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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject: The World is Flat
Hi everyone,
I am currently in a globalization class and find the textbook reading very boring. Someone told me to read The World is Flat. Has anyone read this? If so, what did you think of it? Anyone have ideas on what other books there might be on globaliazation.
Here is a passage among the readers' comments at amazon that attrtacted my attention-- France also has a problem with making enough students take an interest in maths, and I hear this is not the case in eastern European countries such as Poland.
Quote:
What is more sobering is Friedman's elaboration on Bill Gates' statement, "When I compare our high schools to what I see when I'm traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they're in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, U.S. students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. . . . The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the United States did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor's degrees as the U.S., and they have six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind."
Hi Lisa
I read The World is Flat about 6 or 8 mo's ago, and thought it great.
Freidman took a complex and confusing concept and made some sense of it , for the layman. What I remember getting from it was that the world is getting more and more interconnected , through trade and finance , aided by the internet. The pace of globalization has quickened and it's impact is felt in every part of our lives today. As when anything changes fast, there is confusion and fear in many preditions of the future. This book is a compilation of the facts and the assesment of a seasoned journalist with many years of world travel and knowledge. Just keep in mind , that partners in trade seldom go to war.
Ricko8
I don't care for Friedman's essays, since his view of things often seems rather simplistic. Among the writers of New York Times editorials, Paul Krugman is sharper, more knowledgeable, and has views that are much closer to my own.
You can look at their columns here and form your own opinion.
