Progressology

U.S. cigarette manufacturers now make more money selling cigarettes to countries around the globe than they do selling to Americans.

michaelikesit:fuckyeahfacts: (source) um, duh?

via @grist

RT @drgrist: Rachel @Maddow exposes corporate cash behind astroturf lobbying against clean energy

MADDOW: Are you, guys, funded in part by Exxon or have you been?

PHILLIPS (Americans for Prosperity head Tim Phillips): No, absolutely not.

MADDOW: No Exxon money.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely not. But I’ll tell you again, though, we would be happy to take funding from broader groups like that. […]

MADDOW: Exxon does list the Americans for Prosperity Foundation as a recipient of, in some years, tens of thousands of dollars, in other years, hundreds of thousands of dollars, even for things just like general operations. But you’re saying Americans for Prosperity, no Exxon money?

PHILLIPS: This year, we haven’t had any Exxon money. I would be happy to go back and look at the records. And I will get back to you, Rachel, if we have. But again, though, we’re happy to take corporate money.,

Since I don’t have an internet connection in my room I’ve been downloading a lot of TED talks while I’m at the lab. Yesterday I watched two that got me thinking about how kids are growing up around the world.

Jay Walker (English mania) points out that English is becoming the world’s second language. A person’s first language will still be important — but just as math is the language of science, English will become the language of global program solving.

He then went on to talk about how many Chinese students (a good example seeing as China is now home the worlds largest population of English speakers) spend 3 years studying for a massive test — with the English portion making up a quarter of the final grade. With that much pressure to succeed what are those kids really learning? Problem solving in terms of a paper test combined with memorization — just what the world needs, right?

Gever Tulley has a different approach to educating the next generation. In his Tinkering school kids (from the pictures it seems like most are 7~10 year olds) are and encouraged to create something as a group. There are no tests — but in six days the kids learn a lot about problem solving. Failures are celebrated and analyzed — and as a result the students gain a deep internal realization that you can figure things out by fooling around.

What about when those kids grow up?

To take advantage of the fabulous magnitudes of real wealth waiting to be employed intelligently by humans … we must give each human who is or becomes unemployed a life fellowship in research and development or in just simple thinking. Man must be able to dare to think truthfully and to act accordingly without fear of losing his franchise to live. The use of mind fellowships will permit humans comprehensively to expand and accelerate scientific exploration and experimental prototype development. For every 100,OOO employed in research and development, or just plain thinking, one probably will make a breakthrough that will more than pay for the other 99,999 fellowships. Thus, production will no longer be impeded by humans trying to do what machines can do better.

— Buckminster Fuller