Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz award conferred on Dr Farhat Abbas


Karachi, Pakistan

Dr Farhat Abbas, Interim Dean, Aga Khan University Medical College, was conferred the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (medal of excellence) for his achievements in the field of medicine by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. The announcement was made on Independence Day, August 14, 2009, and the award will be presented to Dr Abbas in a special investiture ceremony on Pakistan Day in March 2010. Tamgha-e-Imtiaz is the fourth highest honour given by the Government of Pakistan to civilians and military personnel. 

Dr Farhat Abbas has been associated with the University since 1985, when he joined as a resident after graduating from Dow Medical College, Karachi. He has made significant contributions to the development of AKU’s Medical College, having served as a faculty member, Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education and twice as Interim Dean, Medical College. Dr Abbas has also been a leader in health care administration, having served as the University’s Medical Director & Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs and subsequently as the Chief Operating Officer.

Dr Abbas has also contributed to broader medical education in Pakistan as an examiner in urology for the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. In the social sector, he continues to play a key role in public education related to cancer. He has provided support and guidance to AKU during its rescue/relief efforts for the earthquake victims of 2006, as well as to current relief efforts for internally displaced persons in Pakistan.  

Throughout his career, Dr Abbas has given freely of his time and talents to colleagues, students, policy makers and citizens. In parallel with all his other important activities, he has maintained a strong commitment to care for patients, to mentor and develop students and to contribute to building Aga Khan University into a premier quality institution.
 


SOURCE: www.aku.edu

The Review of Higher Education

In its field, The Review of Higher Education enjoys, deservedly, an excellent reputation. It consistently provides high quality scholarship that probes crucial topics." 

-Jack H. Schuster 
Professor of Education and Public Policy 
Claremont Graduate School 

". . . As centers of learning, colleges and universities still spend precious little time and resources in the serious study of our purposes, accomplishments, efficiencies and failures. The Review of Higher Education is more important than ever." 

-Stanley O. Ikenberry 
President, American Council on Education


SOURCE : www.press.jhu.edu

ERO Handbooks of Contractual Obligations and Undertakings

The Education Review Office produces two Handbooks of Contractual Obligations and Undertakings, one for early childhood services and the other for schools. These have been compiled as a reference to the relevant legislation and other legal requirements of early childhood services and schools that exist as at the date of publication. They are regularly updated.

SOURCE ; www.ero.govt.nz

The Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS)

On 13 May 2003, the then Commonwealth Minister for Education, Science and Training announced the then Government’s comprehensive Higher Education Reform package, Our Universities: Backing Australia’s Future. 

The reform package announced the establishment of a new web-based information management system called the Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS) to assist in the management of the new reform arrangements for students, higher education providers (HEPs) and DEEWR.

HEIMS will be developed and implemented by DEEWR in consultation with HEPs and other relevant stakeholders. It will be a web-based system comprising of student, financial, programme management, and data modules and a mix of public and private information to be used mainly by HEPs, students and DEEWR staff.


SOURCE : www.dest.gov.au/sectors

Book-It previews "Moby Dick" tonight at Seattle's whale-sized Central Library


This February, Book-It Repertory Theatre is mounting a production of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick," the greatest book you've ever learned piecemeal from Classics Illustrated comic books, Far Side strips, Starbucks promotional literature and "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan." Director David Quicksall has a sterling track record in similar adapatations; he's brought Don Quixote and Dracula to Book-It's stage, so Ahab, Ishmael and Queequeg can simply go about their jobs without worrying if this Pequod will hold water.

Tickets to "Moby Dick" are $35 for regular performances and $30 for midweek and matinee performanaces, which is just out of The Spellout's range. (Student admission, with ID, is only $15.) However, there are a handful of seats available for the $20 preview on February 13 - six, maybe seven - and you can see excerpts from the production absolutely free of charge at 7 p.m. tonight in the Microsoft Auditorium at the Seattle Central Library. Maybe now I'll be inspired to actually read the book ... I mean, you! Maybe you'll be inspired to read the book. You'd, um, better get on that. Yeah.


SOURCE : www.spelloutseattle.com

he Beatles: Rock Band Updated Hands-On

Attention Fab Four fans: You've got less than 30 days to wait for the release of The Beatles: Rock Band, the latest rhythm game from the folks at Harmonix. As its name implies, the game is completely focused on the music of The Beatles, and last month, Harmonix reps visited GameSpot offices to give us a hands-on look at the game. We reported on part of that visit during our last look at the game in August, but today, we've got the rest of the story.

SOURCE: gamespot.com

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes Q&A

The swashbuckling adventure of the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated TV series is headed to a console near you in Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, a new action adventure game that will let you play as either a lightsaber-wielding Jedi or a heavy-duty clone soldier. As a clone soldier, you'll be able to lay down heavy fire and toss thermal detonator grenades. As a Jedi, you'll be able to use force powers and even commandeer combat droids to ride them around the battlefield. We sat down with assistant producer Xavier Rodriguez for more details. 

GameSpot: We understand that the game will offer two different sets of playable characters that essentially offer differing play experiences. First, let's cover the Jedi characters--give us an overview of the action that players will experience as a Jedi. 

Xavier Rodriguez: Well from the start, we really wanted an experience where almost anyone could jump right in and start playing the game quickly. And you'll definitely see a lot of the trademark Jedi acrobatic action you'd expect from an episode of the show.

SOURCE : gamespot.com

WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It Updated Preview


We've spent a lot of time with the latest build of WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It for the PlayStation 2 as we've brought you our previews and Wrestler of the Day coverage, and we'd like to take the opportunity to fill you in on the latest details and features as the game approaches its release this November. The sequel to SmackDown! 2 brings a number of improvements to the series and has undergone many recent changes. 

SmackDown! JBI allows you to explore the venues from a first-person perspective.

Unlike wrestling games of old, where the focus was on creating a fighting game loosely based on wrestling by adding men in tights as characters, the efforts of Just Bring It's developer, Yuke's, have clearly been focused on adding all the production values and showmanship that make sports entertainment the spectacle that it is. The ring entrances are nearly perfectly re-created based on the actual entrances used in the WWF shows and programs, and they include streaming TitanTron videos, signature music, and accurate pyrotechnic effects. The flashbulb effect as it washes over a showboating wrestler is impressive to watch, and the attention to detail put into animating the wrestlers accordingly is amazing. 

The WWF's onstage antics are somewhat accurately represented.

However, the change players will be able to appreciate most is the revamped story mode that will be the meat and potatoes of most players' experience with SmackDown! Just Bring It. Fans of wrestling should be pleasantly surprised by the amount of smack talk and backstage drama that goes on. Wrestlers can opt to instill fear in their opponents instead of challenging their enemies physically, which will lead to subsequent scenes where you may get a title shot from Vince McMahon or create an alliance with another wrestler. Instead of simply rushing the stage and attacking, a typical episode of Raw is War may open with a player-controlled Triple H making an entrance to exchange words with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who is on the microphone. After this scene, the player can go backstage and explain his or her motives to Michael Cole by selecting from different text options. The player may then have to race to the parking lot and meet up with Vince to plead for a match, which can either be rejected or denied. If the match is granted, more trash talking on the mic will ensue before the actual wrestling takes place. 

The innovative transitions between your superstar's wrestling, promo cutting, and backstage antics are interesting indeed. The player perspective will be switched into the first-person, and the relatively large arena and surrounding areas can be explored firsthand. While a timer is enabled to place an emphasis on finding the next scenario location, whether it's the commissioner's office nearby or the WWF New York restaurant located across the street, the game's intent is clearly to instill in players the feeling that they're truly in control of their wrestler's actions. Several wrestlers may be standing around, by pay phones or in their dressing rooms, and on occasion, you will need to find one to select as a tag team partner or as an ally in a backstage assault against a common enemy. This new method of branching the storylines seems far more realistic and involving than anything previously attempted in a wrestling game.

SOURCE : gamespot.com