Monday Matters #4

The columnist I chose to follow was Pierre LeBrun who writes about hockey for ESPN. The article he wrote was about Columbus Blue Jackets star Ryan Johansen's contract disputes with the team. Lebrun points out that the Blue Jackets organization should not be worried about leagues that are over seas and their offers to Johansen. Lebrun also points out that neither side will budge and are sticking to their offers. You can read the article here.

Monday Matters #3

You can view the cartoon here.

Due to the NFL's most recent problem with players getting into legal trouble, this cartoon is fitting. First, Ray Rice abuses his wife, which caused social media to go into a frenzy. Then, Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson was accused of spanking his son with a tree branch. This cartoon is powerful because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was too lenient on Rice and is now being accused of being lenient on Peterson. This suggests that a harsh punishment would only be issued if a player killed another person. This cartoon is effective in stating how lenient the NFL is on the legal troubles of current players.

Monday Matters #2

In March 2014, Russia invaded a town on the eastern portion of Ukraine called Crimea. Crimea, populated by many Russian supporters, allowed the Russian military to step in without a conflict. The people of Crimea want to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. Several countries, including the United States, do not think this is a good idea and do not like what Russia is doing. An American citizen may question why he or she should care about this issue. An interview by Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today, was composed. Page interviewed U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer about Russia invading. Pifer explains why American citizens should be alert of Russia's actions in Ukraine. To read the full article, click here. 

Monday Matters #1

Late in 2013, Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovich discussed a trade agreement with the European Union. Because of the ongoing pressure from Russia's president Vladimir Putin, Yanukovich backed out of the agreement. Because of this, violent mobs appeared protesting on the Ukrainian President's decision. Yanukovich reached a deal with Putin which allowed Russia to give Ukraine $15 billion. This money prevented Ukraine from going bankrupt, but economists state that if Ukraine doesn't spend the money the necessary way, Ukraine will file for bankruptcy. Things did not settle because of the plan. Violent riots still occurred and Yanukovich could not control his people. Because of this, Putin delayed the plan to give Ukraine the money until Yanukovich settled his people down. After many violent riots, Yanukovich fleed Ukraine. All chaos broke loose in Ukraine. Then, in early March, Putin sent in his troops to "protect ethnic Russians and Russian citizens from extremist ultranationalists." Due to polls in Crimea, a Ukrainian city, 97% of people wanted to secede from Ukraine. On March 18, Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea. Click here to view the article.