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University of Chicago: Hundreds of students petition to withhold tuition

Ben Wilson
campusreform.org
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 09:00 UTC
U of Chicago
© Sun-TimesRyerson Hall and Eckhard Hall on University of Chicago's campus in Hyde Park
If the University of Chicago doesn't cut tuition in half for the duration of the pandemic crisis, hundreds of students are threatening to withhold tuition payments for the spring quarter.

A petition demanding negotiations for the cuts has more than 1,700 signatures, with more than 900 students considering a tuition strike.

A newly formed student group, UChicago for Fair Tuition, created the petition demanding the university cut tuition by 50 percent and eliminate all fees "for the duration of the crisis, beginning spring quarter." It adds that this reduction should not affect current financial aid or result in pay cuts to employees. Further, they demand refunds to students who have already paid in full.

Additionally, the group is calling for the school to "waive advanced residency tuition for doctoral students" and "long-term budgetary transparency and a tuition freeze."

According to the petition, and a study by CollegeCalc, the University of Chicago was the most expensive school in the nation for the 2018-2019 academic year. The petition notes that students "pay an exorbitant amount for tuition with little to no transparency about how the budget is allocated, or why tuition continues to increase." Thus, the students demand the budget be released to see where their $80,277 — the total cost for an on-campus student, according to the university's website — goes.
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Bad Guys

Top Dem operative David Brock accused of illegally profiting from his political empire

Lachlan Markay, Lachlan Cartwright
Daily Beast
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 21:37 UTC
David Brock
© Danny Johnston/Associated PressDavid Brock
A conservative group has filed complaints with the IRS accusing leading liberal activist David Brock of illegally profiting from the vast network of groups he has built within the Democratic Party's infrastructure.

The complaints, which were filed by the Patriots Foundation, a right-leaning nonprofit, and reviewed by The Daily Beast, detail a series of transactions that, the group says, show the injection of money from a tax-exempt group Brock founded into a private, for-profit news business that he owns.

"These complaints we filed provide damning indictment of serious allegations about how his organizations have circumvented rules and exploited the tax-exempt status of the organizations for personal benefit and partisan political purposes, and potentially siphoning millions for improper purposes," Patriots Foundation co-founder Craig Robinson told The Daily Beast in a statement.

Comment: This isn't the first time David Brock has treaded into muddy waters. In fact, it appears the mud is very much his territory:

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Bullseye

Half of Brits don't care if Northern Ireland leaves the UK

Adrian Zorzut
The New European
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:27 UTC
Londonderry
© Peter Macdiarmid/Getty ImagesThe Peace Bridge crosses the River Foyle in sight of The Guildhall building on January 30, 2013 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. A year of events have started as Derry celebrates being the UK City of Culture for 2013.
A survey has found that more than half of Britons do not care if Northern Ireland left the United Kingdom, while many supported a border poll.

In a sign of a fraying United Kingdom after Brexit, analytics firm YouGov discovered that 53% of Conservative voters indicated they were indifferent about Northern Ireland breaking away, even though the party they supported included the name "unionist" in it.

In fact, Britons generally supported a poll on Irish reunification with 36% of respondents believing it was a good idea with just 25% opposing it. Over a quarter - 39% - were undecided.

Remain voters were more likely to back the move with 41% for and only 23% against while 34% of Brexiteers thought the referendum should go ahead, with 29% disagreeing.
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X

The French suspend their Liberty

Thierry Meyssan
Voltaire Network
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 08:56 UTC
France is this strange country that never stopped collaborating with various invaders before revolting with honour; a country that was at first cowardly, then always brave. Without thinking about it, as usual, she has just abandoned the motto of her ancestors, which she will no doubt soon regain with glory.

french revolution poster
During the French Revolution, long before "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" became the motto of the Republic, this poster affirmed that these three ideals were worth more than our lives.
All political regimes, whatever they may be, have no other function than to protect their subjects or citizens from aggressions from which they cannot protect themselves. They can, in turn, limit the freedoms of their constituents, which some regimes believe they must do more than others.

Thomas Hobbes of Britain tolerated to all crimes of the state as long as it protected its subjects from the torments of the civil war he had experienced. Breaking with him, the Frenchman Montesquieu devised mechanisms to control the national interest. With him, all the builders of modern regimes considered freedoms to be the ultimate goal of democracies.

During deadly epidemics, some regimes felt it necessary to limit or even deprive some of their constituents of their freedoms. It was accepted, until the Covid-19 epidemic, that democracies could exceptionally limit the rights of those infected, or suspected of being infected, in order to protect the healthy. It is now accepted that they may also limit the freedoms of the latter, or even place almost the entire population under house arrest.

This new standard has never been democratically discussed. It was imposed on governments in an emergency and was accepted by their constituents as a lesser evil. In doing so, they have brought about a temporary change of political regime, since in a democracy political decisions are only legitimate if they have been debated in representative assemblies. In the light of this momentum, the exceptional regimes are now working on the design of compulsory protective clothing, which until recently prohibited the burkha. As well as mobile applications that can warn their citizens of the presence of an infected person in their vicinity.

Comment: See also:

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Microscope 1

Miami-Dade has tens of thousands of missed coronavirus infections, UM survey finds

Ben Conarck and Daniel Chang
Miami Herald
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 20:42 UTC
coronavirus antibodies
On April 6, 2020, researchers with the University of Miami Health System collect blood samples in Miami Beach to test for antibodies created in response to exposure to the novel coronavirus.
About 6 percent of Miami-Dade's population — about 165,000 residents — have antibodies indicating a past infection by the novel coronavirus, dwarfing the state health department's tally of about 10,600 cases, according to preliminary study results announced by University of Miami researchers Friday.

The study, spurred by Miami-Dade County officials, will be an ongoing weekly survey based on antibody testing — randomly selecting county residents to volunteer pinpricks of their blood to be screened for signs of a past COVID-19 infection, whether they had tested positive for the virus in the past or not. The goal is to measure the extent of infection in the community.

Friday's results, based on two weeks of countywide antibody testing and about 1,400 participants, found that about half of the people who tested positive for antibodies reported no symptoms in the 14-17 days before being tested. If the trend holds, the findings could have major implications for understanding not only the number of people infected, but also how many have symptoms and, in turn, how the virus spreads.

Erin Kobetz, a University of Miami professor of medicine and public health sciences and the lead researcher on the project, presented the findings along with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez during a press conference on Friday.

Comment: In other words, this is fairly benign infection with a much lower fatality rate than is being touted. See also:

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Stormtrooper

50 headlines darker: More of the "new normal"


OffGuardian
Sat, 25 Apr 2020 06:13 UTC
riot cops
Despite the concise, well-intentioned and unavoidably ubiquitous nature of our previous Message, it seems some are still withholding their consent for necessary change.

Though all our Responsible Media Outlets are doing their duty, it appears some members of the public do not yet understand the reality of our situation. More distressing are the efforts of a Criminal Minority to misrepresent Policy, subvert The Message and engage in dangerous questions.

We hope the following collection - once again compiled by the good citizens at the Consent Factory - makes the nature of this new reality quite clear to all those who aren't yet aware their lives will never be the same.

Remember, resisting the new normal will endanger your life.
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Attention

FBI raids Michigan wellness clinic for using intravenous vitamin C to treat COVID19 patients


ABC Detroit (WXYZ)
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 09:54 UTC
FBI Raid
© ABC Detroit (WXYZ)The FBI is conducting a raid at Allure Medical in Shelby Township. Police confirm to 7 Action News they are assisting the feds with the raid.
The FBI is conducting a raid at Allure Medical in Shelby Township. Police confirm to 7 Action News they are assisting the feds with the raid.

It's located on 26 Mile Rd. and Van Dyke in Shelby Township. The FBI confirms the raid is in connection to a questionable treatment for coronavirus that was being offered at the center.

This is the first raid of its kind raid in Michigan over a purported treatment for COVID-19.

The FBI said it is a task force operation with the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI. Agents participating in the raid are wearing special protection because of possible risk of exposure to coronavirus.

They're gathering boxes of evidence, documents, etc. Agents arrived just after 8 a.m.
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Stop

Best of the Web: Police are revolting against draconian coronavirus edicts from local tyrants

Tristan Justice
The Federalist
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 00:00 UTC
HomeDepot
© 1 Gov. Gretchen WHitmer's expanded stay home order bans stores from selling plants and paint, Bridge Photo/Jonathan OostingGov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay home order bans stores selling plants and paint.
Police chiefs from Texas to Washington are standing up against draconian orders from local leaders demanding strict adherence to extreme social distancing measures to curb the spread of the novel Wuhan coronavirus.

The Houston Police Officers' Union declared Wednesday that its members would refrain from enforcing local County Judge Lina Hidalgo's ruling deeming it mandatory for any individual over the age of 10 to wear a mask in public. The union wrote in a statement:
"The Houston Police Officers' Union believes everyone should be wearing a mask in public, in order to protect themselves from the virus and we are encouraging all of our officers to wear a mask.

"However, we draw the line at the draconian measures Hidalgo has decided to engage in. Our officers work every single day to bridge the gap with our community and earn their trust, we will not stand idly by and allow Hidalgo to tear that bridge down, with her horrific leadership and echo chamber decision making."

Comment: Racine County, Wisconsin Sheriff Christopher Schmaling is another example of proper understanding and defense of Americans' constitutional rights:
" I want to take this opportunity to notify Racine County citizens of our position on the enforcement of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services public health emergency orders," said Sheriff Christopher Schmaling in the statement.

"Wisconsin law gives the Governor and the Wisconsin DHS the authority to develop emergency measures and enforce rules and orders to protect the public during a health crisis," he said.

"However, state law does not have the power to supersede or suspend the Constitutional rights of American citizens," added the sheriff.

" I urge the Wisconsin DHS to develop a workable plan that balances the safety of our citizens while at the same time acknowledging the fact that there is a way for business to operate even during the current health situation," said Sheriff Schmaling. I have all the confidence in Racine County business owners that they can make the appropriate adjustments in the way they operate during this difficult time to accommodate for the safety of their employees and guests."

"The overreaching measures taken by State government will have dire lifetime consequences for businesses, homeowners, and families," he said.

The sheriff continued, "I took an oath to uphold the constitutional rights of our citizens and I cannot in good faith participate in the destruction of Racine County businesses or interfere in the freedoms granted to all of us by our Constitution."

The statement further reads, "We will leave the enforcement of public health orders to the health department experts. It is important that we stay focused on our obligations and responsibilities to those areas of the law that we are charged with enforcing. We have and will continue to concentrate our resources and efforts at keeping our roads safe and protecting our citizens from criminal activity."

"Let's get Racine County back on its feet again and move ahead," said Sheriff Schmaling.

To read the complete press release, click here.


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Pills

Coronavirus chokes the drug trade — from Wuhan, through Mexico and onto U.S. streets

Kate Linthicum
LA Times
Sat, 25 Apr 2020 01:34 UTC
wuhan
© Getty ImagesWuhan, China, is the world capital of production of chemicals needed to make fentanyl.
For drug traffickers interested in getting in on the fentanyl business, all roads once led to Wuhan.

The sprawling industrial city built along the Yangtze River in east-central China is known for its production of chemicals, including the ingredients needed to cook fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids.

Vendors there shipped huge quantities around the world. The biggest customers were Mexican drug cartels, which have embraced fentanyl in recent years because it is cheaper and easier to produce than heroin.

But the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan late last year before spreading across the planet has upended the fentanyl supply chain, causing a ripple effect that has cut into the profits of Mexican traffickers and driven up street drug prices across the United States.

Few industries — illicit or not — have been unscathed by the pandemic that has upended the global economy and killed more than 190,000 people worldwide.

The narcotics trade, which relies on the constant movement of goods and people, has been stymied by lockdowns, travel bans and other efforts to contain the virus, according to government officials, academic researchers and drug traffickers.

Mexican production of fentanyl and methamphetamine appears especially hard hit.
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Arrow Down

Russia indulges COVID-19 cancel culture and authoritarian restrictions, top official tells citizens not to travel for the year

Jonny Tickle
RT
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 22:48 UTC
Russia travel
© Sputnik / Ramil SitdikovPassengers at the Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia
If you're in Russia, and you're plotting a post-quarantine holiday, it might be better to reconsider. In fact, according to a top Russian politician, you shouldn't plan to travel abroad for the rest of the year.

In an interview with TV channel Russia-24, the chair of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, made it clear that the closed borders are unlikely to open any time soon.

"This year, you shouldn't plan any foreign trips... But one year is not a tragedy," she said.

According to Matviyenko, travel restrictions will be in place both in Russia and other nations for the foreseeable future. On top of that, it will take time to return air traffic control procedures between countries to normal.

Comment: Russia accomplished impressive growth by way of the economic policies it developed under the pressure of US sanctions... too bad they're undoing much of what was accomplished by succumbing to the fear and authoritarian propaganda spreading across the world. Despite what Matviyenko thinks, that is a tragedy!

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