By: Dalvin Yarbrough

Since 2005, high school NBA prospects were required to wait one year before being drafted and realizing their dreams of becoming household names. The “one and done” rule, as it has been aptly named, was implemented by the NBA to protect young players but has caused headaches for many of them. Athletes have a few options during their year before NBA eligibility to – play college basketball, play overseas, or take the year off to train privately. Once that one year is up, not only can these kids join professional teams and play for pay; they can sign lucrative endorsement deals with companies looking to find a transcendent athlete they can build their brand around. But the year-long wait to fame and fortune may no longer be necessary for some athletes – sort of.

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By: Kyle Cianchetta

As fears rise over climate change, environmentally friendly building is transitioning from a novel idea to a preferred building method. Environmental consciousness coupled with hefty tax deductions has caused the number of commercial green buildings to skyrocket – approximately 40 percent of commercial buildings in the United States’ 30 largest markets are certified by government or private green-building standards.

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By: Jonathan McGruer

Data privacy laws have seen significant recent change after the European Parliament and Council of the European Union brought the (the “GDPR”) into effect on May 25, 2018. Enacting the GDPR signified a tremendous step further clarifying the EU’s stance on data privacy and consumer rights. However, as a wave of countries scramble to update data privacy laws, data localization requirements introduced in conjunction with new regulations undermine today’s increasingly data-driven global economy that is so reliant on the free flow of data across borders.

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By Jacob Magit

In July, a developer filed plans to build a high rise apartment building on the site of Seattle’s Showbox Theatre, one of the city’s oldest music venues. There was an immediate movement to save the theatre, which has hosted acts such as Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, and Lady Gaga. The Seattle City Council quickly approved an ordinance that temporarily added the Showbox to the Pike Place Market Historical District, delaying the theatre’s destruction. In response to the ordinance, attorneys representing the building owner filed a lawsuit against the city claiming the City Council’s action was an illegal spot zone that amounts to an unlawful taking of property.

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By: Michael McNeil

Humanity is at the doorstep of our next great accomplishment in space exploration—mining space for resources. However, the legality of space mining is anything but clear. With little authority from international law, countries like America, Japan, and Luxembourg, have made national laws declaring space mining a legal practice. American companies like Planetary Resources, SpaceX, and Deep Space Industries, along with companies in Japan and Luxembourg, are moving forward under their respective national laws developing the technologies to make space mining a reality.  Japan recently announced that two of their Minerva II-1 rovers successfully landed on Ryugu, an asteroid in space, and other companies and nations are not far behind.

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