Stuff YOU Should Know
What’s Next for Ferguson?
You’ve surely heard by now that Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Missouri police officer who shot and killed eighteen year old, Michael Brown, was not indicted by a St. Louis grand jury. While grand juries rarely fail to indict, law enforcement are also rarely charged in on-duty killings. In response, Wilson made an announcement that he would resign. Wilson’s decision was alleged based largely on the fact that there have been threats made against the police department and that his resignation might help ensure the safety of the rest of the force and allow the community to begin to move on and heal.
On November 30, Ferguson mayor, James Knowles held a press conference and announced that he has several initiatives planned that he hopes might further calm tensions that flared in the wake of the grand verdict. One is a scholarship program that would assist in the recruitment of more African American police officers. This would allow the police force to better represent the demographics of the city. Currently, more than half of the city’s residents are African American, while only a few are employed on the force.
What Do You Think? Do you think the city of Ferguson will be successful in its attempt to quell the wave of protest that has swelled since the grand jury announcement? Why or why not? Cite specific reports.
‘Tis the Season for Shopping!
Photo credit: Design Pics/Kelly Redinger
What was once the biggest shopping day of the year has spilled over to an unprecedented kick-off to the holiday season. Retailers like Walmart were not only open on Thanksgiving Day, but began offering deals the week of the autumn holiday. Cyber Monday has now become as popular are Black Friday. Officially launched in 2005, the Monday after Thanksgiving has become an international marketing strategy for retailers to offer special one-day-only deals. Best Buy, Target, and Amazon were among the big winners so far this year.
Speaking of the mega-online retailer Amazon has come up with ways to get more stuff to you and your loved ones even quicker. When you order something from Amazon, the order is forwarded to the closest “fulfillment center” or warehouse. There are 43 of these located across the United States alone. To expedite the packing process, Amazon purchased Kiva Systems, a maker of “mover robots” back in 2012. These machines are programmed to retrieve merchandise from shelves. Humans then inspect the goods for damage and place it in the appropriate bin for shipping. By eliminating aisles, the warehouses can be stocked with up to fifty percent more product.
What Do You Think? Did you do any shopping on Black Friday? Where? Describe your experience. Have you ordered (or do you plan on ordering) any holiday presents from Amazon? Why them? What do you think about the idea of robots making the process faster?
Syria Follow Up
It has been nearly four years since the public uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned to civil war in the Middle Eastern country. Since then, millions of Syrians are suffering from starvation because they are being denied access to humanitarian food aid as well as medical care by rebel forces. More than two million people have fled to neighboring countries such as Jordan and Turkey, where they are living as refugees.
The World Food Program, a branch of the United Nations that provides food assistance to those in need around the world, is helping as they can. This organization, with a staff of 14,000 people, has a budget of $4 billion and is funded entirely through donations from governments, corporations and individuals. A third of the money comes from the United States. Three thousand trucks transporting 45 metric tons of food each month. In Syria, refugees are given vouchers that they can use in makeshift grocery stores set up in the camps. This allows them choice in the food they select for their family.
Dig Deeper More than 6 million Syrians do not know where their next meal is coming from. With Jordan getting close to reaching the limit of refugees they can accept, and the WFP is struggling with a lack of funds, see if you can find any organizations who are able to step in and make a difference.
Single-Sex Education on the Rise
Back in the 1800s, separating boys and girls from one another in the classroom was a common arrangement. That changed as our schools and districts grew. Today, with more charter schools and alternative offerings available, some public schools are offering more single-sex schools and classrooms.
Positions for and against educating boys and girls together vary widely. Those against the practice say there is little evidence to suggest that brain development differs that much between the genders. They also believe that most of the differences that are reported only perpetuate long-held cultural stereotypes that can cause lasting harm to both groups.
Those in favor of separate education believe that addressing certain evidence (such as how boys consistently score below girls in reading comprehension tests and that girls routinely under-perform in science when in a classroom that includes boys) can lead to success. Perhaps the most significant advantage of single-sex education is the documented decline in discipline problems and episodes of bullying. In districts where behavior issues cause daily disruptions to learning, educators are hopeful that teaching boys and girls separately can improve their schools.