GUESS FIRST! Which State produces almost half of all rice grown in the US?? Ok, now you can read on...

After attending my daughters graduation from Texas A&M (economics!!) we drove from College Station to our home in the Columbus, Ohio area.

As much as time allows, I like to stay off the Interstate highways and drive the "country roads" to see places I have never been before.  This is where "America" happens.  Love to have those forehead thumping moments when I learn something I did not know before.

Rice.is.grown.in.Arkansas!  (Head Thump!) Hate to admit it but I did not know that.  I assumed Louisiana and Mississippi had the comparative advantage of the proper land resource needed to grow it on a mass scale.

Much to may amazement, I saw unfamiliar field after field like this:

Source: HERE (for some reason I did not bother to stop and take my own picture!!

I have been to Arkansas but never East of Little Rock.  The map below highlights in GREEN the areas of heavy concentration of rice production.  You can see lots of dark green that lies just to the West of the Mississippi River into Arkansas.

Source: Wikipedia

Below is data on rice production in the US by State from 2007 to 2013.

On average over that time span, Arkansas alone produced 46% of the US Rice crop.

Source: USDA ERS

It was not inevitable that Arkansas would become the rice capital of the US.

Here is the story of how it happened (from Arkansas Rice Facts):

Growers in the prairie lands of Arkansas were in need of a crop that could be grown dependably and profitably. Almost by accident, rice became a contender when in 1896, W.H. Fuller ventured southwest to Louisiana on a hunting trip. It was there that he first saw rice growing, which ultimately led to the development of a leading agricultural industry for the state. Fuller, along with his brother-in-law John Morris and John’s wife Emma, are generally credited with founding the Arkansas rice industry. By 1910, rice production, research and milling were established in the state. Today, the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie in Stuttgart, Arkansas, showcases the history of this major center for U.S. rice production.

Now you know it too.

Guess it will be chicken fried rice for lunch today...

Nice graph showing the change in how we communicate and get information since 1900. We REALLY don't talk to each other anymore...

Technology is rapidly changing the way we spend time communicating with each other and how we connect to the outside world.

It shows time in hours per day Americans, since 1900, have spent engaging in the above two activities. The various categories of activities are stacked on the right side.  Notice the bottom 5 activities (from E-mail down to Social Networks) were virtually non-existent in the year 2000---only 12 years ago!

Source: McKinsey and Company

Notice how flat (and even descending) the lines are from 1980 to 2000---pretty stagnant, then BOOM! Those technologies take-off and rapidly start to consume our time. 

What happened during this time-span to make this all possible? What are some of the economic, social and political costs and benefites to society? 

Extra credit for good answers with details.

Need a reason to personally fret about the situation in Egypt? Check gas prices in the next few days...

WSJ: Crude Jumps 4.3% on Egypt Protests

 ""Egypt produces roughly 673,000 barrels a day, according to the Joint Oil Data Initiative, a global oil database, ranking it 21st among the world's oil producers. Still, the country is home to two of the world's key energy supply routes: the Suez canal, a transit point for oil and fuel shipments from the Persian Gulf to the Western Hemisphere, and the 200-mile-long Sumed pipeline, an alternative transit route to the canal. About one million barrels of oil per day was shipped through each route in 2009, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.""

""The Suez Canal is located in Egypt, and connects the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea, covering 120 miles. Petroleum (both crude oil and refined products) accounted for 16 percent of Suez cargos, measured by cargo tonnage, in 2009. An estimated 1.0 million bbl/d of crude oil and refined petroleum products flowed northbound through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea in 2009, while 0.8 million bbl/d travelled southbound into the Red Sea. This represents a decline from 2008, when 1.6 million bbl/d of oil transited northbound to Europe and other developed economies.""Source HERE

There is hope that going forward US aid to developing countries will, well, actually help them develop...See how within...

The manner in which the US conducts and administers foreign aid is open to lots of criticism.  I believe some good has come from it over time, but at great cost. I am 100% for helping poor countries get a leg up and start on the road to economic development, but the approach for the last 50 years has be relatively ineffective.  NOW there is hope if the new person in charge of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) can change the bureaucratic inertia and out-moded thinking that drives US aid right now. See the article below for  some of the bolder statements made by the new Administrator. I highlighted the paragraphs I like the most and strike at the heart of what is needed to effectively help poor countries.  It is imperative that all aid efforts be as local as possible, from the resources used to the people responsible for a programs success.  We cannot transplant sustained economic growth, it has to be homegrown and nurtured.  This seems intuitive, but it is not the way aid has been carried out in the last 50 years.  It remains to be seen if he can do it, but I like the attitude. Those of you interested in a career in international development will want to read the article in full. (HT: Barbara Pierce)

Washington Post: New administrator wants to change the way USAID works

"This agency is no longer satisfied with writing big checks to big contractors and calling it development."

"There's always another high-priced consultant that must take another flight to another conference or lead another training," he said. "This practice simply must end." The declaration drew applause from the Center for Global Development audience...."

""He said reform of USAID contracting will mean accelerated "funding to local [non-governmental organizations] and local entrepreneurs, change agents who have the cultural knowledge and in-country expertise to ensure assistance leads to real local institutions and lasting, durable growth."

""Instead of going completely with U.S. or other contractors who could put up all the needed housing immediately, Shah sent procurement-reform teams to Haiti to work with local construction companies. He admitted this approach slowed "the process a little bit because it would always be faster to just go in with prefab housing" built elsewhere. But helping local construction companies learn how to use local materials, including from the rubble, meant re-building damaged homes to a higher earthquake standard and "allowed us to work with and nurture a local construction industry," he said.""

"Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign""---this is SO true on the UT--Austin campus...What is up with the Anarchist-Bicyclist influence on Campus?

I have been at the University of Texas--Austin for the past 3 days with students participating in a Model United Nations competition.  The campus perplexes me in a lot of ways, but the signs posted around campus are of special note, especially about parking.  Most signs have several addendums attached to them so there could be as many as 4 differents levels of explanation about a particular parking lot/space. UT students will know what I am talking about.  Also, bicyclists appear to have representation by anarchists on the committees that determine the rules of the road...Here few I got pictures of...

 Ummm....What else would you do on a Loading Dock??

It is hard to see, but the bottom of the sign carves out an exception for two-wheelers too. These confirm for me the influence of anarchist-bicyclists on campus... :)

Ten things to know if you are a procrastinator---don't put it off---read this now! :)

Yes, I am a procrastinator...Not all this applies to me, but if I am honest with myself I would say a good portion of it does.  I like number three and the quote--YES!  I will change my ways---starting tomorrow... :)

Procrastination: Ten Things To Know

1.Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle, albeit a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their life. They don't pay bills on time. They miss opportunities for buying tickets to concerts. They don't cash gift certificates or checks. They file income tax returns late. They leave their Christmas shopping until Christmas eve.

2.It's not trivial, although as a culture we don't take it seriously as a problem. It represents a profound problem of self-regulation. And there may be more of it in the U.S. than in other countries because we are so nice; we don't call people on their excuses ("my grandmother died last week") even when we don't believe them.

3.Procrastination is not a problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others. "Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up," insists Dr. Ferrari.

AP curriculum is changing for some subjects but not economics---see why here...Nice NYTIMES article that will surely spur debated amongst AP teachers...

I am happy to see AP Economics is not going to change...No real need to---Here is an old economics joke that explains why: 

""An economist returns to visit his old school. He's interested in the current exam questions and asks his old professor to show some. To his surprise they are exactly the same ones to which he had answered 10 years ago! When he asks about this the professor answers: "the questions are always the same - only the answers change!"""

Teachers of the affected subjects will be highly interested in the substance of this article, I believe...

NYTIMES: Rethinking Advanced Placement

""Trevor Packer, the College Board’s vice president for Advanced Placement, notes that the changes mark a new direction for the board, which has focused on the tests more than the courses. The rollout of “the New A.P.,” as the board describes it, will actually start this year with a new curriculum taking effect in two smaller programs, German and French language. Major revisions to physics, chemistry, European history, world history and art history will follow, with the hope of being ready for exams in 2014 or 2015.

“We really believe that the New A.P. needs to be anchored in a curriculum that focuses on what students need to be able to do with their knowledge,” Mr. Packer says. A.P. teachers made clear that such a shift was impossible unless the breadth of material covered was pared down. Courses in English and math are manageable, Mr. Packer says, and will not be revised until later....""



Source HERE



I am a closet Chinese mother...Very good article on parenting differences across cultural lines...

WSJ: Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior : Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back

An article that can/will provoke alot of discussion--the cultural differences in raising children the "Asian Way", although the writer includes other ethnic groups. It is predominantly about the Chinese/Asian culture of child-rearing vs the Western view.  Much of the discussion surrounds the importance of "self-esteem", and in her view it is considerably over-rated.  She has lots of great points but perhaps carries things to an extreme (OF COURSE that is what I would think, using my ingrained Western value system as the filter).  I do believe we promote the concept of self-esteem to levels that are unproductive and harmful.  I often wonder if we should promote it at all.  As a teacher (and parent) I know I err too much on the side of caution to avoid conflict.  There are times I find myself, given a particular circumstance, fluffing up a students esteem when I REALLY know what they need is an honest assessment (read that to mean the proverbial kick in the figurative butt).  It is not only exclusive to students--adults, especially me, from time to time need a real assessment of their current performance relative to their potential.  Ahh, potential, that is a word that is not easy to define and is perhaps why we are hesitant to judge. I do occasionally have a student come to me and ask me in a direct way for a hard assessment of their capabilities (I will only do this if I know the student rather well).  I will give it to them, but preface it with "you might want to get a second opinion".  I think they are generally appreciate it and take it to heart.  What do you think about the article?  Also, feel free to assess me---my self-esteem is pretty good...

""A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:


• attend a sleepover

• have a playdate

• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play

• watch TV or play computer games

• choose their own extracurricular activities

• get any grade less than an A

• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin....""

Abandoned building stripped of all that is valuable, except for one thing...can you guess what it is?

This is a photo of an abandoned library in the city of Detroit...MOST buildings like this would be stripped of all its useful/salvageable content and sold for some cash...For some reason, books have no value here. A sign of the times?...(HT: Coyote Blog)


Source HERE



What South Korean students are doing on Christmas Break vs. What American students are doing....

"What did you learn over Christmas Break?"

South Korean student answer: "How to dominate the world!"

South Korean elementary and middle school students rub their bodies with the snow during a winter military camp for kids at the Cheongryong Self-denial Training Camp on Daebu Island in Ansan. Some 50 students took part in the three-day camp as a way to mentally and physically strengthen themselves. Baltimore Sun.

American student answer: "Break was too short! It is not fair!"


American students practicing for a "really cool" Flash Mob to be performed at the mall,
or
re-enacting the last episode of "Glee"
or
Some-Such...



Christmas is the deadliest Holiday of the year! Be careful out there....

Be careful out there!! Looking at the graphic, it is amazing to see the change in deaths over Christmas/New Year break...Am I too morbid?

"""A new U.S. analysis of mortality rates during different times of year found that people are more likely to die during the holidays — notably on Christmas and New Year’s Day — and researchers cannot explain the yearly spike.
After analyzing all official United States death certificates over the 25-year period between 1979 and 2004, a trio of sociologists identified an excess of 42,325 natural deaths — that is, above and beyond the normal seasonal winter increase — in the two weeks starting with Christmas..."" Source HERE

My letter to the NYTIMES regarding an Op-Ed piece by Larry David---Just like George, he presents only half the story

A letter I sent to the NY TIMES regarding an opinion piece (see below) by Larry David (co-creator of "Seinfeld:")

""I assume Larry David is a high-income earner as a result of his God-given talent and entrepreneurial skills, and not as a result of an inheritance or a trust-fund.   I am a bit perplexed as to why he chose to focus only on his demand-side participation in the economy and not on his immense ability to affect the supply-side.   After all, it was his “supply-side self” that produced his wealth and, on net, improved the entertainment value of television, wasn’t it?  Yes, he could use his money to purchase all those luxury items but he could also pool it with other like-minded entertainer’s or entrepreneurs who feel they have somehow received ill-gotten gains from this “tax-cut”, and create a new show or fund ANY other type of business that would actually create and maintain new jobs in the economy.  Make lemonade out of lemons, Mr.  David. Now THAT would be a show about something!""

Thanks for the Tax Cut!By LARRY DAVID
 

Published: December 20, 2010

THERE is a God! It passed! The Bush tax cuts have been extended two years for the upper bracketeers, of which I am a proud member, thank you very much. I’m the last person in the world I’d want to be beside, but I am beside myself! This is a life changer, I tell you. A life changer!

 
To begin with, I was planning a trip to Cabo with my kids for Christmas vacation. We were going to fly coach, but now with the money I’m saving in taxes, I’m going to splurge and bump myself up to first class. First class! Somebody told me they serve warm nuts up there, and call you “mister.” I might not get off the plane!


I’m also going to call the hotel and get another room so I don’t have to sleep on a cot in the kids’ room. Don’t get me wrong — I love a good cot. The problem is they tend to take up a lot of room, and it’s getting a little tougher in my advancing years to fold it up and drag it to the closet. I mean, I’d do it if I had to, but guess what? I don’t! Not with this windfall coming my way. Now I get to have my own room with a king-sized bed. And who knows, maybe I’ll even get some fancy bottled water from the minibar. This is shaping up to be the best vacation I’ve had in years.


When I get home, thanks to the great compromise, the first thing I’m going to do is get a flat-screen TV. Finally I can throw out the 20-inch Zenith with the rabbit ears, the one I inherited from my parents when they died. The reception is terrible and I’m getting tired of going out to bars every time I want to watch a game. Last month, the antenna broke and I tried to improvise one with a metal hanger and wound up cutting myself. Every time I see that scab, I say to myself, “If, God willing, those Bush tax cuts are restored, I’m going to buy a new TV.” Well, guess what? They have been!


It’s also going to be a boon for my health. After years of coveting them, I’ll finally be able to afford blueberries. Did you know they have a lot of antioxidants, which prevent cancer? Cancer! This tax cut just might save my life. Who said Republicans don’t support health care? I’m going to have the blueberries with my cereal, and I’m not talking Special K. Those days are over. It’s nothing but real granola from now on. The kind you get in the plastic bins in health food stores. Did someone say “organic”?
The only problem is if, God forbid, the tax cuts are repealed in two years, how will I ever go back to Special K and bananas? Well, I did quit smoking, so I’m sure if push came to shove I could summon up the willpower to get off granola and blueberries. Of course, I suppose with the money I managed to save from the “Seinfeld” syndication, I probably could continue to eat granola with blueberries, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.


Life was good, and now it’s even better. Thank you, Republicans. And a special thank you to President Obama and the Democrats. I didn’t know you cared.


Larry David appears in the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

All I want for Christmas is for students to properly label their graphs...Really, that is all I want...




Chartporn

  All I want for Christmas is for students to properly label their graphs...Really, that is all I want...

I LOVE Millionaires and Billionaires!! And you do too, but don't really know it...

Here is a thought experiment for you...When you wake up in the morning and until you go to sleep at night, keep a diary (or mental note) of ALL the goods/services you touch, feel, smell, hear, see, consume or otherwise employ to help you get through the day. Think about how these things, in a tangible or intangible way, make your life better or at least easier. There are likely many millionaires, and even a billionaire or two (or 10), behind the production or delivery of these goods or services to you. Got your list? How many items did you count--1, 10, 100, 1,000...?

Do you know who any of these people are? Maybe one or two (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc) but in general these millionaires are nameless, faceless people (to us) who got to where they are by producing goods or services  most of us use on a daily basis and improve our lives in a relatively seamless way. Their profit is not at our expense but adds to our surplus! I have no idea who the owner of Jiffy Lube is, but I am glad he is rich and I am glad I don't have to change my oil. I consider that an even exchange!

I think this gets lost in the debate over taxes and tax rates. We are not doing a good enough job in discerning who is rich, but more importantly, how they got that way. Listening to politicians/media one would think only Wall Street bankers, insurance and oil executives are millionaires. If you really think about it, the only rich people vilified publicly are people who profit GREATLY because of bailouts, subsidies, and an other-wise cozy relationship with politicians and bureaucracies. In economics we call these "rent-seekers", private citizens/industries that use political access to profit and limit competition. Let me say this as clearly as possible: I ABHOR rent-seekers! They are worst kind of "millionaires" because they got that way at the expense of the public (that means YOU).

Go back to your personal results from the first paragraph. How many of these goods/services were the result of rent-seekers or businesses/entrepreneurs, who only got "rich" providing you something that enhanced your life without you thinking much about it? It probably did not even cost you that much either (relative to the benefit you received). The rent-seekers good/service probably cost you the most and gave you the least satisfaction.  I am guessing a vast majority of the items came from the "silent majority" of millionaires who risked capital to bring that good or service to the market place.

In a purely non-partisan fashion, ask yourself: "How much more do these people owe society than what they have already given?". Is it not useful to consider this before you lump all rich people together? I am not saying the rich pay nothing in taxes, but should some consideration be taken to assess the benefits they endow on society before we decide how much "we" should take from them? Have they not already proven to be good stewards of societal resources, in general?  Just askin'...What do you think?

Note: I am not a "rich guy" (well, not monetarily anyway). I only recognize the value of the PROPER millionaire/billionaire...We hover in the mid-range of the 28% tax bracket. Hey, I have a productive wife whose skills are valued more in society than mine as a teacher....but that is ANOTHER debate! :)

Keller ISD Survey on when students should start making college plans...I COMPLETELY disagree with the most popular choice!!

Poll is on the homepage for Keller ISD and open to anyone who goes to it, so it is by NO means scientific.  I find the results interesting for a number of reasons. See my blog post from earlier today to get a feel for why I think this is not accurate. What do you think????

When do you think a student should start making plans for college?

Senior year (4130) (BLUE)

Junior year (667) (RED)

Sophomore year (497) (GREEN)

Freshman year or earlier (1411) (ORANGE)

Total Number of Responses: 6705

How would YOU do on this test administered to 8th Graders in 1895...yes, that's right, 1895...I would have dropped out in 5th grade.

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. USA.
It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley
Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS and reprinted by the
Salina Journal.


8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.

2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.

3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.

4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.

5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.

6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.

7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.


Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?

4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per are, the distance around which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.


U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of theRebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates:

1607

1620

1800

1849

1865

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono,super.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd,cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane,fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced andindicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is theocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America.

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba,Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.

Media interpretation of the Same Pentagon report---Match the headline with the paper---

Here are two headlines from the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times reporting on the SAME pentagon report on the SAME day...Can you guess which headline corresponds with the respective newspaper?  (HT: Aidwatchers)