bmags

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Feb 5, 2010 -> 03:28 AM) Go listen to Kicking Television again and then tell me where the band is "pleasant/boring". And then tell where you think Nels sounds "disgusting and Kenny G-esque." kicking television is nearly all songs crafted before they had kenny g at guitar. go to 1:55

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Feb 5, 2010 -> 04:29 AM) The point isn't about what classes you take, it's your ability to adapt and learn something that's not the subject that you're in. The point also is to be able to think critically about a subject you might not be an expert in. bmags, I'll try to use an example. What guides your philosphy on global warming? Should you be guided on some scientific theories you might have learned in some science class, or should you be guided by some journalist who doesn't know a damn thing about it? I'm not mocking you here, I'm trying to ask a question that might make you see why sometimes a BIO1000 or a SCI1000 or whatever might become relevant. A journalist is probably covering the thousands of scientists over decades who have published their work in peer reviewed journals over the subject, whether or not the journalist had bio1000 at some point in his life, he probably learned how to think critically in college. You don't need knowledge in every area to understand flaws. I know how to read reports. I know how to read statistics. It doesn't matter the topic.

this is pretty rich, douchebag senator from a douchebag state doing douchebag policies to get some douchebag projects becomes the democrats fault for completely unrelated reasons.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 11:09 PM) As someone who once was curious about the field of journalism, and believe in what NorthSideSox72 has said, what are you intending to do with your journalism degree? I found out that I hated reporting, designing, taking pictures, deadline pressure among other things. This is why I'm completing a degree in another field. I didn't expect to become such a topic of conversation. First to address NSS, my point is the structure of bachelors degrees are stupidly rigorous. I think it's a terrible idea to require 9 hrs. of social science 9 hours of lab science 9 hours of humanities Why not create a scale system? For instance, I wanted to take as many econ classes as I could because they interest me and would be helpful no matter, but once i hit 3, they were not productive in helping me graduate. I could take them out of curiosity, but curiosity came at a cost of $2000 a semester for another 3 hr. course. So instead I took japanese cinema, because i knew i wouldn't have to go, instead spent my time at the paper working and got 100% because the teacher didn't care. That class was $2000. That was buying GPA. That class made me an "educated person." As for the beast, I loved journalism. I loved working at the paper. I loved the research. I loved finding the question that elicited an answer I didn't expect. I loved finding the question that elicited the answer I needed to have. I hated the story you thought would occur but learned that it was nothing. I loved when the nothing turned into the odd and interesting. And, oddly enough, I hated the writing. I love writing, but it is the absolute final step and you are rushing. The story is everything. However, I will not go into journalism because the structured newsroom they taught me in will not be a reality, copy desks are being eliminated, and the new media is something I don't have a knack for. I don't know what I'll do next, that's why I moved to Brazil. I'm not really worried, I have no doubt I have more ability and curiosity to do well than most everyone who may have chose a more relevant major for whatever job I choose. Business majors were a joke at my school, to me at least. Tex, I get the impression that recently you don't understand how condescending you can come across, so I will tell you that this was condescending. For one, no, before going to a story the editor does not ask, okay, did you ever have bio 1000? You know why? Because if someone thinks they know a damn about biology because they took an entry level class in the course than they are arrogant idiots who will write a terrible story. I knew a lot about education policy and so I covered education. If they needed me to cover a bio story I would and would be effective because I know how to analyze data, and would speak to every relevant person on the subject. And that would be for a quick one up. If an editor picks a journalist to cover a feature on an in-depth biology story because they took bio 101, they should be fired, or at least publicly flayed.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 09:07 PM) When you get out into the full time working world, you will find why this is done. A lot of people end up going into a job that is not exactly what they thought they'd do while an undergrad. Its just what ends up happening. And a field like journalism, where the job market is so bad, that will be amplified. So, its important to get some diverse background while in school. In my view, it makes a ton of sense. If people are too specialized, they play themselves out of too many jobs, and it makes people less able to do something different. Being a journalism major i was already incredibly well rounded. No need to say the difference between me and a college grad was psych 1110 child behavior

QUOTE (The Gooch @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 07:36 PM) I agree that a few general education courses be required. An english course, a speech course, and a math course. If a specific major requires more then a student can take more. There is no reason every student has to take chemistry, biology, geology, art history, , etc. Especially when we have taken a lot of these classes in high school. There is nothing wrong with a semesters worth of general education requirements, but two years worth is just plain ridiculous imo. Exactly, one thing that pissed me off to no end was I had to take 3 extra hours of ANYTHING (meaning 1000 level courses) because I had taken too many journalism classes. I was a journalism major. It was the stupidest s*** I've ever seen.

Damn Mizzou had a hell of a class

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 06:43 AM) I agree with a lot of this is general. Many jobs that require a college degree do not require any particular skills learned in college, but rather, some degree of common sense. Unfortunately, employers often use a college degree as a minimum threshold for common sense, which couldn't be more inaccurate. Very true. GPA doesn't mean much more than, hey this guy/girl is probably a good worker. And that's it. The Bachelors degree really needs to be reformulated. These gen-eds really do need to be toned down.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Feb 3, 2010 -> 10:49 PM) I've never listened to Kenny G, so I wouldn't be able to compare anything to him. I am assuming that you have not heard the band live with Nels, because the shows I've seen with him have been anything but pleasant/boring. I agree on Jay Bennett, Summerteeth is still my favorite album, but if you've seen the movie, its pretty obvious why he got kicked out. I've seen pre nels and post nels and the only difference is the awful nels era's songs I have to listen to. Wooheee he can play a lot of notes.

someone who was lying about what was said.

it's like in the wire season 2 or 3 when dude was gonna snitch and then they brought his momma in to talk him out of it. Except it's the opposite.

a lot of money colleges make goes into "make-up" and recruitment, it's become abundantly clear that schools aren't necessarily interested in creating a better product, but are very much interested in finding a better student. Missouri had some of the best religious studies professors in the country, they all left, one by one. But we do have 43 flat screen tvs, because that's some of the s*** that US Weekly counts in "best colleges!" Also, when colleges raise the prices, they are seen as more prestigious, and quality of students actually rises. As for ss2k5's question, i think it was always seen as a sort of entitlement. primary schools are an entitlement. And we wouldn't have state schools if people only thought it was an investment. Education is needed for our economy, but it looks like another case where in 30 years education is 13% of our GDP!!! Just kidding, but tuition is absurd. I went to a cheap out of state school with a scholarship taking off a significant amt. of money, and it was thousands more than we thought after 4 years because of inconsistencies in state budgets.

QUOTE (vandy125 @ Feb 3, 2010 -> 06:24 PM) So, what other debts should we relieve them of? Mortgages? Car Loans? Credit Card payments? Anything else? After all, they do need money to take out a loan to start a small business. Should we relieve them of that cost too? Very righteous. My point was that these plans are coming out of ideas for stimulus. When people talk about relieving a burden on a business, bank or corporation (WHO ARE PEOPLE TOO/green) you will get the economic and the moral argument. And yet for this you only get the self-righteous I walked to school in the snow with 6 jobs and everyone else must be lazy i'm a hard worker crap. Who cares. In 5 years the people who graduate from college will be in thousands more debt than me. In just five years. The people who currently worked hard to graduate college and had to pay their way through, are in the worst job market in at least 30 years. With no signs of improving. But they should've realized that the banks were levereging 35:1 on a real estate market that was about to burst. Do you want to forever forgive people's debt? no. But when we are in a prolonged recession and people are thinking of ways to help, one thing that doesn't is immediately thinking of yourself as some 19th century rugged individualist because you have a damn car payment.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Feb 3, 2010 -> 03:40 PM) In case the need ever were to arise -- then we have them. That's why. It's pretty simple. In terms of defense, getting caught without something when the need arises makes you the one that lost. I know in your Utopian world where no war exists and butterfly wings create unlimited free power there is no need for them, but here, on Earth, in reality...having them in case the need arises is very important. The great part about this is we can just defer to military management and Robert Gates. What you are arguing for doesn't actually make the army better, it just keeps preparing them for the cold war, when we need an army smaller and more mobile for threats that are usually non-nation. And further what you are arguing for is really just welfare-like subsidies for southern states. The reason why it's so hard to cut the f-22s, aircraft carriers, etc is because it's money leaving someones district. But it has so much momentum now that if it doesn't change, it will never change, and we'll just be building things to keep congressman getting elected.

JD Hayworth is insane. Dude's just a pro-torture republican.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Feb 2, 2010 -> 01:45 PM) The last album didn't do much for me, but I wouldn't consider adding a guitar player like Nels Cline resting on their laurels. Nels Cline is the worst thing that could've ever happened to Wilco. Jay Bennett, a lesser "technical" guitar player, challenged the band and Tweedy, and the dysfunction clearly put out their best records. By contrast, with Cline they get a nice glossy 'can play a lot of notes' guitar player that makes the most disgusting, Kenny-G esque riffs and solos. And Wilco has decided that their albums are just to make some nice pleasant live songs. Pleasant/boring, whatever.

The fact that the not going to college v. going to college is even being considered lets you know how much the system is broken. I say this b/c while college degrees earn more, that is becoming increasingly bogged down and unclear. The bachelors degree system is probably not the most efficient system, certainly not the best use of most's money, and incompatible with a large number who go there. Which makes it more insane that those with the language and math skills to get through to a for year, to reach their full potential, are asked to go into mountains of debt in order to get into a good program It's insane. And it's funny how moral this argument is. The idea comes from the facts that we had to bail the banks out because then lending would freeze, the economy would come to a standstill, crippling depression. YOu can see where you benefit. For this, relieving thousands of the nations best educated from debt of a broken system, gets met as if they are dead beats and why should they get free. If these people were relieved of this student loan debt, these are the ones who could best use that money on capital for a small business, or let alone the fact that these are a whole bunch of single/18-34's who like to spend. But when this is suggested, everyone becomes defensive.

because we went into debt for a broken system EVERYONE MUST GO INTO GREATER DEBT

wellp, so the one thing that unites conservatives and liberals on this site is our hatred of texas...(politicians...)...(i guess)

QUOTE (vandy125 @ Feb 2, 2010 -> 08:10 PM) Exactly, I've heard of some of this and am pretty annoyed that I've been working hard and responsibly paying off my loans. Why should my taxes go to pay off someone else's loan who is not being responsible? what indication is showing that they are not being responsible?

balta and his science comics

Haha, great great thread. Wonderful story by Reuters, news industry at the top of their game. Also, the middle class doesn't benefit from medicare? Our military dominance? Social security? Highways? Your meat not being infested with diseases? Your medicine doing what it actually claims to do? Scholarship programs? News to me.

why would kreutz being gone be a bad thing?

i think the last two wilco albums are the epitomy of sitting on your laurels.

they signed the deal before knowing how much it was for?/green