Central Perk

vineri, 19 septembrie 2014

Meet Brittany:

Last week, I met Brittany.

She's a hardworking student at West Georgia Technical College who is now just months away from being certified as a nursing assistant, but there was a point when she didn't think she'd be here. In high school, Brittany became pregnant and her future suddenly became uncertain. Her high school counselor suggested she apply for the 12 for Life program, a local program that offers students who have fallen behind in high school the opportunity to attend class, work, and get back on their feet.

As I talked with Brittany and her fellow students -- many of whom were the first in their family to graduate high school -- they spoke powerfully and tearfully of the program's success, and how it had given them hope for the future.

Brittany's inspiring story is just one of many I heard last week during the Department of Education's annual back-to-school bus tour. This year's tour took us to Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, and provided my team and me with the opportunity to see innovations in education and to discuss progress, promise, and results.

I wish I could see every innovative program -- every initiative creating promise for our children -- happening across the country, but even after visiting all 50 states and more than 350 schools during my time as Secretary, I can't visit every school. So that's where you come in.

What cutting-edge programs are your local schools undertaking? Or, if you don't know of any, what would you like to see them do?

We'll share some of your stories and suggestions on the White House blog.

Brittany tells me about her positive experience in the 12 for Life Program during a stop on my back-to-school bus tour in Carrolton, Ga. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education by Joshua Hoover)

This was my fifth back-to-school bus tour, and with each tour, I become increasingly optimistic about our country's ability to elevate and strengthen education. High school graduation rates are at an all-time high, college enrollment has hit record levels, dropout rates are dramatically down, and principals, teachers, parents, and students are taking the lead on improving education for all students.

But during the bus tour and around the country, I also hear a lot of people worried that our children won't inherit a better America than we did. That's why we have such an important shared mission: to make sure that every student, everywhere, gets an effective education. It's a mission that we can all agree on, and it's one that matters immensely.

The best ideas in education will never come from Washington, which is why the Obama administration is working hard to help states and communities strengthen schools -- in particular, through supports for great teaching, and higher standards. It's inspiring to see states and local communities stepping up to expand access to high-quality early education, transition to college- and career-ready standards, and support innovation in education.

So I want to know what's happening in your community. Share the innovative things the schools in your area are doing -- or what you'd like to see happen.

We should celebrate the gains we've made these past couple years, but we can't be fully satisfied. There's still more to do to support all students so they may reach their full potential. So, in this new school year, let's get to work.

Thanks for sharing,

Arne

Secretary Arne Duncan
Department of Education
@arneduncan

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Seth's Blog : What are you seeking at work?

What are you seeking at work?

Some people want safety and respect. They want to know what the work rules are, they want a guarantee that the effort required is both predictable and rewarded. They seek an environment where they won't feel pushed around, surprised or taken advantage of.

Other people want challenge and autonomy. They want the opportunity to grow and to delight or inspire the people around them. They seek both organizational and personal challenges, and they like to solve interesting problems.

Without a doubt, there's an overlap here, but if you find that your approach to the people around you isn't resonating, it might because you're giving your people precisely what they don't want.

• Email to a friend •

joi, 18 septembrie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Lesson of the Day: The Political Class Always Wins

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 09:45 PM PDT

With a ramp up in fearmongering led by financial institutions and every UK political party, the preliminary votes indicate Scottish Anti-Independence Campaign Poised for Victory in Vote.

With 26 of Scotland's 32 local authorities declared, the Better Together camp backed by Prime Minister David Cameron and the main U.K. parties had garnered 54 percent of the vote, while the "yes" campaign led by Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond had 46 percent.

"It does look like we have secured a 'no' vote," Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, a Liberal Democrat and the most senior Scot in the U.K. government, told Sky News as the first results trickled in. "But a 'no' vote is also for change, it's our responsibility to get on with that."

Looking Ahead

Via email, Steen Jakobsen, chief economist at Saxo Bank writes ...

We have Quebec like situation in Scotland now – The independence talk is gone for now but the next item on the agenda politically is UK referendum next year where the independence and anti-EU vote will continue to play a role. 2017 is the big year, if the promised EU votes takes place……

EU did not do themselves any favors by ruling Scotland out of EU even before the election results was known. Scots, like danes, don't take outside pressure easy especially from something like the EU.

The main take away from macro perspective is the move towards very nationalistic and domestic driven political agendas. The EU and global agendas now plays 3rd violin as lack of growth and reforms become real issue.

The real economy is at least politically catching up to the artificial markets, so while the markets celebrate RISK ON again this morning, the politicians around Europe is taking notes: Change or lose your job! Just ask the Labor party in the UK who almost lost their ability to get back into government as 30 MP's would have been lost overnight with a Yes.

Steen Jakobsen

Lesson Learned

For the political class, this vote was far too close for comfort. Next time, there won't be a vote.

In the case of Spain, a Catalan vote for independence scheduled later this year will simply be declared illegal. Should the vote for independence fail, the vote would of course be accepted.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

ECB's Targeted Lending Spree Starts Out As Flop; Modern Monetary Insanity

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 11:17 AM PDT

Following on the "success" of the ECB's LTRO (Long Term Refinance Operation) which did nothing to spur lending and everything to create the biggest sovereign bond bubble the world has ever seen, ECB president Mario Draghi announced a TLTRO or Targeted LTRO on September 4.

The ECB's intent is to spur lending.

Lending Spree Short of Expectations

Today the Financial Times reports ECB's Lending Spree Short of Expectations.

The European Central Bank's first offer of cheap four-year loans has fallen short of expectations, dealing a blow to president Mario Draghi's hope of sustaining the eurozone's ailing economy by expanding the central bank's balance sheet.

Banks borrowed €82.6bn through the first of the ECB's Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations, or TLTROs, one of policy makers' big ideas to revive the currency area's recovery. A poll by Bloomberg earlier this week showed economists, on average, expected banks to bid for €174bn of loans from a maximum of €400bn.

Analysts said the disappointing take-up would pile pressure on the ECB to embark on large-scale government bond buying, or quantitative easing, before the end of this year. With inflation as low as 0.4 per cent in the year to August, the central bank is struggling to hit its inflation target of just below 2 per cent.

The TLTROs allow banks to borrow at a rate just above the ECB's main refinancing rate of 0.05 per cent until late 2018 so long as they meet targets for lending to businesses. If they miss the targets, they must pay the funds back in 2016.

The ECB will conduct another seven auctions, with the next TLTRO taking place in December. The central bank hopes the auctions, through which it will lend a maximum of €1tn over the next three years, will boost inflation and restart the region's flagging economic recovery by spurring lending to smaller businesses.

Why TLTRO Won't Spur Lending

Banks may eventually take the money. Why not? The only penalty is they have to pay it back in 2016 if they don't lend it. But taking money, and lending (more than one would have anyway), are two different things. For now, banks did not even take a big bite at the money.

For an explanations as to why TLTRO will not spur lending, please see ECB Pulls Out Bazooka, Cuts Rates, Buys Assets; Will this Stimulate Lending?

Modern Monetary Insanity

Central banks ought to be worried about asset bubbles and asset deflation, not price deflation on ordinary consumer goods. Nonetheless, central banks target prices even though they cannot push price inflation where they want it!

Asset deflation (more precisely loans that cannot be paid back as asset prices fall) not price deflation is what will cripple banks. Yet by targeting consumer prices with monetary inflation, they bring upon asset inflation then asset deflation which is precisely what they should seek to avoid.

From this perspective, the ECB is hell-bent on making the problem worse. It's modern monetary insanity.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Damn Cool Pics

Learn to Read Russian in 15 Minutes! [Infographic]
You Just Can't Fix Stupid
This Bear Does What It Wants

Learn to Read Russian in 15 Minutes! [Infographic]

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 12:45 PM PDT

Here's a really interesting and surprisingly simple breakdown of the Russian alphabet from writer Peter Starr Northrop and cartoonist Ryan Estrada. Give it a few minutes of your time and you'll be confidently sounding out Russian words by the end.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

You Just Can't Fix Stupid

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Stop these people before they hurt themselves. They're too dumb to live.

This Bear Does What It Wants

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

Being a bear in Daytona Beach, Florida can get pretty tiring. Sometimes you need to take a break and there's no better place to do it than a hammock in some stranger's backyard.