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Social Security tackles overpayment ‘injustices,’ but problems remain

Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?Israel approves proposed ceasefire with Lebanon's Hezbollah

Ross County manager Don Cowie says Connor Randall’s absence for their match against Celtic this weekend is an opportunity for someone else to step up. The 29-year-old midfielder was booked in the Staggies’ 2-1 win over Motherwell last Saturday , meaning he passed the threshold that triggered a suspension for accumulation of yellow cards. He will now miss the trip to defending Premiership champions Celtic, leaving a hole in the middle of the park for County. As far as Cowie is concerned, though, he still has plenty of options at his disposal, so he is keen to see who can step up and stake their claim for more minutes in Randall’s absence. “I couldn’t believe that Connor got booked on Saturday,” Cowie explained. “ If anything he got fouled, but he got booked, and that means now we don’t have him. “It was maybe in the back of his mind, but he definitely didn’t hold back last Saturday. “Maybe he was in the thick of things and managed to put it to one side, because between him, Josh Nisbet and Noah Chilvers they gave us that platform to go and win the game in the second half last Saturday. They complemented each other really well. “Maybe Connor will have a bit more freedom when he comes back, but I have only seen someone giving his everything for the club. “There was always the potential that he was going to miss a game in the next few weeks if he got booked, and it’s this one. “We have plenty of options, so it’s up to the players this week to put themselves forward and suggest they want to play. “Between Victor Loturi, Charlie Telfer, Scott Allardice and Aiden Denholm – who all didn’t start last weekend – we have players I have a lot of belief in. It’s up to them now to potentially play this Saturday.” Even as club captain, Randall has not played every minute when available for Ross County this season, which speaks to the depth Cowie alluded to. Although this weekend he will be forced into changes, the Staggies boss often does tinker with his starting 11 to freshen up the side, or deal with specific threats in the opposition line-up. As a result, he does not have a first choice team in mind as he is so reliant on the depth of his squad. “I don’t see it as a starting 11,” Cowie added. “I see it as a really good squad that we’ve good, and I don’t think there’s much between the players in that squad. “That’s my honest opinion, and that’s maybe why I change a few players in each game. “I look at the opposition we’re playing and try to nullify their threats while hurting them in a positive manner, so I genuinely don’t see it as a starting team. “There probably isn’t such a thing as a starting 11 nowadays. “With the five subs, you always have that option to change within the game as well, so it’s about giving yourself the best base to work from at the start of the game. That’s what we try to do.”Think You've Got Holiday Spirit? See If These 33 Christmas Classics Are Part Of Your Movie RepertoireBridgeline to Report Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2024

Lisa Simpson once said during an episode of “The Simpsons:” What could be more exciting than the savage ballet that is pro football? On Monday night, the entire Simpsons universe gets to experience it in a way not many could have imagined. The prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also take place at Springfield’s Atoms Stadium as part of “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast. The altcast will be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+, and NFL+ (on mobile devices). ESPN and ABC have the main broadcast, while ESPN2 will carry the final “ManningCast” of the regular season. The replay will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, more than 145 countries will have access to either live or on replay. “We’re such huge football fans, and the Simpsons audience and the football audience, I feel, are like the same audience of just American families and football. And the Simpsons are so much a part of the DNA of the American family and culture that for us to, like, mush them together in this crazy video game, it’s so fun,” said Matt Selman, executive producer of “The Simpsons.” While the game is the focal point, the alternate broadcast, in some ways, will resemble a three-hour episode of “The Simpsons.” It starts with Homer eating too many hot dogs and having a dream while watching football. Homer joins the Cowboys in the dream while Bart teams up with the Bengals. Lisa and Marge will be sideline reporters. “That’s the beginning of the story, and the story continues through the entire game until Homer wakes up from his dream at the end of the game. It is like a complete story, and the NFL game will happen in between. It’s just going to be an amazing presentation with tons of surprises,” said Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN’s VP of edit and animation. This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. “The Simpsons” has featured many sports-themed episodes during its 35 seasons. Even though “Homer at the Bat” remains the consensus favorite sports episode for many Simpsons fans, there have been football ones such as “Bart Star” and “Lisa The Greek.” There also was a Super Bowl-themed one after Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 33 between Denver and Atlanta in 1999. Even though “The Simpsons” remains a staple on Fox’s prime-time schedule, it is part of the Disney family after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. All 35 seasons are on Disney+. The show’s creators have worked with ESPN and the NFL to make sure the look and sound is definitely Simpsonsesque. The theme song is a mash-up of “The Simpsons” opening and “Monday Night Football’s” iconic “Heavy Action.” There have also been pre-recorded skits and bits to use during the broadcast featuring Simpson’s legendary voices Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith. The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real-time on the field. That is done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Sony’s Beyond Sports Technology. While Next Gen Stats tracks where players are on the field with a tracking chip in the shoulder pads, there is skeletal data tracking and limb tracking data — which uses 29 points per player — to get closer to the player’s movements. The other data tracking will allow Beyond Sports and Disney to add special characters to the game. For example, there might be a play where Lisa catches the ball and goes 30 yards instead of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. “Lisa is much smaller than the rest of the players. So, in real life, the ball would go over her head, but now, with data processing, we can take the ball and make it go exactly into her hands. So for the viewer, it still looks believable, and it all makes sense,” said Beyond Sports co-founder Nicolaas Westerhof. The other major challenge is making “The Simpsons” two-dimensional cartoon characters into 3-D simulations. Szykowny and his team worked to make that a reality over the past couple of months. “That’s a big leap of faith for them to say, hey, we trust you to make our characters 3-D and work with it. Our ESPN creative studio team has done a wonderful job,” Szykowny said. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart and the Bengals; while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe join up with with Homer and the Cowboys. The broadcast will also feature ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. ESPN’s Drew Carter, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will call the game from Bristol, Connecticut, and also be animated. They will wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield using VR technology. For Kimes, being part of the broadcast and being an animated Simpsons character is a dream come true. She is a massive fan of the show and has a framed photo of Lisa Simpson — who she said is a personal hero and icon — as part of her backdrop when she makes appearances on ESPN NFL shows from her home in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have any input, and I didn’t see anything beforehand, so I wasn’t sure if it would look like me, but it kind of does, which is very funny,” said Kimes, who drew Simpsons characters when she was a kid. “To see the actual staff turn me into one was a dream.” Even though the Bengals (4-8) and Cowboys (5-7) have struggled this season, Selman thinks both teams have personalities that appeal to “The Simpsons” universe. “We were just so lucky also that the Cowboys are sort of like a Homer Simpson-type team, American team, and Mike McCarthy might be a Homer-type guy, one might imagine,” he said. ”And then you have Joe Burrow on the other side who is a cool young, spiky-haired, blonde bad boy -- he’s like Bart. And that fits our character archetypes so perfectly. “If Homer is mad at Bart and has a hot dog dream while watching ’Monday Night Football’, and then it’s basically McCarthy versus Burrow, Homer versus Bart, and that’s the simple father versus son strangling — Homer strangling Bart dynamic that has been part of the show for 35 years. I don’t know if that would have worked as well if it was like Titans versus Jacksonville. We would have found something. We would have made it work.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

AP News Summary at 9:54 a.m. ESTMairs & Power VC Invests in a Baker’s Dozen of Startups Mairs & Power, a venerable investment advisory firm for more than nine decades, has earned a place in Minnesota’s venture capital ecosystem. was launched in 2022 by general partner John Bergstrom, who has a long history in the venture capital business. Scott Burns, a founder of GovDelivery and Structural, . Bergstrom and Burns, assisted by two younger staffers, have been busy evaluating a steady stream of entrepreneurs seeking early-stage investments. Mairs & Power raised $19 million to invest in its initial portfolio of startup companies. “The first fund has which include virtual sleep clinic Gem Health, school transit logistics firm 4Mativ, and 11 others across the Upper Midwest,” Burns said. “We are optimistic about the future. We will continue actively investing in new companies and moving forward with our VC strategy in 2025.” In a recent interview with , Burns explained how Mairs & Power has approached its work as a new player in the venture capital world. “The types of deals we’re trying to do are tech and tech-enabled businesses that are transforming markets and industries,” Burns said. , based out of the Chicago area, is also among the 13 companies that attracted a Mairs & Power investment. He noted that Halo creates a “marketplace of professors” who can bid on research opportunities. In May, the to support partnerships between industry and researchers at emerging research institutions. It stated the pilot would be led by Halo, which it defined as “an artificial intelligence-powered technology platform that helps corporate research and development teams more efficiently connect with scientific partners and bring innovations to market faster.” For the 13 companies that received Mairs & Power investments, Burns said the average initial amount was around $1 million per company. Some of these startups also received a second investment from the $19 million fund. “We’ll continue to do some follow-on investments with them,” Burns said. In the early phase of Mairs & Power VC work, Burns said the firm set out to answer the following question: “Can we find enough opportunities that are capital efficient, meet our definition of tech and tech-enabled, are located in the Upper Midwest, and obviously looking for funding?” The answer was an easy yes. “We’ve been seeing just a tremendous amount of businesses,” Burns said. “The number of business starts in the Upper Midwest is very high. The types of businesses that are applying technology to industry are common here, and there’s not a lot of venture capital chasing them. So all those things line up. We’ve been seeing between 80 and 100 deals per deal we do.” Of course, Mairs & Power does extensive due diligence on the candidates for investment. There are many promising companies being developed. “It’s a competition for where we want to put the capital based on what looks the best,” he said. Nine of the 13 businesses funded are based in Minnesota, and all are from the Upper Midwest. “I really like the fact that we’re seeing so many businesses being started by true industry experts, and those businesses tend to be right in between our startup community and our big company community,” Burns said. Mairs & Power Venture Capital staff identify potential deals through a variety of approaches. Burns noted that he and Bergstrom have “deep and rich” networks, so they’ve conveyed to service providers, industry experts, and finance professionals what they want for startup investment targets. On behalf of the firm, Austin Uline, a principal, and Elise Riniker, an associate, “are out proactively looking for companies all the time,” Burns said. “Our brand has been growing, so some people are coming to us,” he said. “But I would say the best deals are the ones we find, not the ones that find us. We’re happy to screen people who come to us but getting out there and just doing the hard work of making sure we’re getting to [startups] even before they need money has been a lot of fun.” The companies in the Mairs & Power Venture Capital portfolio have regular contact with Burns and Bergstrom. “It’s exciting to have a portfolio of 13 companies,” Burns said. “We work hard to provide very meaningful support to them. I would say I talk to two to five of the companies per day.” Burns and Bergstrom consciously allocate a good chunk of their time to assist the companies, with Burns providing operations advice and Bergstrom offering guidance on finance and governance issues. “We’ve helped recruit a chief technology officer, we’ve helped redesign sales efforts, and we’ve helped one of the companies transform its growth plan and messaging,” Burns said. “Both of us have been part of world class, globally successful businesses that were based out of here, and so we just bring that ambition to the companies.” Rob Mairs, , recalled that it was Henneman who pitched the board of directors a few years ago to get into the venture capital business. “It was risky,” Mairs said, “but it has proven to be tremendous for so many reasons.” He noted that several Mairs’ clients and other staff are excited about the move into venture capital. “There are great synergies between Scott and John and their reputation in the private markets and ours in the public markets,” Mairs said. Henneman is remaining with Mairs & Power as chairman through 2026. “[Venture capital] is one of the areas that he’s going to stay involved and is passionate about,” Mairs said. “He’s in those meetings with Scott and John when they’re approving and considering investments.”

Who is Georgia President Mikheil Kavelashvili? Ex-Premier League soccer player who scored memorable goal versus Manchester UnitedPresidents Biden, Trump, and Clinton laud the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter

The Fiji Times, December 21, 2024

CULLOWHEE, N.C. (AP) — Brit Harris' 16 points helped South Carolina Upstate defeat Western Carolina 74-68 on Saturday night. Harris shot 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Spartans (4-8). Carmelo Adkins added 14 points while going 5 of 8 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) while they also had five rebounds. Karmani Gregory shot 4 for 13 (0 for 3 from 3-point range) and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points. The Catamounts (3-5) were led in scoring by Bernard Pelote, who finished with 14 points. Cord Stansberry added 14 points and three steals for Western Carolina. CJ Hyland finished with nine points and four assists. Both teams next play Saturday. South Carolina Upstate visits South Carolina and Western Carolinaplays UNC Asheville on the road. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Jonah Goldberg Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there's one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that's wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the "sixties" didn't really start until the decade was almost over). But politically, the 21st century neatly began in 2000, when the election ended in a tie and the color coding of electoral maps became enshrined as a kind of permanent tribal color war of "red vs. blue." Elite understanding of politics has been stuck in this framework ever since. Politicians and voters have leaned into this alleged political reality, making it seem all the more real in the process. I loathe the phrase "perception is reality," but in politics it has the reifying power of self-fulfilling prophecy. Like rival noble families in medieval Europe, elites have been vying for power and dominance on the arrogant assumption that their subjects share their concern for who rules rather than what the rulers can deliver. In 2018, the group More in Common published a massive report on the "hidden tribes" of American politics. The wealthiest and whitest groups were "devoted conservatives" (6%) and "progressive activists" (8%). These tribes dominate the media, the parties and higher education, and they dictate the competing narratives of red vs. blue, particularly on cable news and social media. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans resided in, or were adjacent to, the "exhausted majority." These people, however, "have no narrative," as David Brooks wrote at the time. "They have no coherent philosophic worldview to organize their thinking and compel action." Lacking a narrative might seem like a very postmodern problem, but in a postmodern elite culture, postmodern problems are real problems. It's worth noting that red vs. blue America didn't emerge ex nihilo. The 1990s were a time when the economy and government seemed to be working, at home and abroad. As a result, elites leaned into the narcissism of small differences to gain political and cultural advantage. They remain obsessed with competing, often apocalyptic, narratives. That leaves out most Americans. The gladiatorial combatants of cable news, editorial pages and academia, and their superfan spectators, can afford these fights. Members of the exhausted majority are more interested in mere competence. I think that's the hidden unity elites are missing. This is why we keep throwing incumbent parties out of power: They get elected promising competence but get derailed -- or seduced -- by fan service to, or trolling of, the elites who dominate the national conversation. There's a difference between competence and expertise. One of the most profound political changes in recent years has been the separation of notions of credentialed expertise from real-world competence. This isn't a new theme in American life, but the pandemic and the lurch toward identity politics amplified distrust of experts in unprecedented ways. This is a particular problem for the left because it is far more invested in credentialism than the right. Indeed, some progressives are suddenly realizing they invested too much in the authority of experts and too little in the ability of experts to provide what people want from government, such as affordable housing, decent education and low crime. The New York Times' Ezra Klein says he's tired of defending the authority of government institutions. Rather, "I want them to work." One of the reasons progressives find Trump so offensive is his absolute inability to speak the language of expertise -- which is full of coded elite shibboleths. But Trump veritably shouts the language of competence. I don't mean he is actually competent at governing. But he is effectively blunt about calling leaders, experts and elites -- of both parties -- stupid, ineffective, weak and incompetent. He lost in 2020 because voters didn't believe he was actually good at governing. He won in 2024 because the exhausted majority concluded the Biden administration was bad at it. Nostalgia for the low-inflation pre-pandemic economy was enough to convince voters that Trumpian drama is the tolerable price to pay for a good economy. About 3 out of 4 Americans who experienced "severe hardship" because of inflation voted for Trump. The genius of Trump's most effective ad -- "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" -- was that it was simultaneously culture-war red meat and an argument that Harris was more concerned about boutique elite concerns than everyday ones. If Trump can actually deliver competent government, he could make the Republican Party the majority party for a generation. For myriad reasons, that's an if so big it's visible from space. But the opportunity is there -- and has been there all along. Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com . Catch the latest in OpinionRangers 'mind games' denied by Jim Goodwin as Dundee Utd boss puts Ian McCall right over his Ibrox tacticsSchool ends on a high note! The annual awards day and graduation ceremonies concluded the 2024 academic year. Journalists from The Fiji Times were busy travelling around the country taking pictures and reporting success stories from this special day. Ana Madigibuli and her team did a marvellous job as they reported on the prizegiving ceremonies that were carried out. I could imagine the excitement and sheer delight within those who walked away with a prize. Their hard work and struggles ended as they celebrated their success with loved ones. Nabua Secondary rewarded their students on Thursday, and I thank Wanshika Kumar and The Fiji Times for the coverage. The emotions on the faces of the day scholars and Matua students spoke about their struggles and how they brandished them to achieve excellence. The prize getters journey to achieving this feat has been through hard work and perseverance. These students organised and managed their time effectively. Their success demonstrates that with balance, and support, success is achievable. We must encourage young people to sacrifice and struggle to strive for their goals. They must be encouraged to set their priorities right and manage their time wisely. Parental support plays a vital role in the child’s success. With the changing tide and impact of drugs, technology and social media, parents need to step up and spend quality time with their children. Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu Yaqona thieves On Taveuni, as with most areas throughout our beloved nation, the place is small enough that the people know more than those who are supposed to know! Just ask the people! They know who the culprits are! And you better start eradicating the freebies now because the words of warning out on social media for the culprits is most certainly not sounding good! On an island where the authorities have lost the plot, and the history of theft amounts to years and millions of dollars in heartbreak and losses, retaliation escalates to a peak where the outcome will most certainly not be pleasing! Noleen Billings Savusavu Bill to protect kids It’s good the parliamentarians have passed new legislation for the care and protection of children in need or at risk and Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam is waxing lyrical about it (FT 7/12). But I wonder how many of them had actually read the Juveniles Act, the Probation of Offenders Act and the Adoption of Infants Act which had provided the legal framework for the care and protection of children with their best interest and welfare as paramount? Rajend Naidu B Sydney, Australia Game changer The planned, game-changer $1.5billion tourism development on the Wailoaloa Nadi foreshore augurs well for Fiji’s employment, economy and the country’s inherited debt repayments. This is truly a massive investment. We trust all authorities will rise to the occasion with their vetting and due diligence. I wish to sincerely congratulate the Hong Kong based investors for their confidence in choosing Nadi for their bold initiatives. May every success and good fortune be bestowed upon them, Nadi and Fiji, as a whole. Ronnie Chang Martintar, Nadi The horse has bolted The drug problem has gotten out of hand in the past two years since the election of this government. There appears to be a perception in high places that once a Commissioner of Police is confirmed the drug problem will suddenly disappear. I think these people believe in Santa Claus as well. All the chiefs are talking about making up their own laws about this problem as they go – just like the government has been making up laws as they go. The reality is, while everyone does not want vulagi things permeating the culture in Fiji, they simply cannot stop these things. It is like trying to stop a vulagi religion permeating every aspect of life in Fiji. The horse bolted a long time ago. Jan Nissar Osaka, Japan Supply and demand chain Honourable Naupoto mentions the need for a major Supply and Demand chain check in the country to assist in countering drug activities. This is best addressed by much more intensive investigation into the contents of shipping containers at wharfs, and further checks during unstuffing of containers at the point of delivery, e.g wholesalers, retailers, vehicle importers etc. Anecdotal advice suggests that the port of Suva is used as a major transit hub for precursors, at least one instance has been uncovered. In England, $200million worth of drugs was shipped in over four years hidden in consignments of garlic, onions and ginger which naturally cannot be detected by sniffer dogs. These items are plentiful imports into the country. Are these shipments ever thoroughly checked? Stashing drugs into large electrical items such as fridges, washing machines et cetera, is another favourite method which could be detected when containers are unstuffed at points of destination. It doesn’t need me to tell the authorities how proper checks can be implemented, it can be done but the “secrecy” is always a problem. Allan Loosley Tavua 2013 Constitution So much had been said and heard during the 26th Attorney-General’s Conference at the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort at Denarau in Nadi but with very little being accomplished as far as the Changing of the 2013 Constitution is concerned and rightly so because of the major hurdles of requirements of the majority numbers in Parliament and of course the unpredictable public referendum. Digesting the many issues that were the highlights of constitutional and prominent Suva lawyer Jon Apted (F/T 07/12), it is obviously clear and plain that the 2013 Constitution was engineered by its authors with all the intention of permanent subjection of all people of this small, tiny country with autocracy and subserviency control under the covering of ‘democratic’ principles. Now, we must bear in mind that as we currently live under this 2013 documents, we are actually living and conducting all our civil and democratic principles unlawfully since the coup-de tat of 2006 was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court ruling in April 2009 with the Qarase case judgement. Aren’t we conscious of our total illegality? So, the only possible path way forward without too many hurdles is for this country to allow the Court system to decide on that 2009 Supreme Court ruling on the Qarase case and remove this controversial and illegal document and believe me – there is no other way. MELI BOGILEKA Natabua, Lautoka Walking the talk You raise a number of pertinent questions in The Fiji Times editorial on who is responsible and accountable for the “over 8000 illegal immigrants in Fiji” (FT 7/12). One thing for sure is that it’s not the ordinary citizens. Could this have been a post coup phenomenon when democratic governance was weakened because those in power could not be held to standards of transparency, accountability and scrutiny expected? One other very important question we must not shy away from is what part official corruption played in the influx of illegal immigrants in the country? Rajend Naidu Sydney, Australia Lack of trash bins! I commend the trusted brand and the people’s newspaper for highlighting Fiji’s political, social and environmental issues in an ethical and professional manner. Littering has become a nemesis, an eyesore and an issue affecting our municipal councils and the residents alike. While the municipalities are pointing fingers at the residents for illegal rubbish and white goods dumping, fingers are also pointing at the municipalities for their failure to collect white goods on time and for the lack of trash bins, as pointed out by The Fiji Times (05/12). According to Jake Wise, municipalities across Fiji were grappling with a shortage of rubbish bins, leaving many towns and cities unable to effectively manage the growing waste generated by their growing populations. It’s sad to note that there is a shortage of rubbish bins along footpaths in the Capital City. With rising urban population, the demand for proper waste management systems, including the provision of sufficient rubbish bins, is more urgent than ever. We need to keep our environment clean. It cannot be done by an individual but by everyone! Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu Cause and effect Drugs have silently eroded the moral and physical stature of the people of our beloved nation. I note that the second Speaker’s Debate touched on Drugs while the slogan on the banner that late afternoon cried ‘The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention’. Sadly, the reality of our solutions are targeted more at fixing the effects of drugs while we tend to shy away from treating the cause which is the heart and heat of the matter! And despite the fact that we have national security planners and are spending ‘every which way’ as us kailoma like to put it, somehow our borders remain open and defenceless to all forms of criminal activity. So how about instead of bringing in the huge boats that get stuck on reefs, we decentralise our Customs Department, set them up on the furthest of our islands in our group of islands including Rotuma, build the right infrastructure on them, equip them with the right communication and surveillance equipment, get them say 40 boats and a bunch of armed policemen and service them with our government barges and island freighters! We can bet our bottom dollar that our weak and vulnerable points has been studied to the letter! Noleen Billings Savusavu English and the vernacular OK, I get it. Children taught in their vernacular, as Prof. Paul Gerahaty (FT 29/11) is suggesting, might help improve some of the academic results attributed to a better comprehension in their own language. But jeez, Prof, how on Earth do you teach a myriad of subjects in the vernacular that require English as a basis of learning and understanding? If we were to take a step back, could the problem be how teachers are conveying the message of the subject so it’s a communication based teaching style issue that needs looking into? Or, could it be a lack of adequate teaching materials and technological support? Could it be a lapse and focus on the part of pupils who’re failing because of the challenges of home life where there are serious financial constraints or even domestic violence issues? Could the problem be related to nutrition where a child is not getting adequate nutrients in their everyday meals because of the financial struggles in the home? Could it be linked to problems with alcohol, drugs, porn and the lure of digitised games on the internet because of plain boredom? Is the curriculum relevant or appropriately structured to meet the needs and standards of the current crop of students? Could some of these students who’re not up to par have learning difficulties? Could some of these students have issues at home where they’re not receiving the love and support of their parents and/or guardians to help them overcome the hurdles and challenges of school life? Could it be because exams favour certain learning styles while they lose a significant proportion of pupils because they didn’t understand or grasp the message, context or concept of what was being taught? There could be a myriad of different reasons why certain children do well while others flop. So there needs to be a holistic approach to understand why so many children are struggling with school work and with their exams. I’m a fan of yours and have great respect for the work that you do. I know your heart’s in the right place. And I understand that you’re trying desperately to find a solution to help improve academic excellence and performance. However, the positive side to all of this is that your suggestion has started a dialogue deluge. And hopefully, there’ll be a host of solutions raining down to help fix the failure rate. So vinaka and good on you for sparking the discussion. Colin Deoki Australia