Current events roundup

Marvel icon Stan Lee dies: Stan Lee died on Monday, Nov. 12. He was 95 and credited with turning the Marvel franchise into the iconic cornerstone of superhero media it is today. He brought an emphasis on humanizing superheroes to the industry and was a key player in the popularity of such beloved superheroes as Spiderman, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, among others. His goal was to “make them real flesh-and-blood characters with personality,” as he told the Washington Post in 1992.

Amazon announces new locations: Amazon has chosen New York City, NY and Arlington, VA as the locations for its two new headquarters sites. A search for new locations began last year, when more than 230 hopeful cities placed a bid to house the retail giant. According to Amazon’s press release, Amazon will invest $5 billion in the new sites and create more than 50,000 new jobs.

Celine Dion unveils new fashion line: Celine Dion has announced the grand unveiling of her latest fashion project: a gender-neutral children’s clothing line called CELINUNUNU. The new line “liberates children from the traditional roles of boy/girl,” according to its website, and encourages parents to“inspire your children to be free and find their own individuality through clothes.”

JUUL suspends e-cigarette sales: The e-cigarette maker JUUL has temporarily halted sales of certain flavored products in a bid to curb teenage use of the products. The halt comes after FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called vaping an “epidemic” among teens and launched a plan which called for comprehensive measures from five major e-cigarette manufacturers that would address the “epidemic.”

Sources: ABC News, BBC News, CBS News, CNN, and Fox News.

Mickella Rast
mjrast@vwu.edu