Tension Increases between North and South Korea

Despite the decrease in anxiety over the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, it seems that the United States' support has angered North Korea. North Korea stated that South Korea's cooperation with the U.S. and Japan is a direct act of aggression.

That cooperation "is nothing but treachery escalating the tension between the North and the South and bringing the dark clouds of a nuclear war to hang over the Korean peninsula," Pyongyang's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

Personally, I see North Korea's 'quick to launch' campaign, as a way to make other countries relinquish anything that they request. A similar situation happened several decades ago, and countries take over by Hitler did not approve. I am in no way referring to North Korea as the next reich, but the act of appeasement is eerily similar. Considering the use of nuclear warfare, it is clear that the problem is not that simple, but the world cannot be expected to drop everything as soon as North Korea threatens to pick up the trigger.

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Babies for Capitalism

Netflix Under Attack

So far in the entertainment world, Netflix was simply a small fish competing in a big pond, but as soon as the company incorporated internet access, it has been a major pain in the sides of the major corporations. Kids in high school, collegiate students, as well as older adults, are finding it easier to discontinue their cable or satellite programming if they can get all their favorite shows cheaper on the internet, rather than hauling out the big bucks every month. One flaw they overlooked, was that they believed the corporate giants would fail to notice their progress. Netflix has quadrupled in stock value since their advancements, but Time Warner will not have it.

Netflix has been a business partner to the movie and television studios through licensing deals, but increasingly it is seen as a partner with its hands far deeper in the pockets of the media companies than anyone thought. Through its success, the company has positioned itself at the center of the media universe — at the nexus of technology and content — and is now finding it a place increasingly under attack.

In this recession, of course customers will buy the same product if it is cheaper. The question is "How long will their reign last, if prices escalate from corporate pressure?". Owners of HBO are ready to create HBO GO which will only allow HBO customers to access the network. If the entertainment giants decide to make deals to squeeze Netflix out of business, then loyal customers lose out. This is a prime example of the cutthroat environment that big business has created in order to survive.

Everything on China

As the global economy continues to plummet, the favorite to pull the rest of us out of this recession is China. Having changed its overall economic structure, China has emerged as the greatest economic power since the United States' era before 2008. I find it extremely frightening that if one bad move by China were to occur, the global economy could be set into a tailspin. The biggest problem that China is currently struggling with is inflation.

“The money supply is too large,” said Andy Xie, an economist based in Shanghai who formerly worked at Morgan Stanley. “They increased the money supply to stimulate the economy. Now land prices have jumped 20 times in some places, 100 times in others. Inflation is broad-based. Go into a supermarket. Milk is more expensive in China than it is in the U.S.”

If China risks inflation, then their changes in currency will greatly affect trading and finance all across the board. Rather than looking at China as a competitor, countries must see them as a foundation from where supporters can enhance their own prosperity. My personal opinion is that complete responsibility on one nation's economy is incredibly unstable, but only so much can be moderated. As seen in the article, China reached their height because of their government influence on the market. All that is certain is that the next move could decide how the economy will either heal or tear itself apart.

Ireland Admits Need for a Bailout

With the rise in Ireland's debt fast approaching, the leaders of Ireland have decided on Thursday that they need a substantial amount of money to stay afloat and avoid complete economic collapse. The European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank have been favored to work together to supply the current demand. Despite the monetary needs that may be achieved, Ireland's leaders need a solid plan that can not only pull Ireland out of debt, but keep them from slipping back into it. 

Ben May, an economist with Capital Economics in London, said the size of any bailout would depend on what the examiners found on the books of the Irish banks. He said that 60 billion euros ($82 billion) might suffice if it was to cover only the government’s financing needs for the next few years but that more might be necessary to have firepower in reserve.

The U.S. can use Ireland as an example of what our potential deficit can look like, if left uncontrolled. Money without a plan will be wasted, but taking into account all variables will result in a well-balanced system. Having Ireland take the bailout, is a clear signal of widespread, European cutbacks and economical catastrophe, like in Greece. Hopefully, Americans can see the dangers that can be over the horizon.

While Greece’s woes result largely from overspending and flawed record-keeping by previous governments, Ireland’s woes have come mainly from the damage caused to overextended banks by the bursting of a real estate bubble. The authorities have had to nationalize a large portion of the Irish financial sector, and there are signs that the problems are getting worse, as more people are falling behind on their mortgage payments.

This extra attention to countries in need will cause worldwide reduction in disposable income, which directly affects the exchange of goods internationally. Misinformed people will most likely let this incident go unnoticed, but fail to realize the direct impact it has on the United States.

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Bill Gates is for Saving Schools

Despite the misconception of everyday people, Bill Gates has led the front in funding projects for the betterment of society in the United States. He uses his well-placed knowledge, as well as his money, to tackle the hard problems of the American people. His current focus is education reform and presents compelling ideas that could reshape the ineffective structure. The idea of payment based on effectiveness is particularly interesting,

He suggests they end teacher pay increases based on seniority and on master’s degrees, which he says are unrelated to teachers’ ability to raise student achievement. He also urges an end to efforts to reduce class sizes. Instead, he suggests rewarding the most effective teachers with higher pay for taking on larger classes or teaching in needy schools.

I tend to agree with this idea because there are teachers who proceed with teaching simply because of the big pay-off at the end, rather than a sustained joy in their career. Younger teachers who have new teaching methods that work, get snuffed out when budget cuts roll around, which I see as unfair. The school boards argue against this idea with:

“We know that experience makes a difference in student achievement — teachers get better,” said Bill Raabe, director of collective bargaining at the National Education Association, the largest teachers’ union. “And additional training, too, whether its a master’s degree or some other way a teacher has improved her content knowledge, we think it ought to be compensated.”

Granted that a master's degree should be rewarded, but if they are ineffective at conveying their curriculum, then what is the point? Evidence of higher learning should be apparent in test scores and grades, not in how many years a specific teacher has under their belt.