feature // 14

The year tha

» Reflections and predictions on 2014-15

Chitwan Khosla
Features Editor
M features@theotherpress.ca

witter and Facebook

rate events and bring us
news according to interest
and clicks. Twitter trends
and newsfeeds spread more
information than TV news
anchors, so it’s definitely more
interesting to start to see the
year through the eyes of the
Internet. Now I bring to you
some of the exciting news
reports, fascinating scientific
breakthroughs, and biggest
newsmakers that brought fear,

smiles, and amusement into our :
: International

homes, as well as what to expect
in 2015.

Social

 

In 2014, the FIFA World
Cup in Brazil drove more
Facebook conversation than
any other event in the website's
history.

The legendary ALS Ice
Bucket Challenge videos
became a global sensation,
raising about $100-million
in donations for the ALS
Association, while bringing up
some controversies on water
conservation.

Many celebrities such as
Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten
Dunst, and Kate Upton came

when their nude photographs
got leaked on the Internet; this
brought privacy issues into

: direct conflict with technology.

The Interview, a

: controversial movie based on
: the fictional assassination of the :
: North Korean dictator, garnered :
: asmuch publicityandtweets —:
: for its release issues as it did

: about about the movie itself.

Apple's iPhone 6 and

: iPhone 6 Plus drove Apple

: lovers crazy around the world.
: The Samsung Galaxy $s,

: Apple iPad Mini 3, Google

: Chromecast, Sony Playstation
: 4, LG G3, Smart watches, and
: many more technological
advancements arrested the

: attention of gadget freaks.

 

The Ebola virus not only

: shook the World Health

: Organization (WHO) and the
: countries affected by it but the
very trust of humans in their

: long-term existence.

The US remained in

: the news for many different :
: reasons. On January 1, Colorado :
: became the first US state to

: legalize the use of marijuana

: for recreational purposes. A

: few others such as Washington,
: Alaska, and Oregon joined later :
: in the year.

Same-sex marriages made

: large developments legally and

: socially, as well: by the end of

: the year, 35 US states legalized
“te. ty. ... ? gay marriage, and even Pope

face-to-face with dirty publicity : Francis took a powerful stance

> on homosexuality with his now- :

: famous statement, “Who am I

: to judge?”

t was and the y

The Twitter trend

#BlackLivesMatter was
: consistently in the news, in

response to police brutality
against black people.
US army Sergeant Bowe

: Bergdahl was released by the

: Taliban after keeping him

: captive for five years, in return
: for five high-ranking Taliban
prisoners.

India, the largest

: democracy in the world, held
: its largest election in history,

: and for the first time brought
a government with a sweeping
: majority into the power.

Shootings at Parliament

: Hill in Ottawa on October 22
: drew international attention,
: and brought discussions of

: terrorism and racial profiling to :
the fore in Canada.

The Ukraine saw major

: changes in its political

: landscape after Russia’s

: annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea
peninsula.

The kidnapping of 276
school girls from a school ina

: Nigerian village by the militants
: of Islamist movement Boko

: Haram caused international
: outrage, but the girls are still

Missing.
Since the peace talks

: mediated by the US collapsed

: in April, the Israeli-Palestinian
: violence saw bloodshed of

: thousands, leaving the world

: in utter shock. The UN reports
: astounding numbers of

sufferance in Syria and Iraq,

: with thousands injured, killed,
: and registered as refugees since

: the radical Sunni Islamic group
: ISIS rose to power in these
: countries in 2014.

Terror resurfaced in

: Pakistan leaving 137 school
: children fatally shot by

: the Taliban in Peshawar in
December.

Airlines experienced

: some significant turbulence. :
: Malaysian Airline Flight MH370 :
: with over 239 passengers

: on board went missing in

: March, and in July Malaysian

: Airline Flight MHi7 with 283

: passengers on board was shot

: over the Ukraine-Russian

: border. AirAsia flight QZ8501

: crashed in the Java Sea in
December, and remains are still
: being searched for.

: Scientific

 

Landing of the spacecraft

“Philae” by European Space

; Agency ona comet 300-million
: miles away and NASA's

: discovery of Kepler-186f, an

: Earth-like planet, were some

of the major space exploration

: breakthroughs of the year.

Scientists pursued a

A Swedish woman gave

: birth to the first baby born via
: a transplanted uterus, giving

: hope to other women who have :
: undergone the procedure and
worried they might not have

: children.

theotherpress.ca

 

: What’s to come?

 

In 2015, we will probably

: see many of the repercussions

: of 2014. Major legal reforms are
: expected in the US on police

: authority and accountability,

: gun laws, and immigration

: policies.

The UN also has much
on its agenda for this year.

: Some of the noticeable ones

: include resolving the political
: disturbance in the Israel-

: Palestine region as Palestine

: will soon be charging Israel

: in International Criminal

: Court for war crimes; settling

: the refugees of war from

: Syria; research on vaccines

: and treatment for Ebola by

: WHO, controlling Ebola from
: ground zero; and reaching the
: displaced people in Ukraine

: with humanitarian aid.

Cloud Computing will be

: a major trend in 2015, and is

: predicted to generate almost

: 14-million jobs worldwide. The
: development of 3D printing is
: expected to grow in use by 98

: per cent by the end of the year.
: European Data Relay Satellite

genome study of 45 bird species : is being constructed at the

: representing every bird group
alive.

: cost of $562-million, and will

: allow faster transmission of

: data through laser technology.

: Wireless charging, asteroid

: mining, and rise of drone

: technologies will further

: develop and surprise the world.