From dinner
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The End of Bananas as We Know Them
Bananas are dying. At least the variety we commonly eat in the States. They have Panamas Disease, and due to being raised as a gigantic monoculture, there is no cure.
Soon -- in five, 10 or 30 years -- the yellow creamy fruit as we know it will not exist. The story of how the banana rose and fell can be seen a strange parable about the corporations that increasingly dominate the world -- and where they are leading us.Read the whole article by Johann Hari from the Seattle PI.
From office chat, Sunday brunch and dinner
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Gates Foundation & Education Policy
I have a lot of respect for the work of the Gates Foundation. But I also have many qualms and questions. What does it means for education policy to have one organization control such a large percentage of available grant making funds? Does it alter the choices of education policy NGOs in order for them to be eligible to receive the funds? If yes, is that a problem. Are some areas of research and work underfunded and ignored if they don't fit into the Gates mandate? Or, because of the great expense of changing education, can big changes and experiments only happen with big pockets?
Related conversation:
- What happened to Michelle Rhee?
- A few opinions: Washington Post "The Answer Sheet", National Journal blog & Rhee in her own words in Newsweek
- What's the deal exactly between Mark Zuckerberg and Cory Booker in Newark?
- One answer from Fast Company
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