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Obama Announces e-Book Scheme For Low-Income Communities
An anonymous reader writes: The White House has today launched an initiative encouraging top book publishers to supply $250 million worth of free e-books to low-income students. Partnering with local governments and schools nationwide, President Obama hopes that the e-book scheme will support low-income households who significantly trail the national average for computer ownership and digital connectivity. At Anacostia Library in Southeast Washington, D.C., Obama announced that libraries and schools in poorer communities would be supported by the scheme and efforts would be made to increase internet access at these establishments. Publishers involved in the program include Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Bloomsbury, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. NGOs, such as book donation charity Firstbook, and public libraries will also be working together to develop apps to support the digital reading program.
Adoption studies show both genetic and environment have an impact. , and those studies have their own purposes that you must consider. There is more than enough evidence that people adapt the ideals of their community.
We can't make an excuse to not deal with the environmental side just because genetics is a factor. A support structure that starts at birth and continues through young adulthood is very important. Yes, genetics is a player that we can't talk about, and its not a racial thing but applies all societies at all levels. Take two intelligent people of any race (or different races) and their kids are more likely to be intelligent, take two people of any race (or different races) that are less intelligent and their kids are likely to be less intelligent also. That goes for other traits as well. But its nowhere near 100%. That element falls in to my 'reduce the number of kids in that environment' point...but we can't talk about that....about not having so many kids there to start with.
Just saying jobs is the answer is misguided or at least greatly oversimplifies the problem. People have to be prepared for a job, want a job, and have enough sense of responsibility to hold a job. Those come from the home and community environment. A stronger community can support more job producing businesses. If you don't take care of the front end, the jobs thing is irrelevant. The problem is not people who held good jobs and no longer have them, its young people not even trying, or not willing to take a low end job to start with. They are told good jobs are on the way, so why not just wait for those. Yes, there are plenty of exceptions, but I'm talking about the overall problem in general.
I have no problems with jobs programs to help keep youth on track, but there is little evidence they are the solution on their own...........and there are plenty of books available, it sure helps if someone reads them to the toddlers every day.