If Hillary Threw Lamps, What's Michelle Going To Do?

The Wizard Aliens are back. How else to explain the news from the National Enquirer that President Obama may be embroiled in a cheating scandal with a former campaign aide?

The Enquirer's case at this point is a bit thin - but after their dogged pursuit of John Edwards, I'm not sure I'd want them poking around my garbage cans.

My advice to Obama: "It wasn't me."

My Regular Kid Beat Up Your Gifted Kid and Might Still End Up More Successful

Beware the early education industrial complex. Interesting article in NY Magazine about kindergarten admissions tests and their worth. Reading about the lengths to which some parents go to give their kids - already beneficiaries of birth into privileged socio-economic strata - further advantage through what can reasonably be called cheating, leaves a bad taste in my mouth*. And ultimately, to what end? It turns out that maybe only 25% of these gifted kids remain gifted into high school. Of course, the halo effect has probably already taken hold. Where are the on-ramps for kids between 4 and 18?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if those who marketed such schemes and methods to hand wringing parents were mostly average students in high school and college? Aside from the respective goals in mind, is there any difference in this sort of behavior from that displayed by sickening pageant moms (and dads)?

As someone who benefited in grade school from being TAGged with the gifted moniker, I have come to believe that it is crap. So many other things come into play when laying the foundation for future success, chief among them an understanding of delayed gratification.

I still remember some betwixt-nerd-discussions of IQ that were the moral equivalent of junior high school boys in the locker room lying about penis sizes. Guilty on both counts.

* I am an adherent of the "life's unfair, so suck it up" school of thought.