Stuff YOU Should Know
Celebrating Pi (With Pie!)
Credit; McGraw-Hill Education
Do you like math? Do you like baked goods? If so, you hopefully celebrated both on International Pi Day on March 14. Pi–symbolically represented as π–is a “special number” (or mathematical constant) that is represented by the Greek letter for the letter P. Its approximate value is 3.14 (although it an irrational number whose digits go on indefinitely). The number represents the number of times the circle’s diameter goes around its circumference. The equation is C = π x D.
Pi Day began back in 1988. A physicist named Larry Shaw was working at the San Francisco Exploratorium and created a fun activity for visitors to understand Pi. Every March 14, at exactly 1:59 (representing the fourth, fifth, and sixth numbers after the decimal), he would lead a group of visitors around a brass plaque on the floor of the museum. This year’s Pi Day celebration is even more special because of the date. This past Saturday, at 9: 26 am (or pm), you could observe the longest string of numerically relevant Pi digits for the next century–March fourteenth, 2015 at 9: 26 on the clock (3.1415926).
Because of its name, people began celebrating by eating pie. In 2009, Congress passed a nonbinding resolution to making Pi Day official. March 14 also happens to be Albert Einstein’s birthday, which gives math enthusiasts and added bonus in their celebration.
Dig Deeper Go online and find a video, song, poem, rap, experiment, recipe, or something else someone has created in tribute to Pi Day. Mark it in your calendar to celebrate next year.
China Increases Arms Production
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China is now the third largest exporter of arms in the world. Number one and two are the United States and Russia, respectively. This designation is significant because China has increased its production of arms by 143 percent in the past five years. Germany, in contrast, has decreased its production by 43 percent. Even with the increase in China, the U.S. and Russia together account for 58 percent of the world’s exports of major weapons.
The last time China had ranked nearly as high was in during the 1980s and 90s. While the overall worldwide sales of arms fell considerably during that time, China’s rank was fourth because it sold weapons to both sides during the Iraq-Iran war. The recent surge is likely to cause concern over China’s recent expansion of its military budget (scheduled to grow at 10 percent this year) as well as its continuing conflict with neighboring India. The countries purchasing Chinese arms are Venezuela, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar, as well as 18 African states.
What Do You Think? What kind of threat does China’s assertion of itself as a “newly emerged superpower” have on the United States and the rest of the world?
An Obamacare Update
In 2013, btw brought you a primer on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act right before it was formally enacted. More than a year into its existence, the debate over its effectiveness and future looms large. The main goals of the initiative–to keep insurance companies from denying coverage, and making sure more Americans are insured–have been met. However, there are criticisms of the program that may affect its future.
On the positive side, allowing children to remain attached to their parents’ insurance plans until they are 26 has allowed more Americans to seek treatment that they would have not previously been able to afford. The application process will also become easier to use. On the negative side, the number of providers available under the government plans is very limited. Also, the act of accepting those they would have previously rejected has driven many insurance providers to raise their premiums (monthly payments) on other customers who are in good health.
Some observers point to statistics demonstrating that the number of uninsured are indeed dropping. But conservative critics of the Affordable Care Act continue to see problems in the system.
Dig Deeper Ask around or do some research and find someone who had been previously uninsured but obtained insurance through the healthcare marketplace. Make a note of their experience. Likewise, find an employer whose business has been negatively affected by the confines of the Affordable Care Act.
American Cheese Earns “Healthy” Designation
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is an organization made up of nutrition and food professionals. In 2010, it launched an initiative called “Kids Eat Right.” The campaign was designed to support nationwide efforts to reduce obesity, particularly among children, in the United States. As part of a three-year collaboration with the food company Kraft, the AND issued its first seal of approval by way of a “Kids Eat Right” label on Kraft Singles, the individually-wrapped American cheese.
Not everyone is happy about this designation. Some children nutrition advocates say that the cheese product has too much sodium, artificial dyes and is over-processed. (American cheese was created by sterilizing cheddar cheese with chemicals to kill the bacteria that could cause it to mold.) Representatives from Kraft, however, have responded by saying that 50 percent of all children do not get enough vitamin D in their diet and that 75 percent of boys and 80 percent of girls 4 to 18 do not get enough calcium.