All posts tagged: priority

Tackling invisible school moves is a priority. Here’s how

Tackling invisible school moves is a priority. Here’s how

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Taejon has been to four schools in half as many years. Aged 13, he was facing personal upheaval: he had to move out of home; he lived with his grandmother who had had a cancer diagnosis; he was having to manage his home routine solo. And he was really struggling.  His schools knew little of this. Suspecting him of smoking cannabis he was ‘manage moved’ across different boroughs. In the next school, he was “failing” the manage move “trial” because he was struggling to get himself in on time. His new school started at 8.30am when the previous one began at 9am. In yet another school, he was asked to leave because he had associated with another child suspected of committing a crime outside of school. All the while, life was getting harder.  For every one visible move like a permanent exclusion, there are 10 invisible moves like the ones Taejon experienced. That’s 86,000 movements that the Department for Education can’t see. Overwhelmingly, these young people are facing the …

iOS 18.4 Adds Apple Intelligence Priority Notifications Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds Apple Intelligence Priority Notifications Feature

Published by skeptic

With the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 betas, Apple is introducing a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most important notifications first. Apple first announced Priority Notifications when showing off Apple Intelligence in June, but it wasn’t implemented until now. Priority Notifications is disabled by default, but it can be turned on by going to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and tapping the toggle. With the feature enabled, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will show notifications that may be important in a dedicated section of the Lock Screen. Popular Stories Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599 Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the … iPhone …

Abuse database is no longer a priority for Southern Baptist leaders

Abuse database is no longer a priority for Southern Baptist leaders

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — A proposed online database that would list the names of abusive Southern Baptist pastors is now on hold, with no names likely to be added to the website by the denomination’s annual meeting this summer. Instead, Southern Baptist leaders working to address abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination say they will focus on helping churches access other databases of abusers and training churches to do better background checks. However, the so-called Ministry Check database, which was a centerpiece of reforms approved by Southern Baptist messengers — or local church representatives — is now on the back burner. “At this point, it’s not a focus for us,” Jeff Iorg, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday (Feb. 18) during the committee’s annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.  Reporter Bob Smietana on the Complexified podcast discussing the SBC Executive Committee meeting:   The proposed database has been derailed by denominational apathy, legal worries and a desire to protect donations to the Southern Baptist Convention’s mission …

AI and Against the Priority of Writing

AI and Against the Priority of Writing

Published by skeptic

I went to a conference on academic integrity at Randolph College back in 2018. There was one hot topic at the time. It was not AI. It was paper mills. What could be done about paper mills? If one can just pay somebody to write a real paper, however, would one be able to show that someone else had indeed written it? A disaster! Times change quickly. I doubt many people are very worried about paper mills anymore beyond their use in, of all things, academic publishing. Now, instead of Googling “college papers on demand,” students can just open ChatGPT 4 (for free!) and probably be able to make a passing paper. Within roughly five years the “cutting edge” way to cheat has radically changed. However can we philosophers, the truest teachers of good, argumentative writing, still achieve our pedagogical goals? It is the assumption behind that dramatic question I want to challenge. The concern around AI is somewhat misplaced. Why do we care so much about writing specifically? We often place too much emphasis …

UK plans to ramp up weapons production for Ukraine and Western defence as Lord Cameron reveals envoy will oversee ‘national priority’ | World News

UK plans to ramp up weapons production for Ukraine and Western defence as Lord Cameron reveals envoy will oversee ‘national priority’ | World News

Published by skeptic

The UK will appoint a new envoy to oversee a plan to ramp up the production of weapons and ammunition, which is now a “national priority”, the foreign secretary has revealed. Lord Cameron, speaking on a visit to Ukraine, also underlined the importance of supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia, warning that the world was at an “absolutely critical tipping point” and Kyiv must prevail or else Europe faced a “very dangerous future”. However, he cautioned against an idea from French President Emmanuel Macron to consider sending NATO troops to Ukraine to join the fight if Russia’s Vladimir Putin achieves a breakthrough, saying that such a move would be a “dangerous escalation”. “I don’t think it is right to have NATO soldiers killing Russian soldiers,” the foreign secretary said in an interview in the western city of Lviv on Friday, having met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top ministers in Kyiv on Thursday. Follow live:Moscow rages over Cameron remarks Image: Lord Cameron walks in the city centre with Lviv City Mayor Andriy Sadovyi. Pic: …

The Guardian view on universal credit: raising the level of benefits must be the priority | Editorial

The Guardian view on universal credit: raising the level of benefits must be the priority | Editorial

Published by skeptic

When the biggest shake-up of the welfare system in decades was introduced, there were bound to be teething troubles. But the welter of problems after the launch of universal credit – especially the five-week wait for initial payments and the harshness of the sanctions regime – led to persistent questions over whether it should be abolished. Ministerial ambition appeared to have outstripped Whitehall’s capacity for delivery. But the relatively smooth operation of the system during the pandemic, including the administration of the £20 weekly uplift, improved its reputation. Seven million people are expected to be on UC by the end of the next parliament, and plans for the remainder of the managed migration from the old system are in place. The aim of streamlining three separate bureaucracies into one has been met, and the greater simplicity of this arrangement has brought some advantages. But serious problems remain, both with the system’s design and, crucially, the level at which benefits are set. Labour’s 2019 manifesto committed the party to an overhaul, with a view to making …

Phil Smith calls for next government’s support for South West priority initiatives

Phil Smith calls for next government’s support for South West priority initiatives

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Phil Smith, the Managing Director of business support organisation Business West, is calling for government support after the election in 10 priority areas for the region. He said: “Business West exists to create long-term prosperity for our businesses and our region. Through our Quarterly Economic Survey, which acts as a barometer of business sentiment across the region, coupled with our ongoing conversations with members, we understand what our local businesses need from the next government. “Our region has seen a real lack of investment in skills and dealing with core issues, such as transportation and housing. Tackling these issues, most of which are interlinked, requires serious investment that lasts beyond just one political cycle.   “Businesses need this to plan and play their vital role in job creation.  “We are calling for long-term initiatives in the following ten areas, which will help our economy be healthy, and our businesses and communities thrive.” His 10 priority areas are Improved transport connectivity in the region “This is not just a ‘transport’ issue; it is fundamental to improving economic …

‘Diversity still not a priority in practice’ in news industry, survey finds

‘Diversity still not a priority in practice’ in news industry, survey finds

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A group of people are gathered around a table taking notes. Picture: Shutterstock/GaudiLab Diversity and inclusion are “still not a priority in practice” in the news industry, a survey of news organisation workers has suggested. More than half of the 450 individuals who responded to the December survey told the consulting arm of the Financial Times, FT Strategies, that diversity and inclusion were ostensibly strategic priorities for their organisation. But only 18% of respondents at large news organisations said building a diverse workplace was among their company’s top three priorities. The survey results provide a window into what steps news organisations have actually taken to improve representation and inclusion since the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests shone an unfavourable light on UK media diversity. What diversity and inclusion initiatives are in action in the news industry? The survey report, titled Diversity Inside Media Organisations, said there are “commercial upsides” to diversity and inclusivity, citing Harvard Business Review and Boston Consulting Group studies that suggested an organisation is more likely to outperform competitors and draw higher …

Joe Biden’s Most Urgent State of the Union Priority

Joe Biden’s Most Urgent State of the Union Priority

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As President Joe Biden prepares to deliver his State of the Union address tonight, his pathways to reelection are narrowing. His best remaining option, despite all of the concerns about his age, may be to persuade voters to look forward, not back. In his now-certain rematch against former President Donald Trump, Biden has three broad possibilities for framing the contest to voters. One is to present the race as a referendum on Biden’s performance during his four years in office. The second is to structure it as a comparison between his four years and Trump’s four years as president. The third is to offer it as a choice between what he and Trump would do over the next four years in the White House. The referendum route already looks like a dead end for Biden. The comparison path remains difficult terrain for him, given that voters now express more satisfaction with Trump’s performance as president than they ever did while he was in office. The third option probably offers Biden the best chance to recover …