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College Graduate Knowledge

A report that claims that there is a crisis in civic education in the United States says that nearly 10% of all college graduates think that TV's 'Judy Judy' is on the Supreme Court. 

It was one of several alarming statistics from the report by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. 

It commissioned a survey this past summer of recent college graduates. 

High school civics curricula was used to form the questions. 

Among the findings: 
• Only 28% of college graduates could identify James Madison as the Father of the Constitution.

• More than half of college graduates didn’t know how the Constitution is amended.

• Almost 40% of college graduates didn’t know that Congress has the power to declare war.

• Almost half could not recognize that senators are elected to six year terms and representatives are elected to two-year terms.

• Less than half of college graduates knew that presidential impeachments are tried before the U.S. Senate.

The group says it found that less than 20% of liberal arts colleges and universities require students to take an American history or government course to graduate.

This isn't the first time the group has conducted a survey that shows a lack of knowledge of American history. 

A 2014 survey found that one-third of college graduates were unaware that FDR spearheaded the New Deal, and nearly half did not know that Teddy Roosevelt played a major role in constructing the Panama Canal.

The non-profit group is advocating required civics classes at U.S. Colleges.

Click here if you want to read the full report... 


What I do not understand and continue not to apprehend is the fact that why did it take so long for the leaders in our country, this great USA, so long to realize and/or admit that our College Graduate are graduating with very little knowledge in their heads but with mostly “As” and “Bs” on their transcripts... and, the most obvious embarrassment of all is why do these PhD Educators continue to let this happen or what did they start letting this happen in the first place?

Technology Addiction

Carol Becker is the dean of Columbia University School of the Arts and author of Thinking in Place: Art, Action, and Cultural Production. 

"As a result of our 'always-on' ethos, we have neither time nor space within which to lose ourselves in reflection"

 

Two years ago, I started using the Kindle app on my iPad to read those big heavy biographies and novels that I had been lugging around the world. 

I still wasn’t using it to read books I might reference in my writing, but nonetheless I was glad to discover, by chance, the underline function. 

While immersed in Pico Iyer’s The Art of Stillness, underlining as I read, I was completely unnerved when a message popped up to announce: “You are the 123rd user to underline this same passage.”

Shocked by this intrusion, I threw the iPad onto the bed and nearly out the window. 

A sickening feeling came over me. Then I became afraid. Someone was reading over my shoulder. Not a person, but a Program, calculating what I found most important in the text. 

Was I supposed to feel validated (or banal) to learn that a passage I noted many others also liked? Or was this data only for some marketing strategy?

The idea of surveillance, in the abstract, has not bothered me as much as it perhaps should. 

I have acclimated to the notion that everything we do is findable, knowable and marketable—forever—except, I believed, our deepest thoughts, which is why the intrusion on my contemplative reading affected me so profoundly. Reading is my refuge from the world, and now it too had been invaded. 

Most of us are addicted to these systems of connection. 

That’s what humans do: we get addicted to the things we create. People expect an answer, and they expect it now. At times the ability to work depends on this immediate access. 

We have internalized these time/space obligations and don’t know how to step away from them. If we do not make a Herculean effort to remain balanced within this imbalance, we feel fragmented and often unhappy. Read more: 

It wiggles... and, it jiggles...

On The Verge of Collapse

Billionaire financier George Soros (above) has warned that the European Union is on the "verge of collapse" over the migrant crisis and is in "danger of kicking the ball further up the hill" in its management of the issue which has seen more than a million migrants and refugees arrive in the region in 2015. 

In an interview with the New York Review of Books, Soros added that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel is key to solving the crisis. 

Merkel led Europe's response to the migrant crisis, opening Germany to the refugees that had traveled from the Middle East, in particular Syria, to try and find a new home in Europe. 

The decision by the German leader marked a sea-change in her policy. In the interview, Soros said he welcomed Merkel's move. 

"There is plenty to be nervous about," the financier said. 

"As she (Merkel) correctly predicted, the EU is on the verge of collapse. 

The Greek crisis taught the European authorities the art of muddling through one crisis after another. 

This practice is popularly known as kicking the can down the road, although it would be more accurate to describe it as kicking a ball uphill so that it keeps rolling back down." 

"Merkel correctly foresaw the potential of the migration crisis to destroy the European Union. What was a prediction has become the reality. The European Union badly needs fixing. This is a fact but it is not irreversible. And the people who can stop Merkel's dire prediction from coming true are actually the German people." 

"Now it's time for Germans to decide: Do they want to accept the responsibilities and the liabilities involved in being the dominant power in Europe?" 

Soros' comments come as Finland's Finance Minister, Alex Stubb, told CNBC that Germany's open policy on migrants was, "humane, that was probably the right thing to do at the time but the key issue here is that one of the fundamental freedoms of the European Union is under threat and that is the free movement of people and the whole Schengen agreement." 

On top of that, we've had a Euro crisis which is about free movement of money so two of the core pillars of European integration are under threat right now," said Stubb, to CNBC in Davos.

In his interview Wednesday, Stubb denied the idea that the Schengen zone, which allows the free passage of EU citizens through almost all of its members, is a security threat to Europe. 

"We shouldn't draw parallels between [the] refugee crisis and terrorism. The roots of terrorism are much, much deeper than that." Read more: 

Hump Day Art

Sterling Edwards (above) is a contemporary artist, teacher, author, and juror who was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1951. Predominantly self taught, he has developed a unique style of painting that has gained international recognition and the respect of his peers, students, and art aficionados. Most of Sterling's paintings are interpretive statements that personify his intuitive sense of design and color, ranging from abstract expressionism to traditional. He is a sought after international workshop instructor and is often commissioned to jury national and international art competitions.

 
 

Refugees Bring Disease With Them

Danish authorities have warned hospitals over possible outbreak of infectious diseases as several cases of diphtheria, tuberculosis and malaria carried by the refugees have already been registered. 

“The infection can be very dangerous if one isn’t vaccinated against it. 

The dangerous type is very rare and we last saw it in Denmark in 1998,” Kurt Fuursted, spokesperson for the Danish State Serum Institute (SSI) told Metroxpress referring to the potential return of diphtheria. 

This disease was last diagnosed in Denmark about 20 years ago.

“There is no doubt that infectious diseases are coming in with the refugees that we aren’t used to. 

There have been discussions on whether all refugees who come to Denmark should be screened," he added. 

At present Denmark doesn’t follow the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation to vaccinate incoming migrants, unlike some other European countries. 

“Refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants should be vaccinated without unnecessary delay according to the immunization schedule of the country in which they intend to stay for more than a week,” reads a joint 

...WHO-UNHCR-UNICEF...

guidance on general principles of vaccination of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in Europe, published on November 23 last year. 

It urges countries to provide migrants access to the “full vaccination schedule.” 

The immigration officials and the Danish Health and Medicines Authority, a supreme healthcare authority in Denmark, are expected to review screening policy, according to Health Minister Sophie Lunde.

In recent months, Denmark has begun to tighten the screws in an effort to curb the refugee influx. 

On Thursday the Danish Parliament is set to vote on a bill proposing to strip refugees of valuables, including cash and jewelry, to cover the costs the country bears in connection with their stay.

It would allow authorities to claim individual items valued at more than 10,000 kroner (US$1,450). 

In the Danish cities of Thisted, Sonderborg and Haderslev, local club owners have started to introduce ‘language controls’, turning people away if they don’t speak Danish, English or German. 

In 2015, some 18,000 refugees sought asylum in Denmark according to the migration agency, a far cry from almost 163,000 refugees in the neighboring Sweden.

NO Means NO

In Norway, migrants are being given courses to prevent violence against women, especially rape, and to teach them how to interpret customs in a country that may seem surprisingly liberal to them.

The courses were introduced several years ago, but have become particularly topical after complaints of mass sexual assault on New Year's Eve in the German city of Cologne, by a crowd of mostly Arab and North African men. 

This particular morning at the Ha reception center in southwestern Norway, a dozen Syrian and Sudanese asylum seekers fidget in their seats in a small room as their group discussion starts. 

The curtains are drawn and a space heater blasts out hot air to heat up the room, but the participants keep their jackets on. 

"The idea behind this course is to talk about risk situations that can arise when it comes to rapes and sexual assaults," the group's leader Linda Hagen says, kicking off the class in Norwegian, with an interpreter translating to Arabic, the following:

1. "We need your help so that we can together detect these situations." 
2.  What is the difference between love and sex? 
3.  What do these pictures of women projected on a screen bring to mind, one with bare shoulders and the other veiled? 
4. Can the use of violence be legitimate? 
5. How do you know if a woman is consenting to sex?

The participants brainstorm scenarios where cultural differences may cause misunderstandings. 

Little by little, they warm up and begin to speak.

A woman holds a sign reading "Sexual harassment against women will not be tolerated"

"If she wants come to my place, that means she's consenting," says one Syrian.

"But if she's drunk, how can I be sure that she wants to sleep with me?" asks a Sudanese man.

"If she says no, I don't do anything against her will," insists a third.

Those attending all seem to agree the course is useful.

"For me, I have no problem because my city is an open city and my sister, my mum, they're very similar to (the women) here," a 42-year-old Syrian tells AFP, asking to use the pseudonym Mikael Homsen.

"But I have friends, they come from a different culture, from a strict family. For them, any part a woman shows (is) a sign she wants to have sex," he says.

The need for the course -- which is organized by Hero, a private company that runs 40 percent of Norway's reception centers -- is exemplified when a video normally shown to secondary school students is screened.

And... there they are...

Better Than USA???

"The greater concern is that America might not be reliable," she says. "There is a lot of conversation, for example, about whether America can be trusted to protect islands in the South China Sea. 

That's a reflection of America's domestic politics, that's a reflection of its will. Is Washington so dysfunctional that Republicans and Democrats can't come together to agree to act?" 

While most of the world sees the United States, China and Russia as the top three leaders when it comes to hard power, with soft power – the ability of a country to exert influence through culture, political values or foreign policy – it's another story. 

According to the Best Countries data, the U.S. outshines its major competitors in terms of variables such as human rights, trustworthiness, government transparency and being a place people would want to live in. 

While the U.S. is in the top 20 in those categories, China and Russia are in the middle or toward the end of the pack. 

"Soft power matters," says Steven W. Hook, professor and past chairman of political science at Kent State University. "The appeal that your country has overseas – freedoms of speech, freedom of religion, civil society – that matters. There is still that foundation of respect for the U.S. 

In terms of freedoms, personal freedoms, the U.S. is viewed quite positively overseas, and even in terms of leadership Obama is quite popular in most of the world." 

It's impossible to know for sure how the U.S. is perceived today versus 35 or 50 years ago, says Pew's Dimock. Reliable data don't stretch back that far. 

But if one considers America's global image in the recent past, he says, the U.S. is actually experiencing a public relations upswing. 

"From a foreign perspective, there was a real nadir of perceptions of the U.S. in 2006, 2007 and 2008," says Dimock, pointing to America's unilateralism and failure to achieve positive results in Iraq and Afghanistan, the negative fallout from Abu Ghraib, 

Guantanamo and other missteps. "It's hard to find a moment when America's image in the world was lower than at that point. So if that's your reference point, then America is doing much better."

So, how would you rate the US?  

Global Stocks Tank

Global stocks plunged, driven by heightened concerns about growth and fading confidence in the willingness or ability of central banks to boost their economies.

The concern is the outlook for inflation, which in small doses is crucial to a healthy economy and which monetary-policy makers around the world have failed to accelerate. 

Another sharp fall in oil prices and weak consumer-price data in the U.S. on Wednesday gave traders fresh reasons to doubt what already were dismal expectations for the year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 500 points before rebounding to close down 249 points, or 1.6%, extending a rout that has left the blue-chip index off 9.5% this year. 

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index sank into bear markets—down 20% from a recent high.

“I think the selloff did bring in some bargain hunters at the end of the day,” said Jim McDonald, chief investment strategist at Chicago-based Northern Trust Corp., which oversees $946 billion. 

“That is somewhat a reflection that the worries in the market were predominately based overseas. If you look at the way the market traded, it didn’t scream fear.”

Investors returning to financial markets after the New Year holiday were greeted with a worldwide selloff sparked by the weak factory data in China, while a report showing the fastest contraction in U.S. manufacturing in six years added to anxiety that slowing growth in Asia’s largest economy may be spreading. 

A flareup in tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran increased geopolitical unease, initially igniting gains in crude oil.

"When sentiment rules, data can only play a secondary role," said Michael McCarthy, chief strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney. 

"The lift in China exports in December not only smashed bearish expectations of a fall but spoke directly to the idea that the economy in China tanked" in the last quarter of 2015. 

"Yet these facts barely dented global investor psyches."

The Wall Street jitters sent Japanese shares lower, including giant exporters such as automakers Toyota and Honda, as well as Bridgestone and trading companies. 

The yen has been sought as a safe haven in the absence of confidence in other currencies recently, and that's usually a negative for Japanese companies, which rely on exports to boost earnings. 

The dollar has dropped from about 121.50 yen in mid-December to about 118 yen lately.

For Your Eyes Only

Oil Prices Tank

Oil prices affect our daily lives, as consumers, drivers and commuters - but the new 12-year low in the cost of a barrel is an unusual situation. 

With the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the market, already oversupplied, is expected to be flooded. It's the anticipation of this which pushed the price of Brent crude down below $28 recently. 

Bizarrely, that makes the cost of the oil inside a barrel less than the cost of a barrel itself.


Crude oil is at a 12-year low and that means it’s even cheaper than milk. 

The price of one gallon of West Texas Intermediate crude is equivalent to about half a gallon of Class III milk, the benchmark traded on the Chicago futures market. That’s the lowest ratio since 2004. 

 WTI dropped to $26.19 a barrel in intra-day trading Wednesday, the lowest level since May 2003. That’s equivalent to 62 cents a gallon. Milk futures traded at $13.74 per 100 pounds, or $1.18 a gallon.

Several states that are dependent on energy revenue are facing strained budgets due to low oil prices, and at least three — Alaska, Louisiana and New Mexico — are at risk having their credit ratings lowered, according to a report from Standard & Poors Ratings Services.

"In short, the more aggressive a state was with regard to its assumptions and use of oil-related revenues during the oil boom, the more acute its fiscal pressures now, in the oil price bust," according to S&P.

"For states with greater budgetary reliance on oil-related revenue, the unrelenting decline in prices places a larger budget on state lawmakers to identify and enact corrective fiscal measures." 

The report, entitled "Collapsing Oil Prices Seep Into State Credit Profiles," suggests that as state lawmakers head into session in the next budget season, their true fiscal situation "could be more intense than what their official forecasts currently anticipate." 

The report surveys the situation in eight major oil-producing states: Alaska, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. 

S&P pointed out that all of the states in the survey forecast a higher price for oil than what the ratings agency expects in 2016 ($40 per barrel). 

For example, Alaska has a fiscal 2016 price assumption of $49.58 per barrel, according to S&P, while Louisiana's is $48.02 per barrel and Texas is $49.48 per barrel.

Looking ahead to fiscal 2017, just one state (North Dakota) is identified as having a forecast in line with S&P ($45 per barrel).

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