In the first half, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, Bryan Caplan, discussed the drastic changes in education during the pandemic, if online education is worthwhile, and how colleges can justify their existence in an online environment. He also addressed issues concerning homeschooling one's children. The value of a degree from an accredited university probably won't be affected if some of the coursework was conducted online, he commented, and in a few years, employers won't remember the timeline that closely. Caplan has been critical of the education process in general, noting that a lot of what is taught doesn't have real-world applications and that students learn more from fieldwork or apprenticing.
For parents with kids under age 12, homeschooling has become a more appealing option over "Zoom School" or online classes, he suggested. "Even if you don't have a lot of patience, even if you've got a job conflict, you might as well just teach your own kids rather than sit over their shoulders and be their monitor," he said, as either way, you have to put in the time, and it will likely be more rewarding (Caplan had been homeschooling his kids for years before the pandemic). By homeschooling, a parent can actually have a more accurate idea of how their child is progressing in their studies than when they're in school, he added.
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In the latter half, independent researcher R.L. Poole shared new details of his research into the mysterious Coral Castle, located near Homestead, Florida. Composed of huge megalithic stones, Coral Castle's creator, the small-statured Ed Leedskalnin, was able to create the structure all by himself. He indicated that he used a secretive science related to magnetism that some have suspected was involved in constructing the ancient pyramids. Poole reported that he recently decoded Leedskalnin's writings, "A Book in Every Home." He discovered a cipher based on a series of numbers carved into Leedskalnin's stone dwelling at Coral Castle, and when applied to the book, it yielded a number of distinct phrases, and references to central banks located in Europe and Russia.
Poole concluded that Leedskalnin was a spy (favorable to the Allied Forces), and that he was in communication with the wealthy heiress Doris Duke. He wrote letters to her using the cipher, and she allegedly responded back with encoded messages via a cartoon strip called "Doris," Poole suggested. The references to the banks may have been advice on where to stash some of her funds, he posited. Another phrase that Poole decoded-- "the diamonds are not lost," may have referred to some of Duke's assets. As further evidence of their connection, Poole noted that some $3500 was found hidden in Leedskalnin's chambers after his death in 1951, which was a considerable amount for a man who charged a mere ten cents admission to his Castle.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Steve Kates