ProfD

You've lived long enough to earn that right. As time passes by, it becomes clearer that a whole lotta sh8t that we consume ourselves with in life is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Then again, I can also see why we don't tell younger folks that the world is full of BS. It would be selfish to rob them of their life experiences. Same here. Music has been an opiate throughout my life. The more time I spent being musician and playing music reduced keeping my head in books. As a young person, I'd check the maximum number of books out of the library to read them. I'd also read every book, magazine and newspaper laying around too. I'm fairly certain my house would look like a library if my passion for music hadn't consumed me.

Gotcha. You meant lost as the opposite of won. Right. Nor was I implying that you felt or thought such either. Mainly pointing out that group is small in number.

As shown, there are several variables based on viewpoints within the problem that a simple function may not suffice. You didn't lose anyone nor were you voted down. There's no lack of intelligence here but very few regular posters. Extremely small sample size for the exercise.

That's definitely the program being sold and what folks are supposed to believe.

Of course. Some preachers hoop and others are more restrained in their delivery. I thought by now you all have figured out how my comedy works around here. I have to do a better job apparently. Maybe more emoticons. Yep. That Joel Osteen with the million dollar smile and tear-jerking stories flying outta his mouf is raking in money hand over fist. Yet, when the city of Houston had flooding, the same Osteen was like, h8ll naw...you homeless folks can't stay in my joint.

The track record in staying on top of these situations isn't great. Especially after the vigil, t-shirts and funeral.

Many of the learning deficiencies and other labels they attached to children can be charged to an educational system that fails to maintain their interest and enlighten them. Then again, the system is designed to produce certain outcomes. Capitalism thrives on every type of person in the form of white and blue collar workers, unemployed folks and prisoners too.

I believe MTA and other public transit systems are subsidized by government for the service it provides. Transit systems take folks back and forth to work and school and play. While responsible for air pollution themselves, they reduce the number of vehicles emitting carbon. When the public transit system claims to lose money, it's letting government know it needs more of it. The US gives away billions of dollars for everything from financing unwinnable wars in other countries to propping up governments to incentivizing farmers not to grow crops and a whole lot of other stuff. The US military is absolutely the strongest force on the planet. They're responsible for keeping any other country from calling in markers on debt. The game is dirty.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/31/california-slavery-reparations-bills-unraveled-over-gavin-newsom-amendments-00176957 The California reparations bill stalled before making it to a floor vote. A democratic senator introduced the bills. Yet, it's believed the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) may have undermined the bills because they didn't write them. Reads like that n8gga sh8t. Ridiculous if such is the case. Unsurprisingly, some of the biggest obstacles to any Black progress are fellow Black folks. All skin folk aren't kin folk. We know reparations of any kind for Black folks is a long shot. Still, there's no reason to go shooting oneself in the foot. Let the white folks say h8ll naw...get outta here with that reparations stuff. We don't need Black bootlicks and shills and tethers working on behalf of their masters to thwart atonement for America's original sin.

When a man truly figures out what he wants/needs from a woman, he can maximize his life expectancy. If a woman has a problem with her man, it's probably because he's not listening or paying enough attention. There's nothing someone else can do to *fix* it.

Right. The enemy who owns the media would never spend too much time showing their folks taking Ls. The best way to keep Black in fear and afraid is to show them as weak, powerless and defenseless. That makes war a necessary evil. Gotta learn how to defend and protect ourselves at some point.

Unfortunately, it takes an immediate situation for us to get busy: The Alabama riverboat brawl showed that we can stand up for each other and get down. Not often enough though. Especially when it comes to dealing with race soldiers.

It's built into the system of capitalism. Every 1st world economy uses the same house of cards to keep the general population in check. The system works for the most part because the majority of people want: Relatively speaking, only a handful of folks want more than their basic needs met in terms of food, clothing and shelter. The illusion of a middle class is the trick that keeps the house of cards propped up.

The US literacy rate is very high. Meaning most citizens can read, write, speak and spell. Basic education serves its purpose in that regard. Advanced education is available to those who qualify. Studies beyond basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic are provided to individuals with an aptitude for it. IMO, the *problem* with our educational system is that it's not refined enough. There should be learning tracks similar to career paths. After grade school, it should be easy to identify whether a child is STEM, arts, humanities, vocational, etc. Schools should be set up accordingly. It doesn't make sent to force a child into an education that's of little to no interest of use to their needs. It potentially frustrates everyone involved (child, parents, teachers, community). To be fair, the US educational system already has some semblance of it in the form of private, charter and magnet schools. Home-schooling isn't talked about much but many parents have taken the education and socialization of children into their own hands. The parents are deciding what their children should learn rather than subject them to a rote education in a setting that may not be conducive to their way of learning and/or interests. Of course, home-schooling has to meet certain guidelines in order for the child to receive a certificate of diploma as mandated by the system. As I mentioned above, the US will have to get back to vocational training and manufacturing jobs. There aren't enough cubicles and offices to supoort everybody. Some folks don't want to be confined to a box. They just might want to work with their hands and mind.

Facts. Losing money on a balance sheet is easy to do. Having iit show up in loss of operations or an inability to provide services would make it look more real. During the pandemic, a local bus service provided free rides. Even with fewer riders, the operations and maintenance still had to be paid. Same salaries, fuel and maintenance costs, etc. Now, the fee is still only $1 to ride that same local bus. There's definitely *money* coming from somewhere. Chalk it up to the sleight of hand finance and accounting tricks better known as economics.

Cool. It was just an idea. I'm sure the folks at MTA know how to manage the bottom line.

The question becomes how MTA can afford to *lose* $300 million and keep running. The fares being collected must be enough to finance the whole operation and more. Raising the fare a bit will cover the *loss* without affecting the customers too much or ridership.

There's no shortage of STEM students in the US. Engineering, science and math are solid here. US colleges and universities will import STEM students from other countries to keep those tuition payments rolling. Also, there's never a shortage of people well versed in accounting/finance sitting in offices and cubicles typing away on computers generating spreadsheets of data. IMO, the US needs to bring back trade schools and manufacturing jobs. We need more people who can build and repair things and capable of producing tangible goods and providing services. We need to produce more beans before hiring folks to count them.

In Black churches you can get a 2 piece combo...religious entertainment. The preacher is hooping & hollering; sweating, snotting and spitting. The choir is singing and dancing. The choir director is a jumping around like the drum major of an HBCU marching band. Members of the congregation are crying and/or running around speaking in tongues (shouting). Sunday service or special programs can become a whole production in Black churches...for FREE.

Religion and entertainment has been used to condition, imprison and anesthetize Black people for centuries. It will take a miracle for people to get off the narcotic that is religion. The programming runs deep.

So, you spent 3 hours having your ears burnt up and exposing your eyes to diabetes.

I take it you won't be dreaming about solving physics problems.

Very well put.

I believe the disconnect here is difference between a Google search and a forum search.

I'm half-way through part 1 of the video. Dr. Stevenson uses anecdotal information to support his thesis. The interview was in 2004. Dr. Ian Stevenson died in 2007. He had a combination lock. Dr. Stevenson claimed that after his death he would try to pass the combination lock code to someone through a dream using a secret word or phrase. Didn't happen. One of the perks of living in a 1st world country is having the luxury of indulging in subjects that have little or nothing to do with anything in particular.