IT IS INTERESTING to follow the discussion about ability with “Stable Genius” Trump and “Low IQ” people, which is anyone that opposes him. But what is the reality?
After 30+ years of teaching probably 5,000+ students, I have taught many students with far more ability than me although very few that had more knowledge as they hadn’t yet had the opportunity to learn it; but how many gifted or genius students?
Many parents have the flawed idea that about 10 percent of students are “gifted” even if “gifted” is hard to define. I have only taught three students whom I thought were clearly gifted.
I saw “gifted” as being exceptional in a number of quite different fields of achievement. We should be the best we can be, no matter where we started from.
Maybe Donald Trump is like my friend who did an aptitude test when he applied for a job and found he was on the left side of the Bell curve, a result he didn’t quite understand.
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The apparently new expression “6-7” used in memes is the “word” of the moment, but is it?
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “Troilus and Criseyde” in the 1380s and it mentions “to set the world on six and seven” as did William Shakespeare in “Richard II” in the 1590s (thanks Wikipedia).
So it appears not to be some new innovative expression but one that the oldies might have heard before, given that not many hip, young, people are reading Chaucer or Shakespeare, although they should.
Recycling is a good thing even for words.
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With friends like this…
The Epstein story has claimed another major victim, following Epstein’s suicide in a cell, Ghislaine Maxwell’s imprisonment, and also Virginia Giuffre taking her own life although really only Giuffre could be considered a victim.
The latest to have their life disrupted by this case is the now ex-prince Andrew, eighth in line for the British monarchy, who denies all of the accusations against him.
Andrew, now just Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, has been stripped of all of the titles, honors, and privileges that come with being born in the right family. He will also have to move out of a 300room mansion and be sent to a “small” house hidden away from public view. For him it will seem like imprisonment, shut away from the adoring crowds that actually no longer adore him.
It will be interesting to see if his ex-wife Sarah, who divorced him almost 30 years ago but still lives in the same house, will go into isolation in a rural environment.
The King has worked to resolve the matter by sending Andrew away where he can do less damage to the monarchy. This whole event has done nothing to help the image of a monarchy that is basically symbolic and in decline. More people are looking at becoming republics in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Who will be the next person named on this list of sadness and abuse?
There are many other names that have been mentioned but until the “Epstein Files” are fully released there will be little clarity, just a lot of malicious and maybe accurate gossip. (dennis.fitzgerald.letters@gmail.com)/PN
