The Lounge

People carry a body bag as locals wait for their family and friends to be saved from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey, (Al Jazeera). A 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the people of Turkey and Syria which is one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent international history. The earthquake has killed at least 50,000 Turks and Syrians with many more injured, thousands of people are still missing along with hundreds of thousands of people homeless, the U.N. humanitarian chief said. On Feb.6, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake first struck the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, U.S. Geological survey said.  A 7.5 magnitude quake hit more than 60 miles away from Kahramanmaras which left destruction and chaos in its path. The U.N. agreed to send in $397.6 million to help Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims. 42% of the money will go to the victims in Turkey but it only covers emergency needs for three months. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.  The U.N.

                                                  Members of the Taiwanese military participated in a military exercise in Pingtung, Taiwan, Last month, (Lam Yik Fei for the New York Times). On Monday, China’s military declared that they were “ready to fight” after their three-day military combat-exercises around Taiwan that sealed off the island in response to Taiwanese President Tsai lng-wen trip to the U.S. last week.  China conducted a similar exercise last August, when they launched missile strikes around the seas of Taiwan in retaliation when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visited the country, however. The previous exercise was smaller and less disruptive.  Military experts say that the exercises both served as a form of intimidation and an opportunity for the Chinese military to practice sealing off Taiwan if China decides to invade Taiwan. U.S. President Joe Biden has stated that the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if China decided to invade Taiwan but has not made a statement s

                                                                 President Joe Biden walks around Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St Michael’s   Golden-Domed Cathedral during his visit, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (US Department of Defense.) President Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Monday in a move of western solidarity with a country that is has been going through a brutal war with Russia as the war begins to enter an uncertain new phase. “One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden declared after meeting with Zelenskyy at Mariinskyi Palace. He continued: “And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.”  The United States along with other western nations have seen sending in arms, tanks, ammunition, and other military equipment to Ukraine in hopes that it will help Ukraine fend off a powerful Russian military.  US officials hope for a massive influx of weapons such as new vehicles, longer-ran

 Past My first interactions with social media that I can remember specifically were through video games, computer games, and apps on my mom or dad's iPhone 1. I first remember playing with the app titled Super Gerbil on my dad's iPhone 1 and other games such as Angry Birds and Plant's versus Zombies. Then my parents bought me a Wii in 2008 which I used to play video games like Super Mario Galaxy, Lego Batman, Lego Star Wars, and Lego Indiana Jones which helped me connect with my friends by bringing them over to play the games with me. Then when I bought a PS3 (Playstation 3), it allowed for me to buy new types of games such as call of duty, Assassins Creed, FIFA, NBA 2K, and Maddon which gave me the ability to connect with my friends and other people through my headset and it gave me the opportunity to meet new people.                                                                                   Present If you were to compare my past self with me today, I would say that

Jane Meighen prepares for an interview about how she got interested in cooking. Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic , a lot of people have picked up cooking their own meals or have been cooking more and Jane Meighen of Wadsworth, Ohio, is one of those people who have been constantly been cooking meals. She started to get an interest in cooking when she watched her mother cook and began cooking when she was 16 and continued to cook throughout her teenage years and when she got married and had a family of two. "My mother was always a great cook and I would always watch her and eventually I started learning when I was 16 and then getting married, I've always followed the way that I was brought up," said Jane Meighen When her kids were really young, she would always cook them pancakes and French toast for breakfast usually on the weekends when they did not have school. But on school days she would make them regular toast with a side of yogurt. "I always really enjoyed w

Murphy's Bleachers  has been one of America's premier sports bars since it opened in 1941 and is the go-to destination for Chicago sports fans who want to watch the game without attending the game and to just hang out with a group of friends. But it is most well known for being the hot spot whenever the Chicago Cubs play whether it be at home or away. Murphy's was ready to begin the 2020 season with not only high expectations for their business but also high expectations for the Cubs as they had a team that was equipped to go deep into the playoffs and possibly make it to the World Series. But out of nowhere, the 2020 MLB season was postponed and Murphy's had to close down due to the lockdown. "We were really looking forward to the 2020 MLB season and we were hosting some Spring Training parties to kick off the season, but, when the MLB announced they would postpone the season because of COVID-19, we were eventually told by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to close for in-pers

PR Italian Bistro  is an award-winning Italian restaurant in Wrigleyville and it is a perfect place for Chicago couples who want to go out for a nice fancy meal to eat. As summer approaches Chicago, everyone from the owner to the employees is ready for people to come in and enjoy their delicious food. As they are getting ready for the hot Chicago summer months, they have gotten out their chars and tables for outside and are cleaning every single one of them along with opening the windows on nice summer days. "We are really excited to welcome everyone back for the summer because unfortunately we were not able to have indoor dining and we had to have about an average of six people eat outside last summer, so it just never felt the same as it did in previous years but we are ready to welcome everyone back," said Jean Martino who has been a manager for 7 years. This could not have come at a better time because they really struggled last year during the lockdowns in Chicago and be