| Intelligence conference draws criticism
John Loftus, a former federal prosecutor who is a hosting a three-day conference in downtown St. Petersburg on international intelligence and terrorism, says he "may know more intelligence secrets than anyone alive." But Loftus' claims, which include allegations that the Bush administration concealed the discovery of large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, have been widely questioned by intelligence experts. "This is not a mainstream conference with recognized names in the field," said Victoria Toensing, a Washington lawyer and former MSNBC legal analyst who established the terrorism unit for the Department of Justice during the Reagan administration. "I've been in the intelligence and terrorism world a long time, and I would not suggest going to this conference for intelligence or terrorism information," she said.
Science institute for Kerala soon
Thiruvananthapuram: An Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) will soon be set up in Kerala. Disclosing this in the State Assembly yesterday, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the Union Government had already given the nod in this regard. The IISER would come up here and the District Collector and the Higher Education Secretary had been asked to identify suitable land for the purpose, he said. The chief minister was replying to a calling attention motion by G. Karthikeyan of the Congress on the hurdles in establishing the IISER, IIT and in upgrading the status of the medical college here to that of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The Centre had sanctioned Rs1 billion (about Dh83 million) for developing the medical college and the State Government was in the process of preparing development projects.
Widening the Skills Gap in North Carolina
North Carolina appears to be in the midst of a major shift of educational priorities, one guaranteed to ill-serve a large number of young people and exacerbate the "skills gap" that bedevils manufacturing in the United States. As the Raleigh News and Observer reports in this excellent account of the issue, the state's new graduation requirements will mandate additional coursework traditionally intended for students bound for a four-year college degree (specifically two courses in foreign languages and one in advanced math).[Critics] say the intense focus on college readiness that guides such reform efforts often blinds policymakers to the merits of vocational programs, such as preparing students for careers and providing courses that are relevant to everyday life. Statewide, only 48 percent of graduating seniors say they plan to go straight to a four-year college or university.
Holocaust survivor recalls life in re-education home
Even today, with a master's degree, speaking six languages and having taught for more than 40 years, Sichel (pronounced Siss-shell) is unsure why she was taken by Communists from her mother at birth, then sent to Poland and placed in what she termed a "re-education home." Her parents were sent to concentration camps. She never saw her father again but told a fascinating story about how she found her mother in Siberia when she was 9 years old. "What was my guilt? I was born to parents who were Jewish and educated," she told about 40 senior citizens gathered to hear her talk at Meadowlark Senior Center Tuesday afternoon. Her talk was sponsored and arranged by the New Mexico Foundation for Human Rights Project (www.nmhrp.org), which provides educational opportunities for the state's educators to learn more and provide information for their students regarding discrimination.
College to Host Conference on Young Children’s Education
Nancy A. Grausam, assistant professor of early childhood education, and Karen Woland Payne, director of the Childrens Learning Center, will present The Personal Action Plan: Trim Your To-Do List and Accomplish What Really Matters. They will help participants develop a personal action plan with specific action steps. Gail B. Landers, group leader at the Childrens Learning Center, will present Come Play With Me Among the Trees, offering ideas for hands-on outdoor experience for children and their families. Credit for state Department of Public Welfare training hours are available for attendees. Act 48 credits and Continuing Education Units from Penn College are also available to those who request them (by paying an optional additional fee of $20) and attend the entire day.
Cutting Edge Teleconference Sponsored by AES and PASFAA
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Education Services (AES) in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (PASFAA) announced its 2007 Financial Aid Training Teleconference "R U Cutting Edge?" to be held Friday, March 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST. The annual teleconference provides unique multimedia training that benefits financial aid administrators and other members of the higher education community, including office personnel, enrollment managers, and deans of admission. The free teleconference is broadcast online via satellite and streaming video. Participants are encouraged to actively participate by faxing and phoning in questions and, new this year, participants can send questions by text message and by email.
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