ANYONE who has played in any competition knows that the taste of victory can also be matched by the pain of injury but they keep battling on.
Australia’s own version of football is facing a crisis from the consequences of concussions in a fierce contact game.
These, however, have been overshadowed by the deadly, potentially, game of chess where a Russian champion has been accused of putting mercury, a deadly poison, on her opponents pieces. Revenge, for an insult, can be sweet but it should never be fatal.
Two weeks ago we all watched the world’s best, except the Russians, at the Olympics and soon the Paralympics, and the only risks are those inherent in their sport and by swimming in the Seine, not by any act of malice.
The Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger” should be extended to include, “Honest, Fairest and Safest”.
This ideal should be the cornerstone of all competitions, even chess.
***
Fake news in education?
The United Kingdom school curriculum is going to require teachers to teach their students how to spot fake news and articles that are just click bait. They will also be taught how to use statistics to examine published results.
This is a great objective and a skill that people truly need but how can it be achieved?
Fake news has moved on from Elvis and UFO sightings to reports that cause riots and attacks that then lead to real injuries.
As to teaching statistics, something I did, or tried to for over 30 years, there are few teachers that actually know how to use them so teaching them is difficult. What we have now are potential presidents that claim they won despite getting significantly less votes and the old favorites of election wins with over 100% of the counted votes.
The task would be so difficult that you wonder if this objective is itself fake news.
***
There is a simple reason
US vice presidential candidate Tim Walz appears to have few investments with no stocks or a house and this has puzzled many, especially economists. But the answer is simple, he was a teacher.
Teachers are often poorly paid and thus find it hard to put money aside for investments. He might be able to find a way for teachers to be paid what they are worth because no one else seems to have been able to.
A thought from a retired teacher!
***
Cause?
Was the crash of X during the “Interview of the Century” between former US president Donald Trump and Elon Musk the result of hackers or karma?
***
Chaos or just the Trump approach
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said that foreign sources wanted to “… sow chaos throughout our Democratic process…”
As an interested observer of many elections – Australian, US and other countries – it would appear that most are chaotic so this is not unusual.
Surely the most chaotic component of the current US election is Donald Trump, and his early morning tweets although the MAGA supporters, as shown on TV, also seem chaotic, and maybe deluded.
Elections should be decided on facts, policies, and not personalities./PN
