Lurker > DanielJones

The_Popo posted...

GameFAQs will be moving to a brand new authentication provider, and in the process of this change we'll be reducing the number of user names associated with an account to one.

Hold up, alts are no longer allowed?

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/28/1095209856/university-of-california-native-american-tuition-fees-waive

The University of California system will waive tuition and fees beginning in fall 2022 for Native American students who are state residents and members of federally recognized tribes.

The initiative is part of the UC Native American Opportunity Plan, which is designed to bolster student diversity and to make the university "more affordable and accessible" for Native American students, system president Dr. Michael V. Drake wrote in a letter to UCchancellors.

The program will cover tuition and student service fees for undergraduate and graduate students who are members of federally recognized Native American, American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. There are 109 federally recognized tribes in California.

Tuition for new undergraduate students who are California residents is $13,104 for the 2022-23 school year. The estimated average cost of attending UC as a state resident and new student is $38,504, which includes housing, meals, transportation, supplies and fees. The total cost of attending depends on the campus.

n his letter, Drake said that the funds for the program will come from "existing State and University financial aid programs as well as other resources."

Tuition scholarships for California residents from tribes that are not federally recognized might be available later through other organizations, according to the letter.

"The University of California is committed to recognizing and acknowledging historical wrongs endured by Native Americans," Drake wrote. "I am proud of the efforts the University has made to support the Native American community, including the creation of the UC Native American Opportunity Plan, and appreciate our conversations to date on all the ways in which we can better support Native American students."

The program could benefit about 500 undergraduates and 160 graduate students, LAist reported.
In the fall of 2021, there were 1,467 combined undergraduate and graduate students who identified as American Indian half a percent of the student body across University of California campuses, according to data from the university.

makes no sense. just pick a damn side and stick with it. you're going to piss off 50% of the country either way, but this whole ~2 weeks will they / won't they pisses everyone off

kingdrake2 posted...

i feel it should apply to ride services in general. due to the fact one is taking services from an employee to get to destination while inside a closed space (even if the windows are down).

The mandate shouldn't apply to Uber/Lyft though and force it upon their drivers. If Uber/Lyft want to keep their mask mandate as part of their company policy, that is 100% fine. It should come from company policy, not the government enforcing it upon a business entity.

What realistically makes more sense though is to allow each driver to choose whether or not they want to enforce masks and give them full power to boot noncompliant passengers (which they already have).

bump

CalosiaTana posted...

No automobiles?

i think it still applies to uber/lyft and taxis but i cant say i know for sure if those are included in this mandate or if those are just company policy

Mizznox posted...

Monitor whether the wave that has hit elsewhere (UK peaked a little over 2 weeks ago, France about a week ago, for example) will have a notable impact here before doing away with more measures.

there's always going to be peaks and valleys. everywhere. my main criticism of all this is just extend it indefinitely or end it immediately. two weeks won't help shit. if it expires in two weeks and then another UK spike occurs, they aren't just going to re-instate it. so why just say "ah we'll extend it for two weeks" instead of "ah we're extending it indefinitely"

Update: it was extended for two weeks.

what are we doing lmfao hahahaha either extend it indefinitely or end it. what the fuck is the point of literally two weeks

literally why lmfao either extend it for a year and lift it if necessary, or just lift it. what the actual fuck are we doing

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-extends-mask-mandate-planes-trains-weeks/story?id=84058598

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to extend the federal mask mandate for planes and trains until May 3, the agency announced on Wednesday.

The current mandate was set to expire this coming Monday, April 18. Citing the rapid spread of an Omicron subvariant, BA.2, which now makes up more than 85% of COVID cases in the US, the CDC said it needed more time to monitor a recent uptick.

"In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC Order will remain in place at this time," the agency stated.

Many of the nation's airlines have pushed hard to have the government lift the mandate.

Last month, CEOs of all major U.S. airlines wrote to the administration to stop requiring masks on planes.

"It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on airplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks, despite none of these venues having the protective air filtration system that aircraft do," the business executives wrote.

The group said the burden of enforcing the mask mandate has fallen on their employees, saying, "This is not a function they are trained to perform and subjects them to daily challenges by frustrated customers. This in turn takes a toll on their own well-being."

There's political pressure too. Several Democratic senators last March joined Republicans in a 57-40 Senate vote to overturn the requirement, although that bill hasn't been taken up in the House.

The CDC decision to keep the status quo for just a little longer comes as the nation has entered an unprecedented phase in the pandemic. Much of the country is still exhibiting substantial spread of the virus, but hospitalizations and deaths have dropped since January.

The CDC though has argued that travel on airplanes, trains and buses presents a unique risk, including the possible rapid introduction of a dangerous new variant from overseas.

"There's a lot of mixing, a lot of international travel that it's hard to disentangle," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told ABC's "Start Here" last March. The mandate also applies to all public transportation hubs, including airports.

Also, she noted that many people don't have a choice but to use shared transportation to get to work. An estimated 3% of Americans are estimated to be immunocompromised and potentially at serious risk of the virus, even if vaccinated.

The number of unruly passengers on planes spiked during the pandemic. This year alone, the Federal Aviation Administration has received 1,150 reports of unruly passengers -- 744 of which were related to face masks.

Just before the extension was announced, the head of the group that lobbies on behalf of all major U.S. airlines, doubled down on the call for getting rid of mask and pre-departure testing requirements.

"Neither restriction is currently supported by data and science in today's public health environment," Nick Calio, CEO of Airlines for America, said in a letter to administration officials.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-covid-response-leader-says-continuing-public-transportation-mask-mandate-absolutely-on-the-table

Biden COVID response leader says continuing public transportation mask mandate 'absolutely on the table'

White House COVID-19 response team leader Dr. Ashish Jha stated that while he is not overly concerned' about a recent rise in coronavirus cases, the continuation of a mask mandate for travelers using public transportation could very well see another extension.

The public transit mandate, which requires people to wear face masks while using modes of transportation including rail and air travel, was set to expire in March, only for the Biden administration to extend it through April 18. When asked by NBC's Savannah Guthrie on "The Today Show" if the mandate will be extended again, Jha first dodged.

"This is a decision that the CDC Director Dr. Walensky is going to make. I know the CDC's working on developing a scientific framework for how to answer that. We're going to see that framework come out, I think in the next few days. And based on that we're going to want to be guided by this decision.

You know, throughout the entire pandemic we've wanted to make decisions based on the evidence and science and that is what I expect we'll do this week."

When pressed on whether this means an extension of the mask mandate is an option, Jha answered in the affirmative.

"This is a CDC decision and I think it is absolutely on the table," Jha said, "and Dr. Walensky's going to make her decision based on the framework that the CDC scientists create and will make a decision collectively based on that."

The mandate was put into effect by the Transportation Security Administration following recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jha said this soon after acknowledging that COVID-19 hospitalization numbers are currently "the lowest they have been in the entire pandemic." Addressing the omicron BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19, Jha said he is "not overly concerned right now," despite a recent rise in case numbers because of the low hospitalization rate.

"Obviously I never like to see infections rising, I think we've got to be careful," Jha said, "but I don't think this is a moment where we have to be excessively concerned."

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the U.S. could potentially "revert back to being more careful" and wearing masks indoors if there is "an uptick, particularly of hospitalizations," but stated that "hopefully we're not going to see increased severity."

Soon after the Biden administration announced the latest extension of the travel mandate, Florida and 20 other states sued to block the mandate from continuing.

"This order is completely outside the bounds of the scope of federal power," Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. ""President Bidens shortsighted, heavy-handed and unlawful travel policies are frustrating travelers and causing chaos on public transportation."

the more you know!

Do we get hard goth if we make another 500 topic for you? (Not this one)

Literally no difference

bump

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/22/1088075045/pfizer-blood-pressure-recall-carcinogen

Pfizer Inc. is recalling a blood pressure drug because of elevated levels of a potential cancer-causing impurity.

The company warned consumers on Monday of several tainted lots of Accuretic and two other versions of the drug quinapril and hydrochlorothiazide tablets because of the presence of a nitrosamine above the Acceptable Daily Intake level.

"Nitrosamines are common in water and foods, including cured and grilled meats, dairy products and vegetables. Everyone is exposed to some level of nitrosamines," according to the Food and Drug Administration.

It adds: "These impurities may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them above acceptable levels over long periods of time."

The medications are prescribed for the treatment of hypertension to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions.

The recall is voluntary, according to the company, and the company says that as of Monday, it has not received any reports of adverse events related to the drugs. "Although long- term ingestion of N-nitroso-quinapril may be associated with a potential increased cancer risk in humans, there is no immediate risk to patients taking this medication," it says.

Pfizer suggests patients taking the tablets should consult with their health care provider or pharmacy to determine whether they've been given an affected batch. Patients can also call 888-843-0247 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday for instructions on how to return their product and get a refund.

Check here for a list of the lot numbers of the drugs being recalled.

https://simpleflying.com/us-senate-passes-resolution-end-airline-mask-rule/

Biden expected to veto even if it gets past the house, which is also unlikely.

After reading into this, weirdly enough it makes sense to be done with it on planes -- between the advanced air filtration and circulation systems they use that are far better than concert venues, restaurants, and bars (which are all just as dense and flooded at times as airplanes are, yet no masks required) and the jump in unruly passenger reports (over 50% of all unruly passenger reports in the past 2.5 months were related to masks), it makes sense.

I could see a case being made for keeping it on buses and other public transit though where people are shoulder-to-shoulder but without the air circulation benefits provided by planes. But if it means being sent back for another several weeks of revisions just to make that minor change then it's not worth it.

Thoughts?

Has it?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/0/AAea6CAADAsW.png

have at it