http://thehappyscientist.com/blog/pr...ence-fcat-test
FCAT is so poorly written that correct answers are marked as wrong, but they dont see the need to fix the test because our kids are to stupid to be able to tell.
Printable View
http://thehappyscientist.com/blog/pr...ence-fcat-test
FCAT is so poorly written that correct answers are marked as wrong, but they dont see the need to fix the test because our kids are to stupid to be able to tell.
Sucks if you know too much, then.
That is generally the case!
So, one of my classes has reached the topic of hydrogen. As an introduction to this topic, I thought to begin with "water" since several upcoming experiments will either use or produce water.
Thus I set out to find a documentary about water - I found two of them. The first 10 minutes of both of them were quite nice. Then both touched topics which rendered them completely unusable for any sane person:
Documentary 1: Produced an astrophysicist who began to talk about how water has a memory. It's always a bad sign when a scientist begins to make very wild statements about stuff absolutely not in his area of expertise.
Documentary 2: Presented pictures of ice crystals which, of course (one might even be tempted to say: "naturally"), all looked different. They also displayed words like "Thank you", "Love" and "War" next to the crystals and told us that those words, spoken during the freezing process, actually were responsible for the shape of the crystals.
Best part: This stuff was shown on our state television program (sort of like the BBC programmes). Which meant that I paid for this shit.
The British NHS still pays for homeopathy treatments. :o
Are you guys still paying the most for the worst care? I'm not sure whether Mittens fixed that yet.
I always like to pretend that this actually refers to the NHS funding treatments that cure belief in homeopathy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loki
Maybe they can work in curing belief in astrology next. About a third of the US is afflicted with this serious illness. :(
Sadly, your lack of socialized health-care will prevent you ever achieving this glorious goal.
You're assuming the NHS isn't paying for tarot readings as we speak. :o
Look, man. It's pretty simple. People who think tarot readings, homeopathy or astrology are a thing don't think they're diseased. They're not going to turn up at Healthcare Incorporated and go "Please charge me a small fortune for some needlessly top of the line drugs because I believe in stupid bullshit, and throw in some unnecessary tests to pad the bill out while you're at it." (or whatever people say in America when they go to the doctor). While you based your healthcare system around this silly 'free market' and 'choice' business (I mean, really) people will never voluntarily turn themselves in to be treated for wrongthink. No. You have to do it the socialist way: tell them they're getting a homeopathic treatment then just slip them somemind control pillstruth enhancers and send them on their way.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9309100/Pict...ctures/dur.jpgQuote:
http://www.thelocal.se/articleImages/40312.jpg
Minister in 'racist circumcision outrage'
Swedish minister of culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth's participation in a "racist spectacle" in which she carved up a cake depicting a naked black woman has sparked outrage and prompted calls for the minister's dismissal.
"In our view, this simply adds to the mockery of racism in Sweden," Kitimbwa Sabuni, spokesperson for the National Afro-Swedish Association (Afrosvenskarnas riksförbund) told The Local.
"This was a racist spectacle."
Sabuni's comments come following Adelsohn Liljeroth's participation in an art installation that took place at Stockholm's Moderna Museet in connection with World Art Day on April 15th.
As part of the installation, which was reportedly meant to highlight the issue of female circumcision, the culture minister began cutting a large cake shaped like a black woman, symbolically starting at the clitoris.
Makode Aj Linde, the artist who created the installation and whose head is part of the cake cut by the minister, wrote about the "genital mutilation cake" on his Facebook page.
"Before cutting me up she whispered, 'Your life will be better after this' in my ear," he wrote in a caption next to the partially eaten cake.
But images of the event, which show a smiling and laughing Adelsohn Liljeroth slicing up the cake, have caused the National Afro-Swedish Association and its members to see red and issue calls for her resignation.
"According to the Moderna Museet, the 'cake party' was meant to problematize female circumcision but how that is accomplished through a cake representing a racist caricature of a black woman complete with 'black face' is unclear," Sabuni said in a statement.
According to Sabuni, the mere fact that the minister particiapted in the event, which he argued was also marked by "cannibalistic" overtones, betrays her "incompetence and lack of judgement".
"Her participation, as she laughs, drinks, and eats cake, merely adds to the insult against people who suffer from racist taunts and against women affected by circumcision," he said.
"We have no confidence in her any longer."
Speaking with the TT news agency, Adelsohn Liljeroth was sympathetic to the association's reaction, but nevertheless defended her actions.
"I understand quite well that this is provocative and that it was a rather bizarre situation," she said.
"I was invited to speak at World Art Day about art's freedom and the right to provoke. And then they wanted me to cut the cake."
However, Adelsohn Liljeroth said the National Afro-Swedish Association's anger should be directed at the artist, not at her, claiming the situation was "misinterpreted".
"He claims that it challenges a romanticized and exoticized view from the west about something that is really about violence and racism," she said.
"Art needs to be provocative."
But the minster's defence of her actions rang hollow for Sabuni.
"It's extremely insulting for the minister to claim that we've somehow 'misunderstood' racism," he said.
According to Sabuni, the incident is "strange" but "not unexpected" in the Swedish context.
"Sweden thinks of itself as a place where racism is not a problem," he said.
"That just provides cover for not discussing the issue which leads to incidents like this."
While a museum is certainly allowed to do what it wants as long as the laws are followed, Sabuni argued that a minister needs to be held to "higher standards".
"To participate in a racist manifestation masquerading as art is totally over the line and can only be interpreted as the culture minister supporting the Moderna Museet's racist prank," he said.
Who in the hells thought this to be a good idea?
fixedQuote:
Originally Posted by Khendraja'aro
Clearly, she wanted to have her cake and eat it, too.
*shrugs*
All the idiotic claims of racism detract from what the installation is really about - the violence that is circumcision.
People who use dead relatives' facebook accounts... creeps me out.
Yeah, someone screaming racism for political purposes is just shocking. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Timbuk2
All the doors on all the buildings have signs that say, in three languages, "CLOSE THE DOOR - SNAKES!!!"
I mean, okay, I'm in a nature preserve, so it makes sense
But Jesus Christ
Snakes inside or outside? Either way I'd be getting the fuck out of there!
Outside, ostensibly, so people'd close the doors to keep 'em out.
Ah okay. I worked at a facility that had snakes on the inside, and occasionally the outside too. Luckily I never had to cross paths with either...
http://news.yahoo.com/gang-rape-vide...181759729.html
"The same survey found more than one quarter of South African men admitted to raping a woman or girl."
:bored:
I saw the same story being talked about on CNN today. The WTF quote there was that in South Africa "women are more likely to be raped than to learn how to read".
That doesn't quite sound right seeing that 90% of South African have at least a primary school education.
... that consists of rape :cry:Quote:
Originally Posted by Loki
It does sound suspect, but the woman who said it had a British accent, so what she said must be true.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loki
I'm afraid to go looking for verification, for fear that I'll also find that South Africa has a normal literacy rate.
Well, you only learn to read once and I guess it's hard to say anything meaningful about lifetime risk or incidence of rape in SA while comparing that statistic to eg. literacy rates. The gist is that rape is very common in SA (although I hear other African countries are leading the league these days), even if the details are debatable.
You know, the numbers coming out of the UK and US are scarcely any less shocking considering they're from developed countries.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loki
Okay, the Blizzard stress test for Diablo 3 seems to be complete and utter success.
The servers are so stressed that neither logging in nor accessing the account management is possible.
Doesn't exactly bode well for release.