Nick Ramos, Author at 2ndLook News

31 Mar

Ukraine’s Identity Crisis – from Independence to Invasion

Nick Ramos1 CommentArticles, International NewsCrimea, Euromaidan, Georgiy Gongadze, Kiev, Kyiv, Maidan, Odessa, Orange Revolution, Putin, Russia, Soviet, Soviet Union, Ukraine

Listen to "Ukraine’s Identity Crisis – from Independence to Invasion" on Spreaker. This article covers: Notable events in Ukraine dating back to the end of the Soviet Era that tie in to current events, including: A culture war driven by language differences The kidnapping of journalist Georgiy Gongadze Leaked Nixon-esque tapes Attempted assasination of a presidential candidate Verified election fraud The Orange Revolution Euromaidan mass protests Foreign powers exerting influence in Ukrainian politics And more. May 2nd, 2014, months of protests exploded into violence in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. Hundreds of pro-Russian protestors battled with thousands of pro-European…

06 Feb

Made to Break: Planned Obsolescence and the Right to Repair

Nick Ramos3 CommentsArticles, Economics, SustainabilityApple, centennial lightbulb, circular economic model, e-waste, Fair Repair Act, Ford, General Motors, Giles Slade, Hewlett-Packard, IKEA, iPhone, mining, Model T, Phoebus cartel, Planned Obsolescence, Right to Repair, style obsolescence, technological obsolescence, waste

This article covers: How planned obsolescence was implemented over a century ago and its effects on our behavior and way of thinking about the products we buy everyday. The positive and negative sides of planned obsolescence as well as recent scandals. Why Right to Repair laws are so important. How planned obsolescence is creating excess waste and using up our resources, as well as proposed solutions such as the circular economic model. Exciting new legislation that was introduced to the House in 2021 called the Fair Repair Act. In 2013, a carbon filament light bulb in Livermore, California went out…

08 Dec

Influence for Sale: How American Politicians Have Been Bought and Paid For

Nick Ramos4 CommentsArticles, GovernmentAndrew Yang, Bernie Sanders, campaign finance, campaign finance reform, Citizens United, FEC, Federal Corrupt Practices Act, Federal Election Campaign Act, Hillary Clinton, Joe Manchin, Joseph Keppler, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice John Paul Stevens, Kyrsten Sinema, Mitch McConnell, money in politics, President Nixon, quid pro quo, Robert Bork, Robert E. Mutch, Supreme Court, Tillman Act, Watergate

In 2000, the total investment in United States federal elections—congressional and presidential—was $3 billion. By 2020, it had shot up to $14.4 billion. Perhaps it’s time to ask what that additional $11.4 billion does for the American people. What’s really being bought? Campaign finance is back in the news thanks to the actions of Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, who have spent the past few months blocking the Democratic Party’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the Senate. When journalists looked into possible motivations for this obstruction, they found money to be a key factor. Sinema raised over $1…

20 Sep

Fatherland and Life: The Story of Cuban Spirit Against the Regime’s Might

Nick Ramos0 CommentsArticles, International NewsBatista, Bay of Pigs, blockade, capitalism, Castro, communism, COVID-19, Cuba Libre, Cubans, Donald Trump Jr., embargo, Enrique Iglesias, Fidel Castro, Fulgencio Batista, Gente de Zona, Leninism, Marxism, Miami, Miguel Díaz-Canel, Obama, Patria o Muerte, Patria y Vida, SOSCuba, Trump

Beginning on July 11th of this year, Cubans publicly protested against their government for over a week. In response to the unprecedented disobedience by a citizenry that usually does not protest, the Cuban government cracked down. Plainclothes officers, regular police, and the infamous Black Berets special forces patrolled the streets and beat protestors. The forces were supported by military equipment intended to cause fear but also for use if the balance tipped against the government. Cubans had not protested like this in a long time, the last big protest taking place in the ‘90s. However, that was constrained to just…

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