Eastern vs. Western Math

On April 25th, the BBC had an article about Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry offering £500 to anyone who could answer a math question from a Chinese entrance exam.
This is the BBC's example of a similar question from a UK exam:

When I was in elementary school, our teachers used to tell us that the Chinese school systems were much more strict than our own, and that the students were twice as smart as us. What I'm wondering now, however, is why the west is so far behind. Any thoughts?

Environmental News

Our cell phones are killing bees
There is mounting evidence that radiation from cell phones is what's causing the major die-off of US and European bee populations. To further understand the problem, Britain's Bumblebee Conservation Trust wants the public to keep tabs on the whereabouts of local bees.


Presidential hopeful John Edwards wants to ban new coal-fired power plants and charge polluters
I've never been a huge fan of Edwards (personally I'm rooting for Kucinich), but I'm starting to think maybe I'm a bit wrong. I'm going to do a little research into him now. His plan would be a great way to curb global warming. The money (which could be up to $40 billion) would be used for clean energy.

Yangtze River "irreversibly damaged"
China's river could be polluted beyond control. Which could have major consequences as a result. This is hardly surprising news, however, considering China is one of the most polluted countries in the world.