I used to know Morse code. I still have my Navy-issue cardboard blink trainer (and probably my old rotary semaphore trainer, too). I was never more than minimally competent with it, and I’ve long since forgotten most of it, but I was still tickled to see this:
Via Grouchy Old Cripple.
I don’t know if I used this algebra book when I was in high school, but it certainly looks familiar. Part 2 of the discussion of the book can be found here.
I used to read a couple of education blogs fairly regularly a few years ago, but I haven’t recently – at least one of the ones I used to read shut down, and my daughter has graduated from high school, so horror stories about elementary and high school shortcomings are no longer of quite the same interest to me.
The reproduced pages from the algebra book certainly bring back memories, and the comments about the type of questions and the grammar really highlight the dumbing down of education over the years. Concentrating too much on social indoctrination, I guess. I do enjoy how the article ends:
And you wonder why we geezers can make change and these kids can’t?
I’ll have to dig out my old high school yearbook – I placed in the top ten in Texas for mental arithmetic competition my senior year (for my size of high school, at least). I may even have one of the old tests hanging around.
The Optimus Prime Zippo lighter. Too expensive for me to get for her as a gift, though.
There are no young-earth geochronologists. It doesn’t get really fun, though, until the geology puns start getting tossed around in the comments.
I spent some time at work yesterday, and was startled to hear sounds in the office when I knew good and well that I was the only person in the building. After a few minutes of listening, I realized that there was a bird trapped above the ceiling tiles, and I was able to ignore it.
This morning, one of my coworkers got too creeped-out by it, so we ended up removing one of the ceiling tiles so the bird could get out. About half an hour later, a young starling poked its head out, then flew into my office. It quickly found a window to flap against (our windows don’t open). I caught it and took it outside. When I turned it loose, it flew across the street, no doubt to tell its friends about the weekend it spent in durance vile.
I couldn’t find any independent verification of this, though.
Now look what you did. You didn’t respect the environment.
Then I reached the last paragraph, and got really worried … what if I’m wrong, and this letter isn’t satire?
Ed Driscoll points to an article by Tim Blair pointing out contradictory concepts. I’d like to point out number 11, specifically.
11 The same people who believe Americans have no sense of humour laugh their heads off at The Simpsons.
I’m not going to address whether this is a contradictory concept; this one just resonated with me because of a trip Marion and I made to Australia a year ago. We made a side trip to Adelaide so I could visit relatives, which was quite nice (apart from having to avoid Uncle Mike’s insane doberman). However, I was shocked to learn that my cousin and his son felt that watching The Simpsons gave them an accurate picture of the US and its inhabitants.
Think about that … then wonder how widespread that sort of thing might be, and what effect it may have on world attitudes about the US. My relatives get their ideas about the US from The Simpsons. Perhaps others use Desparate Housewives, or Aqua Teen Hunger Force, or Lethal Weapon?
Now think about this … what are your impressions of other countries based on?