All posts tagged: remains

Covid outcomes squeeze ‘waning’ but disadvantage gap remains

Covid outcomes squeeze ‘waning’ but disadvantage gap remains

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles The Covid squeeze on pupil outcomes “has started to wane”, but the disadvantage gap continues to be “substantial” as schools deal with the long-term impact of the pandemic. The findings came in a National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report for the Education Endowment Foundation, examining the effects of the virus outbreak. Pepe DiIasio Reacting to the study, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio called for a “renewed focus on low-attaining pupils and closing the disadvantage gap”. “It’s vital that schools have the resources they need to support disadvantaged pupils, who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.” The researchers followed a group of children now in years 4 and 5, who were “at the very start of primary school” during lockdown in 2020, across 59 schools. Here’s what you need to know… 1. Covid impact ‘waning’ In reading and maths, both cohorts witnessed their Covid gaps – the differences between pre- and post-pandemic scores – “significantly” reduce since 2021. The report said the “negative …

France to Review Madagascar’s Ask for Return of Colonial-Era Remains

France to Review Madagascar’s Ask for Return of Colonial-Era Remains

Published by skeptic

On Thursday, the culture ministers of France and Madagascar announced a joint effort to begin the process of repatriating human remains seized while the African nation was under French colonial rule. Officials from both countries revealed the appointment of a joint scientific committee to conduct a review Madagascar’s claim to the legal title of the skull of King Toera, a Sakalava king who was beheaded by French troops in the late 19th century. The decapitation happened during a military campaign to suppress a rebellion in the tribal region of Menabe. France officially colonized Madagascar in 1896, and Madagascar gained independence in 1960. Related Articles This agreement between the two countries follows the passing of a French law in December 2023 mandating the state to facilitate the restitution of human remains held in its public collections. It’s a legal move meant to target objects in France’s archeological collections linked to violence in formerly colonized territories. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati described the announcement as a significant one in an ongoing move to rectify parts of the …

Balkan plot to dig up Yugoslav leader Tito’s remains hits a wall  – POLITICO

Balkan plot to dig up Yugoslav leader Tito’s remains hits a wall  – POLITICO

Published by Sam

The proposal to rehouse Tito has caused rifts within Serbia’s ruling coalition, which although led by the center-right Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) also includes the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Movement of Socialists, as well as the ultranationalist Serbian Oathkeepers. Outside the government, prominent intellectuals in Serbia have balked at the idea of disinterring Tito, who is still beloved in Serbia and across the region.  The main street in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, still bears Tito’s name, as do streets in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia. Even places as far from Serbia as Algeria, Brazil and Egypt have roadways bearing Tito’s name, as well as EU countries France and Italy. In an interview with POLITICO this week, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić poured cold water on the idea. . | Olivier Bunic/AFP via Getty Images As the lifelong president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Tito led an atypically moderate socialist country that maintained a close relationship with both West and East. Figures such as conservative British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were among his …

Musical memory remains resilient in old age, even for unfamiliar tunes

Musical memory remains resilient in old age, even for unfamiliar tunes

Published by José

When you hear a familiar melody, it can often bring back memories or stir emotions, and fascinatingly, this ability might not fade much with age. A new study published in PLOS One sheds light on how older adults remember music, even when it’s new and unfamiliar. The researchers found that while aging typically leads to declines in various memory functions, the ability to recognize and recall music may remain relatively intact, even when hearing new pieces for the first time. As we age, one of the most common complaints is difficulty remembering new information. This decline in memory can be troubling, particularly when it interferes with daily activities. However, not all types of memory are equally affected by aging. For instance, while recalling recent events might become challenging, older adults often retain their ability to recall well-known information. Music is unique in that it engages multiple areas of the brain, including those responsible for memory, emotion, and sensory processing. Given the growing interest in using music as a tool to maintain cognitive function in older …

National Park Service Awards M. To Aid Return of Native Remains

National Park Service Awards $3 M. To Aid Return of Native Remains

Published by skeptic

The National Park Service recently announced $3 million in grants to 13 Tribes and 21 museums to assist in the consultation, documentation, and repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural items as part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). “It was really critical for us, I think, in a lot of ways, to be able to get this funding, because it does take a lot of effort,” Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County anthropology curator and NAGPRA officer Amy Gusick told ARTnews. The federal law, enacted in 1990, requires museums and federal agencies to inventory and identify Native American ancestors and cultural items in their collections, as well as consult with federally-recognized Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations. Related Articles In mid-January, major revisions to NAGPRA went into effect. These revisions were designed to address loopholes, speed up returns, and give institutions five years to inventory and prepare all ancestors and related funerary objects for repatriation, as well as grant more authority to tribes throughout the process. (On the advice of Indigenous experts, ARTnews has avoided …

more young people are studying languages – but the overall picture for language learning remains bleak

more young people are studying languages – but the overall picture for language learning remains bleak

Published by skeptic

The 2024 GCSE results reveal that more young people in schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are opting to study a language. French and Spanish remain the most popular languages, with increases of 2.9% and 6.2% from last year respectively. German, once in steady decline, has gone up by 3.5% compared to last year, but has still seen fewer entries than in 2022. Meanwhile, only 16,429 students took a GCSE in a classical subject – which includes Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew and Latin. The most significant surges in interest have been for Irish (a 14.8% rise) and what is referred to as “other modern languages” (8.1%). This relates to all modern languages except French, German, Irish, Spanish and Welsh. It includes non-European languages such as Mandarin and Arabic as well as some common home and community languages, such as Polish, Portuguese and Urdu. Students at City Heights Academy in London celebrate after receiving their GCSE results. PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo However, while these modest gains are encouraging, they need to be interpreted …

Israel Pushes Deeper Into Rafah, but Gaza Exit Plan Remains Unclear

Israel Pushes Deeper Into Rafah, but Gaza Exit Plan Remains Unclear

Published by Sam

The Israeli military said on Friday that its forces had advanced into central Rafah, pushing even more deeply into the southern Gaza city despite an international backlash and pressure from allies to scale back the latest offensive and agree to a cease-fire. Israeli special forces were engaging in “intelligence-based targeted raids” in central Rafah, the Israeli military said in a statement. It added that troops were performing “focused and low-intensity operations” in the city. On Wednesday, the military announced that it had established “operational control” over the border zone with Egypt, an eight-mile-long strip known as the Philadelphi Corridor on the outskirts of Rafah. Commercially available satellite imagery taken by Planet Labs on Thursday showed that the Israeli military had set up positions in parts of central Rafah, while military vehicles and tanks could be seen as far as the outskirts of the Tel al-Sultan area in western Rafah. As the fighting raged in Gaza, President Biden said Friday in Washington that it was time to end the war and bring about a cease-fire. “At …

Vietnam vet’s remains ID’d nearly 50 years after being found in Arizona

Vietnam vet’s remains ID’d nearly 50 years after being found in Arizona

Published by skeptic

Human remains discovered 49 years ago near Flagstaff, Arizona, have been identified as a man who served in Vietnam and was originally from Minnesota, authorities said Wednesday. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that the remains were those of Gerald Francis Long. Long’s cause of death was not determined in 1975 and cannot be determined today, according to the release. Gerald Francis Long.Coconino County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook The skeletal remains, first discovered April 19, 1975, were found off Meteor City Road, about 40 miles east of Flagstaff, when farmers were chasing a runaway pig, officials said. Multiple leads were developed in the time since the remains were found, the CCSO said, but none of them led to a positive identification. In August 2023, the CCSO worked with a Salt Lake City, Utah, company to identify the remains through a genetic genealogy process, according to the release. Using the company’s technology, a DNA profile was developed for the remains, allowing experts to trace a family line. This led them in February …

Gambling Legislation Remains Stalled in Session’s Closing Hours

Gambling Legislation Remains Stalled in Session’s Closing Hours

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gambling legislation remains stalled in the Alabama Senate with members expressing doubt that it will get another vote in the closing hours of the legislative session. The session ends Thursday and supporters have been unable to break a stalemate in the state Senate after the measure initially failed by one vote last week. Supporters had hoped to get the bill back for another vote but said that seems increasingly unlikely to happen as the session winds down. “I think it’s dead, probably,” Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton said. Singleton was a member of the conference committee that had worked on the legislation. “They don’t have the appetite for bringing it up. Can’t get anybody to talk about it,” he said. Republican Rep. Chris Blackshear, the bill sponsor, said it looks like it would take a “miracle of Biblical proportion” to get the bill taken up in the Senate. “I just hope the senators that voted no and couldn’t get on board take time to drive around the state and see for …

Hazel Nairn: Remains found in search for woman swept into River Don in 2022 | UK News

Hazel Nairn: Remains found in search for woman swept into River Don in 2022 | UK News

Published by skeptic

Remains have been found in the search for a missing woman who was swept away in flooding a year and a half ago. Hazel Nairn, 71, was last seen in the water in the River Don, near Monymusk in Aberdeenshire, while out with her dog on 18 November 2022 during heavy rain. Police recovered the pet’s body near to the river a few days later. Following Ms Nairn’s disappearance, then first minister Nicola Sturgeon said her thoughts were with the pensioner’s family and friends. Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News Tap here In an update on Tuesday, Police Scotland said the remains of a woman had been recovered from the River Don near Kemnay at around 1.20pm. Formal identification is yet to take place, but Ms Nairn’s family have been informed. Read more from Sky News:John Swinney sworn in as Scotland’s first ministerBody of missing Scot found in Prague river after search A force spokesperson said: “The death …