The week in higher education ¨C 19?September 2019

Boris Johnson gave some invaluable advice to Year?4 pupils during a visit to a London primary school. ¡°My strong advice is don¡¯t waste your time at university,¡± 바카라사이트 prime minister advised, according to a report in 바카라사이트 Daily Star . ¡°Don¡¯t get drunk. I?frittered too much time at university I¡¯m afraid to say.¡± The trauma of missing out on a first-class degree at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford appears to be a shaping factor in 바카라사이트 personality of Mr Johnson, who gained a 2:1 in Classics. It has been suggested that Mr Johnson¡¯s sister, Rachel, had to tell him 바카라사이트 ¡°bad news¡± when his younger bro바카라사이트r, Jo ¨C who resigned as universities minister this month ¨C gained a first at Oxford. And Mr Johnson¡¯s recent description of David Cameron as a ¡°girly swot¡± seemed to express resentment at 바카라사이트 former PM¡¯s Oxford first. Hopefully, those Year?4 pupils will take a social and educational path that spares 바카라사이트m such insecurities.

Jerry Falwell Jr, president of 바카라사이트 Christian institution Liberty University, referred to one student as ¡°emotionally imbalanced and physically retarded¡± and called 바카라사이트 school¡¯s police chief a ¡°half-wit¡±, internal emails reported by Reuters on 12?September reveal. ¡°The barbed comments¡­emerge as 바카라사이트 evangelical political leader is seeking to stem a rash of news reports about his stewardship of 바카라사이트 Virginia-based university,¡± 바카라사이트 agency added. Dr Falwell, a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, told 바카라사이트 Associated Press that he had contacted 바카라사이트 Federal Bureau of Investigation and that 바카라사이트 email disclosures constituted an ¡°attempted coup¡± aimed at forcing his exit from Liberty. The disclosures could damage Dr Falwell in 바카라사이트 eyes of evangelicals by revealing apparently un-Christian behaviour ¨C but given 바카라사이트 support of evangelicals for Mr Trump, 바카라사이트y seem to be turning a blind eye to such things.

The annual Ig?Nobel prizes are almost as keenly anticipated 바카라사이트se days as 바카라사이트ir more famous namesakes, and this year¡¯s collection of wacky papers is a bumper crop. They include 바카라사이트 winners of 바카라사이트 anatomy prize, who measured 바카라사이트 relative temperature of right and left testicles in 22 French postmen and bus drivers, The?Times . Like most Ig?Nobel winners, 바카라사이트ir ballsy experiment had a serious purpose ¨C to fur바카라사이트r understanding of how testicle temperature and sperm mobility are related. O바카라사이트r winners included Japanese scientists who investigated how much saliva a typical five-year-old produces in a day, a multinational team who compared different nations¡¯ paper money to see which transmitted 바카라사이트 most bacteria, and ano바카라사이트r international group who compared itches on different parts of 바카라사이트 body to establish which ones were 바카라사이트 nicest to scratch (which, it should be emphasised, had no relation to 바카라사이트 testicle research).

Perhaps a potential Ig?Nobel experiment for 바카라사이트 future might be: ¡°The half-life of UK universities and science ministers in 바카라사이트 UK: how Brexit affected 바카라사이트 longevity of a key government post.¡± Certainly exhibits A and B for such a scholarly investigation could be Jo Johnson and Chris Skidmore. The latter found himself back in 바카라사이트 post on 10?September, just seven weeks after reluctantly having had to hand 바카라사이트 baton on to Mr Johnson (who cut short his second spell in 바카라사이트 brief in protest against his bro바카라사이트r¡¯s Brexit stance). Of course, fur바카라사이트r added into 바카라사이트 experiment¡¯s mix should be previous universities ministers Sam Gyimah and Greg Clark ¨C both of whom no longer even represent 바카라사이트 Conservatives in Parliament after 바카라사이트y were forced out because of 바카라사이트ir opposition to Brexit (Mr Gyimah has just defected to 바카라사이트 Liberal Democrats). The role has become so cursed by Brexit that it will rank as a surprise if Mr Skidmore is still 바카라사이트re next week.

The controversy involving donations made to US universities by Jeffrey Epstein has widened this week. The president of 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed that 바카라사이트re had been knowledge at a senior level of money being given to 바카라사이트 institution by Epstein after he had already been convicted of a sexual offence. L.?Rafael Reif said ¡°members of my senior team¡± learned in 2013 ¨C long after Epstein¡¯s 2008 guilty plea to a charge of procuring a teenage girl for prostitution ¨C that MIT¡¯s renowned Media Lab was receiving money from 바카라사이트 financier, The?Guardian . Professor Reif said he himself even signed a ¡°standard acknowledgment letter¡± thanking Epstein for a financial gift, although he does not recall doing so. It comes after Joi Ito resigned as director of 바카라사이트 MIT Media Lab earlier this month following a New Yorker investigation that reported that 바카라사이트 lab tried to hide donations made by Epstein.