Poirot, "There's a lot to said for youngsters having the freedom and opportunity to pursue their passions"

The saying is that when the student is ready, the teacher appears.

However that is only the tip of the very large iceberg below, where the parent or carer has worked hard and long and through all sorts of difficulties to raise the resilient youth. Some find every rationalisation for not bothering, even demanding that the State or 'someone else' should carry the burden instead.

By way of example, when I did more with student sports, did the father thing with Scouts and so on, it was always apparent that there were many more children who wanted to take part, but their parents couldn't be bothered, even where the other reliable parents of their child's friends offered transport.

Dear Poirot,

I fully agree with you about youngsters being able to
pursue their passion.

Certainly a teacher can make a difference - but it should
be clear that effective teachers are facilitators who
make their impact by understanding the needs of the learner.

A teacher can light the way and ease the way - in other words,
facilitate learning - but the learner has to walk the path.

And I know that your son through you is doing precisely that.

david f,
You poor misguided soul.
Perhaps you live under a rock or somewhere that hides you from reality.
ANZAC Day does not celebrate war.
ANZAC Day celebrates the men who served in war.
I spent time in a couple of conflicts in Africa, SE Asia and the Pacific.
Were you one of those great Australians who jeered and spat on us when we came home from Vietnam?
I take great offense at any individual sniping around the edges of the men who served.
I am bloody sure you would never lay your arse on the line but would be quite happy to see others do it for you.
It's called cowardice leading to traitorism and it's a path that you tread well Sir.

David F.,

WW1 seems to have been an Oil War. The Middle East was mostly under Turkish suzerainty, countries like Iraq (Mesopotamia)simply did not exist separately, it was mostly Turkish Territory.

'War for a Lie'
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/71058315?searchTerm=the%20troubles%252

Bertrand Russell was a member of the Coefficients Dinner Club, when Grey announced the setting up of an Entente Cordiale with Russia and France. Russell resigned from the club because he thought they were Engineering a War against Teutonic Civilisation (Germany).

Google Bertrand Russell's Autobiography. Look for page 267, see the paragraph starting with 'Dear Bertie.'
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=9UlpAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA267&lpg=PA267&dq=bertrand+russell+%22dear+bertie%22+grey&source=bl&ots=7D3ZPb4T5w&sig=bUaG8a8BshZ_0Ep1m5lyQocRhyc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5yyVVdLNI8n28QXbqIKIDw&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=bertrand%20russell%20%22dear%20bertie%22%20grey&f=false

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/48007696?searchTerm=more%20secret%20histcry&searchLimits=l-textSearchScope=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||l-title=25|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/109985435?searchTerm=oil%20supremacy%20british%20coup&searchLimits

A quote from David F

"I have a great sympathy for the suffering of soldiers. I have served in the army during WW2. I also have a great sympathy for the suffering of civilians. In the current conflicts possibly over 90% of the casualties are civilians."

As for this from chrisgaff1000;

"Were you one of those great Australians who jeered and spat on us when we came home from Vietnam?
I take great offense at any individual sniping around the edges of the men who served.
I am bloody sure you would never lay your arse on the line but would be quite happy to see others do it for you.
It's called cowardice leading to traitorism and it's a path that you tread well Sir."

If you went to Vietnam to fight in what history has declared a proxy war, so be it. I for one do not believe I owe you or any person who fights in wars anything, but I agree with what David F said. I have a great sympathy for the suffering of soldiers and civilians forced into war

You are both a sick and sorry self centered pair not worthy
to breath the free air you wouldn't fight for. I put you on
the same social level as Man Haron Monis and his ilk.
End of story.