DENVER—In response to Rep. Rob Bishop’s statement decrying the designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement.
Greg Zimmerman, deputy director:
“Our nation's newest national monument in the Maine woods reaffirms two bedrock American principles; private property rights and our system of parks and public lands are core to our national identity. And yet, the very week America celebrates the founding of our national park system, some politicians in Washington are demeaning and denying their value. But like the robber barons of yesteryear who opposed parks at the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, Rep. Rob Bishop and his fellow conservation opponents remain on the wrong side of history.”
President Obama designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument one day before the centennial of the National Park Service. The national monument resulted from the donation of nearly 90,000 acres of land in northern Maine owned by Elliotsville Plantation Inc, a nonprofit foundation, to the National Park Service.
Conservation groups, including the Center for Western Priorities, continue to call for protection of more public lands before President Obama leaves office, including Utah’s Bears Ears region, the greater Grand Canyon area in Arizona, and Nevada’s Gold Butte.RSL Unified Team
vs.
Colorado Rapids Unified Team
Friday, August 26, 2016
8 PM at Rio Tinto Stadium
The Real Salt Lake Special Olympics Utah Unified team will host the Colorado Rapids SOCO Unified team at 8:00 pm at Rio Tinto Stadium this Friday. The Unified competition will be the second game of a doubleheader between the rival clubs and is the inaugural game for the RSL Unified SOUT partnership. The team includes athletes both with and without intellectual disabilities ages 16 - 25 from across the Wasatch Front. #PlayUnified
Come cheer on the team!
The east gates at Rio Tinto will open after 8 PM
for FREE ENTRY for fans.
--------------------------------------
University of Utah unveils new Thomas S. Monson Center at newly renovated Enos A. Wall Mansion
New center will house the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and other community events
SALT LAKE CITY — Aug. 24, 2016 — The University of Utah today unveiled the newly refurbished Enos A. Wall Mansion at an event commemorating the reopening of this historic building. The structure, in the heart of Salt Lake City, has been renamed the Thomas S. Monson Center after the current president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Monson is a distinguished alumnus of the U’s David Eccles School of Business, a past faculty member and an honorary doctorate recipient.
The mansion becomes the home of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, which develops and shares economic, demographic and public policy data to help business and community leaders make informed decisions. This institute occupies the second floor, while the first and third floors are restored to their original beauty and will host numerous events.
“We envision this historic building will epitomize the greatness of the state of Utah, especially as it unifies the excellent resources of the University of Utah with the dynamic energy of downtown Salt Lake,” said Jason Perry, vice president for government relations at the University of Utah and director for the Hinckley Institute of Politics. “We’re grateful to all those who put great effort into this restoration and transformation, including and especially the donors who made it possible.”
The donors who contributed funds to the renovation include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kem Gardner, Roger and Sara Boyer, the Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation, the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, Zions Bank, American Express, KSL Broadcast Group and Deseret News.
“In addition to its iconic architecture, the Wall Mansion is the ideal setting for the community building events and innovative, dynamic policy ideas that will be generated here,” said President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We are pleased to know that the Thomas S. Monson Center will play host to thousands of guests from all segments of the community and throughout the nation and world in the years to come.”
The Thomas S. Monson Center will play a pivotal role in bringing economists, business leaders, and civic authorities together to examine issues pertinent to the state of Utah, and advance policies that will stimulate its growth and development. While the facility will be a place for leaders in business and government to analyze and discuss ideas on public policy topics, it will also provide a space for community gatherings and private events.
“We hope this new center will encourage interaction between the University of Utah and the community it serves,” said David Pershing, president of the University of Utah. “Our goal is to leverage this iconic building and adjacent structures as an asset to Utah’s economic growth and development and help unite business executives, policymakers and academic authorities to not only support the local economy, but to conduct research that influences thought leaders throughout the nation and world.”
The historic 50,000-square-foot mansion has been restored to its original elegance and function, including demolishing the campus’ east building and restoring the original east entrance to its former state, as well as landscaping the property’s gardens to bring an added level of beauty and distinction to the area.
The mansion was designed by renowned architect Richard K. A. Kletting, who also designed the Utah State Capitol. Enos A. Wall, who remodeled and enlarged the home into a Renaissance villa, purchased the property in 1904 and lived in it until 1920. For several years the building was used as the Salt Lake Jewish Community Center and in 1961, the LDS church purchased the home and transformed it into the LDS Business College. In 2014, the LDS church donated the mansion to the University of Utah and craftsmen restored the building to its original façade and turn-of-the-century style while intermixing modern touches, appliances and conveniences.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH:
The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City in the foothills of the Wasatch Range, is the flagship institution of higher learning in Utah. Founded in 1850, it serves more than 33,000 students from across the United States and the world. With more than 100 major subjects at the undergraduate level and more than 90 major fields of study at the graduate level, including law and medicine, the university prepares students to live and compete in the global workplace. Learn more about all the U has to offer online at www.utah.edu.
----------------------------
ACT Scores Down for 2016 U.S. Grad Class Due to Increased Percentage of Students Tested
IOWA CITY, Iowa—Achievement levels on the ACT® test went down this year compared to last year among U.S. high school graduates, but the decline was driven by a significant increase in the number and percentage of students who took the exam. Those findings are reported in The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2016, ACT’s annual score report, which was released today.
Close to two-thirds (64 percent) of 2016 graduating seniors—nearly 2.1 million students, an all-time high—took the ACT. That compares to 59 percent of graduates last year and 52 percent in 2012.
Among those 2016 ACT-tested graduates, 38 percent met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in at least three of the four core subject areas tested (English, math, reading and science), indicating they have strong readiness for college coursework. This is a decrease from 40 percent in 2015. In contrast, 34 percent of 2016 graduates (an increase from 31 percent in 2015) did not meet any of the four benchmarks, suggesting they are likely to struggle in first-year college courses.
This decline in overall readiness can be explained, in large part, by the addition this year of seven more states that funded the ACT for all 11th graders as part of their statewide testing programs. Scores went down significantly in each of those seven states, as expected, helping to drive the national average down. In contrast, 22 other states saw score increases this year, and another eight states saw no change. A total of 20 states administered the ACT to all public school graduates in this year’s class.
“This year’s ACT-tested class is more representative of the student population than any we’ve ever had,” said ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda. “We have likely added many more underrepresented students who may not have been preparing to go to college. In a situation such as this, it’s not at all surprising that overall achievement levels went down. Research clearly shows that scores initially decrease when states adopt the ACT for all students, but access and opportunities increase.”
The increase in the number of graduates tested is pronounced among underserved minority groups, particularly Hispanic students (up by 44 percent since 2012) and African American students (up by 23 percent). College readiness levels for both of those groups have remained fairly steady over this period, despite the substantial growth in numbers. Nationally, ACT’s data have identified nearly 5,000 more Hispanic graduates this year than last year who were ready for success in college coursework based on their attainment of ACT benchmarks.
Nevertheless, achievement gaps between Hispanic and African American students and their white and Asian American counterparts remain substantial. While 60 percent of Asian American students and 49 percent of white students showed strong readiness for college coursework, meeting three or more of the ACT benchmarks, just 23 percent of Hispanic students and only 11 percent of African American students earned that same level of achievement.
“Last year, ACT issued a call to action, urging educators and policymakers to work to improve the education system as a whole,” said Roorda. “While the drop in scores this year is not indicative of lower achievement overall, we are still seeing far too many students left behind by the nation’s education system. When a third of high school graduates are not well prepared in any of the core subject areas, college and career readiness remains a significant problem that must be addressed. It is critical that we continue to work hard to improve.”
The following are among the other key findings from this year’s ACT data:
About the ACT
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test that measures the skills taught in schools and deemed important for success in first-year college courses. The content of the ACT is informed by results of the ACT National Curriculum Survey®, conducted every three to four years among thousands of elementary, middle and high school teachers and instructors of first-year college courses across the United States. The data obtained in the survey allow ACT to ensure that its assessments measure the skills most important for success after high school.
ACT research shows that students who meet the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are more likely to persist in college and earn a degree than those who don’t. The benchmarks specify the minimum score students must earn on each of the four ACT subject tests to have about a 75 percent chance of earning a grade of C or higher and a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher in a typical credit-bearing first-year college course in that subject area.
The national and state ACT Condition of College & Career Readiness 2016 reports can be viewed and downloaded for free on the ACT website at: www.act.org/conditionreport2016.
Note: For district- or school-specific score results, please contact the district office or your state department of education.
--------------------------------
August 24, 2016, Shenzhen, China – HuiYu http://www.honeyhy.com announced today the Honeybot educational companion robot for kids on Indiegogo at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/honeybot-educational-family-robot-for-kids-entertainment-technology#/. An interactive Android-based home companion robot that uses Augmented Reality for learning, Honeybot is an electronic pet, teacher, storyteller, and a child’s best friend; educating kids with general knowledge, fun, fantasy, and good daily habits. Controlled remotely through a smartphone, Honeybot creates a new way for parents to educate and play with kids, employing 3D Augmented Reality (AR), Image Recognition, and Color Extraction Technology with educational apps to entertain, sing, tell stories, teach, and chat with kids -- it even works with all Google Play Store apps.
Almost Human -- A Kid’s Best Friend with Likes & Dislikes
Currently available in English and Mandarin (more languages available soon), children can virtually play with a 3D animated dinosaur and other animals on the robot’s or smart TV’s miracast screen. Honeybot was designed with a series of friendly expressions for use with social media, making Honeybot almost human -- a kid’s best friend with likes and dislikes, rather than a robot. Honeybot creates different voices for asking and answering and can even mimic a parent’s voice for a fun and interactive way to keep a close connection with children when parents are away.
Honeybot Pre-installed Apps for AR Learning & Teaching in 3D:
• AR Aquarium App: a 3D drawing app specially developed for the kindergarten educational system by experienced preschool education experts. AR Aquarium transforms children’s drawings into 3D cartoon animations through image recognition and color extraction technology. Coupled with lively voice introductions and professional teaching lessons, it helps kindergarten teachers with art lessons, enabling children to learn about marine animals while studying painting.
• AR Yolk World App: an interactive cognitive app aimed at early childhood and elementary school education, it uses the latest 3D imaging to show the child interacting with 90 lifelike images of dinosaurs, animals, and vehicles. The multi-angled app provides a real interactive sensory experience, making a big impression on kids (other augmented reality teaching courses are also optionally available).
• Simulated Daily Life App: helps kids learn about the proper daily routines, behavior, and electronic pet raising. Honeybot is hungry, needs a bath, and is sleepy, and children need to learn to take care of the little Honeybot for the correct daily habits for themselves and pets. Honeybot shows a detailed presentation of food, making children more likely to eat healthy food and less junk.
Honeybot Features:
• Interactive Multi-Screens: Miracast can be used through WIFI to display and control multimedia content between Honeybot and a smart TV for larger screen viewing of the robot’s display and less eye strain.
• Voice Changing Live Talk: real-time communication between children and parents. The parent’s tone of voice is imitated so children can recognize him or her. Honeybot will play the parent’s voice and will act emotionally, providing Honeybot with human attributes. Children can also send voice messages to Honeybot and parents.
• One Click Synchronization iOS & Android Audio/Video: parents can send audio/video to Honeybot after recording from a smartphone. Over 200 audio/video learning materials for 3-8 year olds is also provided, covering common knowledge, poems, songs, fairy tales, etc.
• Video Call & Remote Monitoring: H.264 standard video enables smooth and clear video. Parents can initiate a remote video through the app (children cannot initiate to avoid disturbing parents). Parents can also send remote commands telling Honeybot to check on their children.
• Daily Timetable Control & Honeybot Playtime Control: in order to help children form healthy routines, Honeybot can activate automatically in the morning to remind children to wake-up. In the evening, it can shift into intelligent dormant mode to only tell bedtime stories.
• Honeybot Playtime Control: a feature to protect children from visual/mental fatigue. After using Honeybot for over 30 minutes when parents are not around, reminders are sent to parents to activate to dormant mode for 30 minutes. Parents can adjust the time or turn it off completely.
“Honeybot is an educational companion robot that will be loved by both children and parents alike. Entertaining, educational, and also interactive, it’s the best partner for children to grow up happily and healthily, and it connects children with busy parents,” said Zhongliu Chen, Founder & CEO, HuiYu. “The development of science and technology ultimately serves humans. We want a better life where high-tech meets our demands. After more than 3 years preparation and thousands of hours brainstorming, a group of young parents finally made this early educational robot, Honeybot, adopting both high-tech and edutainment.”
Honeybot Robot Specs:
• Over 200 audio and video learning materials with one-click synchronization.
• Height/weight: 10’ tall, approximately 1.7 pounds.
• Languages: English and Mandarin (more languages coming).
• Operating system: Android 5.1.
• Samsung 5MP AF camera.
• 5-inch HD display with advanced full lamination tempered glass and rapid image identification.
• Quad-core 1.3 GHz processor and 1080p FHD video codec coprocessor for quick processing.
• 3W high-fidelity speaker to chat, tell a story, and sing.
• Includes Honeybot apps and works with all Google Play apps.
• See Full Spec Sheet: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/HoneybotSpecSheet.pdf.
Availability & Indiegogo Pre-sale Discount
Honeybot will be available Q4 2016 with a retail price of $349. For a limited time, Indiegogo pre-sale discounted pricing is available for $229-$259 depending on the version. The Indiegogo pre-sale includes the Honeybot robot, charger, cables, AR aquarium drawing card, AR Yolk World card, remote control, and free shipping. For more information, see Indiegogo at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/honeybot-educational-family-robot-for-kids-entertainment-technology#/ or the website: http://www.honeyhy.com/.
About HuiYu
Founded in Shenzhen Software Park in 2014, HuiYu Education & Science Technology Co., Ltd researches and develops educational companion robots and Augmented Reality learning and somatosensory interactive learning products. A new kind of high-tech enterprise, HuiYu provides total coordinated process solutions from hardware and software development to R&D of high-quality content. With RMB10 million registered capital, the company is expanding into new global markets, with offices and research centers in Beijing, Boston, Dubai, and Barcelona. For more information, see: http://www.honeyhy.com/.
Press Contact:
Karen Thomas/Eva Yutani
Thomas PR
(631) 549-7575
Emails: kthomas@thomaspr.com, eyutani@thomaspr.com
Website: http://www.thomas-pr.com
Photos:
Honeybot Photo: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/huiyuhoneybotphoto.html
Honeybot Photo 2: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/huiyuhoneybotphoto2.html
Honeybot - family photo: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/huiyuhoneybotfamilyphoto.html
HuiYu Logo: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/huiyulogo.html
Spec Sheet: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/HoneybotSpecSheet.pdf
