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College doesn't teach you things

So, today I heard on Rover’s Morning Glory (replaced Howard Stern here in the midwest…) that this group called the American Institutes for Research published a study about college students and how they aren’t prepared for life after graduation; the full results of the study are published online. Here are a few highlights:

  • Students in 2- and 4-year colleges have the greatest difficulty with quantitative literacy: approximately 30 percent of students in 2-year institutions and nearly 20 percent of students in 4-year institutions have only Basic quantitative literacy. Basic skills are those necessary to compare ticket prices or calculate the cost of a sandwich and a salad from a menu.
  • There are no significant differences in the literacy of students graduating from public and private institutions. Additionally, in assessing literacy levels, there are no differences between part-time and full-time students. No overall relationship exists between literacy and the length of time it takes to earn a degree, or between literacy and an academic major.
  • Literacy level is significantly higher among students who say their coursework places a strong emphasis on applying theories or concepts to practical problems, in comparison to students who say their coursework rarely touch on these skills.

Yeah, I’ve kinda wondered about this for awhile…? I mean, most college students (in my opinion) don’t think they really learn anything useful, or things that pertain to their career (for example, taking a class like LAS Calculus or Writing as Critical Thinking).? Personally, most of those “worthless” classes for me were silly because I had the same thing or better in high school, so I didn’t see why I needed to take the same thing again.? On the other hand, I consider Hickman High to be amongst the top high schools in the state, which is a far cry from some high schools with fewer resources to draw from in more rural areas.

I guess I’m not sure what I think about these results. I think it’s pretty dumb that you can graduate from college without knowing how to tell how many more miles you can drive when your car gets 30 mi/gal and you have 4 gallons of gas left (this study pointed out that there are college graduates who can’t figure that out…and it’s an unbelievably high percentage…). I guess that classes should try and incorporate more “real life” examples into their classes, or perhaps even have a required freshman-year course titled “Life: How to not be an idiot.”

On the other hand, I guess the best way to learn about life is just to live. There are some things you simply can’t learn from coursework…but seriously…if you don’t know how to figure out how much further you can drive on a half tank of gas, you’re an idiot and don’t deserve that degree…

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Joining the 21st Century…

So, Brooke and I made the switch from basic (i.e. not digital) cable last week to DISH network. We’re getting a few less channels (about 65 channels total…) than we did, but we have their DVR service for $10 less per month, without having to pay for equipment or set-up.

So far, the service is pretty damned good. I’ve only noticed one time when the reception wavered a bit (watching “SVU” last night…), but it wasn’t that detrimental to my viewing experience. The DVR itself will record up to two things at once and has a 100 hour limit to what it can store, so we’ve got every show we regularly watch during the week programmed. Actually, we have it specifically set to only record new episodes, rather than all of them.

Overall, it’s pretty cool. Nice to not have to record everything to VCR…that, and I can now pause “The Daily Show” when I take a shower and come back to it when I’m ready…w00t! 😛

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Review: The Producers

So, Kristen, Brooke and I went and saw “The Producers” on Saturday… Personally, I thought it was a damned fine flick (if you like musicals…). The movie was well-done overall, with excellent acting, great casting (Will Ferrell did surprisingly well…of course, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane had some experience in the roles), and an enticing plot line. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud funny points, which was also kinda surprising; many musicals are amusing, but this one had some classic Mel Brooks humor tossed along with it.

The key here is: you’ll love it if you like musicals. If you don’t like musicals, then you’ll probably find it funny, yet not the “end all” of movies you’ve seen this year. Personally, I like them…kinda takes me back to high school when I played in the pit orchestras for them (6 of them, if I remember right…). The only real complaint I had with the movie was some of the cinematography that didn’t translate well from stage to screen. More specifically, whenever Broderick would sing (most times…not every time), the camera would zoom in on him from chest to head. This just seemed kinda hokey to me, when if you’re watching a stage version of the production, you see his entire body. It didn’t really matter that much overall, but it got kinda cheesy after awhile.

Anyway, good movie and well worth seeing. Even if you don’t like musicals, you can probably appreciate another Mel Brooks creation (although, if you didn’t know, it’s not only a re-make of the musical, but a re-make of the original movie from 1968). Honestly, it’s quite impressive that Brooks not only wrote the screenplay and story, but also the music and lyrics to the songs. Overall, a good movie and a welcome change from your typical box office fare.

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I hate GM…

Okay, so I was driving back from class and saw what I thought was a 2006 Chevrolet Impala…but no…it’s a 2006 Monte Carlo. Here are pictures of the two (Impala in black; Monte Carlo in red):

2006 Chevy Impala

2006 Chevy Monte Carlo

Here’s my problem with GM: recycling. I don’t mind a decent product, but when the exact same thing is spread over 6 different brands (Saturn, Buick, GMC, Pontiac, etc.) it gets old. Now, when they use the exact same front half of the vehicle for two different cars, that’s just going too far. Seriously…the front half of the Monte Carlo and Impala are exactly the same. The butt end of the car is different…but for the Monte Carlo, it’s the same as it’s earlier iterations. It’s like they took the back off of the 2005 Monte Carlo and the front off a 2006 Impala and put them together to make a “2006 Monte Carlo”… The only thing truly “different” between the two cars is that one is 4 doors and the other is 2. GM…why don’t you try being innovative and come up with something new?!

The 2005 versions were based on the same platform/power train, but at least they looked different. I mean, I know the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger are on the same platform, but they at least look different…but with GM, their cars look the same with a different insignia (Saturn vs Chevy, Buick vs Pontiac).

Unbelievable…

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Mitch Hedberg

So, I was cleaning out some files I have lying around and found this list of Mitch Hedberg quotes that I stole from someone’s blog last year… I’ve posted them in my Articles section, but here are a few for your enjoyment:

“I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughnut. I don’t need a receipt for the doughnut. I give you money and you give me the doughnut, end of transaction. We don’t need to bring ink and paper into this. I can’t imagine a scenario that I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. To some skeptical friend, Don?t even act like I didn?t buy a doughnut, I’ve got the documentation right here. It’s in my file at home. Under ‘D.'”

“An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an ‘Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order’ sign, just ‘Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.'”

“I think Bigfoot is blurry, that?s the problem. There?s a large out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside.”

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Review: Rumor Has It

So, Brooke and I went to see “Rumor Has It” last night… Overall, it was a decent movie, but I’m not really sure if I liked it or not. I mean, it’s kinda hard to classify. It wasn’t a romantic comedy really, since the plot didn’t center on a romantic attraction (it was as much a “romantic comedy” as “The Graduate“…obviously…). It wasn’t a drama, obviously…but it wasn’t really a comedy either, since it didn’t have that many laugh-out-loud moments.

The acting overall was excellent; the casting worked out surprisingly well, especially as in the case of Shirley MacLaine. The story itself was rather intriguing, but I kinda wish I’d seen “The Graduate” a bit more recently…I’d recommend you see it before watching this “sequel.” One key moment toward the end that I didn’t care for was where Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner have there “this-is-the-moral-of-the-story” moment and such…felt like a classic ending of “Full House” where the music plays and you say “ooohhhh…that’s the point of the movie” …

Overall, it was a decent movie, but perhaps not worth spending $8 to see in the theater. It has its amusing moments and the acting was good. The story was relatively enticing. And yet…I dunno…something about it…just could have been a bit better…

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This semester…

So yeah, Christmas Break wasn’t long enough…I had to go to class last week on Wednesday, so I avoided doing anything else for school besides that…something of a boycott, I guess. But anyway, I’m thinking it’s time I get back into the swing of things and start on some school work.

The next semester will encompass a few new aspects of graduate school for me to deal with. First of all, I have to give a 30-45 min. presentation on February 22nd. Considering that I hate public speaking, this kinda freaks me out…at least I have 1.5 months to prepare, I guess. Secondly, I have one more required rotation through a lab before I need to pick one to do my Ph.D. research in. You can do more rotations if need be, but I’ve got to have something picked by next fall. The three rotations I’ve complete thus far haven’t really stood out as places where I’d be particularly happy, so I’m hoping to pick a good one next. Either way, I’ll need to pick one of those in the next few weeks as well. As far as classes go, I’m doing essentially the same stuff this semester as I did last semester, except that I’m taking an ethics course as well…that, and I’m giving a presentation rather than just watching one.

Otherwise, everything is “same old, same old”… Brooke is doing classes entirely at night now, which allows her to substitute teach every day… She’s also still working at Kenrick 8 Theater, so I’m hoping to score more free movies if at all possible…

Anyway, long story short, I’m expecting a semester very much similar to the last one. Quite different from undergrad, when I’d take some different classes, new teachers, etc. But this one will be much the same as the last. Guess I’m not complaining much…but a little variety would be nice… Let’s just hope I can make it ’til Spring Break…

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End-of-the-year Quotes

Here are some good quotes from people who passed away this year, published in TIME Magazine, dated January 2, 2006:

“I wasn’t tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
— Rosa Parks

“I live in racist America and I’m uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it. You can’t do much better than that.”
— Richard Pryor

“The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it’s so accidental. It’s so much like life.”
— Arthur Miller

“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”
— Hunter S. Thompson

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
— Johnnie Cochran

“The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.”
— Gen. William Westmoreland

“I’m not a slave to objectivity, because I’m never quite sure what it means. It means different things to different people.”
— Peter Jennings

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Long week…

So, it’s been a relatively long week. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away on Dec. 26th in the early morning hours after complications from breaking her hip on Dec. 23rd. While it was unfortunate, it’s best that she wasn’t relegated to a nursing home; it would have taken 6-8 weeks to recover from the hip surgery, and even then, it was likely that a). she would have had to stay in rehab or a nursing home even longer and b). that the other hip joint would have given out within two years. She had a stroke 18 years ago that caused her to spend a lot of time in rehab and she vowed to never do it again. I’m just glad she didn’t have to. It really sucked that it had to happen at Christmas time, let alone that she was to turn 84 on Jan. 3rd. Regardless, it’s likely that she shouldn’t have survived the stroke in the first place; she fought to recover and was able to spend the last 18 years watching her grandkids grow up. And for that, and many other reasons, I’ll never forget her.

Anyway, that ordeal has taken up most of my Christmas break… I start class again on Jan 4th (grrrrrrrrrrrrrr…), so I’m going to spend the next few days being as worthless as possible. We had a few people over last night for a New Year’s shin-dig and I think we all had a good time.

I’ve also been having problems with the web server…I’m trying to get the whole thing fixed up, but I’m afraid it’s a hard drive failure… The system keeps requiring a reboot to fix it and then I have to run the equivalent of a “scandisk” to fix it (“fsck,” for those Linux-users out there). So yeah, I’m trying to fix it, but this site may be up and down from time to time.

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One down, nine to go…

Semesters, that is…average… My last exam was today…finally…and I think it went generally alright. That last section hurt quite a bit and dropped me down from #3 to the middle of the class (of 9 people) again, but that’s cool…I’m doing alright overall, and I think I have “A’s” in my other 3 “classes” (only one of which is a real class…). Either way, glad that it’s finally over and now I get a break…until January 4th… Stoopid grad skool…

Anyway, we’re going to Hannibal tomorrow night until Christmas morning, then heading to Columbia for a few days. If you’re in the area, give the cell a buzz or something… We’re going to be here in St. Louis for New Year’s Eve, so lemme know if you’ll be in town for that, too. Otherwise, have a merry Christmas and travel safely…