"Paul Blay" <ranma@saotome.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cipbrd$597$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> "John W." wrote ...
> > From Mainichi online
> > http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20040921p2a00m0dm006000c.html
> >
> > "Over 40 percent of elementary school children in Japan think the sun
> > revolves around the earth, a shocking survey conducted by officials at
> > the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has found."
>
> What's the US percentage up to?

Probably way higher for a topic such as this - but then again certainly
astronomically higher when it comes to knowledge about things such as drugs,
crime, divorce, AIDs, the reasons for invading Iraq, GW Jnr's military
service record etc.  A good thing or a bad thing?

The continued proliferation of science-fiction television shows such as
Enterprise, Smallville, the Stargate series no doubt helps feed inquisitive
North American minds.  So the: "Dad. What's a...?" questions are, I suspect,
far more common in such countries - for a start 'dad' has to be around in
order to be asked - I can't imagine little Koichi-kun getting the OK from
his mom to call his father at the pachinko parlor to ask him to explain just
exactly what a "...galaxy, far, far, away" actually means.  Of course I'm
making the somewhat dangerous assumption that the average Japanese male
could make a stab at an answer.

What really startles me is how the teaching of such facts has suddenly
become the sole responsibility of professional educators.  Doesn't anyone
buy their kids science encyclopedias anymore?  Is Microsoft Encarta just
something that looked like a good program to buy (snag) at the time, but in
fact now just sits uninstalled in a directory somewhere?

Talking of "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." - just a couple
more days to go until I'm initially disappointed as hell but then eventually
come to accept the updated versions as definitive...just so long as more
Ewoks die!!!

--
jonathan