For-Profit Colleges, Long Troubled, See Surge Amid Pandemic

Little difference between the for-profit and not-for-profit college that advertise on television – both groups out for student loans first and student success last. Local community colleges and state schools still the best bet.

The coronavirus shutdowns have made online learning more attractive. But students at some schools say they have been taken advantage of.

The Trump Administration Paid Millions for Test Tubes — and Got Unusable Mini Soda Bottles — ProPublica (Pathetic incompetence!)

The Fillakit deal shows the perils of the Trump administration’s frantic hiring of first-time federal contractors with little scrutiny during the pandemic. The federal government has awarded more than $2 billion to first-time contractors for work related to the coronavirus, a ProPublica analysis of purchasing data shows. Many of those companies, like Fillakit, had no experience with medical supplies.

The U.S. has lagged behind many European countries in its rate of testing people for the coronavirus, partly because of supply shortages or inadequacies. Epidemiologists say testing is vital to tracking the virus and slowing transmission. In at least one state, the shipment of unusable Fillakit tubes contributed to delays in rolling out widespread testing.

“They’re the most unusable tubes I’ve ever seen,” said a top public health scientist in that state, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his job. “They’re going to sit in a warehouse and no one can use them. We won’t be able to do our full plan.”

Source: The Trump Administration Paid Millions for Test Tubes — and Got Unusable Mini Soda Bottles — ProPublica

Dame Vera Lynn obituary

RIP

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Singer known as the ‘Forces Sweetheart’ whose recordings of We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover shaped the national mood in wartime Britain

At the start of the second world war, Vera Lynn, who has died aged 103, was an up-and-coming dance band singer. By 1945, this working-class young woman had become a symbol of the British wartime spirit, with a status comparable to that of the patrician prime minister, Winston Churchill. After the war, her friend Harry Secombe liked to joke that “Churchill didn’t beat the Nazis. Vera sang them to death.”

Lynn’s iconic status as the “Forces’ Sweetheart” was due to the success of her radio series, Sincerely Yours, which linked the soldiers at the front with their loved ones at home. In 1944, she visited the troops in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, which kindled her lifelong commitment to the welfare of veterans, especially those of the Burma campaign. Above all, her celebrity was due to her hit songs. Such numbers as We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover caught and moulded a national mood, despite the harsh criticism her crooning style provoked from some politicians and BBC managers.

Continue reading…

Supreme Court Upholds DACA, Ruling Against Trump Administration : NPR

A narrowly divided Supreme Court extended Thursday a life-support line to some 650,000 so-called “Dreamers,” allowing them to remain safe from deportation for now, while the Trump administration jumps through the administrative hoops that the court said are required before ending the program.

Source: Supreme Court Upholds DACA, Ruling Against Trump Administration : NPR

‘Wednesday night massacre’ at global media agency as four leaders are ousted – CNN – (Radio Free America now Radio Trump and no longer free)

“As feared, Michael Pack has confirmed he is on a political mission to destroy the USAGM’s independence and undermine its historic role,” Menendez wrote. “The wholesale firing of the Agency’s network heads, and disbanding of corporate boards to install President Trump’s political allies is an egregious breach of this organization’s history and mission from which it may never recover.”

“Once they destroy the reputation of the agencies, it will be impossible to restore,” the former official said. “Can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”

The shakeups at the agency are set against the backdrop of Trump’s attacks on Voice of America, which have heightened concerns that his administration wants to turn VOA into a right-wing propaganda machine.

Source: ‘Wednesday night massacre’ at global media agency as four leaders are ousted – CNN

Arizona Sheriff Who Refused to Enforce Lockdown Now Has COVID-19

A month ago, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said he would not enforce Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order because he thought the lockdown had gone on long enough. Now, Lamb is revealing that he tested positive for COVID-19 after being tested ahead of a planned visit with President Trump, the Arizona Republic reported. “Unfortunately, as a law enforcement official and elected leader, we do not have the luxury of staying home,” Lamb wrote. “This line of work is inherently dangerous, and that is a risk we take when we sign up for the job. Today, that risk is the COVID-19 virus.” Lamb says he was likely infected during a campaign event over the weekend, and now authorities are trying to track down everyone who had contact with him.

Source: Arizona Sheriff Who Refused to Enforce Lockdown Now Has COVID-19

Why Every Latino Has a Responsibility to the Black Lives Matter Movement – Repeating Islands

The anti-blackness that colonization mercilessly beat into our psyche will be hard to overcome but we have to do it. Hiding behind declarations like “Where were ‘they’ when our kids were being locked up in cages” is garbage and we all know it. There is a long history of Black and Brown brothers and sisters supporting each other. Dating all the way back to the collaboration between Olmec and Egyptian civilizations to Dolores Huerta and Coretta Scott King marching, we have stood beside one another since time immemorial.  Our first Black president borrowed his signature slogan “Yes We Can” from Huerta, who created the rallying cry for the United Farm Workers, for crying out loud! Lots of Black people showed up to protest kids being locked up in cages and there were countless incidents of Black people being allies for Latinos when we needed it most. Why is there so much resistance to support a movement that so clearly deserves all of our attention and energy like Black Lives Matter does?

Source: Why Every Latino Has a Responsibility to the Black Lives Matter Movement – Repeating Islands

How Chinese and Indian media reacted to border clashes | Asia| An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 17.06.2020 – (Leaders want peace and want diversion from how they have dealt with Covid-19)

“If Beijing succeeds in getting India to kowtow to China’s diplomatic positions, this would also be a strong signal to the other neighboring countries about who is to decide what in Asia. Therefore, India should do exactly what China does not want it to do, and react with diplomatic countermeasures.”

On Tuesday, the Jiefang Junbao (Newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army) described Monday’s bloody border incident as follows: “On the evening of June 15, the Indian army in the Galwan River valley along the Chinese-Indian border again carried out illegal activities across the Line of Actual Control, contrary to its obligations. They deliberately provoked an attack. The fights resulted in deaths and injuries.”

The article then calls for “India to maintain strict control of its border forces, immediately cease all border violations and provocative actions and return to the right path of dialogue and talks to resolve differences.”

Source: How Chinese and Indian media reacted to border clashes | Asia| An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 17.06.2020