Yes, I’d say, if they can do the work. Knowing more, and possessing better thinking skills, is always better. But I’m against dumbing down curricula or relaxing grading standards so everyone can pass. If they can’t or won’t study enough to pass exams, they shouldn’t get[...]
Archive for November, 2021
November 28th, 2021 - 3:54 pm § in Misc.
7.5-mag Peru quake causes minor damage and bruises
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake in northern Peru early this morning damaged a church and some other buildings, blocked a few roads with rockslides, and slightly injured 3 people, ABC News reported on Sunday, November 28, 2021 (story here). By contrast, the much less powerful 6.9-mag Loma Prieta quake in [...]
Dr. Fauci tells Ted Crud where to go
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wants a special prosecutor to pursue criminal charges against Dr. Anthony Fauci for “lying to Congress.” To explain this, ABC News says, “Some Republicans, including Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul … have accused Fauci of lying to Congress when he denied in May t[...]
Making sense of “MAGA” and the politics of unreason
Retired professor and book author Bill Schneider explains (here) the Republican Party “is becoming a cult” based on the “MAGA” values espoused by Trump. This isn’t new. “Right-wing extremism,” he says, “dates back to the earliest days of the country.&#[...]
November 27th, 2021 - 8:33 pm § in Misc.
Rent-A-Hitman.com is a joke, but its “customers” aren’t kidding
An IT guy set up a parody website called Rent-A-Hitman.com (here). To his surprise, he soon began getting serious “customers,” mostly women. Guys, if you’ve fooled around, better watch your backs. She’s out to get you. Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
In case you didn’t notice, oil prices just plunged
Soaring fuel prices have been the most visible, if not most causative, manifestation of inflation. The inflation making headlines has many causes — Federal Reserve policy, the pandemic, consumer activity, supply and shipping bottlenecks — and is more intense in some sectors of the econom[...]
No, Biden’s African travel ban isn’t hypocritical
America is polarized between left and right, with most of us in the middle. I’m convinced most Americans want intelligent discussion of public issues that affect us all. Truth, logic, and reason still matter. I criticize rightwingers on this blog, for good reason. They don’t want reasone[...]
November 27th, 2021 - 5:14 pm § in Misc.
Would you pay an $800 library fine?
Of course not, because if you’re the patron who owes it, you’re dead. It took 110 years to rack up that fine at 2 cents per day. The book — a sequel to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm — was checked out on November 8, 1911, became overdue two weeks later, and was returned last week[...]
Arizona GOP sues to keep out climate change
Faced with irrefutable proof of climate change — the proof of their own eyes — Republicans no longer deny it’s happening. Now, their battle has shifted to keeping it out of their states. By preventing people from elsewhere bringing it with them. For example, when the Arizona attorn[...]
November 26th, 2021 - 9:26 pm § in China, Foreign Affairs
What crushing Hong Kong cost China
A generation of young Taiwanese, and any remaining hope of mutual reconciliation. “As authorities in Hong Kong arrested pro-democracy supporters, including opposition politicians and newspaper editors, a growing number of people in Taiwan have reflected upon the island’s future relatio[...]