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The Spill: Mount Everest Just Got Taller

Weekly news you can use.

By:  |  December 14, 2020  |    590 Words
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(Photo by Viacheslav Onyshchenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Mount Everest Stands Even Taller

The tallest mountain above sea level, Mount Everest, sits on the border between China and Nepal. The two nations have argued for about a decade now over how tall the mountain really is, but they’ve finally come to an agreement. It’s 29,032 feet tall – three feet taller than they used to say it is.

Mountain climbers have considered reaching the top of Mount Everest to be the ultimate climbing goal for more than 100 years. The first to achieve it was Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzig Norgay in 1953.

Those who choose to climb this mountain must face altitude sickness, frozen weather, wind, and potential avalanches. The Khumbu Icefall on the Nepal side is large ice crevices known to open without warning. At least 311 people have died climbing Everest. Some of those people were never recovered, and their bodies remain buried in the ice.

Mountain climbers are excited about the recorded new height of the mountain. Garrett Madison of the U.S.-based Madison Mountaineering company, who has reached the summit ten times, texted this message upon hearing the added height: “Surely some new records for climbing the ‘highest Everest’ will happen in 2021. Hopefully, I get Everest summit #11 in 2021!”

Making Sense of Texas

The 2020 election for president has seen a lot of controversies. Many think Joe Biden was the winner, but President Trump and his supporters are claiming that the results were not gained honestly.

The Trump campaign and others have made several legal challenges, asking courts to look at the evidence and use it to affect the vote counts in some disputed states.

The state of Texas sued four states, claiming the new election rules of Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania are unconstitutional because they weren’t passed by the state legislatures.

When states sue each other, the case goes directly to the Supreme Court. Many were wondering if this could be the biggest court case in U.S. history – and possibly change the official result of the election. But the Supreme Court refused to hear the case. The statement from the Supreme Court reads in part that Texas “has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections.” Simply put, Texas did not provide a valid legal reason why it should be able to challenge the defendant states’ elections.

Yet Texas is just one state that wanted to participate in the case – many other states joined on one side or the other.

So, what’s next for the 2020 election results? The Electoral College will vote officially for the winner on Monday, December 14.

Breakdancing Will Debut As Olympic Event

The Paris 2024 Olympics will include a new sport: Breakdancing. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach explained the decision would provide a “more gender-balanced, more youthful and more urban” style for the games. Already on the list for the 2021 Tokyo games are surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing.

Breakdancing should be easy to judge. The dance style consists of mainly four types of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Breakdancing is typically set to the music genres hip-hop and funk, emphasizing percussion and fast-paced drumbeats.

So far, the reception has been positive with the Olympic addition of Breakdance as sport. British breakdancer Karam Singh summed his feelings up like this: “It’s going to be great for breaking as it gives us more recognition as a sport. And for the Olympics, it will attract young people who may not follow some of the traditional sports.”

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