NYC housing inspector delivers racist letter to Asian tenants

A New York City public housing worker has been suspended without pay, for sending a letter to three Vietnamese tenants and addressing it using a racial slur.

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  • Aides to New York Governor Cuomo subpoenaed in sexual harassment probe: WSJ

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  • ‘Morning Joe’ Counters Trump’s Claims Capitol Rioters Were ‘Zero Threat’ With Graphic Footage (Video)

    On Friday’s “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarborough countered former president Donald Trump’s Thursday night claim that the Capitol rioters were “zero threat” and were “hugging and kissing the police and the guards.” The MSNBC host ran a montage of footage taken Jan. 6 inside the Capitol, noting his show and others had shown the clips before and Trump was surely aware of them. In the videos, a Capitol police officer can be seen being violently smashed in a doorway by an advancing mob. He screams as blood spills from his lips. “People had seen what happened on January 6,” said Scarborough. “And this bubble that Trumpists are in, this bubble that Donald Trump is in, this bubble that those who are pushing Trump propaganda are in is getting smaller and smaller. They’ve seen the video images.” Also Read: MSNBC's Scarborough Fumes at GOP Senators Who Want to 'Move On' From Riot, 'Trump Cop Killers' (Video) More graphic video from the attack played, showing Capitol police being bashed by shields and flagpoles. “I want all of you to see this and understand that Donald Trump, who this country once elected as president of the United States, said there was zero threat on January the 6th,” Scarborough said, referring, as he has in the past, to the “Trump terrorists” who stormed the Capitol in an insurrection that left five dead, including one Capitol police officer. On Thursday night, Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that the riot was “zero threat right from the start.” “Look, they went in and they shouldn’t have done it. Some of them went in and they’re hugging and kissing the police and the guards. They had great relationships,” Trump said. “It’s beyond sick,” Scarborough said of Trump’s comments. Read original story ‘Morning Joe’ Counters Trump’s Claims Capitol Rioters Were ‘Zero Threat’ With Graphic Footage (Video) At TheWrap

  • Fire captain charged in attack on Asian American man outside casino, Arkansas cops say

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  • Farming fish in fresh water is more affordable and sustainable than in the ocean

    Jeremiah Kiarie rounds up tilapia at Green Algae Highland fish farm in central Kenya on April 29, 2017. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty ImagesA tidal wave of interest is building in farming the seas. It’s part of a global rush to exploit oceanic resources that’s been dubbed the “blue acceleration.” Optimistic projections say that smart mariculture – fish farming at sea – could increase ocean fish and shellfish production by 21 million to 44 million metric tons by 2050, a 36%-74% jump from current yields. Other estimates suggest that an ocean aquaculture area the size of Lake Michigan might produce the same amount of seafood as all of the world’s wild-caught fisheries combined. This story is part of Oceans 21 Our series on the global ocean opened with five in depth profiles. Look out for new articles on the state of our oceans in the lead up to the UN’s next climate conference, COP26. The series is brought to you by The Conversation’s international network. Our work as interdisciplinary researchers studying aquatic food systems shows that these claims exaggerate mariculture’s true potential, and that increasing mariculture in a sustainable way is fraught with challenges. We see freshwater fish farms as a better way to help fight hunger and bolster food security. In our view, governments, funders and scientists should focus on improving aquaculture on land to help meet the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. In recent years Bangladesh has become a leader in low-cost, sustainable aquaculture. Questionable assumptions Ocean aquaculture advocates often cite limited supplies of wild-caught fish and call for cultivating them to feed the world. As they see it, aquaculture on land is limited by scarce land and freshwater resources, while the oceans offer vast areas suitable for farming. Framed this way, mariculture seems to offer boundless potential to meet future demand for seafood and feed vulnerable populations with little environmental impact. But our research paints a different picture. We see far fewer technical, economic and resource constraints for freshwater aquaculture than for ocean farming, and far greater potential for land-based fish farms to contribute to global food security. Freshwater aquaculture has grown steadily over the past three decades. Asia is at the center of this boom, accounting for 89% of world aquaculture production, excluding plants. The most important species groups – carp, tilapia and catfish – are herbivorous or omnivorous, so they don’t need to eat animal protein to thrive. While they may be fed small amounts of fish to speed growth, their mainstay diet consists of inexpensive byproducts of crops like rice, groundnut and soy, as well as natural plankton. It’s relatively cheap and easy to grow freshwater fish in small earthen ponds. Aquaculture has been an economic boon, especially in Asia, providing jobs and income for vast numbers of family farms, workers and small businesses. Farmed freshwater fish tend to be an affordable staple food for millions of low- and middle-income consumers – and many better-off ones, too. Raising marine fish Raising marine fish is a different proposition. The harsh ocean environment makes production risky, and the biology of these species makes many of them difficult and costly to breed and grow. Most marine aquaculture species are carnivores, so they need other fish as part of their diets. About 20 million metric tons of fish caught each year is used instead to feed farmed fish. It’s a contentious environmental and ethical issue, as some of these fish could otherwise be food for humans. Improvements in technology have reduced, though not eliminated, the amount of fish used in feeds, especially for farmed salmon. It now takes half as much fresh fish to raise salmon as it did 20 years ago. These innovations were achieved through massive investments by the Norwegian government and the industry, dating back to the 1970s. Research focused on genetic improvement, nutrition and production systems, and it’s paid off. Farmed salmon now accounts for 45% of all fish farmed from the sea. Grieg Seafood operates a salmon farm in Clio Channel, Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada, in partnership with the Tlowitsis First Nation. David Stanley/Flickr, CC BY However, it’s unlikely that other less popular fish, like grouper, sea bass or cobia, will be as thoroughly researched or farmed with the same efficiency. The market is too small. For a land-based analogy, think of chickens. Like salmon, they have long been the focus of intensive research and development. As a result, they now grow to market size in just 45 days. On the other hand, the guinea fowl – a chickenlike bird raised for specialty markets – has undergone limited selective breeding, develops slowly and yields far less meat, making it more costly to raise and more expensive to buy. Farming the open ocean Marine fish farming is currently done in sheltered bays and sea lochs. But there is growing interest in a new high-tech method that raises fish in huge submersible cages anchored far from land in the open ocean. It’s risky business, with high operating costs. Expensive infrastructure is vulnerable to intense storms. To be successful, offshore farms will need to grow high-priced fish such as bluefin tuna. And they will need to operate at industrial scale, like SalMar’s massive “Ocean Farm” in Norway, which has capacity for 1.5 million fish. While open-ocean mariculture may be technically feasible, its economic viability is questionable. Pilot projects in Norway, China and the U.S. are not yet commercially successful. And though there is strong global demand for salmon, other species like grouper have small niche markets. They are likely to remain specialized high-end products because of steep production costs. A tugboat tows an offshore ocean farming facility in Qingdao, China, on June 14, 2017. Visual China Group via Getty Images Freshwater alternatives Human population is growing fastest in Africa, and incomes are rising most rapidly in Asia. Most additional future demand for fish will come from low- and middle-income consumers in these regions. Farming tilapia and catfish is already becoming more popular in Egypt and both West and East Africa. [Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.] Meanwhile, total seafood consumption in high-income countries has plateaued since 2000. But even in these countries, demand for farmed freshwater fish is growing because it’s an affordable source of protein. In the U.S., tilapia, pangasius (freshwater catfish) and channel catfish are the fourth-, sixth- and eighth-most-consumed seafood items. Offshore mariculture might one day produce luxury fish that generate profits for a few large investors. But we believe freshwater aquaculture will continue to feed far more people and benefit many more farmers and small businesses. Investments in selective breeding, disease control and farm management through public-private partnerships can create a more sustainable aquaculture industry, reducing the amount of land, freshwater and feed used to grow fish while increasing productivity. For more inclusive and sustainable development, we believe governments and funders should prioritize raising fish on land.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Ben Belton, Michigan State University; Dave Little, University of Stirling, and Wenbo Zhang, Shanghai Ocean University. Read more:Let them eat carp: Fish farms are helping to fight hungerTaking fish out of fish feed can make aquaculture a more sustainable food source Ben Belton shares a joint appointment with WorldFish as Global Lead for Social and Economic InclusionDave Little receives funding from, and works on a voluntary basis for, various organisations supporting knowledge development and promotion of aquaculture. He has interests in a commercial tilapia company.Wenbo Zhang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

  • Korean American leaders plan worldwide vigil for victims of Atlanta shootings

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  • Family Sues Miya Ponsetto and Arlo Hotel for Racial Profiling in Attack on Black Teen for Lost iPhone

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  • Following spa shootings ex-US attorneys condemn acts of hate

    After the killings of eight people at massage businesses in the Atlanta area, a group of former top prosecutors issued an open letter Thursday expressing support for the Asian American community and condemning acts of hatred against any group. "But we agree on this: We are united in supporting the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities as we mourn together.”

  • Ending testing for New York City's gifted program may be another blow to Black and Latino students

    New York City public school students attend a meeting with school board officials in January 2020. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty ImagesAfter years of relying on a single controversial test at age 4 for admission to their gifted programs, New York City schools are about to embark upon a new way to identify gifted students. The city’s Department of Education announced in February that it would stop testing students for its gifted program, which places top students in schools with curriculum designed for high academic achievement. Instead, preschool teachers will refer students for consideration. The city’s new schools chancellor, Meisha Porter, who was named to that post March 15, has said that overhauling the gifted and talented system is one of her top priorities. That means the new system likely won’t be long-term, though there’s still reason to be concerned. Research has shown that teacher referrals tend to lead to fewer Black and Hispanic students’ qualifying for gifted programs, though Black teachers refer Black students more equitably. As an education researcher who studies how test data can help teachers tailor their lessons to students’ needs, I believe gifted education is a vital service to help students with exceptional academic ability realize their full potential. A fraught program to begin with NYC’s old system was rife with inequities and is due for an overhaul. But I worry the new system will be another blow to children and families of color – a group that has already suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. That’s not because the system was an exemplar of best practices, but because the system’s practices were so consistently criticized by gifted education experts. Its visible failures in equity could sway public opinion against gifted programs more broadly. Here are the key criticisms equity advocates had of New York City’s gifted and talented identification process: 1. It tested young children for high-stakes decisions For years, advocates for students in NYC have argued that using high-stakes tests on 4-year-olds to determine their school placement for the entire K-12 experience is unfair. It disadvantages students who didn’t attend academic-style pre-K or early enrichment programs. Researchers have also demonstrated how access to information added to the advantage some parents had in New York City. These parents knew about the testing process, signed up for the testing at higher rates, and could pay for test prep programs to optimize their children’s chances of selection. 2. It used ‘one and done’ identification The standards from the National Association for Gifted Children, a leading organization promoting gifted education, emphasize that students should have opportunities throughout their K-12 education to demonstrate the need for advanced or accelerated instruction – usually provided through gifted education services. Any test administered at age 4 will quickly cease to provide useful information, as students develop at different rates. Some accelerate during the elementary or high school years, while others who initially looked precocious settle into average achievement. A 2006 study showed that of the students who scored in the top 5% on a test in one year, about half will score in the top 5% the next year. In other words, if they were tested again the following year, up to half of “gifted” students wouldn’t make the cut. 3. It limited which students fully realize their potential Selecting students for a full-time gifted program means that students who excel in one or more academic areas, such as English and verbal expression, but not in others, such as math or science, will be overlooked. Among highly able students, research suggests at least 15% have at least one academic area that is markedly weaker than their others. Impact on lower-income families As news reports have drawn national attention to New York City’s decisions, activists have called for dismantling these types of programs across the country. They argue that gifted programs are unnecessary, and that regular classroom teachers can serve all students at once. But research shows that many students start the school year performing well above grade level and are left to become bored and not reach their full potential. And when public schools don’t offer services to high-achieving students, it’s natural that many parents in high-income families will seek out private services and additional opportunities for their children. Kids from low-income families, however, have fewer options to supplement their school experience. By failing students with advanced academic needs who come from underrepresented groups, New York City’s Department of Education risks losing the entire gifted program. I believe new solutions must be systemic and targeted – like those taking place outside Chicago that have expanded the number of students served by these programs and give all students full consideration to identify their academic talents. An overhaul is possible, but it has to start with evidence-based practices, not quick fixes. [Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Joni Lakin, University of Alabama. Read more:Schools often fail to identify gifted and talented students – especially if they are Black, Latino or Native AmericanHow public schools fail to recognize Black prodigies Joni Lakin is affiliated with Riverside Insights as the author of the Cognitive Abilities Test (R), Form 8. She receives U.S. federal funding for her academic research.

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