Upfront

More than 16 billion animals are killed each year in the U.S., according to PETA. They’re used to feed and clothe America, but at the detriment of the animals and of the environment. The average meat-eating American’s diet contributes greenhouse gas emissions that are 85 percent produced by the raising and killing of animals.

With the passing of the NY SAFE Act on Jan. 15, several new restrictions and policies have been pressed on gun ownership and sales that have been controversial among both sides of the second amendment debate.

For those of you who are not familiar with the National Hockey League lockout, here is a quick overview of what went on this season: The NHL cancelled 510 games of the 2012-2013 season because the owners and the players couldn’t agree on how to share the $3.3 billion in revenue earned every year. The lockout lasted from Sept. 15, 2012 to Jan. 12 of this year — lockout just being a fancy word for the players refusing to play any games until they reach an agreement with the NHL.

In 2006, the U.S. State Department designated Burmese refugees a “population of special humanitarian concern,” marking the beginning of a steady stream of Burmese refugees into the U.S.. In recent years, Burmese people have made up one of the largest group of refugees in the U.S.. According to the Burmese American Community Institute, between 2001 and July 2012, nearly 100,000 Burmese refugees resettled in the U.S., 100 of which live in Ithaca, N.Y.

In 2010, approximately 12 per 100,000 people in the United States committed suicide. That same year, the suicide rate in county jails across the nation was three times greater than the general population. In New York state prisons, the inmate suicide rate was nearly double the national average.

Various members of the Ithaca College community have expressed concern about discriminatory comments made in classrooms and across a campus that, in its diversity statement, claims to “commit ourselves to change, growth, and action that embrace diversity as an integral part of the educational experience and of the community we create.”

Is there a science behind our horoscopes?

What to eat and how to prepare dinner in space

Delving into the narratives of constellations

Naming a star after someone is often seen as a thoughtful gesture, but the practice has garnered criticism from many astronomers and the International Astronomical Union, the organization responsible for naming stars and other celestial bodies.