is no way to negotiate with such people…they are against Islam and humanity.†Earlier this week, IS was declared responsible for a bombing of a bank in Afghanistan on Saturday by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The NYTimes noted that “If responsibility is confirmed, it will suggest a major escalation of the group’s activities in Afghanistanâ€, with the attack marking the first major terror attack in Afghanistan by IS. The attack happened at a Kabul bank branch where a large crowd of people were waiting to collect their pay. In addition to the confirmed 35 deaths, over a 120 people were wounded in the blast.

4.      President Obama has a busy week- signing Iraq humanitarian aid, allowing Congress oversight of Iran nuclear bill and more.

President Obama had an eventful week, with 3 different meetings/signings with important ramifications. Firstly, President Obama met with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abidi to discuss potential aid programs, war strategies, and general relations. Obama referred to Abidi as a “strong partner†and one who has “gained the respect of the other leaders in the region.†The meeting ended with President Obama pledging $200 million in aid, and full endorsement of Iraq’s military actions. While a important strengthening symbol of a partnership, critics noted that Iraq was still in desperate need of billions of dollars to fully revive its economy which has crashed thanks to plunging oil prices. Second, President Obama allowed Congress oversight and input into the nuclear deal with Iran after overwhelming pressure and serious actions by Congress (Sending a letter effectively threatening Iran). The announcement was worrying to some, given Congress’ previous difficulty in agreeing not only with the President, but also with themselves. While the agreement may allow a more bipartisan agreement to be reached, many worry that Congress’ previous exhibition of its disliking of any sort of bill may end up killing the possibility for any deal. And lastly, President Obama formally moved to remove Cuba from the list of terrorist nations, under the justification that they had not supplied any sort of supplies/aid to any terrorist organization in 6 months. This announcement came shortly after the historic meeting Obama had with the leader of Cuba, Raul Castro. While the proposal was celebrated by a large majority of Americans, many representatives in Congress, mainly anti-Castro members, have vowed to stop the bill.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/world/middleeast/iraqi-prime-minister-haider-al-abadi-in-washington.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/us/senators-reach-deal-on-iran-nuclear-talks.html

http://www.wsj.com/articles/congress-takes-up-iran-oversight-fight-1428881941

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/world/americas/obama-cuba-remove-from-state-terror-list.html

5.      West African countries plead for debt cancellation and aid over continuing Ebola crisis

Several West African countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea) have requested together to international donors that their debts be erased and 5-6 billion in aid be distributed to help the wrecked countries following the widespread destruction the Ebola virus caused. As President Ernest Bai of Sierra Leone noted “our economies have halted, and we need a real Marshall plan to take us out of the woods.†The three countries plan to reveal their reconstruction program to the U.N., IMF, and World Bank. The countriesare capitalizing on the World Bank’s leader’s statement last year when he promised reconstruction levels on par with WWII. However, given that the global community has pldeged close to 6 billion already, finding supporters may be difficult. However, due to food becoming scarcer and social services remaining in shambles, the three assert the aid is crucial to any hope at a rebuilt West Africa, because while the health crisis of Ebola has ebbed, the new crisis of economic destruction has now come to the forefront and must be tackled headon.

http://news.yahoo.com/w-africa-seeks-5-6-billion-aid-debts-071419656--business.html

(Yes, it’s Yahoo. However, they just completely took an article from Reuters, which is reliable)

 

 

 

Week of 4/26-5/4

1.      Baltimore burns as protests turn violent, with riots continuing for several days

 

Baltimore was quite literally up in flames as peaceful protests turned violent after protesting the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who suspiciously died of a spinal injury while in police custody. While the protests initially started peaceful, things quickly turned ugly with rioters (Who were found to be mainly high school students, as the riots began shortly after school let out) smashing cars, vandalizing buildings, setting areas on fire, looting various stores, etc. One rioter was caught on camera slicing a fire hose open as to impede the firefighters on the scene, however he has since been apprehended and given multiple charges. Rather amusingly, during the violence IS reached out to the rioters, imploring them to join their “racial tension-free†cause. The response to the violence was sharply criticized as being far too late, with 98 officers injured in the process. In addition, the lack of a declaration of a state of emergency until the riots were in full swing, and not a preemptive declaration after spurts of violence before April 27^th, was criticized. The National Guard was also called in, with a curfew being established that has thusfar appeared to quell the riots.

 

2.      Nepal faces a horrific catastrophe after powerful earthquake shakes region

 

Nepal was thrown into chaos last Monday when it was struck with an immense 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The quake shook the area, destroying buildings, causing landslides, etc. Long warned by officials that the infrastructure was not suitable for surviving a potential quake, many have taken to camping out in sewer pipes or sleeping in the streets as people worry of further instability and that houses may collapse while they are inside- a reasonable fear given two aftershocks, one several hours after and one a full day after reached in the mid-6s for magnitude. The death toll stands currently around 7,300, however, injuries are over double that and many officials are expecting this number to continue to increase as searches in the rubble continue. In addition, countries are warning this number may spike as the environment now presents the perfect breeding ground for a host of various diseases, especially water-borne. The aid movement was swift however, with countries across the globe sending in relief workers.

 

3.      Oil Prices hit 2015 high

 

Oil prices spiked significantly this week, before settling down for a variety of reasons. The spike itself was attributed mainly to both a tightening of supplies in the U.S. crude storage hub in OK- with a drop of 120,000 barrels across four days. The U.K. crude oil benchmark however, was the value that hit the record, with it briefly touching $67.10 a barrel before settling at $66.45. Another major cause is attributed to the Chinese, whose factories shrank in April at the fastest pace this year. This slowdown furthered expectations that China was preparing to implement new stimulus measures. However, the oil value did shrink and stabilize thanks not only to an oil glut (albeit shrinking one) from Middle Eastern countries and the U.S., but also because of Saudi Arabia’s announcement to cease bombing in Yeme, allowing many to ease worries of a costly escalation.

 

4. Nigerian army continues to fight Boko Haram forces, freeing many

 

After beginning a major offensive in Febuary, with heavy funding from various countries across the globe, the Nigerian government continues its successful campaign against Boko Haram after it was announced that yet another militant stronghold had been overcome. Boko Haram, a Islamic terrorist organization garnered international attention and outrage earlier for its kidnappings of large numbers of schoolgirls and women, with their end intention being to establish a caliphate and instate a extreme sharia law, akin in many ways to IS. However, Boko Haram has lost its traction it previously had, with the Nigerian government re-obtaining most of the land lost. In addition, this particular raid, taking place in the dense Sambisa Forest, approx. 300 women and children were freed from the hideout, although the identities, and whether they are part of the 200 girls abducted last year,, has yet to be confirmed. Overall, 13 militant camps have been destroyed in the Sambisa forest, a welcomed change from the previous incompetence Nigeria was displaying in concerns to these attacks last year, and in some cases still now, in reference to the recent attack on a university.

5. In theme with the U.S., Israel has its own anti-police protests

 

On Sunday, thousands of Ethiopian-Israelis and sympathizers gathered to protest in Tel Aviv, strangling crucial roads in the very heart of the city. The protestors railed against recent discriminatory measures by the police, measures that resulted in harassment or even brutality. This issue shot to the spotlight once more in Israel after a video of a police officer senselessly beating for no reason a Ethiopian-Israeli soldier. However, by night the protests became violent, with rioters throwing stones at vehicles, especially police vehicles, and storefronts and police, along with clashing with police. These actions prompted swift retaliation, with police breaking out water cannons and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. The incident is estimated to have had around 50 injuries, along with 26 arrests. Police reported that while the general atmosphere had been initially peaceful, agitators quickly whipped the crowd into frenzy. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded by calling for peace, noting that all claims will be dutifully looked into, and he recently announced he would meet with representatives from an Ethiopian group, along with the police chief. Similar, smaller protests also occurred in Jerusalem, with the outcome being extremely similar.

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCES I USE (Feel free to suggest new ones!)

- Economist

- The Week

- WSJ

- NYTimes

- Reuters

- BBC

 

Basic Rules/Requests:

- Don't troll or shitpost

- Don't start a flamewar

- Don't post insane conspiracy theories that are useless

[SplatteredGeekᴹᴾ]

Hot damn, mate! Nice work! We've been looking for this sort of mature, brief and clear news-related thread for ages! Keep up the good work, buddy!

[The One]

Very insightful. 

[vinegar]

Just going to drop in and mention that South Africa has some xenophobic attacks going on, with many non-natives being forced out of their homes to camps. Oh and just a tip, if you could do some stuff like titles in bold, stuff like that that makes it super neat, I'd love it. I'm a stickler for formatting.

[Styolites]

 

Oh, and if someone has some tips for learning Chinese, I'd love to hear- Currently I use special character paper and kinda just repeatedly write them out. I'm considering buying over-the-counter pills to help me concentrate, since I suspect I have some degree of ADHD (I tested positive when younger, not to mention I cannot concentrate for the life of me). But anyway, enjoy.

 

Talk to some people who have been put on ADHD meds and how it has affected their lives. ADHD is BS - you cram a bunch of energetic kids in a room, and expect them to all be well-behaved and listen to the teacher? Hah. If you want to learn Chinese, your own will-power and dedication will carry you furthur than any pill.

 

On topic, nice summary.

[Utsoob]

Idea: make this the main top five hub. Use Angels method and use spoilers to save space.

[λngelღмander]

This is a really great idea, something my newsletter could never do. You did it well, and it seemed very professional and unbiased. 

 

I think you should change the title to "Weekly Top Five" or something like that, and get your thread pinned in general discussion, and use spoilers like I do to allow for separate weeks. It doesn't have to be anything like mine, but if you post a new thread every week, all of them will be lost after just a day or two. 

 

 

I like to see others on the forums with the same drive and desire to do something like this, if there's anything I can ever help you out with I'd be glad to!

[☾Link✞Skorpion☽]

Nice, and very interesting. I spend a lot of time at school and spend most of my freetime on the forums. Since I just wanna relax when I get home, I don't really wish to watch the news, just maybe the 3-4 minutes on CNN or FOX before I pass out. Nice to be able to do both and keep semi-up-to-date. Keep it up, mate! Love it!

 

[Splat]

So... no EU news?

[SirSkelly]

I hear  fox news has some pretty unbiased stories ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[t0night]

Talk to some people who have been put on ADHD meds and how it has affected their lives. ADHD is BS - you cram a bunch of energetic kids in a room, and expect them to all be well-behaved and listen to the teacher? Hah. If you want to learn Chinese, your own will-power and dedication will carry you furthur than any pill.

 

On topic, nice summary.

get outta here with your "i'm smarter than the whole field of psychology" crap. suggesting that ADHD isn't a real thing which impacts people in a real way is bollocks, and unhelpful and disrespectful bollocks at that.

 

anyway yeah gj op nice to see

[Keroro1454]

So... no EU news?

Unfortunately the stuff I compile from doesn't have a lot of it. I'll try to skim through some Economist magazines as well, seeing as they're British I could hopefully find something to give it a bit more diversity. Overall I went for some Domestic, and some Global, as that would provide a decent mix. I stayed away from Economics, the third extemp category because a) I hate it and Most of the time its complicated shit that not many (including myself half the time) would understand.

[puddingkip]

So... no EU news?

Nothing really major happened anyway.

 

 

@op nice post, great quality. And whilst still being US-centralised (I assume you're a US citizen) you looked at the bigger picture and reported international news as well

[Professional Map Painter]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/571208/Leader-s-election-debate-BBC-confirms-audience-WAS-left-leaning-as-Farage-claimed

 

BBC aren't as unbiased as you think they are. Whilst I don't agree with everything Farage has to say at least he's realised the UK has a serious debt issue - and the fix isn't "spend, spend, spend".

[Splat]

BBC is rather unbiased, as news agencies go.

 

Also I'd start listening to UK politics if you finally woke up and abolished FPTP.

[t0night]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/571208/Leader-s-election-debate-BBC-confirms-audience-WAS-left-leaning-as-Farage-claimed

 

BBC aren't as unbiased as you think they are. Whilst I don't agree with everything Farage has to say at least he's realised the UK has a serious debt issue - and the fix isn't "spend, spend, spend".

>"BBC are biased"

>links to a pro UKIP story in a paper owned by a man who has donated £1.3 million to UKIP.

 

do you think they might possibly have a slightly bigger bias issue?

 

I think if you think BBC has bias issues you really want to look a lot harder at pretty much every other form of news.

[Keroro1454]

4/12-4/19 is now up, enjoy!

[Professional Map Painter]

>"BBC are biased"

>links to a pro UKIP story in a paper owned by a man who has donated £1.3 million to UKIP.

 

do you think they might possibly have a slightly bigger bias issue?

 

I think if you think BBC has bias issues you really want to look a lot harder at pretty much every other form of news.

Was unaware the owner of that paper was pro-UKIP (I don't usually read it). I'll try to find some other stories then

[Keroro1454]

Unfortunately there will not be a Weekly Top 5 this week, because I will be off participating in the State Championship for extemp. That's going on from Friday-Sunday, so I'm going to be wiped out on Monday, not to mention studying for a Chem. test on Tuesday. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and wish me luck!

[Keroro1454]

Next weekly topic is up everyone!  Enjoy!

[Free money accepted here]

Also the 6 officers involved in the Baltimore incident have been charged, with one being charged with second-degree murder.

[Keroro1454]

I'm sending out a formal plea for assistance, or a fair warning to everyone. With the school year coming to a close fast, everything has begun to seriously ramp up, with quizzes and tests almost daily, and the ever-looming finals and SAT Subject Tests. So, in regards to the Top 5, there are two possibilities:

 

I myself will rarely be able to update until school ends (June ~11)

- The thread will just remain without update for a few weeks while I get my affairs in order, finish school, etc.

- OR, someone/anyone can add me, and volunteer to do a guest entry for a week. You must have a decent understanding of politics, both domestic and social, and have a clear distinction between what sources are biased/trustworthy, and must be willing to put any previously-present ideology aside while writing the Top 5

 

Thanks guys, and sorry for the inconveniences.

[Black Dynamite]

Nothing Beneficial Has Come From Baltimore Due To These Riots Regardless Of What Anyone Says 

[Hexlicious]

Was this discontinued?

[λngelღмander]

Was this discontinued?

Not formally, but essentially yes.