Making Minds Matter with Bill Costello » International

Importing Brazil’s Oil Policy

Bill Costello — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:14:56 +0000

In 1980, Brazil imported 77 percent of its oil. Now it imports 0.0 percent. During that same time period, America increased its oil imports from roughly 30 percent to 70 percent. If Brazil can become completely self-sufficient in oil, why can’t America start becoming more self-sufficient?

Brazil is one of the BRICs, an acronym that refers [...]

America’s Home Invaders

Bill Costello — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 05:04:57 +0000

If someone broke into your home, would you treat him as an invited guest? Would you allow him to move in his family? Would you pay for their food, medical care, and education?

That’s what we’ve been doing with illegal aliens in America.

But that’s not how other nations deal with illegal aliens. In England, they face [...]

China’s Insight into Human Nature

Bill Costello — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:05:06 +0000

President Obama recently attributed China’s rise largely to its education system when he said: “Meanwhile, nations like China and India realized that with some changes of their own, they could compete in this new world. And so they started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science.”

No, President Obama. That’s not [...]

America’s Shanghai Surprise

Bill Costello — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 05:51:48 +0000

American students are lagging significantly behind their peers from several countries in Europe and Asia according to new results from a key international assessment. They are the furthest behind students from the Chinese city of Shanghai, who received the top international test scores in math, science, and reading.

“We have to see this as a wake-up [...]

The Chinese Ant and the American Grasshopper

Bill Costello — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 06:10:38 +0000

The Ant and the Grasshopper, a fable by Aesop, provides a moral lesson about hard work and saving. During the warm months, the ant worked hard to store up food for the winter while the grasshopper sang and played. When winter arrived, the grasshopper asked the ant for food because it had none. In today’s [...]

America at Debt’s Door: A Primer

Bill Costello — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:51:10 +0000

The economic center of gravity is shifting from West to East as America faces economic problems and China remains the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Do these events signify the eventual end of American predominance?

Since embracing market reforms in 1978, China’s economy has averaged over 9.5 percent growth annually. In the last three decades, it has [...]

The Erosion of American Higher Education

Bill Costello — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 05:33:51 +0000

In America, the cost of higher education has been rising faster than inflation and health care costs for more than two decades.

Money Magazine calculated that college tuition rose by 439 percent from 1982-2007.

According to Mark C. Taylor, author of Crisis on Campus: A Bold Plan for Reforming Our Colleges and Universities, four years at a [...]

Superman’s Not Coming, Schools Need Iron Man

Bill Costello — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 06:14:16 +0000

The new documentary Waiting for Superman currently playing in theaters around the nation explores the failures of American public education: it serves adults instead of kids, teachers’ unions impede progress, and teachers need better training.

However, the movie offers little in the way of solutions.

Perhaps what’s needed is a sequel that offers solutions for fixing American [...]

The Schools Scandal

Bill Costello — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:43:07 +0000

American spending on public education, adjusted for inflation, has more than doubled over the last three decades. What did taxpayers get for their money?

The average math and reading scores of American 17-year-olds have not improved since the early 1970s according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Twice the money. Zero progress.

Yet students in other countries have [...]

Fixing American Dumbocracy

Bill Costello — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:10:54 +0000

The world has been turned upside down: socialism is on the rise in the U.S. and capitalism is on the rise in China. The former is a result of an uneducated electorate that fails to understand socialism’s history of producing poverty; the latter is a result of pragmatic leadership able to put aside communist ideology [...]

The Last American Skill

Bill Costello — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:31:17 +0000

According to a recent Newsweek article titled “The Creativity Crisis,” research shows that American creativity is declining for the first time. If this trend continues, the nation’s economic and national security will be at risk.

The research is based on results of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, which has been used to test American creativity [...]

The Architect of China’s Quest for Military Dominance

Bill Costello — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:49:29 +0000

What if Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China’s economic rise, was also secretly the architect of China’s quest for military dominance? It’s not a far-fetched theory. Two decades ago, Deng advised his colleagues to “hide your brightness, bide your time.”

The way to move stealthily would be to focus on economics first. A strong economy is [...]

China Exports Chinese Language

Bill Costello — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:42:38 +0000

In an effort to promote its language and culture, China is funding Chinese education programs in the U.S. While critics question Beijing’s motives and view the programs as propaganda vehicles to spread China’s influence, the U.S. should embrace this opportunity to learn more about its largest creditor, trading partner, and competitor.

Funding from the Chinese Ministry [...]

My Japan Trip, Part XV

Bill Costello — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 02:04:04 +0000

Bill Costello visits the University of Tokyo.

My Japan Trip, Part XIV

Bill Costello — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:01:28 +0000

Bill Costello visits the Osaka Castle.

My Japan Trip, Part XIII

Bill Costello — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:30:45 +0000

Bill Costello visits the Floating Garden Observatory in Osaka.

My Japan Trip, Part XII

Bill Costello — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:01:01 +0000

Bill Costello visits Osaka University.

My Japan Trip, Part XI

Bill Costello — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:51:37 +0000

Bill Costello visits Kasuga-taisha in Nara.

My Japan Trip, Part X

Bill Costello — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:07:46 +0000

Bill Costello visits Nara Park.

My Japan Trip, Part IX

Bill Costello — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:44:18 +0000

Bill Costello visits Todai-ji in Nara.