McLeod on Education and Smoking

[liadnan]

It was sunny when I woke up, and I was full of the joys of Spring. Now hail sweeps across central London, and my mood.

But enough of that.

KenMcLeod of the Clan Mcleod (you did that yesterday: Ed) writes, as so many others have, on the appalling general knowledge test results coming, for once, from England rather than the Transatlantic Colonies:

Blame is being divided between the Left in the education system (downgrading 'kings and battles' history for social history) and Hollywood (making shit up). This seems fair and balanced.

...

I can think of ways in which the method of the survey could bias the results. If, for instance, people were presented with a list of names of battles, and asked to indicate which were real and which were not, wouldn't Endor and Helm's Deep sound more historical than the Little Big Horn and the Bulge? Still, I like the idea that some of my compatriots believe Harold Wilson flanked by Xena and Conan led an army of cyborgs to victory over the apes in the Battle of Woking during the Martian invasion ...

There's a novel in there somewhere.

Plus a later post on smoking bans:

In the smoking culture war, of course, 48.03% of statistics are made up, so I prefer to stick with arguments from liberty and common sense. If it turns out to 'work' in Ireland, I won't take that as a reason to oppose it less in Scotland. I'll just take it as bad news about the Irish.

Glad to know the hard left are on my side.

Anyway, having made it look as though I've made a substantial post by quoting someone else at length, and having spent the day on a fairly complicated Thing (raising the interesting question of whether long-established subtle differences that may -or may not- exist between equitable presumptions about gifts made by husbands to wives and those about gifts made by wives to husbands, usually operating to the benefit of the wife, should be revisited by the courts or left to Parliament to resolve), and having run out of breath on that last parenthesis, I shall now go forth from this place and wend my way slowly and via a cafe to Soho House, apparently, at the kind invitation of Simon. Went out with K. last night, so this idea of living quietly while I recuperate seems to have gone for a Burton. What is a Burton? Can I be bothered to google? Tune in tomorrow for the next thrilling installment...

Comments

[susumu.livejournal.com]

They make snowboards.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

You owe me pre-wedding alcohol.

[liadnan]

When is good?

[alan1957.livejournal.com]

re: surveys on people's 'istorical knowledge (or lack thereof)...don't people fink that maybe, just maybe, 'some' people don't answer these fings truthfully. i mean maybe they don't like being tested, or partonized, or they just fink it's funny ter say stupid shit 'n' wind up the readers of 'big' papers.

"...smoking bans...Glad to know the hard left are on my side."
well, unless fings 'ave dramatically changed since my day, that's because we all smoke like fucking chimneys.