桃園機場 問題連環爆！ 國家門面？顏面盡失！亞太航運中心 願景或口號？

桃園機場 問題連環爆！ 國家門面？顏面盡失！亞太航運中心 願景或口號？

Universal Preschool

With support from major foundations and political heavy hitters like Barack Obama, universal preschool is the next big thing in education reform. Indeed, it's second only to universal health care on the liberal wish list. The goal is to offer publicly funded preschool—complete with credentialed teachers and and a standardized curriculum—to all four-year olds during the school year.

Advocates, including Yale University's Edward Zigler, argue that public investments in early education will pay dividends over the long term. Critics point out that the evidence from states that have universal preschool programs shows that whatever benefits kids receive from those programs fade out by the fourth grade.

Since preschool attendance rates in states that have universal preschool are no higher than the national average, universal preschool wouldn’t even increase preschool attendance. It would, however, cost a lot of money, put lots of privately owned preschools out of business, and dramatically decrease early education options for parents.

So what do you think? Is expanding our failing K-12 system the best way to fix it?

This 10-minute documentary is hosted by reason's Nick Gillespie. It is produced by Paul Feine and Roger M. Richards.

Agricultural Subsidies

"The government is bailing out the banks...but who's going to bail out the government?" asks Texas cotton farmer Ken Gallaway, a vocal critic of agricultural subsidies that cost U.S. taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars a year in direct payments and higher prices for farm goods.

Agricultural subsidies were put in place in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when 25 percent of Americans lived on farms. At the time, Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace called them "a temporary solution to deal with an emergency." Those programs are still in place today, even though less than 1 percent of Americans currently live on farms that are larger, more efficient, and more productive than ever before.

Consider these facts. Ninety percent of all subsidies go to just five crops: corn, rice, cotton, wheat, and soybeans. Two thirds of all farm products—including perishable fruits and vegetables—receive almost no subsidies. And just 10 percent of recipients receive 75 percent of all subsidies. A program intended to be a “temporary solution” has become one of our government’s most glaring examples of corporate welfare.

U.S. taxpayers aren’t the only ones who pay the price. Cotton subsidies, for example, encourage overproduction which lowers the world price of cotton. That’s great for people who buy cotton, but it’s disastrous for already impoverished cotton farmers in places such as West Africa.

U.S. farm programs cost taxpayers billions each year, significantly raise the price of commodities such as sugar (which is protected from competition from other producers in other countries), undermine world trade agreements, and contribute to the suffering of poor farmers around the world. It’s bad public policy, especially in these troubled economic times.

"Agricultural Subsidies: Corporate Welfare for Farmers" is hosted by Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie and is approximately 8.30 minutes long. The producer-writer is Paul Feine and the producer-editor is Roger Richards.

Throw-Pillow Fight

Hasta La Vista, Arnold!

HIGHLIGHTS - Germany 0-1 Spain

HIGHLIGHTS - Germany 0-1 Spain - www.tugagolo.com

Tugagolo ponto | MySpace 影片

iPad Pressure Demonstration

The demo uses Ten One Design’s own app and shows off drawing on the iPad with different amounts of pressure placed on the Pogo Sketch stylus. By applying different levels of pressure, the line width varies. The demo also shows off how the iPad can now do “palm rejection”, which lets you rest your hand on the iPad while drawing with the stylus. According to Ten One Design, it’s using a private API currently, but hopes to get Apple to approve it and if it does, the company will release it as a free software library.

Below is the video I referenced above of how to make your own Stylus

Below is the video I referenced above of how to make your own Stylus

Demonstration of drawing with the iPad

The video demonstration of drawing with the iPad came to use via TUAW and features Kyle Lambert creating a portrait of Beyonce using an iPad, his finger, and the iPad Brushes App. It took him 6 hours to complete and you can see the entire process below.

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目送一九四九 龍應台的探索-1-Dubussy-PTS-2009-1120-2200

Never a Year Like '09

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Gaza besieged

Gaza besieged

Photographer Bruno Stevens on Gaza's intricate network of tunnels and circumventing Israel's stifling trade restrictions

This 4-minute trailer gives you a taste of TED