Ancient Tomb Identified in Greece
A tomb discovered by archaeologists in Pylos, Greece earlier this year was identified on Oct. 26 as the burial site of a Bronze Age warrior. This discovery offers further insight into the lives of ancient Greeks and is being hailed as the biggest archaeological find in the past 65 years. The tomb was found near the Palace of Nestor, a king who is referenced in Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey,” and is predicted to be 3,500 years old. Discovered by archaeologists Sharon Stocker and Jack Davis from the University of Cincinnati, the tomb is rare because it is completely intact; most other tombs have been looted. The warrior was buried with over 1,400 items including rings of solid gold, ivory combs and a bronze sword. However, the warrior has not been identified yet. “So far we have no idea of the identity of this man, other than he was someone very important and very rich. We are looking at a period in Greece where people were usually buried with ceramic objects but this man was so rich that there were no ceramics. He was buried with bronze, silver and gold,” Stocker said to CNN.
U.S. Sending More Troops to Syria
The White House announced on Oct. 30 that the United States would send troops into Syria to help Arab and Kurdish forces combat ISIS. President Obama authorized 50 Special Operations troops to assist the local forces. While Obama has long promised that he will not put boots on the ground in Syria, these troops are not expected to fight direct battle with ISIS. Their purpose is to aid the other forces in training and strategy. “These forces do not have a combat mission,” said White House spokesman John Earnest.
School Resource Officer Assaults Student in South Carolina
South Carolina school resource officer Ben Fields has been fired after a video of a violent arrest of a female student of color surfaced on the Internet and sparked national outrage over his use of force. On Monday, Oct. 26, the student at Spring Valley High School refused to give her cell phone to the teacher, causing a disturbance in the classroom. After several attempts to talk to the student by other school officials, Officer Fields was called into the room to confront the student. Other students began filming the confrontation between the two on their cell phones, which eventually escalated into physical assault. The three videos available show Fields flipping over the desk the student was sitting in, dragging her across the floor and then arresting her. This is not the first wrongful incident that Fields has been involved in; he was investigated in 2007 for excessive force and is currently under investigation for an incident in 2013 that claims he targeted a student with wrongful allegations of gang membership. After being put on paid administrative leave, Fields was fired on Oct. 28. The Justice Department has begun an investigation that could lead to criminal charges.
REI to Close Stores on Black Friday
The popular outdoor retail store REI will close all 143 stores for Black Friday. The company’s 12,000 employees will get a paid day off—a day they are encouraged to spend outside. “We believe that being outside makes our lives better, and Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth,” said President and CEO Jerry Stritzke. Creating a campaign on social media called #OptOut, REI is also encouraging customers to also go outside “We’re a different kind of company, and while the rest of the world is fighting it out in the aisles, we’ll be spending our day a little differently,” Stritzke said.
Third Republican Debate Held in Colorado
The third Republican presidential debate was held on Oct. 28, broadcasted by CNBC at the University of Colorado, Boulder. An estimated 14 million people tuned in to hear from all 14 candidates. The four candidates polling below 2.5 percent had a separate debate before the 10 other higher polling candidates. Donald Trump’s policies were attacked by many of his fellow candidates; John Kasich called Trump’s monetary policy “fantasy tax schemes.” Arguments got personal between Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, who were once friends, as Bush criticized Rubio’s failure to show up to many Senate meetings. CNBC was criticized for its poor moderating of the event. During the debate many of the candidates were outspoken about the moderators’ low quality questions that caused infighting amongst the candidates. “This is not a cage match,” said Senator Ted Cruz. The Republican National Committee also expressed their disappointment, suspending their partnership with NBC for an upcoming debate.
Russian Plane Crashes in Sinai Peninsula
A Russian passenger plane flying from Egypt to St. Petersburg crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31, killing all 217 passengers and seven crew members. The plane disappeared from the radar 23 minutes into the flight with no distress calls made. CNN reports that weather conditions during the flight were clear. Officials are still uncertain if the crash was because of a plane malfunction or another cause. The black boxes holding data from the flight have been retrieved and are undergoing analysis in Cairo.
