Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

47,000 service members will finally get the student loan debt relief they’ve been promised for years

A day after the Education Department wiped out $5.8 billion in student debt for borrowers with disabilities, it announced service members will also be getting relief: waived interest that has been a benefit under the Higher Education Act but has barely been accessed.

On Friday, the Education Department announced the Federal Student Aid (FSA) office will be retroactively waiving interest on student loans for 47,000 former and active-duty service members. The relief will happen automatically, removing the requirement for service members to make individual requests to access the benefit.

Source: 47,000 service members will finally get the student loan debt relief they’ve been promised for years

Wildlife Vet Dr Richard K Ssuna: In His Own Words

Palm Oil Detectives

Dr Richard K Ssuna: In His Own Words

Wildlife and Domestic Animal Vet, Conservationist, Animal Advocate


Bio: Dr Richard K. Ssuna

Dr Richard K. Ssuna has been caring for (wild and domesticated) animals as a Veterinarian for over 20 years. In the past he’s worked for the Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (USPCA), the Jane Goodall Institute and Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Wildlife Conservation Trust on Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre. Dr Ssuna also established the Lilongwe Society and Protection of Animals (LSPCA) and also worked as the technical advisor for the Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge in Liberia. He is currently the Director of All Creatures Animal Welfare Trust in Malawi, Lesotho and Uganda.

Over the years, Dr Ssuna has received many awards for animal welfare, and veterinary practice including:

  • The William Wilberforce Award in 2012.
  • The Africa Animal…

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COVID-19 cases soar in Texas nursing homes, with many workers unvaccinated | The Texas Tribune

The number of nursing homes across the state with at least one active COVID-19 case has shot up nearly 800% in the past month — while nearly half of nursing home employees in Texas remain unvaccinated. Nursing home residents were among the hardest hit by COVID-19 last year as the virus tore through facilities at an alarming rate. More than 400 Texas nursing home residents died during a single week in August 2020; since the pandemic began, 9,095 have died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. As of Aug. 11, that’s 17% of the state’s COVID-19 deaths. To slow the virus’s spread, Gov. Greg Abbott shut down nursing home visitation in March 2020, then eased those restrictions five months later for facilities that didn’t have active cases in the previous two weeks. HHSC’s current visitation guidelines for nursing homes require visitors to wear a mask at all times and limits visitation to no more than two “essential caregivers” per resident. But after seeing infections remain relatively low in recent months, the state’s more than 1,200 nursing homes are seeing a new wave of infections as COVID-19 cases explode around the state, driven b

Source: COVID-19 cases soar in Texas nursing homes, with many workers unvaccinated | The Texas Tribune

Contributors to reduced life expectancy among Native Americans in the Four Corners States – Docwire News

The life expectancy disadvantage among Native American males was primarily attributable to motor vehicle accidents (0.96 years), liver disease (1.22 years), and diabetes (0.78 years).  Source: Contributors to reduced life expectancy among Native Americans in the Four Corners States – Docwire News

A Third of Stitch Fix Employees Quit After New CEO Ends Flexible Work Hours – Slashdot (Me: Oops x 3 – ⅓ quit because new CEO did not bother to consult with employees)

The changes to the company’s scheduling policies led to an exodus of around a third of its stylists, part- and full-time employees who work from home selecting clothing items for customers. “It was a gut punch,” said Kara Calagera, who used the extra income from Stitch Fix to pay her mortgage and car insurance. Keeping the job “wasn’t feasible without the flexibility.” For years, Stitch Fix has attracted employees who — because they have part-time jobs, stay home with kids, or have a disability — needed flexible, remote work. Until now, the company allowed employees who could provide their own computer and internet to work from home, some for as little as five hours per week, recommending and sending Stitch Fix clothing to customers at any time of day. Source: A Third of Stitch Fix Employees Quit After New CEO Ends Flexible Work Hours – Slashdot

Curtin University researchers discover Earth has been making diamonds from waste – ABC News

Dr Doucet said the researchers discovered “deep diamonds” formed in the Earth were predominantly made up of organic matter from dead plants and animals.  “This research discovered the Earth’s engine actually turns organic carbon into diamonds many hundreds of kilometres below the surface,” he said. “While recycling is becoming a modern-day necessity for our sustainable survival, we were particularly surprised to learn, through this research, that Mother Nature has been showing us how to recycle with style for billions of years.”

Source: Curtin University researchers discover Earth has been making diamonds from waste – ABC News