Stranger Things

[Learning always]

No I haven’t but I prefer classical education.

Classical education is better, much better.
Modern education has been very successful in achieving its "mission".
Education? No, it's dumbing down Americans and Australians.

Asians are no smarter than Americans, on average. Then why are Asians getting the TOP scores in PISA Maths?
Why Americans and Australian teenagers are poor at Maths, on average ?

 

[bèlla]

Classical education is better, much better.
Modern education has been very successful in achieving its "mission".
Education? No, it's dumbing down Americans and Australians.

Asians are no smarter than Americans, on average. Then why are Asians getting the TOP scores in PISA Maths?
Why Americans and Australian teenagers are poor at Maths, on average ?

I discovered classical education through The Great Books Foundation long ago. It ushered in a renaissance of learning that hasn’t abated. I used to do reading challenges and reviews and created an apprenticeship for writing based on four authors. A few years ago I began working through Boxall’s 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. My lone deviation from the latter is reading the series instead of a title or two.

Asians perform better for several reasons. Excellence is embedded in their culture and they’re expected to do well and their careers are impacted. The schools are rigorous and parents support it. And we can’t ignore the presence of tiger moms which contradict our norm.

Tiger parenting is a form of strict parenting, whereby parents are highly invested in ensuring their children's success. Specifically, tiger parents push their children to attain high levels of academic achievement or success in high-status extracurricular activities such as music or sports.

I don’t believe we’d have similar results even if the standards were raised. The principle is reinforced in home, at school and in the culture. Something we’re woefully lacking in America. If you want results like that you have to send them to prep school or Switzerland. They’re training tomorrow’s leaders.

~bella

 

[bèlla]

Inside France’s Human Trafficking Hood

Over 100,000 migrants arrived in the UK by boat last year, igniting a political firestorm. Many come from a camp in Dunkirk, France. We visited the camp to learn why it exists, who lives there, and what its future might look like. This is Episode 1 of our "Why England is Going Right?" series, exploring the surge of support for Reform UK and the country’s shifting politics.

 

[RDKirk]

I discovered classical education through The Great Books Foundation long ago. It ushered in a renaissance of learning that hasn’t abated. I used to do reading challenges and reviews and created an apprenticeship for writing based on four authors. A few years ago I began working through Boxall’s 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. My lone deviation from the latter is reading the series instead of a title or two.

Asians perform better for several reasons. Excellence is embedded in their culture and they’re expected to do well and their careers are impacted. The schools are rigorous and parents support it. And we can’t ignore the presence of tiger moms which contradict our norm.

Tiger parenting is a form of strict parenting, whereby parents are highly invested in ensuring their children's success. Specifically, tiger parents push their children to attain high levels of academic achievement or success in high-status extracurricular activities such as music or sports.

I don’t believe we’d have similar results even if the standards were raised. The principle is reinforced in home, at school and in the culture. Something we’re woefully lacking in America. If you want results like that you have to send them to prep school or Switzerland. They’re training tomorrow’s leaders.

~bella

Yesterday, my daughter and I were discussing a phenomenon I had experienced in my Air Force career.

I first entered the Air Force in 1973 only three years after the service had gone to a promotion system based on standardized tests rather than the "good ol' boy" system. My black elders in the service were ecstatic over the new system because they were able to get promoted far more successfully than ever before. The test questions came out of books issued by the Air Force. All they had to do was study hard.

In the latter years of my career, I had the opportunity to write and revise some of those tests, and I was thoroughly impressed by the intense depths the Air Force went to create fair, honest, and objective tests.

But in those later years, I ran into young black troops who rejected the premise of basing promotions on standardized tests: "Standardized tests are racist! We want to be judged on our performance!"

I tried to explain to them, basically in the words my elders had given me nearly thirty years before, "Your performance is only what your supervisor says it is. The tests put your promotion into your own hands."

But I later realized something had happened in those intervening years: In the 50s and 60s, black American adults had a tremendous hope for the future. Jim Crow still existed, but after the New Deal and World War II, there was a definite feeling that change was on the horizon, and even though it might be a sunrise they'd never see, they believed their children would see it. And they were determined that we would be ready.

So, the aspect of taking tests was not daunting to us because our parents and teachers had made sure we could read.

I think that by the late 90s, the reason testing had become so daunting to my young black troops---was because reading had become daunting to them.

 

[Apple Sky]

This is a thread for oddities. Things that make you go hmm, what or worse. Enjoy!

AI Overview

King Henry VIII is the king whose coffin reportedly exploded, likely due to the buildup of gases from decomposition. This event allegedly happened during his funeral procession, leading to the coffin leaking and causing a commotion, with some accounts saying dogs were found licking the leaked bodily fluids. While the reports vary, the damaged state of his coffin and lead lining when it was opened for Charles I's burial lends credence to the story.

 

[bèlla]

I tried to explain to them, basically in the words my elders had given me nearly thirty years before, "Your performance is only what your supervisor says it is. The tests put your promotion into your own hands."

Exactly. That’s why tests were weighed in relation to grades and discrepancies could work in your favor if they were higher. Many people were able to get into college for that reason. Although their grades weren’t spectacular their performance on the exam proved they knew the material.

So, the aspect of taking tests was not daunting to us because our parents and teachers had made sure we could read.

I think that by the late 90s, the reason testing had become so daunting to my young black troops---was because reading had become daunting to them.

I noticed the problem when remedial classes increased at colleges. There was a time when you’d only see a handful. The second indication happened online as the internet matured. The lack of comprehension was evident as was the absence of deduction skills. Their ability to reason was limited and emotion was the substitute. We see where that led.

~bella

 

[bèlla]

Why Young Men Are Falling Even Further Behind

For as long as society has existed, it's always been a given that men had an advantage by simply just being male. But in the past 5 years or so, things have changed, and changed fast. These days many young men find themselves falling further behind in a surprisingly diverse set of ways. In this episode we explore why this is happening and what some solutions could be.

 

[Learning always]

Some years ago, American officials and educators have joined international study tours to Singapore.
The aim was to learn the Singaporean secrets.

They spent SO MUCH public money to see something which is NO secret ---- the West used to practise it, it's not something new, it's not an innovation, it's perhaps what Singapore learnt from the West. The traditional educational method.

 

[bèlla]

They spent SO MUCH public money to see something which is NO secret ---- the West used to practise it, it's not something new, it's not an innovation, it's perhaps what Singapore learnt from the West. The traditional educational method.

This is the other side of individualism few understand in relation to our culture. You can’t be dependent and get ahead. The system is designed for people who think outside of the box and chart their own path. If you rely on a template to survive or the government’s input you’ll come up short. When things no longer perform as they should we’re not supposed to complain and do nothing. We‘re meant to find solutions in their place and apply them.

Housing is a good example of the same. Who convinced Americans of the wisdom of purchasing multiple homes on different plots which increased their taxes and living expenses? Whose bright idea was that? Families combined their resources in the past and purchased a piece of land they could build on and share. You wouldn’t have to worry about job loss, daycare, nursing homes and like. You’d have a safety net around you. But no one thinks. They follow the propaganda and cry afterwards.

The government isn’t your friend nor are we entrusted to it for our welfare. We shouldn’t expect it to behave like a parent and have our best interests at heart. You have to be willing to take the reins to thrive in a capitalist society because you’re on your own. And whatever he gives he has the liberty of taking back later on. He can make a rule and change his mind too. So don’t put your fate in the government’s hands.

They know what good education entails and many attended the institutions I referred to. But they’re not giving the citizens the same. If they want we have to do it ourselves instead.

~bella

 

[bèlla]

9 Million Americans Have Left the U.S. – Why Even Americans Don’t Want to Stay, Here’s Why

This documentary explores why Americans move abroad and how the growing U.S. migration crisis ties into broader narratives of America in crisis and even fears of a possible US collapse.

I watched the followup to the above and he shared input from those who left and an interesting statistic. Half of the expats hold a bachelor degree or greater (rumored to be closer to 90%) and the majority work for American firms remotely, foreign companies or they’re self-employed. The financial gains were sizable with many retaining $20,000 or more of their income due to reductions in the cost of living.

He mentioned the exodus of talent and creativity no one‘s discussing. Many countries are welcoming Americans in for that reason not to our impact on their economy. Which has a reciprocal loss. The dollars that would have supported businesses and communities here are elsewhere. When there’s a sizable departure of citizens with means and talent what becomes of the places they left?

~bella

 

[bèlla]

Why Americans are making homegrown GLP-1s (Ozempic)

High costs. Limited supply. No insurance coverage. All of these are motivating some patients to cook up unregulated “gray GLP-1” drugs at home. Health experts are worried. Why are people willing to risk injecting homemade drugs in an unregulated, non-sterile medical environment and what needs to change before access and safety improve? USA TODAY Wellness Reporter Nicole Fallert joins The Excerpt to share her reporting on this alarming trend.

The drugs are being purchased from What’s App and Discord.

 

[RDKirk]

Why Young Men Are Falling Even Further Behind

For as long as society has existed, it's always been a given that men had an advantage by simply just being male. But in the past 5 years or so, things have changed, and changed fast. These days many young men find themselves falling further behind in a surprisingly diverse set of ways. In this episode we explore why this is happening and what some solutions could be.

According to that video, the situation changed at least 25 years ago.

I am an African-American Boomer who was in the vanguard of integration right after the Civil Rights Act. I remember very well what it was like to be in a newly integrated classroom in the South with white classmates and white teachers. I distinctly felt the air of "you don't belong here." My first white teacher, for instance, moved me and another black child to the corner of the room farthest from her and ignored us for the rest of the year. What I see to day is young white boys being ignored that same way by their female teachers, while the girls are noticed, praised, encouraged, and empowered. I believe that white boys today are responding to the same marginalization that black boys have always been subjected to.

I also think there are similarities in the responses of black boys marginalized by race and white boys marginalized by gender. Some are clear similarities, such as higher drop out rates, lower rates of college attendance, and less success in the job market. Black youth in the inner cities are in contact with certain specific factors such as gangs that direct them toward common crime, but white boys are (in my opinion) more likely to suffer in isolation....which in extremes can result in the sudden violence of a school shooting. But I think both cases of these boys "crashing out" are different only because black boys in the inner cities and white boys in the suburbs have different directions to go under the same impetus.

 

[bèlla]

According to that video, the situation changed at least 25 years ago.

It was an interesting piece and I’m glad you weighed in.

What I see to day is young white boys being ignored that same way by their female teachers, while the girls are noticed, praised, encouraged, and empowered. I believe that white boys today are responding to the same marginalization that black boys have always been subjected to.

I think you‘re right. What would you tell their parents to help them respond to what they’re experiencing?

but white boys are (in my opinion) more likely to suffer in isolation....which in extremes can result in the sudden violence of a school shooting. But I think both cases of these boys "crashing out" are different only because black boys in the inner cities and white boys in the suburbs have different directions to go under the same impetus.

The media is downplaying the problem but they’re discussing it online. There’s a growing concern about the violence and a narrative is emerging. If an intervention doesn’t happen soon they’ll be labeled as dangers to society and ostracized. Remember the comment from Fox? They already have the solution.

~bella

 

[RDKirk]

It was an interesting piece and I’m glad you weighed in.



I think you‘re right. What would you tell their parents to help them respond to what they’re experiencing?



The media is downplaying the problem but they’re discussing it online. There’s a growing concern about the violence and a narrative is emerging. If an intervention doesn’t happen soon they’ll be labeled as dangers to society and ostracized. Remember the comment from Fox? They already have the solution.

~bella

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who keep writing oppression,
to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
What will you do on the day of punishment…? -- Isaiah 10

 

[bèlla]

Your Favorite YouTube Channel is (Probably) Owned By Private Equity

YouTube channels are the latest interest for revenue hunger firms protecting themselves against the downturns in entertainment and traditional media. But their entry is problematic and diminishes the difference the platform offered with original content. The alternatives we enjoyed are being eroded. We move to different mediums hoping to escape only to discover they’re everywhere.