Carborendum

The vast majority of the posts were @psych_murse against vort and Anatess. I made one post in the middle that she did NOT respond to. Jane was as polite as anyone can be in such a debate. And JAG was on her side. I think she did the math wrong. "Vastly Outnumbered". Nice excuse.

You mean that when you make a statement that indicates how much you disapprove of someone's position, they should have the patience to simply listen and encourage you? That would be great, wouldn't it?

I have a point I'm trying to make, but I found that the background of a story is really useful for illustrating this point. So, here's the background first. ********************** For those of you familiar with Brandon Sanderson's works, you may know about The Stormlight Archives series (TSA). I believe it makes quite a commentary on the concept of "perfection". Most of his series deal with very imperfect people behaving very imperfectly. And so many of the characters in TSA are deeply flawed beings. In fact it is the story of a world where "Honor" (the deified personification of the character trait) was actually died because there were no more honorable people in the world. What differs with this series is that the story centers on two people (Dalinar and Kaladin) who can be considered the very model of honorable men. But as we go further into the series, we find dark pasts and reason to recognize that they are much more flawed than we hope the protagonists are. A pivotal moment is that Kaladin's father explained why they had to be honorable in a world filled with people who did not value honor. He says,"Someone has to start, son." For a long time, Kaladin believes that his father began, but he wants Kaladin to continue the line of honor. It is only after a startling (and highly disappointing) revelation that he realizes that his father could not endure. As much as he tried, he was not the one to maintain the role of honor. All the more difficult for Kaladin to believe that he would be the one "to start". ********************** I had started another post about "positive male role-models". I mentioned how two very imperfect men were actually my role models. In fact, I had several others, including adulterers, alcoholics, drug addicts, liars, thieves... you get the picture. But even these very flawed men taught me valuable lessons of life. They taught me the little good that they had to offer. And it was up to me to eschew the evil that they exemplified in and of themselves. ********************** Why do we look for perfection in a world that, I believe, everyone on this site has acknowledged is highly imperfect with highly imperfect people? Today's youth simply don't live up to their potential and many are "lost" in the evils and pitfalls of the age. Marriage partners must be absolutely perfect or else we're just not sure if we want to marry. (This one I can mostly understand). Movie stars and athletes aren't good role models (quelle suprise). Everyone at the office must be perfectly professional or we just don't want to work with them. Police must always make the perfect split second decisions. Political correctness & cancel culture. Virtually anything with politics and government. The list goes on and on. *************************** I remember being asked in high school -- what I looked for in a girl. I explained that I couldn't really know because I really want perfection, but for me to find a perfect woman for me, I have the responsibility of being perfect for her. There is the other half of the equation. Our youth are often blamed for being "imperfect' children and youth. Are we being perfect parents? I want my wife to be perfect. Am I a perfect husband? Movie Stars are supposed to entertain. We pay them. That should be the end of it. If we want others at the office to be perfectly professional, we need to be professional ourselves. If we want the police to make perfect decisions... try walking a mile in their shoes. Political correctness can go take a flying leap. Our politicians are merely a reflection of our population, not an example of what we are to emulate. Perfect government can only be found among a perfect citizenry. How many of us actively participate by calling our local, state, and federal representatives on a regular basis? In other words: Most people simply reflect the world around them. An exceptional person will be the image that others will reflect. So if we are to look for perfection in an imperfect world,

Vort, you're wasting your breath. One pitfall of the mental health worker is that they're used to seeing the unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors of others. They often don't turn that microscope on themselves. They look outward, not inward to see the problems.

Now, this is the first time I've come to understand your position. And you have a great point. I don't believe we have the choice you suggest we have. You suggest that "God will save us." I have no doubt that He will save us individually and, hopefully, as families. And as far as prophecy goes, He will save us as a Church. But to save us as a nation? No, I don't see that happening. Not that He wouldn't if enough prayers were said and enough hearts were turned and all that. But I just don't see enough hearts being turned to God in this era. I believe we're in that same mentality that Mormon found himself in when he realized that their sorrow was the sorrow of the damned. IOW, my lack of faith is not about the Lord. I have a lack of faith in the people of this land. I can only hope that the Elders of Israel will save the Constitution. But ... even that is an apocryphal prophecy. I believe COVID and the riots and a few more things that are yet to come are like the seven plagues of Egypt. We will have the option of turning our hearts to Him or not. So far, the "shadows remain unaltered". So, to me, it is only a question of either Praying for Armageddon to start as soon as possible so that we can get the Second Coming ASAP. Hanging on as long as we can until Armageddon starts on its own. I'd vote for the latter. I certainly hope I never gave that impression about Trump. But I can see that being interpreted from what I've said. That was not my intent. Perhaps I should be more clear in my position regarding why evil men can still do good.

The thing to understand here is that she was not here to "discuss" anything. She was here to air her grievances unfettered and unchallenged. When she found that she'd (gasp!) actually have to defend her position with more than just blanket statements, rhetoric, and straw men, her only explanation for such a response was that we must simply be too blinded by the Orange Man's bluster to hear the unfettered truth as it dripped from her golden tongue. In other words: We're just a bunch of mindless followers.

Ever since Bill Clinton, I honestly cannot think of a single person who looks to the POTUS as a role-model of what it is to be American.

@psych_murse, I think you'll find that most people here whole-heartedly agree that Trump is very wanting in the character department. In fact, many life-long Republicans here refused to vote for him in 2016. I'm one of them. Here is my take: But how can we compromise? How do we really decide which is the lesser of two evils? Most of the time it is an emotional reaction based on which news outlet we're listening to. Is there a more thoughtful way? The key is determining the ONE issue that over-rides all others. And that is going to be different for each person. But this was the final issue for me. I realize this will just make you think I'm a mindless follower. But whatever.

Here's another thing to throw into the mix for your consideration. I had a friend who is a Korean citizen. But he is a permanent resident in the US. When the company asked for people interested in working in Korea, he jumped at the chance. One big perk is that if you work in a foreign country, you get paid premiums for being an expat. He would be swimming in it. He would get paid a per deim for living expenses as well. But the office was only a short drive from his parents' house. When the Korean office heard that he was a Korean citizen, they wanted to eliminate all such financial boons. His wages would be lowered to a Korean salary for an equal position. He would not get expat premiums or per deim. His health and dental would be brought down to Korean legal limits. It really sucked. Eventually, they ended up bartering a deal. He accepted the fact that it would be unfair to take a per deim if he was just staying at his parents' home (as an example). If your son is raised here, he may come across similar situations in his professional life. I don't know what the law is, but the US doesn't seem to look into alternative passports. My cousin holds three passports now. But the US considers her a US citizen -- no dual or triunal??? passport.

The terminology is now "Permanent Resident". I had thought that the newer green cards had that printed on them. But I guess not... unless your card is really old. BTW, why have you never applied for citizenship? Does The Philippines reject you if you have dual citizenship?

My bother. 🤗

Some schools only take one or the other. Some schools accept either. That's the only thing that is different. Because my finances were low, I knew I could only afford a few schools. So, I only applied to a few. All of the accepted the ACT. Some accepted either one. I did well on the ACT and not so well on the SAT. So, in all my applications, I sent the results of the ACT. And they were fine. The one exception was the Air Force Academy. They REQUIRED both scores be sent. So, I sent the SAT as well. In my interview with their recruiters, one of them asked about the disparity in my scores. I said I didn't know. But I pointed out that I met the minimum score requirement and I was very high in the ACT, so I didn't know what he was getting at. He said he recognized that I passed. But when there is a disparity like that, there's usually something up with that. At the time, I didn't know why. But looking back, I realized that it was the format and subject matter of the test. The ACT is such that if you simply pay attention in class and learn the stuff that is normally learned, you'll do well on the test. But the SAT has subject matter and a format that requires you specifically prepare for the test. And I simply didn't do that. One quirk worth pointing out is that on other tests, you can make a guess without penalty. But on the SAT, if you guess wrong, you don't just NOT get the point for the test. You are actually docked 1/4 point for guessing wrong in addition to not getting the point in the first place. So, they expect you to leave it blank if you don't know. FWIW, I specifically did NOT want to take the SAT because I knew I had done well on the ACT. And all my schools would accept it. But my mother insisted that it would be better if I did. Turned out she was wrong. Unless the school you're applying for specifically requires it, I wouldn't bother.

I didn't know you were Asian!

Yes, that is how I understood the passage.. But what I had difficulty understanding (and I'm asking for clarification) was that when it was juxtaposed with your question it seemed contradictory. So, let me make an attempt at clarification. It seemed your question made the point that the Devil does NOT need to disguise himself as an angel of light by asking the rhetorical question: The scripture says he DOES disguise himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14) Are either of these bullet points misunderstandings on my part? If I have understood these statements, then can you understand why they seem contradictory? i.e. your statement seems to contradict very scripture you referenced. So, if I have misunderstood your points, I've asked for clarification.

Actually, I didn't follow that step... AT ALL. And I did ok.

LOL. Right. Sure thing. Here are the steps to finding a girlfriend. Shave Get contacts or lasik Go to a hair stylist. Work out at the gym. Be a perfect gentleman. Learn great conversation skills Develop charity Pray for a girlfriend.

I believe this to be one of the earliest examples of the "cut-up" method of lyric writing. They actually make millions off of this.

Yeah, I don't think that someone who is celebrating drugs is going to make much sense.

There are other indicators. Meh. I tend to think that most vain people do know that they are vain. They just don't think it's wrong when THEY do it. It depends on if it is literal or figurative. Ironically, it makes sense if it is literal. The moon is ALWAYS in the sky even when it is dancing on the sea. If it is figurative, it is an inconsistent metaphor. Bad, bad, bad... I always took these two statements to mean two things that he was willing to do -- not necessarily at the same time or in immediate succession. Compare to Weird Al's "One More Minute."

Sounds good. I haven't kept up with the SAT

That's it! I'm posting your soup recipies on the internet! You'll be RUINED!!! bwuh-hah-hah!! REVENGE!!! (is a dish that is best served cold.)

Age difference aside...

Tremendous!

They are the two standardized tests for high schoolers to take in order to provide standardized results to colleges. The ACT is more like a common test (like the Scott-Foresman test). It covers a variety of topics. Answers are multiple choice (although, they added an essay portion since I took it). The SAT only has two topics Verbal & Math. But they tend to cover many topics forced into those categories. The great weakness (or strength depending on how you look at it) of the Verbal section is that is that it relies so heavily on Vocabulary Specific rules of syntax Many well educated students who did very well in their classes don't do so well in the vocabulary section because they were simply never taught. This is mainly a weed-out mechanism because they do tend to be taught in private schools. The specific rules of syntax is unfortunate because when I was in high school there were a half-dozen standards that I was even aware of. And I was only familiar with two of them. So, again, if you happened to be taught a different set of rules, you'll fail. If you take a specific SAT prep class, you will do better. But the person who was raised in a private school where they taught these specific things will have a much easier time of it.

No, I think it is fairly accurate. But that's not the whole story. The thing is that Trump just has a different set of values. And he's perfectly happy with his set of values. And by HIS set of values, I guess he measures up. I certainly disagree that he is the paragon of virtue that we should all aspire to (stifling the eye-roll). But it's pretty clear that HE thinks he is. (coughing expletives).