| General Electric pledges to spend $50M on Boston initiatives Posted: 04 Apr 2016 04:39 PM PDT BOSTON (AP) — General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt is pledging to spend $50 million on a series of initiatives in Boston, including $25 million in the public schools, as his company prepares to move its headquarters to the city. |
| Hulu unveils summer lineup with Casual, Difficult People, and East Los High Posted: 04 Apr 2016 04:33 PM PDT  Hulu today announced the slate for its original series summer lineup, bringing back original comedies Casual and Difficult People for their second seasons, along with the fourth run of teen drama East Los High . Casual , Hulu's try at a premium-network dark comedy in the vein of HBO's recently cancelled Togetherness , will bring back its "disastrous" antics on Tuesday, June 7 with two episodes, followed by new additions each week leading up to 13 for the season. Casual stars Michaela Watkins ( Transparent , Wet Hot American Summer ) as a 30-something single mom, along with relative unknowns Tommy Dewey and Tara Lynne Bar as her self-obsessed brother and teenage daughter, respectively. The trio make up a dysfunctional family of sorts trying to get their lives in order, both romantically and otherwise. Related: 5 shows to stream: Trailer Park Boys, Trainwreck, and more Critically acclaimed comedy Difficult People , from executive producer Amy Poehler, will make its return on July 12, again with just two episodes followed by weekly additions for a total of 10. The series spins the ridiculous adventures of two comedian/actors (played by series creator Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner of Billy on the Street fame) as they try to make it in New York. Witty writing and strong performances from the show's leads are shored up by an impressive cast of extra players, including Andrea Martin (SCTV), James Urbaniak, Gabourey Sidibe ( Precious ), and Cole Escola, all of whom help keep the main duo on their toes as they strive for stardom in The City. Finally, Hulu's teen drama East Los High returns Friday, July 15 with all 12 episodes at once. As one of Hulu's first (and longest running) originals, the series has found an enduring fan base with its look at the trials of a group of Latino high school students in a working class neighborhood in East Los Angeles. The series stars Gabe Chavarria, Daniell Vega, Carlito Olivero, Alexandra Rodriguez, Vanessa Vasquez, J.D. Pardo, and Prince Royce. Choosing a weekly release schedule for many of its series, Hulu has had more difficulty getting a foothold in the original content game in comparison to its two top rivals, both of whom have been winning awards on a regular basis in recent years. But a strong showing for supernatural drama 11.22.63 , starring James Franco and produced by Steven King and J.J. Abrams, has brought some more attention to the streamer from critics, if not from the masses just yet. If Hulu can score wins in the traditional network drought this summer, it could turn the tide for the streamer in the highly competitive original content space. Also watch: Best Movies on Hulu (Updated for Feb. 2016) Please enable Javascript to watch this video
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| College Students Say Free Speech Has Its Limits Posted: 04 Apr 2016 02:33 PM PDT  Last fall, the football team at the University of Missouri went on strike to protest slow administrative response to incidents of racial harassment on campus—joining other students in a movement that resulted in the resignation of the school's president. Although students at the school asserted their right to protest, a viral video of Tim Tai, a student photojournalist, being blocked from documenting what was happening raised concerns over whether free speech rights on the campus were eroding. According to a Gallup survey of college students released Monday in collaboration with the Knight Foundation and the Newseum Institute, most undergraduates across the United States believe First Amendment rights are secure.
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| Outrage as Muslim pupils exempt from shaking female teachers' hands in Swiss district Posted: 04 Apr 2016 02:07 PM PDT  Male Muslim students at a school in northern Switzerland will no longer have to shake hands with their female teachers, following a ruling that was on Monday causing an uproar in the country. A school in the northern municipality of Therwil, in the canton of Basel, reached the controversial decision after two male students, aged 14 and 15, complained that the Swiss custom of shaking hands with the teacher is counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher is a woman.
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| The Real Reason It’s So Easy to Get A’s in College Posted: 04 Apr 2016 09:35 AM PDT  The average GPA is also higher than it's ever been before, according to an updated analysis by Stuart Rojstaczer, a journalist and author who's been tracking grade inflation since 2002. In 2013, the most recent year for which data is available, the average student had a GPA of about 3.15, and 45 percent of all letter grades were A's. The GPAs at private schools averaged 2.9 percent higher than those of public colleges. In 1973, when far fewer students were going to college, the average GPA was just 2.9 percent, and A's accounted for about 30 percent of all grades.
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| Sweden allots extra $1.23 billion for teachers, medics amid migrant influx Posted: 04 Apr 2016 08:49 AM PDT Sweden said on Monday it would allot an extra 10 billion crowns ($1.23 billion) to regional and local authorities to hire more teachers and healthcare workers to help cope with a migrant influx that has strained public services. Last year the government gave local authorities an additional 10 billion crowns to meet the costs of processing record numbers of asylum seekers. The additional 10 billion announced on Monday will form part of the center-left minority government's autumn budget to be unveiled in September and financing for the measure will be outlined then, officials said. |
| Chicago teachers rally, march through Loop after walkout Posted: 02 Apr 2016 04:11 AM PDT  The Chicago Teachers Union took their battle against Chicago Public Schools to the streets Friday with a one-day strike at schools across the city that culminated in a rally and march downtown.
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| Chicago Teachers Strike: CPS teachers prepare for 1-day strike Posted: 31 Mar 2016 08:58 PM PDT  With Chicago Public School teachers set to hit the picket lines at 6:30 a.m. Friday morning, the district says it is ready to help parents find a place for their kids to go.
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