Sunday, September 18, 2011

Is paying kids for good grades; right or wrong?


There have been several experiments by school districts at paying students for attendance, good behavior, and good grades. The most recent attempts in Washington, D.C. and New York City have shown some promising results. Money is a powerful incentive. Read the article and leave your thoughts about "money for grades."

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The World Clock


This is a repeat of an older post, but I still love this site. Check out the world clock. Do you see any trends? Any of the numbers surprise you? Check out some of the other features on the site.

Monday, September 05, 2011

It's a Small World After All


Here is a great quote about the interrelatedness of the global economy, and it comes not from a famous economist but from someone you all know.

"Did you ever stop to think that you can’t leave for your job in the morning without being dependent on most of the world? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and reach over for the sponge, and that’s handed to you by a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that’s given to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then you go into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning, and that’s poured into your cup by a South American. And maybe you want tea: that’s poured into your cup by a Chinese. Or maybe you’re desirous of having cocoa for breakfast, and that’s poured into your cup by a West African. And then you reach over for your toast, and that’s given to you at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to mention the baker. And before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality." Martin Luther King, 1967

Your assignment this week is to find 5 items that you use in your everyday lives and determine where they are produced. Look on the bottom for the "Made in ..." stamp.
List the items and the country where they are made. Be creative. You'll be surprised at the journey that some of these common items have made to get into your hands.