Bakin4Life
Oink
Now you're being obtuse. Welcome to my ignore list. And you're the first one on it!
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Random thoughts
- Thread starter Vicki
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Now you're being obtuse. Welcome to my ignore list. And you're the first one on it!
Obtuse lol? No I’m just making sense. I’m so honored for you to ignore me. Bye.
cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
I remember that every classroom in grammar school at the top of the blackboard at least, and often along other ceiling borders, there were examples of the Palmer method displayed to remind student's how their writing should look. Today, not only do they not teach cursive at all, but most students can't even read it. That, and the introduction to calculators, were some of the earliest ways technology completely changed the mechanics of the classroom. It probably won't be long before school libraries disappear in favor of the Internet.
Bakin4Life
Oink
Without a doubt. Although not having to deal with the Dewey Decimal system would be the one real bonus. Or overbearing school librarians.
Seriously, though... another example of haves vs have-nots. You don't need $ to use a lending library.
Octavia
No thoughts, head empty
Yeah, they upset basically everything. Last weekend was walking my dog and some folks started setting off the particularly loud varieties (mortar or m80) in the park down the road. My poor dog started trying to run and hide while the local crows started making their “we’re under attack!” noise and started behaving like a school of fish where they would clump together and dive every time one went off. The only thing that didn’t seem bothered were the squirrels, who don’t move for anything further than a meter away.
Thankfully towns around me have started banning fireworks (except for sanctioned shows), and the folks who used to set off m80s at midnight randomly throughout the year moved away so it’s getting less stressful over time.
florduh
Well-Known Member
Some of my favorite memories as a little kid are of going to the local public library during summer break. Wandering the aisles and finding something that caught my eye.
I also remember my first week at university. The main library descended several floors into the Earth. It was called "The Stacks". You'd take a rickety elevator down and on every floor, there would be rows of books as far as the eye could see. Many of them well over a century old. I can still vividly remember the musty smell. Magical.
cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
They opened a beautiful library in my town in about 2000. Four stories good security very modern building. Lots of glass and balconies on the upper floors so that you can sit outside and read if you prefer. A dozen conference rooms for public use.
I went in there mid day this week to use one of their high end copiers to copy a 20 page document when I found I was low on ink on my own printer. There were maybe 10 people in the building who didn't work there. Growing up as a kid, my local library was always quite busy with a lot of young and old people using it.
I don't believe technology has eliminated the need for public libraries, but apparently a lot of people do. I truly hope they don't go away.
I went in there mid day this week to use one of their high end copiers to copy a 20 page document when I found I was low on ink on my own printer. There were maybe 10 people in the building who didn't work there. Growing up as a kid, my local library was always quite busy with a lot of young and old people using it.
I don't believe technology has eliminated the need for public libraries, but apparently a lot of people do. I truly hope they don't go away.
Octavia
No thoughts, head empty
I always wondered why cursive was ever taught. I remember hearing something about making writing quicker, but most cursive I’ve seen ends up being more of an incomprehensible mess than the worst print writing I’ve seen. I assume it’s a relic of an era when writing utensils caused more noise and harm to the writing surface than modern pens/pencils?
When I was in school it was taught for 1 year then was only used once in high school by the new teacher for an essay test. As far as I’m aware he never made another class do a cursive test since we were so terrible at it.
Genuine question, is there a reason you like cursive? Never met anyone who genuinely enjoyed it, so would be interested to know what I’m missing
Bazinga
Well-Known Member
I don't think I really care one way or another. My cursive sucked. For that matter so does my printing. Some cursive writers have provided beautiful handwriting that I admired. I was wondering why it's no longer taught and I think you gave me a reasonable answer. BTW - my typing also sucks !!
Cheebsy
Fermentation Fiend
I like cursive, it's much quicker than printing for me, but I always use print when filling out forms...
I grew up in the UK but when I was 8 i moved to the States for a couple of years. US teachers didn't like the way I wrote a lower case "r" and made me (tried to) change my handwriting, it really suffered as a result. Then when I returned my teachers couldn't read my writing so I had to change again which was a bit easier than the other way because it was just reminding myself of the muscle memory. It had a severe impact on my learning, not just limited to handwriting, not to mention I was doing maths with fractions when I left the UK only to then be learning division in the US... It took a couple of years for me to catch up again. Anyway, after all that trauma, I still prefer to write "joined up" as we called it back then and I can't imagine anything else now. When I used to be in business it was invaluable for note taking in fast running meetings.
I grew up in the UK but when I was 8 i moved to the States for a couple of years. US teachers didn't like the way I wrote a lower case "r" and made me (tried to) change my handwriting, it really suffered as a result. Then when I returned my teachers couldn't read my writing so I had to change again which was a bit easier than the other way because it was just reminding myself of the muscle memory. It had a severe impact on my learning, not just limited to handwriting, not to mention I was doing maths with fractions when I left the UK only to then be learning division in the US... It took a couple of years for me to catch up again. Anyway, after all that trauma, I still prefer to write "joined up" as we called it back then and I can't imagine anything else now. When I used to be in business it was invaluable for note taking in fast running meetings.
Vitolo
Vaporist
Me too, but I'm the only one that can read it, and even I ask others to help me read what I wrote!
Bazinga
Well-Known Member
I do agree with the public option of supermarkets in the "food desert" areas. If I understand it correctly they stores would not be run on earning a profit. Since no profit motive theft would not cause the stores to move or close. Unfortunately, I think the high levels of theft (and damage) would continue. My understanding is that Walmart, Target, and other supermarkets left those areas due to theft and unsustainability. So yeah, the public option may work. The post office has been operating since circa 1775. I'm uncertain if they are still losing money and I don't think anyone really cares.Why would I have a problem with a public option for grocery stores? The Free Market has created food deserts across NYC (and in many other areas across America). Is there another solution other than, "fuck the poors, let them survive on frozen burritos from the corner mart"?
There is a trickle down societal benefit to more people having access to affordable healthy food. You're always paying for "someone else's" healthcare, because that's how insurance works. Also, as a tax payer, I'd rather people enter their Medicare eligibility years with fewer health problems
NYC has a big, powerful government. They can use economies of scale to buy food at wholesale. Because the store doesn't need to make a profit for lazy shareholders and executives, it can run the store at-cost and deliver lower cost groceries to New Yorkers.
I don't think he has a single policy that hasn't been successfully implemented elsewhere. My midsize college town had free busses for everyone. Zohran's most ambitious policy is free childcare. Finland has had free or low cost childcare for years.
Pretty sure he was polling at about 0% when this came out a few months ago. Everyone's pooping their pants calling this guy a crazy radical. Meanwhile all he's saying is, "let's do a few common sense things to help make this city somewhat affordable for normal people"
I know conservatives who watched that video and admitted, "ok, this guy has 'the juice'"
Actually I think its 157 years. Close enough for discussion. I wish I could shop there !! If the DOD ran the public option I think there is a better chance for success since as you mentioned the have done a fine job for the last 200/157 years. I'm always concerned that the folks who may run the stores would be the same caliber of people that run the MVA, IRS, etc.The Federal Government has been running grocery stores for over 200 years and it's been fine.
Defense Commissary Agency - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Flotsam
Well-Known Member
The thing that i recall most related is that there used to be town funded food bank. There were some paid positions but a number of them were volunteer positions where someone who was in the neighborhood could volunteer some time in exchange for a discount. The town provided the location and enhancements necessary to get up and running. Some businesses were upset because it undercut their prices.
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Octavia
No thoughts, head empty
Fair enough! I think students were required to write/copy a “I will not cheat” statement as part of a standardised test at some point, but I don’t remember if I ever needed to do it.
Same, I tried to write more legibly, but found the only way I could do so was with a more expensive and smudgy pen so I eventually stopped bothering. Plus side is since my handwriting is so terrible, I actually don’t have trouble reading most other people’s awful handwriting which has been useful for translating other engineer’s scribbled notes.
Do any of you invest in physical gold or silver?
bellona0544
Well-Known Member
So, so many hours reading old sci fi standing up between the shelves cuz I started a story before bothering to sit down.
Has anyone seen the Dropout video on a Dewey decimal system for grocery stores? It is one of those things that came up as a stupid idea before I realized that it would change my LIFE to be able to go to any grocery store of any size in this country and know how to navigate the aisles. You could also have "grocery librarians" who act as information for people looking to get or make food, and they could be educated on all sorts of cultural aspects of food so people can more meaningfully engage in what they are cooking.
You think the DOD has done a good job for the past 200 years? are you familiar with the state of the VA? Or how many veterans get kicked off benefits? Or the massive suicide rate of veterans who are left without critical mental health support? Or the carbon emissions from the military industrial complex?
What, exactly, has the DOD done a good job of besides killing brown people for their resources?
No. I invest in real assets that produce tangible benefits like real estate, gardening supplies, and community events. I used to do primarily equity and options trading and made a nice little sum that I used to buy my house. There is no level of wealth I can attain that will shield me from the climate crisis and its associated political instability, so investing in monetary assets is not a useful endeavor for me anymore, and instead prioritizing my immediate living situation and community is a smarter way of having resilience in the face of system change and collapse.
I’ve just recently started investing in silver and gold coins. I would still consider gold and silver real assets. I feel silver might bring more profits than gold if the demand surges in the near future, which looks likely. Can’t go wrong with gold, been used for thousands of years, holds its value and still going to combat hyperinflation.
Real estate is a great investment also the gardening supplies so you can be more self-sufficient. Probably a great idea to do a little bit of everything… diversification.
Rodney
Well-Known Member
Flotsam
Well-Known Member
true Gold in particular is always mentioned we they know the economy is going to go to SHiT
Yes the last 4 years of inflation and shit economy makes one ponder assets to invest in. Never really a bad time to invest unless spot is crazy high, but I'm now in a financial situation where I can afford to make significant investments.
I will eventually buy a property but probably not in San Diego.
I will eventually buy a property but probably not in San Diego.
florduh
Well-Known Member
There are two kinds of gold fans. If people buy precious metals as a hedge against market instability, that’s fine.
But there are also people who buy gold because they believe the dollar will collapse or the government will fail. In those cases you’re better off investing in guns and ammo. Better than real estate.
No one actually owns real estate. You own a piece of paper from the government that says you own real estate. No government? Well then… you only occupy that land until guys with more guns show up
But there are also people who buy gold because they believe the dollar will collapse or the government will fail. In those cases you’re better off investing in guns and ammo. Better than real estate.
No one actually owns real estate. You own a piece of paper from the government that says you own real estate. No government? Well then… you only occupy that land until guys with more guns show up
Bazinga
Well-Known Member
You said:
You think the DOD has done a good job for the past 200 years? are you familiar with the state of the VA? Or how many veterans get kicked off benefits? Or the massive suicide rate of veterans who are left without critical mental health support? Or the carbon emissions from the military industrial complex?
I say:
Actually, the VA doesn't come under the auspices of the DOD. Furthermore, if you would have read the posts you would have realized that the 200 year comment was originated by Florduh - not me. And you have not chastised him. For your convenience I will provide his exact words:
"The Federal Government has been running grocery stores for over 200 years and it's been fine". Floriduh posted this. My response was that I thought it was only 157 years
. Either way that's a long time.Most (not all) the veteran's hospitals are highly rated. The US Department of Veterans Affairs is the organization that handles the Veterans (not the DOD)
In May of 2023 a study showed that the VA health care is better or equal to non-VA heath care. This study was conducted by the Journal of General Internal Medicine and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
A huge, hard to understand study (actually I think it was the culmination of 69 studies) was conducted by the National Library of Medicine and disclosed the following:
"in this systematic review, we identified 69 studies comparing quality of care provided in VA facilities to Non-VA care. Studies of safety and effectiveness indicated generally favorable performance by VA facilities compared to non-VA facilities".
You said:
Or how many veterans get kicked off benefits? No, I do not. Do you? Do you know why this has happened? There could be a multitude of issues here that have nothing to do with the VA being the "bad guys".
You said:
Or the carbon emissions from the military industrial complex? Okay, how would you remedy this. Should the military industrial complex fade into non-existence? You made the complaint and I am very interested in how this can be fixed. I'm openminded to any worthwhile suggestion.
You said:
What, exactly, has the DOD done a good job of besides killing brown people for their resources? I don't know how to respond to this allegation. You don't actually subscribe to this statement. Show me the money (I mean facts, studies, etc,)
Look Bellona0544 I don't wish to argue with you. I certainly am not attempting to change you mind. I, however would like to persuade you to look at the info/data/studies, etc, before making erroneous statements and accusations.
Someone can fact check what I have provided here. I'm human and capable of being wrong.
Bellona0544 it appears, due to the tone of our communications that you don't particularly like me. I don't care. I was, and still am, looking forward to meaningful conversations. Who was it that said " you are entitled to your feelings but not the facts". Actually, I am sure that was the actual quote. Damn this got long winded. Sorry and peace !!
Bazinga
Well-Known Member
I've never watched the Simpsons. My kids loved the show.