State of the Onion Address
 

Katy, you have no mercy for an antisocial geek. I really had to train
myself to have what few social skills I do have. Looking people in the
eye is something I never did naturally and so had to force myself to
do. My wife tells me she can discern volumes about a person by their
eyes but I see nothing at all. My relationships with women were always
a disaster for this reason, thank God my wife is understanding.
Lawyers are overpaid because they have a monopoly. They make the laws
too. I know very few unemployed engineers. Most physicists and
engineers I have known having trouble finding jobs never even gave a
thought to starting their own business. I did not start mine by choice
but simply because it beat unemployment. I am the worlds worst manager
and if my employees cannot manage themselves they better go somewhere
else. I dont care when they work as long as they get stuff done and if
they say they work 40 hours I believe them but would never keep track.
Self motivated people seem to be able to find work.
OTOH, my wife is a teacher(Masters in Special ed Masters in counseling)
with years of experience and she puts up with the BS from the system.
I used to tell her she should start her own educational service but she
has no desire to work for herself. It baffles me but she seems happy.
The idea of becoming a lawyer always impressed me as an excercise in
mediocrity done by sorta smart people who simply couldnt think of
anything else to do. I'd call it a lack of imagination. My brother
became a lawyer which was no surprise to me as he has no imagination
but when my youngest and smartest sister (I have seven sisters) became
a lawyer I told her it was a waste of a good mind and was very
disappointed. About half of my friends are lawyers and their careers
seem really dull.
I stand corrected about the lack of scientists in TV and movies. My
ignorance is due to having almost no contact with TV or movies.
Katy, seeing what nurses do, I have no problem paying them well.

State of the Onion Address
 

wrote in message
ups.com...
Part of the problem is the way math and science is taught as if they
were obscure theoretical subjects with little application to real life
and this is because most teachers do not understand the subjects.

My point exactly; or at least one of them. I work in a school with many
gifted teachers, they are engineers, PhD'd scientists (biomed), nurses,
technicians, machinists, carpenters, IT specialists, and on and on. They're
older people but new teachers. They've had successful careers but many have
wanted to try teaching and this is a great way to try it on for size. They
can and do bring math (and academics in general) to life for kids who wants
to learn. They do help the problematic kids who are "dumped" into the
vo-techs, but at the expense of that middle 50% who are now displaced by the
practices of the system. What a waste of talent when you consider that kids
sitting in sending schools are in effect being denied wonderful
opportunities because their guidance counselors and administrators have done
the evil and selfish deed of populating the vo-techs with trouble makers,
and then telling the good kids they're too "smart" for vo-tech. First they
create the environment and then they condemn it! So now the traditional
(sending) high school has highly trained special ed teachers who are working
with manageable groups of the 6 or 7 spec ed kids they kept, while the
engineers with very little training in spec ed have labs with 25 kids, 50%
of whom are spec ed or emotional support. Having said all that, I think the
engineers do a better job at spec ed than the spec ed teachers do! Maybe the
universe is in balance afterall!
Scout

State of the Onion Address
 

"Bob Crantz" wrote
Education gives you the ability to anticipate problems you haven't
experienced, experience gives you a quiver of solutions to problems.

I'm framing this and hanging it or my office wall -
Amen!
Scout

State of the Onion Address
 

"Bob Crantz" wrote
{snipped}
We need more lawyers!

Bob Crantz - Master of verbal irony!
Scout

State of the Onion Address
 

wrote
{snip}
I am so bad with people {snip}

My partner (teaches physics) is an engineer and is as you say, bad with
people. He also has a problem with gas. Within 5 minutes of meeting a new
person, he typically farts loudly on them, and then, without a trace of
shame, he just smiles. He's brilliant, but I suspect he has a touch of
asbergers!
Scout

State of the Onion Address
 

spec ed teachers are... 'special'..

Scotty


"Scout" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
ups.com...
Part of the problem is the way math and science is taught as
if they
were obscure theoretical subjects with little application to
real life
and this is because most teachers do not understand the
subjects.

My point exactly; or at least one of them. I work in a school
with many
gifted teachers, they are engineers, PhD'd scientists (biomed),
nurses,
technicians, machinists, carpenters, IT specialists, and on and
on. They're
older people but new teachers. They've had successful careers
but many have
wanted to try teaching and this is a great way to try it on for
size. They
can and do bring math (and academics in general) to life for
kids who wants
to learn. They do help the problematic kids who are "dumped"
into the
vo-techs, but at the expense of that middle 50% who are now
displaced by the
practices of the system. What a waste of talent when you
consider that kids
sitting in sending schools are in effect being denied wonderful
opportunities because their guidance counselors and
administrators have done
the evil and selfish deed of populating the vo-techs with
trouble makers,
and then telling the good kids they're too "smart" for vo-tech.
First they
create the environment and then they condemn it! So now the
traditional
(sending) high school has highly trained special ed teachers
who are working
with manageable groups of the 6 or 7 spec ed kids they kept,
while the
engineers with very little training in spec ed have labs with
25 kids, 50%
of whom are spec ed or emotional support. Having said all that,
I think the
engineers do a better job at spec ed than the spec ed teachers
do! Maybe the
universe is in balance afterall!
Scout

State of the Onion Address - jobs
 

"Bob Crantz" wrote......
When I tell kids on how to become successful, I tell the to look for
loopholes and how to beat the system. ......

If they want to be entertainers (musicians, sports figures, actors) suggest they
instead consider the Jesus business. There a 1000s of failures for every
singer, rock band, etc. that makes it big time but even most small town
preachers earn good livings and top televangilists outearn rock stars. Good
news is you don't have to be superstitious yourself - just able to do a gig
every Sunday - nor have an expensive education.

State of the Onion Address
 

wrote...
If you care about society, ......

You are absolutely correct - IF you care about society. Most young people do
not, at least as much as they care about themselves. They've been told
correctly "If you think schools and teachers are tough wait til you get a job
and a boss!" so they are terrified of having to actually work, whether at a job
or for a technical degree.

Looking back at my own life, I struggled thru engineering courses while business
and liberal arts majors partied on dad's dime ... and ended up working for them.
Except for basics like math and physics most of what I learned was soon OBE
(Anybody need a vacuum tube circuit designed lately?). If I had it to do over
I'd opt for law then politics, or bag education entirely and go into the Jesus
business.

State of the Onion Address
 

"Vito" wrote in message
...
wrote...
If you care about society, ......

You are absolutely correct - IF you care about society. Most young people
do
not, at least as much as they care about themselves. They've been told
correctly "If you think schools and teachers are tough wait til you get a
job
and a boss!" so they are terrified of having to actually work, whether at
a job
or for a technical degree.

Looking back at my own life, I struggled thru engineering courses while
business
and liberal arts majors partied on dad's dime ... and ended up working for
them.
Except for basics like math and physics most of what I learned was soon
OBE
(Anybody need a vacuum tube circuit designed lately?). If I had it to do
over
I'd opt for law then politics, or bag education entirely and go into the
Jesus
business.


Praise the Lord!

I fall to my knees weeping!

Lord!

You have seen the light! Glory!

Vito, the Goldwater Conservative, sees with clear vision!

Amen! Amen! Amen!!!!

There is still one thing you left out. You can apply your science knowledge
to become wealthy and famous!

That's right!

The answer is PSEUDOSCIENCE.

That's right! Selling hope in the form of pseudoscience to willing victims
who will pay vast sums to be told, analyzed and treated with dubious
scientific practice!

Healing magnets!

Polarized water!

Meridian alignment!

Power line shields!

Healing crystals!

Sound therapy!

Aroma therapy!

Color therapy!

Fung Shui!

It's all there!

Putting the great discoveries of SCIENCE to dubious and questionable
practice!

This exciting growth industry merges SCIENCE, FAITH, MYSTICISM, and SLIGHTLY
ILLEGAL PRACTICES to make you RICH!

Cash in on your science training now!

Amen!

State of the Onion Address - jobs
 

Amen!



"Vito" wrote in message
...
"Bob Crantz" wrote......
When I tell kids on how to become successful, I tell the to look for
loopholes and how to beat the system. ......

If they want to be entertainers (musicians, sports figures, actors)
suggest they
instead consider the Jesus business. There a 1000s of failures for every
singer, rock band, etc. that makes it big time but even most small town
preachers earn good livings and top televangilists outearn rock stars.
Good
news is you don't have to be superstitious yourself - just able to do a
gig
every Sunday - nor have an expensive education.