I will bet my dachshund that this idiot had mom and dad pay her way through college.
You will notice no statistics, only 2 bits of anecdotal evidence (WOW, Sotomayor and an author! Wow! TWO WHOLE PEOPLE??? I'm game, let me major in philosophy!) and then stories that are just hilarious;
The CREATIVE WRITING MAJOR is (drum roll).....
WORKING CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE ENDS MEET!!!
Hey, guess what you freaking moron. You didn't have to go to school to become a creative writer! You just paid thousands of dollars and years of your youth to do something you could have done on your own and with just as much success.
And then of course the hyphenated name DEAN OF A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE plugs (drum roll)....
liberal arts majors!!!
Hey, guess what? I plug my book BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE FREAKING MONEY! I don't lie about it like saying getting a liberal arts degree is a wise investment or will get you a job. AND I DIDN"T HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE A FREAKING BOOK!!! Something this moron presumably HAS YET TO DO!
"PUSH BOUNDARIES?"
"QUESTION CONSTRUCTS????"
You idiot, employers want you to program in C++!!!!
I can't write about this anymore, the whole this is just a freaking lie and is nothing more than losers trying to rationalize their majors (not to mention a liberal arts college trying to drum up business for a worthless product).
So here's what I'll do. Instead of write worthless drivel to make myself and millions of others feel good, I'm just going to provide ONE bit of economic data that will show this article for what it truly is - a lie.
STARTING SALARIES.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Natasha Calendar - Coming November!
Natasha is calling. And she is calling to let all of you guys know that she's coming out with a very Cappy Cap calendar. This is just a sampling of what you can expect (it is also one of the pictures we THREW AWAY! So just imagine what we decide to keep in the calendar!)
Photos done by my good pal, Vlad! Pay him a visit.
Code Talker Passes
I was very let down by the movie Windtalkers.
I like to call it "Nicolas Cage Fires His Magical Thompson Machine Gun" because instead of the movie being about the ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE TALKERS IN WWII it's 90% Nicolas Cage randomly spraying hillsides with his Thompson machine gun and "magically" every single bullet manages to kill, not wound, EVERY Japanese soldier.
Regardless, like the Tuskegee Airman, I wonder how many code talkers are left.
I like to call it "Nicolas Cage Fires His Magical Thompson Machine Gun" because instead of the movie being about the ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE TALKERS IN WWII it's 90% Nicolas Cage randomly spraying hillsides with his Thompson machine gun and "magically" every single bullet manages to kill, not wound, EVERY Japanese soldier.
Regardless, like the Tuskegee Airman, I wonder how many code talkers are left.
Job Seekers Per Job
Further convincing me this will be the lost decade of the US, the number of people looking for jobs vs. actual jobs has reached a ratio of 6:1.
Of course you know without the stimulus and Obama that ratio would be 12:1 AND puppies would be dying in the street! So you just shut up about that stimulus not working.
Of course you know without the stimulus and Obama that ratio would be 12:1 AND puppies would be dying in the street! So you just shut up about that stimulus not working.
Dollar Reserves as Percent of Global Reserves
You see, when the youth of your entire nation major in sociology or philosophy or women's studies, NOTHING OF VALUE IS PRODUCED OR IS GOING TO BE PRODUCED and therefore your currency has NO VALUE because what are you going to buy with that currency?
Social worker services?
A screed against men?
A 23 year old pontificating about trees falling in the forest?
Yeah, right, countries are going to just buy up dollars so they can get their hands on that!
You see the Yuan has value because in China they produce, well, EVERYTHING YOU WANT.
Computers, I-pods, cell phones, building materials, clothes, you name it. Therefore there is VALUE to their currency because the STUFF you can buy with the Yuan is stuff people WANT.
What do we produce of economic value here?
Nothing.
Just whiners and spoiled brats.
This Economic PSA brought to you by Captain Capitalism.
Recession Medicine - Digby Wolfe
If you have not seen it, I strongly recommend watching the movie "Father Goose." Not just because it is a good movie, but I can see myself, as well as many other men in the US just kind of throwing in the towel and giving up on society as Cary Grant's character, Walter Ecklund, does in the movie. Walter grows sick and tired of the rat race and politics in academia, buys a boat, and heads to the South Pacific (during WWII) where he more or less drinks and does nothing while occasionally and non-chalantly pilfering supplies from the Australian Navy.
This video is the opening scene and more or less explains everything, but the tune is amazingly catchy. I've been trying for YEARS to find this precise same accordion version (performed by Digby Wolfe). No luck. If anybody knows where I can get it, I would be most appreciative.
This video is the opening scene and more or less explains everything, but the tune is amazingly catchy. I've been trying for YEARS to find this precise same accordion version (performed by Digby Wolfe). No luck. If anybody knows where I can get it, I would be most appreciative.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
You Get So Used to It You Forget
I remember being about 18 or 19, couldn't remember which, and coming back home from work on multiple occasions to see if my answering machine (remember those?) was blinking or not. The reason I was hoping for it to blink was that countless times before I had either given a girl my number or called a girl I had meet at the First Avenue Dance Club, and was hoping they had called me in return.
Of course, I think literally all of 3 times I may have gotten a call back out of what must have been at least a hundred numbers exchanged, but at the time I was still idealistically hopeful - or at minimum, logical - to think that if a girl said, "call me" or said, "what's your number" there would be a better than 75% chance she would call me back.
Now this was of course 1994, over 15 years ago, and over those 15 years men naturally become wiser and frankly, just stop listening to what women say in regards to dating. Not that we don't listen to what they "say" it's just we don't believe it, or at least incorporate it into our thinking or any part of our dating strategy. So common was it to get a phone number from a girl, set up a date, only to have her bail out at the last minute or just plain stand you up, I developed the Law of 505025 at the extremely young and cynical age of 21. And so much time and effort and hopes and energy had we put into these never-to-materialize-dates, that our brains, purely out of the rote-rehearsal of getting stood up, were psychologically conditioned to never "bank" on the date even though we "had a date."
Ergo, it was common to schedule an activity with "the guys" at the same time you had a date, because frankly, the chances of actually going out on the date was laughable. It even got so bad that your beloved Captain on MORE THAN ONE OCCASION forgot he had a date, was en route to hang out with the guys or work an extra shift, until his date actually called him reminding him of the date they had which he obviously promptly forgot the second it was made.
Now this was during my younger 20's and was quite some time ago. And as time goes on the whole idea of dating and marriage and all that loses its appeal and you move onto more noble pursuits. So much so that I don't think I've gone on a "date date" in probably 4 years. Oh sure, I run into girls. And there has definitely been some kissy kiss and smoochy smooch, but I haven't verbally asked a girl on a date in a long time. The whole game and theatrics is no longer even a part of the psyche or my daily life.
But fast forward though 15 years, and visit the Captain if you will this past Friday, and history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Last Friday I was requested by some former students to attend a salsa dance. This was a new venue and to help the new owners succeed, they asked if I could rally my troops (students) and bring them out for a night of salsa dancing. Happy to accommodate them, I said I would.
So I show up with not only 6 students, but 5 of my friends, all of us dressed very spiffy, all of us having a good time. The girls of my crew, all impeccable dancers, demanded I take on the mantle of "dance whore" that evening where I promised each girl two dances. Unfortunately, though, it was one of the rarer instances where there were VERY few men and a TON of girls. This meant that the floor was never crowded and what few men were dancing were then obviously the center of attention on the dance floor. This then triggered some odd behavior, especially on the part of all the single women at the dance.
For the first time in almost 10 years I was asked by a complete stranger if I would like to dance. Then her friend asked me to dance. And soon a third stranger DEMANDED I dance with her. I could barely meet my previously established "dance-whore-quota" when it was demanded again by stranger #3 I dance with her.
Admittedly, these are problems you wish to have, and I was not complaining, but soon a student of mine pulls me aside and says, "I have to talk to you."
Apparently stranger #3, who was quite a comely lass, had followed my student into the girls room where she then proceeded to interrogate my student about me, what I did, who I was, how old I was, etc. etc. She said, "Captain, you have to look out. This girl TOTALLY wants you!"
Which, though I am spoken for, still gave me a little bit of an ego boost and a smug look on my face in kind of an "awww-shucks" sort of way.
The night proceeded and I continued to dance, but not before being interrogated myself by stranger #3. She was a nice, sweet girl, a little young for me, but still nice and kind. She wanted to know where I taught, if she could learn, how to sign up, what did I do, etc. etc. I said, "How about this? The easiest thing is to just e-mail me and let me know what you want to learn and what town you live in and I'll let you know the closest classes in your area." Of course I was smiling inside because here was this 25 year old babe hitting on old me, which was flattering, but the only thing I could do was help her find a class. So I give her my card, the night ends, my crew and I take off and your Captain returns to the bachelor pad to drift off to dreamland.
Fast forward now to last night where your Captain was having dinner with some of the guys. We were talking about business, the economy, a friend's birthday and general standard guy stuff. I hadn't thought about Friday night and was focusing more on installing a wood burning stove for winter, but then the topic of conversation turned towards the salsa dance on Friday.
One of the guys, the pilot, had mentioned he had talked to this cute financial analyst at the dance and was supposed to meet her for kareoke. She didn't show up, but he didn't much care because he had other stuff going on. Another guy, Spartan, was mentioning how he had fun at the dance and hadn't seen that many girls in quite some time. They asked me if I had a good time and then BOOM!
It hit me.
96 or however many hours it had been, and I completely forgot about stranger #3.
Not only did I forget about stranger #3, but now that I thought about it, I hadn't received and e-mail or anything from this allegedly enamoured girl. I was almost certain she would contact me, yet hadn't.
Upon my return home I checked my e-mail and sure enough, nothing.
Now I found it interesting that despite 15 years later, things hadn't changed. Girls, no matter how interested they seemed initially, still would never call or return a call. And I, rapidly aging and becoming decrepit still had the embedded psychology of forgetting or purging any memory of meeting any girl.
Now many of you are asking "why did I just spend the past 10 minutes reading this lengthy bragfest of the Captain?" But the reason I bring this up is an important one, because we often forget how many young men there are inbetween those ages of 15 years ago and just what kind of a hell they're going through. So permit me a lesson couched in the above story for all the younger male aspiring, junior, deputy economists and that is a lesson in flakiness.
I, along with millions of other men, will attest to the literally billions of hours we wasted chasing, pining or just plain wishing one of our calls would be returned. And not only did we waste precious hours, if not weeks of our time trying to score a number or two, we wasted a lot of energy worrying/hoping the light would be blinking when we got back to our apartments. Worse still was wondering whether we should call them twice or thrice at risk of being a "stalker." Worse more than that was the time we spent or set aside for dates that were never to materialize, and even worse than that was the overly-self-critical torture we put ourselves through asking "what did we do wrong."
The answer is "nothing."
For whatever reason, young women have a tendency to flake out. There's no rhyme, there's no reason, you can just plain expect the majority of your calls to go unreturned and unheeded. You can also fully expect, especially in your teens and 20's that the majority of your dates will be cancelled or end up with you calling your "would be date" to see if you're "still on for the evening" while she never returns your call and you're left in a 3 hour lull on a Saturday night. Again, I don't know why, I don't know how, it just "is." But regardless of why, you have two ways you can approach this;
1. Blame yourself and worry about what you did wrong.
2. Realize you did nothing wrong and there's nothing in your power you could have done.
A perfect example and why I wrote about this is stranger number 3. Rarely will you get a girl interrogating your female friends about you. How much more of an ideal situation could you want? How much more guaranteed of a date could you get?
And what happened in this particular instance?
Even when it wasn't about romance/dating, just setting up a dance class, the girl still flaked out. I know, I know, women will say, "well, she was probably just shy" or maybe "she was too drunk to remember." Sure, that may be the case, but the "why" doesn't matter, all that matters is "what is" and the guy standing there on a Friday night with a hand full of flowers wondering why he got stood up will not understand that.
The larger point, as is many things in this life, is how you respond to this. Understand you DO NOT control the outcome. You do not control, arguably even influence whether a girl calls you back, goes out with you, or stands you up and flakes out at the last minute. What you do control is your response and your response should be that of forgetting and indifference. Your response is deciding to do what you want to do and what is within your power to do so even before the date occurs. Your response is to expect nothing, and when something is delivered, to be shocked.
Understand this attitude is not something that you can "will." I do believe it is a conditioned psychological response to where you really do forget about the drop dead gorgeous girl that talked to you at church. You really do forget the drunk girl at the bar who was making out with you. Or you really do forget about stranger #3. You just need to be stood up and led on a couple hundred times for this attitude to manifest and sink in. But in due time it will happen and when it does it will make you immeasurably better off.
You will no longer have to deal with the stress of worrying about whether you will get a date. You will no longer waste time setting aside time for dates that will never happen. Better yet, you will save COUNTLESS hours not going out to bars and clubs in the first place, permitting you to pursue more productive pursuits such as a masters degree or just working a little bit more. And although this "epiphany" takes time to realize, the key to hastening your understanding this epiphany is to realize the statistical likelihood of actually going on a date is VERY low. Out of 100 girls that said yes to a date to me in my 20's only about 7-8 of them actually followed through. And frankly my younger friends, life is too short to play those long odds.
So take it from Uncle Cappy Cap. When you get a girl's number, understand it's like getting a check from a dubious source - it's doubtful the check will clear, therefore don't "bank" on it.
This PSA brought to you by Captain Capitalism.
Of course, I think literally all of 3 times I may have gotten a call back out of what must have been at least a hundred numbers exchanged, but at the time I was still idealistically hopeful - or at minimum, logical - to think that if a girl said, "call me" or said, "what's your number" there would be a better than 75% chance she would call me back.
Now this was of course 1994, over 15 years ago, and over those 15 years men naturally become wiser and frankly, just stop listening to what women say in regards to dating. Not that we don't listen to what they "say" it's just we don't believe it, or at least incorporate it into our thinking or any part of our dating strategy. So common was it to get a phone number from a girl, set up a date, only to have her bail out at the last minute or just plain stand you up, I developed the Law of 505025 at the extremely young and cynical age of 21. And so much time and effort and hopes and energy had we put into these never-to-materialize-dates, that our brains, purely out of the rote-rehearsal of getting stood up, were psychologically conditioned to never "bank" on the date even though we "had a date."
Ergo, it was common to schedule an activity with "the guys" at the same time you had a date, because frankly, the chances of actually going out on the date was laughable. It even got so bad that your beloved Captain on MORE THAN ONE OCCASION forgot he had a date, was en route to hang out with the guys or work an extra shift, until his date actually called him reminding him of the date they had which he obviously promptly forgot the second it was made.
Now this was during my younger 20's and was quite some time ago. And as time goes on the whole idea of dating and marriage and all that loses its appeal and you move onto more noble pursuits. So much so that I don't think I've gone on a "date date" in probably 4 years. Oh sure, I run into girls. And there has definitely been some kissy kiss and smoochy smooch, but I haven't verbally asked a girl on a date in a long time. The whole game and theatrics is no longer even a part of the psyche or my daily life.
But fast forward though 15 years, and visit the Captain if you will this past Friday, and history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Last Friday I was requested by some former students to attend a salsa dance. This was a new venue and to help the new owners succeed, they asked if I could rally my troops (students) and bring them out for a night of salsa dancing. Happy to accommodate them, I said I would.
So I show up with not only 6 students, but 5 of my friends, all of us dressed very spiffy, all of us having a good time. The girls of my crew, all impeccable dancers, demanded I take on the mantle of "dance whore" that evening where I promised each girl two dances. Unfortunately, though, it was one of the rarer instances where there were VERY few men and a TON of girls. This meant that the floor was never crowded and what few men were dancing were then obviously the center of attention on the dance floor. This then triggered some odd behavior, especially on the part of all the single women at the dance.
For the first time in almost 10 years I was asked by a complete stranger if I would like to dance. Then her friend asked me to dance. And soon a third stranger DEMANDED I dance with her. I could barely meet my previously established "dance-whore-quota" when it was demanded again by stranger #3 I dance with her.
Admittedly, these are problems you wish to have, and I was not complaining, but soon a student of mine pulls me aside and says, "I have to talk to you."
Apparently stranger #3, who was quite a comely lass, had followed my student into the girls room where she then proceeded to interrogate my student about me, what I did, who I was, how old I was, etc. etc. She said, "Captain, you have to look out. This girl TOTALLY wants you!"
Which, though I am spoken for, still gave me a little bit of an ego boost and a smug look on my face in kind of an "awww-shucks" sort of way.
The night proceeded and I continued to dance, but not before being interrogated myself by stranger #3. She was a nice, sweet girl, a little young for me, but still nice and kind. She wanted to know where I taught, if she could learn, how to sign up, what did I do, etc. etc. I said, "How about this? The easiest thing is to just e-mail me and let me know what you want to learn and what town you live in and I'll let you know the closest classes in your area." Of course I was smiling inside because here was this 25 year old babe hitting on old me, which was flattering, but the only thing I could do was help her find a class. So I give her my card, the night ends, my crew and I take off and your Captain returns to the bachelor pad to drift off to dreamland.
Fast forward now to last night where your Captain was having dinner with some of the guys. We were talking about business, the economy, a friend's birthday and general standard guy stuff. I hadn't thought about Friday night and was focusing more on installing a wood burning stove for winter, but then the topic of conversation turned towards the salsa dance on Friday.
One of the guys, the pilot, had mentioned he had talked to this cute financial analyst at the dance and was supposed to meet her for kareoke. She didn't show up, but he didn't much care because he had other stuff going on. Another guy, Spartan, was mentioning how he had fun at the dance and hadn't seen that many girls in quite some time. They asked me if I had a good time and then BOOM!
It hit me.
96 or however many hours it had been, and I completely forgot about stranger #3.
Not only did I forget about stranger #3, but now that I thought about it, I hadn't received and e-mail or anything from this allegedly enamoured girl. I was almost certain she would contact me, yet hadn't.
Upon my return home I checked my e-mail and sure enough, nothing.
Now I found it interesting that despite 15 years later, things hadn't changed. Girls, no matter how interested they seemed initially, still would never call or return a call. And I, rapidly aging and becoming decrepit still had the embedded psychology of forgetting or purging any memory of meeting any girl.
Now many of you are asking "why did I just spend the past 10 minutes reading this lengthy bragfest of the Captain?" But the reason I bring this up is an important one, because we often forget how many young men there are inbetween those ages of 15 years ago and just what kind of a hell they're going through. So permit me a lesson couched in the above story for all the younger male aspiring, junior, deputy economists and that is a lesson in flakiness.
I, along with millions of other men, will attest to the literally billions of hours we wasted chasing, pining or just plain wishing one of our calls would be returned. And not only did we waste precious hours, if not weeks of our time trying to score a number or two, we wasted a lot of energy worrying/hoping the light would be blinking when we got back to our apartments. Worse still was wondering whether we should call them twice or thrice at risk of being a "stalker." Worse more than that was the time we spent or set aside for dates that were never to materialize, and even worse than that was the overly-self-critical torture we put ourselves through asking "what did we do wrong."
The answer is "nothing."
For whatever reason, young women have a tendency to flake out. There's no rhyme, there's no reason, you can just plain expect the majority of your calls to go unreturned and unheeded. You can also fully expect, especially in your teens and 20's that the majority of your dates will be cancelled or end up with you calling your "would be date" to see if you're "still on for the evening" while she never returns your call and you're left in a 3 hour lull on a Saturday night. Again, I don't know why, I don't know how, it just "is." But regardless of why, you have two ways you can approach this;
1. Blame yourself and worry about what you did wrong.
2. Realize you did nothing wrong and there's nothing in your power you could have done.
A perfect example and why I wrote about this is stranger number 3. Rarely will you get a girl interrogating your female friends about you. How much more of an ideal situation could you want? How much more guaranteed of a date could you get?
And what happened in this particular instance?
Even when it wasn't about romance/dating, just setting up a dance class, the girl still flaked out. I know, I know, women will say, "well, she was probably just shy" or maybe "she was too drunk to remember." Sure, that may be the case, but the "why" doesn't matter, all that matters is "what is" and the guy standing there on a Friday night with a hand full of flowers wondering why he got stood up will not understand that.
The larger point, as is many things in this life, is how you respond to this. Understand you DO NOT control the outcome. You do not control, arguably even influence whether a girl calls you back, goes out with you, or stands you up and flakes out at the last minute. What you do control is your response and your response should be that of forgetting and indifference. Your response is deciding to do what you want to do and what is within your power to do so even before the date occurs. Your response is to expect nothing, and when something is delivered, to be shocked.
Understand this attitude is not something that you can "will." I do believe it is a conditioned psychological response to where you really do forget about the drop dead gorgeous girl that talked to you at church. You really do forget the drunk girl at the bar who was making out with you. Or you really do forget about stranger #3. You just need to be stood up and led on a couple hundred times for this attitude to manifest and sink in. But in due time it will happen and when it does it will make you immeasurably better off.
You will no longer have to deal with the stress of worrying about whether you will get a date. You will no longer waste time setting aside time for dates that will never happen. Better yet, you will save COUNTLESS hours not going out to bars and clubs in the first place, permitting you to pursue more productive pursuits such as a masters degree or just working a little bit more. And although this "epiphany" takes time to realize, the key to hastening your understanding this epiphany is to realize the statistical likelihood of actually going on a date is VERY low. Out of 100 girls that said yes to a date to me in my 20's only about 7-8 of them actually followed through. And frankly my younger friends, life is too short to play those long odds.
So take it from Uncle Cappy Cap. When you get a girl's number, understand it's like getting a check from a dubious source - it's doubtful the check will clear, therefore don't "bank" on it.
This PSA brought to you by Captain Capitalism.
Apple One - Minneapolis
Quick story that must be told, but then I have to get on with my day, but I feel this will save no doubt scores of people from wasting hundreds of hours of their time.
Had an interview today with a recruiter, Apple One. The guy said to go online, fill out the online application, bring a resume and show up at the DT Minneapolis office this morning at 11AM.
So I spent an hour yesterday filling out their little online application form, basically replicating the information that was conveniently provided in my resume, hit "submit" and the screen says, "Application Submitted."
Wake up this morning earlier than normal because now I have to go downtown. Put on a suit, print off an extra couple copies of the ole resume and stop at the cash machine because I have to pay to park in Minneapolis. Whilst enroute I get a call from Apple One.
"Are you coming in today for an interview?"
"Yes" I said.
"Well you haven't filled out your application? Shall we cancel the interview?"
I said, "I haven't filled out my application? Ma'am, I filled it out yesterday."
"Well we don't have it on our system."
I said, "Do you have a copy of my resume? Would it be possible to just interview me over the phone then?"
She said, "I don't know."
Now angered and frustrated (because as some of you no doubt know what it's like dealing with recruiting firms) I said, "You know something, if your system is so unstable it doesn't save applications, then forget it. I'm not driving downtown and wasting my day if you guys don't have your act together."
Steaming because of how unprofessional Apple One was, not to mention the waste of my time, I thought maybe my recruiter didn't know what was going on. With an outfit unreliable as this, it was likely my recruiter was fully expecting me and nobody had informed him I wasn't coming in. So I called.
Guess what.
He was never in the office. He had the day off.
Now I don't know about you, but my limited experience with recruiters is not all that good. For the most part I think I've gotten all of one gig from them, and barring that it's largely been they interview you, they smile at you, and then you never hear from them again.
But Apple One is insulting. Forget the unreliable application system, how about the unreliable people? Not to mention how these inefficiencies result in wasting other people's time.
So here's the lesson from Cappy Cap today boys and girls;
Do not use Apple One as a recruiter, either as an employee or an employer. You're not going to get the job/find the ideal candidate for the job, and all you'll end up doing is wasting your time while their system crashes and their recruiters take days off.
Had an interview today with a recruiter, Apple One. The guy said to go online, fill out the online application, bring a resume and show up at the DT Minneapolis office this morning at 11AM.
So I spent an hour yesterday filling out their little online application form, basically replicating the information that was conveniently provided in my resume, hit "submit" and the screen says, "Application Submitted."
Wake up this morning earlier than normal because now I have to go downtown. Put on a suit, print off an extra couple copies of the ole resume and stop at the cash machine because I have to pay to park in Minneapolis. Whilst enroute I get a call from Apple One.
"Are you coming in today for an interview?"
"Yes" I said.
"Well you haven't filled out your application? Shall we cancel the interview?"
I said, "I haven't filled out my application? Ma'am, I filled it out yesterday."
"Well we don't have it on our system."
I said, "Do you have a copy of my resume? Would it be possible to just interview me over the phone then?"
She said, "I don't know."
Now angered and frustrated (because as some of you no doubt know what it's like dealing with recruiting firms) I said, "You know something, if your system is so unstable it doesn't save applications, then forget it. I'm not driving downtown and wasting my day if you guys don't have your act together."
Steaming because of how unprofessional Apple One was, not to mention the waste of my time, I thought maybe my recruiter didn't know what was going on. With an outfit unreliable as this, it was likely my recruiter was fully expecting me and nobody had informed him I wasn't coming in. So I called.
Guess what.
He was never in the office. He had the day off.
Now I don't know about you, but my limited experience with recruiters is not all that good. For the most part I think I've gotten all of one gig from them, and barring that it's largely been they interview you, they smile at you, and then you never hear from them again.
But Apple One is insulting. Forget the unreliable application system, how about the unreliable people? Not to mention how these inefficiencies result in wasting other people's time.
So here's the lesson from Cappy Cap today boys and girls;
Do not use Apple One as a recruiter, either as an employee or an employer. You're not going to get the job/find the ideal candidate for the job, and all you'll end up doing is wasting your time while their system crashes and their recruiters take days off.
Monday, October 12, 2009
And So Ends Another Season
I was at my bar last night with Natasha and a Russian friend of mine and in the other room was a crowd of 20 and 30 somethings with their eyes glued to the TV screen. The reason their eyes were glued to the TV screen is because a group of men had decided to go out onto a field, one of which was throwing a spherical object repeatedly over a plate like object.
However, the reason for the intrigue, was that not only was it a group of men in a field throwing a sphere, but there was this OTHER group of men, one of which had a stick and was standing over the plate like object. And not only was he standing over the plate like object, HE WAS TRYING TO SWING THE STICK AT THE SPHERICAL OBJECT after which he would run around in a circle should the stick come in contact with the sphere.
It seemed the two groups of men would then occasionally switch positions, where the other group would swing stick and the other team throw the sphere.
However, the most interesting observation was that of the 20 and 30 something men in the other room at the bar. For apparently on TV the group of men in the white clothes didn't swing the stick or throw the sphere as good as the men in the gray clothes. And thus they were "defeated" and walked off the field sadly while the men in the gray clothes jumped up and down and engaged in very big hug. And this "defeat" elicited the oddest response from all the people in the room;
depression
sadness
and
anger.
I found it odd, that group of guys swinging sticks and throwing spheres in a place far far away would have this affect on other people who, quite literally, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MEN ON THE FIELD. How a group of men playing a game could actually affect the mood, happiness and lifetime fulfillment of other people who were 100% inconsequential to the stick-swinging and sphere throwing. But there it was, empirical proof right in front of me, people were actually affected by OTHER PEOPLE'S stick swinging and sphere throwing.
It left me to believe that the people who not only glued their eyes to the screen, but their happiness to the ability of complete strangers to swing a stick and throw a sphere were psychotic. Complete morons who pinned their hopes and happiness on something completely outside their control. How else would you describe this phenomenon?
Were their lives so pointless and meaningless and void of purpose that THIS is the best they could come up with? To sit and watch OTHER men throw spheres and swing sticks? And to get excited or depressed based on which colored-shirt men swung the stick really good and threw the sphere really fast? Could they not spend time with family and friends? Could they not play X-Box or some other video game? Could they (and here was a REALLY radical thought I had) GET THEIR OWN FREAKING STICKS AND SPHERES and engage in their VERY OWN game of sticks and spheres?
Natasha even said she heard that some of these people actually spend 5 HOURS OF THEIR FINITE LIVES driving to fields, whlie they pay $200 EACH PERSON to watch the stick swinging and sphere throwing. Then they spend another hour and a half in traffic as if it were rush hour on the way back. Some even go so far as to pay $20 for parking near the field AND $10 for a hotdog which are served at the fields. My Russian friend said he heard that stick swinging and sphere throwing was SO important to some societies that the government would pay for the fields where these activities occurred.
Worse still was just how many of these simple-minded automotons would still be obsessed over stick swinging and sphere throwing...WHEN THERE WAS NO FREAKING STICK SWINGING OR SPHERE THROWING OCCURRING.
Apparently before the sticks are swung and the spheres are thrown there are "pre-stick-swinging-sphere-throwing" shows where other idiots speculate on whether or not certain men will swing sticks and whether or not spheres will be thrown. This results in shows that are horribly boring to anybody with the slightest bit of sense;
"Well Jim, what do you think Joe is going to do?"
"Well, I'm not sure Steve, but I think Joe is going to try and swing the stick."
"You think he's going to try to swing it really hard?"
"Yes, Steve, I think Joe will try to swing the stick really hard."
And by god, guess what? Joe DOES swing the stick really hard!
My goodness, who saw that coming?! Thank god we have Steve and Jim to predict such things.
Of course, you'd think with the "Pre-Stick-Swinging-Sphere-Throwing" show, the masses would be satiated.
Oh no.
You see, then comes the "Post-Sticking-Swinging-Sphere-Throwing" show where a whole new set of idiots tell you what just happened even though you were there to see it.
"Well, it looks like Joe swung the stick really hard."
"You're right Phil, Joe swung the stick really hard. I also noticed how Mark threw the sphere really fast."
"Wow, great analysis Tim! Mark DID throw the sphere really fast!"
This then entertains the 20 something and 30 somethings for another hour.
Regardless, it was a very sad revelation I had. That so many people had so little going on in their lives that this was one of the more important aspects of their lives. Let alone they seemed relatively indifferent about things that actually did impact their lives.
Federal deficit is at an all-time high?
Naw. Not relevant.
Your children are now enslaved with all the debt we saddled them with?
Meh, couldn't care less.
Unemployment is at 10%.
Pfa, who cares.
Oh, but "Joe Schmoe" swung the stick really good and hit the sphere really far?
"OH WOW! WOO HOO!!!! YEAAAAA!!!! THAT'S MY MAN!!!! YOU SHOW 'EM JOE!!!! YEAH FOR JOE SCHMOE!!!!!"
Ah, what could possibly go wrong with a society with priorities such as this?
However, the reason for the intrigue, was that not only was it a group of men in a field throwing a sphere, but there was this OTHER group of men, one of which had a stick and was standing over the plate like object. And not only was he standing over the plate like object, HE WAS TRYING TO SWING THE STICK AT THE SPHERICAL OBJECT after which he would run around in a circle should the stick come in contact with the sphere.
It seemed the two groups of men would then occasionally switch positions, where the other group would swing stick and the other team throw the sphere.
However, the most interesting observation was that of the 20 and 30 something men in the other room at the bar. For apparently on TV the group of men in the white clothes didn't swing the stick or throw the sphere as good as the men in the gray clothes. And thus they were "defeated" and walked off the field sadly while the men in the gray clothes jumped up and down and engaged in very big hug. And this "defeat" elicited the oddest response from all the people in the room;
depression
sadness
and
anger.
I found it odd, that group of guys swinging sticks and throwing spheres in a place far far away would have this affect on other people who, quite literally, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MEN ON THE FIELD. How a group of men playing a game could actually affect the mood, happiness and lifetime fulfillment of other people who were 100% inconsequential to the stick-swinging and sphere throwing. But there it was, empirical proof right in front of me, people were actually affected by OTHER PEOPLE'S stick swinging and sphere throwing.
It left me to believe that the people who not only glued their eyes to the screen, but their happiness to the ability of complete strangers to swing a stick and throw a sphere were psychotic. Complete morons who pinned their hopes and happiness on something completely outside their control. How else would you describe this phenomenon?
Were their lives so pointless and meaningless and void of purpose that THIS is the best they could come up with? To sit and watch OTHER men throw spheres and swing sticks? And to get excited or depressed based on which colored-shirt men swung the stick really good and threw the sphere really fast? Could they not spend time with family and friends? Could they not play X-Box or some other video game? Could they (and here was a REALLY radical thought I had) GET THEIR OWN FREAKING STICKS AND SPHERES and engage in their VERY OWN game of sticks and spheres?
Natasha even said she heard that some of these people actually spend 5 HOURS OF THEIR FINITE LIVES driving to fields, whlie they pay $200 EACH PERSON to watch the stick swinging and sphere throwing. Then they spend another hour and a half in traffic as if it were rush hour on the way back. Some even go so far as to pay $20 for parking near the field AND $10 for a hotdog which are served at the fields. My Russian friend said he heard that stick swinging and sphere throwing was SO important to some societies that the government would pay for the fields where these activities occurred.
Worse still was just how many of these simple-minded automotons would still be obsessed over stick swinging and sphere throwing...WHEN THERE WAS NO FREAKING STICK SWINGING OR SPHERE THROWING OCCURRING.
Apparently before the sticks are swung and the spheres are thrown there are "pre-stick-swinging-sphere-throwing" shows where other idiots speculate on whether or not certain men will swing sticks and whether or not spheres will be thrown. This results in shows that are horribly boring to anybody with the slightest bit of sense;
"Well Jim, what do you think Joe is going to do?"
"Well, I'm not sure Steve, but I think Joe is going to try and swing the stick."
"You think he's going to try to swing it really hard?"
"Yes, Steve, I think Joe will try to swing the stick really hard."
And by god, guess what? Joe DOES swing the stick really hard!
My goodness, who saw that coming?! Thank god we have Steve and Jim to predict such things.
Of course, you'd think with the "Pre-Stick-Swinging-Sphere-Throwing" show, the masses would be satiated.
Oh no.
You see, then comes the "Post-Sticking-Swinging-Sphere-Throwing" show where a whole new set of idiots tell you what just happened even though you were there to see it.
"Well, it looks like Joe swung the stick really hard."
"You're right Phil, Joe swung the stick really hard. I also noticed how Mark threw the sphere really fast."
"Wow, great analysis Tim! Mark DID throw the sphere really fast!"
This then entertains the 20 something and 30 somethings for another hour.
Regardless, it was a very sad revelation I had. That so many people had so little going on in their lives that this was one of the more important aspects of their lives. Let alone they seemed relatively indifferent about things that actually did impact their lives.
Federal deficit is at an all-time high?
Naw. Not relevant.
Your children are now enslaved with all the debt we saddled them with?
Meh, couldn't care less.
Unemployment is at 10%.
Pfa, who cares.
Oh, but "Joe Schmoe" swung the stick really good and hit the sphere really far?
"OH WOW! WOO HOO!!!! YEAAAAA!!!! THAT'S MY MAN!!!! YOU SHOW 'EM JOE!!!! YEAH FOR JOE SCHMOE!!!!!"
Ah, what could possibly go wrong with a society with priorities such as this?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
People on the Nobel Prize Committee
U-G-L-Y she ain't got no alibi;
These are the people who selected Obama as the Nobel prize winner. ht though I am not endorsing some of his analysis.
In the meantime I'm going to buy myself a Subaru and get some organic chai tea.
These are the people who selected Obama as the Nobel prize winner. ht though I am not endorsing some of his analysis.
In the meantime I'm going to buy myself a Subaru and get some organic chai tea.
Cause for Anti-Nepotism Legislation
Despite being an ardent capitalist, I do not believe the majority of rich people earn their wealth. I believe it is more or less earned by a "founder" such as Joe Kennedy and then passed down to trustfund babies such as Ted Kennedy. Additionally you throw in how unqualified relatives and cronies are awarded jobs well before much better-qualified candidates and you can see how when I become king I will implement anti-nepotism legislation.
Regardless, found this chart interesting. Not that it is a call for socialism, but the gini-coefficient is starting to test my patience;
Regardless, found this chart interesting. Not that it is a call for socialism, but the gini-coefficient is starting to test my patience;
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Noble Prize
I do believe the good colonel is onto something. When the Nobel prize has done nothing more than prostitute itself out to backscratching socialists, it not only has become irrelevant, but a replacement must be made that actually honors real achievements that it's namesake originally set out it to do.
The colonel lists the "Noble" winners of various categories, and tongue and cheek as it may be, if you think about it, these people REALLY have done the most to advance society in those areas.
In the meantime here are the people the Nobel committee passed up on.
The colonel lists the "Noble" winners of various categories, and tongue and cheek as it may be, if you think about it, these people REALLY have done the most to advance society in those areas.
In the meantime here are the people the Nobel committee passed up on.
Friday, October 09, 2009
How Holiday Gas Station Could Make a Killing
I go to Caribou Coffee.
The reason I go to Caribou Coffee is because I have to leave the Twin Cities early, lest I care to get caught up in the afternoon rush hour. And so to avoid it, I'm willing to leave 2 hours earlier than is necessary and thus kill the excess time at the Caribou in the small town I teach.
Now obviously I go to Caribou for the internet access and buy a token tea or soda or what have you so I don't feel like a freeloader. However as time has gone on, I have experienced a progressive mental irritation that I haven't been able to put my finger on. Nothing stark or obvious, but when I leave Caribou I've realized I'm in a worse mood than when I arrived.
And today, as I type live from the Caribou Coffee here, I have identified this irritant;
Proselytizing.
Upon entering the Caribou Coffee I am immediately inundated with advertisements suggesting I do the right thing and donate to "Amy's Blend," a blend of coffee where presumably a certain percentage goes to fight cancer (Amy being a former employee of Caribou that unfortunately passed away). This is the most noble of Caribou's proselytizing and one I'm willing to let slip in that it is noble.
However, the nobility of the proselytizing quickly deteriorates as I look to my left and see bottled water with the brand name "Project 7." Project 7 being a touchy feel good leftist non-profit organization that advocates (you guessed it) helping the poor, saving the environment and the other potpourri of leftist causes that never seem to get resolved.
Then of course there is the "organic/fair trade/green" or whatever you want to call it. Placards and posters abound telling me how virtuous Caribou is making sure their coffee is acquired according to the "Rainforest Process" and that people are paid a fair wage and other things that just boil the blood of even the "rookiest" aspiring, Junior Deputy economist.
In short I cannot look anywhere without seeing Caribou Coffee Inc treating me like a child, telling me what I should think, what is "right" and "wrong" and how bad I should feel if I don't live my life this way (all of course with a leftist slant). I might as well go to church.
Regardless, the short and quick of it is it isn't worth the internet access. To go into a building or a place of business and be lectured by some coffee snobs is insulting. I came here for internet access and tea. Not a freaking college lecture on "Leftist Causes that Never Get Solved Because We Do It First and Foremost to Make Ourselves Feel Better 101." Let me have my tea, let me have my internet access, sure, pipe in some nice music, but get rid of the Marxist propaganda.
Now this got me thinking, and like all other great ideas in the history of my life, this will be surely ignored. Ergo I'll throw it out there in the outlandish hopes the good men and women at Holiday Gas stations will listen to me.
I like Holiday Gas Stations. They're my favorite. They're conveniently located and they have gas, sure, but;
1. They have free air
2. They have the power drinks I like
3. They do have a pretty darn good deli. Not that green egg sandwhich with the expiration date you don't care to risk. But fresh burgers, brats, donuts.
4. They have a little area for you to sit and enjoy your food should you wish.
Everything a guy could want, BUT internet access.
And here is where Holiday could outdo McDonald's attempt to steal Caribou's and Starbuck's business.
If Holiday Gas Stations (or any convenience store) added that additional bit of convenience of internet access, they could make a killing. People who are sick and tired of paying an extra $2 for a cup of Joe just so some worker in Bolivia can make an extra 50 cents per hour would go to the gas station instead of Caribou. People who are sick and tired of paying $4 for a tin of gum just so $3 can be donated to a cause that will probably not be solved, would go to the gas station instead of Starbucks. People who just plain want to get a FREAKING cup of coffee without being lectured for not being a leftist would go to the gas station instead of Dunn Brothers.
Oh, I could see it now. I have to go to Holiday anyway to get gas and my daily power drink. There, in the corner is a nice table with a plug in. Grab a donut, fire up the ole laptop and boom, get my daily internet stuff done. No doubt I'll buy a burger with the $41.87 I saved not going to a "premium" coffee store, but more importantly Dante the attendee is just sitting there checking people out, doing his job. Not brow-beating me into buying "organic gas" or using recycled toilet paper when I have to go.
It's an achievable goal. And a goal that would make mine and no doubt some of your lives happier.
Alas, it is outside my control.
Unless I approach Holiday with this idea and they put me in charge of it. Allowing me to realize my dream...and getting paid $250,000 to spearhead the operation.
Hmmm....might just pay them a visit.
The reason I go to Caribou Coffee is because I have to leave the Twin Cities early, lest I care to get caught up in the afternoon rush hour. And so to avoid it, I'm willing to leave 2 hours earlier than is necessary and thus kill the excess time at the Caribou in the small town I teach.
Now obviously I go to Caribou for the internet access and buy a token tea or soda or what have you so I don't feel like a freeloader. However as time has gone on, I have experienced a progressive mental irritation that I haven't been able to put my finger on. Nothing stark or obvious, but when I leave Caribou I've realized I'm in a worse mood than when I arrived.
And today, as I type live from the Caribou Coffee here, I have identified this irritant;
Proselytizing.
Upon entering the Caribou Coffee I am immediately inundated with advertisements suggesting I do the right thing and donate to "Amy's Blend," a blend of coffee where presumably a certain percentage goes to fight cancer (Amy being a former employee of Caribou that unfortunately passed away). This is the most noble of Caribou's proselytizing and one I'm willing to let slip in that it is noble.
However, the nobility of the proselytizing quickly deteriorates as I look to my left and see bottled water with the brand name "Project 7." Project 7 being a touchy feel good leftist non-profit organization that advocates (you guessed it) helping the poor, saving the environment and the other potpourri of leftist causes that never seem to get resolved.
Then of course there is the "organic/fair trade/green" or whatever you want to call it. Placards and posters abound telling me how virtuous Caribou is making sure their coffee is acquired according to the "Rainforest Process" and that people are paid a fair wage and other things that just boil the blood of even the "rookiest" aspiring, Junior Deputy economist.
In short I cannot look anywhere without seeing Caribou Coffee Inc treating me like a child, telling me what I should think, what is "right" and "wrong" and how bad I should feel if I don't live my life this way (all of course with a leftist slant). I might as well go to church.
Regardless, the short and quick of it is it isn't worth the internet access. To go into a building or a place of business and be lectured by some coffee snobs is insulting. I came here for internet access and tea. Not a freaking college lecture on "Leftist Causes that Never Get Solved Because We Do It First and Foremost to Make Ourselves Feel Better 101." Let me have my tea, let me have my internet access, sure, pipe in some nice music, but get rid of the Marxist propaganda.
Now this got me thinking, and like all other great ideas in the history of my life, this will be surely ignored. Ergo I'll throw it out there in the outlandish hopes the good men and women at Holiday Gas stations will listen to me.
I like Holiday Gas Stations. They're my favorite. They're conveniently located and they have gas, sure, but;
1. They have free air
2. They have the power drinks I like
3. They do have a pretty darn good deli. Not that green egg sandwhich with the expiration date you don't care to risk. But fresh burgers, brats, donuts.
4. They have a little area for you to sit and enjoy your food should you wish.
Everything a guy could want, BUT internet access.
And here is where Holiday could outdo McDonald's attempt to steal Caribou's and Starbuck's business.
If Holiday Gas Stations (or any convenience store) added that additional bit of convenience of internet access, they could make a killing. People who are sick and tired of paying an extra $2 for a cup of Joe just so some worker in Bolivia can make an extra 50 cents per hour would go to the gas station instead of Caribou. People who are sick and tired of paying $4 for a tin of gum just so $3 can be donated to a cause that will probably not be solved, would go to the gas station instead of Starbucks. People who just plain want to get a FREAKING cup of coffee without being lectured for not being a leftist would go to the gas station instead of Dunn Brothers.
Oh, I could see it now. I have to go to Holiday anyway to get gas and my daily power drink. There, in the corner is a nice table with a plug in. Grab a donut, fire up the ole laptop and boom, get my daily internet stuff done. No doubt I'll buy a burger with the $41.87 I saved not going to a "premium" coffee store, but more importantly Dante the attendee is just sitting there checking people out, doing his job. Not brow-beating me into buying "organic gas" or using recycled toilet paper when I have to go.
It's an achievable goal. And a goal that would make mine and no doubt some of your lives happier.
Alas, it is outside my control.
Unless I approach Holiday with this idea and they put me in charge of it. Allowing me to realize my dream...and getting paid $250,000 to spearhead the operation.
Hmmm....might just pay them a visit.
Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
I, no doubt, will be asked about my opinion of this, but to pre-emptively address this issue, I shall write it as briefly as I can;
This only shows how the Nobel Peace prize has decayed and degraded from its original intent, in that it is nothing more than another leftist institution awarding itself self-congratulations and accolades.
This is not meant to sound crass, but I use this word since it is the only word in the entire English language that accurately describes that the nobel prize is;
Leftist masturbation.
You will see in our lifetimes where the Nobel "Prize" is utterly worthless and irrelevant in that the masses don't care who gets it in that it no longer represents anything that advances or progresses society.
That is pretty much all I have to say.
You can have your say by e-mailing these idiots at;
postmaster@nobel.no
This only shows how the Nobel Peace prize has decayed and degraded from its original intent, in that it is nothing more than another leftist institution awarding itself self-congratulations and accolades.
This is not meant to sound crass, but I use this word since it is the only word in the entire English language that accurately describes that the nobel prize is;
Leftist masturbation.
You will see in our lifetimes where the Nobel "Prize" is utterly worthless and irrelevant in that the masses don't care who gets it in that it no longer represents anything that advances or progresses society.
That is pretty much all I have to say.
You can have your say by e-mailing these idiots at;
postmaster@nobel.no
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
My Advice to Teachers
I belong to a running group and before I got sick one of my last runs was with a young man who was teaching calculus at the collegiate level. He was telling me about how he was in the impossible position of trying to educate the kids, BUT (are you ready)
the kids were complaining about the difficulty of the course.
Now, it would be at times likes these where previously established standards and criteria would be used to judge whether or not his course was indeed more difficult than other professors. That the dean of the department would look at what topics were being covered and by what stage in the class and then determine if the kids had a legitimate complaint, or were your typical Gen Y type whiners who expect to be given a B+ for having a pulse.
Of course the kids were just complaining and whining because that's how you get what you want nowadays, and my running colleague was not making the class any more difficult than in times past. However, whereas in the past (and by "past" I mean the 1940's) the dean would then side with the teacher, maintaining the educational standards and integrity of the college, this time the dean sided with the students.
According to the professor the dean was concerned about student satisfaction, not to mention that the department received funding based on attendance AND student evaluations of the class. So unhappy students and less students taking calculus = less funding. And thus the emphasis is on making money and NOT giving the kids a good education.
This angered him because he genuinely believed in a good education. He WANTED to teach these kids calculus. However, not only were the students getting in their OWN way of letting this happen, the dean was now coming down on him for daring to hold the students to just a basic standard.
Now I have taught several times before. Twice in college, once as a substitute teacher and once as a tutor (and still teach to this day, but that is adult education which is not the same as what I'm talking here). And if you will permit me to help those of you who are teaching or about to enter teaching or are considering teaching, allow me to give you the single best piece of advice I can possibly give;
Do not worry about the education of your students, only worry about you.
I know this may sound cynical, pessimistic, let alone amoral, and you may be saying, "well, there goes Cappy Cap again, going for shock value and going over the top to make his point," but I'm deadly serious about this.
Do not worry about your students. They are irrelevant. Only worry about you.
You must understand, that at all levels of education, it is no longer about the noble and infinitely important purpose of providing students with a good education. That ship has sailed LONG ago.
"Education" is really nothing more than an act, a play, a theatrical performance to make its participants feel good about themselves. No real production or progress or learning takes place. People just want to go through the motions of "education" so they can get that piece of paper at the end and move on with their lives. And what is happening in reality is this unspoken agreement between the students and the administration of these schools where the students basically PAY to get a degree. The administration sells the degrees and the students buy these degrees.
Now understand there is NO earning the degree. That is NOT what the students are paying for. They are paying for the degree.
Now the problem is you can't have a veritable degree mill where people just walk up to the counter and pay for the degree. Ergo a much more elaborate ruse must be performed where students and colleges feign there is some kind of education going on.
Ergo why you have to perform in a theatrical play for four years acting like you're getting educated.
Understand these are hoops simply there to make it look like it's a legitimate school and that the degree is legitimate. Oh I know they're accredited. I know these are "official" colleges and universities. But forget all that. Just look at the quality and caliber of students coming out of college. They're morons. Complete idiots. Berkeley students think "Benjamin Franklin" was a freaking president. They think $19 trillion is the total bailout bill. And Berkeley is presumably one of the best public schools out there.
Regardless, the problem this presents is that while the students and administration have this unspoken agreement of basically purchasing a degree, the people who are inbetween these two entities are not informed of this agreement; the teachers.
The teachers are the unfortunate souls on the front lines who get the impossible task of reconciling these IRRECONCILABLE goals. They teacher is to somehow "educate" the students, but not make it too hard to the point they might actually learn something, otherwise they'll get fired because the students never really signed up for any kind of rigorous study. Worse still are those naive, idealistic teachers who actually care to go above and beyond and REALLY help educate those kids. Those are the ones who get fired immediately.
Therefore you have two choices.
You can try to be moral and noble and good and actually TRY to teach students. You can do what is in their best interests and give them an education. Unfortunately you WILL be laid off, you WILL be called to the dean's office more often than not, and you WILL never have a long lasting career as a teacher/instructor/professor.
or
You can just play ball and really lower your standards and pass everybody. In this case, yes the students will learn nothing. And yes, they will go forth and not be able to do any job in the future. And yes, society in the future will pay for it. But you will have a job. You will have a career. You will be a "successful" teacher.
The question is one of really morality, however, I want you to seriously consider the REALITY of the teaching environment we have in the US today.
1. Once these kids move on, they're not your problem. They're their parents' or future employer's problem. Additionally, they don't care about you. They care about getting their B and getting out of your class. You have to ask yourself if these kids REALLY don't care about their education and are just there to get their class to move on, then what do you care? If they want to waste their money, then there is nothing you can do. Why sacrifice a paycheck trying to hold them up to standards?
2. Society, namely lazy parents and a dumbed down K-12 school system that sacrifices educational integrity for the sake of saving little kids' "feelings", is to blame for the impossible position you're in. For God's sake, you have parents going into COMPANIES COMPLAINING TO THEIR CHLIDREN'S BOSSES WHEN THEIR KIDS DON'T GET PROMOTED!? What kind of quality and caliber of students can you possibly expect to have? Additionally you must realize the education establishment has no longer become one of education as much as it has been dealing with failure and making "failure" acceptable. Trying to create a world where standards are non-existent. Once you start rocking the boat by insisting standards be applied, you are no longer working towards that universally unspoken goal. In education YOUR JOB is to make sure people get passed. NOT that they get educated.
3. Think about your personal finances. In the end, nobody is going to come looking for you and say, "my teacher sucked and didn't educate me." Again, they moved on and forgot about you long ago. But you and your little lonesome are NOT going to change this society wide decay of education. All you do in trying to stop it is sabotage your personal finances. Put yourself first, because nobody gives a damn about education.
the kids were complaining about the difficulty of the course.
Now, it would be at times likes these where previously established standards and criteria would be used to judge whether or not his course was indeed more difficult than other professors. That the dean of the department would look at what topics were being covered and by what stage in the class and then determine if the kids had a legitimate complaint, or were your typical Gen Y type whiners who expect to be given a B+ for having a pulse.
Of course the kids were just complaining and whining because that's how you get what you want nowadays, and my running colleague was not making the class any more difficult than in times past. However, whereas in the past (and by "past" I mean the 1940's) the dean would then side with the teacher, maintaining the educational standards and integrity of the college, this time the dean sided with the students.
According to the professor the dean was concerned about student satisfaction, not to mention that the department received funding based on attendance AND student evaluations of the class. So unhappy students and less students taking calculus = less funding. And thus the emphasis is on making money and NOT giving the kids a good education.
This angered him because he genuinely believed in a good education. He WANTED to teach these kids calculus. However, not only were the students getting in their OWN way of letting this happen, the dean was now coming down on him for daring to hold the students to just a basic standard.
Now I have taught several times before. Twice in college, once as a substitute teacher and once as a tutor (and still teach to this day, but that is adult education which is not the same as what I'm talking here). And if you will permit me to help those of you who are teaching or about to enter teaching or are considering teaching, allow me to give you the single best piece of advice I can possibly give;
Do not worry about the education of your students, only worry about you.
I know this may sound cynical, pessimistic, let alone amoral, and you may be saying, "well, there goes Cappy Cap again, going for shock value and going over the top to make his point," but I'm deadly serious about this.
Do not worry about your students. They are irrelevant. Only worry about you.
You must understand, that at all levels of education, it is no longer about the noble and infinitely important purpose of providing students with a good education. That ship has sailed LONG ago.
"Education" is really nothing more than an act, a play, a theatrical performance to make its participants feel good about themselves. No real production or progress or learning takes place. People just want to go through the motions of "education" so they can get that piece of paper at the end and move on with their lives. And what is happening in reality is this unspoken agreement between the students and the administration of these schools where the students basically PAY to get a degree. The administration sells the degrees and the students buy these degrees.
Now understand there is NO earning the degree. That is NOT what the students are paying for. They are paying for the degree.
Now the problem is you can't have a veritable degree mill where people just walk up to the counter and pay for the degree. Ergo a much more elaborate ruse must be performed where students and colleges feign there is some kind of education going on.
Ergo why you have to perform in a theatrical play for four years acting like you're getting educated.
Understand these are hoops simply there to make it look like it's a legitimate school and that the degree is legitimate. Oh I know they're accredited. I know these are "official" colleges and universities. But forget all that. Just look at the quality and caliber of students coming out of college. They're morons. Complete idiots. Berkeley students think "Benjamin Franklin" was a freaking president. They think $19 trillion is the total bailout bill. And Berkeley is presumably one of the best public schools out there.
Regardless, the problem this presents is that while the students and administration have this unspoken agreement of basically purchasing a degree, the people who are inbetween these two entities are not informed of this agreement; the teachers.
The teachers are the unfortunate souls on the front lines who get the impossible task of reconciling these IRRECONCILABLE goals. They teacher is to somehow "educate" the students, but not make it too hard to the point they might actually learn something, otherwise they'll get fired because the students never really signed up for any kind of rigorous study. Worse still are those naive, idealistic teachers who actually care to go above and beyond and REALLY help educate those kids. Those are the ones who get fired immediately.
Therefore you have two choices.
You can try to be moral and noble and good and actually TRY to teach students. You can do what is in their best interests and give them an education. Unfortunately you WILL be laid off, you WILL be called to the dean's office more often than not, and you WILL never have a long lasting career as a teacher/instructor/professor.
or
You can just play ball and really lower your standards and pass everybody. In this case, yes the students will learn nothing. And yes, they will go forth and not be able to do any job in the future. And yes, society in the future will pay for it. But you will have a job. You will have a career. You will be a "successful" teacher.
The question is one of really morality, however, I want you to seriously consider the REALITY of the teaching environment we have in the US today.
1. Once these kids move on, they're not your problem. They're their parents' or future employer's problem. Additionally, they don't care about you. They care about getting their B and getting out of your class. You have to ask yourself if these kids REALLY don't care about their education and are just there to get their class to move on, then what do you care? If they want to waste their money, then there is nothing you can do. Why sacrifice a paycheck trying to hold them up to standards?
2. Society, namely lazy parents and a dumbed down K-12 school system that sacrifices educational integrity for the sake of saving little kids' "feelings", is to blame for the impossible position you're in. For God's sake, you have parents going into COMPANIES COMPLAINING TO THEIR CHLIDREN'S BOSSES WHEN THEIR KIDS DON'T GET PROMOTED!? What kind of quality and caliber of students can you possibly expect to have? Additionally you must realize the education establishment has no longer become one of education as much as it has been dealing with failure and making "failure" acceptable. Trying to create a world where standards are non-existent. Once you start rocking the boat by insisting standards be applied, you are no longer working towards that universally unspoken goal. In education YOUR JOB is to make sure people get passed. NOT that they get educated.
3. Think about your personal finances. In the end, nobody is going to come looking for you and say, "my teacher sucked and didn't educate me." Again, they moved on and forgot about you long ago. But you and your little lonesome are NOT going to change this society wide decay of education. All you do in trying to stop it is sabotage your personal finances. Put yourself first, because nobody gives a damn about education.
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