EPTUS Politics Mega-thread - Page 3487
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Read the rules in the OP before posting, please. In order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a re-read to refresh your memory! The vast majority of you are contributing in a healthy way, keep it up! NOTE: When providing a source, explain why you feel it is relevant and what purpose it adds to the discussion if it's not obvious. Also take note that unsubstantiated tweets/posts meant only to rekindle old arguments can result in a mod action. | ||
Souma
2nd Worst City in CA8938 Posts
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OuchyDathurts
United States4588 Posts
On March 29 2016 13:01 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: I don't understand what your reply has to do with ODh's post. And to ODh, your suggestions have a lot of merit and make a lot of sense... which is exactly why public schools in America have been doing them for decades. There is tracking, IB/ AP vs. Honors vs. regular vs. conceptual for those who learn at different paces, and many topics (especially in math) are taught using multiple strategies and representations in hopes that at least one method resonates with each student because it's well known that not every student learns the same way. Some recent educational research buzzwords include "differentiated instruction" and "integrated learning" and "collaborating learning environments", all of which give a nod to multiple paths of learning and success and having conversations over possible ways to learn better, as opposed to just the "everyone being told exactly how to learn, the same way for all students/ square peg round hole" fear. While there is a serious focus on making college affordable for everyone, most politicians will purposely say "we should make college affordable and possible for everyone who wants to go", because we know that sometimes vocations or military or a job straight out of high school makes sense for some people. Its good if they're starting to do that stuff now. None of that existed when I was in school though which is a shame. The only thing around then was a few kids would go to vocational school for a few hours a day. It was a very very tiny handful of kids, and they were pretty much all the kids you thought were serial killers. It wasn't really a normal thing or seen as a good option for most students, seemed more like a way of keeping the rest of the kids safe by sending the bad ones away for a few hours a day honestly. I feel like alternate ways of teaching can be fantastically helpful for huge swaths of students, so I'm happy things are finally starting to change. I remember seeing the video Souma linked years ago and agree. | ||
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Silvanel
Poland4733 Posts
Hahaha. Exactly like i said when the issue was hot, Apple refused to grant FBI one time access and as result third party provides them with backdoor to all iPhones of that kind. I wonder how much FBI paid for it. And noone belived me when i said Apple is laying about technical obstacles in place. | ||
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Yurie
11915 Posts
On March 29 2016 13:05 Stratos_speAr wrote: It fucking blows my mind that people can say "algebra isn't useful". I actually can't think of a world in which I wasn't able to do Algebra, and my job isn't math-heavy at all. For most normal office work algebra up until basic exponents with variables (x,y etc) are useful. After that you enter into specialized work before imaginary numbers are needed. Trigonometry is occasionally useful, in some lines more than others. Basically, handling a somewhat advanced spread sheet in excel or similar software is where I would draw the line on what is useful and what isn't in a normal work setting regarding math. | ||
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Atreides
United States2393 Posts
On March 29 2016 17:09 Yurie wrote: For most normal office work algebra up until basic exponents with variables (x,y etc) are useful. After that you enter into specialized work before imaginary numbers are needed. Trigonometry is occasionally useful, in some lines more than others. Basically, handling a somewhat advanced spread sheet in excel or similar software is where I would draw the line on what is useful and what isn't in a normal work setting regarding math. At least in my state this is all that's required. (Well I graduated high school 12 years ago but I know the exit exam requirements are significantly lower now not 100% sure on coursework) one year of algebra 1 one year of geometry and then one year of any other math. If you don't want higher math believe me there were fluff practical courses that were very easy. I mean an excel sheet is a great example of practical everyday application of understanding basic functions. | ||
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hfglgg
Germany5372 Posts
On March 29 2016 17:09 Yurie wrote: For most normal office work algebra up until basic exponents with variables (x,y etc) are useful. After that you enter into specialized work before imaginary numbers are needed. Trigonometry is occasionally useful, in some lines more than others. Basically, handling a somewhat advanced spread sheet in excel or similar software is where I would draw the line on what is useful and what isn't in a normal work setting regarding math. i feel like the more math you know the more often you find applications for it. i couldnt even imagine a life without being able to do basic linear optimizations. all the questions left unanswered! but to just come by, you probably dont even need exponents. | ||
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Yurie
11915 Posts
On March 29 2016 17:45 hfglgg wrote: i feel like the more math you know the more often you find applications for it. i couldnt even imagine a life without being able to do basic linear optimizations. all the questions left unanswered! but to just come by, you probably dont even need exponents. Things like interest that builds up over time and calculating paybacks on ideas. Don't really see how you manage without basic economics which needs exponents. | ||
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oneofthem
Cayman Islands24199 Posts
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WhiteDog
France8650 Posts
For exemple, studying math is not useful because it help to calculate the cost of something or to make the accounting in a firm (computers will soon do that by themselves), but because it is one of the ways to develop logic. My students have less and less course in math (and french) and it influence very badly their capacity to argue and modelize the economy. | ||
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farvacola
United States18835 Posts
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{CC}StealthBlue
United States41117 Posts
President Barack Obama on Monday laid some of the blame for the tone of the presidential campaign on political journalism that has been pinched by shrinking newsroom budgets and cheapened by a focus on retweets and likes on social media. In a speech to a journalism awards dinner, Syracuse University’s Toner prize for excellence in political reporting, Obama urged journalists to ask tougher questions of the candidates vying to be president. He voiced dismay over the vulgar rhetoric, violence at rallies and unrealistic campaign pledges that have continually grabbed headlines, in a thinly veiled reference to Republican front-runner Donald Trump. “The number one question I’m getting as I travel around the world or talk to world leaders right now is, what is happening in America about our politics?” Obama said, describing international alarm over whether the United States will continue to function effectively. “It’s not because around the world people have not seen crazy politics. It is that they understand America is the place where you can’t afford completely crazy politics,” he said. “When our elected officials and our political campaigns become entirely untethered to reason and facts and analysis, when it doesn’t matter what’s true and what’s not, that makes it all but impossible for us to make good decisions on behalf of future generations.” He said the media landscape has changed since his first presidential campaign in 2008, when “there was a price if you said one thing and then did something completely different”. Source | ||
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hfglgg
Germany5372 Posts
On March 29 2016 21:19 farvacola wrote: Improving education in the US runs directly up against the immature, yet pervasive notion that Americans dislike being told what to do, particularly when it involves their children. Changing that attitude is going to take a lot of work, but should we be able to alongside the implementation of a system similar to many in Europe, I think a lot of problems could be solved. I just can't emphasize enough, particularly for our European posters, how incredibly upset many Americans would become in the face of "well, your son is good at these things, so he's going to go to this kind of school" reasoning. "Local rule" when it comes to education is very strong here in the US. i think you overestimate europe, or at least germany in that regard. more or less the same problems, just handled a tiny bit different with terrible consequences. | ||
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puerk
Germany855 Posts
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m4ini
4215 Posts
On March 29 2016 21:28 hfglgg wrote: i think you overestimate europe, or at least germany in that regard. more or less the same problems, just handled a tiny bit different with terrible consequences. Or good consequences, like in my case, where it was decided by my parents that i should go to a Hauptschule (no idea what the english equivalent is), but my 4th class teacher put her foot down and made me go to a Gymnasium. Which also was a "Ganztagsschule" (again, no idea in english), which at the time was really annoying - but ask me again today. as it has an effect of cementing class boundaries You got some sources for that? I don't see only "rich kids" going to Gymnasiums. Or, i do see quite a considerable amount of poor, but intelligent kids. | ||
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farvacola
United States18835 Posts
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Acrofales
Spain18101 Posts
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m4ini
4215 Posts
On March 29 2016 21:40 Acrofales wrote: I think it mainly stems from the "everybody is an expert" syndrome, combined with the decline in prestige, and probably average quality, of school teachers. Parents have always been protective of their children's education, but I get the impression that they used to trust teachers a lot more to do that job. Possibly. My parents didn't like the "decision" of my teacher back then either, because it was the (considerably) more expensive alternative - but they did trust what she said. As i said, it's 20 years ago. | ||
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Gorsameth
Netherlands21939 Posts
On March 29 2016 21:19 farvacola wrote: Improving education in the US runs directly up against the immature, yet pervasive notion that Americans dislike being told what to do, particularly when it involves their children. Changing that attitude is going to take a lot of work, but should we be able to alongside the implementation of a system similar to many in Europe, I think a lot of problems could be solved. I just can't emphasize enough, particularly for our European posters, how incredibly upset many Americans would become in the face of "well, your son is good at these things, so he's going to go to this kind of school" reasoning. "Local rule" when it comes to education is very strong here in the US. 1 thing I think is important to realize is that school choice is ultimately still entirely up to the parents, schools give recommendations of where a student would fit best, and in higher education there might be a test you have to complete if you miss part of the requirements but at no point is a student forced to go to education X. | ||
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farvacola
United States18835 Posts
On March 29 2016 21:43 Gorsameth wrote: 1 thing I think is important to realize is that school choice is ultimately still entirely up to the parents, schools give recommendations of where a student would fit best, and in higher education there might be a test you have to complete if you miss part of the requirements but at no point is a student forced to go to education X. Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm not really a fan of forced education pathing, but I think m4's personal story is pretty instructive and a good basis for comparison with the American approach. Though initially hostile to the notion that their son ought pursue a different path, his parents still acquiesced to the educational knowledge of the teacher as they heeded his/her advice. That same scenario here in the States only happens in the context of already demographically gifted students. In other words, the only parents/students willing to heed the advice of teachers are exactly the sort of people who are already predisposed towards success. It is along those lines that a focus on teacher quality misses the mark, I think; if anything, parent quality and snotty state boards of education are where the problem needs most addressing. | ||
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{CC}StealthBlue
United States41117 Posts
It's not just patients who are getting tired of ever-rising drug prices. Doctors are joining the chorus of frustration. The latest voice? The American College of Physicians, whose membership includes 143,000 internal medicine doctors, published a position paper Monday calling for the government and industry to take steps to rein in spiraling costs. "This is consistent with our mission to put the patient first," Dr. Wayne Riley, ACP president, tell Shots. We've heard from our patients, and our patients are frustrated with dealing with this." The article, being published Tuesday in Annals of Internal Medicine, says that the U.S. is the only country in the 34-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which includes most advanced economies, that doesn't have any government regulation of drug prices. The ACP paper offered seven recommendations that would change that, and that the physician group says will help control U.S. drug prices. The recommendations include letting Medicare to negotiate prices with drugmakers and to reimport drugs from countries like Canada, where they're often sold at a lower cost. The ACP also wants drugmakers to disclose the actual research and production costs of developing and manufacturing each drug, and to disclose the prices paid for drugs – including discounts and rebates — that take advantage of basic research funded by the government, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs. "We particularly feel strongly about those drugs that came to market and made it through the R&D process with support of the NIH grants or VA grants, should be particularly compliant with more transparency," Riley says. People in the pharmaceutical industry dispute that more information about prices will help. "Making it more transparent will make it more clear, but it will have a negative effect on competition," says Ed Schoonveld, head of the market access and pricing division of ZS Associates, which consults with pharmaceutical companies on pricing. Source | ||
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