2011-11-13

2011-11-06

Economics: the missing class

In all of our headlong rush toward improving education, we have missed an important facet. From kindergarten through a kid’s senior year in high school, a student is not required to take any economics courses. Why do we ignore something as important as math and English when we design the curriculum?

Called the dismal science, economics can be a rather dry discipline. It is, however, one of the foundations of modern life, and students who don’t understand it are doomed to be at the economic mercy of a system that does understand it.

Economics is the ultimate predictor of behavior. In the grandest sense, every decision we make is based on some very basic principles; supply and demand, scarcity, opportunity, cost and other rudimentary principles guide our decisions from what breakfast cereal to buy to what career to choose. An education system that fails to teach these principles is setting its students up for failure. A kid who doesn’t know the difference between compound interest and a compound fracture is a prime candidate to become a slave to debt and interest. With bankruptcies and foreclosures at record levels, you’d think that we’d provide our kids a real life skill by teaching them how money works. Instead, we teach them how to take standardized tests. We’re not doing them any favors.

2011-11-04

Demonstrators Test Mayor, a Backer of Wall St. and Free Speech

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has expressed his support for free speech while disagreeing with the message of Occupy Wall Street.

By KATE TAYLOR

Shortly before noon on Wednesday, the barricades that impeded foot traffic along Wall Street for weeks came down. Elected officials praised the mayor. Shopkeepers breathed sighs of relief.

But just seven hours later, the barricades went back up. Occupy Wall Street protesters were on the move, and the police were worried they would flood the street.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who over the last seven weeks has struggled publicly with how to manage New York City’s response to the demonstration Occupy Wall Street, on Thursday offered a staccato analysis of his administration’s latest effort at finding a way forward:

When KFC meets McDonald's

2011-10-31

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel: top 10 cities for 2012

1. London

London is going for the knock-out blow in 2012. The Olympics are riding into town and a whole swath of the capital is being transformed in the process. London’s east will be thrust into the spotlight but the rest of the capital will be rolling out the red carpet too. Seeing Tower Bridge lift its bascules to let a tall ship pass beneath is all stately grace, as opposed to your first rush-hour trip on the tube, getting up close and personal with strangers of every colour, creed and nationality. Mind the gap! Whoever you cheer for, you won’t be alone in this most international of cities.

2. Muscat

Oman is firing on all fronts to attract international visitors, expanding everything from its museums to its resorts. Muscat is the focus for the revamp, with cultural events, luxury accommodation and aquatic activities taking centre stage. This year it’s all about Qurum’s trendy designer outlets, Old Town souks and wacky water sports enlivening its coastline alongside traditional dhows. Muscatis are still genuinely interested to see visitors, so much so that first-timers might have the odd feeling of returning to the house of an old friend. ‘Tomorrow will be a new dawn on Muscat,’ the Sultan pledged upon attaining power in 1970. Today in Muscat, the sun has well and truly risen.

2011-10-25

Seven Billion

One week from today, the United Nations estimates, the world’s population will reach seven billion. Because censuses are infrequent and incomplete, no one knows the precise date — the Census Bureau puts it somewhere next March — but there can be no doubt that humanity is approaching a milestone.

2011-09-19

Winners list: And the Emmys went to...

The 63rd annual Primetime Emmys wrapped with quite a few wins that sat well with fans.

Two of them included Melissa McCarthy of "Mike & Molly" - who won the outstanding lead actress in a comedy Emmy - and Kyle Chandler of "Friday Night Lights," who took home the outstanding lead actor in a drama series award. Jason Katims also took home an Emmy for outstanding writing on the series.

2011-11-23

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2011-11-06

2011-11-04

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has expressed his support for free speech while disagreeing with the message of Occupy Wall Street.

By KATE TAYLOR

2011-11-03

2011-10-31

1. London

2. Muscat

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2011-09-18

Wedding Speeches And Toasts...

2011-09-17