indoctrinated, reformist intellectuals bearing revolutionary ideas. To the perpetual indiscipline of youth has now been added the indiscipline of parents, many of whom interpret any reports of wrongdoing in school on the part of their offspring as a personal
affront, or as the manifestation of the malice of teachers. As for the teachers themselves, whilst many are respectable and learned men and women, who view it as their vocation to induct their charges into a civilization and a way of behaving, others attempt to influence youth merely to further their political or ideological ends.
Some of those working in education have their own hidden agendas. T Teacher with revolutionary ideas will attempt to influence their pupils for their own political ends. TC Some teachers who report children of wrongdoing do so because of malice, rather than nay
legitimate reason. C
Last week, the competition commission outlined two packages to regulate the sale of
extended product warranties, which provide repair/replacement for faulty goods beyond the
manufacturer’s original guarantee. Whilst warranty sales are currently highly profitable, with some retailers attributing up to ¾ of their profits to this income stream, they are also criticized for offering poor value for money due to obscure clauses, which restrict payment in many, but the most unlikely claim scenarios. The first package-to ban retailers selling a full warranty on the day of purchase was condemned by all as draconian-whilst the other, rather
milder, option of forcing retailers to provide full information on warranty exclusions and an obligatory 60–day “cool-off” period for customers, received a more balanced hearing. Because no one believes that the first option will ever be implemented, investors and
analysts have focused more closely on the implication of the “milder” package. In a recent leaked research note, one analyst suggested that the implementation of the reform in the second package would place a staff-training burden on the retailer, which would lead to a significant increase in the cost of warranty sales, and a predicted 20% fall in actual sales. “Cool-off” periods are not currently offered by companies selling product warranties. T It is likely that neither package will be implemented. C Preventing retailers from selling warranties on the day of purchase of a product was felt to
be too severe a restriction. T
All scientific knowledge is provisional. Everything that science knows, even the most
mundane facts and long-established theories, is subject to re-examination as new information comes in. the latest data and ideas are scrutinized the most. Some recantations
will be unavoidable, but this is not a weakness of science, but rather its strength. No endeavor rivals science in its incremental progress towards a more complete understanding of the observable universe.
Science improves understanding on the basis of leaving those theories that
appear to work. F Some facts in science cannot be challenged if any progress is to be made. F 5. 6.