I didn't know that burning coal was such a great idea until I saw this billboard in St. Louis. Orwell is probably already dizzy from spinning in his grave, but here we go again.
Here's a link to the work of the corporate spinmeisters.
Here is a well constructed list that those who do well on SAT tests should carefully review.
CREATIVITY
CRITICAL THINKING
RESILIENCE
MOTIVATION
PERSISTENCE
CURIOSITY
QUESTION ASKING
HUMOR
ENDURANCE
RELIABILITY
ENTHUSIASUM
CIVIC-MINDEDNESS
SELF-AWARENESS
SELF-DISCIPLINE
EMPATHY
LEADERSHIP
COMPASSION
COURAGE
SENSE OF BEAUTY
SENSE OF WONDER
RESOURCEFULNESS
SPONTANEITY
HUMILITY
Paul Tough, who wrote How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, would add "grit."
According to Bloomberg, Americans and American companies are hiding their money overseas and this is costing us immense amount of money.
U.S. taxpayers would need to pay an average of $1,259 more a year to make up the federal and state taxes lost to corporations and individuals sheltering money in overseas tax havens, according to a report. “Tax haven abusers benefit from America’s markets, public infrastructure, educated workforce, security and rule of law -– all supported in one way or another by tax dollars -– but they avoid paying for these benefits,” U.S. Public Interest Research Group said in the report released today, the deadline for filing 2013 taxes.
Check out this collection of many of America's dead malls. I'm not making the assumption that "healthy" malls automatically equate to a high quality of American life. That would be a mistake. Yet there is a surreal sadness to these photos.
Excellent story by NPR. It's a long way from the Republican scare stories about "death panels":
People in La Crosse, Wisconsin are used to talking about death. In fact, 96 percent of people who die in this small, Midwestern city have specific directions laid out for when they pass. That number is astounding. Nationwide, it's more like 50 percent. In today's episode, we'll take you to a place where dying has become acceptable dinner conversation for teenagers and senior citizens alike. A place that also happens to have the lowest healthcare spending of any region in the country.This piece reminds me that one of the main problems with the United States is that we cannot have meaningful conversations. This is refreshingly different. And important: One-quarter of health care spending occurs in the last year of life.