THUMBS DOWN TO...the UK volunteer who has fallen ill to Transverse Myelitis in the Coronavirus Vaccine trials for Oxford University. Transverse Myelitis is inflammation on both sides of a section of the spinal cord, interrupting transmissions through the spine and below the torso.  After successfully passing phases one and two, Oxford University must pause their vaccine’s phase three testing, as a volunteer has contracted transverse myelitis. Research is happening to see if the ailment is connected to the vaccine if so, Oxford’s vaccine will need work and could take even longer. 

     THUMBS DOWN TO...the gender reveal party that started a wildfire in the very dry and humid state California. Some gender reveals are done with a “smoke-generating” device, which was the ones used to set the fire in California and have spread nearly 10,000 acres and caused 21,000 people to evacuate. 

     THUMBS DOWN TO...Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passing away on Sept. 18, 2020. Serving 27 years on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg was renowned as a champion of justice. She was a huge advocate for gender equality and was one of the most prominent figures on the Supreme Court. Her passing has led to both sorrow and loss of a great leader.

     THUMBS DOWN TO... the removal of Tik Tok from web stores. Tik Tok was a social media app taken off the app store by an executive order banning the apps at the request of President Trump. The app is still available for usage by all users who previously installed the app before Sept. 18, 2020, but it will permanently be removed for all US users on Nov. 12, 2020.  

     THUMBS UP TO... Counterattack robot dogs beginning to be tested for military use and can be extremely helpful to soldiers on the ground. Advanced Battle Management Systems or ABMS, are four-legged robots created and now being tested for usage by the US military, showing big promise to keep soldiers on a battlefield safe by sending out the dogs to analyze and send the soldiers data on things like heat signatures, possible bombs, enemy fire, and air support. 

     THUMBS UP TO... “Super Mario 3D All-Stars” released, giving fans the long-deserved and long-awaited ports of “Super Mario 64,” “Super Mario Sunshine,” and “Super Mario Galaxy” to the Nintendo Switch. Bringing back some big titles in Mario, Nintendo fans are jumping back in and playing as one of the most recognizable characters in gaming. Big ports of the “Super Mario” franchise could lead to fans wanting more, even ports coming from other big franchises like “The Legend of Zelda,” and “Pokemon.”

     THUMBS UP TO... the drop in air pollution in China, leading to a fall of hundreds of thousands of deaths by pollution. One of the biggest things killing people in China is its air pollution, and its recent fall in the last few decades has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Hopefully, those numbers continue to drop as we continue in the next coming decades. 

     THUMBS UP TO...former billionaire Chuck Feeney secretly giving away his whole fortune. Feeney spent the last 38 years giving away his fortune in secret, and now at age 89, he successfully has done it. Known for being a humble and frugal co-creator of “Duty-Free Shoppers Group,” he doesn’t own a car and rents a small apartment, as a billionaire, or a former billionaire.