StringedInstruments

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So how does society handle everything being free and readily available?

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I think you can see a microcosm of this with social media stars who come from significant wealth.

They're often self-deluded people who have no care for others, are willing to destroy the planet for their own satisfaction and pleasure, and eventually spin out of control psychologically.

We can all be spoiled brats with nothing to work for because everything has been handed to us since we were born. We can all be an "iPad generation" where immediate gratification is assumed. We can all convince ourselves that the world revolves around us because with an AGI/UBI society, the world will revolve around us.

But the reality is that this future would not be for you and me. Consider the recent story about a neighborhood in Georgia losing water pressure and being told to limit their water usage because an AI data center had been diverting more water than expected. I'm sure the people of that neighborhood thought they were part of the higher end of society; I'm sure they would imagine that the future will take care of successful, wealthy, intelligent, civilized people like them. The oligarchs do not fricking care. Took their water and are going to have to be told by the government to give it back. And when the government has no use for the people of that neighborhood...?

We've all seen the movies, watched the TV shows, and read the books. Power corrupts absolutely. They will kill everyone they no longer need.

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Leaving the border open while preaching domestic lockdowns is an easily observable conflicting action.

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This didn’t happen.

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I’m not sure what point you are making

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Your extreme skepticism of a “real” pandemic is indicative of your inability to understand complex medical events like COVID-19. Therefore, you will only believe if a pandemic is real or not if you see something more black and white like our government shooting people on sight. This is because your intellectual capacity can’t go past a zombie movie.

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Anyone with even a modicum of critical thinking skills knew it was bullshite.

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How many people do you think died from covid-19?

Any suggestions on what to do in Chicago with kids? I haven't booked the trip yet but we're exploring options. I'm trying to avoid the typical summer trip to 30A.

My goal is to convince my wife to road trip to Louisville to see some family and then hit Chicago for three days.

My kids are 12 and 7. Unfortunately, the Cubs won't be in town during our dates.

So far I've seen Millennium Park for sight seeing and Maggie Daley Playground, Navy Pier, and a boat tour. The Ford Natural History Museum and maybe the art museum.

Suggestions?

(NB4 you're gonna get shot)

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I tend to trust Indian doctors completely. It is very tough to get into medical school in the USA. Cmon, we all know that. But it is even tougher to get into Medical School in India! Like perfect scores on everything.

There are 50,000 seats at Medical Schools in India.

Last year 2.4 million candidates applied.

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Is this a joke? Seriously, are you being facetious?

The USMLE had to invalidate a bunch of scores from IMGs (notably in India) because they were cheating their asses off.

While I do not discredit the hard work and success of all Indians, there has to be some concern for those who studied, trained, and tested outside the borders of the US. There is way, way more to gain from cheating when you're in a destitute country if it means you can move somewhere like the US.

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Couldn't an arborist tell you the likelihood of them failing over the next several years?

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That’s a good idea. I worry more about a severe storm blowing them over.

No Armando Assante, no care.

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We are headed towards a 32 or so team college super league with salary caps

You then get 16 team playoff out of that league

Literally a college NFL

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And my Saturdays will only continue to free up space for other things to do.

I watched a lot less college football last season than ever in my life. Even with Auburn getting a new coach, I have little interest or intrigue in the upcoming season.

What makes...made...college football great was rivalries between regional teams, pageantry through the cultural practices of each university, and relational connections between the fans and the players. Players didn't just sign a contract to get paid by a university--they committed to and selected a university. They had to go to class and strong programs could also boast about their players' academic successes. Sure, there was shady shite going on underneath the surface, but even if players were getting bags of cash through the back door, they were still present as a member of your alma mater's community for 3-4 years.

What sucks the most is that the casual fan doesn't care. Ratings are up. Revenue is up. TV is up. Advertisements are up. Gambling is up.

Football purists like myself are left in the cold. Which is fine by me if the product sucks.

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Teachers make on average 60k a year.

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Sucks to suck.

I make $94k/year in Alabama at a public school. Yes, I work around 190 days a year and typically work 8am-3:30pm. I do not stay late. I get all of my work completed during my two planning periods. I do some ongoing personal education and planning when I feel like it during the summer, but I’m mostly present at home with my kids. I have never once thought about health insurance outside of my $30 copays and when I have to click some buttons during open enrollment. I can retire with full pension and a great insurance plan at 25 years. In Alabama, we pay into social security.

I’m not ever going to argue against pay increases for myself, just like you all wouldn’t either no matter the profession. I do think there are a lot of teachers who have worked the same job at the same shite school system with just a bachelor’s degree slowly working their way up the pay scale. These are the teachers who complain all the time, have no idea how to manage a classroom, and believe they are God’s gift to society. That’s why they make around $55k/year forever and ever.

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* = on probation for cheating and should not have been eligible for post season

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No, I was more joshing about backing into the 2011 and 2017 games.

"This was THE most DOMINANT dynasty in the HISTORY of TIME!





Please ignore the fact that we waited on teams to lose so that we could have the media help place us in the final game."