Monthly Archives: February 2013
Low Grade Politics
Don Boudreaux at Cafe Hayek reports –
WASHINGTON (CH) – In a bold effort to improve the educational fortunes of students who perform at academic levels significantly below the average of their peers, Congress has mandated a minimum grade to be assigned to each student in each course taught at any school in the country. Starting in September, it shall be unlawful for any teacher, professor, or instructor charged with assigning course grades to assign to any student a grade lower than C-.
Sponsors of the Fair Academic Standards Act decry the injustice that occurs each time a student earns a low grade, such as a D or an F. ” It’s impossible for students with ‘D’s and ‘F’s on their transcripts to succeed as they deserve in life,” remarked Sen. Bernie Franken, an Independent from Elitia. ”This law ensures that no American will ever again suffer that hardship.”
…Sen. [Paul] Rand responds by insisting that grades should accurately reflect each student’s actual performance in class. He says that the minimum-grade requirement, to the extent that it doesn’t simply cause academically challenged students to be kept from enrolling in school, will result in report cards and school transcripts that are full of “lies” – grades that do not reflect each student’s actual performance.
…“That accusation is typical of Sen. Rand and his ilk,” alleges Paula Krueger, the influential columnist. ”Sen. Rand is bought and paid for by rich and privileged elites who know that a more fair distribution of school grades will threaten their and their friends’ hold on this country’s levers of power.”
…Not that Ms. Krueger thinks the Act is ideal. ”It’s not perfect. In my view the minimum grade should be much higher. I think A-. And I’d also like to see the minimum grade indexed to grade inflation. That way all students in America, now and in the future, would be exceptionally high-achievers and very well educated.”
Read the entire post.
Dream Into Action
The four stages of technological progress –
Phase 1 – Origination and dissemination of idea, often through Science Fiction
Lila, The Build-A-Friend from OMAC
Phase 2 – Ideas hrönired into reality engineered by Science!
Phase 3 – Refinement, mass production and Integration into lifestyle [Hat tip to Wdydfae]
Phase 4 – Ordinary everyday horseshit drama
And you thought “Friends” was bad with mere humans
All 4 stages neatly summed up
Do not ride the hoverboard. BE the hoverboard!
Bonus round for anyone who caught the title reference
The Apocalypse of Exuberant Hairstylings was narrowly avoided when the 1980s, in a surprise move, ended.
Batting .500
So I had cheese pizza for lunch, had something small with no meat before going to work, and at 3 minutes to midnight I was thinking I could eat meat again and maybe go out for a burger, and suddenly remembered the bag of beef jerky on the desk that I had been snacking on about an hour beforehand.
So close.
Capping It Off
Today is the birthday of curmudgeon economist and Djarum Black smoker Captain Capitalism. ‘Tis always fun to see his rants and rails against fluffy-minded liberal “thinkers.”
He promised me several kilos and enough hookers to snort it all off of in exchange for the pimpage. I expect delivery by Saturday.
That’s Slick, Cat!
Carol Kaye played bass with the Wrecking Crew for years. She probably played on a lot of the songs you know from the ’60 and early ’70s.
I’m just throwing this out there to give wdydfae something new to dive into. Check out this book, dude.
High Resolution Screening
Dannyfrom504 wrote –
…a song by red house painters called “medicine bottle”. medicine bottle was one of my staple “oneitis” songs. yet i recently had it pop up on a playlist and listening to it now…i see it from a different angle.
it’s simply about an introvert who’s in love but his lover can’t get him out of is shell (mark kozelek routinely wrote songs that were autobiographical), i’m thinking she’s of the impression that he’s not really all that into her, or can’t deal with his gloominess (and we INTJ’s can be GLOOMY AS FUCK), and leaves him. but what she doesn’t get, is the fact she he let her in in the first place is how we express our affection. we are solid pillars of stone when it come to our feelings. NO ONE gets in unless we’ve screened you beyond any screening you’ve ever experienced.
I took the Myers-Briggs test – two different versions – and both times I scored as an INTJ. One test rated me at 90% Thinking over Feeling. I don’t think it’s quite that high, but I am definitely always thinking and analyzing.
I screen constantly and automatically. Everyone does, but INTJs take it to 11. As far as online interactions go, I’m scanning everything you write, watching how you choose your words, who you reply to most and who you ignore. I’m studying your general attitude, what makes you laugh and what pisses you off. I’m scoping out your friends. By the time I leave a comment on your site, I’ve probably read at least half of your posts, and probably seen your comments on other sites. If you comment here and I don’t know you, I’ll go read your latest batch of posts before replying.
I’m not saying I shut out strangers. Far from it. I’ll talk music, movies, and the like with total strangers anytime. But there’s a limit to how far I’ll let someone in before I really know them, and that limit doesn’t go very deep. I discuss little about my personal views until I know someone.
I rarely email someone out of the blue, and always with my WordPress name at first. If I give you my Skype name, you’re on a short list. If you know my name, you’re in a very small club. If you can send me a text message on my phone, you’re probably gold, but it takes a while to get to that level (and besides, why would most people even need to text me? But I digress…).
The thing is, if I do give these out to someone, they usually don’t realize what it means. Once I’ve decided someone is in, I tend to hand out more personal things, not like candy on Halloween, but without hard restrictions. There’s no context to show how how guarded I can be. To a non-INTJ, it probably looks like I’m open (maybe too open), but it actually means I’ve decided you’re up to snuff. Not that anyone would know this. So I have to watch myself.
Interacting with someone in person is different, of course. But that’s a subject for anyone who actually meets me in person.
Danny also wrote “sad depressing music is an INTJ’s heroin.” I’m not quite sure about that, but I do have my share of unhappy favorites. Even as a kid, I never cared much for most love songs – I might like some for the music, but the lyrics were usually too sappy for me. A song doesn’t have to be unhappy, but over-romanticized fluff is right out. Here’s a few favorites of mine, to give you an idea.
Ok, I like some happy songs too.
Friday I’m In Lent
Today I will try not to eat meat. Not a big deal to most, I’m sure. but to me it’s like not breathing. I’m hardcore carnivore.
I’ve gone a few Fridays without eating meat a few times here and there, but never stuck to it. Most likely, I’ll busts open a can of chili or get halfway through a cheeseburger and be like “aw, crap.”
nightskyradio 