scoobdog

It seems to me that a lot of the people that are the most aggressive about what music is acceptable for other people are those who have no musical inclination themselves. You don't need to be a musician to appreciate music, but those that are quick to criticize tend to also be those who have never participated in music creation in any form. @GuyBeardmane: What's your favorite artist?

It's surprising how personal music choices can be. I don't have many little things that bother me, but I can be pretty unreasonable when people misinterpret my intent and turn something I intend to be helpful or innocuous into an attack on them.

Nothing wierd about that headboard. I'd be more worried about what the mattress is than what the headboard is.

Airports early in the morning have the distinct feel of purgatory. Not Kona airport, though. It's completely outdoors; you can smell the jet fuel.

So, you think that the system as it is now is fair?

Not sure where you see an apology in that. I am being dismissive, but I certainly don't indicate that the there is anything acceptable about either the cheaters or the schools that enabled them. It's just that this correcting this is meaningless in the grander scheme of ills plaguing higher education.

What apology are you talking about?

..... apology? At any rate, i was reading an LA Times article this morning about a kid out of Vermont Vista who's valedictorian at his high school and he's struggling to get financial aid together so he can go to USC or UCLA. A big part of the article is how he's had to rely on free resources provided by the universities themselves, non profits, and even LAUSD, with the kicker being the last line... The reality is that getting into a top level university isn't something you get out of your own sweat equity. Even the rich kids who don't buy their way into the university the old fashioned way have access to schools like Harvard Westlake where the tuition covers not just education but resources like college counselors, dedicated test prep, and better educated faculty. The fact that a smart kid who can't afford test prep has trouble on his SATs is emblematic of how the system is designed to cater to people who pay into the system. Chances are, though, had he paid into the system and legally bought his way to high SAT scores, universities would be clamoring for him because of the dearth of minority students that universities can parade around for their own edification. Cynicism in the system starts and ends with the realization that it's always been about who can be made into a qualified candidate. It's depressing just to think about it.

One of the things I've always been proud of was 'SC's partnership with LAUSD on a matriculation path for students in the surrounding community from primary school all the way to the university. It's a drop in the bucket to be sure, but its an unheralded part of the USC's presence in the community that has always proven in part that there are ways to compensate or otherwise abysmal public education and offer opportunities to kids who are truly worthy of them. A program like that couldn't possibly counter all of the injustices within higher education, but I could always take small comfort in knowing the school hadn't forgotten its neighborhood and that programs like this could not only work but be sustainable over a long period. Nonetheless, its still a band-aid on a gaping wound, and the wound is only getting deeper. In the middle of this latest scandal (and the announcement of our new president), USC announced yet another tuition hike with the asinine justification that a USC degree is "worth" even more than it was before the past year and half of unrelenting scandal. This is the real shame here, that education should be fiscally out of reach of those who would not only benefit it from it but also use it to benefit their communities.

Why, Sandstone? Why?

Also.... Your butchered-English affectation is annoying me right now for some reason.

My opinion is still that it's much ado about nothing. These schools, even when fairly administered, are out of reach of most minorities because of assaults on public education and geographic partitions. When these schools "fairly" admit prospective students, the only way a minority man or woman gets in is through scholarships and program conduits designed to prepare students from underserved communities and give them the opportunity to compete with students out of white, upper-middle class communities. The only real losers in this scandal are other upper-middle class white kids who aren't smart enough to get full-ride scholarships and don't have connections.

I missed another birthday thread... Happy Belated Birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday.

200 notifications? That would be nice....

Make sure to rub it out before you go to sleep.

It's getting to the point now where people will bash anything Will Smith is in, even when it's actually decent.

And worcestershire sauce doesn't usually have mushrooms.

That does change things to an extent.

People being widowed or divorced after a long partnership are especially vulnerable. It seems reasonable to assume that he would move on quickly simply for the fact that he might not be able to cope with the loneliness after begin with someone for that long and also having to cope with her protracted terminal illness.

Viper, why are you so terrible at this?

Nabs talking about his daily routine.

Yes, that is a satisfying hand.... Wait what?

I sense jealousy.....

Congrats, my man.