International Aid ― A Solution
"Almost all of the deaths from hunger and disease that you see on this site can be stopped. The cost to do this is about $195 billion a year, according to the United Nations. Twenty-two developed countries below have pledged to work towards each giving 0.7% (a little less than 1%) of their national income in international aid, which would raise the $195 billion. Some countries are slow to meet their pledge."
FreeRice
"The website FreeRice (http://www.freerice.com) has two purposes. First, they want to help people improve their English vocabulary. The site gives you a word and four possible synonyms. Get it right, and you advance to a higher level with tougher words. At the same time, advertisers who appear at the bottom of the screen donate 10 grains of rice per correct word to the World Food Programme, which in turn sends it to countries in need around the world. As of now, FreeRice has paid for just under 4 billion grains of rice, hovering at around 200 million grains per day. Not bad considering it launched on October 7 with 830 grains!" LIS News 28 Nov.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Books Make the Best Holiday Presents
To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence
National Endowment for the Arts, Research Report #47, November 2007
Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure.
The percentage of 18- to 44-year-olds who read a book fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002.
By the time they become college seniors, one in three students read nothing at all for pleasure in a given week.
Teens and young adults spend less time reading than people of other age groups.
15- to 24-year-olds spend only 7–10 minutes per day on voluntary reading—about 60% less time than the average American.
By contrast, 15- to 24-year-olds spend 2 to 2½ hours per day watching TV.
58% of middle and high school students use other media while reading. Students report using media during 35% of their weekly reading time. 20% of their reading time is shared by TV-watching, video/computer gameplaying, instant messaging, e-mailing orWeb surfing.
The number of books in a home is a significant predictor of academic success.
National Endowment for the Arts, Research Report #47, November 2007
Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure.
The percentage of 18- to 44-year-olds who read a book fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002.
By the time they become college seniors, one in three students read nothing at all for pleasure in a given week.
Teens and young adults spend less time reading than people of other age groups.
15- to 24-year-olds spend only 7–10 minutes per day on voluntary reading—about 60% less time than the average American.
By contrast, 15- to 24-year-olds spend 2 to 2½ hours per day watching TV.
58% of middle and high school students use other media while reading. Students report using media during 35% of their weekly reading time. 20% of their reading time is shared by TV-watching, video/computer gameplaying, instant messaging, e-mailing orWeb surfing.
The number of books in a home is a significant predictor of academic success.
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