Tuesday, May 21

Tag: divide

The Fall Of The Arecibo Telescope Is Indicative Of Global Divide Around Funding Science Infrastructure
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TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

The Fall Of The Arecibo Telescope Is Indicative Of Global Divide Around Funding Science Infrastructure

A mere two weeks after the National Science Foundation declared it would close the Arecibo single-dish radio telescope – once the largest in the world – the observatory took a dramatic dying breath and collapsed on Dec. 1, 2020. The Arecibo Observatory Collapse in Puerto Rico. While drone footage captured the moment in excruciating detail, in truth, the disintegration of the telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico began far before this cinematic end. It is tempting to blame the demise of Arecibo on the physical damage it sustained earlier in 2020, when an auxiliary metal cable snapped – perhaps a delayed consequence of Tropical Storm Isaias or the earthquakes that shook Puerto Rico. But Arecibo’s downfall was, in reality, caused by years of financial struggles. As someone who studies technolog...
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Digital Divide Initiatives Must Last Beyond The COVID-19 Pandemic To Work
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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Digital Divide Initiatives Must Last Beyond The COVID-19 Pandemic To Work

As COVID-19 continues to force many schools to operate remotely, cities throughout the nation are stepping up to provide free internet service to public school students from families of lesser means. Washington, D.C., plans to provide free internet access to K-12 students in 25,000 low-income households for the 2020-2021 school year. In Philadelphia, any family with a public school student lacking internet service can get it free through June of 2022. In Chicago, a similar effort will provide free high-speed internet service to 100,000 public school students over the next four years. Since research consistently shows that students with internet access tend to do better academically than those without, the initiatives in Washington, Philadelphia and Chicago represent a welcome step toward...
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Online learning and the digital divide will make it even harder for some kids
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COVID-19, Journalism, VIDEO REELS

Online learning and the digital divide will make it even harder for some kids

More than 10,600 of the nation’s public and private schools were closing at least temporarily by March 12 as communities scrambled to protect themselves from the COVID-19 viral disease pandemic. With little or no time to prepare for this disruption, families from Seattle to the New York City suburbs are suddenly having to figure out how to help their kids learn at home. This is an unprecedented effort that so far involves at least 7 million children. The total is rising fast with closures in entire states like Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico and Kentucky. Indiana University, where I teach, recently announced that we’ll stop offering in-person classes and move all instruction online after spring break ends on March 22. On top of setting up live-streaming channels for the 250 ...
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US rich-poor divide results in shorter lifespans for destitute
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Journalism, VIDEO REELS

US rich-poor divide results in shorter lifespans for destitute

The lifespan gap between rich and poor people in the US can be as high as 30 years. The lifespan gap between rich and poor people in the United States can be as great as 30 years. But it is not just limited access to healthcare that causes poorer people to die earlier - stress, gun violence and bullying are also major factors. Al Jazeera's John Hendren report from Chicago.
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