A Biblical Seven Years

[troung]

ahahahahahahahahahhaha

This thread is fly paper for stupid.

I demand it stay open for brokenback to tell us how gay sex was a boring let down for him....

[Gun Grape]

A major negative comparison of my country, the USA is the failed educational system. Several years ago testing of 12 grade students in Math and Science was conducted in the 18 major industrial nations. In both Math and Science scores American kids finished 18th. That was shameful. A year or so ago they did more testing and found out that we had dropped to 25th. Twenty-four other countries have better educated kids than ours. How can we remain a world leader in research, medicine, earth sciences, Particle Physics, and Biology with that scary result?

because the test do not test analytical skills just memorization.

At least half of Americans believe that the world is 6000 years old, unchanged (deny or never heard of plate tectonics or continental drift), can not locate Canada on a globe, and deny the overwhelming proof of evolution (natural or guided).

I think the USA has become an intellectual Third World Country. All progress and success is the work of a minority of less than 5%. The rest are still stuck in the Middle Ages.

Aristarchos

Yet we can intercept a comet with a probe in outer space, create planes like the F-22, subs like the seawolf, fly UAVs controlled from half way around the world.

Things that those "Better" educated countries just dream about.

Yep, going to hell in a handbasket I tell you.

[Julie]

This thread has gotten waaaaay off topic from the first post made on page 1 and much unnecessary name-calling. Clean it up, or I will issue infractions and lock the thread. Govern yourself accordingly.

[astralis]

dalem,

Does Friedman not remember the 1980s and all the "Japan Ascendent" foofooraw?

He's smarter than that.

-dale

he's actually addressed that issue before. the difference between china and japan is huge, and i don't just mean one of scale. china's growing economy is built upon globalization, while japan's economy never was (and still isn't).

personally i think friedman is overstating the threat and promise of modern china, but as an economic/political challenge for the US, china will not be the illusion that japan was.

[HistoricalDavid]

GG, I'm guessing that he will reasonably say your examples are the product of the 5%.

That's the nature of America - it's so large and powerful that it has enough people and enough money to come first in contradictory categories.

Fattest nation <-> Best Olympic haul, except for 2008 due to obvious 'home crowd' advantage for China.

Most religiously fundamentalist industrialised country <-> most porn produced.

Er I'm sure you can think of more.

Aforementioned religious fundamentalism <-> American science and invention.

[Blue]

A major negative comparison of my country, the USA is the failed educational system. Several years ago testing of 12 grade students in Math and Science was conducted in the 18 major industrial nations. In both Math and Science scores American kids finished 18th. That was shameful. A year or so ago they did more testing and found out that we had dropped to 25th. Twenty-four other countries have better educated kids than ours. How can we remain a world leader in research, medicine, earth sciences, Particle Physics, and Biology with that scary result?

At least half of Americans believe that the world is 6000 years old, unchanged (deny or never heard of plate tectonics or continental drift), can not locate Canada on a globe, and deny the overwhelming proof of evolution (natural or guided).

I think the USA has become an intellectual Third World Country. All progress and success is the work of a minority of less than 5%. The rest are still stuck in the Middle Ages.

Aristarchos

Outstanding post Sir! Welcome to the WAB! The bad part of this is that the statistics are bad enough now that you no longer need them to see there is a problem. Look around at any mall, behind any fast food counter, or collecting shopping carts in the wal-mart parking lot. I'm not talking about the college kids doing part time or summer work, I mean the career stockers and flippers.

[Gun Grape]

GG, I'm guessing that he will reasonably say your examples are the product of the 5%.

That's the nature of America - it's so large powerful that it has enough people to come first in contradictory categories.

Fattest nation <-> Best Olympic haul, except for 2008 due to obvious 'home crowd' advantage for China.

Most religiously fundamentalist industrialised country <-> most porn produced.

Er I'm sure you can think of more.

Aforementioned religious fundamentalism <-> American science and invention.

A Part of the problem that Americans don't think about is, Who takes these test?

American children are required to go to school until the 12th grade. If they are geniuses or dumber that dirt. And the government pays for it.

Many countries, the government pays for grade school but the Jr and High School levels are family funded. With testing requirements to get into those schools.

So the students in say a Japanese High School are a lot different than an American High School.

Those kids that are just barely getting by or will leave with a certificate of attendance from am American school didn't even make it to the High School level in Japan. They have been flipping burgers at A&W for years already.


Now if you want to argue the 5% rule, than my defense is that our 5% is bigger than the 95% of the other countries)

[HistoricalDavid]

Yeah... that's what I said. America's got the size and the resources. It doesn't mean that there aren't some fundamentally strange attitudes toward education and intellectualism which prevents the 5% from blossoming into 10%.

[troung]

Yeah... that's what I said. America's got the size and the resources. It doesn't mean that there aren't some fundamentally strange attitudes toward education and intellectualism which prevents the 5% from blossoming into 10%.

Dude our 5 percent of smart people out numberer the entire population of England....

[HistoricalDavid]

Population of England = 15 million? Methinks you are part of a certain 95%.

[Blue]

Yet we can intercept a comet with a probe in outer space, create planes like the F-22, subs like the seawolf, fly UAVs controlled from half way around the world.

Things that those "Better" educated countries just dream about.

Yep, going to hell in a handbasket I tell you.

Hopefully the French will print the directions for the KC-130 replacements in English. Although we already have a leg up on it since the upgraded engines that have been fitted in the old KC-130s are French made. C'mon Gunny. The Doc has a very valid point. There are more and more innovations and breakthroughs coming from foreign countries. There is way more from them and a lot less from us in the last few years and its on the increase. Also I might point out the huge trade imbalance btwn us and the rest of the world. We have become a nation of fat-stupid consumers and will eventually pay the price if we do not get a strong sense of national pride back. That is what this thread is talking about. Like the article said and Ray supported, China and India are experiencing just that and, therefore, thier rising success and eventual dominance.

[Gun Grape]

Hopefully the French will print the directions for the KC-130 replacements in English.

You mean the A-400? The plane they have been working on since the 80s? The one that we decided to produce the 130J instead of waiting around for? The one that was suppose to be test flown at the first of the year but has been pushed back to maybe this month? The one that the Canadians got tired of waiting for and bought 130Js and C-17s instead?

Although we already have a leg up on it since the upgraded engines that have been fitted in the old KC-130s are French made.

The French are producing Rills Royce engines? Or the Allison engines?

Also I might point out the huge trade imbalance btwn us and the rest of the world.

Of course we have a big trade imbalance But we are still #3 in exports in the world. We also have more disposable income than people in most other countries. We like to buy stuff. Its not going to kill us.

[Blue]

[QUOTE]

You mean the A-400?

What I have read, it was supposed to be a modified A330.

The French are producing Rills Royce engines? Or the Allison engines?

No, that would be the CFM-56.

Of course we have a big trade imbalance But we are still #3 in exports in the world. We also have more disposable income than people in most other countries. We like to buy stuff. Its not going to kill us.

Well....... not today. Its more like getting pecked to death by a bunch of ducks.

[Gun Grape]

No, that would be the CFM-56.

Your thinking of the KC-135 not the 130s. That engine is a joint project between GE and Snecma. We make the high Pressure side they make the low pressure side. It has been in production by both for over 25 yrs.

This isn't something new. And it opened some European markets for the US that were closed.


I never buy into the doom and gloom stuff. We do not have a monopoly on inventions. If someone else makes it, its not going to kill us.

[Deltacamelately]

ahahahahahahahahahhaha

This thread is fly paper for stupid.

I demand it stay open for brokenback to tell us how gay sex was a boring let down for him....

It must have been one hell of a boring let down, or do you consider yourself to be having an arse of a Greek God? I now fully understand how the hard drive of brockensickle is adding the gigabytes, burning the midnight oil eh?