In The News

Jobs for the Children of Globalization

Tim Weber January 29, 2008
Today’s children, the future workforce for the world, will confront intense competition in a world where workers are mobile, projects can be shipped instantly over the internet and customers everywhere demand bargain prices. Advising children to pursue an education is no longer adequate. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, a session on career advice for children was overbooked; attendees...

African Aid Projects That Work: Partnerships on the Ground, Not Donations From a Distance

January 1, 2008
Donors who want to help Africa, by sending funds or supplies, must do research about the real needs and support systems in any community: Funds can go unspent or into the pockets of corrupt officials; sending electrical devices to communities that lack power or office supplies to organizations lacking desks or office space can often end up frustrating both donors and Africans alike. Gifts that...

A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, Electrifying a Nation

Sarah Childress December 31, 2007
Forced to drop out of school at age 14 because his family could no longer afford tuition, William Kamkwamba of Malawi set out to study energy and build windmills on his own. “Energy poverty” limits development, economies and jobs in the world’s poorest nations, explains Sarah Childress for the Wall Street Journal. Kamkwamba, now 20, built his windmill, by lashing blue-gum tree trunks together for...

World's Schools Teach US A Lesson

Stacy Teicher Khadaroo December 24, 2007
US education experts suggest that the nation’s children fail to keep pace with the top international students. A globalizing economy means that today's kindergarten students will eventually compete for jobs or work on teams with peers from around the world. The challenge awaiting teachers is how to best prepare young students. While pupils in China and India achieve high scores on science...

At 71, Physics Professor Is a Web Star

Sara Rimer December 20, 2007
The internet offers endless exploration – and search engines like Google, which order search results based on complex mixture of volume, links, content and the democratic nature of the web, create some surprising new stars. Among the latest is 71-year-old Walter H. G. Lewin, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose lectures on physics are both educational and entertaining for...

Sudanese Teddy Saga Lays Bare Islamic Inferiority Complex

Waleed Aly December 6, 2007
People of one culture can never perfectly understand the fine points of another culture, and extreme reactions to any mistakes or misunderstandings only widen the divide. A British teacher in Sudan devised a class project that required her students to name a toy bear, take turns bringing it home, caring for it and writing about the experience. After the children named the bear Muhammad, police...

The Gentle Dragon

Jocelyn Chey November 29, 2007
China is promoting soft power as it seeks to establish itself as a major player in world affairs. China’s economic prowess and ancient civilization entice students worldwide for training in Chinese language and culture, but especially in countries like Australia. China replaced Japan as Australia’s top trading partner this summer – and newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks...