"The Best Country in the World is..."

Here are some excerpt's from a recent issue of Newsweek. I picked up a copy while at the O'Hare airport on my way back to Korea. I found it really interesting! It is all in the answer to the question "If you were born today, which country would provide you the very best opportunity to live a healthy, safe, reasonably prosperous, and upwardly mobile life?" Well, here are the top 15:

1. Finland
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. Luxembourg
6. Norway
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. USA
12. Germany
13. New Zealand
14. UK
15. South Korea

In the specific category of Education, here is a small blurb about education of South Korea:

"Finland heads this category for good reason, but South Korea isn't far behind. The Asian nation is legendary for the quality of its schooling and the fervor of its students, who are among the likeliest in the world not only to complete their secondary education but then to go on and acquire college degrees (South Korean parents are notorious for spending huge sums of money on test-preparation courses for their kids). It's hard to imagine now, but back in the 1960's, South Korea's national wealth was on par with Afghanistan's. Today, it's one of the world's richest nations, in large part thanks to its focus on education."

There was another short article about 10 world leaders who have "managed to win some serious respect." What is says about South Korea:

"The CEO in charge- Lee Myung Bak- The global financial crisis provided a showcase for the South Korean president's management skills. Drawing on his experience as a former Hyundai CEO, Lee guided Korea Inc. through the storm, slashing interest rates and saving troubled banks. The result: the fastest recovery among OECD nations, and forecasts of 5.8% growth in 2010."

I thought this entire magazine was very interesting, as well as eye opening. I'd like to be able to use it in a future lesson, perhaps with my after school classes that will be starting soon, but I'm not entirely sure how. Any suggestions are welcome!