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shadowkat1. Ah, in our daily presentation of New York vs. the Coronavirus..
Per tonight's email:
The state has received over 25,000 complaints concerning a business in violation of the reopening guidelines. We are deeply disappointed to see videos of people out in the street, drinks in hand, ignoring social distancing guidelines (as well as open container laws) — many not wearing masks. While I understand that we are all tired of the constraints of this situation, now is not the time to let our guard down.
In 22 states that are reopening, there have been significant rises in the number of COVID cases. Some states are facing the worst situation they have encountered since the pandemic started. In New York our numbers are good and continue to trend well, but that could change tomorrow if New Yorkers let caution fatigue set in.
So wear a mask, protect yourself and others and continue to treat COVID with the seriousness it calls for.
The Governor stated clearly in his live briefing that restaurants and bars that violated the social distancing, wearing a mask, and no open containers on the sidewalks law - would lose their liquor licenses. He personally called the ones that he got complaints from, apparently.
Reporter: You personally called them?
Governor: We got 25,000 complaints. We've never got that many complaints. Granted people complain all the time about things I say or do, or others do. But never that many. And most of them were about New York City and Long Island. This means that people are concerned. They care. They are worried about their health and others. They did the hard work and don't want to lose it all. So yeah I called them, personally.
Reporter: How'd you know who to call?
Governor: People sent us the name, address, and telephone number of the establishment along with a video or photo of the infraction. Everyone has a cell phone and video, it's not hard to text this information to me.
Reporter: Uhm, what did the establishment say when you called them, out of curiosity? I mean were they shocked?
Governor: Yeah, they said they couldn't believe it was actually me calling them.
Reporter: What did you tell them?
Governor: I told them that they were risking their liquor license and I didn't want to hear any excuses. The State Liquor License Authority is out and checking. You lose that license that's a major problem.
I kind of love my Governor at the moment. He can be an egotistical ass at times, but hey, he's someone I want in my corner in a fight. Oh, he's opening up most of the State to Stage 3 - except for New York City and its suburbs - because well, New York City is New York City - it's going to take time.
2. Meanwhile in NYC, crazy people are setting off fireworks. Scared me tonight with two loud bangs. And, there are a few racist idiots on the neighborhood and FB pages, both groups have called out and asked to cease
3. Good news! They are not requiring SAT and ACT scores for four year colleges. COVID-19 may spell the end of standardized testing! Yippee! I hate standardized testing - I've been advocating for its demise for the last thirty years. It's discriminatory and doesn't provide accurate information on a child's ability to excel in anything. It's a system set up to aid privileged rich white kids, and no one else. COVID may kill it dead! YAY!
Applying to college? You may not need to worry about those test scores this year.
More than half of all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. will not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for admissions this fall, an anti-testing group said Monday, a major shift in the way colleges select students that has been accelerated by the pandemic.
The group, FairTest, said that 1,240 of the 2,330 institutions that granted bachelor’s degrees in the 2018-19 academic year have now made the tests optional. The total includes nearly 200 colleges and universities that have at least temporarily dropped the testing requirement since the spring, when the outbreak forced the cancellation of many test dates.
The tests have long been criticized as being unfair to low-income, black and Hispanic students, leading a growing number of colleges to make testing optional. Supporters say they provide a uniform way of judging students across schools.
Some of the most selective schools in the country have announced that they are making the SAT and the ACT optional for at least the coming application cycle, including Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and Cornell, according to FairTest.
Bob Schaeffer, the president of FairTest, said that if the past was any guide, some schools would not restore the testing requirement when the pandemic was over.
And on Monday night, Harvard said that because of disruptions caused by the pandemic, it will not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for the next admissions cycle, putting the imprimatur of perhaps the country’s most prestigious university on the building move away from the use of standardized tests in admissions.
“We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable challenges in scheduling tests for all students, particularly those from modest economic backgrounds, and we believe this temporary change addresses these challenges,” Harvard said in the announcement, posted on its website.
“Students who do not submit standardized testing this coming year will not be disadvantaged in the application process. Their applications will be considered on the basis of what they have presented, and they are encouraged to send whatever materials they believe would convey their accomplishments in secondary school and their promise for the future.”
With the addition of Harvard, 1,241 of the 2,330 institutions that granted bachelor’s degrees during the 2018-19 academic year have now made the tests optional, according to FairTest, an anti-testing organization that is keeping track of the movement. That number includes nearly 200 colleges and universities that — like Harvard — have at least temporarily dropped the testing requirement since the virus began spreading in the spring. Many spring test dates were canceled because of the pandemic, making it difficult for students to take the test and submit their scores.
Harvard has long said that standardized tests are only a small part of what the admissions office considers. The announcement said that students also will not be penalized for having pass/fail grades or limited extracurricular activities because of the virus. The tests will be optional for those applying to Harvard’s Class of 2025; regular applicants must submit by Jan. 21, 2021.
But some test experts are suggesting that if the change works out, universities may choose to continue the practice once the pandemic has receded.
4.Next Year's Oscar's has been delayed until April, and they've pushed back the eligibility deadline into 2021
Hmmm, the Tony's were cancelled. Wonder if they will cancel the Emmy's? Maybe not. They didn't cancel the Daytime Emmy's - those will be telecast for the first time in five years on CBS prime time. Mainly because CBS doesn't have a lot to show at the moment.
5. The US Supreme Court said the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. - I mentioned this previously, but what is striking is that the opinion was written by the Trump pick, Justice Gorsuch. Which means, it won't be fought by the evil conservatives and they'll accept it and not politicize it.
“An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for the majority in the 6-to-3 ruling.
That opinion and two dissents, spanning 168 pages, touched on a host of flash points in the culture wars involving the L.G.B.T. community — bathrooms, locker rooms, sports, pronouns and religious objections to same-sex marriage. The decision, the first major case on transgender rights, came amid widespread demonstrations, some protesting violence aimed at transgender people of color.
Until Monday’s decision, it was legal in more than half of the states to fire workers for being gay, bisexual or transgender. The vastly consequential decision thus extended workplace protections to millions of people across the nation, continuing a series of Supreme Court victories for gay rights even after President Trump transformed the court with his two appointments.
The decision achieved a decades-long goal of gay rights proponents, one they had initially considered much easier to achieve than a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. But even as the Supreme Court established that right in 2015, workplace discrimination remained lawful in most of the country. An employee who married a same-sex partner in the morning could be fired that afternoon for being gay.
Monday’s lopsided ruling, coming from a fundamentally conservative court, was a surprise. Justice Gorsuch, who was Mr. Trump’s first appointment to the court, was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Supporters of L.G.B.T. rights were elated by the ruling, which they said was long overdue.
“This is a simple and profound victory for L.G.B.T. civil rights,” said Suzanne B. Goldberg, a law professor at Columbia. “Many of us feared that the court was poised to gut sex discrimination protections and allow employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, yet it declined the federal government’s invitation to take that damaging path.”
Per tonight's email:
The state has received over 25,000 complaints concerning a business in violation of the reopening guidelines. We are deeply disappointed to see videos of people out in the street, drinks in hand, ignoring social distancing guidelines (as well as open container laws) — many not wearing masks. While I understand that we are all tired of the constraints of this situation, now is not the time to let our guard down.
In 22 states that are reopening, there have been significant rises in the number of COVID cases. Some states are facing the worst situation they have encountered since the pandemic started. In New York our numbers are good and continue to trend well, but that could change tomorrow if New Yorkers let caution fatigue set in.
So wear a mask, protect yourself and others and continue to treat COVID with the seriousness it calls for.
The Governor stated clearly in his live briefing that restaurants and bars that violated the social distancing, wearing a mask, and no open containers on the sidewalks law - would lose their liquor licenses. He personally called the ones that he got complaints from, apparently.
Reporter: You personally called them?
Governor: We got 25,000 complaints. We've never got that many complaints. Granted people complain all the time about things I say or do, or others do. But never that many. And most of them were about New York City and Long Island. This means that people are concerned. They care. They are worried about their health and others. They did the hard work and don't want to lose it all. So yeah I called them, personally.
Reporter: How'd you know who to call?
Governor: People sent us the name, address, and telephone number of the establishment along with a video or photo of the infraction. Everyone has a cell phone and video, it's not hard to text this information to me.
Reporter: Uhm, what did the establishment say when you called them, out of curiosity? I mean were they shocked?
Governor: Yeah, they said they couldn't believe it was actually me calling them.
Reporter: What did you tell them?
Governor: I told them that they were risking their liquor license and I didn't want to hear any excuses. The State Liquor License Authority is out and checking. You lose that license that's a major problem.
I kind of love my Governor at the moment. He can be an egotistical ass at times, but hey, he's someone I want in my corner in a fight. Oh, he's opening up most of the State to Stage 3 - except for New York City and its suburbs - because well, New York City is New York City - it's going to take time.
2. Meanwhile in NYC, crazy people are setting off fireworks. Scared me tonight with two loud bangs. And, there are a few racist idiots on the neighborhood and FB pages, both groups have called out and asked to cease
3. Good news! They are not requiring SAT and ACT scores for four year colleges. COVID-19 may spell the end of standardized testing! Yippee! I hate standardized testing - I've been advocating for its demise for the last thirty years. It's discriminatory and doesn't provide accurate information on a child's ability to excel in anything. It's a system set up to aid privileged rich white kids, and no one else. COVID may kill it dead! YAY!
Applying to college? You may not need to worry about those test scores this year.
More than half of all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. will not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for admissions this fall, an anti-testing group said Monday, a major shift in the way colleges select students that has been accelerated by the pandemic.
The group, FairTest, said that 1,240 of the 2,330 institutions that granted bachelor’s degrees in the 2018-19 academic year have now made the tests optional. The total includes nearly 200 colleges and universities that have at least temporarily dropped the testing requirement since the spring, when the outbreak forced the cancellation of many test dates.
The tests have long been criticized as being unfair to low-income, black and Hispanic students, leading a growing number of colleges to make testing optional. Supporters say they provide a uniform way of judging students across schools.
Some of the most selective schools in the country have announced that they are making the SAT and the ACT optional for at least the coming application cycle, including Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and Cornell, according to FairTest.
Bob Schaeffer, the president of FairTest, said that if the past was any guide, some schools would not restore the testing requirement when the pandemic was over.
And on Monday night, Harvard said that because of disruptions caused by the pandemic, it will not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for the next admissions cycle, putting the imprimatur of perhaps the country’s most prestigious university on the building move away from the use of standardized tests in admissions.
“We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable challenges in scheduling tests for all students, particularly those from modest economic backgrounds, and we believe this temporary change addresses these challenges,” Harvard said in the announcement, posted on its website.
“Students who do not submit standardized testing this coming year will not be disadvantaged in the application process. Their applications will be considered on the basis of what they have presented, and they are encouraged to send whatever materials they believe would convey their accomplishments in secondary school and their promise for the future.”
With the addition of Harvard, 1,241 of the 2,330 institutions that granted bachelor’s degrees during the 2018-19 academic year have now made the tests optional, according to FairTest, an anti-testing organization that is keeping track of the movement. That number includes nearly 200 colleges and universities that — like Harvard — have at least temporarily dropped the testing requirement since the virus began spreading in the spring. Many spring test dates were canceled because of the pandemic, making it difficult for students to take the test and submit their scores.
Harvard has long said that standardized tests are only a small part of what the admissions office considers. The announcement said that students also will not be penalized for having pass/fail grades or limited extracurricular activities because of the virus. The tests will be optional for those applying to Harvard’s Class of 2025; regular applicants must submit by Jan. 21, 2021.
But some test experts are suggesting that if the change works out, universities may choose to continue the practice once the pandemic has receded.
4.Next Year's Oscar's has been delayed until April, and they've pushed back the eligibility deadline into 2021
Hmmm, the Tony's were cancelled. Wonder if they will cancel the Emmy's? Maybe not. They didn't cancel the Daytime Emmy's - those will be telecast for the first time in five years on CBS prime time. Mainly because CBS doesn't have a lot to show at the moment.
5. The US Supreme Court said the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. - I mentioned this previously, but what is striking is that the opinion was written by the Trump pick, Justice Gorsuch. Which means, it won't be fought by the evil conservatives and they'll accept it and not politicize it.
“An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for the majority in the 6-to-3 ruling.
That opinion and two dissents, spanning 168 pages, touched on a host of flash points in the culture wars involving the L.G.B.T. community — bathrooms, locker rooms, sports, pronouns and religious objections to same-sex marriage. The decision, the first major case on transgender rights, came amid widespread demonstrations, some protesting violence aimed at transgender people of color.
Until Monday’s decision, it was legal in more than half of the states to fire workers for being gay, bisexual or transgender. The vastly consequential decision thus extended workplace protections to millions of people across the nation, continuing a series of Supreme Court victories for gay rights even after President Trump transformed the court with his two appointments.
The decision achieved a decades-long goal of gay rights proponents, one they had initially considered much easier to achieve than a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. But even as the Supreme Court established that right in 2015, workplace discrimination remained lawful in most of the country. An employee who married a same-sex partner in the morning could be fired that afternoon for being gay.
Monday’s lopsided ruling, coming from a fundamentally conservative court, was a surprise. Justice Gorsuch, who was Mr. Trump’s first appointment to the court, was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Supporters of L.G.B.T. rights were elated by the ruling, which they said was long overdue.
“This is a simple and profound victory for L.G.B.T. civil rights,” said Suzanne B. Goldberg, a law professor at Columbia. “Many of us feared that the court was poised to gut sex discrimination protections and allow employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, yet it declined the federal government’s invitation to take that damaging path.”