Literacy News » World literacy

Why are so many conservatives happy to spend trillions in Iraq when really it would be better spent elsewhere?

brian — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:41:32 +0000

Improving the appalling state of US education for starters.
America ranks behind 16 third world countries in literacy standards and for a developed nation a staggeringly low level of tertiary education.

The outlay for what can only be described as a war for profit at the expense of future generations must surely disgust most US citizens.

I shall stand by for the abuse from certain quarters…

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Will Obama apply the Obamacare solution to other world problems? Will his SOTU speech look like this?

brian — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:41:28 +0000

As President Obama moves into year 2 of his presidency, this now seasoned veteran world leader intends to address the pressing problems facing the nation and the world today. To seek solutions to these problems, he will bring to bear the same abilities and talents that he applied to make all of his great accomplishments of the past 12 months, such as winning the Nobel Peace Prize and his many other achievements which are simply too numerous to mention here. The President feels confident that these talents will play a key role in finding solutions to the many problems he inherited when he first took office over a year ago.

The centerpiece of the President’s accomplishments for 2009 was the health care reform bill. Even though this milestone legislation was not actually enacted into law due to time constraints coupled with obstructionism by the opposition, it still serves as the benchmark to set the standard for all of the President’s agenda moving forward into the future.

While the differences in detail between the Senate and House versions of the bill proved insurmountable in the time available, both versions had the same fundamental foundation: making health insurance mandatory, and imposing fines on those who failed to comply, according to the successful model program in the state of Massachussets. This basic structure won the support of a majority in the House, and even a fillibuster proof supermajority in the Senate.

Based on this achievement, the President feels confident in moving forward with applying this basic structure to the other pressing problems of the world today.

1. Persistent joblessness

The stubborn unemployment problem will be addressed by making jobs mandatory. Fines will be imposed on those who do not have a job, as an incentive for them to try to find work.

2. Homelessness

Homelessness will be drastically reduced by making homes mandatory. Fines will be imposed on those who do not have homes.

3. World hunger

Dramatic reductions in world hunger will be achieved by making food mandatory. Fines will be imposed on those who do not have food.

4. World peace

This is a toughie, but the President is confident that it can be addressed with meaningful solutions. Peace will be made mandatory. It will be considered a crime against humanity to use military force for any purpose, including defending against attack by a foreign army. Fines will be imposed on nations that get attacked, as an incentive for them to try to avoid being attacked.

For the sake of fairness, this law will not apply to world leaders who inherited a war from her predecessor. This exemption will extend to increases in troop strength and other forms of escalation that may be necessary to finish the job and withdraw with honor.

Air strikes against foreign nations will not be considered using military force, so that President Clinton’s 1998 attack on Iraq would not be considered a crime against humanity. Neither would the attack on Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 attack. A full scale invasion, such as the military action against Iraq committed by President George W. Bush, would be considered a crime against humanity.

5. Education

To address the issue of declining academic performance, high school diplomas will be made mandatory. Public high schools will be required to give high school diplomas to all students. Fines will be imposed on teachers who give F’s to their students.

For the sake of fairness, the fine will be limited to 1% of the teacher’s pay for each student who gets an F from that teacher during the school year. This will serve as an incentive for the teacher to try harder to help the students get good grades.

6. Literacy

Literacy will be made mandatory. Fines will be imposed on educators who give students low scores on literacy tests.

7. Illness and disease

Health and freedom from disease will be made mandatory. Fines will be imposed on those who get sick with an illness or a disease, as an incentive for them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

8. Poverty

Prosperity will be made mandatory. Fines will be imposed on those who do not have money.

9. Death itself

Finally, the President feels confident that a dramatic breakthrough can be achieved in reducing the death rate, by making life mandatory. Fines will be imposed on those who die, as an incentive for them to try to stay alive longer.

Of course, people will not be fined unfairly. The fines will be waived for the poor, for those who have religious objections to such things as work and education, and for undocumented immigrants.

Image taken on 2009-08-17 12:53:10. Image Source. (Used with permission)

Holy books and the progression of social literacy?

brian — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:42:13 +0000

Doesn’t it seem weird to you that your gods would have their “messages” written down in books/scrolls during time periods when social literacy was almost non existent?

Would you rather be able to read something for yourself? Or simply take someones word for it while they read it to you?

How can it sit well with any of you that during the time the first messages were written down, and for thousands of years afterward the only people who could read and write were the upper class(Rich) and the Scribes who worked for them?

Take the bible for example? Doesn’t this seem like something you would read to ignorant people as a way to manipulate them?

For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
To me it just seems like the less educated humans are the more likely they are to buy into certain ideologies. Take door to door salesmen for example, only really gullible, uneducated people buy into gimmick products. So what kind of chance did the un educated people living thousands of years ago stand?

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Is Global Employment Literacy Coalition a ligitimate company? Ned ur urgent answer. ty?

brian — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:41:26 +0000

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this comapny as far as i know provides a humanitarian aid for the 3rd world countries who woiuld like to work in the US, UK and Canada. It sounds good but my friend needs more evidence whether this organization is LIGITIMATE. Your kind response is greatly appreciated.

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Why do you think more more conservative states are poorer, while liberal states are more prosperous?

brian — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:41:18 +0000

For example, Mississippi is known as one of the most, if not the most conservative state in the country, and it also boasts the lowest literacy rate, as does its other southern companions, such as Louisiana, Alabama, and Kentucky, etc.

While more liberal states that embrace diversity, homosexual rights, true religious freedom are far far more prosperous. For example, California and New York. California I believe either the 7 or 8 largest economy in the world. While more conservative states, that have a history and reputation of not being “open minded” or have a record of not respecting civil or human rights, don’t come near that status.

This may be a “no-brainer” for some, but I would like a DIVERSITY of opinions on this.

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Why is the united states NOT the best country to a. live in or b. in the world?

How should I go about eradicating my stupidity?

brian — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:41:33 +0000

I, alas, am a product of American society. I am limited, and I am stupid. By the standards of the average American, I am politically, culturally, and geographically literate. That is untrue. My geographical knowledge is spot-on for the US, and pretty good in Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Asia.

I can’t stand the state of politics and any American news is juvenile, sensationalized crap. I haven’t watched the news in a long, long time. I do read the NY Times, but I get bogged down because I lack even the most basic perspective of the last few years. I have no clue what’s going on. My ‘political literacy’ is limited to the names of a few world leaders:

George Bush (US), Angela Merkel (Germany), Vladimir Putin (Russia). Tony Blair just left, and I don’t know if Stephen Harper is still in charge of Canada. I think Vincente Fox is Mexico. Something South American. More details to follow.
I have a basic sense of US history, as in I know the major, major landmarks. I know that the French saved our asses in the American Revolution, but that’s all I know.

Mathematically I’m doing okay, science I’m not actually worried about. I know enough to get me through my life and keep me out of the Stone Age, so that’s good.

Literarily, I’m not so proud. I’ve read:

Anna Karenina
3/4 of The Idiot -library copy, some jackass ripped the last 1/4 of the pages-
A Tale of Two Cities
The Island of Doctor Moreau -awesome book-
David Copperfield
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Time Machine
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
and I’m going to start Dubliners today.
Poetry is pretty much limited to Poe, I’ve read a lot of his short stories as well.

All books were taken on independently, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten a couple.

I’m only 15, though, so it’s a daunting task.

School’s useless.

Is there some way to get some kind of political overview or something? Not sure
where to start.

Magazines I read: Time, Newsweek. I also have a subscription to Scientific American but that’s just ’cause I’m a nerd.

I’m also very good at seeming like I know a lot more than I do, but don’t let me fool you.

That sounded like a joke but I’m serious.

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Can everyone just shut up about the stereotypical “Dumb American”?

brian — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:41:27 +0000

I’ve recently been watching videos on youtube from a channel called “failblog” and theres a lot of comments saying “typical dumb americans” or “stupid americans”. YOU ARE BEING RACIST JUST AS YOU ACCUSE US OF BEING RACIST. A “stupid american” is just as racist as suspecting every muslim of being a terrorist. AMERICA HAS THE HIGHEST LITERACY RATE IN THE WORLD AND HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST IQ AVERAGES IN THE WORLD TOO. Please explain to me how that is “stupid” or “dumb”.

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Has the Republican Party become the last refuge of the greedy and ignorant?

brian — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:41:51 +0000

It used to be the bastion of Conservativism. But that’s a political philosophy, requiring education, literacy, and, at the very least, an ability to spot England on a map of the world, an ability to understand the foundations of the culture it purports to preserve.

It requires something called fiscal conservativsm, as well.

The big-gun conservatives are deserting the party.

So who’s left (as it were)?

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Nigerians are good people.The greedy falls into scam traps.Is any country in the world without a scam story ?

Nigerians are good people.The greedy falls into scam traps.Is any country in the world without a scam story ?

What is the economic order of developing a country?

brian — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:41:14 +0000

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For an economics project at school, we have to develop a 4th world country to a 1st world country…we have to purchase things such as resources, literacy, transportation, etc. The instructor informed us that there was a specific order that economists would follow when developing a country.

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Any seniors recall grandparents 8 years schooling more educated than college age grandchildren?

brian — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:41:14 +0000

Education being vocabulary, world history, civics and Cultural Literacy as defined by E.D. Hirsch.

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