Word: percent
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From what I could tell, early voters are the best-informed, smartest, most responsible members of society. Twenty percent of them were supporting their candidate even before he decided to run; 12% planned to spend Nov. 4 volunteering at the polls. When I asked if they wanted to vote now for the next American Idol winner, 80% told me they don't watch the show. Two graduated from high school a year early. One was voting early so she "would be able to avoid crowds and take my time and read all the propositions carefully." These people were making such...
...League. The Lions lose often—in fact, always—but not by much. Columbia has not dropped any game by more than ten points, and quarterback Shane Kelly is quietly having a solid year in his first season as the Lions’ starter, completing 60 percent of his passes and throwing four touchdowns over just one interception...
...legislation had the lofty goal of bringing every student to proficiency in reading and math by 2014. While the ambition of lawmakers was admirable, the goal of reaching universal proficiency in less than a generation is patently absurd—especially when many states began with less than 15 percent proficiency rates. Rather than penalize schools now for the legislation’s lack of foresight, Congress should have revised expectations downward when the act came up for renewal in 2007. The reason that this year has seen so many schools fail to meet federal standards is that state requirements...
...frosty. Though many hawks argue the Western powers were not forceful enough, Russia has paid for its bellicosity with capital flight. According to Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, the country has lost between $10 and $15 billion of foreign direct investment and its stock market is down close to 50 percent this year. Despite the global financial crisis affecting all markets, a considerable part of such downturns for energy-rich Russia can be attributed to investors’ fear of the Kremlin’s aggressive foreign policy and consequent isolation...
...economic perspective, however, Russian problems seem miniscule compared to those faced by its newfound Latin American ally. In an electoral year, Chavez is eager to regain popular support, but the oil-producing country has contracted its growth forecasts due to lack of investment. As inflation reaches over 30 percent per year, the government has increased public sector salaries, a populist move that will only worsen inflationary pressures. Despite the sky-high oil prices, Venezuela is not able to grow its production because the government has used all the money for clientelist programs, rather than securing future investment. Unsurprisingly, less than...