| Vocational Schools Work Better, Report Says
Labor and business groups are calling for a dramatic expansion in vocational high schools after a report released yesterday showed that the schools are graduating more students and losing fewer dropouts than are city schools overall, even as advocates say support for them has stalled. In the class of 2005, 63% of career school students graduated in four years compared to 58% citywide, and just 10% dropped out compared to 15% citywide, a 2006 state Board of Regents report found. Career school students also performed far better on Regents exams, with more than 80% gaining high scores in math, English, and science compared with 55% or less citywide. Yet the 22 city high schools that teach such skills as auto mechanics, fashion design, and podcasting alongside the traditional curriculum receive $265 less per student in funding, and just 12% of career programs have been given state certification, the report said.
Turkey's likely first lady takes fashion route
An Austrian couturier of Turkish heritage has been asked to redesign the politically charged headscarves of Turkey's likely future first lady, Hayrunisa Gul. Her Muslim headscarf has symbolised a dispute pitting Turkey's secular elite and the military against her husband Abdullah Gul's bid to become Turkey's president. The headscarf, seen by secular Turks as a threat to the separation of state and religion, is banned from public offices and schools, although more than half of Turkish women wear it. But in an apparent effort to show her ideas about fashion reach beyond the controversial scarf, she has asked a designer, whose collections adorn women ranging from Catherine Zeta-Jones to Naomi Campbell, to update her appearance for her expected new role.
Tokyo Collection fashion show opens in Roppongi
_ The Spring-Summer 2008 Tokyo Collection, the centerpiece of the annual Japan fashion week, opened Thursday in Tokyo, showcasing the latest works by renowned Japanese designers. The event at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi will feature about 40 brands through Monday. Participating designers include Koichi Chida, creator of Eupepomboo, and Noriko Fukushima, who apprenticed at Christian Dior in Paris. The show, part of the fifth Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo 2007, will also host an exhibition showcasing works by young designers who studied at established fashion schools in Europe. .
Teen fashionistas try industry for size at summer camp
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - While many U.S. students enrolled in sports or music camps this summer, a rising number of girls invested their time instead in a new type of program centered on catwalks and haute couture -- fashion camp. Enrollment in fashion-related majors at schools like New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons The New School of Design has risen in recent years, partly due to the popularity of reality television series based on fashion such as "Project Runway" and the hit movie "The Devil Wears Prada". So fashion camps held in New York, Ohio, California, Alabama and Canada were seen as giving teenage girls with a passion for fashion the chance to see whether they wanted to seriously pursue a job in the highly competitive industry. In New York, where about 169,000 people work in the fashion business, a group of 35 girls aged between 13 and 16 paid $1,095 each to join the first season of Fashion Camp NYC, comprised of five days of lectures, seminars and store visits.
Teen fashionistas try industry for size
While many US students enrolled in sports or music camps this summer, a rising number of girls invested their time instead in a new type of program centered on catwalks and haute couture - fashion camp. Enrollment in fashion-related majors at schools like New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons The New School of Design has risen in recent years, partly due to the popularity of reality television series based on fashion such as "Project Runway" and the hit movie "The Devil Wears Prada". So fashion camps held in New York, Ohio, California, Alabama and Canada were seen as giving teenage girls with a passion for fashion the chance to see whether they wanted to seriously pursue a job in the highly competitive industry. In New York, where about 169,000 people work in the fashion business, a group of 35 girls aged between 13 and 16 paid $1,095 each to join the first season of Fashion Camp NYC, comprised of five days of lectures, seminars and store visits.
Building Plan: Panthers drafting to fill needs, will count on younger players who were backups to take on bigger roles
It's a new season, but there aren't many newcomers on the Carolina Panthers' roster. That's rare in the franchise's 13-year history, and it's far different from last season, when the Panthers went heavily into the free-agent market and kept every rookie they drafted. There was definitely turnover. Gone from last year's team are Mike Minter, Keyshawn Johnson, Kris Mangum, Shaun Williams, Chris Draft, Karl Hankton, Al Wallace, Chris Weinke, Kevin McCadam, Colin Branch and others. But the team chose to stay out of the free-agent sweepstakes for the most part and primarily filled holes through the draft. The hope is that some of the younger players who were backups last season will move into bigger roles, and that addition will come in the form of added experience.
Judson graduates to university level
Elgin became a university town Tuesday as Judson College officially switched its name to Judson University. A fireworks display at midnight and a ribbon cutting ceremony later in the morning marked the occasion. Trustees, alumni, students and state and local officials converged on the Christian university, some wearing shirts emblazoned with the school's new logo and name. "This is a high, high moment for us," Judson President Jerry Cain said. "It only happens once in a lifetime." As part of the festivities, which coincided with the first day of classes, Cain and Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn signed the Illinois Sustainable University Compact, which sets out 12 sustainability objectives for Illinois campuses. The objectives include using renewable energy, incorporating green building practices in campus construction, developing sustainable transportation options and improving water conservation.
Civil liberty or fashion eyesore?
Looking into your baggy britches, Columbus finds no solid court precedent to back a law against them. That doesn't mean laws against letting your pants sag until your boxer shorts show are rare. These days they're all the rage -- so fashionable local governments are rushing to ban what some call "busting a sag." Last week in Louisiana, the cities of Shreveport and Alexandria joined the towns of Mansfield and Delcambre in passing laws against boxer-baring baggy pants. Here in Georgia, similar laws have been proposed in Forsyth and Atlanta. In Stratford, Conn., last week, the town council rejected the idea after some residents ridiculed it. Columbus Council decided to take a look at saggy pants Aug. 14, when resident Ethalyn Kirby asked councilors to do something about it.
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