yup. He has time and is keen. I'll pm you.

I'll ask ds. He has tutored a number of kids on this board.

This is so interesting because it is not happening in NZ. 1) There is no grade inflation in high school, with the distribution of national exams as approximately 25% fail, 45%C, 20% B and 10% A. All students (regular, honors, AP equivalent) take the same exact final exam. 2) There is no competition to get into university. If you pass four 12th grade exams with a C you are in to any university here (although engineering school has a higher requirement). 3)There is no grade inflation in university. For my ds's first year statistics class, they were told that 30% of them would fail. This was also true for his chemistry class. Most classes have an average of about 60%, and an 'A' is 80%. 4) They do not worry about retention here. If you can't cut it, then you drop out and go do something else. Very different system. It has its own problems of course.

He was not homeschooled. He got a full ride scholarship to Duke -- Robertson Scholars Leadership Program. He was an amazing kid when I knew him. This scholarship was in leadership, not math. The IMO stuff he did was really just a side gig for him. lol

Yes, I'm probably the only letter that any of these schools received that mentioned prostitutes. lol

Please don't quote. My Councilor's letter: deleted

This is from ds's school profile:

So lovely to meet you and your family! I hope the rest of your trip was awesome!

My 250lb friend was put on 1000 cal per day. He lost 37 pounds in 10 weeks. When I saw him last he was very pleased with himself (which goodness me, I can understand why), but I would say that he seems to have lost a lot of muscle mass in his upper body.

The water situation is a bigger problem. Even if they get water flowing and fuel in to run pumps by tomorrow, it has to get to the people. A population doubled in size, pipes broken, roads damaged. How do you transport and distribute it? People are starting to drink salinated or contaminated water. Water borne illnesses will be rampant. I don't want to consider the death that is coming.

I don't want to get political, but why does Egypt need permission from Israel to open its border? When a border opens, do both sides have to agree to it? Are there fences controlled by each side? Will the crossing be bombed if Egypt opens unilaterally?

I would be a least a little relieved if they just let in the relief aid. I can't figure out why those trucks are not allowed in. Does anyone know?

It's been a long time since I felt horror. I can usually brush things off, but this is bad. really bad.

How is it possible to move that many people? If they pick up and walk, there will be no food and water to where they go. Half of them are children.

Is anyone awake? I'm pretty upset. 1.1 million people to evacuate in 24 hours. They are all going to die, aren't they.

I worked at Parker River Wildlife Refuge in MA as a young adult. And every day that I crossed the bridge I read the sign "No Evacuation Possible". Seabrook nuclear power station is nearby and the very small bridge to the island could not handle an evacuation of residents. The Refuge had iodine tablets for its staff on-site and was a part of our safety training. My plan was to take a jeep, drive to the end of the island, and swim.

Well, we have to use Super Toms. So on different root stock. And we have one very sheltered place in the garden with good sun that is like a heat trap, so it is warmer than the rest. And we are at the 42nd parallel so lots of daylight hours in November-January. Tomatoes will go in in November, if I put them in now, they will die.

About high of 70 degrees low of 55, but if we get a Southerly from Antartica it will be 45 degrees and 50mph winds (about 10% of summer weather). This year they are expecting a serious drought due to el nino, which is a HUGE problem not just because of the plants but because 60% of our electricity is hydro.

I've tried War and Peace, and yes it really is boring. I was trying to keep up with my older boy who decided to attack it at the age of 16. He finished; I didn't.

Well, I just get up early because I wake up. I could just lay in bed for 2 hours until 7am but that is kind of boring. 🙂 I don't fall asleep because I am fascinated by what I read. I can't read fiction or even layperson nonfiction - bores me to tears. I read technical reading because I love it -- it really engages the mind. Currently on my lap is "post-political uncertainties: governing nuclear controversies in post Fukushima Japan." I have to write all over it to make sense of it, so definitely not falling asleep. lol

Here is a photo of me! Steeper than it looks! Removed

We are also working on an ecological restoration project in our back garden that faces the town belt. Removing weeds and planting to natives. It is a super steep hill, so all weeding and planting have to be done in a harness with a pickaxe, and my dh does the belaying. My ds, his girlfriend, my neighbour, and I have all been in the harness multiple times. Quite a mission, but in 5 years it will be incredible.

Southern Hemisphere here. I'm currently planting our vegi patch for the summer - lettuces, broccoli, peas, tomatoes, etc!

I'm a big fan of technical reading, so I'm currently reading The Post-Political and Its Discontents. Very eye opening.

I get up early and read from 5am to 11am. I know it gets done because I do it first.