[b said:Quote[/b] ]as far as Big Brother, has the Patriot Act really not hit home with you?
Well, I'd argue the NSA wiretapping is a more suitable analogy, but yes. Big Brother, if you recall, was survielance and the use of rampant patriotism to do away with rights. It has little to do with the actual size of government or the level of management; IIRC, you could do just about anything you wanted, but they'd be watching.
Big government, in my eyes, is more simply a result of the sheer size and complexity of society. If we'd stop breeding like nymphomaniac rabbits and bring the human population down to something reasonable, I suspect we'd naturally see a return to smaller government, simply because the large, complex infrastructure is no longer needed.
[b said:Quote[/b] ]guess im one who is more interested in supporting ones self than relying on Big Brother
But some things are better when in government hands. I'm sure you're not a fan of having to lay down your own road whenever you want to go somewhere, after all.
[b said:Quote[/b] ]the Post docs at the University I work at make upwards of $40K a year. Profs w/o tenure at least $90K, and the heavy hitters w/tenure, upwards of $250k. There's money to be made in edumacation.
But in what field, and I suspect it's an RO1 (research-oriented, top tier, for everyone) university. I'd *love* to work at an RO1, but organismal biologists aren't exactly the most application-oriented lot.
[b said:Quote[/b] ]I can see where thats stressfull, but I duno still seems like a blast to me.
Oh, it's a total blast, but one that you've gotta be super-careful with. Fieldwork can be great fun, but a nice case of sleeping sickness or malaria, or a venomous snake bite, can make things turn bad fast, especially if there's no nearby hospital.
[b said:Quote[/b] ]April I agree we shouldn't be educationg someone children who shouldn't behere in the first place.
Even if they're paying for that education?
[b said:Quote[/b] ]I still think feelings should me used to make decisions. What about all those time you knew it in your gut to do one thing, but did the other because of "data" only to be wrong? Well, I know its atleast happened to me a few times.
The number of times that happens, compared to the number of times the data leads to the right decision and feelings lead us astray, is insignificant. Inuition is one thing, that's merely sub-conscious data processing, but if you make a decision just based on what feels right, you've got a greater likelyhood of being wrong. This basically explains the distaster that is modern politics: you do what'll make the voter's feel good and re-elect you, no matter how useless or damaging.
[b said:Quote[/b] ]Good Gravy, Mokele! What on Earth do you do? Crush an engine block in their jaws? Kill you with a scratch?!!
Herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians (I'm a Master's student). Crocodilians are not the most fun animals to work with, nor are venomous snakes. Fortunately, I've only had limited dealings with either, but I have a suspicion I'm gonna have to use large vipers for a series of experiments I want to do in the future.
Mokele