Big Red Buses and Turtle Nerds
Happy Monday, folks. Here are a few stories from last week.
In international news, and mirroring a story that I think I posted a few weeks ago, Russia has accused American volunteers of fighting in the August war in South Ossetia. Meanwhile, the Mauritanian junta has finally released President Abdullahi from house arrest (AP, BBC) - which is good, since I was almost positive that they'd just gone ahead and offed him.
There are several War on Terror-related stories to cover. Last week, I had an article about the MEK and Jundallah. The day before it was published, the Iraqi government, which is trying to strengthen previously poor relations with its Iranian neighbors, announced that the MEK must leave Iraq. Also relating to Iran, former Iranian President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has criticized neighboring countries for "promoting al Qaeda (and Taliban) thought" - an interesting development, since Iran is actually supporting the Taliban. Could this signal that Rafsanjani might be preparing to run against Ahmedinejad for president? We can only hope. Ayatollah or not, Rafsanjani would be a better president than Ahmedinejad has been. Across the border in Afghanistan, the BBC reports that special operators are using gifts of Viagra to compel cooperation from tribal elders - excellent tactic if you ask me! And finally, UPI has an article that sparked a great deal of interest in me. Here are a couple of telling passages.
And the money quote?
I know what you're saying: "What's that, The Fly? You think that it's a bad idea that American students are learning Spanish instead of Chinese, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Urdu, or Japanese?" You're absolutely right. American students are learning the language of immigrants who refuse to assimilate into our culture (many of whom are here illegally to begin with), and they need to be studying strategic languages that will benefit America's economic and security dominance. Let's face it, folks: losing dominance to China wouldn't just be bad for us, it would be bad for pretty much everyone.
In business news, Warner Music doesn't want to share its videos on YouTube anymore. You know, if record companies spent a lot less time bitching, and a lot more time trying to adjust to the market, they could probably make some money. Instead, they're just as inept and incompetent as the car manufacturers. Even though it's about game companies, I think that this UserFriendly comic pretty much says it all.
On the lighter side, it appears that the iconic double-decker red buses are returning to London in the next few years. Also, an amateur British archaeologist has uncovered a cache of Byzantine-era gold coins in Jerusalem (BBC, Fox). Very cool.
Oh, and one more thing. Do you ever think your life sucks? Do you ever feel pathetic? Well if you do, read this article and watch this video:
Check back tomorrow, folks. It's been a pleasure as always.
In international news, and mirroring a story that I think I posted a few weeks ago, Russia has accused American volunteers of fighting in the August war in South Ossetia. Meanwhile, the Mauritanian junta has finally released President Abdullahi from house arrest (AP, BBC) - which is good, since I was almost positive that they'd just gone ahead and offed him.
There are several War on Terror-related stories to cover. Last week, I had an article about the MEK and Jundallah. The day before it was published, the Iraqi government, which is trying to strengthen previously poor relations with its Iranian neighbors, announced that the MEK must leave Iraq. Also relating to Iran, former Iranian President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has criticized neighboring countries for "promoting al Qaeda (and Taliban) thought" - an interesting development, since Iran is actually supporting the Taliban. Could this signal that Rafsanjani might be preparing to run against Ahmedinejad for president? We can only hope. Ayatollah or not, Rafsanjani would be a better president than Ahmedinejad has been. Across the border in Afghanistan, the BBC reports that special operators are using gifts of Viagra to compel cooperation from tribal elders - excellent tactic if you ask me! And finally, UPI has an article that sparked a great deal of interest in me. Here are a couple of telling passages.
Unless America pumps up foreign language education, both the nation's global competitiveness and national security could be at risk.
That's the opinion of a cross-section of experts concerned that a weakened economy and heightened international tensions leave the nation in need of clearer communication with friend and foe alike. Deficiencies in Middle Eastern and Asian languages pose the most immediate problems.
"If the U.S., in the modern world, is going to maintain its position as a global leader," said Ken Gude, a former Center for National Security Studies policy analyst, "it's going to have to become more conversant."
An estimated 200 million school-aged children in China study English, according to a 2006 Education Department release. Just 24,000 of their U.S. counterparts study Chinese languages. The gap is significant.
And the money quote?
Less than half of American high school students are enrolled in foreign language classes, according to the 2002 Digest of Education Statistics, released by the Education Department in 2006.
Of those students, the overwhelming majority are enrolled in Spanish, and less than 1 percent combined study Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Russian or Urdu.
"By default, Spanish is far and away the most widely taught language in the United States," Ingold said. As the majority of U.S. education policy is driven at the state or local level, the languages taught in high schools are usually a reflection of parent demand.
I know what you're saying: "What's that, The Fly? You think that it's a bad idea that American students are learning Spanish instead of Chinese, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Urdu, or Japanese?" You're absolutely right. American students are learning the language of immigrants who refuse to assimilate into our culture (many of whom are here illegally to begin with), and they need to be studying strategic languages that will benefit America's economic and security dominance. Let's face it, folks: losing dominance to China wouldn't just be bad for us, it would be bad for pretty much everyone.
In business news, Warner Music doesn't want to share its videos on YouTube anymore. You know, if record companies spent a lot less time bitching, and a lot more time trying to adjust to the market, they could probably make some money. Instead, they're just as inept and incompetent as the car manufacturers. Even though it's about game companies, I think that this UserFriendly comic pretty much says it all.
On the lighter side, it appears that the iconic double-decker red buses are returning to London in the next few years. Also, an amateur British archaeologist has uncovered a cache of Byzantine-era gold coins in Jerusalem (BBC, Fox). Very cool.
Oh, and one more thing. Do you ever think your life sucks? Do you ever feel pathetic? Well if you do, read this article and watch this video:
Check back tomorrow, folks. It's been a pleasure as always.
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