News for November 18
November 18, 2008 by Barbara
Filed under News and Analysis
Promises Lost | Education and Class
From today’s Inside Higher Education is news of a new report Promise Lost: Why So Many College-Qualified Students Don’t Enroll in College from the Institute for Higher Education Policy. With these students — who are disproportionately low-income or students of color — schools are doing their part: These students have taken a college prep curriculum and gotten decent grades. But, because of the high costs of college, inadequate information about financial aid and loans, and guidance counselors responsible for hundreds of students, these students are not applying for or enrolling in college.
The Perils of Efficiency | The New Yorker Magazine
This spring, disaster loomed in the global food market. Precipitous increases in the prices of staples like rice (up more than a hundred and fifty per cent in a few months) and maize provoked food riots, toppled governments, and threatened the lives of tens of millions. But the bursting of the commodity bubble eased those pressures, and food prices, while still high, have come well off the astronomical levels they hit in April. For Americans, the drop in commodity prices has put a few more bucks in people’s pockets; in much of the developing world, it may have saved many from actually starving. So did the global financial crisis solve the global food crisis?
The $350 billion bailout? | ProPublica
$350 billion is enough bailout for the time being. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson says he won’t be asking Congress for the second installment of the $700 billion bailout. So it will be up to the Obama administration to decide whether that second half is spent.
- Related link: Detroit Bailout Looks Unlikely | Truthdig
Gun Groups Take Issue with Gun Inquiry | ThinkProgress
The Obama transition team is requiring that all potential hires for high-ranking positions fill out a seven-page questionnaire with questions about the applicant’s financial history, affiliations, professional background, legal history, and domestic help. Question #59 deals with gun ownership. … This question has raised the ire of gun-rights groups and their allies, who are charging that Obama plans to revoke the second amendment and has a “distaste for firearm owners
‘Meh’ | SunSentinel
At least someone is excited about “meh.” The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers.
Barbara Schwartz is the editorial director at the Xenia Institute. She lives in Oklahoma City, Okla., and currently is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa.
