Hi Mike,
I agree with your sentiments - great to see an increase in
contributions from other countries and global integration towards a
common goal (e.g. sea turtle conservation).
I think you've touched on a really critical issue here too. I'm not
questioning the validity of the question, but the utility of framing
this problem in such a way that either non-Western countries are
"catching up" OR we are falling behind. It seems both forces are at
play here.
I'm with you on concern over the ebbing economical stability and
intellectual capital of the country. I also worry about educational
standards slipping and the commodification of university degrees. But
I found that youtube clip especially inflammatory in how it plays on
the notion that "improvements" in other countries threaten America's
power and prowess. Agreed that having jobs outsourced to other
countries is not great for our economy, so perhaps this will help
inspire us to put more energy and resources into the development of
our own intellectual capital?
Cheers
Chris
Quoting "J. Michael Nolan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
Chris....
Am on many lists like Ecolog-l that span the globe.....C-Turtle
which promotes Sea Turtle Conservation and the Coral list. It is
great to see contributions and requests for literature, other
resources from all corners of the Earth on these lists. I have seen
an increase each and every year. Obviously the web and internet have
made much of that possible.
We do hear American Education get slammed almost daily. I was
actually raising the question of whether the non-Western
countries/scientists are catching up or are we falling behind. In
the end, Americans should be concerned when jobs are being
outsourced daily to lower cost, equal or better quality options
around the world.
Thanks.
Mike Nolan
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