Blog Archive

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The fast rise and painful fall of Kenya’s internet celebrities

Gitonga, ‘the president’, is not the first Kenyan to have been thrust into the limelight by social media. Before him, there were several others. Most of them, however, faded back into obscurity. Photo: Courtesy.

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Two weeks ago, Michael Njogo Gitonga, the man with an uncanny resemblance to President Uhuru Kenyatta, emerged from virtual anonymity to instant fame. Within minutes of Gitonga’s photos being shared on social media, they had been reposted on multiple platforms, turning him into a hot online conversation topic and immediately catapulting him into the limelight. Like many other ordinary Kenyans who sparked interest on social media, Gitonga found himself becoming an instant celebrity. Suddenly, several companies want to be associated with him, offering him all manner of goodies.

“We cannot meet now as we had planned because I have a meeting with Bonfire Adventures,” Gitonga said when The Standard sought him out last Friday.

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Internet
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Education advocates warn thousands of Maryland children will fall behind academically without in-person schooling

While the decision to keep central Maryland school buildings closed through January may protect students and staff from the coronavirus, education advocates say the choice also means thousands of children will likely suffer lifelong academic consequences.

The historic gaps in achievement between low-income students of color and middle-class students will grow deeper, they say, even as protesters across the nation call for a reckoning on racial inequities.

In addition, they warn that the youngest students, English learners and students with disabilities are all going to find it difficult to make academic progress because they will not get the in-person teaching they need.

“There will be large pockets of our children who will not be able to access education — and those are the most vulnerable students in our city, who can least afford to lose another quarter of learning,” said Roger Schulman, president of the Fund for Educational Excellence, a

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Modernism Week Considers Virtual Fall Preview: Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS, CA — Modernism Week has announced that due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and state and city regulations, it has decided to not offer in-person events for the upcoming Fall Preview, scheduled for October 15-18.

Instead, online virtual programming that would be accessed from the Modernism Week website is under consideration.

“As we continue to review current health guidelines and make plans for the Fall Preview, it has become clear that it will not be possible for us to present live events in the fall,” said J. Chris Mobley, Modernism Week chief executive officer. “Instead, we hope to create a sampling of online virtual programs that will be educational, engaging and entertaining.”

Mobley said providing a safe environment for participants, volunteers, partners and staff is priority.

“Offering virtual architectural experiences, which may include home tours and design presentations, allows us to continue to provide a quality experience in

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Programming
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Watsonville Students Likely Won’t Return To School This Fall

WATSONVILLE, CA — The Santa Cruz County Office of Education confirmed Monday that it does not anticipate students will return to in-person classes in the fall.

That’s because Santa Cruz County met the criteria for the state monitoring list, which indicates state public health officials are keeping an eye on concerning COVID-19 statistics, wrote Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez and other county schools officials in an open letter Monday. Of particular concern was the fact that the COVID-19 case count has been higher than 100 cases per 100,000 people for more than three consecutive days, school officials said.

While Santa Cruz County had not been added the state’s list as of Tuesday evening, county Health Officer Gail Newel previously said that she expected Santa Cruz County to join its neighboring counties on the monitoring list.

In order for a school district to open for in-class instruction, it

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Internet
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Santa Cruz Students Likely Won’t Return To School This Fall

SANTA CRUZ, CA — The Santa Cruz County Office of Education confirmed Monday that it does not anticipate students will return to in-person classes in the fall.

That’s because Santa Cruz County met the criteria for the state monitoring list, which indicates state public health officials are keeping an eye on concerning COVID-19 statistics, wrote Santa Cruz City Schools Superintendent Kris Munro and other county schools officials in an open letter Monday. Of particular concern was the fact that the COVID-19 case count has been higher than 100 cases per 100,000 people for more than three consecutive days.

While Santa Cruz County had not been added the state’s list as of Tuesday evening, county Health Officer Gail Newel previously said that she expected Santa Cruz County to join its neighboring counties on the monitoring list.

In order for a school district to open for in-class instruction, it must be in

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Technology
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What to do on Friday nights this fall without high school football

Denzel Washington tackles the 2000 role of coach Herman Boone in "Remember the Titans." <span class="copyright">(Tracy Bennett / Buena Vista Pictures)</span>
Denzel Washington tackles the 2000 role of coach Herman Boone in “Remember the Titans.” (Tracy Bennett / Buena Vista Pictures)

With the CIF deciding to delay the start of the high school football season until Jan. 8 because of uncertainty and safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, teens and their families are going to need to find a substitute plan for what to do on Friday nights this fall.

Let’s call it “Friday Night Lights” revised.

Among the possible alternatives:

• A TV classic. Subscribe to Hulu and watch all five seasons of the TV series “Friday Night Lights.”

• A film classic. Make Friday night a family night to watch your favorite sports movie. Here are a few to get you started: “Blindside,” “Remember the Titans,” “Hoosiers,” “Mighty Ducks,” “Field of Dreams.”

• A little football. You may be able to stream seven-on-seven football games from your nearest park.

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Fall 2020 Reopening Plans At The Top 100 U.S. Business Schools

They’ll be following all the rules this fall at the University of Michigan: masks, social distancing, smaller class sizes, frequent hand and surface washing, and more — much more. They’ll also be pioneering new rules for a new reality, particularly in the realm of remote instruction, as befits one of the country’s leading centers of social and cultural innovation. Put it all together and Scott DeRue, dean of the Ross School of Business, expects a memorable term.

“As with every year, I’m looking forward to welcoming students back to campus safely for a very successful fall term,” DeRue says. “Of course, I also recognize the profound difficulties that many of our students face in this moment, and that much uncertainty remains for all of us. We will get through this, and we will do it together.”

Five months after it shut down business school campuses and curtailed spring instruction and … Read More

Technology
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Culver City Schools To Remain Remote For Fall

CULVER CITY, CA — Culver City Unified School District’s board voted Thursday night in a special meeting to begin the school year with only distance learning.

The district had spent months of evaluating options, exploring hybrid plans that would include both distance and in-person learning models, and monitoring outbreak numbers from the Department of Public Health, a district spokesperson told Patch.

The board agreed with Superintendent Leslie Lockhart’s recommendation to keep students off-campus to open the school year.

“I know this is a disappointment to some parents and students, but our goal continues to focus on bringing our students and staff safely back to school campuses, and we don’t believe that is possible given the recent and continuing spike in COVID-19 cases,” Lockhart said. “But I want to assure parents and students that distance learning in the fall will not be the same as distance learning at the outset of

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Sacramento-area teachers react to plans for an online fall

In the wake of the news that public school campuses in Sacramento County will stay closed when instruction resumes in the fall, teachers are reacting with mixtures of relief and concern for their students, all while preparing for the upcoming school year.

The Sacramento County Office of Education announced Wednesday that its 13 districts, which serve more than 250,000 students from kindergarten through high school, will continue distance learning programs they implemented in the spring through the fall. The decision, made by schools officials, comes amid rising Covid-19 cases in the state, country and county.

Lori Jablonski is a government and geography teacher at C.K. McClatchy High School. She said that, amid rising cases and growing restrictions, the decision was expected. But even before the announcement, she struggled with the challenges online learning will present.

“I’m trying to view this as a challenge we can meet. I love teaching, and

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Internet
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Harvard’s international students are begging the school to let them come to campus in the fall, citing fears of being stuck in unstable home environments if they’re forced to leave the US

One student is circulating a "Hear Us Harvard" petition asking the university to better support international students.
One student is circulating a “Hear Us Harvard” petition asking the university to better support international students.

Charles Krupa/AP

  • Last week, ICE released guidance stating that international students would not be allowed back into the US in the fall unless they were taking in-person classes at their university.

  • This poses a problem for Harvard’s international students, as the school recently said classes in the fall would be entirely remote.

  • Students told Business Insider that these regulations pose serious problems for them, including the difficulty of keeping up with online courses while in a different time zone and with poor internet connection.

  • Some also face unsafe or unaccommodating home situations, making it even harder for them to find a proper place to keep up with their studies.

  • Rachael Dane, a spokesperson for Harvard, told Business Insider that “the overwhelming reason to deliver all instruction remotely is Harvard’s commitment to protecting the

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Technology