Old Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread • Page 18 • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Old Random Thoughts or OT Chit-Chat Thread
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SimperingToad
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:21 pm

benjoshua wrote:
In a similar vein, I find it interesting as I tour Europe and see many of their grand cathedrals, the emphasis given to physical decor. The statues and stained glass windows are amazing and depressing at the same time. I'm guessing they were justified because the populace was largely illiterate and these decorations could be used to illustrate what was taught. But I am also saddened because I personally would rather see money and efforts go into helping people with food and shelter than a monument.

I recall reading a book about the Normans and the explosion of cathedral building. A point the author made about this is that the cathedral was supposed to be so grandiose that the populace would be in utter awe, and could only come to the conclusion that 'God must live in this place.'

benjoshua
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:43 pm

Agent Cooper wrote:Oh, I dunno about that. Many of the folks I deal with every day at work are highly "educated", and yet they're some of the stupidest people I know. Spending four years in some ivy league liberal indoctrination camp doesn't magically enlarge the size of your brain or raise your innate IQ score. If you're an idiot when you go in, you're still an idiot coming out.

The education system isn't what it used to be. A college degree from a big school meant something maybe 30 years ago. But now they hand them out like candy. Colleges nowadays are just paper mills. Seems to me they exist to make alot of money so the staff can make a nice comfy living without having to go out in the real world and work. Forget actually holding students to a real world academic standard. That would be hard, and the ACLU would sue them for "grading inadequacy discrimination" or something if they did. So everybody gets a PC smiley face on their paper.

As long as mom and dad pay the bills little johnny silverspoon gets his degree and the sense of imagined superiority and un-earned entitlement that goes with it.

/dennis milleresque rant

I agree. My parents were of the thinking, "of course you are going to get a college degree." I am of the thinking with my kids, "Of course you are going to get a masters degree." It's becoming a requirement to get a good job.

I also see where being educated in one area does not make you educated in all areas. I have seen people who are science smart and history stupid, for example. Geography or linguistics are areas of studies where many people are weak, for example.

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

SoulCatcher78
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:51 pm

A good example of highly educated people who frighten you with a lack of insight and critical thinking would be doctors who can't figure out a Home Theater set up. Seriously, the cable brings the signal in or out...how hard is that? And these people are supposed to find my spleen?

On a side note, I had a possible paranoid delusional customer today ("they" know what I do on my computer and over the phone). I guess that's how you know it's going to be a long day. At least I've learned not to try and explain TEMPEST shielding to them anymore, lol.

JasonZavoda
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 11:03 pm

Agent Cooper wrote:Oh, I dunno about that. Many of the folks I deal with every day at work are highly "educated", and yet they're some of the stupidest people I know. Spending four years in some ivy league liberal indoctrination camp doesn't magically enlarge the size of your brain or raise your innate IQ score. If you're an idiot when you go in, you're still an idiot coming out.

The education system isn't what it used to be. A college degree from a big school meant something maybe 30 years ago. But now they hand them out like candy. Colleges nowadays are just paper mills. Seems to me they exist to make alot of money so the staff can make a nice comfy living without having to go out in the real world and work. Forget actually holding students to a real world academic standard. That would be hard, and the ACLU would sue them for "grading inadequacy discrimination" or something if they did. So everybody gets a PC smiley face on their paper.

As long as mom and dad pay the bills little johnny silverspoon gets his degree and the sense of imagined superiority and un-earned entitlement that goes with it.

/dennis milleresque rant

At my local community college we now have to admit anyone at no charge who has just graduated from high school. (It would have been nice if the state had sent some funds to cover the additional students). We had a remedial math we called 012 Math Fundementals (basic 6th grade and under), but then had to create a 010, then 005, and now 002 where we teach high school graduates what numbers are since they cannot recognize a tens column from a hundreds column and do not know how to add or subtract. These are not people with special needs or learning disabilities, these kids were passed along and out of high school without ever being taught any kind of math at all.

FormCritic
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 12:37 am

benjoshua wrote:I'm guessing they were justified because the populace was largely illiterate and these decorations could be used to illustrate what was taught. But I am also saddened because I personally would rather see money and efforts go into helping people with food and shelter than a monument.

Remember that the people who built those cathedrals believed that they needed them every bit as much as food and shelter.

Had you tried to explain your modern viewpoint to a medieval person he would have seen the good in your suggestion...then he would have gone on building the cathedral. For the medieval man, the finite nature of human life was in evidence all around him. That is why he focused so much energy on the afterlife...since he knew it was coming soon.

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

Kingofpain89
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:25 pm

Stupid people shoudnt be allowed to breed:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31853449/?GT1=43001

:evil:

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

jasonw1239
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:35 pm

Kingofpain89 wrote:Stupid people shoudnt be allowed to breed:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31853449/?GT1=43001

You gotta love the "Made in India" stamp on the NYC manhole cover.
Labour is that cheap over there that it is more cost effective to ship slabs of steel halfway around the world instead of having them made in the US or Canada.

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Deadlord
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:38 pm

[quote="SoulCatcher78"]A good example of highly educated people who frighten you with a lack of insight and critical thinking would be doctors who can't figure out a Home Theater set up. Seriously, the cable brings the signal in or out...how hard is that? And these people are supposed to find my spleen?
quote]

These people use MACHINES to find your spleen. With CABLES.
Intelligent/educated does not mean smart. You should see the Mensa group meetings. 99% of them are rock stupid, even if they can memorize pi to the 300th decimal point. I watched of them bust their asses to try and twist off a beer cap before I took it and used the edge of the table. Another rocket scientist was shaking the toaster over the sink to get the crumbs out, until I pulled out the crumb tray and washed it.
I'm not trying to claim to be super-smart, but jeez..........

If you hit a Rowsdower, you get to keep it.

FormCritic
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:39 pm

Kingofpain89 wrote:Stupid people shoudnt be allowed to breed:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31853449/?GT1=43001

The stupid part is not the falling into the uncovered manhole.

The stupid part is believing that falling into a sewer and not getting injured is grounds for launching a lawsuit because it was "gross."

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

Kingofpain89
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:00 am

FormCritic wrote:The stupid part is believing that falling into a sewer and not getting injured is grounds for launching a lawsuit because it was "gross."

Oh I agree wholeheartedly. The twisted thing is that her parents first thought after hearing about the incident probably wasnt "Oh my God is she ok?", but instead was more likely, "How much money can we get from this?".

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

Pipswich
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:05 am

Notice that NY pays so much for manhole covers that you can have them produced in India, shipped to the u.s. and still win the bid.

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Badmike
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 12:55 am

It's official: The French suck...again :wink:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31827905/

Mike B.

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Plaag
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:25 am

Badmike wrote:It's official: The French suck...again

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31827905/

Mike B.

I just wonder where Americans ranked.

ShaneG.

I reject your reality and substitute my own

ashmire13
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:37 am

Amusing that us Brits finished ahead of the 'stylish & trendy' French for dress sense abroad!

I always find the sandals, socks and Union Jack shorts rather classy...

Rolls a '3'

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red_bus
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 7:43 am

Japanese came #1, French #27. (here is the list)...

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 21,00.html

Some more information in this link:

http://on-walkabout.com/2009/07/09/aust ... ts-survey/

And I stumbled on this... a vacation deprivation survey! .. I feel I need more for sure

http://www.expedia.com/daily/promos/vac ... efault.asp

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!

Last edited by red_bus on Sun Jul 12, 2009 7:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

Plaag
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 7:53 am

We tied with the Swedes

ShaneG.

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red_bus
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:00 am

That does chime with my experience here - I live in a part of London where we get a lot of tourists, and american tourists (as well as japanese) are usually polite and considerate.

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!

FormCritic
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 6:03 pm

OK...the French were #27, but the list did not include any Russions, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Romanians, Khazaks, Georgians, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kurghs, Latvians, Finns, or....known as The Scourge of Europe....the Luxembourgers.

Also, were soccer fans included for consideration in the rating?

The US has to score high there as junior high girls are seldom violent.

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

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