Random Announcements
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Over the weekend, a few friends and myself travelled up to SF to attend a yearly charitable benefit for people with Rett Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome) called Scarlett Fever. Scarlett has had Rett Syndrome since birth and since she was cut from her insurance this 12 year old girl has had no money for treatments which attempt to mitigate some of the worst maladies associated with autism.
What makes the event fucking rad is the fact that it is attended by some pretty badass motorcycle and car clubs from across the nation. Scarlett's father is a member of the Road Lords, which hosted the event and who are a nationwide club out of the San Jose (Califas) area. If you came by the DNA Lounge on 11th and Harrison around 3 PM last Sunday, you definitly saw/heard them. Rat rods, vintage Harley's, and all the early Mercury's I'd never shake a stick at. It was lovely.
I spent the day listening to great Johnny Cash, Elvis Presely, and Dick Dale inspired rockabilly bands playing for free to help raise money for Scarlett. Even though it ain't my cuppa, the wallet chains and trouser cuffing were out in force and I think I may have seen a fellow wearing some boot-cut superblacks! Unfortunatly, I'm not a tough guy and was not about to talk to the man. I do believe I can confidently say that a good time was had by all.
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Man, I was just stoked to be there. Talked with a ton of folks about all manner of stuff, even video game design, which was unexpected. Stalag 13's frontman had monstrous, selvedge cuffs (at least 4"-8", but he was a short fellow), so I couldn't pass by that opportunity when he walked past while I was outside.
Really though, dude in IH's might have been the awesome to talk to. I just couldn't bring myself to make time and apply the guts necessary. There's always next year though! And I hope to see more SF folks out in support.
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Been walking around SOHO all day and didn't buy a thing… Waiting for IH stuff which is not even comparable to anything else. Bring it on G!!!!
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Been walking around SOHO all day and didn't buy a thing… Waiting for IH stuff which is not even comparable to anything else. Bring it on G!!!!
Lando, I felt that way in London and Paris. In a weird way, Iron Heart saves you money – because you don't do trivial "boredom" shopping anymore.
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Thank you for your warm well-wishes everyone – and Mrs G., got your PM just at the right time, at a nerve-racking moment when I was sweating it, in anticipation of my upcoming performance. It transpired beautifully ! People were pretty impressed...and told me so. In short, I kicked ass !! Do you want to know what the title of my presentation was ? "The innards of exceptions and traps on PowerPC".
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Good stuff, Simon. I'm not sure if deindustrialization has much to do with it but the rest is certainly important. I think the bad education and health system would be to blame before deindustrialization. But even in countries like Germany that have better education and health systems, as well as more social care, child poverty is a huge issue. That's also because adults think of themselves first when they buy stuff with the money they get from the state. And, at least in Germany (the only country where I know enough to say something like this), child poverty largely depends on the educational level of the parents, especially the mother. It's interesting to see how this plays out in ethical subjects with questions of gender equality, who should care for the child, whether contraceptives should be free, abortion be generally allowed without many hurdles etc.
But it's a good thing they make you write on serious subjects like that. Which school do you go to, if you don't mind me asking?
Till
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That depends what standard an A is. In general we love nothing more than smart students, I can tell you that. What we hate is students who think they should get an A when their grade is barely a B. When you show them an A from their own class mates, they usually cool down. A student that can get an A with minimal time is most welcome.
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Community college is a great alternative for those that either didnt have great grades in hs and those who dont know what they want to study as a major. you save A TON of money. think of cc as a fund for denim, and as you pay for your own classes and books and such, you have a better appreciation for what it is going to take to get ready for transfer.
btw, what are you interested in studying and where were you hoping to transfer to?
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The problem with the community college -> university route is that often many of your credits don't transfer. This is especially true if you study an applied subject at the community college. It's often the case that you have to study 3 years at a university after 2 years at a community college. Also, it's harder to transfer to a competitive university than to be accepted as an incoming student since the relatively few transfer opening.
A story of success with this route: A colleague of mine started at an university in Florida, transferred to a community college in California where he obtained a 4.0 GPA, applied to Berkeley with the intent to study philosophy (the easiest way to be accepted), and switched to studying physics after he was in.
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Really? Damn. Maybe I'm missing something then. Cal is 9k a year, excluding room, board, food, etc. But if you live close enough to ur college of choice it should not be much more than that. And 9k is very do-able. Student loans is the best type of debt to have because, if you have the option, there are 0% interest loans that you can pay off over X years and you never really have to worry about that changing. Add work study to that and perhaps a weekend side job, and college payments aren't that scary anymore. Anyways simon, best of luck with transfering bro.
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Dr. Pat- numbers show that CC transfer is easier for the student to get in (with 4.0) then if its a hs entry. And yes, social sciences are the easiest way to transfer into Berkeley. Trust me, I've done the research with plenty of counselors
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If you can swing a flagship state university (such as Cal, UCLA, UC-Davis) – it's well worth it. People who attend UCs are generally smarter, so higher grades mean more. No doubt, a credential from a highly ranked school helps you get jobs and carries much weight. Truth is, OK...this is really bitchy -- but when someone appears kinda incompetent or dumb at work, I often discover later on that they did not graduate from a good University...not always, but too often to not sit up and take notice. For instance, high-tech wise, a Computer Science/Electrical Engineering program at Cal State Hayward most definitely ain't in the same league as Cal or UCLA, but it doesn't even hold a candle to UC-Davis or UC-Merced. Students at the UCs are higher caliber, so it's tougher to pass/get decent grades -- the bar is higher. My undergraduate grades at Texas A&M University, College Station (Electrical Engineering) were at best average -- why ? Because the people I schooled with were among the best and the brightest students in the nation.
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That said, RE: Simon-LA…in your case, if Accounting is your desired major -- I think you'll be OK not going to a UC or another high caliber U. Why ? Because of the added cred you get with a CPA. A CPA is a CPA is a CPA...and it's hard as holy fuck to get. So, if you go to Timbuk2 College and follow up with a CPA -- people ain't gonna give a shit where you got your undergraduate Accounting degree. My cousin went to an OK undergraduate state school (Michigan State) -- not awful but not prestigious. The University of Mich at Ann Arbor is definitely a premier school but my cousin could not gain admission into UMich. So, he went to Michigan State and immediately followed up with a CPA...he studied his ass off for the CPA while working a full-time job. It shouldn't surprise you to learn that my cousin now is doing fabulously in his career -- travels the world as an auditor (he's in Namibia, Africa at the moment), earns a fantastic salary with great benefits -- and he's not yet 30 years old. Trust me, my cuz can afford to buy all the Iron Heart his heart desires -- but (perhaps fortunately), he's not at all into fashion or clothes -- that mofo saves his cash, puts me to shame actually.
Don't waist a brain! (jeans pun intended)