Cash-strapped colleges not waiting until graduation to cultivate campus donors

Colleges see prospective donors among new students

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The drill for new college students remains pretty consistent: grab a campus map, buy some overpriced textbooks, save those quarters for laundry and don’t forget to call home.
On a growing number of campuses, first-year students are hearing another message. Please give. Not for tuition, but instead … Original article on : Cash-strapped colleges not waiting until graduation to cultivate campus donors.

With plenty of high school grads ready to enlist, Army ends GED program for aspiring soldiers

Army ending its GED program for aspiring soldiers

FORT JACKSON, S.C. – The Army is ending a program that helped nearly 3,000 high school dropouts earn high school equivalency certificates and become soldiers.
The GED pilot program known as the Army’s prep school started here in summer 2008, when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan left the … Read more >>>.

69,000 kids bunk school every day in Britain

LONDON – About 69,000 children bunk school every day in Britain, official figures have revealed.

More than 3.7 million school days were lost in this year’s spring term due to unauthorised absence, The Sun reported Thursday.
The rise is partly blamed on more recession-hit families taking kids on holiday during term time.
An increase in … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : 69,000 kids bunk school every day in Britain.

Netherlands to include same-sex couples in textbooks

AMSTERDAM – The Netherlands was the first country in the world to grant same-sex marriages and allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt children. Now the Dutch are taking the next logical step and are introducing same-sex couples into the nation’s schoolbooks. However, not everyone in the country approves.

Two fathers go out to buy a … Read more »».

Unmanned Navy plane goes off course into restricted airspace near Washington when control lost

Unmanned Navy craft flies into restricted airspace

WASHINGTON – An unmanned aircraft went off course during testing and entered restricted airspace near the nation’s capital earlier this month, the Navy said Wednesday.
The craft, an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, is one of six the Navy is testing for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. It was …. Source  : Unmanned Navy plane goes off course into restricted airspace near Washington when control lost.

Group: Calif. judge orders university to release documents related to Palin appearance

Judge orders university to release Palin documents
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A group that filed a lawsuit over documents related to a June appearance by Sarah Palin at California State University, Stanislaus is claiming victory in a judge’s ruling.
The open-government group Californians Aware says Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne decided Wednesday that the … Read more »»».

Education secretary urges schools to divulge data on student achievement, teacher performance

Duncan: Schools should disclose more on teachers

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged schools across the country on Wednesday to disclose more data on student achievement and teacher effectiveness, saying too much information that would help teachers and parents is being kept out of public view.
Duncan said schools too often aren’t disclosing …. Read the original article  : Education secretary urges schools to divulge data on student achievement, teacher performance.

U of Colorado reviews journalism program; may start information, communication tech program

U of Colorado reviews future of journalism program

BOULDER, Colo. – Dramatic changes in the media industry – as evidenced by last year’s closing of the nearby Rocky Mountain News in Denver – have prompted the University of Colorado at Boulder to review the future of its journalism program.
CU said Wednesday that on Sept. 1 a … Read : U of Colorado reviews journalism program; may start information, communication tech program.

Some schools rethink using playground equipment as authorities investigate 9-year-old’s death

Schools rethink equipment after playground death

TULSA, Okla. – Some schools are pulling equipment off the playground as authorities try to determine if a 9-year-old Oklahoma girl died because of something that happened while she played on a teeter-totter-like structure.
Alyssa Avila was playing with several children at a Wyandotte elementary school playground last week on equipment …. Original article  : Some schools rethink using playground equipment as authorities investigate 9-year-old’s death.

Jury convicts Iowa City woman of illegally accessing Obama’s student loan records

Iowa woman convicted in Obama records viewing case
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A federal jury has convicted an Iowa woman of illegally accessing President Barack Obama’s student loan records.
Jurors on Wednesday found Sandra Teague (teeg) guilty of exceeding authorized computer access.
Teague was one of nine people indicted on charges of accessing Obama’s student loan records … Original source on Gaea Times at : Jury convicts Iowa City woman of illegally accessing Obama’s student loan records.

Boston University graduate student appeals ruling that required him to pay for sharing songs

Mass. student appeals ruling in song-sharing case

BOSTON – A Boston University graduate student is appealing a federal judgment that required him to pay $67,500 in damages for illegally downloading and sharing songs online.
A Harvard law professor has filed the notice to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, seeking to overturn the penalty …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Boston University graduate student appeals ruling that required him to pay for sharing songs.

Marines sharply increase mental health care for troops, fight military’s highest suicide rate

Marines pour resources into mental health care

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – They have been in harm’s way for years in two countries, in a branch of the military where toughness and self-reliance have been especially prized for generations. Now the Marines are struggling against an enemy that has entrenched itself over nearly a decade of war: … Read more >>>.

Senegal steps up campaign against begging in the streets of capital, prime minister says

Senegal steps up anti-begging campaign in capital

DAKAR, Senegal – Senegal’s government says it is stepping up its campaign against begging in the streets of the West African nation, where tens of thousands of children wander barefoot and swarm cars for change.
Begging has been officially banned since 2005, but the law has proved difficult to enforce.
A … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Senegal steps up campaign against begging in the streets of capital, prime minister says.

Northrop Grumman to cut 642 workers at Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard, cites cyclical business

Northrop Grumman to cut 642 at Miss. shipyard

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Wednesday it plans to lay off 642 workers at its Pascagoula shipyard by the end of the year.
The first 292 affected workers were notified under a federal law requiring 60 days notice of layoffs that affect 500 or more people.
The company … Read more »».

To err can cost $400M, New Jersey finds after losing out on federal education grant

Oops! Error might have cost NJ an education grant
HADDONFIELD, N.J. – For anyone who’s ever entered the wrong number on a tax return and been denied a refund, or accidentally overtipped, here’s some consolation: A silly error on New Jersey’s application for the highly competitive Race to the Top education grants …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : To err can cost $400M, New Jersey finds after losing out on federal education grant.

Texas launches iTunes program allowing teachers to post multimedia lessons free for students

iTunes Texas education channel launched
HOUSTON – Texas students can now download podcasts, videos and other multimedia lessons directly from iTunes through a new online program aimed at providing free, supplementary coursework that can be accessed anywhere, state officials announced Tuesday.

The Texas Education iTunes U channel allows teachers to upload material from their classes to help …. Read the original article  : Texas launches iTunes program allowing teachers to post multimedia lessons free for students.

Hit by late selling, Sensex nosedives 144 points

MUMBAI – Selling pressure towards the closing hours brought a benchmark index for Indian equities 144 points down from its previous close.

Realty stocks were the hardest hit, while consumer durables, auto, healthcare and metal stocks saw a fair amount of selling.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at … Read : Hit by late selling, Sensex nosedives 144 points.