Ques: I end this small run of blog posts with the question posed by Professor Brian Boyd at the beginning of our evening: Do we want to close the achievement gap? We know we can close the gap. It’s been done or almost been done before in Scottish education, but the answers have been ignored as they pass us by. The simple clue is this: poverty is single biggest predictor of achievement, and according to research (Hammonds sic, reference required), aged 10, a child living in poverty is 60% less likely to get to university. Boyd borrowed from his own mother’s report card to ask us what kind of education we desire. Is it the academic success at all costs route, or is there another option we need to value as much, if not more? His mother’s report card, one that prevented her from becoming a secondary school pupil in Glasgow, is filled with G and FG, until the last point: Character and conduct - excellent. What kind of pupils do we want to develop in Scotland? What do we value in our assessment system? Opening up opportunity for all is a tough game to play when the examination system rewards only certain types of behaviour, few of them related to what the Curriculum for Excellence says we stand for. In his own small community in East Kilbride, three secondary schools enter a period of meltdown as the local rag sets about creating its own local league table of performance, with those three ‘teams’ in competition for the top spot (or at least not the bottom one). Therefore, we must stop basing “the gap” largely on attainment. First of all, Boyd would like us to remove the traditional, and non-sensical academic/vocational divide. Is the law or medicine degree we value not vocational? (Are all General Practitioners not Plumbers, as Dr Murray on the panel suggests?) Who is Hammond Pick the correct answer from the following options: - A student - A professor - A teacher - not enough information
Ans: not enough information

Ques: Well we're not married (yet), but one time my boyfriend playfully spanked me. Hard. I know he didn't mean to hurt me, but I was mad about it all. Day. Long. I just couldn't get over the fact that he technically hit me! I started to consider things like, “Is he really sorry?” “Will he do it again?” “Should I leave him?” And gave myself reasons like “He didn't mean to!” “He's been apologizing all day!” “He was just playing!” “He meant to have fun, He's sorry!” Yet countered it with one simple statement, “Yeah that's what all abused women say.” In the end, I felt the question that should determine whether or not I should leave is: “If I stop talking to him tomorrow and can never see him or speak to him again, will I be okay with that?” and the answer was “No”, so obviously I shouldn't leave him. He is very well aware that I was considering leaving him, (I have a very strict 0 tolerance policy of abuse in my relationships, as I was abused terribly growing up,) and he still apologizes to this day, but he has certainly made it a point to never do that again. I definitely trust him, and he actually was being playful, but otherwise that has been the only “real” hitch we have come across. I mean, we argue, but that's only when either of us are mad, and it's usually over small stupid stuff. Like, really stupid stuff. We argued over traffic signs before, LOL. It always leads to me saying the argument is completely retarded and we drop it and just cuddle or something. Really not worth getting worked up about. Edit: Fixed some typos. I'm on my phone so my thumbs can't quite reach LOL. Why was the woman thinking so long about the spanking issue? Pick the correct answer from the following options: - Because she wanted to avoid abuse in her relationship - Because the boyfriend was playful - not enough information - Because the boyfriend apologized
Ans: Because she wanted to avoid abuse in her relationship

Ques: President Donald Trump is counting on congressional Republicans to enact a package of tax cuts in the coming weeks, in the process delivering his first major legislative achievement since taking office in January. But even as Trump and his Republican allies close in on the goal of passing tax reform, the Russia investigation continues to be a major distraction. The recent plea deal between Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and the office of special counsel Robert Mueller sent shockwaves around Washington and at the very least seemed to indicate the Russia probe is a long way from being completed. Trump is banking on a tax cut victory to shore up his political base and show supporters and detractors alike that he is a man of his word when it comes to delivering on his campaign promises. House and Senate negotiators are now working to resolve differences in the two versions with hopes of final votes in the coming weeks. But even if the tax plan is enacted into law, its impact is not likely to be felt for at least a year. And polls show the plan has less than majority support. Trump insists the tax cuts will lead to economic growth and more jobs. “I will tell you this is in a nonbraggadocio way,” Trump told supporters in Missouri recently. “There has never been a 10-month president that has accomplished what we have accomplished. That I can tell you.” Democrats oppose the tax plan but lack the votes to stop it. “It rewards the rich in terms of individuals and corporations at the expense of tens of millions of working middle class families in our country,” warned House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Despite his poor standing in national polls, just less than 40 percent approval in most surveys, Trump’s base is largely sticking with him. The latest American Values Survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 84 percent of Republicans continue to back the president. What does President Trump believe his main goal is? Pick the correct answer from the following options: - not enough information - Making the Democrats look bad - Keeping his campaign promises and catering to his base voters - Putting Michael Flynn in jail
Ans: Keeping his campaign promises and catering to his base voters

Ques: WHITE HOUSE — A controversial clothing choice is overshadowing a surprise visit by U.S. first lady Melania Trump to a Texas facility to meet immigrant children separated from their families because of her husband's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy. Boarding a U.S. Air Force jet at and returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday, the first lady was spotted wearing an olive green jacket. The back of the jacket read "I really don't care. Do U?" in white graffiti-style lettering. The first lady's team insisted that there was no hidden meaning behind the sartorial choice. "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe," said her communications director, Stephanie Grisham. President Donald Trump, however, contradicted the assertion there was no message conveyed by his wife's choice of apparel. Trump, in a tweet, said what was written on the back of the jacket "refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!" Television news channels brought pundits in the studio to discuss the meaning conveyed by the jacket. "I think she may have had an audience of one in mind — her husband," said USA Today newspaper Washington bureau chief Susan Page, who has covered six presidential administrations, appearing on MSNBC. "I think it was Melania giving the middle finger to the media," Kate Anderson Brower, author of First Women: The Grace & Power of America's Modern First Ladies, told VOA. "But someone should have told her that it could also be read that she doesn't care about the children, which is clearly not the case." Fashion bloggers quickly identified the jacket as one selling for $39 by Zara, a fast fashion global retailer. It was a relatively humble selection by Trump, a former Paris runway model who is frequently clad for public appearances in haute couture dresses and coats. who wore a jacket that was olive green with comments on the back? Pick the correct answer from the following options: - Melania Trump - Donald Trump - not enough information - Stephanie Grisham
Ans:
Melania Trump