Beyond the Bricks: Week of 11/11

California Shooting

On Nov. 14, 2019, Santa Clarita, Calif. was the site of a mass school shooting. The Washington Post reported that a 16-year-old student pulled a gun from his backpack and opened fire. The attack took place at Saugus High School. Before turning the gun on himself, the shooter struck five people.

While the shooter survived his self-inflicted shot, two students, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, died at the hospital. Surviving victims include a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy.

Captain Robert Lewis of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is quoted as saying, “We need to say ‘no more.’ This is a tragic event that happens too frequently. When are we going to come together as a community ... to say ‘no more’?”

The shooting is said to have occurred at the beginning of the school day in a quad that is a popular hangout spot for students. Four of the students injured were taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center received two other students involved in the shooting.

Disney+ Breaks the Market

Disney+ gained over 10 million sign-ups after launching on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, reported CNBC. By the next day, they faced so many sign-ups that technical difficulties started.

Some users were unable to connect to the service after making their purchase or starting their free trials. The free trial that Disney+ was offering is what makes the large number of sign-ups so significant. CNBC reports that not all of those members will keep their membership after those first seven days.

Disney+ starts at $6.99 per month — nearly half the cost of Netflix at $12.99 per month. With the different promotions that Disney is running, the streaming service has already garnered user counts that competitors such as Netflix and Hulu took years to get.

The massive surge of users to Disney+ pushed the worth of stock in Disney up by 7.35 percent reported CNBC. This added more than $13 million to Disney’s market cap. Disney+ has only launched in three countries: the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands, which adds to the shock of their achievement.

The platform will be launched in more countries in the coming months.

Venice Flooding

On Thursday, Nov. 14. 2019, Italy declared a state of emergency in Venice. BBC reported that this flood is six feet, or 1.87 meters, deep; it has flooded the basilica and cut power to homes. When the tides were their highest, over 80 percent of the city was underwater.

On that Thursday morning, Venetian citizens woke to the sound of flood sirens and were told that the water levels would remain high for the coming days. These water levels are the highest seen in 50 years, and the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro blames climate change.

The Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte is quoted as saying, “It hurts to see the city so damaged, its artistic heritage compromised, its commercial activities on its knees.”

Conte also stated that the government is working quickly to provide funds and resources to the affected areas. Also, given the frequency of these floods, the government would also accelerate the building of defenses.

In terms of individual citizens and their personal damages, the prime minister said that they could also make claims. Citizens are allowed to claim up to 5,000 euros (4,300 pounds; $5,500) in compensation.