Comments on: A few odd bits and pieces http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/ Authoritative Archive Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:53:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: robin_hobb http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/comment-page-1/#comment-42 robin_hobb Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:16:13 +0000 http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/#comment-42 <p>Australia is, strange to say, another place that observes Sunday closures. Religiously, I might say, for a country that seems to consider itself not very religious.</p> <p>I had two experiences of this the time I want to a convention there. The first was that the convention was over the Easter weekend. Restaurants were not allowed to open or serve food on those days. I could only get a meal from my hotel because I was a registered guest there.</p> <p>And I made the mistake of thinking I could wait until the Sunday before I left to buy some sourvenirs. Nope. All closed up tight on Sunday.</p> <p>Robin</p> Australia is, strange to say, another place that observes Sunday closures. Religiously, I might say, for a country that seems to consider itself not very religious.

I had two experiences of this the time I want to a convention there. The first was that the convention was over the Easter weekend. Restaurants were not allowed to open or serve food on those days. I could only get a meal from my hotel because I was a registered guest there.

And I made the mistake of thinking I could wait until the Sunday before I left to buy some sourvenirs. Nope. All closed up tight on Sunday.

Robin

]]> By: jadeilyn http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/comment-page-1/#comment-41 jadeilyn Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:42:13 +0000 http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/#comment-41 <p>The idea of being able to do necessary things on the Sabbath does not originate with Jesus. It has always been encouraged, if not required, to address emergencies.</p> <p>As for what a modern society that honored a day off would look like, watch for it the next time you return to France. Most establishments are closed on Sundays. This includes supermarkets, many restaurants, department stores and many other establishments. It's not absolute, as necessary functions are still running and often things like cinemas and museums are open, but the pace of life there on a Sunday is much slower. </p> The idea of being able to do necessary things on the Sabbath does not originate with Jesus. It has always been encouraged, if not required, to address emergencies.

As for what a modern society that honored a day off would look like, watch for it the next time you return to France. Most establishments are closed on Sundays. This includes supermarkets, many restaurants, department stores and many other establishments. It’s not absolute, as necessary functions are still running and often things like cinemas and museums are open, but the pace of life there on a Sunday is much slower.

]]> By: 20thlvl_rogue http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/comment-page-1/#comment-39 20thlvl_rogue Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:01:34 +0000 http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/#comment-39 <p>You're right.</p> <p>Reflecting back on it, the reason why I made such an ignorant comment like that is I really don't know much about the demographics of who is getting student loans. However, I do know someone on my friends list here is going to school to be a nurse and it's only like $1,400 per semester. But really the only person I've "known" to have gotten a student loan is Nancy Grace, the rich lawyer who has her own show on CNN. She mentions it on occasion how she had massive student loans she had to pay off after law school, so I had that idea in my mind that mostly rich people like Nancy Grace got loans.</p> <p>When it comes to anything related to universities I feel a lot of anger. I've never had a job that paid over $7.50 an hour, and everyone who has graduated college who I talk to even think $10 an hour jobs are low paying. So I was just thinking emotionally, not logically. That's why it's so cool that you blog, because as an elder of society you have a massive storehouse of wisdom that you can share and instill in the younger generations and make us see things in a wiser light.</p> You’re right.

Reflecting back on it, the reason why I made such an ignorant comment like that is I really don’t know much about the demographics of who is getting student loans. However, I do know someone on my friends list here is going to school to be a nurse and it’s only like $1,400 per semester. But really the only person I’ve “known” to have gotten a student loan is Nancy Grace, the rich lawyer who has her own show on CNN. She mentions it on occasion how she had massive student loans she had to pay off after law school, so I had that idea in my mind that mostly rich people like Nancy Grace got loans.

When it comes to anything related to universities I feel a lot of anger. I’ve never had a job that paid over $7.50 an hour, and everyone who has graduated college who I talk to even think $10 an hour jobs are low paying. So I was just thinking emotionally, not logically. That’s why it’s so cool that you blog, because as an elder of society you have a massive storehouse of wisdom that you can share and instill in the younger generations and make us see things in a wiser light.

]]> By: darkchallenger http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/comment-page-1/#comment-38 darkchallenger Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:47:47 +0000 http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/#comment-38 <p>There's a group on Facebook with this very idea. My wife and I are still working to pay off loans from years ago and now my daughter and I have more loans to make up the difference for the college she's attending. She received lots of music scholarships but college and textbooks are so overpriced. We do lie to have our citizens in debt in this country. Think of the bookstores and authors I could be sending my money to, if I wasn't paying down loans. </p> <p>I've yet to find a good mirror that reflects how I see myself. </p> There’s a group on Facebook with this very idea. My wife and I are still working to pay off loans from years ago and now my daughter and I have more loans to make up the difference for the college she’s attending. She received lots of music scholarships but college and textbooks are so overpriced. We do lie to have our citizens in debt in this country. Think of the bookstores and authors I could be sending my money to, if I wasn’t paying down loans.

I’ve yet to find a good mirror that reflects how I see myself.

]]> By: erikh http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/comment-page-1/#comment-37 erikh Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:34:39 +0000 http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/#comment-37 <p>I think you have some very peculiar ideas about both students and student loans.</p> <p>As grant money has evaporated, the competition for scholarships has greatly increased. </p> <p>Students who have grades good enough to be accepted by a university but not good enough to win a scholarship and don't have rich parents take out student loans to go to school. This is not a statement by them that they are 'better' than anyone else. Usually it leads to them being 'broker' than anyone else.</p> <p>Often they take whatever loans they can get because they really want to be a teacher or a nurse. I personally know two young women who will emerge from college in debt because they sought those two careers. I have only admiration for them. As for becoming 'blocks' at the top of a pyramid. . . a nurse? A teacher? I don't think so.</p> <p>Robin</p> I think you have some very peculiar ideas about both students and student loans.

As grant money has evaporated, the competition for scholarships has greatly increased.

Students who have grades good enough to be accepted by a university but not good enough to win a scholarship and don’t have rich parents take out student loans to go to school. This is not a statement by them that they are ‘better’ than anyone else. Usually it leads to them being ‘broker’ than anyone else.

Often they take whatever loans they can get because they really want to be a teacher or a nurse. I personally know two young women who will emerge from college in debt because they sought those two careers. I have only admiration for them. As for becoming ‘blocks’ at the top of a pyramid. . . a nurse? A teacher? I don’t think so.

Robin

]]> By: 20thlvl_rogue http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/comment-page-1/#comment-36 20thlvl_rogue Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:18 +0000 http://www.meganlindholm.com/2009/03/15/a-few-odd-bits-and-pieces/#comment-36 <p>I don't know if students going to universities which are expensive enough to require loans are really the bottom of the pyramid. They're more like the blocks that are being built to replace the upper levels of the pyramid. The true bottom are the millions of people who don't begin to meet the entrance requirements to the university system regardless of money and who have been groomed by the system to work the menial jobs of society which truly <i>does</i> make up the bottom level on which the rest of society is built.</p> <p>I have no sympathy for anyone who racks up a massive interest debt on a student loan. No one forced them to agree to the terms of the loan, that's a contract they entered into on their own and they should have to follow it. These kids think they're so smart going to universities and think they're better than people who don't, so then I think they should be smart enough to handle their own finances and avoid falling into debt. If anything I would like to see the penalties for failure to pay increased to include prison time.</p> I don’t know if students going to universities which are expensive enough to require loans are really the bottom of the pyramid. They’re more like the blocks that are being built to replace the upper levels of the pyramid. The true bottom are the millions of people who don’t begin to meet the entrance requirements to the university system regardless of money and who have been groomed by the system to work the menial jobs of society which truly does make up the bottom level on which the rest of society is built.

I have no sympathy for anyone who racks up a massive interest debt on a student loan. No one forced them to agree to the terms of the loan, that’s a contract they entered into on their own and they should have to follow it. These kids think they’re so smart going to universities and think they’re better than people who don’t, so then I think they should be smart enough to handle their own finances and avoid falling into debt. If anything I would like to see the penalties for failure to pay increased to include prison time.

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