Latest news with #BrownUniversity
New York Times
a day ago
- General
- New York Times
The Things College Students Leave Behind
To the Editor: Re 'As College Students Move Out, Scavengers Get Ready to Cash In' (front page, June 9): The person who searched the trash room of her apartment building to find tons of treasures thrown out by Duke University students at the end of the semester says, 'It feels wrong for this much stuff to have been thrown out.' Considering that she estimates the goods to have originally retailed for $6,600 in total, she and her friends think they should put together a business plan: 'I do think there's a lot of money to be made.' I have a better idea: As they prepare to leave for the summer, why don't college students themselves band together into a volunteer unit to collect and distribute the goods to charities that help the homeless and other people in need? High school students have clocked so many volunteer hours pumping up their résumés to get into the college of their choice. It shouldn't stop once they enroll or graduate. Cathy BernardNew York To the Editor: 'As College Students Move Out, Scavengers Get Ready to Cash In' really resonated with me. For almost 40 years my wife and I owned six houses in Providence that had 15 apartments that we rented mostly to students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Brown student and ‘Survivor' contestant Eva Erickson says RFK Jr. is wrong about autism: ‘He can kick rocks'
Erickson said, 'He can kick rocks. That is absolutely wrong on so many fronts, and I think my life is just one of the many, many examples of how wrong he is about Advertisement Erickson also delivered that message in an Instagram post that showed her graduating from college, playing hockey, competing on 'Survivor,' and dating. Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The number one biggest thing that I can say about autism is: There's not something wrong with you,' Erickson said on the podcast. 'There's so many misconceptions being thrown around these days about what autism is, what it means for a person in their life, and I am very proud to have gotten to go on national television and show what my life looks like as someone who's on the autism spectrum.' At one point in 'Survivor' Season 48, which came out earlier this year, Erickson becomes frustrated while practicing for a fire-starting competition. She explained that she hadn't succeeded in some other competitions and she ended up having the kind of 'episode' that can come with autism. Advertisement 'My head was spiraling,' Erickson said. 'I got overstimulated and I was out of control, and it was much worse than what they showed on the show.' She said she was 'screaming and scratching myself, stimming (repetitive behaviors) on the ground.' And she did not calm down right away when another contestant, Joe Hunter, came to help her. But Erickson said, 'I kind of wished that more had been shown so other people who have autism could see that that was my lowest point in the game and it was the hardest.' She said she had to 'battle through' that mindset, and she ended up beating Kamilla Karthigesu in the fire-starting challenge, propelling her into the final three. 'I'm very proud that I was able to get through that and then ultimately build the fire,' Erickson said. She said she views autism as her 'biggest strength and my greatest weakness.' One on hand, she can become overwhelmed at times. But, she said, 'It gives me so many great things in my life, like the aptitude for math.' Erickson is now pursuing a PhD in engineering and fluid and thermal science at Brown. She said her engineering background helped her compete in puzzle challenges on 'Survivor.' But she said she tried to hide a 'more intellectual side' during the competition, and would sometimes add numbers incorrectly on purpose. 'I wanted people to underestimate me because I do come in being a very physical threat,' Erickson said. 'I can't hide that. I can't hide my muscles.' A Minnesota native, she became the first and only woman to play on the men's ice hockey club team as an undergraduate at Georgia Tech, and she is now the captain of the men's club team at Brown. Advertisement Eva Erickson is captain of the men's club hockey team at Brown University. Handout Erickson only revealed her academic credentials at the final 'tribal council.' In a compelling final speech, she said, 'We've been saying this season that 48 is an unprecedented season,' and 'You have never seen a player like me.' The 'Survivor' competition took place on an island in Fiji, and Erickson said the hardest part of being on the island was the crabs. 'The crabs were attacking me in my sleep,' she said. 'Only me. Nobody else had problems with the crabs. Other people were freaked out by the bugs and stuff. But I'm fine with bugs. I worked with centipedes as an undergrad, but I would get these crabs biting me in my sleep and it was kind of spooky.' On the podcast, she said there are similarities between competing on 'Survivor' and pursuing a PhD — aside from a lack of sleep. Eva Erickson is pursuing a doctoral degree in engineering and fluid and thermal science at Brown University. Handout 'Every day on 'Survivor,' it's about you go do a challenge and there's the actual competitive challenges as well as the challenge of not sleeping, of not eating,' she said. 'With my PhD, it's the same thing. It's constantly challenges. I do an experiment, it doesn't work, something breaks — OK, what am I going to change?' Perseverance is the key in both situations, she said. Erickson has two years to go before she gets her PhD. She said she would like to work in the sports equipment industry after graduation. She has a passion for hockey and has been studying vibrations and physics. So, she said, 'It'd be really cool to work on vibration suppression in sports equipment.' Advertisement Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Advocates hope Juneteenth renews support for reparations bills
Ahead of Juneteenth, proponents of reparations for African Americans met last week with mostly Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge them to continue the push for federal reparations legislation. "What better time to introduce policies that are centering repair and truth than at a time when so much disrepair and lies are abundant,'' said Marcus Anthony Hunter, a reparations advocate and a professor of sociology and African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. A wide variety of proposals for slavery reparations have been proposed over the years, including mental health care for African American descendants of slaves, investments in infrastructure in historically marginalized communities, or direct payments. Hunter and other advocates urged support for H.R. 40 recently re-introduced by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, both Democrats. The legislation would create a commission to study reparations and develop proposals. Activists also pushed for the "Reparations Now Resolution" proposed last month by Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. It would recognize that the country "has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the crime of enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States." The congressional measures, which have no GOP co-sponsors, stand little chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress. Republican leaders have opposed reparations saying no one alive was responsible for slavery. In March, Rep. Babin Brian, a Republican from Texas, introduced the ''No Bailout for Reparations Act," which would prohibit the federal government from providing funds to state or local governments that enact laws providing reparations for slavery. More: The US is grappling with its history of slavery. The blueprint for dealing with it? Some say Brown University The renewed push also comes in the wake of efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle federal programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion. "It is not lost on us that this Juneteenth, the nation is experiencing a profound backsliding on racial equity,'' Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward, a progressive-leaning national social justice organization, said in a statement. In addition to last week's lobbying led by the National Black Justice Collective, a civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, other groups have also held rallies in D.C. Lawmakers also recently hosted a briefing. "This Juneteenth, the call for reparations grows louder,'' New Yorkers for Reparations, a coalition of grassroots groups, said in a statement Wednesday. "As cities and states across the country take historic steps toward repair, New York stands at the forefront, affirming that reparations for Black Americans are not only a moral imperative, but a democratic necessity.'' States look to federal reparations bill as lighthouse The late Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, had introduced H.R. 40 for years. It was named after the "40 acres and a mule'' the federal government had promised freed slaves. Across the country some state and local governments have passed reparation bills, including in Evanston, Illinois, New York and California. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore recently vetoed a reparations bill, saying it's not the time for another study and that the state has had related commissions. Advocates said HR 40 has been the blueprint for proposals adopted by local and state governments so it's important to continue the push. "If we allow that to die on the vine, we're doing a disservice to the national movement because it's the lighthouse,'' Hunter.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
RFK Jr. is sabotaging the vaccine program. Here's how to stop him.
Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, served as the White House covid-19 response coordinator in the Biden administration. When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed secretary of Health and Human Services, some hoped that the responsibility of public office would temper his long-standing hostility toward vaccines. Instead, he is doing exactly what many of us feared: dismantling the systems that protect Americans from preventable infectious diseases.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
As wars intensify, their carbon toll remains off climate summit agendas
As world leaders prepare for another global climate summit (COP30 in Brazil this November), the skies over Gaza, Ukraine, and other war-ravaged regions remain filled with the smoke of bombs, fuel, and concrete dust. Despite decades of climate diplomacy, the carbon toll of armed conflict remains off the books. Militaries are among the most energy-intensive institutions globally. The US Department of Defense alone consumed more oil in 2017 than many nations, emitting 59 million tonnes of CO₂—comparable to Sweden or Switzerland. Yet, the Paris Agreement exempts military emissions from mandatory reporting. According to the UK-based Conflict and Environment Observatory, global military activity is responsible for 5.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. If treated as a country, this would place it fourth after China, the US, and India. How do wars and weapons amplify global emissions? The environmental toll of modern warfare is enormous. A single Tomahawk missile detonation emits around 800 kg of CO2. Fighter jets like the F-15 can burn 6,000 litres of fuel per hour, releasing over 15 tonnes of CO2—many times more than a car emits in a year. One week of heavy bombardment, such as in the Iraq War or Gaza 2023, can equal the emissions of 100,000 passenger vehicles annually. Brown University's Costs of War study estimated that US-led wars since 2001 have added 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 e—similar to Japan's yearly emissions. Israel-Gaza conflict reveals staggering environmental impact Between October 2023 and January 2025, the Israel-Gaza war released an estimated 1.89 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent: 50 per cent from Israeli airstrikes and weaponry 20 per cent from production of arms and military transport 130,000 tonnes from diesel use in Gaza after solar systems were destroyed 70,000 humanitarian trucks accounted for 40 per cent of logistics-related emissions Gaza now holds 37 million tonnes of debris contaminating groundwater and soil. Rebuilding the strip using conventional materials may add another 30 million tonnes of emissions—surpassing New Zealand's annual output. Russia-Ukraine war and its long-term carbon toll Since 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has generated 230 million tonnes of CO2 e—comparable to Belgium's emissions. In 2024 alone: War-related wildfires burned 92,100 hectares Fires released 25.8 million tonnes of CO2 Aviation rerouting caused 14.4 million tonnes of excess emissions Attacks on energy sites added 2.1 million tonnes The 2023 breach of the Kakhovka Dam flooded estuaries and released industrial waste. Two Russian oil tankers leaked 6,000 tonnes of mazut into the Black Sea, severely harming marine life. Legacy of war: Vietnam, Rwanda, Gulf War and beyond Historic conflicts offer stark reminders of ecological devastation: Vietnam War used 73 million litres of chemical defoliants, halving the country's mangroves. Rwandan civil war displaced 750,000 into forests, erasing 105 sq km of greenery. Gulf War fires released 500,000 tonnes of pollutants daily. Israel-Lebanon war (2006) spilled 15,000 tonnes of oil into the Mediterranean. Environmental fallout goes beyond the battlefield Military training zones cover 5–6 per cent of Earth's surface. Over 2,000 nuclear tests since 1945 have poisoned ecosystems. Refugee displacement (114 million people) adds pressure to host ecosystems, often increasing poaching and deforestation. Armed conflict affects 615 endangered species, vastly more than the IUCN list suggests. The preparation for war—constructing vehicles, testing weapons, and drilling—burns immense resources even before combat begins. How military land use and fuel habits shape the climate Military bases often sit in ecologically fragile zones. Vegetation is stripped, land is compacted, and pollutants from drills persist for decades. Globally, up to 6 per cent of land is either owned or used by military installations. Militaries operate massive fleets: the US military alone runs over 13,000 aircraft and 800 ships. In 2017, the US Air Force spent nearly $5 billion on fuel—more than many countries' entire emissions budgets. Weapons manufacturing and disposal increase ecological cost Weapons production is carbon-intensive. Jets like the F-35 require over 300,000 parts, many of which involve mining and transporting rare metals. Old weapons systems corrode, leak toxins, and contaminate land and water, especially in less regulated environments. The invisible climate cost of global defence logistics Military supply chains span the globe. Troops, munitions, fuel, and food are flown or shipped across continents. NATO conducts over 200 joint exercises a year, often involving large-scale troop movements—each adding to the military's massive carbon footprint. Why are military emissions not on the climate agenda? Despite $950 billion pledged since 2009 for climate finance, military emissions remain excluded. Under pressure from the US, the Kyoto Protocol (1997) exempted military reporting. The Paris Agreement only allows voluntary disclosure. Most countries don't report military emissions, and those that do under-report significantly. As global militarisation rises, this emissions blind spot undermines climate commitments.
