International, National, and Cornell Headlines 10-25-11
October 25, 2011 —International:
Gadhafi: Early today, former Libyan ruler, Moammar Gadhafi, was buried at an undisclosed location. Gadhafi ruled Libya for 42 years. Gadhafi was captured alive on Thursday along with his son Mutassim, who also died. There have been multiple accounts of how he died, but according to the autopsy, he died from a gunshot wound to his head, according to CNN. Gadhafi lost his power during a 8 month civil war in Libya. Earlier this week, the Civil War was declared over by interim leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil. Now, Libya will start a 2 year process to create a democracy.
National:
Republican Nominee Tax Plan: With the Iowa Caucus set to take place on January 3, 2012 the race for Republican nominee is already going strong. Today, Texas Governor and candidate Rick Perry announced plans for a flat tax which would cap corporate taxes at 20 percent, eliminate taxes on dividends and many capital gains and essentially cap individual tax rates at 20 percent, according to the Washington Post. The plan would lower taxes on the richest Americans.
Netflix: After 810,000 people canceled their Netflix accounts, the stock plunged today. It dropped 35 percent today and is down 60 percent since price hikes were announced in July. The stock briefly hit $300 on July 13. Now it is around $75. Despite the loss of users, Netflix still has $23 million users. The problems began when Netflix decided receiving movies through the mail was old fashioned and announced splitting into two services, the movies instantly, to still be called Netflix and movies by mail, to be renamed Qwikster. The company now realizes the move was too quick, according to ABC News.
Cornell:
Humanities Building: For the first time since the completion of Goldwin Smith Hall in 1905, a new building will rise on the Arts Quad, dedicated to the humanities. The building will be located in the space between the two wings of Goldwin Smith and will face East Avenue. The building will cost $61 million, which will be paid by donations. The breaking ground is expected in summer 2013 with completion by the end of 2015.
NYC Tech Campus: In other building news, Cornell has announced the design for its proposed NYC Tech Campus. The campus will be located on Roosevelt Island and will generate renewable energy through solar panels and a geothermal well system. Cornell is competing against 20 other universities, including Stanford, to gain the new campus.
Written by Jennifer Schlesinger for Wake Up Cornell! 10-25-11