This week, for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam.
The results weren’t pretty: “Results from national math and reading tests show slipping or stagnant scores for the nation’s schoolkids.”
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And, it’s even worse than it sounds.
Let’s cut to the chase …
Let’s make this pizza week …
Chuck E. Cheese has been struggling of late.
Same store sales have been declining over the past couple of years.
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What’s ailing the Chuckster … and what will get him healthy again?
Yesterday we posted about a study concluding that Oreos are addicting.
Not to be out-done , a study by University of Michigan researchers — published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine — concludes that pizza is at the top of the most addictive food list.
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So, scientifically speaking, what is it that makes pizza so addictive?
In a prior post, we dissected the declining labor force participation rates in the U.S. …
Splitting the population by gender revealed some interesting differences in LFPR trends…
Note that from 1965 to about 1999, men (blue line) were steadily leaving the labor force.
But, during that period women (red line) were entering at a faster clip than the men were dropping out … so total LFPR (black line) continued to inch up.
Around 1999, women’s LFPR flattened out … but men continued to leave the workforce … so the total LFPR peaked and started to creep down.
Since 2008, both men and women have been leaving the work force, so the total LFPR has steepened its decline.
But, men are leaving at a slightly faster rate than women.
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And, we posted the results of a study indicating that women’s LFPR in the U.S. is low relative to other countries … and declining at a time that it’s increasing in other countries.
Pundits attribute the higher LFPRs in other countries to more flexible work hours and government subsidized childcare.
Let’s look into things a bit deeper … (more…)
One of the biz show pundits made an off-hand remark that he thought much of the recent decline in labor force participation rates was at least partially traceable to women dropping out of the workforce because of the high cost of childcare.
Plausible explanation that piqued my trust but verify interest, so I did a little digging.
Let’s start with the big picture : The total labor force participation rate (LFPR).
Some takeaways ….
Note that the history breaks into roughly 3 distinct eras.
From 1965 (as far back as I looked) until about 1990, the LFPR increased by about 8 percentage … almost a straight line, trending up.
Then, coincident to the 1990 recession, the LFPR essentially flat-lined with some bouncing around between 66% and 67%.
Since the 2008 financial crisis and the LFPR has dropped around 4 percentage points … not quite half of the 1965 to 1990 gain.
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Splitting the chart by gender is where things start to get interesting.
Glutton for punishment, I watched a lot of the Clinton testimony yesterday … or, at least had it on in background when I was working.
For what it’s worth, here are my takeaways ….
In general, Clinton was well-prepared, had plausible cover stories and maintained a disciplined demeanor.
For anybody who watched a couple of hours of the testimony (and wasn’t very informed about the issues), she put on a winning performance.
Attorneys would label her a “good witness”.
But, there were a couple of red flags in the testimony …
Sounds like a “dog ate homework” excuse, but you may eat too many cookies – not because you’re a fundamentally bad person – but, because you’re addicted to them andmay want to enroll in Cookies Anonymous.
In some ground-breaking research to be present at a Society for Neuroscience conference next month, a Connecticut College study concluded that Oreos are just as addictive as drugs.
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Here’s the skinny on the research findings …
A while ago, we posted The Dude Factor about two recent virals centered on the word “dude”.
Curiosity got the best of me re: the origins and use of the expression “dude”.
First, directly from the Urban Dictionary:
Here’s a brief history of the term …
Answer: Apparently not if your boss is President Obama … and your project was ObamaCare.
In a conference call with reporters last week, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said “We believe 10 million is a strong and realistic goal” for 2016 enrollment in ObamaCare Exchanges. That represents an increase not significantly different from zero.
Let’s put that number in context … and show how performance against plan is even worse than it initially appears.
Since the political environment is heating up for the Presidential race …
Here’s an interesting infographic from Pew calibrating something that everybody knows …
Democrats are becoming more liberal Republicans are getting more conservative … and the moderate middle-ground between the parties is getting smaller, and smaller and smaller …
About 40% of Democrats think that Republicans are destroying the country … and, about 40% of Republicans think that Democrats are destroying the country.
Here’s the finding that I found most interesting …
Earlier this year, CNN reported (and editorialized):
Retail workers have just scored an unprecedented win against a retail giant.
Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, announced that it will raise the wages of approximately 500,000 of its employees by lifting its base wage to $10 by 2016.
To be sure, Walmart’s announcement is an impressive development in the fight for better wages.
It’s a step in the right direction, but not enough.
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Let’s fast-forward to this week …
According to an HBR article “In Hiring, Algorithms Beat Instinct” …
Studies of applicant evaluations shows that a simple equation outperforms human decisions by at least 25%.
And, the effect holds in any situation with a large number of candidates, regardless of whether the job is on the front line, in middle management, or (yes) inthe C~suite.
Why is that?
Lots of talk these days re: skyrocketing college tuition prices.
That’s certainly true of list prices, but these prices are becoming more and more like new car sticker prices – maybe even worse.
According to the latest annual studies done by NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers), approximately 89 % of first-time, full-time freshmen at institutions surveyed received institutional grant aid.
English translation: in most cases, “institutional grant aid” is simply a discount from the tuition’s list price.
And, the discounts aren’t trivial amounts … they are approaching 50%.
Think, half-off sales at Kohl’s
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So, who is paying retail any more?
Adapted from the Washington Post WonkBlog:
The below chart represents a network of the entire population of a fictional and very small town.
Each circle represents a person. Two people who know each other are connected by a line. People who are not connected by a line have never met.
The day’s political issue: whether baseball caps are fashionable. Each circle is colored to indicate that person’s stance on the issue. Blue circles think caps are fashionable. Orange circles think that caps are not fashionable. (On this issue, everyone has an opinion.)
The town will be voting on whether to officially consider baseball caps fashionable.
A polling firm recently asked whether each person thought that the town would vote to deem baseball caps fashionable.
Assume each person polled based their prediction solely on how the majority of people they know felt about baseball caps (excluding his or her own view).
Did the polling firm find the measure was expected to pass or fail?
I’m conflicted on this one.
On one hand, I teach pricing strategy in some of my courses.
The explicit strategic goal: increase revenue and profits with aggressive pricing tactics.
On the other hand, I always feel sorry for “average” parents who get creamed financially when they take their kids to a ball game or amusement park.
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Based on recent announcements, Disney – Mickey’s parent company – is rolling some pricing tactics to fatten Mickey’s wallet and flatten your’s …
No, it’s not your imagination if, when strolling around the Georgetown campus, you find yourself saying to yourself:
“Holy smokes, there are a lot of good looking students walking around this place.”
It’s certifiably true: Niche.com – a trendy college selection site – scores Georgetown an A+ for “Most Attractive – Girls & Guys”
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But, good looks are just part of the story.
Niche gives Georgetown an overall A+.
Here’s the drill down on the factor scores that underlie Georgetown’s well-deserved overall A+ ….
According to Chip & Dan Heath in Rotman Management article “The 4 Villains of Decision Making” …
“Research in Psychology over the last 40 years has identified a broad set of biases in our thinking that doom our decision making. If we aspire to make better choices, we must learn how these biases work and how to fight them.”
According to the Heath Brothers – academics & popular authors – there are 4 decision making villains that have to be confronted
It has been awhile since we’ve posted about identity theft.
The problem hasn’t gone away, so it’s time for a booster shot.
According to the Javelin Strategy 2015 Identity Fraud report, thieves stole $16 billion from 12.7 million U.S. consumers in 2014.
With a new identity fraud victim every two seconds, there is still significant risk to consumers.
The FTC reports that Americans age 20-29 make up 15% of identity theft complaints.
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Javelin agrees that millennials are particularly ripe targets for identity thieves.
During last Friday’s press conference, President Obama criticized opponents to his policies as having “half-baked ideas” and speaking “mumbo jumbo” … and, he said that Congress should tighten gun control laws because “the polling says the majority of Americans understand we should be changing these laws “ and “Congress should act on behalf of the majority” Source
Yesterday, we commented on the majority rule part of the teaching moment …. pointing out that “acting on behalf of the majority” didn’t seem to be important for ObamaCare or the Iran Deal.
Perhaps the President has had a change of heart re: the will of the majority.
Or he, himself, may be spewing some mumbo jumbo.
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Today, let’s dig a little deeper on the basic premise behind his call for action on stricter gun laws: a majority of Americans favor such a move.
During last Friday’s press conference, President Obama criticized opponents to his policies as having “half-baked ideas” and speaking “mumbo jumbo” … and, he said that Congress should tighten gun control laws because “the polling says the majority of Americans understand we should be changing these laws “ and “Congress should act on behalf of the majority” Source
Today, we’ll just deal with the last part: acting on behalf of the majority.
First, I was pleased to hear the President come out in favor of majority rule.
A couple of notable examples suggest that it’s a change of heart.
Let’s start with his Iran Deal.
What does the polling say?
According to a Quinnipiac University poll ….
“American voters oppose 57% to 28%, the nuclear pact negotiated with Iran …. 58% say the nuclear pact will make the world less safe.”
Hmmm.
Looks like a majority to me. A sizable majority.
But, full steam ahead…
Or, how about my predictable, favorite example ….
US News & World Report says to keep these 10 catch phrases off your cover letter:
1. “I meet the requirements for the position.”Explain why you’re an excellent candidate, not just an adequate one.
2. “I’m hard-working and a great communicator.” These are cliches that cause hiring managers’ eyes to glaze over …and don’t convey anything of substance.
3. “I’m a visionary leader.” Proclaiming this about yourself comes across as, well, weird. Show accomplishments.
4. “You won’t find a candidate better qualified than me.” This comes off as needlessly cocky hyperbole — and it’s generally inaccurate..
5. “Dear sir or madam.” In most industries, this will come across as an antiquated, stuffy salutation. If you know the hiring manager’s name, use it … if not, simply writing “dear hiring manager” is fine.
Read on for the rest of the top 10 …
With Russia now propping up the Assad regime, “requesting” that the U.S. pull all troops and planes from Syria, and clearly establishing its sway in in the Middle East, I think a flashback is in order.
Remember the 2012 Presidential debates?
A key moment was when President Obama ridiculed Gov. Romney’s knowledge of foreign affairs.
Given recent events in the Ukraine, the clip is a classic … try to stay calm when you.watch it
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Here’s more that’ll make make you scream …
The Homa Files 