Author: TheGuardian

A cauldron for infectious disease: Spread of COVID-19 inevitable in overcrowded ICE detention centers

Doctors are concerned the spread of coronavirus to the US’s prison-like immigration detention centers is inevitable and will hit a system blighted by overcrowding and medical negligence. There are two known incidents of possible coronavirus infections tied to the US immigration detention system, which has detained record numbers of people under Donald Trump. Dr. Ranit Mishori, senior medical adviser at the Physicians for Human Rights advocacy group, said it was inevitable coronavirus hits either a prison or jail, and that it was likely to hit immigration detention centers as well. “Looking at what has been happening in immigration detention...

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The decline of “America’s Dairyland” is fundamentally changing Wisconsin’s rural landscape

Collapsing prices, the rise of mega farms in warmer states and fluctuations in demand have led to a spate of bankruptcies across the heartland of Wisconsin’s dairy farms. The Goodman family has been milking cows in Wisconsin since 1889. Jim Goodman is the last of his line. The 66-year-old farmer has sold his herd and the land where they grazed. His children have chosen other careers. “One of our old neighbors used to say that farmers who encourage their children to farm could be charged with child abuse. It’s condemning them to a future where there is no certainty...

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CDC gives permission to Wisconsin labs for local testing of the coronavirus

Two labs in Wisconsin can now test for the coronavirus locally instead of sending samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing in Atlanta. The testing will be done at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and at the Milwaukee Health Department. “Fast access to high-quality testing can help make a difference in our efforts to identify and control the spread of the disease,” said State Health Officer Jeanne Ayers on March 2. Ayers, with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said one person has tested positive for the...

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From Munich to Milwaukee: Coronavirus casts a long shadow over the global economy’s health

With the coronavirus outbreak spreading far beyond its source in China, companies are braced for a hit on profits as demand slumps and production is disrupted in the world’s second largest economy and beyond. Executives face weeks of uncertainty over how many people will catch the virus worldwide and what the full impact will be. Daniel Zhang, the boss of China’s biggest listed company, Alibaba, described the coronavirus outbreak as a potential “black swan” event that could derail the global economy. Here are some of the main industries affected so far. Airlines The virus has prompted 21 airlines to...

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When Charity Fails: Only structural change will fix inequity

The individuals leading change, and making the largest sacrifices, are all too often the people most threatened by inequality. As we enter 2020 and survey the state of the world, two competing storylines seem to dominate the present. The first is ruthless, relentless inequality. We see this not only in the imbalance of our economy, but also in our politics and government, in education and expression, and in the ways that our social structures and cultural practices dismiss and disregard people because of their gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and more. Then there is the corollary: People standing up, speaking...

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A Beef with the Wienermobile: Puns follow traffic stop after Waukesha deputy grills novelty vehicle driver

A Waukesha sheriff’s deputy pulled over a 27ft Wienermobile and grilled the driver for failing to obey traffic laws on January 28. The Waukesha sheriff’s office tweeted the image of a deputy’s SUV parked behind a giant, roving hotdog with the hashtags #MoveOver #SlowDown #Wienermobile, a reference to state law that requires all vehicles, including mobile frankfurters, to change lanes or slow down when emergency vehicles are on the side of the road. “Every Hotdogger who gets behind our 27ft 🌭 on wheels goes through extensive road training, but from time to time our buns get in the way....

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