Counter-Balance That With “Less Likely to Assault Co-Workers”

Standardized testing (and its evil offspring, IQ testing) are an expression of people’s desire to determine other peoples’ worth without having to actually get to know them. It’s pervasive, and unfortunately it’s better than some alternatives because it turns out that a lot of people will simply reject a client because of their skin color, gender, attractiveness, etc. In other words, standardized testing may suck but it’s not as bad as letting other people make hiring/admission decisions.

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Hello Madame!

Back in 1999 I rescued a large snapping turtle who was trying to cross the highway. As soon as I put it down on the verge it grabbed the edge of my shoe and bit a chunk out of it. I guess that is a way of showing appreciation. It’s not a good way, it’s just a way.

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The Hong Kong Situation

When the Quing Dynasty was defeated by the British during the opium wars of 1842, the British demanded concessions – literally, a “concession” being a “thing that is granted”, in this case being Hong Kong. Prior to the opium war, the dynasty refused to trade with the European powers – but that was bad for business.

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About That Census Question…

The US has always been a racist apartheid state; it’s just been trying to claw its way from that abyss for a few decades and has been back-sliding pretty badly lately. The recent kerfuffle about the Trump Administration’s adding racially charged questions to the census is not even remotely new.

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