Welcome to Optimize, a weekly update to keep you informed on what has happened during the week. Here are five national/international stories (and one local one) that you should know:
Trump claims Hurricane Maria statistics are skewed
President Trump put out a statement that the death toll from Hurricane Maria was false and was written to make him look bad for his lack of help during and after the storm. He became defensive after hearing concerns about Hurricane Florence rapidly approaching North Carolina.
Apple Releases new line of Phones
This Wednesday, the Apple Company released its new designs for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. These new phones will all feature a different sized display from 5.8 inches to 6.5 inches. Apple has developed a new A12 bionic CPU, which is the first commercially available 7 nanometer processor and will be used for the first time in cellular devices. As of now, only the XS and XS Max are available for pre-ordering, but the XR will be available on October 19th. Although these new phones have introduced many new features to cellular devices, the prices of $978, $1,305 and $1,436 may be out of the range of some consumers.
Morocco criminalizes sexual harassment, rape and forced marriage
After decades of violence and sexual harassment in Morocco, the government finally implemented strict laws against these crimes, as well as forced marriages, which continues to be a controversial topic.
Fire in Brazil devastates community
The National Museum fire in Brazil destroyed thousands of artifacts and left the building in shambles. People protested after they discovered the fire could be linked to the government’s cut in funding proper maintenance for the museum.
Hurricane Florence rages on
500,000+ people are out of power, and almost 200 people have been rescued in North Carolina as Hurricane Florence ravages the Carolina’s and other eastern states.
Local Bonus: Electric scooter-share program in Bloomington
The private company Bird has implemented a scooter share program where anyone can pay $1 to rent the scooter as well as 15 cents per minute to ride. The only requirements are that the rider must be at least 18 and have a driver’s license.
