Facing massive condemnation upon the discovery of this discriminatory restriction, Columbia University has called for an end to the scholarship program that came out of a fund now worth about $800,000.The Lydia C. Roberts Graduate Fellowship, which was established in 1920, only considers Americans who are from Iowa, not studying law, “of the Caucasian race”, and returning to Iowa for at least two years upon graduation. A court order is required in order to change the conditions of the fellowship.Roberts was a wealthy woman and heir to her husband’s medical patent-company. She left most of her $509,000 estate to Columbia when she died in 1920, created the rules of the restrictive fellowship herself. Along with the race requirement, she specified that fellows “may not concentrate their studies in law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or theology.”Columbia has not awarded the fellowship since 1997, and is now seeking to acquire a court order to change the race provisions of the fund before it continues bestowing it, the New York Post reports.“Circumstances have so changed from the time when the Trust was established,” making it “impossible” to comply with the requirements of the scholarship, states the affidavit filed with the Manhattan court. “Columbia University is now prohibited by law and University policy from discriminating on the basis of race.”During the late 1970s and early 1980s, students at Columbia University launched hunger strikes and barricaded school buildings to protest the university’s investments in companies that were supporters of the South African apartheid. Restricting a fellowship to “whites only” starkly contradicts the diversity and tolerance that the school and its students have boasted for decades.According to its 2010 figures, only 42 percent of the school’s undergraduate and 39 percent of the school’s graduate population was white, while the remainder was comprised of minorities. It comes as a surprise that a school as diverse as Columbia has not sought to alter the racist provision of its fellowship before, which the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has questioned since 1949.At the time, Provost Grayson L. Kirk defended the racial provision.“We do not feel we are justified in depriving some of our students of the benefits of restricted grants simply because they are not available to everyone,” he told the NAACP in 1949, the Post reports.When the scholarship was first awarded in 1920, it provided recipients with at least $750, which was significant considering that the annual cost of tuition was only $180. When the fellowship was last awarded in 1997, it provided students with $22,000, which is currently the equivalent of nearly one semester’s worth of tuition costs.But the school would like to restart the scholarship, making it available to Iowans of all races. Nearly 50 years after the end of Jim Crow laws, the university is finally taking long-overdue steps to eliminate racist policies from its awards — policies that have remained hushed-up for decades. ”I didn’t even know there were requirements of race,” Douglass Gross, a Caucasian attorney who was granted the fellowship in 1976, told the New York Daily News. “All I knew is that you had to be from Iowa. And, since I was from Iowa, it was pretty easy to do.” … Read More
Eurozone unemployment hits record-breaking high 12.1%
The EU member hardest hit by austerity – Greece – has the worst unemployment, according to Eurostat’s survey for March 2013, published on Tuesday. The country has every third of its citizens jobless (27.2% for January 2013). The number out of work is expected to rise even further after Athens agreed to sack 15,000 civil servants as part of the requisite for the 2.8 billion euro part of its latest bailout tranche. Other subjects to austerity, Spain and Portugal, also see their unemployment levels nearing those seen only during the Great Depression. And it’s not only a problem for countries forced to tighten their belts. France has its unemployment – with 5 million jobless – at all time high.For those aged 25 and below, in countries like Spain and Greece, the unemployment rate is as high is close to 60%, with very little sign of improvement.To find out the real extent of the problem RT’s Tesa Arcilla spoke to some of those who were forced out of their homeland by unemployment. Nicollo Regalzi, a biology graduate from Italy had to come to Brussels and embark on a chocolatier career.“The situation in Italy was actually awful. Because the only thing I was able to get is a really short contract like three months or six months with absolutely no possibility of growing up in an industry,” Regalzi complains.He says it wasn’t a walk in the park in Belgium, either, as many companies required working knowledge of both French and Dutch — a barrier that may be hard to overcome, but it was still more attractive for him than going back home.“I read that in 2012, the percentage of young people who emigrate from Italy grew by 30-40%. I really don’t know what it will be in 2013 because the situation is going from worse and worse,” according to the young Italian.And it’s not just EU citizens feeling the pinch. Foreigners who came to Europe to seek new opportunities — starting their own businesses and building their lives — have now also changed their minds.For Adriana Moreno, this meant leaving Greece and going all the way back to her native Ecuador. And while homesickness was the initial reason for the move, she has no regrets about making that decision.“Many foreigners decided to leave Greece and move to countries like Germany and Switzerland. But the Greeks who stayed behind are saying that the situation is really difficult there. For instance, servicemen who used to get 1,500 Euros are now paid just 900,” Moreno says. Ireland saw 63,000 people leave the country last year, which is the highest level of emigration in a decade.“It’s a trend. If you look at the figures, countries like Ireland, some people argue that a whole generation has left,” Pieter Cleppe, Head Of Brussels Office of Open Europe says. As job rates in Europe plummet to their all time lows, some analysts see it as a sign that billions of euro in bailouts could work fine for balancing a country’s finances, while at the same time not making economies any healthier. … Read More
Eurozone unemployment hits record-breaking high 12.1%
The EU member hardest hit by austerity – Greece – has the worst unemployment, according to Eurostat’s survey for March 2013, published on Tuesday. The country has every third of its citizens jobless (27.2% for January 2013). The number out of work is expected to rise even further after Athens agreed to sack 15,000 civil servants as part of the requisite for the 2.8 billion euro part of its latest bailout tranche. Other subjects to austerity, Spain and Portugal, also see their unemployment levels nearing those seen only during the Great Depression. And it’s not only a problem for countries forced to tighten their belts. France has its unemployment – with 5 million jobless – at all time high.For those aged 25 and below, in countries like Spain and Greece, the unemployment rate is as high is close to 60%, with very little sign of improvement.To find out the real extent of the problem RT’s Tesa Arcilla spoke to some of those who were forced out of their homeland by unemployment. Nicollo Regalzi, a biology graduate from Italy had to come to Brussels and embark on a chocolatier career.“The situation in Italy was actually awful. Because the only thing I was able to get is a really short contract like three months or six months with absolutely no possibility of growing up in an industry,” Regalzi complains.He says it wasn’t a walk in the park in Belgium, either, as many companies required working knowledge of both French and Dutch — a barrier that may be hard to overcome, but it was still more attractive for him than going back home.“I read that in 2012, the percentage of young people who emigrate from Italy grew by 30-40%. I really don’t know what it will be in 2013 because the situation is going from worse and worse,” according to the young Italian.And it’s not just EU citizens feeling the pinch. Foreigners who came to Europe to seek new opportunities — starting their own businesses and building their lives — have now also changed their minds.For Adriana Moreno, this meant leaving Greece and going all the way back to her native Ecuador. And while homesickness was the initial reason for the move, she has no regrets about making that decision.“Many foreigners decided to leave Greece and move to countries like Germany and Switzerland. But the Greeks who stayed behind are saying that the situation is really difficult there. For instance, servicemen who used to get 1,500 Euros are now paid just 900,” Moreno says. Ireland saw 63,000 people leave the country last year, which is the highest level of emigration in a decade.“It’s a trend. If you look at the figures, countries like Ireland, some people argue that a whole generation has left,” Pieter Cleppe, Head Of Brussels Office of Open Europe says. As job rates in Europe plummet to their all time lows, some analysts see it as a sign that billions of euro in bailouts could work fine for balancing a country’s finances, while at the same time not making economies any healthier. … Read More
Eurozone unemployment hits record-breaking 12.1%, 19.21mn out of work
The overall number of people currently out of work in the eurozone has reached 19.21 million.The EU member hardest hit by austerity – Greece – has the worst unemployment, according to Eurostat’s survey for March 2013, published on Tuesday. The country has more than a quarter of its citizens jobless (Eurostat reveals figure of 27.2% for January 2013). The number out of work is expected to rise even further after Athens agreed to sack 15,000 civil servants as part of the requisite for the 2.8 billion euro part of its latest bailout tranche. Other subjects to austerity, Spain and Portugal, also see their unemployment levels nearing those seen only during the Great Depression. And it’s not only a problem for countries forced to tighten their belts. France has its unemployment – with 5 million jobless – at all time high.For those aged 25 and below, in countries like Spain and Greece, the unemployment rate is as high is close to 60%, with very little sign of improvement.Fleeing unemployment To find out the real extent of the problem RT’s Tesa Arcilla spoke to some of those who were forced out of their homeland by unemployment. Nicollo Regalzi, a biology graduate from Italy had to come to Brussels and embark on a chocolatier career.“The situation in Italy was actually awful. Because the only thing I was able to get is a really short contract like three months or six months with absolutely no possibility of growing up in an industry,” Regalzi complains.He says it wasn’t a walk in the park in Belgium, either, as many companies required working knowledge of both French and Dutch — a barrier that may be hard to overcome, but it was still more attractive for him than going back home.“I read that in 2012, the percentage of young people who emigrate from Italy grew by 30-40%. I really don’t know what it will be in 2013 because the situation is going from worse and worse,” according to the young Italian.And it’s not just EU citizens feeling the pinch. Foreigners who came to Europe to seek new opportunities — starting their own businesses and building their lives — have now also changed their minds.For Adriana Moreno, this meant leaving Greece and going all the way back to her native Ecuador. And while homesickness was the initial reason for the move, she has no regrets about making that decision.“Many foreigners decided to leave Greece and move to countries like Germany and Switzerland. But the Greeks who stayed behind are saying that the situation is really difficult there. For instance, servicemen who used to get 1,500 Euros are now paid just 900,” Moreno says. Ireland saw 63,000 people leave the country last year, which is the highest level of emigration in a decade.“It’s a trend. If you look at the figures, countries like Ireland, some people argue that a whole generation has left,” Pieter Cleppe, Head Of Brussels Office of Open Europe says.The “current plan is that Germany has to bailout the rest of the eurozone,” the expert told RT. But, he went on, some people claim that “the Germans are selfish,” since they are able to do so, but are not willing to.This myth is however debunked with figures, Cleppe says. Germany is “suffering as well,” the expert noted. “Its economy is not great: it’s not negative growth, but the unemployment is slowly going up. And this should be a lesson,” he pointed out. Alternative solutions have also been discussed, “but most of them until having a second look at which countries can share a currency union,” the analyst said. “So far, this is still an absolute and unconditional taboo in the European capitals, but I suspect that will change at some point.”As job rates in Europe plummet to their all time lows, some analysts see it as a sign that billions of euro in bailouts could work fine for balancing a country’s finances, while at the same time not making economies any healthier. … Read More
Tsarnaev’s handwritten answers incomplete
BOSTON (AP) — The 19-year-old charged with the Boston Marathon bombing, his throat injured by a gunshot wound, wrote down answers to the questions of investigators about his motives and connections to any terror networks.Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s answers led them to believe he and his brother were motivated by a radical brand of Islam without major terror connections, said U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.But the written communication precluded back-and-forth exchanges often crucial to establishing key facts and meaning, said officials who cautioned they were still trying to verify what Tsarnaev told them and were poring over his telephone and online communications.Tsarnaev was interrogated and charged Monday in his hospital room, where he was in serious condition with the throat wound and other injuries suffered during his attempted getaway. His brother, Tamerlan, 26, died Friday after a fierce gunbattle with police.The charges came just hours before a memorial service for one of the three people killed in the bombings, 23-year-old Boston University graduate student Lu Lingzi, was held at the school and attended by hundreds of people, including Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.Continue Reading… … Read More
Graduate student: Didn’t take long to find errors in prominent pro-austerity study
One of the graduate students at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst who found critical errors in a famous pro-austerity economic paper explained his findings to CNN. In video uploaded to YouTube on Sunday, Thomas Herndon said “it didn’t take me long to locate the error” once…
Investigators searching for at least 1 suspect in Boston bombing
There have been a number of news reports claiming that investigators have detected two “possible suspects” captured on video at the site of the Boston bombings that killed three people and injured at least 176 others.A source told CNN that the authorities “had not yet identified the two men by name and that the photographs were not being released to the public for fear of impeding the investigation.”Meanwhile, sources familiar with the investigation told The Los Angeles Times that the authorities have allegedly obtained “clear images of the faces of two men with backpacks.”However, a law enforcement official has confirmed to AP that the authorities have found an image of one potential suspect whose name remains unknown.According to City Council President Stephen Murphy, one department store video “has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off.”Murphy told AP the investigators “may be on the verge of arresting someone.”Contradicting reports have been mushrooming since there has been no official statement from police so far. No suspect has been detained, despite earlier claims by multiple media reports on the alleged arrest in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation.“Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack. Over the past day-and-a-half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting,” an official statement posted on the FBI website informed.The bombs that detonated injured at least 176 people and killed an eight-year-old boy, a 29-year-old woman, and a Chinese national, a Boston University graduate student, in what appears to be the worst attack since September 11, 2001.Some 23,000 runners took part in the world-famous race, watched by thousands more spectators. The scene surrounding the tragedy was recorded by surveillance cameras, providing detectives with vital footage of the area before and after the explosions.The bombs that detonated were probably hidden in large black nylon bags or backpacks, according to the FBI.Shards of metal, wires and a battery were gathered at the scene along with part of a pressure cooker. It’s believed that the deadly bombs were packed with shrapnel; doctors reported plucking nails and ball bearings from the injured.A pressure cooker can give extra power to an explosion the same way a pipe bomb works. The sealed pot allows the pressure to build up before it tears it apart and sends the contents flying at high speed.According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s special agent in charge in Boston, Richard DesLauriers, the evidence collected at the scene was being reconstructed at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.President Barack Obama is due to arrive in Boston on Thursday to address an interfaith service following the blasts. … Read More
