It’s a well-trodden path to observe that the school systems of today are not preparing children for the jobs of today, let alone tomorrow. But what changes to our school systems are necessary to address this challenge?

Education has transformed over the last 20 years from being a means to an end to becoming a change agent on the battleground to improve the life chances of all individuals, regardless of where they live, their economic status, gender, ability or religious persuasion. Education has been revitalised as the gateway for equal opportunity.

A series of short reports aimed at policy makers examine issues and policies instruments related to inclusive entrepreneurs policy. The key message of these briefs is that there is under-exploited potential among entrepreneurs from non-mainstream groups and that there are many examples of specially tailored policies that are successful in increasing participation that can serve as models for others.

“What is the city but the people?” asked Shakespeare in Coriolanus. All city planning focuses on people and the quality of life. The big cities in Brazil took shape from the 1950s, when the country’s population amounted to approximately 52 million inhabitants, only 36.2% of whom lived in cities.

The city of Newcastle is fast emerging as a smart, liveable and sustainable city.

Archives, Room Use Only - TK5264.F74 1901

Archives, Room Use Only - TK5262.F74 1901

Archives, Room Use Only - HE8110.C33 B34 1978

Archives, Room Use Only - TK5262.M23 1914

Archives, Room Use Only - UG605.F8 F7313 1917

This brief squid made a surprise appearance in a Smithsonian Environmental Research Center trawl survey at the mouth of Maryland’s Rhode River last Thursday—the first […]

The post Brief squid surprise appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Good morning. I am Dr. Alice Gast and I am here today with Dr. David Relman as the chair and vice chair of the Committee on the Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Bacillus anthracis Mailings.

As jurisdictions around the nation explore how to shore up their voting systems against vulnerabilities revealed by the 2016 election, Congress held a hearing yesterday to learn more about cyberthreats and options for thwarting them.

President Trump walks outside the White House in January. The president received intelligence briefings on the coronavirus twice that month, according to a White House official.; Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump twice received intelligence briefings on the coronavirus in January, according to a White House official. The official tells NPR the briefings occurred on Jan. 23 and Jan. 28.

"The president was told that the coronavirus was potentially going to 'spread globally,' " the official said of the first briefing, which came two days after the first case of the virus was reported in the United States. "But the 'good news' was that it was not deadly for most people," the official said the president was told.

Five days after that initial briefing, the president was briefed again, according to the official. This time, "he was told that virus was spreading outside of China, but that deaths from the disease were happening only in China," the official said. "He was also told that China was withholding data."

The question of what Trump knew about the coronavirus, when he was aware of it and the tenor of those conversations have come under heavy scrutiny, as the administration faces criticism that it was slow to respond to early warnings about the virus. In the time since the president's January briefings, the U.S. has reported more than 1.1 million cases of the coronavirus — more than any other nation. In all, more than 66,000 Americans have died.

The president has defended his handling of the crisis — pointing to steps like his decision at the end of January to restrict travel into the U.S. from China. But for much of the following month, the president and some of his top surrogates downplayed the threat of the virus.

"We pretty much shut it down coming in from China," the president said in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News early in February. By the end of the month, with the virus reported in several dozen countries at that point, he continued to tell reporters that the risk "remains very low ."

During his State of the Union address, roughly a week after being told that China was withholding data, Trump said his administration was "coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak."

To this point, the White House has offered little clarity publicly about the exact dates when Trump was briefed about the virus. Asked about this on Thursday, Trump told reporters that he spoke with intelligence officials about the coronavirus "in January, later January," adding that intelligence officials had confirmed that this was the case.

On Monday, when The Washington Post reported that Trump received more than a dozen classified briefings in January and February, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence responded, "The detail of this is not true," and declined to elaborate.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Patt Morrison and Stephen Hawking at Cal-Tech. ; Credit: Dave Coelho/KPCC

The renowned physicist, cosmologist and lover of Indian food is at Caltech for his annual dinner and lecture visit. I broke naan across from him Thursday at dinner, which was cooked by a class of adept Caltech students.

I had a short interview with him, and with the student-chefs, which will be airing on “Off-Ramp” soon. As we took the photograph, I had just made a little joke, which accounts for his smile [producer Dave Coelho didn’t get a smile, but maybe he’s not as funny nor as glamorous as I am].  

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Science for Environment Policy are very pleased to announce the launch of a new series of policy briefs. Entitled 'Future Briefs', these will explore emerging areas of research with implications for environmental policy.'Plastic Waste: redesign and biodegradability' is the first Future Brief, which will be published week commencing 27 June. Future Briefs will be available to download free from our website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/index_en.htm

This file is in PDF format, requiring the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open.

With Pluto's unveiling on the horizon, here's a quick look at past and present efforts to study the elusive world.

Grizzlies becoming unbearable, oil kills Gulf coral, GOP sparks power struggle, and more.

Obama unveils "cash for caulkers," quake tilted Earth's axis, weed killer tied to sex changes, and more.

Obama's energy policy will be pretty corny, which could be bad for soybeans. Could we turn to air force for power? And should we take time to reflect on global

Earth Day turned 41 Friday, with organizers hoping to inspire "A Billion Acts of Green," the holiday's theme for 2011. It's a noble goal, but recent events like

River crests in Memphis, fracking linked to water pollution, scientists speak with dolphins, and climate changes causes chaos for penguins.

Like the space shuttle Endeavour but cheesier, Taco Bell 'Numero Uno' relocates from its original Southern California home.

Floods hit Miss. Delta, GOP gov. embraces rail, U.S. to protect more species, and more.

Weather wallops U.S. South, killer quakes hit Spain, Japan embraces renewables, and U.S. military dogs have the spotlight.

U.S. sets disaster record, new branch of life found, climate change vs. pirates, and it turns out the nuclear crisis in Japan is worse than originally believed.

Endeavour lifts off, floods invade Miss. Delta, Obama embraces drilling, and fruit and vegetables farmers are up in arms.

Delta flood risk spreads, first squid leaves Earth, blood test reveals life span, and more.

River rehab gains steam, melons explode in China, camels plague Australia, and chlorinated Tris may be infecting young children with cancer.

Study: planets outnumber stars, floods fuel huge 'dead zone,' extinct rat returns, and more.

Rapture looms, crawfish thrive in floods, big cyclone season forecast, and more.

Tornadoes slam U.S. Midwest, floods threaten wildlife, Japan goes solar, and Chicago works on becoming greener.

U.S. sets tornado records, vines worsen warming, bee crisis continues, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant likely suffered meltdowns.

More storms strike U.S., microbes make it rain, NASA eyes deep space, and hailstones are just a wealth of bacteria.

U.S. storms keep coming, FDA sued over superbugs, blind people can echolocate, and more.

U.S. reels from storms, cats' secret lives revealed, deadly disease eradicated, and reports of water on the moon intensify.

Space shuttle heads home, U.S. floods spread, CO2 emissions rise, and the amount of groundwater humans use is adjusting the earth's wobble.

WHO: phones may cause cancer, space shuttle lands, hurricane season begins, and more.

New E. coli sweeps Europe, tornadoes hit Mass., sharks like AC/DC, and more.

New superbug found, nukes cause 'boy booms,' jet streams may power world, and more.

New suspect in E. coli outbreak, wind power killing eagles, volcano erupts in Chile, and more.

Fires scorch Arizona, floods boost wildlife, speed limits may save whales, and more.

Heat wave hits U.S., floods strike China, pavement worsens pollution, and wildfire continue to rage across Arizona.

Arizona fire grows, Romney goes rogue, Facebook vs. landfills, and the war against invasive species in the U.S. heats up.

Can Germany nix nukes? Did meteors spark life? Is squid the new panda? Will wildfires in Arizona cease?

New 'Dirty Dozen' released, autism linked to toxins, jellyfish worsen warming, and the world should brace itself for the weird weather to continue.

GOP candidate targets EPA, fires doom fireworks, Scotts embraces pot, and the Missouri River breaks through two levees.

New rules for sunscreen, U.S. nuke chief under fire, sun may take siesta, and more.

Mob cleans tsunami debris, NASA finds millions of black holes, 'SpongeBob fungus' discovered, and more.