Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Isn't keeping good teachers an important thing?
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/20/why.quit.teacher/index.html?hpt=hp_c1
CNN: Why did you decide to leave teaching?
DeRegnaucourt: I have had to learn how to budget. In those thoughts, I came to the realization that the money I make isn't enough. It isn't enough to live alone. That realization was daunting. As educators, we make what we make, nothing more, nothing less. In industry, if I'm valuable, my company can keep me by making the package they offer me more attractive. In education, the principal's hands are tied. You just never know what the future holds. I still need to plan for the future.
Meanwhile, in Finland, teaching is one of the most respected jobs in the country:
http://letters.salon.com/news/david_sirota/2011/07/18/tony_wagner_finland/view/
CNN: Why did you decide to leave teaching?
DeRegnaucourt: I have had to learn how to budget. In those thoughts, I came to the realization that the money I make isn't enough. It isn't enough to live alone. That realization was daunting. As educators, we make what we make, nothing more, nothing less. In industry, if I'm valuable, my company can keep me by making the package they offer me more attractive. In education, the principal's hands are tied. You just never know what the future holds. I still need to plan for the future.
Meanwhile, in Finland, teaching is one of the most respected jobs in the country:
http://letters.salon.com/news/david_sirota/2011/07/18/tony_wagner_finland/view/
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
new long-lasting, ernegy-saving light bulbs will be in your future
http://www.slate.com/id/2298444/
"Switch Lighting claims to have solved all of those problems. When I arrived at Switch, Brett Sharenow, the company's chief strategy officer, showed me two lamps. Inside one was a standard 75-watt incandescent bulb. Switch's 75-watt replacement bulb, which uses only 16 watts of power, was plugged into the other. The lampshades prevented me from seeing the bulbs directly—I couldn't tell which lamp contained which bulb. When Sharenow turned on the lamps, the light from each lamp looked identical. The moment was completely undramatic, and that was the point. Switch has spent years developing bulbs that produce something thoroughly unexceptional—light that looks exactly like what we're used to."
Incandescent bulbs are being phased out. CFL bulbs have mercury in them. LED lights are the future, using a fraction of electricity required for incandescents. They even save money in the long run!
"Switch Lighting claims to have solved all of those problems. When I arrived at Switch, Brett Sharenow, the company's chief strategy officer, showed me two lamps. Inside one was a standard 75-watt incandescent bulb. Switch's 75-watt replacement bulb, which uses only 16 watts of power, was plugged into the other. The lampshades prevented me from seeing the bulbs directly—I couldn't tell which lamp contained which bulb. When Sharenow turned on the lamps, the light from each lamp looked identical. The moment was completely undramatic, and that was the point. Switch has spent years developing bulbs that produce something thoroughly unexceptional—light that looks exactly like what we're used to."
Incandescent bulbs are being phased out. CFL bulbs have mercury in them. LED lights are the future, using a fraction of electricity required for incandescents. They even save money in the long run!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Cut US defense spending
http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/01/news/economy/pentagon_budget/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=hp_bn3
"By taking a holistic approach, $80 billion could be slashed from the $553 billion the Pentagon has requested for 2012, the authors say. Expensive projects ill-suited for today's wars -- like missile defense and the V-22 Osprey -- would be cut."
Cut from defense, bring back the pre-Bush tax system on the rich, and find savings in medical expenses (such as running hospitals more efficiently). It IS possible to take care of the deficit.
"By taking a holistic approach, $80 billion could be slashed from the $553 billion the Pentagon has requested for 2012, the authors say. Expensive projects ill-suited for today's wars -- like missile defense and the V-22 Osprey -- would be cut."
Cut from defense, bring back the pre-Bush tax system on the rich, and find savings in medical expenses (such as running hospitals more efficiently). It IS possible to take care of the deficit.
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