Storm

In the age of social media, it is almost impossible not to be flooded with COVID-19 updates every other hour. Currently, the whole world is evolving around the virus and its impacts on society and the economy. However, even though slightly overshadowed, Corona unrelated items also made the news last week. Let’s pretend that all news platforms aren’t stashed with Corona updates for a moment and focus on some positive news instead!

            The corona period seems to be the perfect time to find a job, as delivery services seem to be booming now more than ever. If the high demand has not convinced you enough, Picnics new collective labor agreement might change your mind. The company developed its own special labor agreement, resulting in an increase in wages of 6%! The secondary educational system also granted higher loans for its employees after many negotiations. Despite the improvements concerning money, no agreements have been made about the increasing working load and the short coming of teachers.

            In other news, Bernie Sanders decided to drop out of the American elections, leaving Joe Biden to compete with Donald Trump in the presidential elections in November. Sanders claimed his campaign was a losing game against Biden, who seemed to be the favorite out of the two democrats. However, in order to defeat Trump, Biden still has to win over Sanders’ supporters, which consist mainly of the younger voters. 

            Moving on to some more ecological and environmental news, a seal was spotted in Drenthe and Overijssel! The same seal was earlier spotted in Amsterdam and Utrecht already, swimming its way through the Dutch waters while feeding himself with a sufficient amount of fish.  People are warned not to get to close to the seal, as he is very strong and could be harmful. It is expected that the seal will eventually find its way back to the North Sea without human interference.

            Staying on the topic of animals, a panda in Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen seems to be finally pregnant. As female pandas are only fertile for two days every year, it is a very special occasion when a panda seems to be pregnant. Even though the pregnancy has not yet been 100% confirmed yet, the female panda has already been spotted creating a nest, indicating the coming of a new born.    

            Moreover, the very first regional summer day of the year was measured in Brabant and Limburg as temperatures rose to over 25 degrees, making those quarantine days all the more better! Reason enough to move from your couch to your balcony and get a tan (before summer has even started!), while listening to your favorite Storm podcast or reading our blogs :).