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☆ The ‘outside agitator’ narrative has a long history
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

In these instances, and others, authorities have not offered many specifics about who the “outside agitators” are, how significant their numbers are or how they differentiated outsiders from university-affiliated protesters. “It seems to me that the ‘outside agitator’ claim is one to shift the focus away from the grievances of the students and their protest.”The emphasis on “outside agitators,” Morris says, detracts from the central issue that is driving students to protest: Israel’s war in Gaza. ‘Outside agitator’ trope has a long historyYou don’t have to look far back in history to find examples of the “outside agitator” narrative. “We want to say as clearly as possible - we welcome ‘outside agitators’ to our struggle against the ruthless genocide of Palestinians.”Still, the use of the term is more complicated than it seems. As pro-Israel politicians have amplified concerns around antisemitism, some supporters of students’ right to free expression have suggested “outside agitators” are undermining otherwise peaceful protests.

Persons: ”, Eric Adams, Kaz Daughtry, Gregory Fenves, Aldon Morris, Morris, aren’t, ” Morris, ’, detracts, Donald Trump, Trump, George Floyd, Jose Lusi Magana, —, Kathleen Fitzgerald, White, ” Fitzgerald, Bruce Solomon, Solomon, Martin Luther King Jr, “, Emory, Ayanna Pressley, Hank Johnson, Netanyahu, ” Alex Slitz, ” What’s Organizations: CNN, New York Police Department, Columbia University, New York University, New York City, NYPD, Fox, Emory University, University, Emory, Northwestern University, Associated, AP, White House, Washington D.C, Getty, Parkland, Civil Rights Movement, University of North, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, ”, Atlanta, Spelman College, Yale University, Chapel Hill, University of Texas Locations: Gaza, New York, York, ”, Washington, AFP, Oklahoma, Ferguson , Missouri, University of North Carolina, Mississippi, Brooklyn, Jackson, Miss, Birmingham, United States, Israel, Atlanta, Georgia, Columbia, Austin

☆ Why this campus turmoil story is so complex
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( David Goldman | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Brian Snyder/Reuters House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media on the campus of Columbia University after meeting with Jewish students on April 24. Alex Kent/AFP/Getty Images People watch from a window as New York University students set up a tent encampment on April 22. Stefan Jeremiah/AP Israeli flags are reflected in the sunglasses of a demonstrator in front of Columbia University on April 22. The White House and multiple governors have voiced support for Jewish students and urged protesters and universities to exercise restraint. Yet hundreds of protesters have been arrested for trespassing and for violating school rules, including blocking access to campus buildings or other disruptions on campus.

Persons: Jay Janner, Mike Stewart, Sarah Reingewirtz, Brandon Bell, Brian Snyder, Mike Johnson, Timothy A, Clary, Alex Kent, Matthew Hatcher, Nuri Vallbona, Jordan Vonderhaar, Zaydee Sanchez, Caitlin Ochs, Cameron Jones, Stephanie Keith, Andres Kudacki, Tayfun, Joe Buglewicz, Fatih Aktas, Michael M, Mary Altaffer, Scott Eisen, Columbia's, David Dee Delgado, Stefan Jeremiah, Selcuk, Kena Betancur, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, University of Texas, Austin Statesman, USA, Network, Reuters, Reuters Georgia State Patrol, Emory University, University of Southern, MediaNews, Los Angeles Daily News, Getty, Austin, University, Emerson College, Columbia University, Swarthmore College, Bloomberg, Getty Images Police, Reuters New York, Reuters Columbia, Columbia, CNN, New York University, New York Times, University of California, Sproul Hall, Yale University, University police, Monday, York University, The New School, AP, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Library, Getty Images, CAIR, Defamation, Jewish, Israel Locations: New York, United States, Gaza, Gaza . Texas, Austin, Reuters Georgia, Atlanta, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Boston, AFP, Swarthmore , Pennsylvania, Texas, Columbia, New, Berkeley, Sproul, Anadolu, New Haven , Connecticut, Cambridge, Israel

☆ Columbia president Minouche Shafik faces criticism in all directions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —When Minouche Shafik was announced as Columbia University’s president last year, she was called the “perfect candidate” by the chair of Columbia’s Board of Trustees. University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill and Harvard University president Claudine Gay both stepped down in the wake of pressure over their response to antisemitism on campus. They say the crackdown on student protests, which resulted in more than 100 arrests, violated academic freedom. “I am here today, joining my colleagues and calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos,” Johnson said. Last week, Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to sweep the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on Columbia’s campus.

Persons: Minouche Shafik, Shafik —, Liz Magill, Claudine Gay, Shafik, Alexandra Ocasio, Cortez, Mike Johnson, “, ” Johnson, ”, James Finkelstein, “ She’s, ” Finkelstein, Grayson Kirk, Kirk, Columbia’s Hillel, Robert Kraft Organizations: New, New York CNN, Columbia, Trustees, Representatives, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Bank of England, London School of Economics, Hamas, College, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, New York Police Department, Democratic, Republican, George Mason University, ” Columbia’s, Police, NYPD, of Education, Harvard, Department, Education, ” New England Patriots Locations: New York, Israel, Vietnam, Harlem, Gaza, Columbia’s, Columbia, ”

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year, students at scores of colleges and universities across the United States have come out to protest in support of Palestinians. As the war in Gaza has escalated, universities have been caught in an often vitriolic debate over how to handle the protests, which many Jewish students and alumni say have often veered into antisemitism and instilled fear on campus. University leaders have also faced pressure from Republican lawmakers demanding they do more to quash speech that they say encourages violence against Jews. Demonstrators and their faculty supporters say that these demands are intended to suppress their political speech and support for the Palestinian cause. Several institutions have cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests and encampments.

Organizations: Hamas, University, Columbia Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, New York City

☆ U.S.C. Cancels Valedictorian’s Speech After Claims of Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The University of Southern California said it has canceled plans for a graduation speech by this year’s valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, who is Muslim. The school said the decision stemmed from security concerns, after several pro-Israeli groups objected to her social media posts supporting Palestinians. The decision drew immediate criticism from the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as well as from Ms. Tabassum, a biomedical engineering major. “I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice,” Ms. Tabassum wrote in a statement. University officials have had to handle vociferous debates over pro-Palestinian student protests, which many Jewish students and alumni say often veer into antisemitism.

Persons: Asna Tabassum, Tabassum, “, Ms Organizations: University of Southern, Islamic, Hamas, University Locations: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Israel

☆ The city whose 'doom loop' just might be worse than San Francisco's
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An office building in St. Louis sold for $3.6 million after selling for $205 million 18 years prior. Downtown St. Louis is filled with unoccupied buildings and an unwillingness to visit them. The steep drop in the tower's value is just one sign that St. Louis' central business district is struggling, reports say. Indeed, St. Louis' downtown resembles a ghost town with a number of boarded-up buildings, according to The Wall Street Journal's Konrad Putzier. AdvertisementThe problem with Midwestern cities, like St. Louis, is that there's not much attracting people to the center of the city — and that applies to commuters, tourists, and residents.

Persons: Louis, —, Konrad Putzier, Glenn MacDonald, Business Insider's Eliza Relman, Michael Hicks, BI's Relman, Relman, Tracy Hadden Loh Organizations: Service, T, Goldman Group, News, Washington University, Olin Business School, Business, University of Toronto, Midwest ., Ball State University, Midwest, Brookings Institution Locations: St, Downtown St, Francisco's, North America, Midwest, Midwest . San Francisco, Indiana, —, San Francisco and New York

HONOLULU (AP) — Local officials in Hawaii next month plan to open an office that will speed up Maui County's notoriously slow processing of building permits to help the town of Lahaina to recover from last year's deadly wildfire. The new permitting center will help private developers building five separate projects with a combined total of more than 500 housing units. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is building 169 temporary housing units for displaced residents and is renting 1,300 units from landlords. The state of Hawaii is building about 450 temporary housing units, including 270 that will be ready by July or August. The state's temporary units are expected to be used for three to five years.

Persons: Keanu Lau Hee, Lau Hee, “, ” Organizations: —, Maui, University of Hawaii, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: HONOLULU, Hawaii, Lahaina, we’re, Maui County

☆ Ken Griffin Gifts $50 Million to University of Miami Cancer Center
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Tiara White | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ken Griffin gave $50 million to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami's medical school, to help advance cancer research, according to a press release. AdvertisementA rendering of the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building. Since moving to Miami, Griffin has been making his mark on the Sunshine State, including a slew of charitable gifts and big real-estate purchases. The new building, to be named the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building, is set to be one of the largest stand-alone buildings for cancer research in Florida, the University of Miami's press release said. AdvertisementThe Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami University of Miami"The Ken Griffin name has become synonymous with philanthropic leadership that drives value in the communities in which he operates," Stuart A. Miller, the board chair of the University of Miami Health System, said.

Persons: —, Ken Griffin, Griffin, I'm, Kenneth C, He's, It's, Stuart, Miller Organizations: Service, Citadel, Cancer Center, University of, Business, Harvard, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Crimson, Griffin Cancer Research, University of Miami, Miami —, Sunshine, Citadel Securities, Forbes, University of Miami's, Miami University of Miami, University of Miami Health Locations: Florida, Chicago, Miami, New York

☆ Gardeners are fuming about a study that found produce from urban farms has a high carbon footprint
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Fruits and vegetables grown on urban farms have on average six times the carbon footprint of produce from conventional farms, the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Cities , found. Hawes said that produce grown on 17 out of the 73 urban farms his team studied across five countries had lower carbon footprints than produce from conventional farms. Rushdan also argued that urban farms are a much more sustainable use of land than commercial or industrial development. The letter also alluded to the structural problems that can prevent urban farms from being more permanent, including commercial development and barriers to landownership. "Our work does not lessen the many benefits that urban agriculture provides," Hawes said in an email.

Persons: shockwaves, Jason Hawes, Hawes, Rushdan, Detroit's, Benjamin Goldstein, Goldstein, they'd, Monica Fitzgerald Organizations: Service, University of Michigan, Nature, YouTube, Business, University of Michigan School for Environment, Sustainability, Detroit, BI, US Department of Agriculture Locations: Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Boulder , Colorado

☆ Jeff Bezos, Jamie Dimon, and Mark Zuckerberg have sold stock worth about $9 billion. They might think markets can't go much higher.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAmazon's Jeff Bezos, JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg have all sold big chunks of shares in their own companies. Bezos is way out in front after offloading 50 million shares of Amazon in just nine trading days this month, pocketing an estimated $8.5 billion. Zuckerberg cashed in almost 1.8 million shares of his social-media empire for more than $400 million in the last two months of 2023. Zuckerberg hadn't sold Meta shares for almost two years prior to his latest transactions. University of Nebraska-LincolnIt's worth emphasizing that Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Dimon's sales only represent small fractions of their stakes, so they're still heavily invested in their respective companies' success.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos, Jamie Dimon, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, JPMorgan's Dimon, Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Brendan Smialowski, it's, Dimon, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, He's, they've Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, JPMorgan, Berkshire, Warren Buffett . University of Nebraska, Lincoln Locations: Berkshire

☆ I made $9,450 and erased my credit card debt by joining 2 clinical trials. I just had to agree to get the flu and dysentery.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . My flu clinical trial stay came with free room serviceThe study took place in a 3-star hotel in downtown Baltimore. (Just to be clear: I would never eat in my bed at home — gross — but when living in a hotel room with an extra bed, why not?) I'm lucky that I'm not prone to cabin fever, so the prospect of being stuck, quarantine-like, inside a hotel room didn't faze me. We waited for several days for the researchers to find a proper "donor" who could spread the flu.

Persons: —, Christopher Silva, It's, I'd, Silva, we'd, Shirley Jackson, it's, Hilary Brueck Organizations: Service, University of Maryland, Uno, University of Maryland School of Public, University of Maryland School of Public Health, Health Locations: Pennsylvania, Baltimore, hbrueck@businessinsider.com

☆ Duke's 3-year fraud investigation into Dan Ariely has ended, and the star professor still has a job. Does he want it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Kate Taylor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

For years, the Duke professor Dan Ariely was at the top of his game. Three professors behind the blog Data Colada reported evidence of fake data in a 2012 paper Ariely coauthored on honesty pledges. "When people do take a risk and they succeed, everybody enjoys it," Ariely told BI. In 2010, Ariely told NPR that two dentists examining the same teeth for cavities would agree only 50% of the time, citing research from Delta Dental. While the board originally said it would "unanimously stand in support of President Gay," Gay stepped down in early January in response to the backlash.

Persons: Dan Ariely, Dan Ariely's, Jesse L, Martin, Ariely, Duke, sniffed, they'd, James B, —, they're, Francesca Gino, Ariely's, Marc Tessier Lavigne, Claudine Gay, Prince Andrew ., he's, Brad Swain, He's, Gordon Pennycook, Sean Gallup, Nick Brown, who's, Michael Sanders, who'd, Sanders, Gino, Aimee Drolet Rossi, Rossi, she'd, Amir, wasn't, hasn't, I've, haven't, isn't, would've, Claudine Gay's, Andrew Lichtenstein, Bill Ackman, Gay, Harvard, doesn't, Gay should've, Brown, Cornell Watson, who've, wouldn't Organizations: Google, NBC, UCLA, Duke, Business, Harvard Business, TED, Irrational, Cornell, Getty, Burda, King's College London, New York Times, NPR, Delta Dental, Higher Education, Hartford, Ariely, Harvard, University, Universities, BI, Colorado's, King's College Locations: Buckingham Palace, British, Hartford, Gaza, Montana

☆ Scientists drilled an ice core from Antarctica and were alarmed by what they found
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Evidence from a 2,000-foot-long ice core reveals that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrank suddenly and dramatically around 8,000 years ago, according to new research — providing an alarming insight into how quickly Antarctic ice could melt and send sea levels soaring. Map showing the location of the Skytrain Ice Rise, part of the Ronne Ice Shelf, from where the ice core was taken. The ice core analyzed in the study was drilled from Skytrain Ice Rise located at the edge of the ice sheet, near the point where the ice starts to float and become part of the Ronne Ice Shelf. Inside the drilling tent at Skytrain Ice Rise, scientists preparing the drill for its next drop into the borehole. University of Cambridge/British Antarctic SurveyInsulated boxes full of ice cores being loaded into the Twin Otter aircraft, Skytrain Ice Rise, Antarctica.

Persons: Eric Wolff, “ We’ve, we’ve, Wolff, Ted Scambos, “, that’s, ” Wolff, Isobel Rowell, ”, David Thornalley, Thwaites, Scambos Organizations: CNN, West, Empire, Nature, University of Cambridge, University of Colorado, Ronne Ice Shelf, University of Cambridge / British Antarctic Survey, Ronne, Shelf, Twin, British Antarctic Survey, University College London Locations: Antarctica, University of Colorado Boulder, West Antarctica

☆ More people need transplants than there are organ donors. Pigs might offer a solution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

The need for more transplant organs is immense and growing. Researchers have transplanted genetically modified pig kidneys and hearts into people who were brain-dead to test whether they work in humans. Although Larry Faucette was too sick for a human heart transplant, University of Maryland doctors said he seemed physically strong enough for a genetically modified pig heart. It was more than a decade after the first heart transplant but long before such procedures became relatively routine. “We learned that the pig heart is an adequate substitute for a human heart.

Persons: Lawrence Faucette, Ann, he’d, ” Ann, Larry Faucette, Ann Faucette Ann, Larry, didn’t, ”, Robert Montgomery, “, Shelby Lum, ” Montgomery, Xenotransplantation, Art Caplan, Caplan, Babe ”, ” Caplan, They’re, eGenesis, people’s, Dr, Mike Curtis, Sanjay Gupta, ” Curtis, hasn’t, Julie O’Hara, Jim Parsons, Jayme Locke, couldn’t, Locke, Parsons, NYU —, Montgomery —, O’Hara, ” Locke, David Bennett Sr, Mary, David Jr, Bartley Griffith, Bennett, they’ve, Muhammad M, Mohiuddin, Larry Faucette’s, David Bennett’s, ” Griffith, xenotransplantation Ann Faucette, Wilbur, White’s, Ann Faucette, NYU ethicist Caplan, they’re, NYU’s Montgomery, UAB’s Locke, Steve Wood, ’ Curtis, “ I’m, it’s, ” O’Hara, Bennett’s, Larry Faucette —, ” Bennett’s, Faucette, who’d, Griffith, would’ve, Kate, Lucy, Nadia Kounang Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, University of Maryland, FDA, National Institute of Allergy, NYU Langone Transplant Institute, NYU Langone's Transplant, NYU Grossman School, Medicine’s Department of Population Health, “ Disney, University of Alabama, Transplant Institute, Parsons Family, Birmingham, NYU, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Doctors, University of Maryland Medical Center, Uno, UAB, CNN Health, NFL Locations: Frederick , Maryland, United States, Montgomery, “, Midwest, Yucatan, Maryland

☆ I went to college in the US and then enrolled at Oxford. I preferred college life in England with black-tie balls and no testing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jennifer Barton Packer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since my Ukrainian-born mother dreamed of returning to Europe, she begged me to consider transferring to a university in England or France. So I reapplied for the degree I hoped to study and headed off to Somerville College, Oxford, where I would "read" — major in — Modern Languages, French, and Russian. Most of all, it opened my eyes to many differences between US and UK college life. AdvertisementMy college years in England involved a lot of dressing up for fancy-dress-themed "bops," or dances with cheesy music, and black-tie balls. I also learned that my college life in the UK was all-around better than the one I experienced in Vermont.

Persons: Jen, couldn't, they'd, Proust, Tolstoy Organizations: New Yorker, Middlebury College, Somerville College , Oxford, Oxford, University Locations: New, Vermont, Europe, England, France, Paris, St, Petersburg, Russia, —

“Each decade since the 1990s has been warmer than the previous one and we see no immediate sign of this trend reversing,” its secretary-general, Petteri Taalas, said. Experts are divided about one of the most important metrics: The rate of warming. University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann has argued warming has been steadily increasing since 1990, but isn't speeding up. He warned that such warming is fueling increasingly dangerous extreme weather events, coastal flooding and many other “disastrous” impacts. Glaciers in Papua, Indonesia are likely to disappear altogether within the next decade,” WMO said.

Persons: Petteri Taalas, James Hansen, Michael Mann, ” Mann, ” Organizations: United Arab Emirates, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, NASA, Warming, University of Pennsylvania, ” WMO, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Papua, Indonesia, “, Africa, Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Greenland, Antarctica

☆ Research unveils gruesome history of Tasmanian tiger skins in British museum’s collection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Warning: This article contains disturbing descriptions about the practices of colonial settlers in Tasmania and violence against Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples. “In all, Allport shipped five Tasmanian Aboriginal skeletons to Europe, proudly identifying himself as the most prolific trader in Tasmanian bodily remains,” according to the study. The colonial government allowed settlers to murder Tasmanian Aboriginal people without punishment and, in 1830, even established a bounty for the capture of Indigenous humans and Tasmanian tigers, or thylacines. Some Aboriginal Tasmanian people did survive colonial persecution, Ashby added, though at brutal costs. Their descendants make up today’s Tasmanian Aboriginal community, Ashby said.

Persons: Jack Ashby, Morton Allport, Allport, Ashby, It’s, ” Ashby, Mortan Allport, ”, incentivized Allport, William Lanne, William Crowther, Crowther, Truganini, thylacines, “ We’re, Rebecca Kilner, ” Kilner Organizations: Tasmanian Aboriginal, CNN, Cambridge University’s Museum of Zoology, Tasmanian, Allport Library, Museum of Fine Arts, State, of, Royal Society of Tasmania, Royal Society, British Museum, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, University of Cambridge Grappling Locations: Tasmania, United Kingdom, Europe, Belgium, of Tasmania, Great Britain, London, Bass, ”, Brussels, Tasmanian, Cambridge

☆ Why is medieval art so weird? This new book offers a guide to the era
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —So you want to live like you’re from the Middle Ages? Swarthout is the researcher behind the popular art history-inspired social media account Weird Medieval Guys, which has attracted nearly 700,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter, since she began posting with the handle @WeirdMedieval in April 2022. Swarthout is not a historian, but a recently graduated statistician who took art history during undergrad. Württemberg State Library Stuttgart/Courtesy Penguin Random HouseThere’s a reason why Medieval art is particularly, well, weird. Watch: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)The classic satire of Arthurian legend mined the Middle Ages for comedic gold decades before Medieval memes were a thing.

Persons: it’s, Olivia M, commonfolk, Guy, —, ” Swarthout, Swarthout, ”, Jonah, tradespeople, Andreas, Monty Python, Jack Hartnell Organizations: CNN, Dark Times, University of Pennsylvania, Twitter, Stuttgart, Xbox Locations: Camelot

☆ How do the Croc Docs, a team of Florida scientists who wrangle crocodiles and alligators, stay safe? 'Very carefully.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

University of Florida's Croc Docs are a team of biologists who study crocodilians and other reptiles. Mazzotti has spent the decades since studying crocodiles, alligators, and many other reptile species in Everglades National Park and beyond. The Croc Docs' work includes monitoring alligators and crocodiles to see how they are responding to Everglades restoration. University of Florida's Croc DocsOne of the Croc Docs' latest successes has been nearly eradicating invasive caimans from south Florida. Many of the species the Croc Docs deal with, like Burmese pythons, are rare and incredibly cryptic, with a very low probability of actually being spotted.

Persons: Frank Mazzotti, Doc, —, hadn't, Mazzotti, feasted, He's, Elizabeth Sutton, they've, it's, William Whelpley, Analise, There's Organizations: Florida's, Service, University of Florida, Sports Illustrated, Business, University of Florida's, of Florida's, Docs Locations: Florida, Caribbean

☆ For the first time, US prisoners graduate from top university
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was a moving commencement ceremony for the 16 graduating men and their loved ones at the Stateville correctional facility in Crest Hill. Coming from where I came from, the things that I've been through and to be here is indescribable," said graduate Michael Broadway after the ceremony. Around 100 students are enrolled in the Northwestern program across Stateville and the Logan Correctional Center, a women's prison. Newly-minted Northwestern graduate James Soto plans to continue his education in law school. He hopes that this first class of incarcerated students is just the beginning.

Persons: Michael Broadway, Elizabeth, Jennifer Lackey, Lackey, James Soto, Eric Cox, Josie Kao Organizations: Northwestern University, Northwestern Prison, Stateville Correctional, Northwestern University's, Program, Northwestern, U.S . News, Oakton College, Illinois Department of Corrections, Broadway, Logan Correctional Center, Thomson Locations: Crest Hill , Illinois, U.S, Northwestern, Evanston , Illinois, Crest Hill, Stateville

☆ Opinion | Speech and Antisemitism on Campus
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

And he rightly suggests necessary limits on a culture of free speech, including prohibitions on harassment and targeting based on ethnic or religious identity. We can build our bastions of free speech on the foundational layers of moral clarity and intellectual integrity. To the Editor:Re “What Is Happening on College Campuses Is Not Free Speech,” by Gabriel Diamond, Talia Dror and Jillian Lederman (Opinion guest essay, Nov. 11):Protecting free speech on campus requires bravery and intellectual honesty, not partisan definitions. As Jewish students, we share in the real fear surrounding the rise of violent threats against our communities. Upholding free speech requires empathy and consistency, and we must understand that intimidation and fear on campuses are real, and they are not felt only or even primarily by Jewish students.

Persons: Jesse Wegman, Wegman, Rabbi, Ari Berman, Gabriel Diamond, Talia Dror, Jillian Lederman, ”, Eliana Blumberg Rita Feder Michael Farrell, Rosen Providence, Lawrence D, Platt Los Angeles, Joshua Rosenbaum Brooklyn, Joe Manchin, … Organizations: Hamas, Yeshiva University, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish, Brown University, College, University, Touro University Locations: Israel, Chicago, R.I, American, Europe

Students from India now outnumber those from China in 24 U.S. states, including Illinois, Texas and Michigan, which rank among the top destinations for international students. For the second consecutive year, America's graduate programs were the main attraction for international students, the study finds. Taken together, those three fields account for more than half of all international students in the United States. The surge nearly brings international numbers back to their pre-pandemic highs, with a peak of almost 1.1 million students in 2018. University leaders say they're important for global exchange, and they're also important for revenue — international students are usually charged higher tuition rates, effectively subsidizing college for U.S. students.

Persons: ”, Allan E, Goodman, Marianne Craven, they're Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, U.S, State Department, Institute of International Education, State, United Nations, Engineering, University, ., National, Associated Press, Carnegie Corporation of New, AP Locations: India, U.S, China, United Kingdom, Canada, Asia, United, Illinois , Texas, Michigan, United States, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Spain, Carnegie Corporation of New York

☆ Morning Bid: Amazon and goldilocks ride to the rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Unlike the reaction to similarly decent results from some of its Big Tech peers this week, shares in the online retail giant Amazon climbed 5% after hours. And both Nasdaq and S&P500 futures were set to bounce into the weekend later after the cash markets closed at their lowest since May. With nominal U.S. growth running at close to 8%, depending on which inflation gauge you use, the heat is impressive. And even the racy headline GDP growth rate was below many assumptions of a 5%-plus print. That bond relief has perhaps flattered the overnight stocks bounce - although on aggregate the earnings season is pretty decent too.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, megacaps, Wang Yi, crumb, Sanofi, TRowe Price, Stanley Black, Decker, CBRE, Christine Lagarde, Jane Merriman Organizations: Chevron Corp, Hess Corp, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Amazon, Big Tech, Nasdaq, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Fed, Big, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Apple, of Japan, European Central Bank, Britain's NatWest, Financial, Authority, University of Michigan, Colgate, Palmolive, Xcel Energy, Charter Communications, Phillips, Central Bank, European Union Summit, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States, China, Syria, Europe, Dallas, Abbvie, LyondellBasell, Brussels

☆ Big University Endowments Hampered by Startup Write-Downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Juliet Chung | Eliot Brown | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Yale University’s endowment gained 1.8% for the fiscal year ending June 30. Photo: Tim Tai for The Wall Street JournalThe hangover from the bursting of the startup bubble is weighing on big U.S. university endowments, with write-downs in their growth and venture-capital investments driving a second straight year of weak returns. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported a loss of 2.9% and Duke University, a loss of 1% for the fiscal year ending June 30, while endowments at Yale and Stanford gained 1.8% and 4.4%, respectively. The median return for endowments and foundations of more than $1 billion was 5.6%, according to a preliminary estimate from Cambridge Associates.

Persons: Tim Tai Organizations: Yale, Wall Street, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, Stanford, Cambridge Associates

☆ China says it uncovered another spying case in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The case is the latest to underscore Beijing's heightened commitment to national security, its expanded anti-spying laws and crackdown on domestic corruption. He also provided intelligence information in the field of national defense and the military industry on his own initiative, the report said. After investigations by the Chinese government, Hou was detained in July 2021 and charged on suspicion of espionage. In recent years, China has arrested and detained dozens of Chinese and foreign nationals on suspicion of espionage, raising the concerns of the U.S. over its counter-espionage push. Recently, China's spy agency published new details about a U.S. citizen jailed for life for espionage earlier this year.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hou, Hou's, Bernard Orr, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of State Security, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING, United States, Chengdu, U.S, American, China

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