Teaching the Superheroes of Tomorrow
Nestled behind the storefront of the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company in Park Slope lies 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering creativity and literacy among New York City’s youth. Since its founding in 2004, 826NYC has provided free, high-quality after-school tutoring, creative writing workshops, and in-school programs for students ages 6 to 18. By blending …
Virtual Proctoring ‘Room Scans’ Violate Privacy Rights, Federal Judge Finds
A federal judge ruled this week in favor of a student at Cleveland State University (CSU) in Ohio, who filed a lawsuit claiming that a scan conducted of his dorm room before an online exam was unconstitutional, according to NPR. Part of a remote proctoring system, the inspection was found to violate the student’s Fourth …
What We Can Learn from Plant Sweat
Scientists are looking to plants for clues that may help them better understand the behavior of wildfires. A research team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) recently released a new study published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography that explains how plant sweat can indicate key data about local ecosystems, according to the San …
Columbus, Ohio, Teachers Strike Days Before Start of School Year
The biggest school system in Ohio is facing a major obstacle on the cusp of the new school year. Unionized teachers in the Columbus Education Association (CEA) voted to go on a districtwide strike Sunday, just three days before students are scheduled to return to the classroom. It is the district’s first unionized teacher strike …
Internet Comes to Mount Kilimanjaro
As many as 50,000 tourists flock to Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro each year. Now, the hoards of hikers will be able to post photos online in real time thanks to the high-speed internet that has just been introduced to Africa’s tallest mountain. The country’s state-owned internet provider, Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation, finished installing the network this week, …
TikTok Launches New AI Image Generator
TikTok has added a new “AI greenscreen” capability to its platform that allows creators to transform text descriptions into images, which they can then use as video backgrounds to make content that looks even more unique. The feature is accessible via TikTok’s camera screen. When users select the effect, they are presented with various sample …
London’s Horniman Museum to Return Stolen Benin Artifacts
London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens has announced its plans to return 72 treasured artifacts that British soldiers stole in an 1897 attack on Benin city back to the Nigerian government. To this day, as many as 10,000 objects originally taken from Benin remain scattered among 165 different museums and private art collections around the world. …
FBI Raids Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Residence in Palm Beach
FBI agents executed a search warrant yesterday, raiding the personal residence of former President Donald Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump, who was in New York at the time, confirmed the news himself in a statement Monday night, according to The Washington Post. Authorities carried out the search as part …
Senate Passes Landmark Climate, Tax, and Healthcare Legislation
Senate Democrats passed a $700 billion-plus climate and economic bill by the skin of their teeth Sunday. The vote fell along party lines, with every Democrat in favor of the legislation and all Republicans opposed. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to make it 51-50 and push the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) through, …
Kansas Voters Overwhelmingly Move to Protect Reproductive Rights
Kansas voters demonstrated their intent to protect reproductive rights yesterday when they turned out to vote against a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would have allowed the primarily conservative legislature to restrict or ban abortions outright, according to the Associated Press. The statewide vote serves as the country’s first barometer of public sentiment …