Six teens from Burundi competed recently in the international robotics contest in Washington, D.C.
None had ever built a robot before but they learned to do it online and Skyping. They did well, coming in 73rd of 160 teams.
When the three-day tournament was over, the entire team disappeared. Two are safely in Canada, and this article says the other four are also safe. They will likely all end up in Canada, which welcomes immigrants as the U.S. used to do.
The kids are alright.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The US is becoming untenable for scientists, especially those with a bright and long future ahead of them.
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Just glad to know they are safe in Canada. Their was a time they would have been welcome in America too. So sad.
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Glad they’re safe.
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Good for Canada. Our loss, their gain.
Given the increasingly hostile climate regarding science in this country, and the loss of funding for basic research, I wouldn’t blame any of our own bright kids to either forget about going into research, or to go overseas. Same with bright, scientifically minded immigrants. Why would they come here?
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In Trumplandia, studying science is a dead end
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Yes, sadly, that seems to be the case, Diane.
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It’s more than science, it’s facts and critical thinking.
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Everyone I know is happy the Burandi teens are safe and not harmed.
Immigrants ARE welcomed in the U.S. We are very close to a couple of families who have spent a great deal of time and money going through the application process legally. We will be celebrating with them when their paperwork is finally approved. They have a very different viewpoint on people who disregard the legal process and our laws. People who attempt to enter the country illegally are not immigrants. Media and politicians have conveniently blurred the meaning of the word.
The Burandi teens have one year traveling VISAs according to their chaperone. The 18 year olds in the group are adults. One of the teens is known to have an uncle over here. The chaperone admits to hearing discussion of the teens not returning home on their flight. This was well planned and coordinated. They’re obviously smart young teens. The minors would have gone to Canada for numerous reasons if they didn’t want to be picked up by the police as a “missing person”. The event coordinators went to great lengths to keep the competitors safe in D.C.
I loved looking at the pictures on Twitter feeds of this event. The collaboration and hospitality provided to the contestants was phenomenal. Yay USA! President Trump stepped in to secure travel for the Afghanistan girls team. Credit were credit is due! The girls placed in the competition and the girls were beaming in the pictures with Ivanka Trump. Nice job USA!
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Who are you, Kellyanne Conway’s sister, or daughter?
No credit for Trump, none of it is “due.”
The only reason that Trump “stepped in” to secure the entry of the Afghan girls team is because they were denied in the first place due to Trump’ s own travel ban from certain countries, including Afghanistan, and there was so much publicity about it that he, or his minions, felt that it would make him look bad.
Stop drinking the Trump Kool-Aid and wake the f*ck up.
Geez. And you actually vote? Too bad for this country, no wonder we are going down the toilet.
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No one likes the loss of a cash cow. How many people were excited to see the million of research dollars spent on the shrimp running on treadmills? Before we emotionally jump on the bandwagon, let’s review the research grants.
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You apparently wouldn’t know actual research if it came up and bit you in the *ss.
Yes, there have been some grants that most likely should not have been awarded.
Do you think that private industry can do a better job? Because they are not going to fund anything that does not promise to make them a lot of money in the short term.
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Wow, Zorba!, Is that how you choose to reply to a difference of opinion? Throw out insults??? Do you not look through your finances and decide where you’re going to put your limited funds? I don’t agree with every cut, either. Thank you for recognizing some of the ridiculous grants that have been awarded that could have gone to life saving research.
There are examples of independent organizations moving forward with groundbreaking research. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is doing just that for exactly the reason you stated in your ending sentence. This genetic disease receives very little in government assistance, so they are the perfect example of The Little Engine That Could. They’re funding the research and drug development through the foundation. My friend’s child is now the recipient of one of those drugs. (Amen) Their story is a great read.
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Wow, stilllearning2, you obviously have absolutely no idea about how basic research works. I’m done responding to you, because you obviously have a lot more to learn.
Get back to us after you do learn more.
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http://www.standard.net/National/2017/07/22/He-brought-Burundi-s-first-robotics-team-to-the-US-to-inspire-his-country-Then-the-teens-disappeared
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I like your screenname. Keep going. You have a lot left to learn. You can start with the fact that the Standard is not a site worth reading.
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