Ali Bytes: Bullet-sized strategies for modern living

I came across these two interesting approaches to 21st Century education. What do you think? Bribery and child’s play or innovative?

1. Cash and gadget incentives: One program offers $100 to students who receive a passing grade on advanced placement exams. Another offers high school students cash incentives to improve their scores on state graduation exams. Contrary to intuition and opposition, making good grades literally pay off may be exactly the pay off taxpayers need. A July 2008 analysis of a Texas program found that this kind of incentive was linked to increased SAT and ACT scores and an 8% rise in college bound students. One critic at the National Center for Fair & Open Testing argues that these kind of incentives are “similar to giving [students and teachers] steroids” leading to short term gain but long term damage. I don’t know though. If working adults are motivated by monetary compensation, why not try it on youth that may not yet have the maturity to value knowledge as a reward in itself?
2. Video Games: In 2008, video game sales reached $32 billion worldwide, beating DVD and Blu-ray combined by more than 10%. As game consoles like Wii are attracting a whole new audience and others are becoming more technologically and graphically sophisticated, it makes sense that educators are exploring using them in the classroom. Some professionals argue that video games “simulate the real-world situations in the classroom to help students develop critical-thinking skills.” Interestingly, an example of an education game to teach math and science is one where students are “confronted with aliens who have landed on Earth and seem to be preparing to either peacefully hook up with earthlings, invade, plunder – or return to their home planet.” Real-world huh? Still, the argument that games allow students to become “immersed in a digital world where they can build confidence” sounds innovative and promising. Merrilea Mayo of the Kauffman Foundation puts it well: “Unlike lectures, games can be adapted to the pace of the user. Games also simultaneously present information in multiple visual and auditory modes, which capitalizes on different learning styles.”

Not all CEOs wait until they are in dire straits to cut their salaries like the big 3 auto executives have recently - and reluctantly - done. In late November, before doing so, Ford CEO Alan Mulally replied to the Congress’ suggestion “I understand the intent, but I think where we are is okay.” In this situation, slashing the corporate salaries is meant to be a symbol to stakeholders that the people on top are pulling out all the stops to get their companies on track, unfortunately not an uncommon statement these days. According to executive compensation firm Equilar, just in the last year, chief executives of 32 Russell 3000 companies did just this, compared to roughly 16 companies in 2006.

Of course, it must be said that most CEOs make up for it in millions of dollars in dividends, stock options, bonuses and perks like use of a corporate jet, as reported to the SEC. This leads some critics to label the gesture a “facade” and “an insult to investor’s intelligence” as Daniel Pedrotty of the AFL-CIO puts it. Still others see this “good personal marketing [is] worth a fortune in publicity” says former Palm CEO Carl Yankowski and a way for executives to show commitment to performance and confidence in the stock.

So what do you think: are these CEOs making an honest act of true leadership? Or is the $1 salary a cowardly way to hide monetary returns from public scrutiny?

1. Apple’s Steve Jobs, since he rejoined the company in 1997. Clearly Jobs has little to worry about as he holds more than 5 million Apple shares worth nearly $500 million. That and he has a private jet that Apple paid about $90 million for and pays to operate each year.
2. John Mackey, of natural and organic grocer Whole Foods based in Austin, TX, as of 2007. Mackey says he continues to work for Whole Foods, which he founded in 1980, for the pleasure of leading a great company and because he doesn’t need any more money. He makes about $1.4 million in other earnings each year though has committed to donating all proceeds from future options to charity. He also limits executive pay at WFM to 19 times the average full-time worker’s salary (compared to 262 times at the average company of at least $1 billion in annual revenue according to Economic Policy Institute as reported in CNN Money.)
3. Both of Yahoo’s former CEO’s Terry Semel and Jerry Yang. Unlike his counterparts, Yang didn’t get any other bonuses or stock options in 2007, according to the Corporate Library, but does have a more than $1 billion stake in the company according to Portfolio.com.
4. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (maker of blockbusters like Shrek, Madagascar, Shark Tale, etc.) CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg who also waived $11 million in stock options and rewards in 2007.
5. Since 2004, Eric Schmidt of Google along with the two founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, though they weren’t making all that much beforehand anyway (at least for someone in their positions). Like Steve Jobs, Brin and Page aren’t struggling. According to the April 2006 filing, “Their primary compensation continues to come from returns on their ownership stakes in Google which amounts to billions (yes you read that right - a “b” not an “m”) in stock returns.
6. Richard Kinder, CEO of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, which owns an interest in or operates many of the pipelines that transport natural gas, crude oil, petroleum products and CO2 in North America. Though the company website says Kinder “does not receive bonuses, stock options or restricted stock grants,” reports of earnings year to year vary from $1 million to $60 million.

In case participating in our democracy isn’t reason enough, here are a host of free things you can get with an “I voted” sticker on election day, November 4th. I’d like to vote Babeland the winner for the best tagline. Check your favorite local stores and restaurants for more and go vote!

1. Donuts: Some 85 Krispy Kreme’s in the U.S. (a little less than half their stores) are offering to give away an estimated 200,000 free star-shaped, red-white-and-blue sprinkled 99 cent donuts “while supplies last” (read: until probably 8am so vote early!).
2. Sex toys: If you live in New York City of Seattle, get your “Maverick” or “Silver Bullet,” apparently valued over $15, at Babeland because “voting feels good.”
3. Starbucks Coffee: “If you care enough to vote, we care enough to give you a free cup of coffee,” says Starbucks. Free 12-ounce drip coffee for anyone who votes, or actually anyone who asks whether or not you voted.
4. Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream: Though most of us will be wearing wool coats and scarves to wait in line to vote tomorrow, Ben and Jerry’s is committed to giving away free single-scoop cones until 8pm. “What better way to encourage people to be politically active than to give away free ice cream?” asks spokeswoman Liz Brenna. Hopefully caring about your future is incentive enough but hey, free ice cream helps even if I have to hold it with mittens on.
5. Chicken sandwiches: Though I couldn’t confirm it on the Chick-fil-A website, supposedly hundreds of the 1,400 Chick-fil-A stores across the country will offer free $2.70 chicken sandwiches to people who can prove they voted.

I regularly collect interesting, weird and/or funny news stories to try to tie into blog posts. Right now I happen to have a bunch of them. Clearly, sometimes all you need to read is the headline.

1. NBC Universal to buy The Weather Channel for $3.5B: Who knew the weather channel was worth so much?
2. Police say woman hid cocaine in her vagina: “‘That’s a lot of cocaine,’ said Detective Dan Pionke of the Portage Police Department…An ounce of cocaine, about 27 grams, is about the size of a golf ball.” That plus the fact that she was arrested makes me wonder what the heck she’s smiling about.
3. Waitress loses job after shaving head for cancer charity: “Fearnall had long red locks, but she said she made the decision to have her head shaved because she has a friend battling cancer and she lost her father to the disease.” I thought this kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen in Canada?
4. The Itch: I hope you’re not reading this during your lunch break. If you are, stop now. “Only in the Emergency Department at Massachusetts General Hospital, after the doctors started swarming, and one told her she needed surgery now, did M. learn what had happened. She had scratched through her skull during the night—and all the way into her brain.”
5. Man found in WI basement covered in BBQ sauce: “A couple in Wisconsin telephoned police in the middle of the night after finding a man in their basement covered head to toe in barbecue sauce. ‘He told the officers that it was urban camouflage,’ said the homeowner.” This is a fine example of why I’m not confident that Obama has it in the bag.