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1. I’m going take a contrarian view of Dr. Farrell’s “The student responded with a lot of nonsense and spelled Versailles (when I had spelled it correctly in the question) as ‘Versigh’”. I think the student told the good Dr. that they were otherwise board with the Treaty of Versailles…sigh! Possibly the student was not a representation of ” how dumb people are!” rather was in fact very much aware and in using satire attempted to underscore otherwise uselessness of the Treaty of Versailles given the 60 or so treaties that transpired after it prior to WWII. Maybe I am similarity situated to the student as I announced one day in High School Latin class “veni vidi vidi discessi”.

   1. I flunked 1st year Latin and had to go to summer school. I passed the next year by memorizing Caesar in English. Fond memories.

      1. I also flunked 1st year Latin with score 64 passing 65. 1976 Graduate School for Chemistry option ability to read foreign language or two computer languages. Undergraduate so I need to take 2 courses to assure employment of foreign language department Ok German lit and Italian lit both taught in English DONE. I used computers every day from 1976 to 2015 in my Chemistry Career. Also saved from priesthood all good.

2. You, Joseph and I do have differences in emphasis, but being more or less in the same age cohort, we have in the main, similar experiences and sensibilities. There was a comedy group in the 60’s and 70’s called Firesign Theater that had an album entitled ” Everything You Know is Wrong.” We laughed and laughed, but it was more than right. I grew up with the idea that the world was straight and the straight path was the one to follow, and I did so with excellence. In the second half of the 1960’s, it began to be clear that certain things we trusted were pushing partisan agendas (not that this was novel) and their explanations were increasingly unpalatable, even ridiculous.

   The so-called energy crisis was one of the first I thought was contrived. I knew but little, but that the world was large and nothing that big could change so rapidly. I won’t bother to enumerate all the ensuing and related operations since then, but each invited its own unique cynicism.

   In short, what we have witnessed is not only the massiveness of the world, but the depth and pervasiveness of the corruption. Again, with the straight-shooting upbringing we had enjoyed, we didn’t personally experience a majority of people with deep moral depravity and continued to imagine it as anomalous, instead of endemic. This has taken a great deal of effort to unlearn.

   I raised children straight but told them that dark forces and conspiracies underlie most of what they take for granted. They don’t perforce want to believe it, and a division ensues. But there is no going back for me; I cannot unsee what has become manifest.

   If I was to write an autobiography, I fancy calling it “Slow Learner,” in self mockery of my generally precocious uptake of information and photographic memory. It’s accordingly difficult to let go of strong impressions even when they are repudiated. I suppose my children have the same traits and are merely behind in unlearning.

   In this seemingly conflicted situation, I take hope that they may come to the light and save their world. No one, no revolutionary, no peacemaker ultimately wants chaos. They want reliability and tranquility.

3. I have to stop and thank you both for the amazing “learning plan for children” this is vital and I am writing my notes!!!

4. Catherine, you have Sean McDermott, coach of the Buffalo Bills
   confused with Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner who makes 63 million per year
   Most coaches make around 10 million a year I believe

   1. Yes, Titus corrected me on M&M. Thanks!

5. I waited for a snowy afternoon so I could sit back, listen, and enjoy these words of wisdom. I loved it all! Thank you both so much!

6. Dear Catherine
   Towards the end, when you are talking about ‘Hero of the Week’ over the past year, you mentioned Cafe Vollpension. I missed it the first time so I just had a look. https://home.solari.com/hero-of-the-week-march-21-2022-cafe-vollpension-vienna/
   What a great idea.
   As you, Joseph and Vollpension show, there is indeed life after 60.

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