To think that forty years ago it was exotic to buy a TV made in Japan… The sea change in manufacturing and global trade is a much more complicated process than the discussion usually considers. The Atlantic has a balanced and detailed look from at the process from the point of view of workers and manufacturers. .
Could you pass a 10th grade math exam? The Washington Post interviews a school board member from Florida who positively bombed a test called the FCAT which is required for graduation. While in general it’s undeniable that the US educational system is flailing around on the assumption that standardized tests are somehow going to make kids smart, there also is a funny undertone that there are two classes of students–those who need to be good at math and reading and those who only need to be “good enough.”.