What You Missed This Weekend: Labor Day Edition

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, so let us fill you in on all the things you missed while you were out there not missing work.

Zika Is Killing America’s Bee Business

America’s beekeepers fear for their livelihood after they found over 2.5 million dead bees in South Carolina. The bees died from a neurotoxin that is being sprayed from planes in an attempt to combat mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus.

Around the US, bees and other pollinators contribute an estimated $29 billion to farm income. These pesticides have already proven to be an expensive solution to Zika that has put several beekeepers out of business.

Oklahoma Was Hit By An Earthquake

On Saturday, Oklahoma was hit by a 5.6 earthquake just outside the town of Pawnee. The earthquake didn’t appear to do too much damage, but it was tied for the strongest ever reported in Oklahoma and was felt in 5 neighboring states.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has ordered the shutdown of 35 disposal wells used for fracking and the disposal of waste water as they conduct their investigation into the nature of the quake.

Obama Has His Feelings Hurt In The Philippines

President Obama has decided to skip meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The snub comes after President Duterte said that if Obama questioned him on the mass killings of drug offenders he would “swear at him” and called him a  “son of a bitch.”

“I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina I will swear at you in that forum,”

[wps_products_gallery product_id=”4335172976691, 4344220352563, 4344570413107″]

Pipeline Protest Trades Blood For Oil

Native American tribes in North Dakota are protesting the $3.8 billion oil pipeline expansion through their land. The tribes say construction crews destroyed American Indian burial and cultural sites on private land in southern North Dakota.

Four private security guards and two guard dogs were injured after several hundred protesters allegedly confronted construction crews. However, the tribal leaders said that the security company started it and that they only responded after six people had been bitten by security dogs, including a young child and at least 30 people were pepper-sprayed.

Work In India Grinds To A Halt

Somewhere around 150 million workers have walked off their job and gone on strike in India. The strike was called after union leaders rejected the government’s offer for increased minimum wage for unskilled workers, viewing it as too low.

This strike is made up of just 10 unions and is sure to be the largest in human history.

Wrap-up

Thanks for reading and, as always, let us know if there were any stories we missed.