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Saturday, July 18, 2020
Best places in the US
Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona
Sometimes Mother Nature creates beautiful things, and sometimes
we humans create them ourselves. Case in point: Lake Powell, an impressive man-made
reservoir straddling Utah and Arizona. Powell attracts millions of tourists
every year, thanks in large part to its convenient proximity to natural
bridges, dams, and grand-ish canyons.
A trip to the last century!
1928: Amelia Earhart with airplane
Five years after
Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, Amelia Earhart became the second person to make the voyage. She was also the first woman to attempt the journey, flying
from Newfoundland, Canada to Londonderry in Northern Ireland. In 1937, just
five years after her historic journey, the intrepid aviator disappeared over
the Pacific Ocean while attempting to fly around the world. Her plane was never
found, and the mystery continues to intrigue history and aviation fans. In this
photo from Getty Images, Earhart poses in front of her bi-plane.
Friday, July 17, 2020
Best places in the US
Kenai Fjords, Alaska
Alaska is home to more than 3 million lakes, but we have a bit
of tunnel vision when it comes to Bear Lake. Located in the Kenai Fjords
National Park, the site stands out for its massive glaciers, vertical rock
structures, year-round water sports (kayaking, ice skating, dog mushing), and
viewings of the Northern Lights from September
through April.
A trip to the last century!
1927: Charles Lindbergh
In 1927, Charles
Lindbergh made history when he flew a single-seat monoplane from New York to Paris, becoming the first person to make a nonstop solo flight across
the Atlantic. Five years later, Lindbergh's 20-month-old son was kidnapped from
his nursery. Ten weeks later, the baby's body was found by a truck driver four miles away from
their home. The event—a tabloid sensation at the time—ultimately led to the
passing of the "Lindbergh law” which makes crossing state lines a federal
offense during a kidnapping.
The famous aviator
is pictured here standing on his plane in this photo from Getty Images.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Best Places in the US
Joshua Tree National Park, California
If you even have the slightest appreciation of natural
beauty, Joshua Tree National Park is
a must-visit in your lifetime. Don't miss the Cholla Cactus Garden, where the
iconic plants stretch for as far as the eye can see. Make sure to spend at
least a few hours here post-sunset, as the park was officially recognized as
an International Dark Sky Park back
in 2017.
A trip to the last century
1926: Suzanne Lenglen
Long before Serena
and Venus Williams soared to international fame there was Suzanne Lenglen, a
French tennis player who captivated the world in the 1920s with her
controversial habits that included wearing red lipstick, drinking alcohol,
cursing, exposing her bare arms, and donning skirts above the calves. The bold
tennis star, who’s been called the "most polarizing women’s tennis player of her
generation,” was the first to shirk the bulky tennis
undergarments of the time. From age 15 onwards, Lenglen won 250 championships
over her 12-year career. She is pictured here at Wimbledon in this photo from
the Hulton Archive.
PJ of the Day
The gardening season is off to a great start.
I planted myself in front of the TV five weeks ago, and I've
already grown noticeably.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
International News
Trump administration drops rule barring foreign students from taking online-only classes
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's administration agreed Tuesday to rescind its controversial rule barring international students from living in the USA while taking fall classes online, a sharp reversal after the White House faced a slew of lawsuits challenging the policy.
A Massachusetts judge announced the decision during a federal court hearing in a case filed last week by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Judge Allison Burroughs said the universities' request for the court to block the rule was moot because the government agreed to rescind the policy.
Monday, 18 state attorneys general had sued the Department of Homeland Security over the rule, which would have forced foreign students to leave or face deportation if they were enrolled in only online classes this fall, when experts fear expanded outbreaks of COVID-19 cases.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's administration agreed Tuesday to rescind its controversial rule barring international students from living in the USA while taking fall classes online, a sharp reversal after the White House faced a slew of lawsuits challenging the policy.
A Massachusetts judge announced the decision during a federal court hearing in a case filed last week by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Judge Allison Burroughs said the universities' request for the court to block the rule was moot because the government agreed to rescind the policy.
Monday, 18 state attorneys general had sued the Department of Homeland Security over the rule, which would have forced foreign students to leave or face deportation if they were enrolled in only online classes this fall, when experts fear expanded outbreaks of COVID-19 cases.
The court said the Trump administration agreed to revert to a previous rule, implemented in March, when the coronavirus pandemic caused shutdowns across the country. Under that policy, international students were allowed to attend all classes online during the pandemic.
Some universities plan to offer classes entirely online this fall because of concerns that college campuses could create coronavirus hot spots and add to the country's caseload. The new rule, issued July 6 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, would have been devastating for students and universities alike.
The Trump administration issued the tougher immigration policy as it seeks to push universities and K-12 schools to reopen in the fall despite soaring COVID-19 infections across the country.
Last week's shift enraged many educators and lawmakers, who said the policy threatened to upend careful planning by universities and the approximately 1 million foreign students who attend American colleges each year. Even as they celebrated the change, some higher education leaders struck back at the Trump administration.
"We will continue, during this unprecedented time of global pandemic, to be vigilant against efforts by the administration to harm international students or force universities into rushed and unreasonable decisions regarding in-person instruction," said Mary Sue Coleman, president of the Association of American Universities, a group of research universities.
The battle against the ICE rule brought together a large coalition of governments, colleges and businesses.
Led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, the states' lawsuit sought an injunction to stop the rule from taking effect while the matter was litigated. Healey filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, along with attorneys general from Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin. Harvard and MIT filed a similar challenge last week, which was supported by several other universities.
Major U.S. technology companies and other businesses, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Google and Facebook, joined the legal fray Monday, arguing in court papers that the rule would have "serious adverse economic consequences."
"America’s future competitiveness depends on attracting and retaining talented international students," the companies argued.
International students benefit from studying and researching in the U.S., but they also help enrich it, said Martin Aragoneses, an economics graduate student at Harvard, who is from Spain. While he is "incredibly relieved and happy," he said, he and other international students plan to work against other policies that make it more difficult for foreigners to work in the U.S., such as the current suspension on temporary visas for foreign workers.
The ICE order on international students could have dealt a major economic blow to colleges and universities, as well as the communities surrounding them, because of the loss of tuition and other revenue from foreign students, who typically pay full price.
"Something to cheer about! ICE backing off new regulations for international students!!" tweeted Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. "Now let's make the fall semester as potent and safe as possible."
"International students enrich the educational experience for all," added Eduardo Ochoa, president of California State University Monterey Bay. He took to Twitter to decry what would have been a "choice between sending them home or endangering the health of our community."
The new order will allow universities to reopen more quickly, said Terry Hartle, a senior vice president with the American Council on Education, which represents the nation's colleges. College leaders, Hartle said, will be able to think about what practices are best for all students. The order would have put so much attention on international students that broader questions about reopening could have been pushed to the side.
Nevertheless, Hartle said he expects a decline in international students this year, since some students may not be able to get a visa before the start of the fall semester due, for instance, to embassy and consulate closures from the pandemic.
The number of international students studying in the USA reached 1.1 million in the 2018-19 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education, and they make up 5.5% of the total U.S. higher education population.
International students contributed nearly $45 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Contributing: Elinor Aspegren
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration drops rule barring foreign students from taking online-only classes
Best Places in America
Isla Culebra, Puerto Rico
Sister to neighboring Vieques, Culebra is a tiny island
17 miles off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico—and about as chill a
place as you'll ever find. No big resorts, fancy restaurants, or pricey
boutiques; just empty beaches, fantastic snorkeling, and a whole lot of sea
turtles.
A trip to the last century!
1925: Dolly Sisters
Jenny and Rosie
Dolly, known as the Dolly Sisters, were famous in the 1920s for entertaining princes, kings,
millionaires, and other members of the world’s elite. The Hungarian-born twins
embodied the era's decadence, flaunting their wealth and basking in beauty and
glamour. After a car wreck left her face disfigured in 1942, Jenny Dolly committed suicide in a Hollywood apartment. The sisters are pictured wearing stage costumes in this photo.
PJ of the Day
. Visited a dentist named Simran. She asked _where are you
feeling the pain?_
Me: *Jaw Simran Jaw*.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Mireille Knoll: Men suspected of Holocaust survivor's murder will go on trial in Paris
Two men suspected of murdering a Holocaust survivor in Paris during an alleged anti-Semitic attack will stand trial over her death, the Paris prosecutor's office told CNN on Monday.
Mireille Knoll was found dead in her Paris apartment in 2018. In an attack that outraged the country, the 85-year-old was stabbed 11 times and her home was set on fire.
Mireille Knoll was found dead in her Paris apartment in 2018. In an attack that outraged the country, the 85-year-old was stabbed 11 times and her home was set on fire.
The indictments on three charges were confirmed on July 10 by the Examining Magistrates, the prosecutor's office said.
Best Places in the USA
Hoh Rain Forest, Washington
The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the only rainforests in the U.S.,
with lichen-shrouded trees and fungus-covered logs hidden in the middle of
Washington's Olympic National Park. Even better? The Hoh River Valley is home
to the quietest spot in the contiguous
48 states, according to Gordon Hempton, an expert "acoustic
ecologist."
A trip to the last century!
1924: Lenin in state
Vladimir Lenin, the
revolutionary leader behind the communist Bolshevik Revolution, died in 1924 of
a brain hemorrhage. The man who brought terror to so many was 54 at the time of his death. Doctors noted Lenin's
cerebral arteries were "so calcified that when tapped with tweezers they
sounded like stone.” In this Hulton Archive photograph, the Soviet Union’s
first leader is shown lying in state at the Kremlin.
PJ of the Day
Jitne conditions Lockdown ke advisory mein hai, utne conditions
toh Mutual Fund mein bhi nahi hote!!
Monday, July 13, 2020
International News
New York City reports zero COVID-19 deaths for first time since pandemic hit
New York City reported zero new coronavirus deaths on Sunday for the first time since early March, a milestone that comes as the virus spikes in other parts of the country.
Preliminary health data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene showed that no one died from the coronavirus in New York City on Saturday, the first time zero new deaths have been reported there since early March, according to multiple reports.
New York City reported zero new coronavirus deaths on Sunday for the first time since early March, a milestone that comes as the virus spikes in other parts of the country.
Preliminary health data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene showed that no one died from the coronavirus in New York City on Saturday, the first time zero new deaths have been reported there since early March, according to multiple reports.
Officials recorded no confirmed death the day before, too, but did report two probable deaths, according to NBC4.
The city has reported a total of 215,924 cases and 18,670 confirmed deaths, according to city data updated on Sunday afternoon. The city hit its peak in terms of confirmed daily deaths from the virus on April 7, with 597 deaths.
As New York and other parts of the Northeast make progress on containing the outbreak, the virus has surged in other parts of the U.S., mainly in the South and West.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) warned on Friday that the spikes in other parts of the country could lead to the virus once again increasing in New York.
"You're going to see our numbers and the Northeast numbers probably start to increase because the virus that you see now in the South and the West - California has real trouble - it's going to come back here," Cuomo said in a radio interview. "It is going to come back here. It's like being on a merry-go-round. It's totally predictable. And we're going to go through an increase. I can feel it coming. And it is so unnecessary and so cruel."
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Trump defends Stone commutation while assailing Russia investigation, Jeff Sessions
President Donald Trump on Saturday said Roger Stone was targeted by an "illegal Witch Hunt" in his first public comments since he commuted the prison sentence of his longtime ally.
“Roger Stone was targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that never should have taken place. It is the other side that are criminals, including Biden and Obama, who spied on my campaign - AND GOT CAUGHT!” he added, without evidence.
“Roger Stone was targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that never should have taken place. It is the other side that are criminals, including Biden and Obama, who spied on my campaign - AND GOT CAUGHT!” he added, without evidence.
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