Come on now, I'm over 10 years removed from college and most of my colleagues can't answer those questions. In fact, I bet up to 50% of the people on this board

Come on now, I'm over 10 years removed from college and most of my colleagues can't answer those questions. In fact, I bet up to 50% of the people on this board couldn't name the capital of America's largest trading partner. It's not so much the random facts that are the issue. If you're not interested in the Middle East because you think the conflict is self-perpetuating, you might not bother to remember that Jordan sits between Israel and Iraq. The problem is that many people just don't know how to think. That's the meat of the matter, and it's certainly not being exaggerated by the author. Take a look at my question: The people on this board in large part will think that the obvious answer would be Beijing. They're also smart enough to deduce that I probably wouldn't have suggested that 50% wouldn't know it if the answer was that simple. So they'll examine what they know about the US's trading relations, and probably remember NAFTA. If they also know that Canada is in the G8, they'll conclude that the answer would be Ottawa. Those in the south might lead towards Mexico, but at least they're thinking. That's what's lacking with many people today, primarily because it isn't taught by parents and more importantly, at any level of our education system.