"There were some people on a train. 19 people get off the train at the first stop. 17 people get on the train. Now there are 63 people on the train. How many people were on the train to begin with?"
Someone posted up this math-quiz type problem, noting that most six and seven year old kids were not able to comprehend the questions, the formula, or the output.
If you had thrown this question up around the fifth or sixth grade with the kids I was associated with....I would imagine three would have been able to come to the answer.
At least two kids would have asked where this train started from, the location of the first stop, and where it ended. I probably would have been one of the two kids myself.
At least one kid would have asked who was counting the seventeen people who got on, and if they could have screwed up.
At least one kid would have asked who the heck travels by train....of which the entire class would have noted that they don't know anyone who has ever traveled by train unless they were over the age of sixty-five.
One bright kid from the class would have asked from the 19 people getting off and 17 people getting on....is it possible that one of the 19 simply stepped off to relieve themselves, and got right back on after finishing their business (thus being one of the 17). In this case, 'X' could vary.
Along about the seventh-grade of my life....I came to a woeful period in math with 'word-problems'. A four-line problem would represent a ten-minute reading, analysis, and would force me into asking what is the real question at hand. The red-herring dilemma would be the best description of this situation. At some point, I just started making 'X' into twelve as I started the problem, and as I came to the end....I would note the difference between 12 and the wrong answer....thus making a stupid but workable method of handling word-problems.
I can make the observation of life today....that the majority of people (minimum of fifty-percent) over the age of twenty....can't handle word-problems. It's simply that their mind isn't geared to that type of analysis and output. I'd also make the observation that 10-percent of society are geared toward world-problems, and routinely do these dozens of times per days with ease. These are the people who note the size of a bale of hay, the dimensions of a wagon, and casually note that only 75 bales can fit safely upon the wagon.
In some ways, I think society is wasting its time trying to get 100-percent of people to work with X and Y type word-problems. Some folks were destined to become rocket-scientists.....and some weren't. In this train episode.....does anyone really care that nineteen folks got off the train?
Sunday, 6 August 2017
Monday, 10 July 2017
Bergdahl Episode
I noted in minor military news this past weekend, that the Bowe Bergdahl episode has progressed to the next step. He was the young Army guy who decided to walk out of the camp in Afghanistan, in search of a better life and was taken prisoner by the Taliban folks....held for a fair amount of time as a prisoner and then traded with a deal with the Obama Administration. The Army has taken the view that some court-martial type offenses have occurred and the court is working up to a starting point.
So the two items that have occurred is that the military judge in charge decided that all charges that were referred to the court.....will be allowed. There are two charges....both of which could get not just life in prison but the death penalty. The second item is that two witnesses will be allowed into the court.....both of which were members who were injured or wounded during the hunt for Bergdahl after he disappeared. This is a bit difficult for the defense lawyers to overcome and harsh questions toward the two won't be appreciated by the jury.....all combat-veterans.
I will note....that if you go and research all of Bergdah's history....after getting removed from the Coast Guard boot-camp.....the Army should NOT have allowed him in.....he was simply not mature enough or competent enough for military duty. Somehow, he made it through Army boot-camp and came to lose his prospective on life in Afghanistan. I do put some of the blame on the Army for not recognizing the guy's behavior and limits.
All this said and done.....I think Bergdahl will end up with a 15-year sentence and be reduced to E-1. They will likely credit him for the period held captive, but the rest of this....probably 13 years....will be what he owes the Army. I will add that if he demands NCOs be on the jury (which is his right).....he's likely to get MORE time, not less, on the sentencing. It would not be in your best interest to have NCOs on this jury.
So the two items that have occurred is that the military judge in charge decided that all charges that were referred to the court.....will be allowed. There are two charges....both of which could get not just life in prison but the death penalty. The second item is that two witnesses will be allowed into the court.....both of which were members who were injured or wounded during the hunt for Bergdahl after he disappeared. This is a bit difficult for the defense lawyers to overcome and harsh questions toward the two won't be appreciated by the jury.....all combat-veterans.
I will note....that if you go and research all of Bergdah's history....after getting removed from the Coast Guard boot-camp.....the Army should NOT have allowed him in.....he was simply not mature enough or competent enough for military duty. Somehow, he made it through Army boot-camp and came to lose his prospective on life in Afghanistan. I do put some of the blame on the Army for not recognizing the guy's behavior and limits.
All this said and done.....I think Bergdahl will end up with a 15-year sentence and be reduced to E-1. They will likely credit him for the period held captive, but the rest of this....probably 13 years....will be what he owes the Army. I will add that if he demands NCOs be on the jury (which is his right).....he's likely to get MORE time, not less, on the sentencing. It would not be in your best interest to have NCOs on this jury.
Tuesday, 20 June 2017
This Otto Warmbier Story
I've sat for several days looking over this story of the American kid who finally got removed from North Korea, and passed away in the US in the past twenty-four hours. There are a lot of mysterious things over the Warmbier story, but the top one that interests me....is how he got to the point of being in a vegetative state.
My guess? I think toward the conclusion of the court case.....they began to dope him up. Guard A would be given some instructions, and in some shift change....give out a dope-dose. Guard B would come on and get the same instructions. Guard C would get the same instructions. At some point, Warmbier is permanently in a coma. The guards can truthfully say they followed the precise instruction they were given, and the idiots above them will realize that they'd killed Warmbier without any intention. The sad fact is that they probably do this several hundred times each month to other prisoners and no one ever says anything about what was done.
My observation on traveling to North Korea? Why not just select downtown Detroit for a week, and go on nightly tours of the no-go areas of Detroit? Why not select the gang zones of Atlanta? There's just no reason to go into North Korea.
My guess? I think toward the conclusion of the court case.....they began to dope him up. Guard A would be given some instructions, and in some shift change....give out a dope-dose. Guard B would come on and get the same instructions. Guard C would get the same instructions. At some point, Warmbier is permanently in a coma. The guards can truthfully say they followed the precise instruction they were given, and the idiots above them will realize that they'd killed Warmbier without any intention. The sad fact is that they probably do this several hundred times each month to other prisoners and no one ever says anything about what was done.
My observation on traveling to North Korea? Why not just select downtown Detroit for a week, and go on nightly tours of the no-go areas of Detroit? Why not select the gang zones of Atlanta? There's just no reason to go into North Korea.
Sunday, 18 June 2017
The Levy Email
This past week, I got this personalized email from a big-wig (Cliff Levy) from the New York Times. Basically, it was a personalized appeal that I needed to support and read the Times because only they had brilliant journalists. The hint also....was that bloggers simply didn't have the sources for the news.....like the anonymous source folks.....to help give you a four-star story.
It took me about sixty seconds to assess that it was a rather weak and marginalized attempt to get me to subscribe with a newspaper known greatly for it's biased reporting and comical analysis.
The best quote from the email? "Real reporting is vital in a media landscape full of deceptive or outright false news. And we can do it because we have the support of our subscribers".
Maybe a decade ago, I would have easily bought off on quotes or news from the Washington Post or New York Times. In the past decade.....I've gone to a different plateau and ask a lot more questions. Just say some news comes from the Times or Post.....doesn't mean anything to me. I get this almost nightly now from public TV here in Germany, and find the handcuffed method of convincing me of things to be questionable.
How many people will buy off on this email from Cliff Levy? My humble guess is less than a hundred people will subscribe. I would even make the assessment that the Times has reached a point of desperation where it really needs another twenty-thousand subscribers.
It took me about sixty seconds to assess that it was a rather weak and marginalized attempt to get me to subscribe with a newspaper known greatly for it's biased reporting and comical analysis.
The best quote from the email? "Real reporting is vital in a media landscape full of deceptive or outright false news. And we can do it because we have the support of our subscribers".
Maybe a decade ago, I would have easily bought off on quotes or news from the Washington Post or New York Times. In the past decade.....I've gone to a different plateau and ask a lot more questions. Just say some news comes from the Times or Post.....doesn't mean anything to me. I get this almost nightly now from public TV here in Germany, and find the handcuffed method of convincing me of things to be questionable.
How many people will buy off on this email from Cliff Levy? My humble guess is less than a hundred people will subscribe. I would even make the assessment that the Times has reached a point of desperation where it really needs another twenty-thousand subscribers.
Friday, 16 June 2017
Resolution Ten Crowd
While I was off on a short trip this week.....the fine folks at the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution referred to as "#10".....condemning the Alt-Right crowd/all forms of racism.....in accordance with the gospel.
Yeah, it's actually written into Mathew, Mark and Ezra. Even Moses hyped up the issues of being Alt-Right and a member of the GOP. Jesus wept at some point and noted that Alt-Right was a terrible thing....it's all in the scriptures....you just need to read between the lines.
Well......no, it's not there.
Some SBC dimwits made up some hype and went off to say that the Gospel was interpreted to mean this and Alt-Right was something that ministers need to talk negative about.
In a way, the move helps to lessen the appeal of the Southern Baptists and focus some members on the comical behavior of the organization. It's pretty simple to just say adios and let go of the politicized organization.
The odds that Minister Bob or Deacon Joe will come to visit you after you stop showing up? You can just bring up resolution ten, and that you think Jesus was actually an original part of the Alt-Right trend. Minister Bob or Deacon Joe will stand there with some deer-in-the-headlight look, and realize their gimmick to paradise just isn't going to sell well.
In a way, the SBC folks are helping to dissolve the whole organization, with a long-term plan of non-existence.
Yeah, it's actually written into Mathew, Mark and Ezra. Even Moses hyped up the issues of being Alt-Right and a member of the GOP. Jesus wept at some point and noted that Alt-Right was a terrible thing....it's all in the scriptures....you just need to read between the lines.
Well......no, it's not there.
Some SBC dimwits made up some hype and went off to say that the Gospel was interpreted to mean this and Alt-Right was something that ministers need to talk negative about.
In a way, the move helps to lessen the appeal of the Southern Baptists and focus some members on the comical behavior of the organization. It's pretty simple to just say adios and let go of the politicized organization.
The odds that Minister Bob or Deacon Joe will come to visit you after you stop showing up? You can just bring up resolution ten, and that you think Jesus was actually an original part of the Alt-Right trend. Minister Bob or Deacon Joe will stand there with some deer-in-the-headlight look, and realize their gimmick to paradise just isn't going to sell well.
In a way, the SBC folks are helping to dissolve the whole organization, with a long-term plan of non-existence.
London Fire
I sat this week and observed the news-feed over the London fire. A number of things bothered me about this episode.
This was a building with roughly four apartments on each floor....one single elevator, and one single stairway. In a fire situation, it was a no-win situation. If you were above the fifth floor, your odds of getting out were severely limited. If you were above the 15th floor....it's just about impossible odds of getting out.
This material added in the renovation phase from a couple of years ago? It's been a big sales item in Germany, and I noted last year in Frankfurt.....they had a building which went quickly from a minor one-apartment fire to a massive fire.....same type material. Luckily, this was a three-story building....not a multi-floor building. My guess is that in roughly four months.....some PhD guy will come out and prove this renovation material is a major threat, and trigger a massive removal-type situation across Europe. Billions will be spent to remove it from the exterior of buildings.
Then I come to this personal feeling....that you need some type of rope-harness deal in your apartment and a repel-type device that you could just hook onto a doorway and break a window and slide down. It doesn't require rocket-science. Some engineer ought to be able to fashion something that cost less than a hundred bucks and guaranteed to dump you 300 feet to the ground....safely.
This was a building with roughly four apartments on each floor....one single elevator, and one single stairway. In a fire situation, it was a no-win situation. If you were above the fifth floor, your odds of getting out were severely limited. If you were above the 15th floor....it's just about impossible odds of getting out.
This material added in the renovation phase from a couple of years ago? It's been a big sales item in Germany, and I noted last year in Frankfurt.....they had a building which went quickly from a minor one-apartment fire to a massive fire.....same type material. Luckily, this was a three-story building....not a multi-floor building. My guess is that in roughly four months.....some PhD guy will come out and prove this renovation material is a major threat, and trigger a massive removal-type situation across Europe. Billions will be spent to remove it from the exterior of buildings.
Then I come to this personal feeling....that you need some type of rope-harness deal in your apartment and a repel-type device that you could just hook onto a doorway and break a window and slide down. It doesn't require rocket-science. Some engineer ought to be able to fashion something that cost less than a hundred bucks and guaranteed to dump you 300 feet to the ground....safely.
Sunday, 12 February 2017
A Little Hike
Occasionally, I'll pick up a story which ought to have 10,000 lines of description but you only have twenty lines describing the whole event. So it is with this story.
Back in the 2012-era....in Vancouver, Canada (on the far west coast).....this guy Anton Pilipa just up and disappeared. What the family will say is that Anton had some mental issues. No one says if he was on medication....but I would suspect such. Anton's particular issue? Schizophrenia.
If you've ever been around people with Schizophrenia.....you tend to notice that they aren't in the same world as you or I. They can look at a situation with five characteristics.....and reach a totally different conclusion in the end.
What is hinted in the story is that Anton had some interest in reaching a particular library in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The particular library? The National Library. It's a fairly fancy library by most standards. What few realize is that while they sat down and designed the place in 1961...it would be a decade later before they started work on the library structure. Oddly, they didn't finish work and open the facility until 1992 (taking almost twenty years in this construction and opening phase).
If you bring up this particular library with social and intellectual groups in Argentina....they generally get weepy-eyed and emotional....it's like a place of honor.
For whatever reason, Anton (the schizophrenic) got kinda emotional about this library as well. No one tells that part of the story.
So, Anton just disappears.
In the last week.....Anton has reappeared....in some jungle setting of Brazil. Five years have passed. He's fairly weak and a bit tired.....but folks in Brazil have figured out his identity finally and got him in some hospital.....where they've set up some medication to control his schizophrenic problems.
Anton hasn't said an awful lot about his little adventure....but it appears that he just took off, and walked down the US coast....on through Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and probably three other countries....to reach the library as his destination. Course, he had this one problem....no passport. Without an ID....they refused him entry. Yep....having walked over 11,000 kilometers without a passport.....he now found that he could not enter without this one document.
Various borders which should have stopped him? None. He kinda proved that how silly the whole border thing has become.
He did all of this....without any real cash....that's the shocker of the story.
The Darien Gap? No one brought up this part of the story. Typically, when heading south and getting into central Panama....you will eventually reach this point where Highway 1 ends (in Yaviza). It's a great road that stretches from Canada down to a jungle setting in central Panama. There....highway 1 officially ends.
To get from Yaviza over to some real point of civilization in Columbia? It's about a hundred miles of jungle. No road or trail really exists. Some folks will claim a path, and have made the hike but it's not for normal people.
Anton hasn't said how he made this part of the trip. I have my doubts that he hiked it. But you'd have to go and pay some guy with a boat in order to skip this part of the trip.
Maps? No one even suggests that Anton had a map.
Presently, the family is working up some kind of plan to get Anton back to Canada. The embassy folks will have to work up some passport and I suspect with two weeks....he will be returning....on medication.
How long this will last? Unknown. Most folks who have schizophrenia don't like the medication route because they feel inhibited....not in full control. The odds of him leaving again? Probably higher than 50-percent chance.
The last curious thing about this whole story? Five years have passed. If you pull out a map and chart the whole thing....you or I could walk from Vancouver to Argentina, and up into Brazil in about eight months. That only explains roughly twenty-percent of the period of Anton on this hike. So where was he the rest of the time? Did he get lost a couple of times? Did he head off in the wrong direction for six weeks at some point and then corrected his direction?
There's this epic story waiting to be written. Sadly, I doubt if Anton really cares to sit down and tell this story.
Back in the 2012-era....in Vancouver, Canada (on the far west coast).....this guy Anton Pilipa just up and disappeared. What the family will say is that Anton had some mental issues. No one says if he was on medication....but I would suspect such. Anton's particular issue? Schizophrenia.
If you've ever been around people with Schizophrenia.....you tend to notice that they aren't in the same world as you or I. They can look at a situation with five characteristics.....and reach a totally different conclusion in the end.
What is hinted in the story is that Anton had some interest in reaching a particular library in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The particular library? The National Library. It's a fairly fancy library by most standards. What few realize is that while they sat down and designed the place in 1961...it would be a decade later before they started work on the library structure. Oddly, they didn't finish work and open the facility until 1992 (taking almost twenty years in this construction and opening phase).
If you bring up this particular library with social and intellectual groups in Argentina....they generally get weepy-eyed and emotional....it's like a place of honor.
For whatever reason, Anton (the schizophrenic) got kinda emotional about this library as well. No one tells that part of the story.
So, Anton just disappears.
In the last week.....Anton has reappeared....in some jungle setting of Brazil. Five years have passed. He's fairly weak and a bit tired.....but folks in Brazil have figured out his identity finally and got him in some hospital.....where they've set up some medication to control his schizophrenic problems.
Anton hasn't said an awful lot about his little adventure....but it appears that he just took off, and walked down the US coast....on through Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and probably three other countries....to reach the library as his destination. Course, he had this one problem....no passport. Without an ID....they refused him entry. Yep....having walked over 11,000 kilometers without a passport.....he now found that he could not enter without this one document.
Various borders which should have stopped him? None. He kinda proved that how silly the whole border thing has become.
He did all of this....without any real cash....that's the shocker of the story.
The Darien Gap? No one brought up this part of the story. Typically, when heading south and getting into central Panama....you will eventually reach this point where Highway 1 ends (in Yaviza). It's a great road that stretches from Canada down to a jungle setting in central Panama. There....highway 1 officially ends.
To get from Yaviza over to some real point of civilization in Columbia? It's about a hundred miles of jungle. No road or trail really exists. Some folks will claim a path, and have made the hike but it's not for normal people.
Anton hasn't said how he made this part of the trip. I have my doubts that he hiked it. But you'd have to go and pay some guy with a boat in order to skip this part of the trip.
Maps? No one even suggests that Anton had a map.
Presently, the family is working up some kind of plan to get Anton back to Canada. The embassy folks will have to work up some passport and I suspect with two weeks....he will be returning....on medication.
How long this will last? Unknown. Most folks who have schizophrenia don't like the medication route because they feel inhibited....not in full control. The odds of him leaving again? Probably higher than 50-percent chance.
The last curious thing about this whole story? Five years have passed. If you pull out a map and chart the whole thing....you or I could walk from Vancouver to Argentina, and up into Brazil in about eight months. That only explains roughly twenty-percent of the period of Anton on this hike. So where was he the rest of the time? Did he get lost a couple of times? Did he head off in the wrong direction for six weeks at some point and then corrected his direction?
There's this epic story waiting to be written. Sadly, I doubt if Anton really cares to sit down and tell this story.
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