Is Education Getting Better?

A classroom nowadays is almost unrecognisable compared to a classroom of 50 years ago. The addition of 'Smart Boards' is probably the most noticeable change: interactivity, internet connectivity and high-speed research seem to be essential components of modern-day education. The focus of this article as such: are we better off nowadays with our new approaches to teaching and learning or were we better off with chalk, a blackboard and a rather intimidating teacher.

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Why Are International News Correspondents and Program Personnel So Arrogant?

Have you ever noticed that certain people in certain industries tend to be more arrogant as a percentage than in other sectors of our economy? For instance the leadership in companies, NGOs, politicians, sports stars, academia, and even in the news industry. Interestingly enough, I have been doing an ad hoc informal study of human nature via my people watching techniques, and I've made a few observations I'd like to share with you.

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2012 Solar System Alignment - Possible Or Not?

On December 21, 2012 there will occur an apparent alignment of three planets during the 4th hour. These planets will only appear to be in a straight line; Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter. Actually, the closest the planets came to a true alignment was on May 7, 2000 with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn appearing to be inline with each other, though still not in perfect alignment and did not include all the planets of our solar system.

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Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness

The global monetary disaster has driven up stipulate for World Bank support to alleviate the effects of the disaster on the underprivileged. At the similar time, distress has intensified that every expansion dollar be used successfully and resourcefully to meet expansion objectives. Although it has always been important for the Bank to exhibit that its occupation is producing real outcome for people living in paucity, it is predominantly significant to do so this year.

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Morality and Social Justice - A 21st Century Invitation to Liberation

The experience of Christ and grace in sacramental community is a path towards liberation--the liberation of individuals from their enslavement to all that is not God and God's reign through a lifetime process of conversion, and the liberation of all creation from indifference, injustice, and violence through the patient witness of the sacramental community in solidarity with the unloved, the poor, the oppressed, the violated. These two dimensions of liberation go together--personal conversion and social transformation.

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FTC Annual Report Details Efforts to Protect Consumers From Fraud

It's not always easy for consumers and businesses to take time out of their day to take action against fraudulent activities that may put their credit report or identity at risk. That's where state and federal agencies - like the Federal Trade Commission - come in. The FTC outlined its efforts in a 2010 Annual Report released by the commission's chairman Jon Leibowitz at a meeting with the American Bar Association's Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting.

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More Plastic Than Plankton

I can remember growing up in the sixties in a world which was still relatively "plastic free". Do you remember when foods were actually packaged in glass, paper and cardboard? Do you also remember when the paper and cardboard was thicker back then? I can still remember as a boy looking at one of those "foam" cups made from polystyrene and crumbling it, it was in the late sixties, wondering what the heck it was made of!

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Daily Newspapers and Weekly Magazines

Newsweek magazine is up for sale raising questions about how people today need to get their news. Computers have quite a few great features but can signal the death of magazines which used to offer similar information. There is one more challenge facing the newspapers industry. It takes paper to fill periodicals and paper generally comes from trees. But it is becoming harder and harder for that newspaper business to carve out a uniqueness when it comes to providing details.

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What's the Name of This Decade?

Ten years ago the debate was whether Africa was a failing continent. Today it has bounced back in many different ways. However the question whether the coming decade will be the African Decade is still to be answered. As many positive changes are taking place, specially in fields like ICT and mobile technologies, governance issues are still left to dynastic rulers. The article examines if Africa will be able to overcome the many obstacles it faces, and bring in "The African Decade".

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Only 49 mins From Birmingham to London!

The government have announced recommendations for a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham, at an estimated cost of £15.8 - £17.4 billion, with a future proposal of a two route extension on the east and west which will link to existing lines at Manchester and Leeds, providing a direct service to Glasgow and Edinburgh. These two route extensions are currently estimated to cost a further £12.6 - £14.2billion. These new links will be capable of carrying trains at speeds of up to 250mph.

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Full Circle With Apl de Ap and Pearl S Buck

Pearl S. Buck had a dream to create a bridge between the East and West - a desire to give children a better life, an opportunity to connect indirectly back to part of their lineage and a chance for many countries around the world to help out children in need. Allan Pineda, also known as Apl de Ap of the Black Eyed Peas, journeyed from the Philippines to the United States to fulfill a similar dream for his family and for his future.

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Lessons For Business in Chaos Caused by Volcano

Business team culture expert Dianne Crampton of Bend, Oregon and author of TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures and Why They Thrive, is among the tens of thousands travelers who have found themselves stranded in Europe due to the Icelandic volcano eruption. Crampton was in Europe taking a look at team behavior in certain business operations on the continent. The prolonged airline chaos gave her a chance to observe up close and personal institutional responses to a crisis for which airlines and governments were clearly unprepared to handle. Read more...

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Tensions in the Americanization Process

The tension of Americanization becomes more visible as the cultural diversity of a school community increases and concerns are raised about underachievement, home language use, and the integration of bicultural children in the process of schooling. To explain immigrant children's underachievement, or failure to assimilate in the schooling processes, the notion of cultural deficiency or deprivation is often assumed to be operative, even when it is not spoken of using those terms. What is assumed is that the lack of Americanization, academic failure, and even poverty are due to failure by...

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Rainbow Nation - Where Art Thou?

After three centuries of colonial rule South Africa has recently obtained its freedom from the shackles of oppression, racism and prejudice. However, all was not plain sailing as many or most of the residents still live in abject poverty and lack the basic essentials to live with dignity, integrity and with decency such as electricity, clean running water, sanitation and service delivery. Protests, marches and strikes continue unabated all over the country almost on a daily basis as most people feel that the 'Rainbow Nation' has been a mass delusion for them all. They feel that the local government has seriously let them down and have only delivered empty promises and handouts.

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The Inanity of the 30-Second Sound Bite and "People of Certainty"

The United States and its security is associated with energy and our consumption beyond our ability to produce it. We have had ecological disasters before: The Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound and the 1967 Offshore Drilling Rig that leaked oil that decimated southern California beaches and animal sanctuaries. Apparently, despite the claims that all we need do is "Drill Baby Drill," the current fiasco occurring in the Gulf of Mexico at the hands of a British Petroleum Offshore Oil Rig that blew up and sank, is providing excellent insights into the lack of ecologically safe technology that is truly available, or is it? The absolute certainty of the few who "know" should provide direction for all, but it isn't. The "people of certainty" only know.

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