Off Topic Thread 4

[mack]

[Unlimited]

Would just like to chip in on the discussion a few pages ago about poetry vs. numbers: personally, I get a bit annoyed when people say "Oh, I'm a poetry person - I like words, and the grey area, and meanings and interpretations" or "Pfft that's stupid, I am a scientist - I like facts, numbers, puzzles, logic, etc."

At uni I did both and in my current work, I do both

I fondly remember my final year English project at uni being a 3,000 word essay on whether it was possible to meaningfully describe literature as "good" or "bad"

I also remember the great 99 page tome that was my Honours thesis in mathematics

Both were enjoyable to research and write

That mango poem - personally - I think it's terrible, but I can see how the imagery works, and how the enjambment causes the feeling that it's a flutter of images all at once, and the stream of consciousness style in the way it's written. That I can appreciate. I still don't like it as a whole. It's ehhh for me.

[wendybr]

Hahahaha!

I can hear others roll their eyes at the return of poetry as a topic here (yeah...I know what I just did)  

Welcome to the discussion Unlimited!

You make a great point, about the unnecessary division between the arts and the mathematical/scientific! 

And I'm not suggesting that the mango poem is a brilliant poem, or that it will become a classic- lol. It isn't and it won't.

It's very humble...but it's recognisable as a free verse poem (despite Ed's protestations) - and it captures the essence of a childhood experience.

 

PS Your English teacher would be proud of you for remembering enjambment as a poetic technique!  

PPS Yes a "flutter"  of recollected images all at once is a good way to think of it.

 

Sorry Ed! 

[Edinburgh]

9 hours ago, Unlimited said:

Would just like to chip in on the discussion a few pages ago about poetry vs. numbers: personally, I get a bit annoyed when people say "Oh, I'm a poetry person - I like words, and the grey area, and meanings and interpretations" or "Pfft that's stupid, I am a scientist - I like facts, numbers, puzzles, logic, etc."

At uni I did both and in my current work, I do both

I fondly remember my final year English project at uni being a 3,000 word essay on whether it was possible to meaningfully describe literature as "good" or "bad"

I also remember the great 99 page tome that was my Honours thesis in mathematics

Both were enjoyable to research and write

That mango poem - personally - I think it's terrible, but I can see how the imagery works, and how the enjambment causes the feeling that it's a flutter of images all at once, and the stream of consciousness style in the way it's written. That I can appreciate. I still don't like it as a whole. It's ehhh for me.

So you excel in both. That's great. Not everyone is the same. My issue is that, in my experience, students without a natural ability to comprehend literature the way the academics expect them to don't get the right assistance from their teachers. And the opinion of those students is dismissed as wrong without explanation.

[Edinburgh]

8 hours ago, wendybr said:

Hahahaha!

I can hear others roll their eyes at the return of poetry as a topic here (yeah...I know what I just did)  

Welcome to the discussion Unlimited!

You make a great point, about the unnecessary division between the arts and the mathematical/scientific! 

And I'm not suggesting that the mango poem is a brilliant poem, or that it will become a classic- lol. It isn't and it won't.

It's very humble...but it's recognisable as a free verse poem (despite Ed's protestations) - and it captures the essence of a childhood experience.

 

PS Your English teacher would be proud of you for remembering enjambment as a poetic technique!  

PPS Yes a "flutter"  of recollected images all at once is a good way to think of it.

 

Sorry Ed! 

Well my eyes almost deafened me!  But not at the return of the topic, more at the thought of a 3000 word essay on anything let alone on the merits of literature.

[sonar]

1 minute ago, Edinburgh said:

Well my eyes almost deafened me!  But not at the return of the topic, more at the thought of a 3000 word essay on anything let alone on the merits of literature.

It would be almost as riveting as reading a 3000 word essay on the merits of goalkeeping gloves.

[wendybr]

This might hardly be relevant, Ed, but can I ask if your son went to a public or a private school?

I am really struggling to relate to what you are saying about the English teachers' (of my acquaintance)... who are generally empathetic and encouraging people, and who would try to support the battlers (not that your son was a battler - I know)

Of course I can only speak for the couple of schools I've taught at, but i think you may have been unlucky to have come up with the cold, unhelpful and dismissive teachers you've described. 

I'm not disputing that teaching methods are not always up to scratch,  and I'm not meaning to be defensive of English teachers, I'm expressing surprise that you and you son so consistently lucked out in having teachers who didn't help either of you as (obviously intelligent) students to build confidence.

[StringerBellend]

On 19/10/2017 at 9:32 PM, Prydzopolis said:

. You see it in football plenty, in the international break you’ll see all sorts of stories from poorly translated interviews.

That’s generally an excuse, foreign player goes home says he wants to leave his non champions league club for a bigger one gets back home local papers and fans aren’t happy so he says he was mistranslated 

Lukaku would do it every summer. He’d go to Belgium and say 

“I want to leave everton and go somewhere else for money and champions league” 

it would get quoted back home and then he say he was misquoted 

As for the Mufti I don’t blame him at all for not speaking in English to the likes of the telegraph, who are wilfully trying to misinterpret and bend whatever he says anyway. But that is probably  for another thread 

[wendybr]

4 minutes ago, StringerBellend said:

As for the Mufti I don’t blame him at all for not speaking in English to the likes of the telegraph, who are wilfully trying to misinterpret and bend whatever he says anyway.

Yes ...exactly!

Quote

But that is probably  for another thread 

Nah...this is the best we have for such discussion these days...

[JackDoff]

10 hours ago, mack said:

Shorthand?

[Edinburgh]

13 minutes ago, wendybr said:

This might hardly be relevant, Ed, but can I ask if your son went to a public or a private school?

I am really struggling to relate to what you are saying about the English teachers' (of my acquaintance)... who are generally empathetic and encouraging people, and who would try to support the battlers (not that your son was a battler - I know)

Of course I can only speak for the couple of schools I've taught at, but i think you may have been unlucky to have come up with the cold, unhelpful and dismissive teachers you've described. 

I'm not disputing that teaching methods are not always up to scratch,  and I'm not meaning to be defensive of English teachers, I'm expressing surprise that you and you son so consistently lucked out in having teachers who didn't help either of you as (obviously intelligent) students to build confidence.

Public schools for me and both sons.

My own experience was so long ago it's probably not relevant to today - although it does have an effect on my own views. I think I had good teachers. But I do wonder how much more successful my english education would have been if every year of literature included assistance as helpful as the Julius Caesar text was in my last year.

My son had a truly excellent teacher assigned to be the mentor for his whole year of students from their first year of high school right through to the HSC. He stayed in the role right through despite other offers. I'm certain that without his contribution my son would have been less succesful. The beneficial change of english level was his idea for a start.

As for the english teacher at the teacher interview, I could easily be unkind with a crude comment - which would be unfair. I dare say she would be fine for someone with Unlimited's ability. Let's just say she couldn't see the trees for the forest. My son was battling with that subject and I saw no empathy whatsoever.

[wendybr]

Thanks Ed...that all makes sense.

And for this...

Quote

As for the english teacher at the teacher interview, I could easily be unkind with a crude comment - which would be unfair. I dare say she would be fine for someone with Unlimited's ability. Let's just say she couldn't see the trees for the forest. My son was battling with that subject and I saw no empathy whatsoever.

I don't blame you for your frustrations....and it's that where I think your son may have been a bit unlucky , although of course I can only speak from my own limited experience.

And I have just thought of someone like that a little...suited to someone like Unlimited, but not so much those students at the other end of the scale - but I don't think he'd be so cold and lacking in empathy.

[Edinburgh]

Wendy, just want to say thanks for the discussion.

[wendybr]

Always a pleasure Ed!   

[JackDoff]

 

[wendybr]

Sleepy, Jack?

Or bored with the poetry discussions?  

[Neverbloom]

pretty much exactly why i oppose feminism, used to be an amazing thing though

women are being treated like garbage in so many places, being murdered for daring to not living up to the "standards" of a women which is pretty much shut up and be property but lets all talk about manspreading because it is the true scourge of the world, i still think abbott is sexist though but she makes a lot of good points imo

[marron]

So basically, if someone is in a worse situation in a totally different cultural context, then shut up? No-one should complain until everywhere is brought up to their level?  

"Quit complaining goat. There are people in the Congo worse off than you.  Don't even try to make anything better here, because dude,  over there, life is ****. They're dying by the day and your only problem is people getting annoyed you are taking up seats on public transport. Don't try and solve that issue, you've no right to discuss it when they don't even have public transport there."

 

[Neverbloom]

she made many great points and that is what you chose to focus on? wow

 

the point is they are a women's rights organisation that is meant to be fighting for you know ummm ******* women's rights but they just ignore a lot of them, anyone who has half a brain cell knows that the wage gap myth is just a myth, like any men would be hired if women could be paid less for the same work, women are having their genitals mutilated but lets focus on the traffic lights human figures not having a dress because that is a real issue

 

mansplaining, man spreading, safe spaces, trigger warnings, this is just a bunch of bullshit designed so no one has to be offended and on man spreading i have never even ******* seen it guys sit the same way as females do, your example is completely ridiculous because i am not fighting for anyones rights but a feminist is meant to be fighting for females rights but they ignore a lot of actual human rights issues because THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS ARE SEXIST

 

now lets look at this stupid bitch

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4358272/Mayim-Bialik-says-not-call-women-girls.html

 

 

,MEN CALLED WOMEN GIRLS, IT NEEDS TO STOP

 

because if you think that is an actual issue then you really dont have that bad of a life to begun with

 

she never said dont complain about actual problems she just pretty much said stop complaining about trivial **** that doesnt matter

 

 

[marron]

Triggered much?

People have a right to fight against what they see as injustice regardless of the scale, or if there's worse things elsewhere that they actually can't control.  It's also possible to be doing both at the same time.

I didn't intend to have a go at you personally goat either. Just trying to use an example to show, there are local issues and global issues, and you don't need to solve the big issues everywhere before you solve the less important ones. I dont think manspreading is an issue myself. But then I also think that extreme feminism is used as a false flag all the time.

Sorry if I offended you.

 

 

 

[Smoggy]

I find it useful to block out all the backgroud noise, whinging and complaining from women about the most trivial matters, if you read it all and every day and took it as fact it would slowly drive you mad.

You have people like Clem Bairstow at the SMH who has a massive mortgage to pay in the Eastern burbs no doubt and a book to sell, gotta keep the click bait ticking over, money spinner.

Best to just let it flow and recognise that it is actually quite sad that many real issues are now lost amongst the rubbish.

[Neverbloom]

2 hours ago, marron said:

Triggered much?

People have a right to fight against what they see as injustice regardless of the scale, or if there's worse things elsewhere that they actually can't control.  It's also possible to be doing both at the same time.

I didn't intend to have a go at you personally goat either. Just trying to use an example to show, there are local issues and global issues, and you don't need to solve the big issues everywhere before you solve the less important ones. I dont think manspreading is an issue myself. But then I also think that extreme feminism is used as a false flag all the time.

Sorry if I offended you.

 

 

 

didnt offend me but was irritating how its almost a 15 minute video and you took like 20 seconds of that and made a counter point to that, sure lets ignore all the other points she made and again i agree that solving small issues before big issues is a good idea but all these issues that they are campaigned against such as the terrible movie the red pill(and yes this one hits close to home since its about male suicide) so they decided they dont like it so no one else should see it

 

reminds me of those ****s who decided they dont like black metal so they are going to stop a black metal concert

 

http://www.metalobsession.net/2010/11/16/religious-protest-cancels-sydneys-black-mass-event/

 

so yes i am against people trying to shut something down because they dont agree with it

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/uni-of-sydney-union-in-hot-water-on-red-pill-film-ban/news-story/a84371213e41d3349c3b144aea653450

 

if you decided to respond to most of the video with points then nothing wrong with that, i disagree with you on many things, one of my best friends is anti gay marriage, sure as hell dont agree with her but she has a right to have that opinion and voice it, just because i disagree with something doesnt mean it shouldnt be said but feminists and christains alike (at least in those 2 cases) if you dont like something then just shut it down because that is how to make progress in the world 

 

2 hours ago, WSWBoro said:

I find it useful to block out all the backgroud noise, whinging and complaining from women about the most trivial matters, if you read it all and every day and took it as fact it would slowly drive you mad.

You have people like Clem Bairstow at the SMH who has a massive mortgage to pay in the Eastern burbs no doubt and a book to sell, gotta keep the click bait ticking over, money spinner.

Best to just let it flow and recognise that it is actually quite sad that many real issues are now lost amongst the rubbish.

i agree, not going to lie i do look at it from time to time but when it changes the world like Swedens amazing mansplaining phone line, if a male mansplains to you then call this free number to get support about mansplaining, i mean that money could have gone to a suicidal prevention hotline but lets combat mansplaining because its the worst thing in the world

honestly tonnes of crazy people in this world spouting off random bullshit(yes i know i could be counted as one), doesnt bother me if it doesnt change anything

[Smoggy]

32 minutes ago, GoatyMcGoatFace said:

didnt offend me but was irritating how its almost a 15 minute video and you took like 20 seconds of that and made a counter point to that, sure lets ignore all the other points she made and again i agree that solving small issues before big issues is a good idea but all these issues that they are campaigned against such as the terrible movie the red pill(and yes this one hits close to home since its about male suicide) so they decided they dont like it so no one else should see it

 

reminds me of those ****s who decided they dont like black metal so they are going to stop a black metal concert

 

http://www.metalobsession.net/2010/11/16/religious-protest-cancels-sydneys-black-mass-event/

 

so yes i am against people trying to shut something down because they dont agree with it

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/uni-of-sydney-union-in-hot-water-on-red-pill-film-ban/news-story/a84371213e41d3349c3b144aea653450

 

if you decided to respond to most of the video with points then nothing wrong with that, i disagree with you on many things, one of my best friends is anti gay marriage, sure as hell dont agree with her but she has a right to have that opinion and voice it, just because i disagree with something doesnt mean it shouldnt be said but feminists and christains alike (at least in those 2 cases) if you dont like something then just shut it down because that is how to make progress in the world 

 

i agree, not going to lie i do look at it from time to time but when it changes the world like Swedens amazing mansplaining phone line, if a male mansplains to you then call this free number to get support about mansplaining, i mean that money could have gone to a suicidal prevention hotline but lets combat mansplaining because its the worst thing in the world

honestly tonnes of crazy people in this world spouting off random bullshit(yes i know i could be counted as one), doesnt bother me if it doesnt change anything

 

Yeah well, the only thing that annoys me is the type of banner they had at our local shopping centre a month or so ago, along the lines of-

Cancer can affect your mother, wife, daughter, aunt....so support and give..and so on. A few years back they had women at desks covered in pink for breast cancer, they received so much in donations at the expense of all other cancers that they passed on to other cancer support areas less funded, which is great of course, no complaints there as such.

This issue bothers me because well...it bothers my mother, who is a breast cancer survivor by the way but lost her father to prostate cancer in a horrible way. The way cancer is treated by some women as a gender issue makes her feel uncomfortable. But then women are very good at self promotion arent they.

That is really the only issue that bothers me, the rest...meh. 

 

Edited October 22, 2017 by WSWBoro

[thefairy]

4 hours ago, marron said:

Triggered much?

People have a right to fight against what they see as injustice regardless of the scale, or if there's worse things elsewhere that they actually can't control.  It's also possible to be doing both at the same time.

I didn't intend to have a go at you personally goat either. Just trying to use an example to show, there are local issues and global issues, and you don't need to solve the big issues everywhere before you solve the less important ones. I dont think manspreading is an issue myself. But then I also think that extreme feminism is used as a false flag all the time.

Sorry if I offended you.

LOL. Yep lets ignore everything around the world and lets worry about the high prices of smash avos.

[luisenrique]

Janet Albrechtsen is a soulless, agenda driving bore.

[thefairy]

35 minutes ago, luisenrique said:

Janet Albrechtsen is a soulless, agenda driving bore.

Sounds like a feminist.

Don't tell me your one of those guys who preach love but when someone has a different view you attack. Nice one buddy. Lol

[sonar]

1 hour ago, luisenrique said:

Janet Albrechtsen is a soulless, agenda driving bore.

 

26 minutes ago, thefairy said:

Sounds like a feminist.

Don't tell me your one of those guys who preach love but when someone has a different view you attack. Nice one buddy. Lol

No,luis is right. She is an extreme Murdoch inspired conservative and an extremely nasty person at times. Being a woman has nothing to do with it.

Edited October 22, 2017 by sonar

[StringerBellend]

1 hour ago, luisenrique said:

Janet Albrechtsen is a soulless, agenda driving bore.

True dat

(See also Devine, Miranda) 

[Carns]

2 hours ago, thefairy said:

Sounds like a feminist.

Don't tell me your one of those guys who preach love but when someone has a different view you attack. Nice one buddy. Lol

How much of her drivel have you actually read? She's a typical Murdoch sycophant.

[mack]

she writes for The Australian lol if she's a feminist then I'm a billionaire.