Harold Bloom, 89, dies

Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University Harold Bloom died on Oct. 14 at the age of 89. He was a literary scholar and critic who was famous for popular works such as the Western Canon and Shakespeare: the Invention of the Human. 

Throughout his career, Bloom argued that the merits of art, particularly literature, are based off an aesthetic value that relates to various archetypes and insights into the human spirit, rather than socio-political relevance.

Trudeau wins re-election

On Oct. 21, Canada held its 43rd general election. 

The main parties of contention were the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; the Conservative Party, led by MP Andrew Scheer; the Bloc Québécois Party, led by MP Yves-François Blanchet; the New Democratic Party, led by MP Jagmeet Singh; the Green Party, led by MP Elizabeth May; and the People’s Party, led by Maxime Bernier. 

This Pyrric victory by Trudeau occurred in spite of the various ethics scandals that preceded the election; however, the Liberal Party lost the majority they had gained in 2015.

Protests in Chile

Demonstrations in Chile were ignited on Oct. 14 after an increase in metro fares, despite a rollback soon after the protests began. Additional grievances cited as motivations for the protest movement were rising economic inequality, pension instability, and corruption. 

According to NPR, President Sebastián Piñera declared that the country was “at war with a powerful enemy,” after the largely peaceful protests gave way to bouts of violence. This then led Piñera to send in the military to crack down on protestors. 

However, on Oct. 22, in an attempt to ease tensions, Piñera announced various reforms such as introducing a higher minimum wage, further taxing the wealthy, and improving pensions.