Did you happen to catch 60 Minutes this Sunday? The show’s in-house curmudgeon, Andy Rooney, focused his weekly commentary on geography—or rather, his lack of knowledge of it. You can see the video and read a transcript of the piece here. Then tell us: Do you agree with Andy? Should adults have to go back to school for educational brush-ups every so often? Continue reading A Geography Lesson for Andy Rooney
In further evidence of global warming, scientists said today that the Earth may be nearing its warmest point in one million years. The planet is within 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) of its highest temperature, and the rise is attributed to human causes. (Read a news article.) Global warming is a hot topic, in more ways than one. Here are a few sites to … Continue reading Global Warming: Hotter Than Ever
This classic Dave Barry column takes a very tongue-in-cheek look at Americans’ lack of geographic knowledge: “Most Americans are pitifully ignorant of geography. This was clearly demonstrated recently when the Gallup Organization sent its pollsters to Chicago to ask randomly selected residents if they could name at least three of the six major continents. The results were shocking: Most of the pollsters never found Chicago … Continue reading “Geography Has Dave in a Very Sorry State”
This weekend’s Washington Post had an interesting article about the growing emphasis on learning “critical languages” such as Chinese and Arabic. In it, the reporter writes: “Americans have awakened to a far more global playing field and the need for specialized languages, economists say.” Read the article: “With a Changing World Comes An Urgency to Learn Chinese”. How important do you think it is that … Continue reading Are Languages Critical?
Poor Pluto. Today astronomers voted to strip it of its planet status, downsizing Pluto to a dwarf and leaving our solar system with just eight planets. The new rules say a planet must be “a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a … nearly round shape, and … Continue reading And Then There Were Eight
