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Duke rallies from 14 down, beats Wake Forest 23-17 on final-play pass
LONDON: “Human intelligence,” the cultural critic Neil Postman once wrote, “is among the most fragile things in nature. It doesn’t take much to distract it, suppress it, or even annihilate it.” The year was 1988, a former Hollywood actor was in the White House, and Postman was worried about the ascendancy of pictures over words in American media, culture and politics. Television "conditions our minds to apprehend the world through fragmented pictures and forces other media to orient themselves in that direction", he argued in an essay in his book Conscientious Objections. “A culture does not have to force scholars to flee to render them impotent. A culture does not have to burn books to assure that they will not be read ... There are other ways to achieve stupidity.” DECLINE IN LITERACY SKILLS What might have seemed curmudgeonly in 1988 reads more like prophecy from the perspective of 2024. This month, the OECD released the results of a vast exercise : In-person assessments of the literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills of 160,000 adults aged 16 to 65 in 31 different countries and economies. Compared with the last set of assessments a decade earlier, the trends in literacy skills were striking. Proficiency improved significantly in only two countries (Finland and Denmark), remained stable in 14, and declined significantly in 11, with the biggest deterioration in South Korea, Lithuania, New Zealand and Poland. Among adults with tertiary-level education (such as university graduates), literacy proficiency fell in 13 countries and only increased in Finland, while nearly all countries and economies experienced declines in literacy proficiency among adults with below upper secondary education. Singapore and the US had the biggest inequalities in both literacy and numeracy. “Thirty per cent of Americans read at a level that you would expect from a 10-year-old child,” Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the OECD, told me – referring to the proportion of people in the US who scored level 1 or below in literacy. “It is actually hard to imagine – that every third person you meet on the street has difficulties reading even simple things.” In some countries, the deterioration is partly explained by an ageing population and rising levels of immigration, but Schleicher says these factors alone do not fully account for the trend. His own hypothesis would come as no surprise to Postman: That technology has changed the way many of us consume information, away from longer, more complex pieces of writing, such as books and newspaper articles, to short social media posts and video clips. At the same time, social media has made it more likely that you "read stuff that confirms your views, rather than engages with diverse perspectives, and that’s what you need to get to [the top levels] on the [OECD literacy] assessment, where you need to distinguish fact from opinion, navigate ambiguity, manage complexity", Schleicher explained. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLITICS AND PUBLIC DEBATE The implications for politics and the quality of public debate are already evident. These, too, were foreseen. In 2007, writer Caleb Crain wrote an article called Twilight of the Books in The New Yorker magazine about what a possible post-literate culture might look like. In oral cultures, he wrote, cliche and stereotype are valued, conflict and name-calling are prized because they are memorable, and speakers tend not to correct themselves because “it is only in a literate culture that the past’s inconsistencies have to be accounted for”. Does that sound familiar? These trends are not unavoidable or irreversible. Finland demonstrates the potential for high-quality education and strong social norms to sustain a highly literate population, even in a world where TikTok exists. England shows the difference that improved schooling can make: There, the literacy proficiency of 16-year-olds to 24-year-olds was significantly better than a decade ago. THE QUESTION OF AI The question of whether AI could alleviate or exacerbate the problem is more tricky. Systems like ChatGPT can perform well on many reading and writing tasks: They can parse reams of information and reduce it to summaries. A number of studies suggest that, when deployed in the workplace, these tools can significantly increase the performance of lower-skilled workers. In one study, researchers tracked the impact of an AI tool on customer service agents who provided technical support via written chat boxes. The AI tool, trained on the conversational patterns of top performers, provided real-time text suggestions to agents on how to respond to customers. The study found lower-skilled workers became more productive and their communication patterns became more similar to those of higher-skilled workers. David Autor, an economics professor at MIT, has even argued that AI tools could enable more workers to perform higher-skilled roles and help restore “the middle-skill, middle-class heart of the US labour market”. But, as Autor says, in order to make good use of a tool to “level up” your skills, you need a decent foundation to begin with. Absent that, Schleicher worries that people with poor literacy skills will become “naive consumers of prefabricated content”. In other words, without solid skills of your own, it is only a few short steps from being supported by the machine, to finding yourself dependent on it, or subject to it.Three-game skid over, NC State faces winless Coppin StateNone
It seems the Ohio State Buckeyes weren’t done throwing hands even after their matchup against the Michigan Wolverines ended this Saturday. Despite facing the favored Buckeyes on the road, the Wolverines kept their win streak alive against their Big Ten rivals. The 2023 CFP champions even managed to knock Ohio State out of the B1G Championship, but it was when they went to demonstrate their territorial conquest that trouble ensued. After defeating the Buckeyes for the fourth straight year, 13-10, Michigan players attempted to plant a flag (with a bold M on it) in the middle of the field. It’s a tradition often seen in CFB games, where the winning team plants the flag to assert dominance over their opponents. Linebacker Kenneth Murray did the same to Ohio State back in 2017, much to the dismay of the fans. But this week, it wasn’t the fans who seemed upset—it was also the Buckeyes squad, who appeared furious. It started with edge rusher Derrick Moore carrying the flag to midfield, which led to some back-and-forth. Then punches were thrown, and kicks too. Both sides landed some solid jabs, with several players getting maced by the authorities. And all of this fight was broadcast on live TV — something Deion Sanders Jr. (son of Deion Sanders) seemed to appreciate. As someone who specializes in recording and sharing moments with the world, he couldn’t help but admire how the camera crew captured “the high wide angle so we can enjoy the full fight.” Another person who seemed to enjoy the fight was Vikings QB JJ McCarthy. Having won the national championship with U-M last year, he’s all too familiar with how intense things can get when the team wins. He expressed his appreciation for the celebration—and perhaps the fight—as part of the game. However, not many viewed the post-game fight as part of the game. Robert Griffin III, for example, shared a brief clip of the altercation and wrote, “No place for this in the game. EVER” Skip Bayless, too, wasn’t happy with how things transpired after the game. However, he mentioned that while planting flags isn’t his style, what the Buckeyes did (throw punches) was justified. He was rather pleased that the home team managed to snatch the flag away. According to Zach Shaw of CBS Sports , Buckeyes DE Jack Sawyer grabbed the flag from Moore’s hands, ripped it off the pole, dropped it to the ground, and stepped on it. It’s quite the image if you want to picture it.
Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo continues to pack on the PDA with new millionaire fiancé James Watt as she shares festive photos Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com By RUTH FRANCIS FOR MAILONLINE Published: 22:20, 29 December 2024 | Updated: 22:20, 29 December 2024 e-mail View comments She recently got engaged during an idyllic Greek getaway after 18 months of dating. And on Sunday, Georgia Toffolo, 30, took to social media to share some adorable Christmas snaps of her and fiancé James Watt. The former Made In Chelsea star posed with her husband-to-be in the car wrapped up in wooly winter jumpers on their way to stay with family. In another photo, Georgia wowed in a black long sleeved dress that boasted a stylish white collar. Resting her head lovingly on her partner's shoulder, she smiled to the camera, whilst James - the BrewDog founder, 42 - beamed in a pair of sunglasses and a festive headband. Another image from the same day, saw the couple radiate happiness with their arms around each other, as they enjoyed a lavish dinner. Georgia Toffolo took to social media to share some adorable Christmas snaps of her and fiancé James Watt In one photo Georgia wowed in a black long sleeved dress that boasted a stylish white collar as she rested her head lovingly on her partner's shoulder, who beamed in a pair of sunglasses and a festive headband Georgia, who found fame on Made In Chelsea, also shared snaps of the family in matching pyjamas for the festive photos stood on top of a hill. The sweet post saw Georgia with her arm outstretched, wearing a pair of reindeer antlers, whilst James wrapped up in a hat and jumper, had a youngster sat on his shoulders. In another photo Georgia flashed her huge sparkler as she posed in a black fluffy hat. With the huge diamond on show, the reality star pouted for the camera and let her blonde locks fall loosely down her shoulders. Alongside the collection, Georgia penned how she was making the most of being her last Christmas before the pair wed next year. She wrote: 'Soaking up my first Christmas being engaged and my last before we get married. 'Happily my family were with us up in Scotland - true to form we have done far too much and are all zonked and exhausted. So worth it though. 'Anyone else battled feeling under the weather this year? Desperate to get in bed with my book and not move!' Another image from the same day, saw the couple radiate happiness with their arms around each other, as they enjoyed a lavish dinner The pair who got engaged during an idyllic Greek getaway in October after 18 months of dating looked happier than ever as they celebrated over the festive season Georgia, who found fame on Made In Chelsea, also shared snaps of the family in matching pyjamasas they stood on top of a hill Alongside the collection, Georgia penned how she was making the most of being her last Christmas before the pair wed next year In another photo Georgia flashed her huge sparkler as she posed in a black fluffy hat and let her blonde locks fall loosely down her shoulders For another image, the blonde bombshell wore a white fluffy coat over her dress and added a touch of glamour with a diamond necklace fans couldn't help but notice the huge engagement ring in one of her photos and congratulated the happy couple for their good news Fans flocked to her comment section to wish the happy couple their best writing: 'Have a great break. Your ring is fabulous xx' Read More Georgia Toffolo, 30, reunites with I'm A Celeb bestie Stanley Johnson, 84, at Christmas party 'You look like you had a fabulous Christmas, your ring is beautiful. All the best for 2025 to you and James x' ... 'Just mega ❤️' .... Gorgeous ❤️xx' It comes after Georgia and James celebrated their engagement in style as they enjoyed a festive-themed bash. The BrewDog founder, 42, popped the question to the former Made In Chelsea star , 30, in October during an idyllic Greek getaway for her birthday. And just days before Christmas , the happy couple gathered at one of James' BrewDog branches in Aberdeen with their friends and family to mark their upcoming nuptials. The pair pulled out all the stops for party, capturing special moments with a 360 photo booth while also posing up a storm on a sleigh. Dressed to impress for the occasion, Georgia looked sensational in a black lace mini dress which she teamed with semi-sheer black tights and black boots . The star added a pair of bauble-clad antlers as she posed beside her husband-to-be, who looked smart in a white shirt and jeans. It comes after the pair celebrated their engagement in style as they enjoyed a festive-themed bash just before Christmas The BrewDog founder, 42, popped the question to the former Made In Chelsea star , 30, in October during an idyllic Greek getaway for her birthday Georgia lovingly danced with James while their nearest and dearest watched on. Before the pair posed for a number of snaps alongside their friends and family, including an adorable photo with James' granny donning a sparkly glitter ball helmet. Captioning her post, Georgia penned: 'Last night we hosted our Christmas / engagement party. I danced for hours and it was so special for us to have our people in one place. 'This is the second year we hosted this together and now I’m worried about what to do next year to top it! Highlight was James’ Granny on the 360 camera wearing a glitter ball helmet'. James - who is reportedly worth an estimated £262 million - proposed at the end of October, on the week she celebrated her 30th birthday in the Greek islands. At the time, a source told MailOnline: 'He asked her to marry him yesterday in front of both of their families in Greece . 'After the proposal they went to a big party at the Peligoni club and ended up dancing on tables to ABBA , celebrating with all the other guests.' Georgia, who found fame as a regular cast-member on E4 show Made In Chelsea , has been dating the millionaire BrewDog co-founder since last summer and the pair now live together in London. James proposed at the end of October, on the week she celebrated her 30th birthday in the Greek islands And just days before Christmas , the happy couple gathered at one of James' BrewDog branches in Aberdeen with their friends and family to mark their upcoming nuptials The pair pulled out all the stops for party, capturing special moments with a 360 photo booth while also posing up a storm on a sleigh Dressed to impress for the occasion, Georgia looked sensational in a black lace mini dress which she teamed with semi-sheer black tights and black boots Georgia radiated happiness as she lovingly danced with James while their loved ones watched on Georgia and James' loved ones partied the night away at the festive engagement bash The former I'm A Celebrity star rocked a pair of bauble-clad antlers for the party The pair posed for a number of snaps alongside their friends and family, including an adorable photo with James' granny donning a sparkly glitter ball helmet Captioning her post, Georgia penned: 'Last night we hosted our Christmas / engagement party. I danced for hours and it was so special for us to have our people in one place Announcing the news while showing off her enormous diamond engagement ring, the blonde beauty told her Instagram followers: 'James just asked me to marry him. 'It really was the best moment of my life so far. I never knew I could feel happiness like this. The easiest, quickest yes to being your wife. 'Our love story is my favourite. How we managed to find each other out of billions of people out there will always be my greatest blessing. 'I love you forever and the magical life we’re building.' James proposed with and exquisite eight carat triple-diamond studded band estimated to be worth £200,000. Georgia Toffolo Made In Chelsea Share or comment on this article: Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo continues to pack on the PDA with new millionaire fiancé James Watt as she shares festive photos e-mail Add commentWhat Frank Lampard did after Coventry late equaliser speaks volumes in first match - ExpressHow co-writing a book threatened the Carters’ marriage
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