private

28Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, IN OTHER NEWS

Twitter Private – What That Means For The Company And Its Chances Of Success

Elon Musk has finally completed his US$44 billion deal to acquire Twitter and take it private. The world’s richest man has already begun putting his imprint on the social network by firing four of its top executives. While most people are likely familiar with the idea of taking a private company public – the process that allows individuals to buy and sell a company’s shares in the stock market – the reverse process is not as well understood and happens far less often. As a business and law professor, I have been analyzing mergers, privatizations and other corporate deals for over two decades. The most common question I have been getting from students and faculty colleagues is why would Musk want to take Twitter private? Or more simply, what does it mean to go private? The answers to th...

Private browsing: What it does – and doesn’t do – to shield you from prying eyes on the web

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

Private browsing: What it does – and doesn’t do – to shield you from prying eyes on the web

Many people look for more privacy when they browse the web by using their browsers in privacy-protecting modes, called “Private Browsing” in Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Apple Safari; “Incognito” in Google Chrome; and “InPrivate” in Microsoft Edge. These private browsing tools sound reassuring, and they’re popular. According to a 2017 survey, nearly half of American internet users have tried a private browsing mode, and most who have tried it use it regularly. However, our research has found that many people who use private browsing have misconceptions about what protection they’re gaining. A common misconception is that these browser modes allow you to browse the web anonymously, surfing the web without websites identifying you and without your internet service provider or your employer k...

First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights

On May 30, 2020, millions of Americans watched the inaugural SpaceX Crew Dragon launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. This mission marked two significant events: First, the return of launch to orbit capability for human spaceflight from the United States. Secondly, it successfully demonstrated private sector capability to build and operate a launch vehicle for human spaceflight. While SpaceX may be the first private space company to accomplish this, it is not alone. Boeing’s Starliner and Lockheed’s Orion capsule are also being developed for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and training has begun for safety operations on the spacecraft. As an aerospace lawyer working and teaching on human spaceflight law and policy for over a decade, I have a professional and personal...

SpaceX reaches for milestone in spaceflight – a private company launches astronauts into orbit

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX reaches for milestone in spaceflight – a private company launches astronauts into orbit

On May 27, two American astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, are planning to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on a mission to the International Space Station. If successful, this will mark the first time in nine years that American astronauts will launch into space from American soil. What’s even more remarkable is they will not be launched by NASA but by a private company, SpaceX. Human spaceflight is incredibly difficult and expensive; the rockets must be reliable and the vehicle must be built with expensive life support systems and a certain level of redundancy. To date, only three countries – Russia, the United States and China – have achieved this feat. As a space policy expert, I find it hard to overstate the significance for both SpaceX and spaceflight in gener...

Giving private schools federal emergency funds slated for low-income students will shortchange at-risk kids

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Giving private schools federal emergency funds slated for low-income students will shortchange at-risk kids

Public schools have faced three distinct challenges since the coronavirus pandemic began – scrambling to make sure that low-income children don’t go hungry, teaching students remotely who lack internet access and bracing for dramatically smaller budgets. Congress tried to help in the US$2 trillion economic relief package known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act, by designating $13.5 billion for public schools. The money was supposed to be distributed to school districts based on the number of low-income students they enroll. A new directive from the U.S. Department of Education, however, tells districts to share far more of the money than expected with private and religious school students, even though fewer than 5% of those children are poor. I’m a schola...

Why It’s Unclear Whether Private Programs For ‘Troubled Teens’ Are Working

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIETY

Why It’s Unclear Whether Private Programs For ‘Troubled Teens’ Are Working

I first became interested in what I’ve learned is called the “troubled teen industry” more than 20 years ago, when my parents sent me away to a program they thought would help me finish high school. At that point I was skipping a lot of school and running away. Simply put, I was seeking emancipation, community and safety – albeit in a headstrong way. The troubled teen industry is a mostly unregulated collection of for-profit programs that claim to rehabilitate out-of-control youth. Between 50,000 and 100,000 adolescents currently spend at least part of the year in these facilities. Their enrollment – or confinement, depending on the arrangement or their perspective – can prevent these relatively privileged kids from joining the 48,000 youth caught in the U.S. juvenile justice system. I’m...