Washington Post (May 8)
“If you look around the world at nations that are now outperforming the United States on international tests, it is not hard to figure out the differences between their vastly improved educational systems and ours. It is not simply the pay of teachers that matters but the selectivity of education programs, the rigor of their preparation and the continuing education and feedback they receive.”
Tags: Education, Feedback, Nations, Outperforming, Pay, Preparation, Programs, Rigor, Selectivity, Teachers, Tests, U.S.
The Economist (April 20, 2013)
“The threat of a global pandemic is rising again.” In China, the H7N9 avian influenza is troubling and in the Middle East a SARS-like virus has emerged. Compared with a decade ago, the world is more prepared for the “distant but deadly threat” of a pandemic. “But it needs to be better prepared still, because viruses move a lot faster than governments do.”
Tags: Avian influenza, China, Governments, H7N9, Middle East, Pandemic, Preparation, Risk, SARS
New York Times (March 15)
“It is sobering that such calamities could so badly hurt Japan, a technologically advanced nation that puts great emphasis on disaster mitigation.” This must be a wake-up call for other nations. “The unfolding Japanese tragedy also should prompt Americans to closely study our own plans for coping with natural disasters and with potential nuclear plant accidents to make sure they are, indeed, strong enough.”
Tags: Disasters, Japan, Nuclear accidents, Preparation, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (March 12)
“No country was better prepared for an 8.9 quake.” Devastation cannot be escaped when confronting an 8.9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Still Japan minimized the damage through preparation and planning. “Japan stands, literally, as a testament to how human planning and industrialized society can cope with natural disasters.”
Tags: Damage, Earthquake, Japan, Preparation, Tohoku
