"Most grad schools want dozens of letters of recomendation."
Generally they only want about three. Each. When you apply to a number of them, you can start to feel guilty about asking professors for them. Who says there is no downside to being a professor:)
"Income taxes foster tax loopholes. Sales taxes do not."
Bullshit. Tax loopholes (aka loopholes for anything you don't agree with and deductions for anything you do) exist because the legislature (local, state, and federal) attempts (and often succeeds) to modify behavior. It has NOTHING to do with the type of tax. In fact, ANY tax system will grow more complicated over time for exactly this reason.
"The benefit is not lower taxes - it's that you will spend less time dealing with a convoluted tax code."
Ah, so what you are saying is that most people won't gain anything? For most people filling out the tax form should be quick and easy. Assuming they can follow directions.....
In any case, if the tax is collected at the point of purchase, someone has to spend extra time and money on that process. Oops.
"Does anyone have a better idea?"
Yep. Less whining. Because any simplified system will only stay simplified a short time after the ink has dried....
"I am so sick of people who bitch about the corporations owning everything but ignore the fact that the corporations only have as much power as you, the consumer, gives them."
While technically true, this ignores reality. A corporation can spend a lot more time and money on the political process than can an individual. They also have certain advantages, such as most of the rights of a person with few of the disadvantages (death, for instance....) Sure they get a lot of power by getting people to give them money but they invest a lot in encouraging that behaviour too....
"And I am SO SICK of people bashing lawyers, who tend to be progressive, intelligent, and politically and socially engaged individuals (real lawyers, not ambulance chasers)."
Deal with it. Remember "ambulance chasers" that are members of the bar ARE real lawyers. Other than that, I don't doubt the qualities you mentioned. Those same qualities tend to make them a very powerful group. The inherent problem is that a lawyer is required to vigorously represent their client-which leads them to do things that many if not most people consider ethically and morally wrong. This leads to lawyer bashing. And I think rightly so. That being said, if I am ever in a legal situation, I want the nastiest one I can afford. Hence the vicious circle....
And, BTW, most politicians are lawyers. So, by your reasoning, at least some lawyers are fair game:)
"Jim, who was one of the systems administrators able to fix copier problems, thought he could get it unjammed. So he opened the side panel of the machine to work on it, but apparently forgot to turn the power off. The paper feed mechanism somehow caught onto his tie, and started pulling him in."
Of course I'm wondering why Maria was the only one dismissed....
"There are many "scientific" postulates that for all intent and purposes are untestable. The topology of the universe, for example, is one of those."
But they aren't impossible to test. And they will be changed if better evidence comes along. Unlike creationism.
"Euclid postulated that parallel lines never meet, where you can come up with nice little tidbits like the sum of the angles of a triangle add up to 180...."
Well, then the lines wouldn't be parallel and if the sum of the angles don't add up to 180 then it isn't a triangle, now is it? There is a difference between definitions, theories, and scientific theories.
"So many posts here are concluding that ID must be false because it hasn't been proved true--and that is, I think, calling the kettle black."
I can't really prove ID is false-any more than I can prove or disprove some deity. However, I see no good evidence to indicate that it is good for anything more than inserting religion into science. And I do know ID is NOT science. As a result, it shouldn't be taught there.
"Well, I say, unless you can come up with the same ideas and transcribe them in exactly the same manner, without any interaction with the creator, the creator has an exclusive "product" to which he has every right to control access."
Sure. No problem. But exactly how do you control access and make money and prevent people from copying your work at the same time? Copyright is about an author giving away some of their rights for the general good in return for the protection of the government. Or at least it was....
If you don't like the concept of "fair use" as an author, then as far as I am concerned you are as bad as the people who think that copyrights should be abolished. To put it simply, you take the good with the bad. After all, you probably used copyrighted works to create that work in the first place....
"The complete lack of peer review in their show is sickening."
FYI,I see better science and logic in their show that in a lot of scientific papers that were peer reviewed.
Of course when people complain about scientific literacy who obviously lack reading comprehension it kind of undermines their argument. Especially the quote this is "most likely a myth" in both the summary and article. Remember, the "myth" is about torching a bunch of ships, not starting a fire with a large mirror....
"Having failed to do the experiments once and declare the thing as "most likely a myth"!... The latter is the usual suspect, which, I believe, applies in this case as well."
Hence the phrase "most likely a myth". Doesn't mean it isn't possible. But the harder it is to replicate, to find information on, the more likely it is to be a myth. Note that they could start a small fire with the mirror but that is a small cry from setting fire to a fleet of ships....
"If government was accountable to the populace, it wouldn't be government -- it would be private enterprise."
Sure. And next you'll explain how private enterprise is accountable to the populace. Considering that private enterprise relies on the government. Oops.
"I think the root problem is teachers unions. If we truly rewarded excellent teachers in public schools, I think taxpayers would be more willing to fully fund public education."
So, is the education in North and South Carolina superior to other states? They are not unionized. If the education is not superior then your assertion is incorrect. And I don't think they are.
The primary problem with merit awards and the like is determining good teachers. At least in a more consistent manner than I know one when I see one. The current tools we use aren't particularly useful. And there is also the little problem that a student's poor performance is not just related to the current teacher but all of their past teachers.....
"Teachers unions do "social promotion", and in fact care about little else from what I see."
Sorry, you are wrong. Social promotion happens due to PARENT pressure. You have any idea how miserable parents make teachers and the administration when their kids are held back? Granted this is the only time they probably give a damn (hence the primary reason for the students failure in the first place....)
"Now SeeBS, NBC, ABC and CNN can go back to manufacturing memos to use against enemy politicians and broadcasting sensational lies when natural disasters occur."
I'm confused. Are you implying that those organizations actually employ journalists?
Well, from your comment above, there is a reason you are a pharmacy tech and not a doctor....
And mostly clueless.
Medications are useful when prescribed properly. And no amount of therapy will help severe depression. Granted, getting the proper medication and dosing can be difficult. And if you think medication is costly, it is often cheap compared to therapy....
"And I absolutely doubt the abilities of a doctor who speaks to a patient for only an hour a week then gives a few pills."
That, btw, would be excellent medical care. Hell, an hour a month would be good...
Of course, I wouldn't want to get any medication from any pharmacy you work in. I have severe doubts about your abilities from your lack of knowledge about competent medical care....
"Oh and by the way, they're exempt from overtime laws so their workers never get paid over $5.15 (much of the entertainment industry is exempt from overtime)"
Interesting about the overtime. Of course, minimum wage varies by state. In Washington it is currently $7.35. It will be $7.63 next year. So they may not get off that easy.....
"I'd say the reasons this time are way better than last time."
So better resolution and sound for the vast majority of people with crappy TV's and sound systems are major reasons to upgrade? Sorry, the reasons aren't better this time.
It's great if you have the equipment. Most don't. Most? don't seem to care.
"When they tell me that my car is worse overall because of the nasty, evil batteries, I ask them how much of their car can be recycled? Since mine can be."
Well, unless you dump your car in an old field somewhere or put a dead body in the trunk and drive it off a pier, virtually all cars are recycled. Of course, the more plastic in a car, generally less of it is recycled. So in fact, a hybrid might be less recycled than those old gas hogs.... Oops:)
"I think you'd be hard pressed to prove that on a whole buying a used car which gets decent mileage is going to have a greater enviromental impact than is put forth just in energy production to manufacture a new vehicle (of any power train type) let alone the impact of getting the raw materials from which the vehicle is to be composed from."
Car operation is the largest impact energy wise (probably 70% or more over 120k miles). Producing a car isn't that big of an impact, relative to its operation. Cars are also heavily recycled (far more than virtually any other product).
Hybrids in many cases don't make economic sense in the short run. But buying a new car that get 40mpg is almost certainly better than a used car that gets 30mpg from an impact point of view.
"Wouldnt you complain if gas prices were very high?
They want low cost labor.. why is this a problem?"
That isn't the problem. The problem is that they go about getting low(er) cost labor by lying. By stating something (a shortage) that doesn't exist.
Why do they do this? Probably because if they said, "We can't get employees for the prices we want to pay" nobody would have any sympathy. And probably rightly so.
I just get really tired of employers saying they can't find any good employees when they really mean "We can't find any good employees at the really low wages we want to pay". As long as there is unemployment, employers can find employees. And there is often a correlation between what you pay and what you get...
"One PHB? You do realize that the principals almost always PhD's in education, not MBA's?"
Yes, and the difference tends to be that one can be a clueless, egotistical, know it all that doesn't with a PhD. And the other can be a clueless, egotistical, know it all that doesn't with an MBA. Heck, at least an MBA should know something:)
"Mandatory meetings are usually one per quarter..."
Depends on the school district and school....
"That PHB is one with an education degree, you know, and more experience than the teachers below. Hardly a PHB."
In theory. MBAs have more experience and education than many of the people they supervise...
"That's called tenure. It's the largest problem with ridding the system of bad teachers. When was the last time you knew a tech with tenure?"
Depends where they are employed. In government, they have "tenure". In some states, teachers have very little (not unionized).
"The organization is thus: Principal and staff followed immediately by a flat level of all the teachers (not University system). No team leaders, no senior programmers, no analysts; none of the hierarchy you see in many businesses."
That is amusing. And wrong (at least for most). What about the vice-principals? The teachers that are "team-leaders" or head of their specific areas? The office support staff-you think they don't have power? How about the district staff? The State staff. The local board of education. Etc. There is very much a hierarchy in in most schools that is VERY similar to many private enterprises.
I seem to recall you making a comment to another poster to stay in a conversation they knew something about? And FYI, my experience comes from talking to many teachers in multiple states.
"Light rail construction (which is not elevated) has been ongoing for years now, but most of the costs associated with it have to do with tunneling."
Only if you decide to tunnel. No reason you can't put it on the surface.
"With Monorail, all you need to do is clear a path. Buy out business along the green line, no tunneling is involed."
Same with light rail. You need more space though.
"It was originally supposed to cost under 2 billion, but people didnt like the tax and decided to register their cars outside of KingCounty. This caused a severe drop in revene and prompted the monorail execs to resort to drastic funding (junk bonds, high intrest loans, etc) to the point where its going to cost over 10 billion."
Huh? A project that was voted in FOUR times suffered severe revenue loss before it even started? I don't think so. How about this: a project using new technology, with poor planning, and poor cost estimates suffered cost overruns before a spade of dirt was turned. This resulted in an even longer payback period (and much larger final bill) to stay within the funding constraints. And the people running the project, BTW, project revenue to rise by 6% a year, hardly a massive revenue drop. Of course anyone with a clue doesn't believe that.
"We need the monorail (or some form of elevated transportation) because there isnt enough room to build more highways."
Hey, something that is partly correct. The monorail is not needed. Its impact on traffic congestion will be insignificant. Hey, I have an idea, how about BUSES combined with regional rail.... Naw, that would never work anywhere....
"King County citizens voted in favor for the monorail 5 times! And yet, its never gonna be built."
Good. Perhaps they could use the tax money for a system that works already. Like buses. Or encouraging employers to stagger work times and promote car pools, telecommuting, and four day work weeks. These would all be cheaper and more effective than the monorail. But it wouldn't be shiny....
"Hopefully someone actually did a traffic study and decided that the monorail would be better for Seattle."
Thanks for the laugh. Needed that.
The idea of the monorail is great. It's warm and fuzzy, just the sort of thing you need if you want people to pay lots of money over 50 years for it. I'm afraid it was sold more on image than reality.
There wasn't a study done supporting a monorail over other ideas. Frankly, buses are probably a better idea combined with a REGIONAL rail system. But who knows? An additional part of the problem are the dodgy projections. Under best case projections, the system breaks even. But can you trust them, for 50 years? On an untested technology? This is a recipe for lots of red ink.
Ultimately I don't think there much PRACTICAL point in spending 11 billion dollars (over 50 years) for a 10 to 14 mile system. And I don't even live there.
No, they want it to die, at least in its present form. It's just that the only way the mayor/council can really kill it is to deny permits. No permits, no construction.
The primary concern is the rather optimistic projections on cost and funding (to say the least). The city doesn't want an unfinished transit system. Or one that can't pay for itself.
Now, if the people REALLY want it, they will likely approve it. I think it is a very large mistake, but hey, I don't live in King County so it isn't my problem:)
Slashdot Mirror
"Most grad schools want dozens of letters of recomendation."
:)
Generally they only want about three. Each. When you apply to a number of them, you can start to feel guilty about asking professors for them. Who says there is no downside to being a professor
"Income taxes foster tax loopholes. Sales taxes do not."
Bullshit. Tax loopholes (aka loopholes for anything you don't agree with and deductions for anything you do) exist because the legislature (local, state, and federal) attempts (and often succeeds) to modify behavior. It has NOTHING to do with the type of tax. In fact, ANY tax system will grow more complicated over time for exactly this reason.
"The benefit is not lower taxes - it's that you will spend less time dealing with a convoluted tax code."
Ah, so what you are saying is that most people won't gain anything? For most people filling out the tax form should be quick and easy. Assuming they can follow directions.....
In any case, if the tax is collected at the point of purchase, someone has to spend extra time and money on that process. Oops.
"Does anyone have a better idea?"
Yep. Less whining. Because any simplified system will only stay simplified a short time after the ink has dried....
"I am so sick of people who bitch about the corporations owning everything but ignore the fact that the corporations only have as much power as you, the consumer, gives them."
:)
While technically true, this ignores reality. A corporation can spend a lot more time and money on the political process than can an individual. They also have certain advantages, such as most of the rights of a person with few of the disadvantages (death, for instance....) Sure they get a lot of power by getting people to give them money but they invest a lot in encouraging that behaviour too....
"And I am SO SICK of people bashing lawyers, who tend to be progressive, intelligent, and politically and socially engaged individuals (real lawyers, not ambulance chasers)."
Deal with it. Remember "ambulance chasers" that are members of the bar ARE real lawyers. Other than that, I don't doubt the qualities you mentioned. Those same qualities tend to make them a very powerful group. The inherent problem is that a lawyer is required to vigorously represent their client-which leads them to do things that many if not most people consider ethically and morally wrong. This leads to lawyer bashing. And I think rightly so. That being said, if I am ever in a legal situation, I want the nastiest one I can afford. Hence the vicious circle....
And, BTW, most politicians are lawyers. So, by your reasoning, at least some lawyers are fair game
"Jim, who was one of the systems administrators able to fix copier problems, thought he could get it unjammed. So he opened the side panel of the machine to work on it, but apparently forgot to turn the power off. The paper feed mechanism somehow caught onto his tie, and started pulling him in."
Of course I'm wondering why Maria was the only one dismissed....
"There are many "scientific" postulates that for all intent and purposes are untestable. The topology of the universe, for example, is one of those."
But they aren't impossible to test. And they will be changed if better evidence comes along. Unlike creationism.
"Euclid postulated that parallel lines never meet, where you can come up with nice little tidbits like the sum of the angles of a triangle add up to 180...."
Well, then the lines wouldn't be parallel and if the sum of the angles don't add up to 180 then it isn't a triangle, now is it? There is a difference between definitions, theories, and scientific theories.
"So many posts here are concluding that ID must be false because it hasn't been proved true--and that is, I think, calling the kettle black."
I can't really prove ID is false-any more than I can prove or disprove some deity. However, I see no good evidence to indicate that it is good for anything more than inserting religion into science. And I do know ID is NOT science. As a result, it shouldn't be taught there.
"I haven't seen anyone here who really gets it: a subscription model is the only way to solve the equation that quality = price."
If you can state that subsription software will improve the quality of software with a straight face, you must be a lawyer.
And I'm afraid most lawyers don't deserve that insult....
"Well, I say, unless you can come up with the same ideas and transcribe them in exactly the same manner, without any interaction with the creator, the creator has an exclusive "product" to which he has every right to control access."
Sure. No problem. But exactly how do you control access and make money and prevent people from copying your work at the same time? Copyright is about an author giving away some of their rights for the general good in return for the protection of the government. Or at least it was....
If you don't like the concept of "fair use" as an author, then as far as I am concerned you are as bad as the people who think that copyrights should be abolished. To put it simply, you take the good with the bad. After all, you probably used copyrighted works to create that work in the first place....
"The complete lack of peer review in their show is sickening."
FYI,I see better science and logic in their show that in a lot of scientific papers that were peer reviewed.
Of course when people complain about scientific literacy who obviously lack reading comprehension it kind of undermines their argument. Especially the quote this is "most likely a myth" in both the summary and article. Remember, the "myth" is about torching a bunch of ships, not starting a fire with a large mirror....
"Having failed to do the experiments once and declare the thing as "most likely a myth"! ... The latter is the usual suspect, which, I believe, applies in this case as well."
Hence the phrase "most likely a myth". Doesn't mean it isn't possible. But the harder it is to replicate, to find information on, the more likely it is to be a myth. Note that they could start a small fire with the mirror but that is a small cry from setting fire to a fleet of ships....
"If government was accountable to the populace, it wouldn't be government -- it would be private enterprise."
Sure. And next you'll explain how private enterprise is accountable to the populace. Considering that private enterprise relies on the government. Oops.
"Seven meters puts me on the beach, 70+ meters puts me in the position of having to breath water, which I've yet to succeed at.."
:)
Breathing water is easy. Surviving while doing it is the difficult part....
"I think the root problem is teachers unions. If we truly rewarded excellent teachers in public schools, I think taxpayers would be more willing to fully fund public education."
So, is the education in North and South Carolina superior to other states? They are not unionized. If the education is not superior then your assertion is incorrect. And I don't think they are.
The primary problem with merit awards and the like is determining good teachers. At least in a more consistent manner than I know one when I see one. The current tools we use aren't particularly useful. And there is also the little problem that a student's poor performance is not just related to the current teacher but all of their past teachers.....
"Teachers unions do "social promotion", and in fact care about little else from what I see."
Sorry, you are wrong. Social promotion happens due to PARENT pressure. You have any idea how miserable parents make teachers and the administration when their kids are held back? Granted this is the only time they probably give a damn (hence the primary reason for the students failure in the first place....)
"Now SeeBS, NBC, ABC and CNN can go back to manufacturing memos to use against enemy politicians and broadcasting sensational lies when natural disasters occur."
I'm confused. Are you implying that those organizations actually employ journalists?
Well, from your comment above, there is a reason you are a pharmacy tech and not a doctor....
And mostly clueless.
Medications are useful when prescribed properly. And no amount of therapy will help severe depression. Granted, getting the proper medication and dosing can be difficult. And if you think medication is costly, it is often cheap compared to therapy....
"And I absolutely doubt the abilities of a doctor who speaks to a patient for only an hour a week then gives a few pills."
That, btw, would be excellent medical care. Hell, an hour a month would be good...
Of course, I wouldn't want to get any medication from any pharmacy you work in. I have severe doubts about your abilities from your lack of knowledge about competent medical care....
" "Try doing it with the engine running!"
So exactly how many heart surgeries are done with the heart beating? I suspect a small minority...
"Oh and by the way, they're exempt from overtime laws so their workers never get paid over $5.15 (much of the entertainment industry is exempt from overtime)"
Interesting about the overtime. Of course, minimum wage varies by state. In Washington it is currently $7.35. It will be $7.63 next year. So they may not get off that easy.....
"I'd say the reasons this time are way better than last time."
So better resolution and sound for the vast majority of people with crappy TV's and sound systems are major reasons to upgrade? Sorry, the reasons aren't better this time.
It's great if you have the equipment. Most don't. Most? don't seem to care.
"When they tell me that my car is worse overall because of the nasty, evil batteries, I ask them how much of their car can be recycled? Since mine can be."
:)
Well, unless you dump your car in an old field somewhere or put a dead body in the trunk and drive it off a pier, virtually all cars are recycled. Of course, the more plastic in a car, generally less of it is recycled. So in fact, a hybrid might be less recycled than those old gas hogs.... Oops
"I think you'd be hard pressed to prove that on a whole buying a used car which gets decent mileage is going to have a greater enviromental impact than is put forth just in energy production to manufacture a new vehicle (of any power train type) let alone the impact of getting the raw materials from which the vehicle is to be composed from."
Car operation is the largest impact energy wise (probably 70% or more over 120k miles). Producing a car isn't that big of an impact, relative to its operation. Cars are also heavily recycled (far more than virtually any other product).
Hybrids in many cases don't make economic sense in the short run. But buying a new car that get 40mpg is almost certainly better than a used car that gets 30mpg from an impact point of view.
"Wouldnt you complain if gas prices were very high?
.. why is this a problem?"
They want low cost labor
That isn't the problem. The problem is that they go about getting low(er) cost labor by lying. By stating something (a shortage) that doesn't exist.
Why do they do this? Probably because if they said, "We can't get employees for the prices we want to pay" nobody would have any sympathy. And probably rightly so.
I just get really tired of employers saying they can't find any good employees when they really mean "We can't find any good employees at the really low wages we want to pay". As long as there is unemployment, employers can find employees. And there is often a correlation between what you pay and what you get...
"One PHB? You do realize that the principals almost always PhD's in education, not MBA's?"
:)
Yes, and the difference tends to be that one can be a clueless, egotistical, know it all that doesn't with a PhD. And the other can be a clueless, egotistical, know it all that doesn't with an MBA. Heck, at least an MBA should know something
"Mandatory meetings are usually one per quarter..."
Depends on the school district and school....
"That PHB is one with an education degree, you know, and more experience than the teachers below. Hardly a PHB."
In theory. MBAs have more experience and education than many of the people they supervise...
"That's called tenure. It's the largest problem with ridding the system of bad teachers. When was the last time you knew a tech with tenure?"
Depends where they are employed. In government, they have "tenure". In some states, teachers have very little (not unionized).
"The organization is thus: Principal and staff followed immediately by a flat level of all the teachers (not University system). No team leaders, no senior programmers, no analysts; none of the hierarchy you see in many businesses."
That is amusing. And wrong (at least for most). What about the vice-principals? The teachers that are "team-leaders" or head of their specific areas? The office support staff-you think they don't have power? How about the district staff? The State staff. The local board of education. Etc. There is very much a hierarchy in in most schools that is VERY similar to many private enterprises.
I seem to recall you making a comment to another poster to stay in a conversation they knew something about? And FYI, my experience comes from talking to many teachers in multiple states.
"Light rail construction (which is not elevated) has been ongoing for years now, but most of the costs associated with it have to do with tunneling."
Only if you decide to tunnel. No reason you can't put it on the surface.
"With Monorail, all you need to do is clear a path. Buy out business along the green line, no tunneling is involed."
Same with light rail. You need more space though.
"It was originally supposed to cost under 2 billion, but people didnt like the tax and decided to register their cars outside of KingCounty. This caused a severe drop in revene and prompted the monorail execs to resort to drastic funding (junk bonds, high intrest loans, etc) to the point where its going to cost over 10 billion."
Huh? A project that was voted in FOUR times suffered severe revenue loss before it even started? I don't think so. How about this: a project using new technology, with poor planning, and poor cost estimates suffered cost overruns before a spade of dirt was turned. This resulted in an even longer payback period (and much larger final bill) to stay within the funding constraints. And the people running the project, BTW, project revenue to rise by 6% a year, hardly a massive revenue drop. Of course anyone with a clue doesn't believe that.
"We need the monorail (or some form of elevated transportation) because there isnt enough room to build more highways."
Hey, something that is partly correct. The monorail is not needed. Its impact on traffic congestion will be insignificant. Hey, I have an idea, how about BUSES combined with regional rail.... Naw, that would never work anywhere....
"King County citizens voted in favor for the monorail 5 times! And yet, its never gonna be built."
Good. Perhaps they could use the tax money for a system that works already. Like buses. Or encouraging employers to stagger work times and promote car pools, telecommuting, and four day work weeks. These would all be cheaper and more effective than the monorail. But it wouldn't be shiny....
"Hopefully someone actually did a traffic study and decided that the monorail would be better for Seattle."
Thanks for the laugh. Needed that.
The idea of the monorail is great. It's warm and fuzzy, just the sort of thing you need if you want people to pay lots of money over 50 years for it. I'm afraid it was sold more on image than reality.
There wasn't a study done supporting a monorail over other ideas. Frankly, buses are probably a better idea combined with a REGIONAL rail system. But who knows? An additional part of the problem are the dodgy projections. Under best case projections, the system breaks even. But can you trust them, for 50 years? On an untested technology? This is a recipe for lots of red ink.
Ultimately I don't think there much PRACTICAL point in spending 11 billion dollars (over 50 years) for a 10 to 14 mile system. And I don't even live there.
No, they want it to die, at least in its present form. It's just that the only way the mayor/council can really kill it is to deny permits. No permits, no construction.
:)
The primary concern is the rather optimistic projections on cost and funding (to say the least). The city doesn't want an unfinished transit system. Or one that can't pay for itself.
Now, if the people REALLY want it, they will likely approve it. I think it is a very large mistake, but hey, I don't live in King County so it isn't my problem