So, if you’ve been keeping up with the news this week, then you’re probably aware of all the crazy stuff happening. From a possible Russian invasion to a new COVID variant, it all seems like a fever dream. 

Winter Olympics Boycott

If you didn’t know, China doesn’t exactly have the cleanest record regarding how they treat their citizens. Their human rights abuses have recently come to light, spreading like wildfire via social media. As a result, numerous countries, along with the US, such as the UK and Canada, have chosen to opt out of sending diplomats to the games. Now, I’m no human rights lawyer, but I’ve read about the stuff China has been doing to Uyghur Muslims and man… it’s genocide. Literal genocide. They persecuted Chinese Muslims solely because of their religion, and the scary thing is that the stuff being done to the Uyghurs is only the tip of the iceberg of Chinese human rights violations. Let’s hope, for the sake of all those suffering in China, that China gets the message. 

Situation in Ukraine

Surprise… Russia is in the news again! I really hope that was a surprise, but let’s be honest, it probably wasn’t. I mean, when isn’t Russia in the news? This time it’s because Russia has recently been under fire for preparing to possibly invade Ukraine, as there have been dozens of satellite images of the Russian army moving to their border. While there hasn’t been any violence as of now, it can be easily triggered if Ukraine gets its hands on some advanced weaponry. Though both countries are in an awkward stalemate due to the “frozen” seven-year conflict between them, Russia clearly has the upper hand in this situation in every possible way. To be honest, I’m not really surprised that Russia has been planning this. I’m just quite disappointed; I mean, can’t Putin keep his grubby hands off at least one country?

New COVID Variant 

Another COVID variant… God, when will this madness end? The new variant, Omicron, which definitely doesn’t sound like the name of a transformer or anything, was recently identified by South African scientists. However, it can trace its roots back to Hong Kong and even Australia. From the data scientists have now, the variant has proven to be more contagious than the original virus and the Delta variant, but has less severe symptoms. Getting a booster shot, while not mandatory, is encouraged in order to increase COVID antibodies. Thankfully, the variant isn’t as bad as the name. Come on…‘Omicron’?  You discover a COVID variant, and you’re like  (in a derpy voice) “hmm… maybe I should name this variant ‘Omicron’? Yeah, that’s a perfect name!”. The scientists who named the variant seriously fumbled the ball on that one. But I get it, I mean if you’re gonna keep up with the Greek alphabet name theme, then you gotta do what you gotta do. You have to respect the dedication to maintaining the aesthetic.