hand Don't touch the flags! Golfers find a fairway to beat coronavirus handicap By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Sat, 18 Apr 2020 14:00:00 GMT Sydney golf clubs have never been more booked up as players flock to the greens for a dose of the outdoors. Full Article
hand Don't touch the flags! Golfers find a fairway to beat coronavirus handicap By www.brisbanetimes.com.au Published On :: Sat, 18 Apr 2020 14:00:00 GMT Sydney golf clubs have never been more booked up as players flock to the greens for a dose of the outdoors. Full Article
hand This scientist studies alchemy to turn historical handicrafts into modern innovations By www.popsci.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 15:00:01 +0000 Pamela H. Smith finds scientific inspiration in manuscripts and other artifacts. “So much exploration, experimentation, and innovation happens in craft." Full Article Science
hand Coles workers demand better protection against coronavirus after hand sanitiser switch By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Sun, 19 Apr 2020 13:19:25 +1000 Workers say the supermarket giant is not providing them with the best possible protection against coronavirus after their complaints were dismissed by the head office. Full Article Health COVID-19 Work Workplace Diseases and Disorders Retail
hand Jay wasn't after handouts, but her pantry was empty By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 06:02:27 +1000 For many people like Jay, the COVID-19 pandemic means that for the first time, they're truly struggling to get food on the table. Full Article Consumer Finance Business Economics and Finance Community and Society Poverty Unemployment Health Diseases and Disorders COVID-19
hand TPG-Vodaphone $15b merger in shareholders' hands after clearing hurdle By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 17:40:30 +1000 Vodaphone Hutchison Australia's boss says the deal is now a step closer to reality and plans are in place to bring the two companies together mid-year. Full Article Business Economics and Finance Telecommunications Industry Regulation
hand Don't touch the flags! Golfers find a fairway to beat coronavirus handicap By www.theage.com.au Published On :: Sat, 18 Apr 2020 14:00:00 GMT Sydney golf clubs have never been more booked up as players flock to the greens for a dose of the outdoors. Full Article
hand ‘Smoke-Filled Zoom’: Handicapping Trump vs. Biden in the Middle of a Lockdown By www.politico.com Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 08:30:16 GMT Four veteran GOP campaign managers gathered—virtually—to predict an unprecedented race that’s been blindsided by a pandemic and an economic collapse. Full Article
hand NSW handed Sheffield Shield as coronavirus bring season to abrupt finish By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Tue, 17 Mar 2020 12:09:57 +1100 Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia calls for a halt to all community and grade cricket, cancelling the Sheffield Shield final and handing the title to New South Wales. Full Article Sport Cricket Respiratory Diseases Infectious Diseases (Other)
hand Bridget McKenzie breaks her silence, defends handling of sports grants By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:00:53 +1000 Former Cabinet minister Bridget McKenzie defends her actions in the sports grants scandal, saying it was her "responsibility" to exercise discretion and allocate grants to projects that had not been merit-listed. Full Article Government and Politics Federal Government Community and Society Sport Sports Organisations
hand Review: In a fierce novel about Appalachia, the handlers are worse than the snakes By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 7 May 2020 11:00:16 -0400 Amy Jo Burns' novel, "Shiner," illuminates an Appalachia whose men "pray for God to show Himself while our wives wash their husbands' underpants." Full Article
hand Federal Judge Hands Downs Sentences in Holy Land Foundation Case By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 27 May 2009 18:35:45 EDT Today, in federal court in Dallas, U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis sentenced the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) and five of its leaders following their convictions by a federal jury in November 2008 on charges of providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand California Man Convicted of Conspiracy and Violating the Clean Air Act by Improperly Handling Asbestos By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:21:18 EDT A Santa Clarita, Calif., resident was convicted today of five environmental charges related to the improper renovation of a San Fernando Valley, Calif., apartment complex – work that caused asbestos to be released into the complex and the surrounding community. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Former Kershaw County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Department Officer Sentenced for Assaulting a Handcuffed Arrestee By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 16 May 2011 15:33:09 EDT Oddie Tribble, 51, a former deputy sheriff with the Kershaw County, S.C., Sherriff’s Office, was sentenced to 63 month in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie for using excessive force on a man in his custody on Aug. 5, 2010. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Former Russell County, Ala., Sheriff Deputy Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Charge for Assaulting a Handcuffed Man By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:34:20 EDT Kirby Dollar, 37, a former detective with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court in Montgomery, Ala., for his role in the assault of a handcuffed man. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Two Former Alabama Sheriff’s Office Deputies Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Handcuffed Man in Custody By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 6 Jan 2012 19:30:18 EST Kirby Dollar and Timothy Watford, former deputies with the Russell County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office, were sentenced in federal court in Montgomery, Ala., for their participation in the beating of a handcuffed man who had been taken into official custody. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Justice Department Announces Investigations of the Handling of Sexual Assault Allegations by the University of Montana, the Missoula, Mont., Police Department and the Missoula County Attorney’s Office By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 May 2012 15:49:18 EDT The Department of Justice today announced a series of investigations stemming from allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment at the University of Montana and in the greater Missoula, Mont., community. These investigations will seek to determine whether gender discrimination affected the prevention, investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults and sexual harassment in Missoula. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Statement Regarding Inspector General Report on the Handling of Former Known or Suspected Terrorists Admitted into the Federal Witness Security Program By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 16 May 2013 12:28:30 EDT For more than 40 years, the federal Witness Security (WitSec) Program has enabled the government to bring to justice the most dangerous criminals by providing critical protection for witnesses fearing for their safety. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand North Carolina Used Oil Recycling Business and Owner Plead Guilty to Unlawful Handling of PCB-Contaminated Used Oil and Other Crimes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 13:08:02 EDT Benjamin Franklin Pass, 60, and P&s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The defendants admitted to, among other things, the unlawful handling of a toxic substance that resulted in widespread contamination. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Shands Healthcare to Pay $26 Million to Resolve Allegations Related to Inpatient Stays at Six Florida Hospitals By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 10:00:19 EDT Shands Teaching Hospital & Clinics Inc., Shands Jacksonville Medical Center Inc. and Shands Jacksonville Healthcare Inc., which operates a network of health care providers in Florida, will pay the government and the state of Florida a total of $26 million to settle allegations that six of its health care facilities submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs for inpatient procedures that should have been billed as outpatient services. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Former Tennessee Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Handcuffed Arrestee By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 16:48:13 EST Christopher Eugene Reynolds, 39, a former police officer of the Selmer, Tenn., Police Department (SPD), pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee to violating the civil rights of an arrestee, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Alabama Sheriff’s Investigator Indicted for Unlawfully Detaining and Assaulting Handcuffed Man at County Jail By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 18:51:14 EST The Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama has returned an indictment against J. Keith McCray, a criminal investigator with the Macon County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office for violating the rights of a man he unlawfully seized and assaulted. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Property Owner and Maintenance Supervisor Plead Guilty in Albany to Crimes Relating to Illegal Handling and Disposal of Asbestos By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:32:22 EST John Mills and Terrance Allen, both of Malone, N.Y., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Albany, N.Y., to conspiracy to violate the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and substantive CERCLA counts in relation to the illegal removal, handling, and disposal of asbestos. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Alabama Sheriff’s Investigator Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Handcuffed Man at Macon County Jail By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 4 Apr 2014 18:01:03 EDT J. Keith McCray, a criminal investigator with the Macon County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court today to assaulting a handcuffed man at the county jail, resulting in bodily injury to the victim. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Justice Department and Montana Officials to Hold Press Conference Announcing Negotiated Agreements Regarding the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:13:45 EDT Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg and Missoula County Commissioner Bill Carey will hold a press conference TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. MDT), to announce negotiated agreements regarding the handling of sexual assault cases Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Justice Department Officials to Hold Press Call Announcing Negotiated Agreements Regarding the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:15:06 EDT Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels and U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter will hold a press call TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 at 1:45 p.m. EDT (11:45 a.m. MDT), for reporters who are unable to attend in person the 1:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. MDT), press conference announcing negotiated agreements regarding the handling of sexual assault cases Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand North Carolina Recycling Business and Owner Sentenced to Unlawful Handling of PCB-Contaminated Oil, Tax Violations, and False Statements By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 12:52:09 EDT Benjamin Franklin Pass, 61, and P&W Waste Oil Services Inc. (P&W), of Leland, North Carolina were sentenced today in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina. Pass was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $21,373,143.38 for clean-up costs associated with the environmental contamination at his business and an additional $538,857 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for federal income taxes he failed to pay between 2002 and 2011 Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand Former Alabama Sheriff’s Investigator Sentenced to 36 Months for Assaulting Handcuffed Man at Macon County Jail By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 9 Sep 2014 15:17:40 EDT J. Keith McCray, previously a criminal investigator with the Macon County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office, was sentenced today by Judge Myron H. Thompson to serve 36 months in prison and two years of supervised release for assaulting a handcuffed man at the county jail, announced the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. Full Article OPA Press Releases
hand The State Attorney General Is Scrutinizing This Assisted Living Facility Over Its Handling of COVID-19. Some Residents Are Suing It, Too. By tracking.feedpress.it Published On :: 2020-05-08T06:00:00-04:00 by Joaquin Sapien ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. This story is co-published with PBS Frontline. New York Attorney General Letitia James is looking into allegations that a Queens adult care facility has failed to protect residents from the deadly coronavirus and misled families about its spread, according to two lawmakers who asked for the inquiry and a relative of a resident who spoke to an investigator with the attorney general’s office. In a separate action Tuesday, three residents of the Queens Adult Care Center sued the facility in federal court over similar allegations. Both developments were prompted largely by ProPublica’s recent coverage of the facility, which houses both frail elderly residents and those with mental health issues. On April 2, we reported that workers and residents at the home were becoming ill with the coronavirus as residents wandered in and out of the home without any personal protective equipment. Family members later told ProPublica the management said no residents were sick with the virus at the time. On April 25, ProPublica published a story and a short film with the PBS series Frontline about the harrowing experience of Natasha Roland, who rescued her father in the middle of the night as he suffered coronavirus symptoms so severe he could barely breathe. Roland, in heart-wrenching detail, described how the management of the Queens Adult Care Center repeatedly assured her that her 82-year-old father, Willie Roland, was safe, even as the virus swept through the facility. She said workers were too scared to care for him, forcing his girlfriend, Annetta King-Simpson, to do so. King-Simpson later fell ill herself. Roland and King-Simpson are now suing the facility in federal court. Joe Singer and Katie Campbell/ProPublica In an interview, Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, whose district covers Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, said she was troubled by what ProPublica reported. She said she hoped the attorney general can determine whether the Queens Adult Care Center had broken any laws. “It didn’t sit right with me. I thought something was off here. So I said let’s have the experts look at whether there was a crime or a civil violation,” she said. “Folks who live in this adult home deserve the same dignity as everyone else, and if their rights have been violated, someone needs to pay for that.” Cruz said she had been suspicious of the facility for several years and had come across a community Facebook page where people posted complaints about treatment of residents at the center. When she saw the ProPublica stories, she said she decided to take action, along with City Council member Daniel Dromm, who had already written to the New York State Department of Health and the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo about the spread of the coronavirus in the facility on several occasions. “The plight of those living in adult care centers during this crisis was highlighted in a recent article published by ProPublica, which focused on the perils faced by the residents at the Queens Adult Day Care Center,” the lawmakers wrote in their April 27 letter to the attorney general and the governor’s office. “Failure to inform families about the health of loved ones, to lying and covering up deaths have become regular concerns we have received. We are aware that adult care centers are struggling to keep COVID-19 from affecting their residents and we also know that minorities have been disproportionately affected by the virus. It seems to us that management at this particular center have struggled to implement procedures and policies to protect the lives of its residents.” Cruz said she received an update from the attorney general’s office on May 5, saying it was looking into the matter but would not provide specific details. Days after the lawmakers sent the letter, Natasha Roland, 35, said she received a phone call from an investigator with the attorney general’s office. Roland said she recapped what she had previously told ProPublica: She began to worry about her father’s safety when nearby Elmhurst Hospital became a viral hot spot, but the management repeatedly told her there were no coronavirus cases in the facility. She said she only found out the truth weeks later when a worker she was friendly with advised her to come and pick up her father because the virus was raging through the facility and aides were becoming too scared to check on residents. In a subsequent interview, that worker denied telling Roland to pick up her dad. A spokesperson for the attorney general would not confirm or deny a specific, active investigation into the Queens Adult Care Center, but said James has received hundreds of complaints related to COVID-19 inside nursing homes and adult care facilities across the state and is investigating many of them. For its part, the Queens Adult Care Center has denied any wrongdoing and repeated its belief that Roland’s allegations are “baseless.” “Sadly, select elected officials and ProPublica have been intentionally misled with baseless assertions and utter fabrications crafted by the daughter of one of our long-term residents,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a crisis communications spokesperson hired by the facility. “We have strong reason to believe that this individual is seeking to use her father and other select residents as pawns in an attempt to extort the facility. We are considering our legal options.” He said the facility has “worked tirelessly” to protect its residents and is unaware of a “potential investigation,” but understood that “the AG’s office has contacted many nursing homes, adult care, and assisted living facilities seeking information. We are glad to be a resource to the AG’s office and have nothing to hide.” Bruce Schoengood’s 61-year-old brother, Bryan, lives in the facility and shared a room with one of the first residents to become infected with COVID-19 and subsequently die of the disease. Bruce told ProPublica he only learned that his brother’s roommate had died by happenstance during a casual conversation with his brother, and that he has complained for more than a month about a lack of communication from the facility. He said he had not yet heard from anyone with the attorney general’s office but would welcome such a conversation. In the meantime, Bryan Schoengood, Willie Roland and King-Simpson are suing the facility under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a 59-page complaint, the group has asked a federal judge to appoint a special master to oversee the facility at the home’s expense to ensure that residents there are safe. The lawsuit argues that residents have experienced a “gross failure to provide the most basic level of care to safeguard their health and safety in the context of a global health pandemic. People with disabilities are exposed to high risks of contracting the virus with no or few preventative measures in place. Residents who fall sick are left to languish in their room without proper access to medical care.” The lawsuit claims that because the facility has failed to follow state and federal guidelines, “COVID-19 is rampant in the facility among residents and staff alike.” Alan Fuchsberg is the Manhattan-based personal injury and civil rights attorney representing the three Queens Adult Care Center residents. In an interview, he said that the facility may not have the resources to properly follow the guidelines, which is why a special master should be assigned to work with a team of outside experts to make sure it can. “Right now the residents are in a tinderbox,” he said. “And if you drop a match in there, all hell breaks loose. It should be run right. We don’t need dozens of people dying in all our nursing homes and adult care facilities. Some are running better than others and QACC sounds like a place that is not run up to standards.” He and Bruce Schoengood pointed out that they are not currently suing for damages, but rather to persuade a court to immediately intervene and offer support to the facility’s roughly 350 residents. Schoengood said the goals of the lawsuit are twofold. “I think it is both short term and long term,” he said. “Immediate intervention to put proper protocols in place to treat the sick and stop the spread of coronavirus and to communicate with family members. And in the long term I would like to see this facility much better prepared to handle another pandemic or a second wave.” Responding to the charges in the lawsuit, Sheinkopf again said that “the allegations are baseless and utter fabrications. Queens Adult Care Center (QACC) continues to meet all state issued guidelines.” Full Article
hand Oberland Capital nabs $1.05B raise for late-stage plays, handing out cash for royalties By www.fiercebiotech.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 10:29:40 +0000 Come on in, the water’s warm. After billions already raised by VC firms since the advent of the pandemic for life science companies, Oberland Capital has tossed more than $1 billion into the pot. Full Article
hand Kim Jong Un congratulates Xi on coronavirus handling By asia.nikkei.com Published On :: Full Article
hand Talents Recruitment by Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences) By feeds.nature.com Published On :: Wed, 23 Oct 2019 07:12:07 +0000 Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences) has been actively promoting the strategy of “invigorating the university through talents” and therefore has formulated a series of high-level talent introduction programs, and welcome talents at home and abroad to join us. 1. Qualifications for Different Levels of Applicants: (1) Strategic Talents This level targets academicians or experts with the qualifications that the applicants should be no more than 65 … Full Article
hand Evaluation of an AI system for the detection of diabetic retinopathy from images captured with a handheld portable fundus camera: the MAILOR AI study By feeds.nature.com Published On :: 2020-05-07 Full Article
hand Former European Commission Climate Negotiator Jos Delbeke Shares Firsthand Account of Carbon Pricing Evolution in New Episode of “Environmental Insights” By www.belfercenter.org Published On :: Jan 8, 2020 Jan 8, 2020Jos Delbeke, Professor at the European University Institute in Florence and at the KU Leuven in Belgium, recounted the evolution of carbon pricing and voiced his optimism for further international efforts to combat climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” Full Article
hand Chandhok closing on Campos seat By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:26:44 GMT There is increasing speculation that Indian GP2 driver Karun Chandhok will be named as a Campos driver ahead of the weekend Full Article
hand Leaving all to younger hands: Why the history of the women’s suffragist movement matters By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history. Among other outcomes, it produced the largest one-time increase in voters ever. As important as the goal of suffrage was, the struggle… Full Article
hand Destiny in our hands - Gascoyne By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:56:33 GMT Mike Gascoyne believes that Caterham's new identity will allow it to push on and beat the more established teams in Formula One Full Article
hand Leaving all to younger hands: Why the history of the women’s suffragist movement matters By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history. Among other outcomes, it produced the largest one-time increase in voters ever. As important as the goal of suffrage was, the struggle… Full Article
hand Leaving all to younger hands: Why the history of the women’s suffragist movement matters By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history. Among other outcomes, it produced the largest one-time increase in voters ever. As important as the goal of suffrage was, the struggle… Full Article
hand Americans give President Trump poor ratings in handling COVID-19 crisis By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 20:32:46 +0000 Since its peak in late March, public approval of President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has slowly but steadily declined. Why is this happening? Will his new guidelines to the states for reopening the country’s turn it around? What will be the impact of his latest tweets, which call on his supporters to “liberate”… Full Article
hand Americans give President Trump poor ratings in handling COVID-19 crisis By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 20:32:46 +0000 Since its peak in late March, public approval of President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has slowly but steadily declined. Why is this happening? Will his new guidelines to the states for reopening the country’s turn it around? What will be the impact of his latest tweets, which call on his supporters to “liberate”… Full Article
hand First Step to Literacy: Getting Books in the Hands of Children By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:07:00 -0500 Being able to read and write is the most basic foundation of knowledge accumulation and further skill development. Without literacy, there can be no quality education. Presently, 1 in 5 adults is illiterate, two-thirds of whom are women. At the current pace, over 700 million adults worldwide will still not be able to read in 2015. [1] In global education discussions, literacy rates are most often reported for adolescents and adults, an ex post facto measure of the failure of primary school systems to impart basic skills in the most formative schooling years. It is clear that much needs to be done to provide these adolescents and adults with access to successful literacy programs. But we must also ensure that children with access to schooling are not growing up to be illiterate.Children enrolled and regularly attending school for the first three grades should be able to read basic text. Evidence shows that acquiring this ability to read sets students up for further learning, enabling them to read and comprehend progressively more advanced materials and acquire additional knowledge.As explained in our earlier policy brief, data from numerous countries show that children in school are failing to acquire the most basic of skills, measured as the ability to read words of connected text. We called for a global paradigm shift that places learning at the center of the global education discourse. This shift requires the major bilateral and multilateral actors to refocus their own efforts on supporting learning in the classroom and measuring progress by increased learning outcomes. There has been some progress here, such as USAID’s goal to improve reading skills for primary school children in its new education strategy and the World Bank’s Education Strategy 2020, Learning for All: investing in people’s knowledge and skills to promote development.This shift of focus also requires substantial changes on the ground, including encouraging and supporting a culture of literacy and learning at the community level. For example, Gove and Cvelich highlight some main factors contributing to low reading levels, including a lack of support for teachers, limited instructional time, poorly resourced schools, the absence of books in the home and policies regarding the language of instruction. [2] In Mali, a recent survey found that three-quarters of grade 2 students did not have a textbook and no student had supplementary reading books at school. [3] In The Gambia, the vast majority of students who demonstrated a level of reading fluency said that they had books at home. Globally, in both developed and developing economies, a relatively consistent proxy for “parental commitment to education” is the number of books in the home. A 20-year study of 27 countries found that children growing up in homes with many books get three years more schooling than their peers who come from homes without books. [4] There is no one-size-fits-all solution to improving the quality of education in developing countries. However, there is plenty of room for innovation to address some of the biggest barriers to improving reading levels, including availability of appropriate reading materials at school and at home. In disadvantaged communities, where there are relatively few books and even fewer books in local languages and that deal with culturally-relevant topics, innovation is needed to help develop a robust culture of literacy.One such innovation is Worldreader.org’s iRead pilot in Ghana, which has put hundreds of e-readers into children’s hands. A lot has been written on similar classroom technology in developing countries, which cite examples of supplying hardware to schools without plans for its educational use, promoting technology from a single company, insufficient planning for sustainability, and inadequate investment in time to train teachers and administrators who will be the purveyors of the technology initiatives in the classrooms. [5]However, the important difference between this e-reader program and similar projects focused on putting computers in classrooms is that e-readers usually operate on the mobile phone system, which has exploded in developing regions over the last few years. In Kenya, more than 80 percent of the population has mobile phone network coverage and more than half of the population has purchased a mobile phone subscription. The GSM compatibility of e-readers allows for downloading of new reading materials wherever there is mobile phone coverage and sufficient funds available to purchase new texts. E-readers also have relatively low levels of energy consumption (a one-hour charge can last more than a week). In addition to gaining the support of community leaders and teachers from the beginning, the pilot began with intense in-service training for teachers in how to use e-readers to complement their existing curricula. While Worldreader.org has not solved all of the challenges posed by technology initiatives in education, it has taken some important steps toward addressing the barriers to project success. [6]The organization has also tackled specific challenges that are impeding reading success in the early primary grades:Additional support for emergent readers. E-readers provide additional support to teachers in teaching children how to read, an important supplement in primary school classrooms in low-income countries where there may be 40 or 50 students per teacher. In such cases, students are required to work independently or in small groups while the teacher is working with other students. The text-to-speech feature on e-readers can read books aloud to the student, exposing her to the written text as she hears it read aloud. Students can also use the downloaded dictionary while reading to look up unfamiliar words and continue to read without adult assistance.Students and teachers get to choose. While paper books donated by schools, libraries, and individuals from around the world have helped to get written materials into low-resource schools in developing countries, e-books allow students and teachers in developing countries to choose which books they teach and read. Although choices now are restricted by the dominance of English in the e-book market, the potential for the expansion of the digital market represents a step toward greater agency for teachers and students. Working with local publishers to increase access to books for emergent readers. Children learning to read need access to the types of books that engage their imagination and spark their interest. For children learning to read, this means stories with simple sentences in their local language. Yet, traditionally children’s books are not a good economic bet for publishers, particularly in developing countries. The high cost of printing the books are not recouped since so many families cannot purchase copies for their own household use. However, distributing books in e-reader format will actually allow publishers to reach more customers at a lower cost. To bring more books to the developing world through e-readers and e-books, Worldreader.org seeks to support a self-sustaining reading and publishing culture by working with local publishers to digitize books and materials to support local language curricula.Portability can increase reading opportunities. Anecdotal reports from classroom teachers in the Ghanaian pilot frequently reference how students would not stop reading, pulling out their e-readers in between lessons, during recess and lunch, and after school with friends, parents and siblings. An International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement study on reading literacy in 32 countries found that the amount of voluntary book reading that students did during out-of-school time was strongly positively related to students’ achievement levels. [7]While the pilot is still in the early stages, the founders of the project are focused on the essential outcomes. Their USAID-funded impact study seeks to find out whether children are reading more than they were before the program and whether children read better than they were before the program. Measuring program success by understanding the impact on learning outcomes is a critical step for shifting the global education paradigm to one focused on learning. [1] UNESCO. (2010). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the Marginalized. Paris: UNESCO. [2] Gove, A., and P. Cvelich, (2010). Early Reading: Igniting Education for All. A report by the Early Grades Learning Community of Practice. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute. [3] Evans, 2010[4] M.D.R. Evans, Jonathan Kelley, Joanna Sikora, Donald J. Treiman. “Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/j.rssm.2010.01.002 The study controls for education levels, occupations, and socio-economic status of the parents. [5] For example, Trucano, M. “Worst practice in ICT use in education,” 2010, accessed at http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/worst-practice [6] Some of the core challenges identified by Worldreader.org and others include the upfront costs of e-readers, need for on-going training and support to teachers, students, and communities, buy-in of school systems and local governments to deploy technology and content, insufficient relevant materials in e-book format, and consistent access to electricity and mobile networks. [7] Elley, W.B. (Ed.). (1994). The IEA Study of Reading Literacy: Achievement and Instruction in Thirty-two School Systems. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Downloads Download Paper Authors Anda AdamsJacques van der Gaag Image Source: © Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters Full Article
hand Five observations on President Trump’s handling of Ukraine policy By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 07 Oct 2019 21:01:44 +0000 Over the past two weeks, a CIA whistleblower’s complaint, a White House record of a July 25 telephone conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and texts exchanged by American diplomats have dominated the news and raised questions about the president’s handling of policy toward Ukraine. Here are five observations: First, President… Full Article
hand Six ways to handle Trump’s impeachment during holiday dinners By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 25 Nov 2019 13:00:52 +0000 It is a holiday dinner and all hell is about to break out in the dining room. One of your relatives asks what you think about the President Donald Trump impeachment proceedings. There is silence around the table because your family is dreading what is about to happen. Everyone knows Uncle Charley loves Trump while… Full Article
hand Australia’s Asylum Bill is High-Handed and Cambodia Deal Just a Quick Fix By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
hand Hessnatur to Kick Off NY Fashion Week with "World in your Hand" Tee Launch Party at Whole Foods By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:36:14 -0400 Kicking off New York Fashion Week, hessnatur and Whole Foods Market Tribeca are hosting an invite-only launch party September 9, for the "World in Full Article Living
hand The Week in Pictures: A Cacti Chandelier, Bourbon and Maple Peach Cobbler, and More By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:00:04 -0400 A eccentric design hangs living cacti and lighting from the ceiling, a vegan cobbler is delicious, a luxury treehouse is a great escape in Bangkok, and more. Full Article Living
hand OLED lighting makes a beautiful chandelier By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 18 Oct 2017 08:49:31 -0400 French lighting design company Blackbody makes the new lighting tech an object of desire. Full Article Design
hand It's National Handwriting Day. Do you still write by hand? By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 07:00:00 -0500 Some people do; others use a keyboard for everything and have forgotten how. What about you? Full Article Living
hand How to dry your hands using just one paper towel By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 03 May 2012 20:13:31 -0400 Behold, wet-handed readers, there's a better way. Full Article Living