Scottish childcare among the UK’s costliest

PARENTS in Scotland are facing some of the highest childcare costs in Britain with some paying annual bills of nearly £12,000, according to a new report.

Scotland’s out-of-school clubs have the second highest average costs in the UK, while childminding charges are the highest outside of the south of England.

Costs also vary across local authoritieswith the average weekly prices in Scotland for nursery care for children under two ranging from £67.50 to £142.50, according to the report by the Daycare Trust and Children in Scotland charities.

A parent using 25 hours of care over 50 weeks of the year in Scotland’s most expensive nursery would face a bill of £11,688.

Individual authorities were not identified in the report.

Meanwhile, the survey also found that only a fifth of Scottish local authorities said they had enough childcare for parents working full time, while just one in ten had sufficient for those working outside normal office hours or living in rural areas.

The Scottish Government insisted it was committed to bringing down the cost of childcare, but charities have called for legislation to provide universal free childcare.

Daycare Trust chief executive Anand Shukla said: “The high price of childcare faced by many Scottish families is putting significant pressure on family budgets at a time when tax credits have been cut.

“These problems are exacerbated by significant gaps in childcare availability and a postcode lottery in prices.

“Greater management of the childcare market is needed, both at government and at local authority level.

“Today, we are calling on the Scottish Government to take the lead in implementing the Early Years Framework by legislating to provide a childcare place for every child.”

The report also found the cost gap between private and state nurseries was highest in Scotland, at least £20 per week compared with less than £10 south of the Border.

Some costs have improved in the past year in Scotland. Nursery places for children aged two and over dropped by 3.1 per cent and out-of-school clubs decreased 1.9 per cent. But childminding costs for children aged two and up climbed 5 per cent – more than English or Welsh averages.

The report’s authors urged the Scottish Government to put pressure on Westminster to amend regulations to allow self-employed parents to claim childcare vouchers. They also said Scottish local authorities should be forced to collect better data on childcare provision.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said it was committed to expanding and improving the quality of early learning and childcare provision, focusing on those who were most in need.

She added: “Since 2007, we have delivered real increases in free pre-school provision, benefiting around 100,000 children each year.

“In addition, we’re providing £4.5 million over the next three years to local authorities to deliver additional early learning and childcare for all looked after two-year-olds; and a further £4.5m to promote community-based solutions to family support and childcare.

“This government is committed to tackling the high cost of childcare through changes to the welfare and tax systems. Having control over our tax and benefit systems would undoubtedly help deliver this.”

A total of 26 of the 32 Scottish local authorities took part in the survey, carried out between November 2011 and January 2012.

• Glasgow mother of two Steffi Keir, 41, who works in the charitable sector, pays about £600 a month for three days a week of childcare for her daughters, aged five and 17 months.

She said to go private would cost far more and there should be a system of universally subsidised childcare, except where parents can really afford it.

“We got our oldest into a local authority nursery at the age of three, so before that we paid a childminder £500 a month,” she said. “I could be a stay-at-home mum, but it would be difficult for me not to even work part-time, because it’s a very fulfilling job.”

NEWS BY:http://www.scotsman.com

Live Commentary: England vs. Wales

Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of this Six Nations clash between England and Wales at Twickenham.

England, despite winning both of their games so far this tournament, go into this match as underdogs. With Owen Farrell moving to fly-half and Manu Tuilagi coming in at centre, England could be dangerous in midfield.

Wales are favourites but have not won at HQ for a long time. Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones return to the pack, giving Wales a slight advantage upfront. England will not want to let this one slip, but there is nothing the Welsh love more than beating England, especially at Twickenham. This could be the match of the Championship so far.

(Please refresh this page to see the latest updates)

00mins No controversy over the anthems today as the teams line up.

01mins Here we go! Steve Walsh blows and Farrell delivers wide. Toby Faletau takes. Early penalty to Wales as England fail to release after a tackle. Priestland kicks to touch.

02mins George North breaks down the middle and looks to be on but falls to an ankle tap. Priestland tries the chip on but it goes too long. England restart and North tries again, this time down the line but is bundled into touch.

04mins Wales maul down the wing but Ian Evans is adjudged to be offside. England kick back and Wales gather at half-way.

05mins England win a penalty on the half-way line. Farrell finds touch.

07mins Wales win a scrum after two restarts. They attempt the dink-on but it goes into touch.

09mins Warburton forces a penalty after the tackle as Farrell holds on on the ground. They find touch in the English half. England pinch the lineout.

10mins England clear but not past their halfway line. Wales win the lineout.

12mins Priestland delivers high but Dixon gathers. England go long and Halfpenny glances off two tackles. A risky pass from Alun Wyn Jones is intercepted but knocked on by Strettle.

13mins Penalty to Wales off the scrum. Priestland kicks to the English 22.

15mins Wales creep into the English 22 from the lineout. The English defence looks solid.

16mins England turn over but it goes for a scrum. The ref awards Wales the put-in.

17mins The scrum is resent after some confusion off a Faletau pick.

18mins Wales with a mighty heave from the scrum. England are penalised. Halfpenny will go for the posts.

19mins Halfpenny pushes his attempt wide.

20mins Wales knock on after the restart to award England a scrum in their own half.

21mins England take a quick penalty and burst down the centre. They go wide and into the Welsh 22.

22mins Farrell attemps a drop gaol after penalty adventage is called. He pushes it wide and it goes back for the spot kick.

23mins PENALTY! Farrell puts England on the board. ENGLAND 3-0 WALES

24mins Botha penalised for going off his feet at the ruck. Halfpenny to go for three.

25mins PENALTY! Halfpenny evens the scores. ENGLAND 3-3 WALES

27mins North takes the ball into touch to give England a dangerous lineout. England win and spread wide to get inches from the Welsh try line.

28mins Wales defend extremely well and play is called back for an offside penalty. England try to take it quick but Walsh calls it back. Jamie Roberts is threatened with the bin for offside.

29mins PENALTY! Farrell puts England ahead. ENGLAND 6-3 WALES

31mins England go down the line and look extremely dangerous. This is encouraging for the men in white as they hold on to possession.

33mins A penalty to Wales puts a halt to English momentum.

34mins PENALTY! It's a hard one for Halfpenny but he sends it over. ENGLAND 6-6 WALES

36mins Priestland bounces off Tuilagi as England mount their attack. Wales win it back from a failed chip-on.

37mins England turn over and go down the line. A pass is intercepted but England win a penalty on the floor.

38mins PENALTY! Farrell goes three-from-three. ENGLAND 9-6 WALES

40mins England slow it down to wait for the clock, before Dxon boots it out.

HALF TIME: ENGLAND 9-6 WALES Wales started off well but England have had some great momentum towards the end. It's still too close to call and the second half looks set to be a thriller.

40mins Referee Walsh gets the second half underway.

41mins Wales battle into the English half but England win a penalty.

42mins Farrell boots to touch just outside the Welsh 22.

43mins Wales turn over and Mike Phillips boots long. England gather and restart their attack.

44mins YELLOW CARD! A Priestland kick is charged down and England look to set up a try. Priestland comes in for a late tackle and is sent for a 10 minute cool down.

45mins PENALTY! Farrell sends another one over, ENGLAND 12-6 WALES

47mins Wales slow down play as they advance to the English 22.

50mins Slow, disciplined work from Wales as they hang on to possession. The phases are going well until England win a penalty. Farrell boots for touch and finds the Welsh 22.

52mins England maul from the lineout and are held at the 22. England spill and Wales isolate the English defender. Wales miss touch but England's clearance sets up a Welsh attack. Wales win a penalty at the ruck.

53mins PENALTY! Halfpenny sends it over. ENGLAND 12-9 WALES

54mins Ryan Jones replaces Alun Wyn Jones.

55mins Priestland waits to come back on as England knock on in the Welsh half.

56mins Priestland rejoins play as the teams pack down.

57mins Wales win a penalty for offside from the scrum. They boot for touch but don't find much territory.

59mins England with a series of turnovers on the half way line. They spread wide and advance to the Welsh 22.

60mins Play is halted as the English attack is bundled into touch. All the pressure is on Wales and England are looking extremely hungry for a try.

61mins Youngs is on for Dixon. Tom Croft pinches the Welsh lineout.

62mins England are penalised but Priestland misses touch. England return and win a penalty on the floor.

63mins Farrell misses his kick.

65mins England with a relentless onslaught on Wales. The men in red can't seem to get out their own half. Toby Flood comes on for Farrell.

66mins Wales get into the English half and are awarded a scrum.

68mins Wales burst into the English 22 and come inches from the line. England steal on the floor and clear.

69mins England are penalised for bringing Warburton down from the jump at the lineout. Wales kick for touch and find the English 22.

70mins England penalised for a hand in the ruck. Halfpenny to go for the posts.

71mins PENALTY! Halfpenny levels the scores. ENGLAND 12-12 WALES

73mins England mount a fast-paced attack but get an unlucky offside call. Wales kick for touch.

74mins Priestland sends it high into the English 22 and Foden calls the mark. They send it back to Wales and win turnover.

76mins TRY! Replacement Scott Williams steals ball and hacks on. He wins the foot race and dives over. Halfpenny converts. ENGLAND 12-19 WALES

77mins England come within a whisker as George North knocks an English grubber kick into touch on the five-metre line.

78mins England with a penalty and kick for touch for five-metre lineout. Wales set up their defence.

79mins Wales look to have turned over but England are awarded the lineout. They kick for touch and go for the five-metre lineout.

80mins England spread wide and go over the line, but it looks to be held up. It's going upstairs.

83mins INCONCLUSIVE -NO TRY!

FULL TIME! ENGLAND 12-19 WALES Wales win the Triple Crown! To be fair, though, England were extremely unlucky to lose this match. It's a cliche but it could have gone either way. England will take a lot of positives from this game, but Wales take the 2012 Triple Crown, and their first ever Triple Crown at Twickenham.

NEWS BY:http://www.sportsmole.co.uk

Overnight Alcohol Related Emergency Visits Almost Treble Since UK Licensing Laws Changed

The number of people kept overnight for emergency care because of alcohol-related problems has almost tripled since the UK changed its licensing laws, according to and article in the Emergency Medicine Journal (BMJ).

In November, 2005, UK licensing laws changed so that establishments can sell alcohol virtually 24/7. It was thought that by extending licensing hours binge drinking and crime and disorder related to drunkenness would go down.

This study looked at the number of emergency care visits to an inner-city London teaching hospital during two separate months - one month before the change in law, the other month after. It is a large emergency department, close to several drinking establishments. The study only looked at people over 16 who had been drinking before coming into the emergency department.

The study found that:
(March 2005 was before the change in the law, March 2006 was after the change)

-- March 2005 - over 10,000 emergency department visits were made
-- March 2006 - 3% fewer emergency department visits were made (compared to 2005)
-- March 2005 - 2,700 overnight visits to emergency care
-- March 2006 - 3,100 overnight visits to emergency care
-- March 2005 - 3% of overnight stays were alcohol related (79 total)
-- March 2006 - 8% of overnight stays were alcohol related (250 total)

The authors believe that the new legislation, rather than curb binge drinking and alcohol related crime and disorder, has had the opposite effect. They said "We feel that our findings are likely to be representative of inner city (emergency care departments) in the UK. If reproduced over longer time periods and across the UK, as a whole, the additional numbers of patients presenting to emergency care, with alcohol related problems could be very substantial."

NEWS BY:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Education Divisions Boost McGraw-Hill and Pearson Earnings

Two of the biggest players in education publishing had good news to report in their most recent earnings filings, even though McGraw-Hill (MHP) supplied more tangible information than its U.K.-based competitor, Pearson (PSO).

McGraw-Hill Sees Strong Gains in Education Division

For its third quarter, McGraw-Hill's profit rose to $380 million, or $1.23 a share, from $336 million, or $1.07 a share in the year-earlier period -- a 15% increase from the same time last year and way above analysts' expectations of $1.10 EPS. Total revenue grew by 5.5% to $1.98 billion, also beating analysts' projections for the company.

On the education side, revenue jumped 5.5% to $1.1 billion while operating profit grew 19.9% to $357.5 million. That took into account a $3.8 million pre-tax gain on the divestiture of a secondary school business in Australia, while foreign exchange had negligible impact this quarter, a far cry from previous earnings periods.

Looking at specific education segments, revenue for the School Education Group increased by 6.7% to $534.7 million compared to the same time last year, while the higher education side went up 4.3% to $520.0 million. The School Education Group is now on track to capture 30% of the estimated $825 million to $875 million state new adoption market in 2010, owing in large part to substantial orders from the adoption states with the biggest student enrollments, such as Texas, California, and Florida.

Good news also came from the Standard & Poor's side, as that division's revenue increased 9.5% to $697.4 million compared to 12 months ago. The biggest reason? High-yield debt issuance.

As for information and media, Q3 revenue declined by 4.7% to $227.8 million compared to the same period last year, but it would have increased 5.1% if not for lingering residue from the sale of BusinessWeek to Bloomberg. Operating profit for this division also increased by 55.1% to $45.8 million in the third quarter.

In a statement, Chairman, CEO and President Harold McGraw III attributed the earnings jump to a slew of factors, including "surging global high-yield issuance in the bond market, a solid gain at S&P Indices, increases in U.S. elementary-high school and higher education in the seasonally most important quarter of the year, double-digit increases in the sales of digital products and services in higher education and professional markets, and global growth in energy information products."

Looking ahead, the company is bumping up its guidance, now anticipating earnings per share somewhere between $2.60 and $2.65, even with a one-time gain of 2 cents EPS from recent acquisitions.

Pearson Finds Success in Move to Global Learning Technology

As for Pearson, its nine-month trading report was thin on numbers and long on percentage-driven positive news. Overall, the company increased sales by 7% and adjusted operating profit 15% in the first nine months of 2010. Its trade book publishing arm, Penguin, saw revenue grow 5% compared to last year, and the education side increased 7% from 12 months ago. That piece of news caused Pearson to remark that it continues "to accelerate our transformation from book publisher to the leading global learning technology and services company through organic investment and bolt-on acquisitions."

An 11% jump in revenue for the Financial Times came about because of "strong demand for its print and digital content," increased M&A activity and sustained advertising growth. For Penguin, Pearson noted that "physical retail markets are tough," but they were offset "by strong publishing and rapid growth in eBook sales" for 16,500 titles currently available. Industry newsletter Publishers Lunch ran the numbers, and for e-books that means "if Penguin ebooks went from 8.5% of U.S. sales after two quarters to 10% of U.S. sales in the third quarter, that would comprise revenue of approximately $4 million."

In other words, as is the case for almost all big publishers right now, e-books are growing, but the story is still small potatoes compared to larger sectors like education -- and print publishing as a whole.


NEWS BY: http://www.dailyfinance.com

Some U.S. College Students Look to the U.K.

LONDON—When final-year economics undergraduate Robert Rogers transferred from Georgetown University to the London School of Economics, his annual tuition fees plummeted to around $20,000 a year from around $41,000.

"It didn't even occur to me to apply abroad when I was in high school," said Mr. Rogers, on a recent afternoon outside the LSE's Students' Union. "I certainly didn't hear of any of my [high-school] classmates applying to study abroad."

Mr. Rogers said that his reasons for moving to the LSE weren't financially motivated. But finances drive others to follow him. As tuition at U.S. colleges increasingly becomes less affordable for many—and as spots at the most competitive institutions more and more resemble gold dust—some American high schoolers are looking to the United Kingdom to meet their educational needs.
Doing the Math

It is almost heresy to say it right now here in the U.K., what with English students recently taking to the streets in protest at the government's proposal to raise tuition fees to no less than £6,000 a year (just under $10,000) for some domestic enrollees, but the fact remains that, by U.S. standards, universities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain a "cheap" place to get an education.

Tuition fees in the U.K. vary from institution to institution, and also from region to region, but the cost for an overseas undergraduate at University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, for the academic year 2009-2010 would be about $19,000.

And if you're lucky enough to be able to claim "home" or "European Union" status, this figure would be just shy of $3,000 a year—though it is set to triple or even quadruple from 2012 onward for some institutions south of the Scottish border under the British coalition government's aggressive overhauls to higher-education funding.

Even to study in the University of Oxford's hallowed halls would cost a U.S. student just over $20,000 for an undergraduate program of study. (The fee would be about $4,700 for a U.K. student.)

Every college that features in the top 20 of the U.S. News and World Report's most recent ranking of best U.S. colleges costs at least $34,000 a year for tuition and fees. Most, in fact, are closer to $40,000 a year, and quite a few top that level.

The downsides of going abroad include: plane tickets, time zones, foul weather and the cultural labyrinth resulting from two nations divided, as the saying goes, by a common language. However, if one is contemplating spending at the higher end of the scale, there is also approximately $80,000 or more to be saved.

More than 3,000 normally U.S.-domiciled undergraduate-level students applied to do just that in 2009, according to UCAS, the organization responsible for managing applications to higher-education programs in the U.K. And while only 1,330 were accepted, according to UCAS, the relatively modest numbers mask a rising trend.

There has been a 27% increase in undergraduate applications from U.S. students since 2006, while the total number of U.S. students studying for full degrees at British higher-education institutions as of 2009—across both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels—stands at just over 14,000, data from the U.K.'s Higher Education Statistics Agency show.

It is "very important that [students] enter the global economy with global competencies," said Allan Goodman, president and chief executive officer of the Institute of International Education, in emailed comments.

Todd Weaver, an education consultant with Strategies for College Inc., a Canton, Mass.-based advisory firm, said that while students and parents in the U.S. are starting to realize that it is relatively inexpensive to study in places such as the U.K., they are also weighing the reduced cost against "the ability to have a network in place after college" when job hunting.

"If you go to school in New England, for example, there's a good chance you will be looking for a job in the local area," said Mr. Weaver.
European Vacation?

Steven Goodman, an admissions strategist with education specialist Top Colleges who has worked extensively placing students at colleges as far afield as Romania and South Africa, said the major difficulty facing U.S. students who want to study in the U.K. isn't necessarily to do with the perceived job market back home, but with "the English secondary-school specialization that is not usually a part of the American high-school curriculum."

NEWS BY:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704563204575641621042415364.html?mod=googlewsj

UK small caps climb higher at midday; Sanatana Diamonds top on Kimberlite find

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - UK small caps climbed higher at midday, reflecting the positive mood of the wider market, with Sanatana Diamonds the top riser after its Kimberlite discovery.

At 12.05 pm, the FTSE Small Cap index was 4.30 points up at 3,792.70, while the FTSE 100 was 33.40 points ahead at 6,533.80.

Sanatana Diamonds gained 4-1/2 pence to 20-1/2 as it announced a discovery of Kimberlite on the Greenhorn Project in the Northwest territories.

It said Kimberlite, a type of rock best known for containing diamonds, was intersected at a 5.5 metre depth during the drilling of a vertical hole on the G14 magnetic anomaly.

The new kimberlite has been named 'Dharma'.

Drilling is continuing in kimberlite at a greater than 145 metre depth and will continue as long as it remains in kimberlite or until the drill reaches the end of its supply of drilling rods at 250 metres, the company said in a statement.

Also buoyed by positive drilling news was Kalahari Minerals, which moved ahead 2-1/2 pence to 25-1/2 as it said it has received further positive drilling results from its Witvlei project in Namibia, prompting Evolution Securities to keep its 'buy' stance on the stock.

Completing the hat-trick was Lithic Metals which stayed higher, up 1 pence to 7, but slipped from an earlier high of 7-3/4 pence, on the back of encouraging nickel reach results from its Mitaba Hills Project in Zambia.

Intercede Group climbed 6 pence higher to 38-1/2, as the smart card and identity management software maker reported 'excellent' progress in the first-half to end September, adding its sales for the period rose more than 20 pct compared with the year-ago period, while provider of educational qualifications and assessment services Education Development International rose 2-1/2 pence to 37 as it predicted group adjusted operating profit of not less than 2 mln stg for the year.

Positive trading news also lifted Redhall Group 10 pence to 250 as the specialist engineering support services group revealed another year of strong growth and confirmed that full-year results are anticipated to be slightly ahead of market expectations.

Each of the group's three operating divisions has seen material improvement in trading year on year.

Elsewhere, on a more modest note Landround ticked up 1 to 17-1/2 after the AIM-listed rewards programme and promotions group disclosed narrowing losses at the half-way mark, while Lighthouse Group, 2 pence higher to 25, said it did not see any reason for the recent movement in the group's share price, but said current trading remains strong, with full-year results expected to be in line with expectations.

Specialty drug company Vernalis ticked up 2 pence to 17-1/2 after its executive chairman Peter Fellner bought 252,000 shares at 16.25 pence each, lifting his stake to 415,888 shares or 0.133 pct of the company's issued share capital.

Meanwhile, a contract win for Nasstar lifted shares 2-1/2 pence to 38, as the software supplier said it had won a contract of undisclosed value to provide electronic communications and services to Stelios Haji-Ioannou's easyGroup.

AIM-listed Nasstar said it would supply easyGroup's easyCar, easyBus,

easyHotel and easyCruise businesses with hosted desktop, hosted exchange email,

hosted BlackBerry and hosted sharepoint services.

The contract is for an initial period of 1 year with an immediate

requirement of more than 130 users subscribing for a combination of Nasstar's

on-demand services, Nasstar said.

Meanwhile car dealership group Lookers shifted up a gear, adding 4-1/4 to 142, following the acquisition of rival Dutton Forshaw Group from Lloyds TSB Asset Finance Division for up to 60 mln stg, prompting KBC Peel Hunt to keep

its 'buy' rating on the stock and 250 pence price target.

In a statement earlier today, the company said the deal comprises a payment

of about 28 mln stg for the entire issued share capital of Dutton Forshaw and

the assumption of a maximum of 32 mln stg of debt.

NEWS BY:

Tracing musical style through technology

Aberdeen academics will employ the techniques of DNA sequencing to look at how music has changed over the centuries.

They are part of an international team successful in securing a £100,000 grant from the Digging into Data project, which supports researchers using computational techniques to change the nature of humanities and social sciences research.

Dr Frauke Jurgensen, a lecturer in music at the University of Aberdeen, will lead the Aberdeen team, working alongside academics from Canada and the USA, to study changes in musical style from 1300 to 1900.

They will employ computational techniques, including those more commonly used in genetics research, to pinpoint transitions in musical style which could ultimately change the way in which we appreciate and perform music from this era.

Dr Jurgensen will focus on Renaissance music, analysing the changes in musical chords and melodic motions using advanced music information retrieval techniques.

She said: “As a singer I have a strong interest in music from a performance perspective, and if you are going to perform or even listen to music then you have to understand it.

“Modern audiences are not going to be familiar with much of the music we are looking at, since we subconsciously build up an understanding of the music we normally listen to.

“Much of the music we are investigating deserves to be performed, and we hope that by developing our understanding of the way it is constructed, we can help modern audiences and musicians to connect to it.”

Dr Jurgensen will use the digitised collections of several large music repositories, including the music of Palestrina and his contemporaries, to extract answers as to how the styles of the composers differ.

She will work with Professor George Coghill, Head of Computing Science at the University of Aberdeen and Dr Ian Knopke from the BBC, with Dr David Smith, Head of Music at the University of Aberdeen, acting in an advisory role.

“The collections we are looking at extend to thousands of pieces and if you were to attempt this kind of analysis by hand it would take many years.

“By using digitised data we are able to use pattern matching techniques similar to those in DNA sequencing to look at both similarities and differences in the music.

“We will be able to pinpoint the way in which a composer writes a piece of music that makes it different from another composer from the same period.

“This way of looking at music should help us to understand not only how this older music works, but also affects our understanding of newer music, which is underpinned by similar concepts.”




NEWS BY:http://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/details-11607.php

Cambridge University unveils letter from Charles Dickens to his son

It's like any letter written by an affectionate dad to his student son at university: work hard, keep a close eye on your spending, and if you have any problems, let me know.

A revealing missive penned by Charles Dickens to his son Henry nearly 150 years ago has been highlighted by Cambridge University today on the 200th anniversary of the great writer’s birth.

The letter was written while the author of Great Expectations was staying at a hotel in Liverpool, in October 1868. Dickens’ son, Henry, then just 19 and the first of the writer’s 10 children to go to university, had just arrived at Trinity Hall in Cambridge, to study maths.

His message to his son, which begins "Dear Harry", reveals that student debt is by no means just a 21st century phenomenon. It says: "I enclose you another cheque, for £25," and goes on to discuss his allowance, £250 a year ("handsome for all your wants") his requirements for furniture and clothes ("I strongly recommend you to buy nothing in Cambridge") and his decision to send him a consignment of drink, so he can enjoy the undergraduate life – three dozen bottles of sherry, two dozen bottles of port, three dozen light clarets, and six bottles of brandy.

Dickens Senior then exhorts his young son to be prudent when handling money: "Now observe attentively – we must have no shadow of debt." Throughout his life, Dickens was haunted by the memory of his own father sinking into debt, and being sent to prison as a result. Charles was sent to the pawnbroker’s with the family books and much of their furniture, and was later sent to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory, aged just 12.

The letter, given to the Cambridge college in 1957 by Christopher Dickens, one of Henry’s grandchildren, tells the young student: "You know how hard I work for what I get, and I think you know that I never had money help from any human creature after I was a child. If you ever find yourself on the verge of perplexity or difficulty, come to me. You will never find me hard with you while you are manly and truthful."

Dr Jan-Melissa Schramm, fellow in English at Trinity Hall, has written two books for Cambridge University Press about Charles Dickens. She said: "The letter speaks very powerfully to the parents of students today, not only about caring for their children’s spiritual well-being, but also about supplying their material wants.

NEWS BY:http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Education-and-Training/Universities/Cambridge-University-unveils-letter-from-Charles-Dickens-to-his-son-06022012.htm

IBM relies on social business software at Lotusphere conference

At the IBM's Lotusphere conference in Florida last month, Big Blue made several announcements on the future of its enterprise collaboration software.

The theme was social business, and it was evident from the number of sessions with the word "social" in the agenda, that IBM is banking on it to drive growth in businesses (including its own) in the future.

Ultimately, social business is a competitive differentiator," says Alistair Rennie, GM of collaboration solutions at IBM.

Speaking at the opening general session, Rennie says businesses can profit from harnessing the knowledge and skills of its employees by implementing social networking functions into their IT. He says current collaboration tools, like email, are being misused, and companies should focus on a unified and integrated communications platform.

"I would shut off my own email if it wasn't running on Lotus Notes," jokes Rennie.

IBM says it is ready to provide the social business platform of the future, and announced a host of collaboration-orientated changes to its Lotus software to meet that demand. Big Blue demonstrated its much anticipated cloud-based document collaboration tool, IBM Docs.

The software, formerly known as LotusLive Symphony, lets users edit and manage documents with real-time collaboration, and has many of the same features found in competing products such as Google Docs and Office 365. Docs is currently in closed beta, but IBM says it will be available later this year as a part of its new SmartCloud for Business product.

IBM's Sametime also received new features this year. The telephony and communications software will see deeper integration into different Lotus systems, including the ability to start video conferencing from within emails and instant messages, using Polycom's RealPresence technology.

Collaboration software

IBM's social business platform will be tied together with its Connections collaboration software, which IBM says also supports Notes and Domino, Exchange and Sharepoint software.

Children's Hospital Boston is currently using the Connections software to help staff collaborate on cases within the hospital, and also externally through what it calls 'telemedicine'.




NEWS BY:http://www.computerworlduk.com

Asus Talks Refunds for UK Transformer Prime Users

The Asus Transformer Prime got off to a bit of a rocky start, and the fact that the company announced a brand new model just a few weeks after it hit the shops probably didn't help matters. The company has done its best to placate users unhappy with the GPS, supposed WiFi issues and locked bootloader, but the company is now offering another alternative: A full refund. The company today said that extensive checks have confirmed that no units with WiFi issues have been supplied to customers in the UK, it is willing to refund customers that are still unhappy with their device.

"After extensive checks we can confirm that no units have been supplied to the UK with a known WiFi issue. Any customers experiencing WiFi issues specifically are advised to contact our support hotline on 0870 1208 340," Asus UK said. "Any customers who have purchased a Transformer Prime TF201 and are dissatisfied with the performance of the GPS module are advised to return the unit to their point of purchase for a full refund as per standard consumer rights that apply in the UK."

For those that don't want to return their brand new tablet, the company is offering to extend its standard 12-month warranty to 18 months. Users wishing to extend their warranty can do so by calling the number mentioned above.

If you've bought a Transformer Prime but are eager to get the improved version, the TF700, then you should think carefully before returning your TF201. Asus UK says the TF700, announced last week at CES, won't arrive in the UK until June, which means you could be without tablet for as much as six months before the upgraded version becomes available.

NEWS BY:http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Asus-UK-Transformer-Prime-Refund-New-Model-TF700,14516.html

Industrial-strength award for Massey mathematician

A Massey University professor who uses mathematics to model the drift of ash from volcanic eruptions as well as solving industrial problems has just been awarded the highest Australasian accolade for maths in industry.

Robert McKibbin, a Professor of Applied Mathematics based at the Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences at Albany, received the 2012 ANZIAM (Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics group) Medal for his lifelong work in applied and industrial mathematics.

He is known as one of the pre-eminent applied mathematicians in New Zealand, with a particular focus on geophysical and industrial applications, from modelling hydrothermal eruptions in areas such as Rotorua and the distribution of volcanic dust from eruptions, to fluid motion and pollution transport in groundwater aquifers, ground subsidence and aluminium and iron smelting.

Professor McKibbin says he had always been good at maths at school, but never realised until he reached university how diverse its applications and uses could be in a wide range of industrial, agricultural and other scientific areas.

“In mathematical modelling, we take an interdisciplinary approach. You need to understand the physics, chemistry or biology of a phenomenon as well as having the mathematical tools to address whatever the problem is,” he says.

Creating conceptual models for invisible or unpredictable phenomena – like volcanic dust particles and underground hydrothermal activity – is both challenging and fascinating, he says. “You are dealing with ‘what if’ scenarios, like 'what if Mount Taranaki blew its top?' What might the impact be, and how would the surrounding population and landscape be affected?”

Professor McKibbin, who was recognised at the awards ceremony for his contribution to research and enhancing the profile of applied and industrial maths through teaching and mentoring, including supervising more than 20 PhD and masters students, says budding high school mathematicians need to be made aware of the exciting job prospects available. "Mathematicians are a fairly rare breed, and are highly sought-after by a range of industries for their logical thinking and conceptual skills that are needed in problem solving.”

Professor McKibbin received the medal on February 1 at a presentation at the group’s conference in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. It has been awarded biennially since 1995, making him the ninth person, and only the second New Zealand-based mathematician to receive it. The other was Professor Graeme Wake, also from the Albany-based institute, who received it in 2006.

NEWS BY:http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1202/S00027/industrial-strength-award-for-massey-mathematician.htm

Analysis: Which university has the fattest wallet?

How has the fall in the value of the stock market since The THES' first analysis of university wealth in 2001 affected the financial health of UK institutions? Claire Sanders and Alison Goddard report.

Cambridge University is still the richest institution in the UK, despite a fall of 26 per cent in the value of its endowments since 2000.

In the second analysis of university wealth by The THES - the first was carried out in 2001 based on 2000 figures - the fall in the value of the stock market can be clearly seen. Bristol University has seen the value of its endowments fall by more than a third.

Others have fared extraordinarily well. Surrey University, which The THES identified in 2000 as one of the up-and-coming wealthy universities, has seen its endowments fall by just 0.1 per cent. Since the publication of the last set of league tables, Surrey has announced that it is looking at plans to go private.

Other institutions that have performed strongly include Reading, Coventry and Wolverhampton universities.

The balance sheets used by The THES were supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency and are for the year to July 31 2002. They have been compared with those for July 31 2000.

Net assets

Net assets, or total funds, show the value of an institution's fixed assets such as buildings, its endowment assets and its current assets minus its liabilities. A university's net assets also include whatever it owns in spin-off companies. They reflect the size of a university as well as its wealth.

Cambridge has net assets of just over £1.2 billion, a 0.6 per cent increase on 2000. Oxford University's net assets are smaller at £809 million, a 0.2 per cent increase on 2000. Unlike Cambridge, Oxford does not include buildings more than 50 years old in its fixed assets.

Two years ago, Cambridge estimated that its colleges' net assets amounted to £1.5 billion. Oxford put the figure at somewhere between £1.2 billion and £1.5 billion. Neither university could provide updated estimates.

The ten universities with the biggest assets account for more than 35 per cent of the sector's assets.

The highest ranked new university is Manchester Metropolitan at 16. Leeds Metropolitan, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Brighton universities all come in the top 30.

These all tend to be universities with large student numbers. A spokesperson for Wolverhampton said: "We are in the process of a major building programme, called New Horizons. This has significantly increased our net assets. We are also the tenth largest university in the UK in terms of head count."

The past two years have seen serious swings in the net assets of some universities. The University of East London has seen a fall of 28 per cent, Greenwich University a fall of 19.6 per cent and Heriot-Watt University a fall of 17.4 per cent.

A UEL spokesperson said: "This fall is due to the sale of properties, including Maryland House in Stratford." The university has also changed the basis of the valuation of its Longbridge Road campus.

At the other end of the scale, Exeter University has seen an increase in net assets of 64.4 per cent, York University an increase of 52.8 per cent, Sussex University an increase of 46.6 per cent and London Guildhall University an increase of 40 per cent.

A spokesperson for Exeter said: "The £65 million increase is due to investment in new facilities, particularly the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. We have also carried out a revaluation of the university's estate and seen its value go up due to big increases in property and land values in this area." 

NEWS BY:http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=178107&sectioncode=26

UK university reviews funding from Libya

"We have also received scholarship funding in respect of advice given to the Libyan Investment Authority in London," it continued.

"No further receipts are anticipated."

In 2009, the university was pledged £1.5m from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation for its North Africa Programme.

The university said it has accepted £300,000 of that grant and the funds so far had been used to develop a research programme on North Africa, focused on politics, economics and society.

"In current difficult circumstances across the region, the School has decided to stop new activities under that programme.

"The Council of the School will keep the position under review.

"The School intends to continue its work on democratisation in North Africa funded from other sources unrelated to the Libyan authorities."
'Opportunity for reform'

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 38, enrolled at the LSE in 2003 for an MSc which he completed. He continued his studies there, and was awarded a PhD in 2008.

Professor David Held, who supervised his PhD studies, said he watched his former student's speech and was "deeply disturbed by its failure to grasp the changing circumstances of the Middle East in general, and of Libya in particular".

"Rather than seeing the opportunity for reform based on liberal democratic values and human rights, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi stressed the threat of civil war and foreign intervention.

"I have known Saif al-Islam Gaddafi for several years since he did a PhD at the LSE. During this time I came to know a young man who was caught between loyalties to his family and a desire to reform his country.

"My support for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was always conditional on him resolving the dilemma that he faced in a progressive and democratic direction.

"The speech last night makes it abundantly clear that his commitment to transforming his country has been overwhelmed by the crisis he finds himself in. He tragically, but fatefully, made the wrong judgement."

The LSE Students' Union said it was "totally unjustifiable and contradictory of LSE to operate on funds which contravene its guiding principles".

"We welcome the School's decision to take no further funding from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation; however, we believe that this does not go far enough.

"The school should take action to ensure that the money that was stolen from the Libyan people for our benefit, is now used for the benefit of Libyan people."
The London School of Economics has said it is reconsidering its links with Libya "as a matter of urgency".

The LSE has run courses for Libyan officials and has received a £1.5m donation from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation.

Colonel Gaddafi's second son, Saif al-Islam, studied at the LSE, gaining both a Master of Science and a doctorate.

The LSE statement follows a speech made by Saif on Sunday, in which he said the regime in Libya would stand firm.

He warned of civil war and rejected foreign intervention.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi wrote his doctoral dissertation on the role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions.
Courses

The LSE has offered executive education programmes to Libyan officials. "No further courses are in preparation," the university's statement said.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12537155

Tuition fees: 27 universities seek last-minute changes

More than a fifth of England's universities have applied to change their fee packages, just weeks before the application deadline.

The Office for Fair Access said 27 of England's universities had sought to lower fees to make use of new measures that could allow them to expand.

Universities blame the late announcement of these measures by the government.

Ministers say changes should not disadvantage any student.

But the National Unions of Students said tens of thousands of students now faced weeks of uncertainty because of the changes.

Maximum tuition fees will rise to as much as £9,000 a year next autumn.

Universities were required to submit their plans for higher charges, bursaries and fee-waivers for certain groups of students back in April. These were then assessed by the fair access regulator, Offa.

This was before the government published its proposals in the Higher Education White Paper, which was delayed by several months.

The plans included allowing universities charging less than £7,500 a year in fees to expand by bidding for 20,000 degree places.

This was widely seen as a last-minute measure to bring the overall cost of higher fees down for the government after it became clear that more universities than expected were planning to charge maximum fees.

Offa said it had received applications from 27 institutions wishing to reduce their average fees to £7,500 or below in order to bid for the 20,000 places set aside for this purpose.

It also said it had received new access agreements from seven publicly funded further education institutions wishing to bid for some of these places.

The watchdog says it will assess the revised agreements and inform universities and colleges of its decisions by November 30.

In the meantime, institutions must contact applicants affected by the changes and let them know. Would-be students will then have the chance to reconsider their options.

Offa also said it would consider any further changes from universities still wishing to change their access agreements.

Nicola Dandridge, head of umbrella group Universities UK, said: "This has come about because universities were asked to set their 2012-13 fee levels and financial support by April this year, before the details of student number controls had been decided.

"The delayed publication in June of the government's White Paper then shifted the goal posts [of student number controls]."

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15596986

FDA's mobile medical app guidelines get everybody talking

cWASHINGTON – The questions and comments are pouring in over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s draft guidance on mobile medical apps, making it obvious that the government’s first attempt to clarify its regulatory authority over this fast-growing field won’t be the last.

While the 30-page draft establishes three categories of devices that would fall under FDA perusal, it leaves out – either specifically or by omission – several other uses. Among them: App sellers (like Apple), telecommunications providers and handset manufacturers, to name a few.

“What we have done is we have taken that approach and formulated policies that were narrowly focused on a very small subset while allowing apps that are out there to foster and continue developing that space,” said Bakul Patel, an FDA policy advisor who helped draft the guidelines, in news reports. “We wanted to make sure that we are consistent in regulating medical devices so nothing has changed. … (If) somebody makes a stethoscope on an iPhone, it doesn’t change the level of oversight we have of a stethoscope.”

Chuck Parker, executive director of the Continua Health Alliance, a 230-member global alliance of healthcare and technology companies working to improve the quality of personal healthcare, said the draft “opens up the market” by giving the industry rules to work with.

“It sort of clears the thoughts out a little bit, and that does help us out,” he said.

“It’s pretty consistent with what I expected them to do,” said Yarmela Pavlovic, an associate with the global law firm of Hogan Lovells. “What’s been happening (in the mobile medical app space) is very, very fast development, and there needed to be an interpretation of existing regulations.”

Zachary Bujnoch, a senior industry analyst for telehealth and healthcare with Frost & Sullivan, called the draft document a much-needed entry into a “market full of hype.” He said the regulations will help “vet out the market” and target the thousands of healthcare apps on the market.

“This is going to hinder innovation in the market – there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “But that’s good. It’s a very confused market right now … that needs clarification.”

Pavlovic said she was “surprised by the way they narrowed” the classifications of apps to come under FDA guidance. “There’s definitely things that fall outside the categories that will be discussed,” she said. For example, she said, should accessories apps be treated the same as their connected devices?

Both Parker and Bujnoch questioned whether electronic health records should fall under FDA review (electronic and personal health records currently fall outside the FDA’s scope, according to the draft). An issue expected to generate a lot of comment, both said, is the definition of clinical decision support. If a device takes healthcare data and translates that into a clinical decision that can affect one’s healthcare, should it fall under the FDA’s guidelines?

“It depends on where the decision factor comes in,” said Parker. “Who defines the intelligence that gets sent back to the individual?”

The FDA draft will be a topic of discussion at two upcoming conferences. On Wednesday, it’s on the agenda for the American Telemedicine Association’s Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. (co-hosted by the Continua Health Alliance); and it will be the subject of a keynote panel discussion during the World Congress 3rd Annual Leadership Summit on mHealth, scheduled for Friday, July 29.

The mHealth Regulatory Coalition is also expected to weigh in, taking part in the ATA/Continua conference on Wednesday and issuing its own version of mHealth guidelines within a few weeks.

In addition, the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, based in Billings, Mont., will co-host an August 15 “”Brown Bag Webinar” with the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law on the topic. The webinar, titled “Are You a Medical Device Manufacturer: The FDA’s Final Rule on Medical Devices,” will feature Anthony Pavel, an attorney with the law firm of K&L Gates and a CTeL board member.

NEWS BY: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/fdas-mobile-medical-app-guidelines-get-everybody-talking

Silverstone to house new technical college

Silverstone motor racing circuit is to house one of the first in a new wave of specialist university technical colleges (UTCs).

Set up with Northampton University and a local college, it will be one of 13 UTCs to offer highly technical subjects to teenagers from next year.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the UTCs "have the potential to change the lives of thousands for the better."

Others argue they risk setting children on a rigid career path too early.

The government also announced on Monday that it had approved 55 new free schools.

This includes one being set up by the prestigious independent school Brighton College in a deprived part of east London but targeting poor, bright teenagers across the city.

And plans for the first bilingual primary school, which aims to teach in English 50% of the time and Spanish the rest, have also been approved.

Like free schools, university technical colleges are a flagship Conservative policy. They are being pioneered by former Education Secretary Kenneth Baker.

They are similar to German technical schools, where students can elect to follow skills-based education from their mid-teens.

The other 12 new UTCs will be established in Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Burnley, Bedfordshire, Daventry, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield, Southwark and Wigan.

There are already two UTCs open in England, one sponsored by heavy plant manufacturers JCB in Staffordshire and the other, The Black Country UTC, in Walsall in the West Midlands. And three more are already in the pipeline.

They offer 14- to 19-year-olds the opportunity to take a full time, technically oriented course of study and are supposed to be very well equipped with modern technical facilities.

They are sponsored by a university and aim to offer clear routes into higher education or further learning in work.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15216987

UK University Foundation Courses

Russian high school programs finish a year earlier than those in the UK, which means Russian students looking to do a UK degree course almost always need a need to do a foundation year first.

There are two types of foundation programs. One has its course content validated by a UK university, and successful students are guaranteed a university place. These offer courses in specialist subjects together with academic English. They employ highly qualified teachers - the English language staff, for example will have at least a diploma. The other kind does not have validated courses and does not guarantee a university place. At best they offer a good top-up in a specialist subject and/or a solid academic English course.

From 2009, Russian students who wish to study at private institutions will need to enroll in a college accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) or a language school covered by Accreditation UK to obtain a visa.

Unfortunately, the BAC inspects only specialist subjects while Accreditation UK inspects only English-language teaching. Foundation programs should offer both. In addition both schemes accredit courses that don't guarantee university places as well as those that do.

So how do you choose a good foundation year? By asking some very tough questions.

If you already know which university you want, simply ask the admissions office. The university may run its own foundation program or outsource it to a state college, private college or a language school while guaranteeing degree places to successful students.

In either case, it is important to check what assistance is available if the student fails. "If a student [barely] fails the foundation year, we help them find a place somewhere else," says Claire Ballard of Reading University's International Office.

An increasing number of universities have private-sector partners who run foundation programs on the university campus. Students can enrol direct with these partners and get help choosing a university subsequently. Most of these organizations have formal arrangements with other universities for students who don't quite make the grade.

Study Group, for example, runs international study centers in nine British universities but many more universities accept people on their foundation program.

INTO is involved in joint ventures, currently with three British universities, which means the university remains responsible for academic quality. Again other universities will accept their course. INTO are building on-campus centers for their courses which include pre-foundation courses for those whose English is weak through to English-language support for students during their degrees.

Students who haven't decided on the university to which they wish to apply, could consider a foundation year at an accredited college whose programs are formally accepted by a number of university partners. For example, those at Bellerby's Colleges, part of Study Group, is accepted by forty British universities. There are language schools, too, which have validated courses. The program run by the Bell School in Cambridge, for example, is formally accepted by twelve universities and students are guaranteed a place at a university on successful completion of the course.

Some language schools are building a reputation in specialist subjects as well as English. IH London has a business track and another for science and engineering. These are accepted as entry qualifications for specific degree courses in universities such as King's College, London; Queen Mary, London; and Nottingham University.

Proper validated foundation years do not come cheap. University-run courses cost in the £7,500 to £13,000 ($14,900 to $25,820) range for non-EU students and the private-sector fees are much the same.

Courses without validation can be much cheaper. But if no university will accept them, what is the point?


NEWS BY:http://www.themoscowtimes.com/careercenter/JC/article/381487.html