Schwarzman Scholars Fully-funded Masters Scholarship for International Students 2017/2018 – China

Brief description: Designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century.

Application Deadlines: 15th September 2016 (annual)

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: All

To be taken at (country): Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (students live and study together on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly-built, state-of-the-art facility, where all classes will be taught in English.)

Fields of Study:  Masters degree programmes in one of these three disciplines:

• Public Policy
• Economics and Business
• International Studies

What will be taught: Business, Social sciences, Leadership skills

About the Award: Enrolling the inaugural class in 2016, the program will give the world’s best and brightest students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year Master’s Degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing – one of China’s most prestigious universities.

With a $350 million endowment, Schwarzman Scholars will be the single largest philanthropic effort ever undertaken in China by largely international donors. The extraordinary students selected to become Schwarzman Scholars will receive a comprehensive scholarship.

Schwarzman Scholars was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Blackstone Co-Founder Stephen A. Schwarzman personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $350 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. The $450 million endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the U.S., China and around the world for a one-year Master’s Degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities and an indispensable base for the country’s scientific and technological research. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling, and developing a better understanding of China.

Type: Masters Degree

Offered Since: 2015

Eligibility: The following criteria must be met by all candidates:

• Undergraduate degree or first degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent. Applicants who are currently enrolled in undergraduate degree programs must be on track to successfully complete all degree requirements before orientation begins in 1 August 2017. There are no requirements for a specific field of undergraduate study; all fields are welcome, but it will be important for applicants, regardless of undergraduate major, to articulate how participating in Schwarzman Scholars will help develop their leadership potential within their field.
• Age. Applicants must be at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age as of 1 August 2017
• Citizenship. There are no citizenship or nationality requirements
• English language proficiency. Applicants must demonstrate strong English Language skills, as all teaching will be conducted in English. If the applicant’s native language is not English, official English proficiency test scores must be submitted with the application. Acceptable test options are:
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT)
  • Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  This requirement is waived for applicants who graduated from an undergraduate institution where the primary language of instruction was English for at least three years of the applicant’s academic program.

Candidate must also be at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age as of 1 August 2017

Number of Awardees: Up to 200 exceptional men and women will be accepted into the program each year. The class that begins in summer 2017 will include 125 scholars, and the program will grow to include up to 200 students in coming years. About 45% of the first class will come from the United States, 20% from China, and 35% from the rest of the world.

Value of Scholarship: Semi-finalist interview expenses, such as economy class air or train travel, group meals and one night in a hotel if needed, will be arranged and covered by the program. Expenses for successful Schwarzman Scholars are also FULLY covered by the program.

It will include Tuition and fees, Room and board, Travel to and from Beijing at the beginning and end of the academic year, An in-country study tour, Required course books and supplies, Lenovo laptop and smartphone, Health insurance, and A modest personal stipend.

Duration of Scholarship: 1 year

How to Apply: There is no fee associated with applying to the Schwarzman Scholars program. To apply, you will need to complete and successfully submit an online application form, including all required documents and essays before the deadline date.

Visit the official website (link below) for complete information on how to apply to this scholarship programme.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: Schwarzman Scholars

Important Notes: Finalists will be invited to interview in Bangkok (October 28th), London (November 2nd), or New York (November 7th) and will be notified of their acceptance in mid-November of 2016.

113 Undergraduate & Masters MasterCard Foundation Scholarships at University of California, Berkeley USA 2017/2018

Application Deadline: undergraduate: 30th November 2016 (annual) | masters: Graduate application deadlines vary by program (to fall between 1 December 2016 and 8 January 2017).

Offered annually? Yes

However, the Mastercard UC Berkeley Undergraduate scholarship ends this year (4 year course), Since the Mastercard Scholarship Programme is an eight year program from 2012 to 2020. The Masters scholarship continues until the given termination year runs out.

Scholarship Name: MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program at University of California, Berkeley USA 2017/2018

Brief description: At University of California Berkeley, the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program will provide holistic support – financial, academic, social, and career counselling – to113 Undergraduate and Masters students from Sub-Saharan Africa from 2012 to 2020. UC Berkeley will receive $30 million in funding over the next eight years as part of MFSP.

Eligible Field of Study: Most Bachelors and Masters courses offered at the university

About Scholarship

Over the next eight years, the Scholars Program will bring 113 students from Africa to UC Berkeley for undergraduate and master’s degrees. The program’s peak year at UC Berkeley will be 2016-17, when 81 Scholars will be enrolled. 4 undergraduate (college freshman) and 3 graduate (total of 7) students from sub-Saharan Africa are already attending UC Berkeley on MasterCard Foundation Scholarship, at no cost.

Administered out of the Center for African Studies, the program at the University of California, Berkeley is supported by a broad cross-section of functional and disciplinary units on campus including the Division of Student Affairs, Undergraduate Admissions, the Graduate Division, the Berkeley International Office, and the International House.

The Program is designed to provide holistic support, including:

• Comprehensive scholarships (school fees, living expenses, books, stipends, transportation).
• Mentoring and counselling including emotional and academic support.
• Service and experiential learning (volunteerism, internships, entrepreneurship, ICT).
• Transition support into higher education or the workforce in Africa.
• Alumni network of next-generation leaders committed to service.

Scholarship Offered Since: 2012

Scholarship Type: The scholars will pursue both undergraduate and professional master’s degrees

Selection Criteria and Eligibility

The five main eligibility criteria are:

• Being a citizen of a Sub-Saharan African country – If you have refugee status, are stateless, or have other questions regarding your citizenship, you may still be eligible. Please contact us directly to clarify. This scholarship is not intended for citizens of North African countries.
• Excelling academically – All prospective Scholars must first be admitted to UC Berkeley to be considered for the Scholarship. An important criteria for admission to the University is demonstrated academic excellence.
• Coming from an economically disadvantaged background – We aim to admit those from the bottom two income quintiles per country. This Scholarship is designed for those extremely talented individuals who have no other means of acquiring the further education required to help realize their dreams and ambitions.
• Having demonstrated the will to give back to your community, country, or continent – We are looking for well-rounded students who are engaged in activities beyond the classroom. Some may be directly related to your field of study, but this may also include other issues (social, economic, political) that you are working on and passionate about. Applicants should elaborate on their achievements both in their application to UC Berkeley, and then later on the Scholarship application.
• Having expressed the desire and intention to return to your home country after completing your studies – We are looking for students who are engaged with and passionate about issues affecting their communities, and who will take advantage of their education at UC Berkeley to better equip themselves with the knowledge and training to address these issues upon return. While important work can be done from abroad, the intention of this Program is to enable Scholars to return home, after forming valuable professional connections through internship and job placements.

Number of Scholarships: Several

Value of Scholarship: Full scholarship

Duration of Scholarship: for the period of study

Eligible Countries: Sub-Saharan African

To be taken at (country): At University of California Berkeley, USA

How to Apply

Both undergraduate and graduate degree seekers must first be admitted to the university through the regular admissions process before they will be considered for the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Graduate Division provide detailed information on the admissions process for international students.

Learn more about applying for Undergraduate scholarship

Learn more about applying for Masters Scholarship

Sponsors: MasterCard Foundation and the host university

ACI Foundation Scholarship in USA & Canada for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 2017/2018

Undergraduate or postgraduate Fellowship for international students by ACI Foundation in the field of structural design, materials, construction, into schools in USA and Canada.

Application Deadline:  16th October, 2016.

The ACI Foundation offers several Fellowship and undergraduate Scholarship opportunities for students and E-Members. ACI Foundation Fellowships and Scholarships are awarded annually to help students with an interest in concrete achieve their educational and career goals. The student must be considered a full-time undergraduate or graduate student as defined by the college or university during the award year. Applications will be accepted from anywhere in the world but study must take place in the United States or Canada during the award year.

Eligibility

• All ACI Foundation Fellowship applicants must be nominated by a faculty member who is also an ACI member before the student is able to receive an official application.
• The student must be considered a full-time undergraduate or graduate student as defined by the college or university during the award year.
• Applications will be accepted from anywhere in the world but study must take place in the United States or Canada during the award year.
• All applicants must be proficient in the English language. If English is not your native language, a written statement must be attached to the application attesting to this proficiency.

Fields of Study: Structural Design, Materials, Construction

Value of Scholarship: 

• $3000-$5000 for undergraduate and graduate scholarship
• $7,000 for Fellowship candidates

How to Apply: The application package should be emailed to scholarships@concrete.org. The application, resume and essay should be sent together in one e-mail package. Hard copies of applications, resumes, and essays will not be accepted.
Please be sure that your name is on every piece of material submitted.
If you meet the requirements of the ACI Foundation Scholarships, you are encouraged to also apply for them. A separate application must be filled out and submitted. Only one set of transcripts and reference forms are necessary for all ACI Foundation Fellowships and Scholarships.

Application Documents: For your application packet to be considered for this award, each of the following pieces of information must be submitted by the deadline indicated:
Completed application form: The application form must be typed. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.
Resume: Any resume more than one-page will not be accepted.
Essay: There is a 500 word maximum for essays. Your name must be on the first page of the essay. Only Microsoft Word files will be accepted.
Two Online Reference Forms: Please click here for the Online Reference Forms.
Official Transcripts:
Transcripts shall be sent to:
ACI Foundation
Attn: Scholarship Coordinator
38800 Country Club Drive
Farmington Hills, MI 48331

Internship Requirement Agreement: Applicants for ACI Foundation Fellowships requiring internships must indicate acknowledgement and agreement to fulfill the internship requirement on the application form in the space provided. Internships must be served the summer before the award year.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for more details

Apply Now for the International Guest Scholarships at American College of Surgeons 2018

Brief description: The American College of Surgeons offers International Guest Scholarships to competent young surgeons from countries other than the United States or Canada who have demonstrated strong interests in teaching and research.

Application Deadline: Completed applications for the International Guest Scholarships and all of the supporting documentation must be received online prior to July 2017.

Offered annually? No. Bi-annually

Eligible Fields of Study: Medicine-related fields

About Award: The American College of Surgeons offers International Guest Scholarships to young surgeons from countries other than the United States or Canada who have demonstrated strong interests in teaching and research. The scholarships, in the amount of $10,000 each, provide the scholars with an opportunity to visit clinical, teaching, and research activities in the U.S. and Canada and to attend and participate fully in the educational opportunities and activities of the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

This scholarship endowment was originally provided through the legacy left to the College by Paul R. Hawley, MD (FACS Hon), former College Director. More recently, gifts from the family of Abdol Islami, MD (FACS), the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and others to the International Guest Scholarship endowment have enabled the College to expand the number of scholarship awards.

Eligibility Requirement

• Applicants must be graduates of schools of medicine who have completed their surgical training.
• Applicants must be at least 35 years old, but under 50, on the date that the completed application is filed.
• Applicants must submit their applications from their intended permanent location. Applications will be accepted for processing only when the applicants have been in surgical practice, teaching, or research for a minimum of one year at their intended permanent location, following completion of all formal training (including fellowships and scholarships).
• Applicants must have demonstrated a commitment to teaching and/or research in accordance with the standards of the applicant’s country.
• Early careerists are deemed more suitable than those who are serving in senior academic appointments.
• Applicants must submit a fully completed application form provided by the College on its website. The application and accompanying materials must be submitted in English. Submission of a curriculum vitae only is not acceptable.
• Applicants must provide a list of all of their publications and must submit, in addition, three complete publications (reprints or manuscripts) of their choice from that list.
• Preference may be given to applicants who have not already experienced training or surgical fellowships in the U.S. or Canada.
• Applicants must submit independently prepared letters of recommendation from three of their colleagues. One letter must be from the chair of the department in which they hold an academic appointment or a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons residing in their country. The chair’s or the Fellow’s letter is to include a specific statement detailing the nature and extent of the teaching and other academic involvement of the applicant. Letters of recommendation should be submitted by the person making the recommendation.
• The online application form is structured to assist the Scholarship Selection Subcommittee and assists the applicant in submitting a structured curriculum vitae.
• The International Guest Scholarships must be used in the year for which they are designated. They cannot be postponed.
• Applicants who are awarded scholarships will provide a full written report of the experiences provided through the scholarships upon completion of their tours.
• An unsuccessful applicant may reapply only twice and only by completing and submitting a new application together with new supporting documentation.

Value of Scholarship: The scholarships provide successful applicants with the privilege of participating in the College’s annual Clinical Congress held in Boston, MA, in October 2018, with public recognition of their presence. They will receive gratis admission to selected postgraduate courses plus admission to all lectures, demonstrations, and exhibits, which are an integral part of the Clinical Congress. Assistance will be provided in arranging visits, following the Clinical Congress, to various clinics and universities of their choice. In order to qualify for consideration by the selection committee, all of the requirements must be fulfilled.

How to Apply: Questions and application materials for this scholarship should be sent to:kearly@facs.org

Visit Awards Webpage for Details

Apply: Oprah Winfrey’s African Women’s Public Service Fellowship at NYU 2017/2018

Brief description: African Women’s Public Service Fellowship, sponsored by Oprah Winfrey, seeks to prepare African women with experience working on issues facing Africa for public service careers in their home countries.

Application Deadline: 15th December, 2016

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Countries in Africa

To be taken at (country): USA

About the Award: The African Women’s Public Service Fellowship, made possible by a donation from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, expands the opportunity for African women to impact for public service in their home countries.

Fellowship recipients commit to return to their respective home countries at the conclusion of the program with the goal of assuming a leadership position on the continent where they can meaningfully contribute to the challenges currently confronting Africa.

Offered Since: 2016

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: 

• Citizen and resident in an African country at the time of application.
• Strong academic record
• Demonstrated commitment to public service

Selection Process: Those selected as fellowship semi-finalists will be invited to participate in Skype interviews in mid-to-late February 2017. Those selected as fellowship finalists will be invited for an in-person interview with the Selection Committee in New York City in early April 2017. Those finalists who cannot travel to New York will be able to interview via Skype. This panel of judges will be comprised of representatives from sponsoring organizations, faculty and NYU Wagner alumni.

Number of Awardees: Not stated

Value of Fellowship: The Fellowship provides full tuition, fees, housing or a housing stipend (if enrolling in the Global EMPA program), travel to and from the United States, and a small stipend to cover books and miscellaneous expenses.

Duration of Fellowship: 1 year

How to Apply: Submit your Fellowship Application Essay along with your online application to NYU Wagner. Fellowship applicants must also submit the one-minute video essay in order to be considered for fellowship. Fellowship Applications are due by the December 15, 2016 deadline.

Visit Fellowship Webpage for details

Award Provider: Oprah Winfrey, NYU Wagner

Poverty and Desperation in a World Class City

Jesse Jackson

Chicago is one of America’s greatest cities. Yet many of its residents live in terror in what is virtually a war zone. When a demented killer slayed 49 in a gun rampage in Orlando, Fla., there was national attention. Presidential candidates called for escalating the fight against the Islamic State in the Middle East, even though the killer seems to be a homegrown terrorist.

But in Chicago, 404 have died in gun violence this year. According to the Congressional Research Service, the murder rate averaged 16.0 per 100,000 a year from 2010-2014. That is nearly four times the national average of 4.6 per 100,000 and nearly three times the Illinois state average (5.8).

These killings are not randomly distributed. African Americans constitute about one-third of Chicago’s residents, but they account for 80 percent of its murder victims.

The killings are concentrated in endangered communities, communities burdened with abject poverty and deplorable conditions. Desperation and murder are segregated in Chicago.

In West Garfield Park, the average per capita income is $10,951. More than 40 percent of the residents live below the poverty line, with an unemployment rate greater than 25 percent.

In Englewood, the average per capita household income is $11,993. Forty-two percent of households live below the poverty line, with an unemployment rate over 21 percent.

In Fuller Park, per capita household income is $9,016, with a majority — 55.5 percent — of households living below the poverty line. The unemployment rate is 40 percent. Washington Park, North Lawndale, Austin, Greater Grand Crossing, East Garfield Park … the list goes on.

During the height of the Great Depression, the unemployment rate hovered at roughly 20 percent. These neighborhoods are suffering levels twice that, now six years into the supposed recovery.

These are disaster zones in a supposedly world-class city. They look like they are under siege, and to some extent they are. Drugs and guns, violence and despair mark lives condemned to live in these zones.

The war in Iraq — one the Bush administration chose to launch — will end up costing us more than $3 trillion. And of course, the wars go on — in Afghanistan, in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, and now the U.S. is beginning to bomb Libya.

But the right now disaster zones in Chicago are ignored. The everyday violence is decried but nothing is done. The poverty is regretted but there is no plan to attack it.

In fact, national policy does more to expand the divide between endangered communities and affluent ones, between those living in the disaster zone and those living uptown.

A new report by the Institute for Policy Studies and the Center for Enterprise Development details the growing racial wealth gap in America. They find that without a drastic change in policy, by 2043, when people of color are projected to account for more than half of the U.S. population, the racial wealth divide between white households and African American and Latino households will have doubled from about $500,000 in 2013 to more than $1 million.

The gap reflects the impact of historic inequities — from federally sanctioned housing discrimination to private redlining — but its expansion is fueled in part by tax policies that aid the highest earners while providing the lowest income families with virtually nothing.

Over the past 20 years alone, the report finds, the federal government spent more than $8 trillion through tax programs to assist families in building long-term wealth, including saving for retirement, purchasing a home, starting a business or paying for college. But the impact of these expenditures has been “upside down.” With typical millionaires pocketing about $145,000 in public tax benefits each year to increase their wealth while working families receive a total of $174 on average.

More of the same won’t help. Adding benefits to the wealthy few — like Donald Trump’s call to end the estate tax — will add to the inequity and contribute to the despair. If nothing changes, the desperate zones will get worse. Surely this crisis is worthy of debate in the presidential campaign, and action from the White House and Congress.

Humans Are Poisoning The Ocean—And It’s Poisoning Us Back

Nika Knight

It’s no secret that we have trashed, poisoned, and warmed oceans at an unprecedented rate via human-caused climate change and pollution.

It seems that oceans may be paying us back in kind, according to a new study that found levels of bacteria responsible for life-threatening illnesses spiking in the North Atlantic region.

The study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) discovered that a deadly variety of bacteria known as vibrio is spreading rapidly throughout the Atlantic as a result of hotter ocean temperatures.

Marine ecologist Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, who was not involved in the research, described the shift to theWashington Post as “an ecosystem-level effect of climate change”:

What this new research does is present evidence of the increased prevalence of these bacteria over broad regions of the North Atlantic from preserved samples collected over 54 years. The prevalence of these bacteria has increased as the ocean has warmed, both as result of global warming and multi-decadal variations in ocean circulation.  This trend may be caused by changes in the plankton community rather than just the temperature alone.  In other words, increased prevalence may be an ecosystem-level effect of climate change.

Vibrio bacteria cause infections in humans and animals, and a growing number of people are hospitalized each year after consuming fish contaminated by the pathogen, the study notes, observing that the rapid rise in vibrio levels on the U.S. and European Atlantic coasts corresponds with the increasing number of hospitalizations for vibrio infections on both continents.

“We were able to demonstrate that there was an increase in the numbers of vibrios, probably a two or threefold increase, correlated with the increase in climate temperature, and then correlated with outbreaks of vibrio infections that have been recorded in the medical records,” said Rita Colwell, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland who is a co-author of the study, to the Post.

Colwell told the Post that the shift in vibrio bacteria numbers is just one of many enormous ecological transformations to come as a result of climate change. “It’s a disruption of the natural pattern, and it will be selecting for a number of species, and that’s the problem,” Colwell said.

“We don’t just damage the oceans even as we ourselves go unaffected by the consequences of that damage,” the Post observes. “Rather, from harm to fisheries to direct human health threats, that damage hurts us, too.”

A Nonviolent Strategy To End War

Robert J. Burrowes

There is a long history of anti-war and peace activism. Much of this activism has focused on ending a particular war. Some of this activism has been directed at ending a particular aspect of war, such as the use of a type of weapon. Some of it has aimed to prevent a type of war, such as ‘aggressive war’ or nuclear war. For those activists who regard war as the scourge of human existence, however, ‘the holy grail’ has always been much deeper: to end war.

There is an important reason why those of us in the last category have not, so far, succeeded. In essence, this is because, whatever their merits, the analyses and strategies we have been using have been inadequate. This is, of course, only a friendly criticism of our efforts, including my own. I am also not suggesting that the task will be easy, even with a sound analysis and comprehensive strategy. But it will be far more likely.

Given my own preoccupation with human violence, of which I see war as a primary subset, I have spent a great deal of time researching why violence occurs in the first place – see ‘Why Violence?’http://tinyurl.com/whyviolence and ‘Fearless Psychology and Fearful Psychology: Principles and Practice’. http://anitamckone.wordpress.com/articles-2/fearless-and-fearful-psychology/ – and by taking or teaching strategic nonviolent action in response to many of its manifestations.

Moreover, given that I like to succeed when I work for positive change in this world, I pay a great deal of attention to strategy. In fact, I have written extensively on this subject after researching the ideas of the greatest strategic theorists and strategists in history. If you are really keen, you can read about this in ‘The Strategy of Nonviolent Defense: A Gandhian Approach’. http://www.sunypress.edu/p-2176-the-strategy-of-nonviolent-defe.aspx

However, because I know that most people aren’t too interested in scholarly works and that nonviolent activists have plenty of worthwhile things to do with their time, I have recently been putting the essence of the information in the book onto two websites so that the strategic thinking is presented simply and is readily available.

One of the outcomes I would like to achieve through these websites is to involve interested peace and anti-war activists from around the world in finalizing the development of a comprehensive nonviolent strategy to end war and to then work with them to implement it.

Consequently, I have been developing this nonviolent strategy to end war and I invite you to check it out and to suggest improvements. You can see it on the Nonviolent Campaign Strategy website.https://nonviolentstrategy.wordpress.com/

If you are interested in being involved in what will be a long and difficult campaign, I would love to hear from you.

You might also be interested in signing the online pledge of ‘The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World’ http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com where the names of many nonviolent activists who will work on this campaign are already listed.

Ending war is not impossible. But it is going to take a phenomenal amount of intelligent strategic effort, courage and time. Whether we have that time is the only variable beyond our control.

Ten-year-old boy killed, three girls injured in separate US amusement park accidents

Shelley Connor

The August 7 death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab at the Kansas City, Kansas, Schlitterbahn waterpark, as well as the unrelated injuries of three young girls at a Tennessee theme park one day later, has shone a light on the dangerously under-regulated amusement park industry in the United States.

Schlitterbahn operates water parks throughout Texas in addition to the park in Kansas. Schwab was killed, in circumstances still unclear to the public at large, in an accident on its Kansas City Verruckt water slide on Sunday afternoon.

Verruckt, which means “insane” in German, is the world’s highest water slide. It drops its riders, who are buckled into rubber rafts with Velcro straps, down a 168-foot incline at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour. Prior to Schwab’s death, many visitors had voiced concerns to Schlitterbahn staff about the reliability of the Velcro straps. At least one Schlitterbahn visitor has reported that, just prior to Schwab’s death on the ride, her safety strap had come undone.

A witness at the scene of Schwab’s accident reported to NBC News and to CNN that he saw the boy’s body floating, apparently decapitated, in the pool at the end of the ride. Autopsy reports released to the public cite the cause of his death as “an unspecified neck injury.”

A day after Caleb Schwab’s death, three girls were injured after falling from a Ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair in eastern Tennessee. The girls, ages 6, 10, and 16, fell at least 35 feet after the basket they were riding in overturned. They struck the steel railing of the ride before falling to the ground. The 10-year-old is reportedly in good condition. The 16-year-old, whose condition was initially reported as critical, is now in stable condition. The 6-year-old, though, suffered a traumatic brain injury; she had to be intubated at the scene before being flown to a trauma unit. As of publication, she remains unconscious in critical condition.

Schlitterbahn’s Verruckt ride will remain closed until it is re-inspected, in accordance with Kansas’s state laws. All mechanical rides at the Greene County Fair will be shut down pending investigation by an independent inspector.

Both instances highlight the perilously lax federal regulation of amusement parks, though. Schlitterbahn proudly boasts on its website that its rides are inspected daily, though these inspections are done by Schlitterbahn employees. Kansas law only requires that permanent rides like Verruckt be inspected annually—by a private inspector hired by the theme park.

The Ferris wheel in Tennessee was reportedly inspected in Indiana on June 21, and was set for another inspection on August 13. However, Family Attraction Amusements, which owns and operates the rides at the fair, was not subject to inspection after setting up for the fair in Tennessee.

Amusement parks have not been overseen by a federal regulatory body since 1981, when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was stripped of its jurisdiction over the parks. This came about on a wave of broader deregulation maneuvers as part of domestic budget cuts under President Ronald Reagan. This has left the states to regulate the rides, with varying degrees of stringency.

In many cases, the states have left theme park companies to oversee their own operations, with different standards for permanent rides such as Schlitterbahn’s Verruckt and movable carnival rides such as Family Attraction Amusements’ Ferris wheel in Tennessee.

Five states—Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota, Nevada, and Utah—require absolutely no oversight for amusement parks. Three of the best-known and most profitable amusement parks, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Busch Gardens, all located in the state of Florida, are completely exempt from any sort of investigation from the state, even in the case of accidents. They voluntarily submit a quarterly report on accidents and injuries, but the state has no power to investigate accidents that occur in those parks.

Amusement parks such as Schlitterbahn draw an estimated 300 million visitors a year. Thousands of people—as many as 3,000 a year—are injured on the rides at these parks. At least two people have died annually, on average, since the deregulation of amusement parks. It is difficult to gauge the rate of accidents and fatalities, though; combined with the absence of federal oversight is the corrosive and obfuscating effect of the amusement park lobby on the gathering and reporting of statistics.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, spent over $1 million in 2015, lobbying congress against regulations for amusement parks.

The IAAPA is the sole body that gathers and aggregates statistics on theme park accidents, injuries and deaths, and it does so by commissioning the National Safety Commission to survey the association’s members. Not all IAAPA member businesses are invited to participate in the survey, and not all who are invited elect to do so.

In 2014, the IAAPA asked 403 member organizations to share their data with the commission. Only 188 parks shared their statistics. Yet the IAAPA uses this unscientific method to proclaim that amusement parks in America are safe enough to remain exempt from federal oversight, and Congress has consistently subordinated the safety of American park-goers to industry profitability and federal budget concerns.

In cases like Schwab’s, congressional indifference intersects fatally with the amusement park industry’s drive for profit. Parks compete for the most extreme attractions, in which passengers are hurled at speeds of up to 80 miles an hour down ever-rising heights on rides that are not independently audited for safety. Agencies such as the IAPAA are left to oversee themselves, which leads to unreliable safety data for consumers. This is part and parcel of the logic of capitalism where workers’ safety is left to the caprices of industrial bosses in the name of profits.

Unsafe levels of carcinogenic chemicals found in drinking water of 6 million Americans

James Brewer

A scientific report released on Tuesday reveals that six million Americans are being exposed to high levels of unregulated industrial pollutants through their drinking water.

The chemicals, widely used in industrial processes and commercial products for the past 60 years, are called poly-and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). “Cancer, elevated cholesterol, obesity, immune suppression, and endocrine [hormone] disruption” in humans have all been linked to PFAS exposure, according to the report published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters .

Due to the extremely strong chemical bonds in the substances, their levels to reach toxicity are much lower than for chemicals like lead. Despite being used industrially and commercially for six decades, and known to be toxic to humans, PFASs are not regulated by the EPA.

The report presents an analysis of PFASs levels in US drinking water from 2013-2015. Of 4,864 water supplies tested in the US, 194 were found to have detectable levels of PFASs. Of those, 66 had at least one sample exceeding the EPA’s 70 ng/L safety threshold.

Xindi Hu, leading the Harvard University team that authored the report, said, “Virtually all Americans are exposed to these compounds. They never break down. Once they are released into the environment, they are there.”

PFASs are used widely in products like non-stick coatings on cooking pans, in food wrappers, and also in water-repellent clothing and foams used in firefighting.

The sources of PFAS pollution in drinking water are varied. According to Hu, in an interview on ResearchGate, “Manufactures and industrial sites could emit PFASs through air, runoff, and solid waste. Since they are not regulated, there is little incentive to treat them before they are released.”

Hu reviewed other sources of PFASs. “Firefighting training that takes place on military bases and airports uses PFAS-containing firefighting foams, which is another way PFASs can be released to the environment,” he explained. “Lastly, since PFASs are also used in many consumer products, landfill leachate can be another source of contamination, along with wastewater treatment plants.”

The report states that, “Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are another important PFAS source because these compounds are not removed by standard treatment methods” and are then released with the treated waste in a concentrated form. The researchers add, “Land application of approximately half of the biosolids generated by WWTPs may contribute to human exposure through subsequent contamination of water, food, livestock, and wildlife.”

According to the report, airports and military bases, where personnel are “trained in the use of aqueous film-forming foams, is significantly associated with the detection of PFASs above the minimal reporting level.”

That level is set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in its third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3). The agency’s lifetime health advisory threshold is 70 nanograms per liter (ng/L), or 70 parts per trillion.

According to the EP, since PFASs are not regulated, the agency’s health advisories are “non-enforceable and non-regulatory and provide technical information to state agencies and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination.”

Geographic distribution of PFAS contamination

While the Harvard study estimates that the drinking water of millions of Americans contains unsafe levels of PFASs, this is the first spatial study showing the areas of the country most affected, based on identifying point sources of PFASs. The researchers used the Google Maps application program interface to “geocode coordinates based on addresses.”

Ongoing federal cuts in funding to the EPA and other regulatory agencies have hamstrung efforts to prevent such toxins from entering water supplies.

The head of the EPA’s Office of Water, Joel Beauvais, described to the Washington Post earlier this year the bureaucratic culture inhibiting any environmental regulations which could affect the profits of big business: “It’s a rather intensive process to get one of these drinking-water regulations across the finish line.” The newspaper mentions that only once has the EPA even come close to imposing a new standard since the 1990s.

Hu pointed out in an interview that no data exists on PFAS pollution for about 100 million Americans whose water sources are private wells and small public systems, to say nothing about the hundreds of millions of people around the world potentially affected by PFAS pollution.

When asked about the worldwide implications of PFAS contamination, Hu said, “they are global contaminants. Since the phase-out of long chain PFASs in the US, the manufacture of PFASs shifted to Asian countries such as China. PFASs are extremely stable in the environment, and have the potential to be transported over very long distances.”

Canada: Refugees mount hunger strike to protest indefinite detention

Laurent Lafrance

Dozens of refugees who are being detained indefinitely in two Ontario jails mounted a hunger strike last month to expose the horrific treatment to which they and thousands of others newly arrived in the country are being subjected by the Canadian government.

On July 11, a group of about 50 refugees imprisoned at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ontario, and the Toronto East Detention Centre started refusing food.

According to the refugee-rights groups No One Is Illegal and the End Immigration Detention Network, the hunger strikers were demanding an end to the government’s policy of indefinitely detaining refugees in prisons, including maximum-security facilities. They were also protesting brutal prison practices including lockdowns and solitary confinement.

On the weekend of July 30-31, detainees at the Lindsay facility began accepting food.

Karen Cocq, a leading member of both refugee-rights organizations, explained that some migrants are “locked up in prison for 2, 3 or 5 years and don’t have access to health services and medication.”

The refugee-rights groups had been urging Liberal Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale to meet the prisoners, a demand he rejected despite urgent warnings by a group of medical specialists that the strikers’ health was in danger.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued a statement saying it “took notice of the circumstances and was working closely with the detainees in order to resolve quickly and safely the hunger strike.” But pro-refugee activists charged that “prison authorities, likely under CBSA instructions, are doing everything in their power to break the strike.”

One of the strike organizers was deported at the end of July, after 26 months behind bars. Others were threatened with transfer.

Goodale refused to meet with the hunger strikers, let alone address their concerns. Instead, he penned a column for the Huffington Post in which he whitewashed the CBSA and the criminal character of indefinite detention, a measure that tramples on basic human rights, the UN Refugee Convention, and international law. He called for “reform” of the detention system, including the building of new federally funded facilities for detainees. These would effectively serve as prisons, but cost the government less.

Most of the refugee detainees have fled political repression or desperate conditions in countries that have been ravaged by imperialist-imposed economic restructuring programs and imperialist war, as in the Middle East. They are being detained without trial or charge on administrative grounds, such as the CBSA’s claim that their identity cannot be verified or that they constitute a “flight risk.”

Their imprisonment makes a mockery of the attempt by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to portray himself and his Liberal government as “progressive” and a friend of refugees.

Last December, the media gave Trudeau wall-to-wall coverage when he met the first planeload of Syrian refugees on the tarmac of Toronto’s Pearson Airport. The prime minister made a show of handing out winter jackets, Canadian flags, and teddy bears to the refugees and told those who were fleeing the war and social devastation caused by Canada and the other imperialist powers that they were now “home.”

Trudeau’s pledge to bring 25,000 carefully selected Syrian refugees to Canada, a tiny fraction of the 4 million who have fled the country and the millions more who have been internally displaced, was an election ploy. It was aimed at appealing to the groundswell of popular support for the refugees and at camouflaging the Liberals’ right-wing agenda, including plans to strengthen Ottawa’s military-security partnership with Washington and expand Canada’s participation in the US-led war in Iraq and Syria.

While the government now boasts about having fulfilled its pledge to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees, many of those who arrived last winter were privately sponsored and are now facing government demands that they pay up to $10,000 for their relocation to Canada. Moreover, no sooner was the 25,000-target met than the government slashed the staff working on applications, leaving thousands who were in the processing of applying to come to Canada stranded in miserable conditions in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and other countries.

Behind its “progressive” and humanitarian facade, the Trudeau Liberal government has continued the aggressive, militarist foreign policy that the Harper Conservatives pursued on behalf of Canadian imperialism. It is also upholding the reactionary changes that Liberal and Conservative governments have made to the refugee determination process over the past two decades.

Although Canada has never been a haven for migrants and asylum seekers, recent years have witnessed a dramatic assault on their rights. Under the Chretien-Martin Liberal government, a law was passed that strips anyone who arrived in Canada via a “safe third country” of the right to even apply for refugee status.

In 2012, the former Harper government tabled the draconian “Refugee Exclusion Act” (Bill C-31), which legalizes mandatory incarceration for refugees designated as “irregular arrivals.” Under this law, which was presented as a way to reduce the flow of “bogus refugees” and “people-smuggling,” migrants, including children, can be detained for a year pending a governmental review of their case.

This legislation, which was drafted by the Conservatives but is now being implemented by the Trudeau Liberals, effectively strips refugees of basic democratic rights, including freedom from arbitrary detention, the right to freedom and security, and habeas corpus (the right to have a detention challenged quickly and by an independent court or judge).

In 2015, the Conservatives, with Liberal support, rushed through a new “anti-terrorism” law (Bill C-51) that dramatically increases the coercive powers of the state. This includes granting the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the power to break virtually any law in thwarting purported threats to public security. As a result of Bill C-51’s expansive new definition of activities deemed to “undermine the security of Canada,” the CBSA and government have much greater leeway to reject refugee claims and deny applicants permanent residence status. Bill C-51 also entrenches in law the state power to incarcerate non-residents indefinitely—a practice the UN Human Rights Commission has explicitly condemned.

As a result of the past two decades of regressive changes to Canadian policy, thousands of migrants are victims of what the government calls “preventive detention.” Many are being held in maximum-security prison facilities, often alongside criminals or in segregation units even though they have been charged with no crime.

Immigration detention is one of the fastest growing forms of incarceration in Canada. The Canadian government jailed more than least 87,300 refugee claimants and other migrants without charge between 2000 and 2014. Of these, more than 4,000 were minors under the age of 18.

On any given day, some 400 migrants are held in detention in Canada, including more than 200 in Ontario jails. Over one third of all migrant detainees are held in provincial prisons, and the rest are imprisoned in one of three CBSA-run immigration-holding centers in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

The conditions of detention, while largely concealed by the government and the corporate media, are atrocious. Since 2000, at least 15 people have died while detained by the CBSA, including 3 since the Liberals came to power just nine months ago.

Refugee claimants are usually detained on the basis that because their identities cannot be confirmed, they constitute a “security threat.”

Many refugees refrain from giving border agents much information because they fear being quickly sent back to their war-torn countries. In 2012, as part of Bill C-31, the government established a list of 27 countries deemed “safe.” Refugee claimants from these countries are deported through a fast-tracked process, with no right to appeal a negative decision.

For those refugees who are lucky enough not to be imprisoned, life is often extremely harsh. They live in poverty with difficulty finding jobs or decent housings in metropolitan cities where a two-bedroom apartment can easily cost C$1,500-C$2,000 per month, if not more. Many face language barriers and social isolation, while trying to cope with psychological distress arising from the traumatic experiences that they endured in their country of origin. Government cuts to health care and public services have only exacerbated this stark reality.