America;s poor maths skills raise alarms over global ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS

 

America;s poor maths skills raise alarms over global ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS

Acoording to the Media Sources

Like a lof of high school students,Kevin Tran loves superheroes,though perhaps for different reasons than his classmates.:They are all insanely smart.In their regular jobs they are engineers they are scientists.” Said Tran 17: and you can’t do any of those without maths.Tran also loves maths.But tran is not the norm.Many Americans joke about how bad they are at maths, and already abysmal scores on standardized maths tests are falling ever further.

The nation needs people who are good at maths,employers say,in the same way motion pictures mortals need superheroes.They say Amercia’s poor maths performance isn’t funny.Its a threat to the nation’s global economic competitiveness.

The advances in technology that are going to drive where the world goes in the next 50 years are going to come from other countries,because they have the intellectual capital and we don’t as said by Jim Stigler a psychology professor who studies the process of teaching and learning subjects including maths.

The defence department has also called for a major initiative to support education in science,technology,education and maths known as STEM. It says there are eight times as many college graduates in these disciplines in China and four times as many engineers in Russia as in the US.

This is not an educational question alone as said by Josh Wyner of Aspen Institute thinktank.In July,the thinktank warned that other nations,particularly China,are challenging America’s technological dominance.

Meanwhile the number of jobs in maths,occupations will increase by over 30000 per year through the end of this decade,bureau of labour statistics figures show,That’s much faster than most other kinds of jobs.But most Americans students are not prepared for those jobs.In the most recent programme for International Student Assessment test in MAths,or PISA, US students scored lower than their counterparts in 36 other education system worldwide.Students in China scored the highest.Only one in five college bound American high school students is prepared for college level courses in STEM,according to the National Science and Technology Council.

In the US,poor maths skills could lower salaries for todays kids.A Standfor economist has estimated that if US pandemic maths declines not reversed, students now in kindergarten through grade 12 will earn from 2% to 9% less over their careers, depending on what state they live in,than their predecessors educated just before the start of the pandemic.But it also means the country’s productivity and competitiveness could slide. “Maths just underpins everything” said by Megan Schrauben,executive director of the Michigan’s MISTEM initiative ,which tries to get more students into STEM..”Its extremely important for the future prosperity of our students and communities.”

US FEDERAL PAUSES RAKE HIKE,SEES TIGHTER POLICY FOR THE YEAR

US Fed pauses rate hike, sees tighter policy for the year

INFLATION REMAINS ELEVATED'

Change Since Rate Hike Cycle Began

INDIA: 250 BPS

US: 525 BPS

According to Sources from Washington media thru newspaper

The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday but stiffened its hawkish stance, with a further rate increase projected by the end of the year and monetary policy kept significantly tighter through 2024 than previously expected.

As they did in June, Federal policymakers at the median still see the central bank's benchmark overnight interest rate peaking this year in the 5.5-5.75% range-just a quarter of a percentage point above the current range.

But from there, the Fed's updated quarterly projections show rates falling only half a percentage point in 2024 compared to the full percentage point of cuts an ticipated at the meeting in June. With the federal funds rate falling to 5.1% by the end of 2024 and 3.9% by the end of 2025, the central bank's main measure of inflation is projected to drop to 3.3% by the end of this ye ar to 2.5% next year and to 2.2% by the end of 2025.

"Inflation remains elevated," the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said in a policy statement that included projections incorporating stronger economic and job growth than prior forecasts,keeping prospects for a "soft landing" squarely in view.

Financial markets had widely expected that the Fed would leave rates unchanged. While investors have been banking on significant Fed rate cuts next year, the expectations are clouded by the projections showing 10 of 19 officials see the policy rate re- maining above 5% through next year.

Libya requires more AID from the World immediately

 Libyan flood survivors weigh water shortages against landmine risk

Rescue teams assist in relief work in Libya's eastern city of Derna

 People were swept away by flooding in Libya's eastern city of Derna a week ago faced the dilemma on Sunday of whether to stay despite a lack of fresh water or flee through areas where landmines have been displaced by the torrents. Thousands of people are feared to have died after two dams above Derna broke on September 10, bring ing down residential blocks lining a usually dry river bed as people slept. Many bodies were washed out to sea and more than 1,000 have already been buried in mass graves, according to the UN.

Entire districts of Derna, with an estimated population of at least 120,000, were swept away or buried in mud. As per media report, at least 891 buildings had been destroyed in the city ,whose mayor has said 20,000 people may have died.

 

Another resident said peo ple were at a loss over what to do next. A report by the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Libyan authorities had detected at least 55 children poisoned from drinking polluted water in Derna, where the homeless were surviving in makeshift  shelters, schools or packed into the houses of relatives or friends.

Floodwaters had shifted  landmines and other ordnance the left over from years of conflict posing an extra risk to the thousands of displaced people the move. Aid organisations have flown in emergency aid and some countries have sent supplies, although officials say much more is needed.

MOROCCAN HOMES OF MASONRY & STONE LIKELY TO RAISE EARTHQUAKE TOLL

 MOROCCAN HOMES OF MASONRY & STONE LIKELY TO RAISE EARTHQUAKE TOLL

ONE OF MOST DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKE IN HISTORY

CLOSE TO THE 6.8 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE’S REMOTE EPICENTRE NEARLY ALL THE BUILDINGS TRADITIONAL STRUCTURES OF MUD BRICK STONE AND ROUGH WOODEN BEAMS HAD SUSTAINED DAMAG E FROM THE EARTHQUAKE.

MOUNTAIN VILLAGES HARD TO REACH

12^TH CENTURY MOSQUE DAMAGED 

 A rare, powerful earth quake struck Morocco on friday night, sending people rac ing from their beds into the darkened streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force.

 Updated interior ministry figures on Saturday showed the quake killed at least 1007 people, the vast majority in Al- Haouz, the epicentre, and Ta roundant provinces.

Marrakech's famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the th century was damaged, but the extent was not immediately clear. Its 69metre minaret is known as the "roof of Marrakech”. Moroccans posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city, a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

The epicentre of tremor was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, 70 kilo metres south of Marrakech. Al Haouz is known forscenic villages and valleys tucked in the High Atlas, and villages built into mountainsides. Ab derrahim Ait Daoud, head of the town of Talat N'Yaaqoub, told news site 2M that authoritles were working to clear roads in Al Haouz Province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to the affected, but said large distances between mountain villages meant it would take time to learn the extent of the damage.

 

 As per the correspondent reporter,

STRONG TREMORS felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira. "I was nearly asleep when I heard the doors and the shutters banging," said Ghannou Najem, a Casablanca resident in her 80s who was visiting Marrakesh when the quake hit. In the mountain village of Moulay Brahim near the quake's epicentre, rescue teams searched for survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses while residents began digging graves on a nearby hill. The army set up a field: hospital in the village and deployed "significant human and logistical resources" to had support the rescue operation.

The road from Marrakech rises up into the High Atlas, was the worst hit of any Reuters journalists saw in rural areas south of Marrakech where officials said most of the more than 1,000 deaths had occurred.

HELP AND SUPPORT FROM ALGERIA

Algeria suspends ban, opens airspace

 President  said on saturday,that Algeria will allow aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to quake-hit Morocco to pass through its airspace,  suspending a two-year ban on flights to its regional rival. Algeria closed its airspace to all Moroccan aircraft in September, 2021 after having cut diplomatic ties with its longtime foe. Despite the rivalry between the North African neighbours, Algerian authorities were "fully prepared to provide humanitarian aid and mobilise all material and human resources in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people upon request from the Kingdom of Morocco", the statement said.

Biden backs India for permanent UNSC seat and Lauds Outcomes of India’s G20 Presidency

 

Lauds Outcomes of India’s G20 Presidency

US president Biden backs India for permanent UNSC seat

Modi-Biden meet looks at removing barriers in defence, high-tech trade& DEVELOPING STRONG TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIA.

 “Continuing to share the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative , President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN security Council with India as a permanent member” the two sides issued this joint statement.

Represente tives of the two countries were working hard to override deep divisions over the Ukraine war to thrash out a joint declaration .Biden also lauded India's presidency of the group for further demonstrating how “important outcomes”

They also announced a MidTerm review of the initiative later this month, as India and the US look to simplify the regulatory framework and remove bar riers to defence and hitech trade.

 Modi also told Biden he looked forward to welcoming him for Quad Summit next year. Biden congratulated Modi and Isro scientists and engineers for Chandrayaan's historic landing on the Moon, and also for the the successful launch of india’s first solar mission ,Aditya L1. Both intended to increase  coordination on planetary defences to protect planet Earth and space assets from the impact of asteroids and and near Earth Objects including US support India’s participation in asteroid detection and tracking via the Minor Planet Centre.

The two leaders also sought to build on the cooperation under the Initiative on Critical ant Emerging Technology (ICSET) build open, accessible, secure and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains.

“The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that outcomes of the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development,bolstering multilateral cooperation and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks” .

Modi reciprocated in full measure and thanked Biden for the "consistent support received from the US in ensuring success of INDIA’S G20 PRESIDENCY

 

REDUCTION OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

 

“India is taking millions of its people out of extreme poverty now-this will help to reduce global economic inequality”

Key knowledgeable points derived from the conversation happen between Justin Wolfers (being professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan) and news reported Srijana Mitra Das

Discussions was focussed on discussing forms of Inequality and their redressal.

According to Professor Justin Wolfers,

Economists have found the world made great progress in the reduction of poverty and economic inequality from the 1950s onwards - but this trend saw a reversal with the pandemic which impacted the poorest groups most. Not only did these communities face greater  mortality, they also suffered losses by not being internet-enabled. Many in low-income economies also saw their children lose out on schooling during this period, deepening learning loss and further inequality.

The most immediate one encam passes the tremendous disruptions of global warming and trying to transition to a greener economy These have huge Implications over the next couple of decades. Also, too often in developed economies like the United States, when we say we care about inequality, we are thinking about the problems of the middle class. But if you want to raise total human well-being, the real challenges we face are of economic development or empowering those who simply have too little.

The optimist point is that the world's greatest anti-poverty program being China's adoption of markets which took millions out of poverty today, India's emerging economy is doing something very similar. Figuring out how to adapt economic models to regions which have seen the most suffering is a key challenge.

Nations with greater economic development seem to foster more happiness as they offer better healthcare systems, more educational opportunities, the rule of law, the absence of hunger, a social welfare net, etc. If poorer countries could adopt these features, it would likely make their populations happier.

 In my view, economists can often focus too little on good news. That applies to this area as well. It is very difficult to obtain statistics on the distribution of income around the world. But to the extent that we can make educated guesses, it actually appears global income inequality is declining.

Many of the world's very poor were in China- its growth lifted hundreds of millions to better living circumstances. We are now seeing the same happen with India. The biggest low-income nations have moved closer to becoming middle-income- that itself helps to reduce global income inequality, Regarding inequality within countries, consider the US. Inequality fell and it has continued to decline in the US. Importantly, this progress has not involved bringing the extreme rich down for the first time in decades, economic growth lifted the wages of lower income workers as well and reduced unemployment too.

Income Inequality grew over four decades in the US-you could put that on Reagan, globalisation or automation. But enormous government assistance was made during the pandemic which really helped people at the bottom. Inequality fell-that has continued

Equity increases efficiency. An economy which insists only men can work, not women, wastes half its population's abilities. Fixing that misallocation makes it more equitable and efficient.

 

Is The Act Of Giving, A Duty, Or A Charity?

 

Is The Act Of Giving, A Duty, Or A Charity?

From the book of Speaking tree

The Brihadaryanka Upanishad  posits the concept of dana, the practice of charity, as one of the three fundamental attributes to be cultivated for a virtuous life, along with damah, self-restraint, and daya, com passion for all. This notion of giving and sharing is postulated as vital, not only to the development of one's achara, moral conduct in society, but as a spiritual prod to transform the self-absorbed “I” into the expansive all-inclusive Self.

Indic traditions see dana as an act of dharma, in accordance with the path of righteousness, which has spiritual value. The Sikh scriptures call it Vand Chhakho. It is one of the three cardinal tenets of the Sikh faith. It is about sharing what one has with others, be it wealth or food. The concept of langar, community kitchen in gurudwaras, is inspired by this principle.

The Sikh canon encourages its followers to contribute a portion of their wealth, or income too, to others in need, or for a noble cause.

 Even as the eastern traditions see  dana within a spiritual context, western thoughts puts the principle of the ethics of giving within a charity-duty matrix.The Metaphysics of Morals.

 

The citizens of the richer nations are morally obligated to contribute part of their incomes to charities to help alleviate poverty and third world hunger as said.

 

The Indic paradigm weaves this concept of charity within a religious- spiritual framework, exhorting all to distribute their wealth rather than hoard it, for nobody takes anything along at the time of death. The act of giving will rekindle the human instinct of love and kindness and compassion for all, the 'categorical imperative behind commemorating the International Day of Charity.

Giving happiness to others without being expecting anything in return is true act for everyman’s moral duty.

 

ADITYA-L1 AMONG THE LONGEST PSLV MISSION

Aditya-LI begins 1.5 million-km trek to solar vantage point today

ADITYA-L1 AMONG THE LONGEST PSLV MISSION

Even as several Isro teams continue to romance the Moon, the space organisation entered on Friday the last leg of prepa rations for a 'surya namas- kar', kicking off the nearly 24-hour countdown to the 11.50am Saturday launch of Aditya-L1.

Aditya-Ll, India's first solar space observatory mission, will be launched in PSLV's 59th flight, after several years of development. So far only the US and the Euro pean Space Agency (ESA) ha- ve independently (and jointly) launched solar missions, while Germany has sent probes km. with US's Nasa.

T This will be one of the longest PSLV mis- sions ever undertaken. The February 2021 mission that put Brazil's Amazonia satellite and 18 others into orbits took more than 1 hour and 55 minutes, while cts in the the September 2016 mission help his that put eight satellites into orbits took 2 hours and 15 minutes. Both involved multiple satellites and orbits unlike Aditya-L1.

 

Unlike a regular PSLV launch profile, which places the spacecraft into orbit in roughly under 25 minutes from lift off, Aditya's separation is projected to happen 63 minutes after the rocket blasts off from the second launch pad in  Sriharikota.

Soon after its successful Aditya-Ll, will venture into  the study of solar activity and its effect on space weather. The scientific objectives of Aditya-L1 include the deliberat study of coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, coronal mass ejections, dynamics of solar atmosphere and temperature anisotropy.To achieve this, the spacecraft is carrying seven scientific in struments.

ONE NATION ONE ELECTION

 

GOVT FORMS PANEL UNDER KOVIND TO STUDY ‘ONE NATION ONE POLL’

ONE NATION , ONE POLL LAW UNLIKELY IN SPECIAL SESSION

Speculation Over Photo Session Being Planned For Special Sitting

The government on Friday formed a Six member panel headed by Former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of ONE NATION ONE ELECTION a day after the announcement of a special session of parliament from September 18-22 stoked speculation of early Lok Sabha polls,clubbed with 5 state polls due later this year.

Government sources said the Kovind Led committee on one nation, one election has been tasked with holding consultations with people from dif ferent sections, including the political class, and since it would be a time-consum ing process, a legislation on this was unlikely during the special session.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ;s big move push through his 'one nation, one election' concept promises to be a big-ticket idea which can disrupt conventional calculations and allow it to frame the much earlier upcoming Lok Sabha polls along helpful lines, as the party believes the issue has the potential to catch popular imagination.

In its 2014 manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, BJP had pledged 'one nation, one election', although the party had called for simultaneous polls much earlier.

Our former president Shri Kovind, in his address to the joint session of Parliament in 2018, had suggested the "reform", arguing that frequent polls took a toll on state resources and paralysed development work.

PRIGOZHIN

 

ALIVE OR NOT ……………

CLIP OF PRIGOZHIN DISCUSSING RISKS TO LIFE GOES VIRAL

 

As per the information ,A newly released video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin pur ports to show him in Africa only days before his death, addressing speculation about his wellbeing and possible threats to his security. "For those who are discussing whether I'm alive or not, how I'm doing-right now it's call-sign the weekend, second half of August 2023.

According  to the sources,Prigozhin's camouflage clothing and hat, as well as the watch on his right hand, matched  his appearance in a video released on August 21, which he also an on claimed was filmed in Africa.

 His "weekend" reference implied the latest clip must have been made on August 19 or 20, only s with three or four days before he and other Wagner figures were killed he led in a plane crash near Moscow on August 23 as per the news information received.