Friday, September 2, 2011

Miss USA 2011 — Should Math Be Taught In Schools?



Happy Friday!

From Huffington Post
Last June, the Miss USA Pageant put out a video montage of every crowned Miss USA's answer to the question, "Should evolution be taught in schools?"

Unfortunately, the ladies' answers played directly into the "notoriously inarticulate" trope for the most part, and the general consensus among YouTube voters (4,700 to 400) seems to be that the video does not reflect well on the pageant or the U.S. On the bright side, the things these women said were also prime parody material.

Mackenzie Fegan and friends stepped up to the plate with a pitch-perfect parody and did the Miss USA girls one better by asking whether or not math should be taught in our nation's schools. The ladies give some thoughtful responses.

Enjoy! And have a fun, safe weekend!

6 comments:

LaLaMeeka Chadwalli said...

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin Pi!

Q: Why do you rarely find mathematicians spending time at the beach?
A: Because they have sine and cosine to get a tan and don't need the sun!

Q: What is non-orientable and lives in the ocean?
A: Möbius Dick...

And finally, from a friend who teaches
Q: What is the difference between a Ph.D. in mathematics and a large pizza?
A: A large pizza can feed a family of four...

Please have a safe Labor Day weekend!

Cerebration said...

Those are great, pickle!

And we all remember Miss South Carolina's eloquent answer to the question, "Why can't 1/5 of Americans locate the U.S. on a world map?"

Miss South Carolina Answers a Question"

Sagamore 7 said...

Please remember that Donald Trump OWNS the Miss USA pageant!

Dumb and dumberer.

I did like the contestant from Vermont!

"You are kidding, right?"

S7

Cerebration said...

And for some Friday entertainment on a different note -- I guess we can count our blessings! At least our charter schools aren't hosting night clubs!

By day, the Balere Language Academy is an A-rated charter school, home to children in kindergarten through middle school.
But when the kids are tucked into bed, Balere apparently becomes a playground of a different kind.
Party fliers, printed and on the Web, indicate that the campus at 10875 Quail Roost Dr. has been hosting raunchy, booze-soaked bashes into the wee hours. One flier for an upcoming party features a voluptuous, scantily clad woman posing with champagne bottles. Another shows a woman in a string bikini bending over suggestively and a man with flashy jewelry sitting on a stack of currency in front of a gold sports car.
Asked if the school was hosting any parties, founder and principal Rocka Malik responded: “Not that I’m aware of.”
School attorney Marlon Hill said Balere is investigating.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/01/2386553/a-school-by-day-adult-club-by.html#ixzz1WocUDFnQ

Cerebration said...

And to add to the miscellaneous conversation here, I just got this email from Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. Maybe we can copy this idea for the DCSS community?

September 2011

Dear Starbucks Friend and Fellow Citizen:

I love our country. And I am a beneficiary of the promise of America. But today, I am very concerned that at times I do not recognize the America that I love.

Like so many of you, I am deeply disappointed by the pervasive failure of leadership in Washington. And also like you, I am frustrated by our political leaders' steadfast refusal to recognize that, for every day they perpetuate partisan conflict and put ideology over country, America and Americans suffer from the combined effects of paralysis and uncertainty. Americans can't find jobs. Small businesses can't get credit. And the fracturing of consumer confidence continues.

We are better than this.

Three weeks ago, I asked fellow business leaders to join me in urging the President and the Congress to put an end to partisan gridlock and, in its place, to set in motion an upward spiral of confidence. More than 100 business leaders representing American companies - large and small - joined me in signing a two-part pledge:

First, to withhold political campaign contributions until a transparent, comprehensive, bipartisan debt-and-deficit package is reached that honestly, and fairly, sets America on a path to long-term financial health and security. Second, to do all we can to break the cycle of economic uncertainty that grips our country by committing to accelerate investment in jobs and hiring.

In the weeks since then, I have been overwhelmed by the heartfelt stories of Americans from across the country, sharing their anguish over losing hope in the strongest and most galvanizing force of all - the American Dream. Some feel they have no voice. Others feel they no longer matter. And many feel they have been left behind.

We cannot let this stand.

Please join other concerned Americans and me on a national call-in conversation on Tuesday September 6th hosted by "No Labels," a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering cooperative and more effective government. To learn more about the forum and the pledges, visit www.upwardspiral2011.org

America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history. We must restore hope in the American Dream. We must celebrate all that America stands for around the world. And while our Founding Fathers recognized the constructive value of political debate, we must send the message to today's elected officials in a civil, respectful voice they hear and understand, that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now.

Yours is the voice that can help ignite the contagious upward spiral of confidence that our country desperately needs.

With great respect,

Howard Schultz

chief executive officer, Starbucks Coffee Company

Anonymous said...

I am waiting for Fred to post something in defense of these "contestants'" positions. Something like how "there's enough blame to go around" or maybe support their argument that math skills really aren't necessary.