NYT's post about Kony 2012

Hey I know that a lot of you have already watched the 30-minute "Kony 2012" video. If you haven't watch the video BEFORE reading this article and make your own opinion first. But here is an article written in the NYT about it. I personally think that this video has a strong message and bringing the word out is a very important thing, many don't agree with me. Here is the NYT article.

"Something changed with the Kony video. Watch the nearly 30-minute video, and you will note that so much of it is not about Mr. Kony, but about the viewer, especially the untapped power of the viewer."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/business/media/kony-2012-video-illustrates-the-power-of-simplicity.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=joseph%20kony&st=cse

Slowdown in China Weighs on Wall St.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/business/daily-stock-market-activity.html?_r=1&ref=business

So I ran into this article today and thought it'd be interesting to post it on the blogs to share it. The article talks about how some people are pointing towards the Chinese economy slowing down as a reason as to why wall street didn't preform as well as they thought they would.
How closely do you guys think the US economy is tied to China, or the rest of the world for that matter? Can the US pull itself out of this recession if the rest of the world is struggling just as much if not more, such as the Eurozone? And will this play a role in the race for presidency?

Kony 2012

This is a long video but it has gotten a lot of media attention recently, with Joseph Kony being at the center of the controversy. CNN posted an article that you can read here.

The article says "Jason Russell, the most prominent face of the group Invisible Children, has made the work of bringing about change very difficult indeed. Invisible Children's campaign is a well-packaged call to leave the state of affairs untouched; their message seems so modern because their tools are. The point made is conformist: Fight violence with violence, dismiss intricate steps of social change and make a narrow ideology mass-compatible by having millions of unquestioning people raise their fists in support. For the U.S., Europe and other generally comfortable corners of the world, this is a worrying picture of a mass culture that easily falls for propaganda."


What does this article make you think about Joseph Kony, and what do you think the group Invisible Children is asking for? 

New Jobs, Same Unemployment Rate

http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/09/news/economy/jobs_report_unemployment/index.htm?iid=SF_E_Lead

This is an interesting article about the 227,000 new jobs created by employers in the month of February. This is a large increase in the workforce, however the unemployment rate stayed at 8.3%. The article says the new jobs just covered the new entrants into the work force and did not impact the other 8.3%. What do you think about the 227,000 jobs created? Do you think there will be more in the month of March?

I just went through the blog

We covered a lot of topics.  I ended my intro course with a quote from John Kenneth Galbraith.  Here it is for your contemplation:

         "We associate truth with convenience, with what most closely accords with self-interest and personal well-being or promises best to avoid awkward effort or unwelcome dislocation of life. We also find highly acceptable what contributes most to self-esteem….”Economic and social behavior are complex and to comprehend their character is mentally tiring. Therefore we adhere, as though to a raft, to those ideas which represent our understanding.......The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."

Public Universities Are No Longer A Bargain

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/03/07/public-universities-cost-middle-class-students-more-than-harvard/

This is an interesting article that discusses the increase of tuition at public universities between 1997 and now. The conclusion of the article was that it has now become a better deal for kids coming from a middle-class home to go to schools like Harvard that have great financial aid policies to help make college affordable instead of public schools that do not have such great policies. Do you think the government should step in and prevent such drastic increases in public education in order to make the dream of a college education a reality for middle class kids?

Obama and Romney Take Jabs

Click Here to Read More

This is an interesting article that pertains to a current issue we have seen occurring in the last couple of days. GAS PRICES!!!! Romney suggests that we should drill in Alaska to help lower the gas prices.  Obama believes that this is not the solution because we are consumers of 20% of the world's oil and have the ability to only provide 2%.  Throughout this article, Obama and Romney continued to state weaknesses that each other have.

Should we drill in the US to help satisfy the demand of oil?