Shakira and Education?

I admit it. I've not heard a single Shakira song or seen a single Shakira video before today. (But when I did YouTube just now, I recognized that video with some Indian dance theme - I've seen it before somewhere). Anyways, it seems this woman is a Pop Sensation. She's originally from Colombia. If that's all I knew about her, I would have ignored her - like I did until this evening.

I happened to listen to NPR when she was interviewed. She was talking about some education evangelism she's into. 'Photo Op', I dismissed it. And then she started really talking about what she's out to do, why and all the relevant stats, and I was taken quite aback. I certainly did not expect that clarity of articulation or the sophistication from a pop diva. Hillary Clinton would have been proud of that interview.

Today Shakira went before the US Congress to lobby for a legislation called "Education for All Act of 2007". Fantastic, I thought - given this Congress' reputation, only a Shakira belly dance can get their attention toward some important issue!

But wait! Listen to this:

"The measure would provide 10 billion dollars over five years to help poor nations implement strong, accountable national education plans designed to provide a quality basic education for all their children".

So basically 10 Billion Dollars of US tax-payer money to be distributed to poor nations so that they can improve their education systems.

That doesn't sound right to me. Doesn't the US' very own (public) education system SUCK? Hello?!! Isn't the governarator of California cutting Education spending left, right and center? Aren't US school children ranking in 3 digits in Math and Science among the countries of the world?

I hope this Bill doesn't pass.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for philanthropy. I do it myself, especially for educational causes. But that's the way it should be: private philanthropy can fund foreign educational programs. That's why there are all those Billionaire Dogooder Foundations.

The US Govt. must get its act together and fix the education system of this country first.

to learn like a child

I've read and heard many times about the amazing capacity of kids to learn and the lamentable decline of that ability as we age. As with everyone, I had assumed I am the exception to this rule. Reality has been slowly, but surely hitting home - for several years now. Observing my 17 month old son constantly is not helping my self esteem at all! He regularly amazes me by remembering things I tell him just once.

On the other hand, more and more regularly, I find myself evaluating the "use" of any new piece of information. Because it takes such an effort to learn something new, I'd rather use some excuse to ignore it.

There has also been this rather disturbing trend of taking things for granted. And then looking pretty stupid. Case in point: the other day, it was reported that the bathroom door was stuck. The knob won't even turn. I, being very smart (eh hum), quickly - and correctly - guessed that the lock should have been engaged when the door was closed, and now, since no one was inside to unlock, we are stuck. And I knew what the solution was. There would be a small hole in the knob, and I just need to insert a small needle like object; and the lock will disengage. I was wrong about that. (And I was foolish enough to make a cocky statement to the effect that people should watch and learn as I solve this mysterious problem with magical simplicity).

After struggling with a ball-pen refill for several minutes, it dawned on me that it wasn't that trivial. It also dawned on me that, I had just assumed that that's how it worked - never once bothering to verify that assumption. Once humbled, I did what was needed - took apart the lock in another door which I could observe from both sides, figured out how it worked and applied that knowledge to unlock the door that was stuck. (It turns out that this lock needs a small screw-driver to be inserted through that hole in the knob; and if you know exactly what to feel for and exactly which way to turn it, you can unlock it. I don't think this is a great design; but that besides the point).

We immediately realized how lucky we had been that we discovered this potential hazard before our little one locked himself up inside a bathroom. So we got hold of a knob-protector (which is supposed to deter a child from locking himself in), and installed it.

While we were discussing and demonstrating to each other how one can get locked in, our little fellow had been watching. Because, this evening, he was trying to open a door by turning the knob, and when it did not turn, he tried to undo the catch, while uttering "open, open".

Has Obama done an "uh oh"?

The Huffington Post Web site reported Friday that Obama, speaking of some Pennsylvanians' economic anxieties, told supporters at the San Francisco fundraiser: "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years. ... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

This could bury Obama. Clinton and McCain are already jumping on it.

If it does him in, it'll be sad. Because I think this is one rare occasion of frankness and intelligence from a politician.

change thresholds

Do you remember the last time you hiccuped? Perhaps you do, perhaps not. Nothing remarkable either way. But do you remember ever realizing your hiccups have stopped the same instant that happened? Let's give it an allowance of a few seconds, if you want. Even then, I bet not. We eventually realize we are hiccuping no more, but only after a while.

But I just had the once-in-a-life-time experience of knowing exactly when i had my last hiccup!

Not only that, it was easily the biggest hiccup I have ever had (at least in memory). I am sure i freaked my cube-neighbors out with that monster hiccup! Perhaps, I was so shocked at its magnitude, that my hiccups stopped right there!!!

I find this phenomenon of not detecting the end of such things interesting. Other examples include coughs, temporary pains, etc. One possible explanation could be that our brains are for the most part designed to detect change (in stimuli) a lot better than constancy. This might sound contradictory - when something stops happening, it's a big change. True. But, if the stopping happens gradually, the rate of change or frequency becomes so low at some point, that it falls below our brain's threshold. So we never notice the transition (from presence to absence).

This is pure lazy speculation on my part. But, while at it, let me have some fun.

As with most things, there should also be an upper threshold for rate of change that our brains can detect/cope with. An example I can think of is looking out a moving train. As long it is moving slowly (or the horizon is far away), we find it an interesting spectacle. But once the speed at which the scenery changes becomes too much, we tune out.

On the other hand, suppose that the train is passing through a desert. Now, again, we'd tune out quickly, but this time because the change is too little - the other extreme. I find this fascinating.

If you can think of more examples (or counter-examples) for the presence of the higher-threshold, or some real science related to this, do let me know.