Originally posted at Apt. 11D, the newsletter
On this chilly Friday morning, I am waiting until 10am to go for a run. I’m very much missing the warm weather from our short trip to Florida. I’ve already pumped out two newsletters this week, plus a bonus picture dump on my blog, so this will be short.
Lately, random people have been calling my house to ask about colleges that support autistic and special needs students. They hear about me through the grapevine and know that I’ve spent three years working on this for my son. So, I decided to set up an LLC to do this professionally. Public schools don’t want to provide parents with this information, so I’ll do it and make some money.
Filling in holes in the public education system is a serious business model, btw. A friend of mine used her knowledge of dyslexia to build a small empire of Kumon franchises. I love smart moms.
I watched the Republican debate this week with only half a brain turned on. None of those guys have a chance. At best, they are auditioning for Trump’s Vice Presidential spot. A second term of Trump would not be a good thing at all. Read Drezner.
Nearly Everyone Gets A’s at Yale
The Free Press on antisemiticism on college campuses
New Jersey’s test results are finally out. Like everywhere, scores aren’t back to pre-COVID levels. Lots of depressing news like nearly half the state’s high school seniors aren’t graduation ready in math. More from Laura Waters.
I love a good end-of-the year list. Check out @BevWeintraub‘s best education article round up at The 74.
Every parent is crying at this old Coke Commercial.
I loved all the online snark about the Ms. McGill’s attempt to stem the damage from her testimony before Congress this week. Seems she’s out of a job now. Maybe.
Julia Ioffe: “According to three senior Biden admin officials, Hamas is not releasing the remaining women hostages because, it seems, they have been sexually abusing them. One official said they think Hamas is keeping these women in order to keep raping them.”
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I keep hearing from professors that their students are more unprepared than ever.
A couple of years ago, I made our Christmas garland from vintage spools of thread. I really should make that into a TikTok video.
Pictures: The Breakers Hotel, West Palm Beach, Florida from December 2, 2023.
ICYMI
On Wednesday, I wrote about antisemiticism on the college campus.
I really need to tackle autism again. Here’s my popular newsletter about autism.
Apt. 11d 
One of my kids saw The Boy and the Heron (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-movie-review-2023).
He says in our family grext, “So so so good. I nearly cried at the very end, also very esoteric. It’s both heartwarming and really confusing at times. It’s probably the best movie of the year.”
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Good luck consulting. It’s been good for me, but I’m not independent.
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Thanks. I’m planning on just doing this as one of my many side gigs. I’m tired of working for free, so if people are going to keep asking for help, they’ll have to pay.
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I’m a beiever that people should get paid for the work they do. I know a few folks with businesses in this vein (in my world it’s more likely to be college consulting, finding quirky homeschool agreements). I’ve noted a start for many is being paid for something already (tutoring coaching piano) — then why not for other services?
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“A second term of Trump would not be a good thing at all. Read Drezner. ” I have been in the slough of despond over this: Trump is actually ahead, and even if Biden were slightly ahead in national totals that would be two and a half million wasted votes in Calif and a million in New York and Trump gets Reagan-type majority in the electoral college.
The best hope I can come up with is that the giant brains on his staff (??) have him ready to release his delegates just before the convention to select somebody sensible but younger. That’s what Dick Morris claimed was in the works. But that’s a thin reed to cling to..
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Dick Morris is a toe-sucking freak who hasn’t been relevant since I was in Ohio. When Biden dies, I’ll mourn him. Until he dies, I’ll do GOTV for him.
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I hereby nominate this for Comment of the Year. 10/10, would not change a word.
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Who’s toes did/does Dick Morris suck, and why does this behavior deign him a freak? Are they acceptable toes or non acceptable toes? Did his toe sucking result in your job loss in Ohio? Or was it just the normal ebb and flow of politics that resulted in your job loss.
If Joe Biden sucked toes would he still be worthy of your GOVT?
Asking for a friend.
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Kids don’t remember history these days.
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Thank you. If you must know, I left my job in Ohio voluntarily to follow my wife while she was pursuing a degree.
I would not concern myself with Joe Biden’s activities with other consenting adults, so long as they were conducted in ways that didn’t compromise national security. But, I’m glad there are no scandals like that in his biography and I am much happier with Biden as president than I was with Bill Clinton. I liked the various Clinton hangers-on like Morris less than I liked Clinton. Dick Morris is more than 20 years from being in a position to know what the Democratic Party is thinking. Because that’s what happens after you let a prostitute listen to your conversations with the president and the she goes to the press to report that you liked to suck toes.
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Such an adorable non-answer.
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