All posts tagged: Forms

Sixth forms’ fury over real-terms cut to finding

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Sixth forms have warned resources are being “stretched to the limit” and funding levels are unsustainable, as ministers announced lower-than-expected increases for post-16 students. The Department for Education announced last week that the national funding rate for 16- to 19-year-olds would rise by just 0.5 per cent in 2026-27. Yet the skills white paper last October had promised above-inflation increases, given rising numbers of 16- to 19-year-olds. Inflation is currently running at 3 per cent, and stood at 3.6 per cent when the pledge was made. Sixth form leaders have said the funding gap could threaten their ability to offer a broad range of subjects, hold down class sizes and pay staff competitively. They added that the timing of the announcement would leave them “flying blind” just as students are choosing their options. The 0.5 per cent increase, which lifts per-pupil funding to £5,133 next year, is the lowest since rates were frozen in 2021-22. Last year funding rates rose 5.4 per cent, significant above inflation. ‘Unacceptable and unworkable’ …

Sixth forms face real-terms cut, leaders warn

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles School sixth forms and colleges face a real-terms cut in their funding next year, leaders have warned, after the government confirmed rates for 16 and 17-year-olds will rise by just 0.5 per cent. Ministers have been accused of breaking a promise for a real-terms funding increase for 16 to 19 year olds made in last year’s white paper to ease demographic pressures. The Department for Education today confirmed the national funding rate for 16 and 17 year old learners will only rise by 0.5 per cent in academic year 2026-27, from £5,105 to £5,133. This marks the lowest increase since funding rates were frozen in 2021-22. Claire Green, post-16 and skills specialist at the ASCL leaders’ union, said the funding rate announced yesterday “does not align” with the white paper ambition, “nor does it support the government’s previous commitment to improving the financial stability of the sector”. “The money that has been given to this part of the sector is being spread extremely thinly because student numbers are growing. …

Sky News forms consortium to drive push for AI standards | UK News

Published by skeptic

THE FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER An Open Letter to Our Fellow Leaders in Global Media From: Tim Davie, BBC Director-General; Jon Slade, CEO, Financial Times; Anna Bateson, CEO, The Guardian; David Rhodes, Executive Chairman, Sky News; Anna Jones, CEO, Telegraph Media Group We write to you at a pivotal moment for our industry. We invite you – global leaders across publishing, broadcasting, media and news – to join us as founding members of a new coalition: SPUR – the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights coalition. Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how content is created, distributed, discovered and monetised. We believe we need to come together to protect original journalism and secure the long-term sustainability of our industry. AI brings opportunities for publishers and our audience. Our organisations are already at the forefront of using AI in responsible ways to benefit our audiences. But AI also raises urgent questions about fairness, consent, attribution, transparency and trust. Across the industry, our reporting, our archives, our original content, have become foundational training material for AI systems. This …

Jim Snow 2.0: Mamdani Requires Snow-Shovel Volunteers Show Two Forms Of ID, Social Security Card

Published by Jenni Sidey

With 2-3 feet of snow predicted to hit New York City and New Jersey, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called on New York residents to volunteer as emergency snow shovelers. “You too can become an emergency snow shoveler. Just show up at your local sanitation garage between 8am and 1pm tomorrow with your paperwork,” he said during a Saturday press conference before the city’s first blizzard warning in nine years. 🚨 NEW: Zohran Mamdani Calls on New Yorkers to Shovel Snow During Tomorrow’s Blizzard “You too can become an emergency snow shoveler. Just show up at your local sanitation garage between 8am and 1pm tomorrow with your paperwork.” pic.twitter.com/ZifhOhPbGt — Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) February 21, 2026 Except, the Mamdani administration is actively committing a hate crime – by requiring volunteers bring ‘Two small photos, two original forms of ID, plus copies, and a Social Security card’ – the thing Democrats say is “Jim Crow 2.0” when it comes to voting in elections. The oppressive nature of Mamdani’s hate crime against aspiring-yet-disenfranchised New York City snow shovelers did not go unnoticed. Oh, this is …

The many forms of Holocaust distortion and why JD Vance’s remarks matter

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — In his statement about International Holocaust Remembrance Day last week, Vice President JD Vance omitted any mention of Jews. He said on X: Today we remember the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust, the millions of stories of individual bravery and heroism, and one of the enduring lessons of one of the darkest chapters in human history: that while humans create beautiful things and are full of compassion, we’re also capable of unspeakable brutality. And we promise never again to go down the darkest path. His statement is just one example of how many less-than-friendly actors have distorted the meaning of the Holocaust. Here’s my taxonomy of ways its memory has been distorted: Holocaust minimization: “The Holocaust happened, but the Jews have exaggerated the numbers.” Holocaust trivialization: “The Holocaust happened, and Jews have used it to play the victim card.” Holocaust inversion: “The Holocaust happened, but the genocide [sic] in Gaza is worse.” Holocaust universalization, part 1: “The Holocaust happened, but it was not just about the Jews.” (This is where the …

Chrome AI Automation by Gemini: Behind Logins, Forms, and Emails

Published by skeptic

What if your browser could think, act, and work like a personal assistant, automating tasks you didn’t even know could be simplified? Google’s Gemini 3 AI integration in Chrome is turning this vision into reality. In this guide, World of AI explains how this innovative “Agentic AI” transforms Chrome into a powerhouse of automation and intelligence, capable of handling everything from filling out forms to analyzing complex visuals. Imagine a browser that doesn’t just passively display information but actively helps you complete multi-step workflows, like comparing product prices across tabs or summarizing dense overviews, all with minimal effort on your part. It’s not just a browser upgrade; it’s a redefinition of what productivity looks like online. This overview dives into the innovative Gemini 3 AI model, its Agentic Vision Technology, and the seamless way it integrates with Google’s ecosystem to enhance your daily workflows. You’ll discover how this AI doesn’t just automate repetitive tasks but also adapts to complex scenarios, offering personalized assistance while respecting your privacy. Whether you’re curious about its ability to navigate …

Inside the workshop where dress forms are made

Published by Sam Flores

Above the small office where two employees juggle emails and calls while processing orders, three Stockman dress forms stand guard. All the classic features are there: a metal tripod base, a luxury brand logo and triple stitching on the front. Only their size is unusual; they’re miniature. They are a relic of the Covid era, when, for the fall-winter 2020-2021 season, Dior, unable to stage a runway show, sent out a charming trunk containing a collection of tiny, unclothed dress forms to its most loyal customers. “We had to produce nearly 4,000 of these specimens,” recalled the workshop director, Louis-Michel Deck, on a cold December morning. They’re miniature versions of the iconic New Look model created in 1947, with its cinched waist and rounded hips, known in-house as the B406 – a shape Christian Dior himself is said to have sculpted in a moment of inspiration. “With forceful, nervous hammer blows, he gave the mannequin the shapes of the ideal woman for the style he was about to launch,” wrote Suzanne Luling, a childhood friend …

Scientists finally explain how lightning forms inside storm clouds

Published by Jenni Sidey

For as long as people have watched storms roll across the sky, lightning has inspired awe and fear. You can see the flash and hear the thunder, but the true beginning of a lightning bolt has remained hidden deep inside clouds. Scientists have known for decades how lightning travels once it forms, but the exact trigger inside a thundercloud stayed uncertain. A new study now offers the clearest explanation yet for how lightning truly begins. The research was led by Victor Pasko, a professor of electrical engineering in the Penn State School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His team combined advanced mathematical modeling with real-world observations to explain a powerful chain reaction inside storm clouds. This reaction links strong electric fields, high-energy electrons, X-rays, and gamma rays into a single process that starts lightning. “Our findings provide the first precise, quantitative explanation for how lightning initiates in nature,” Pasko said. “It connects the dots between X-rays, electric fields and the physics of electron avalanches.” This work does more than solve a scientific puzzle. It …

Let’s learn about life forms that have survived in space

Published by skeptic

astronaut: Someone trained to travel into space for research and exploration. bacteria: (singular: bacterium) Single-celled organisms. These dwell nearly everywhere on Earth, from the bottom of the sea to inside other living organisms (such as plants and animals). Bacteria are one of the three domains of life on Earth. casing: (n.) Some structure that encloses the potentially fragile working parts of a device, such as a cellular phone. It affords those internal parts protection by fully covering, or encasing, them. (in food science) The outer skin or material used to hold — or encase — the meat and other ingredients used to make a sausage. cosmos: (adj. cosmic) A term that refers to the universe and everything within it. dormant: Inactive to the point where normal body functions are suspended or slowed down. germ: Any one-celled microorganism, such as a bacterium or fungal species, or a virus particle. Some germs cause disease. Others can promote the health of more complex organisms, including birds and mammals. The health effects of most germs, however, remain unknown. International Space Station: …

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All posts tagged: Forms

Sixth forms’ fury over real-terms cut to finding

Sixth forms face real-terms cut, leaders warn

Sky News forms consortium to drive push for AI standards | UK News

The many forms of Holocaust distortion and why JD Vance’s remarks matter

Chrome AI Automation by Gemini: Behind Logins, Forms, and Emails

Inside the workshop where dress forms are made

Scientists finally explain how lightning forms inside storm clouds

Let’s learn about life forms that have survived in space