The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXVII

[cybrxkhan]

For Southeast Asia especially Buddhist societies there's the additional complication of religion. Hinduism and Islam aren't... well, let's say prejudices abound where I came from that would give western Islamophobes more than a run for their money.

Wanna see my family freak out? Be there when I tell them how I like Indian and Pakistani women.

Almost everybody in my family loves Indian food. Mmmm curry.

 

[Farm Boy]

Almost everybody in my family loves Indian food.

Somebody has to.

 

[Quackers]

I wonder where did the misconception that Hitler was Austrian originate from.

Probably the fact he was born there Mr D.

 

[Domen]

Probably the fact he was born there Mr D.

Excerpts from Mein Kampf:

(...) In relatively early adolescence I had an opportunity to take part in a nationalistic struggle in old Austria. We had a school organization and we expressed our views using cornflowers and black-red-gold colours. We were saluting each other with 'Heil' and instead of 'Kaiserlied' we were singing, despite warnings and punishments, 'Deutschland über Alles'. This way, we young people were educating ourselves politically (...) I was not among the indifferent people and soon I became a fanatical German nationalist, but not in modern party-related understanding of this word. Development in this direction was in my case very fast, so fast that already when a 15 years old boy I could distinguish between dynastic 'patriotism', and national 'nationalism'. I understood the latter much better. Already as boys we knew, that this Austrian state did not show any affection for us, Germans. Our knowledge about methods of conduct of the Habsburgs was being confirmed each day by daily experiences. In the north and in the south the poison of alien races was devouring the flesh of our nation and even Vienna was gradually less and less resembling a German city. "The Emperor's House" was becoming Czech where only that was possible; finally the hand of the goddess of everlasting justice and unrelenting vengeance killed the greatest enemy of the Germanness of Austria - Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was killed by a bullet whom he had personally helped. After all, he was the main patron of the movement the goal of which was to turn Austria into a Slavic country. The embryo of the World War and indeed the total ruin of Germany were caused by fatal alliance between the young German Reich with the Austrian artificial state. (...) Since my earliest adolescence I was convinced, that the destruction of Austria is the necessary condition for the security of the German race. (...) The misfortune for the German race was especially the ruling House of Habsburg. The consequences of that was my passionate love of the German Austria and my deep hatred of the Austrian State. (...)

"The goddess of justice and vengeance" mentioned by Hitler was probably Skadi (from Pagan Germanic pantheon):

http://www.wizardrealm.com/norse/gods.html

"Skadi is the Goddess of Winter and of the Hunt. She is married to Njord, the gloomy Sea God, noted for his beautiful bare feet (which is how Skadi came to choose him for her mate.) Supposedly the bare foot is an ancient Norse symbol of fertility. The marriage wasn't too happy, though, because she really wanted Baldur for her husband. She is the goddess of Justice, Vengeance, and Righteous Anger, and is the deity who delivers the sentence upon Loki to be bound underground with a serpent dripping poison upon his face in payment for his crimes. (...)"

About Franz Ferdinand:

(...) Because the domination of the ethnic German element had been broken, the system served for games between particular nationalities. Generally the line of development was established against Germans. Especially from times when the Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, began to grow in strength, and he supported Czech ambitions. The future ruler of the monarchy attempted with use of all means to cause the process of De-Germanization. This is why often German settlements were being slowly but efficiently subjected to influence of foreign-speaking nations. In Lower Austria the process was much faster and many Czechs considered Vienna to be their own city. The main idea of that new Habsburg, whose family spoke Czech (wife of the Archduke was a Czech countess and in her family there were strong anti-German traditions), aimed at establishing in Central Europe a Slavic state with Catholic religion as a counter-weight to Orthodox Russia. That's how religion became once again involved in serving political concepts, which was frequent in Habsburg policies. (...) After the war of 1870 the House of Habsburg slowly, with premeditation and determination, started an effort leading to rooting out the dangerous German race - it was the goal of the Slavophile family of the emperor. (...)

 

[Quackers]

I know all that, I own Mein Kampf.

I reckon my answer still sounds.
Why is Hitler perceived as Austrian?

He was born there

 

[Domen]

Another misconception is that Hitler was a devout Roman Catholic.

He hated Roman Catholicism because he associated it with Slavic peoples.

On the other hand, he frequently calls Old Norse Pagan deities in his book (like goddess Skadi in the quote above).

Hitler tolerated Catholics as long as they were ethnic German Catholics.

 

[Tee Kay]

Almost everybody in my family loves Indian food. Mmmm curry.

My family loves the food... just not the people.

 

[The_J]

I try to come up with a good joke about "eating", but somehow it doesn't work right now.

[...]

You really didn't know better than to respond?

 

[Borachio]

He did kind of totally identify as German, though. I think he was a bit disappointed that he hadn't been born there. Hence the Anschluss.

My family loves the food... just not the people.

That's interesting. Just what do ethnic Chinese have against Indians? Or think they have against Indians.

 

[cybrxkhan]

My family loves the food... just not the people.

My family totally likes Indians and India culture and Bollywood and stuff. My dad basically told me something along the lines off "Son, I don't care who the hell you marry, but I'd prefer you marry either an Asian or an Indian girl." When my brother had an Indian girlfriend my parents were praising her and saying she was too good for my brother.

Kinda weird. I do see a good number of Indian-Vietnamese interracial marriages in the states. Might be sormthing different with the 1.5 and 2nd generations here.

That's interesting. Just what do ethnic Chinese have against Indians? Or think they have against Indians.

Asians can be very racist.

 

[Quackers]

What is this "common core" numeracy teaching thing all about? I've seen a few examples on the internet and it looks like basic arithmetic is being over complicated. Do we have any proponents of the system here?

 

[Hygro]

What is this "common core" numeracy teaching thing all about? I've seen a few examples on the internet and it looks like basic arithmetic is being over complicated. Do we have any proponents of the system here?

The common core is about teaching different ways to conceptualize math operations, so that kids can pick one that works for them. The "old" way was to teach one of those ways hoping that it works for all the kids (it doesn't).

When there's a "weird" way to do it, that's going to be one, maybe two days of instructions max, before moving on. These less common methods get disproportionate media attention as if it's the entire curriculum (it's not).

 

[Quackers]

The thing is, how many adults struggle with adding up and subtracting? Some will take longer then others but in the end everybody reaches the correct answer. There is no need to mess around with a part of the system which already works.

In my experience, students will find their own way to find their answers irrespective by how it is taught after a period of time. It's really basic stuff.

 

[Flying Pig]

More than one in five, actually

 

[Hygro]

The thing is, how many adults struggle with adding up and subtracting? Some will take longer then others but in the end everybody reaches the correct answer. There is no need to mess around with a part of the system which already works.

In my experience, students will find their own way to find their answers irrespective by how it is taught after a period of time. It's really basic stuff.

You are making a lot of assumptions here, particularly by saying the previous system "works" as if we can't do better.

 

[Quackers]

What's the definition of "functionally innumerate"?

 

[Flying Pig]

His report says this means people have “very basic competence in maths, mainly limited to arithmetical computations and some ability to comprehend and use other forms of mathematical information”.

“While this is valuable, it is clearly not enough to deal confidently with many of the mathematical challenges of contemporary life,” the report adds.

Levels of functional innumeracy are higher still among older age groups and even the 22 per cent is “higher than in many other industrialised countries”.

Put another way, if you're illiterate to the same degree:

“People at this level can handle only simple tests and straightforward questions on them where no distracting information is adjacent or nearby,” his report says.

“Making inferences and understanding forms of indirect meaning, eg allusion and irony, are likely to be difficult or impossible. This is less than the functional literacy needed to partake fully in employment, family life and citizenship and to enjoy reading for its own sake.”

 

[Quackers]

It's a confusing article. It uses the phrase "innumerate" but then goes onto say this innumerate population is "mainly limited to arithmetical computations". Well numeracy is basically addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and i would say that falls under the umbrella of "basic competence in math, limited to arithmetical computations".

So yeah, we aren't failing people in numeracy. Which is one area where the CC advocates are claiming to fix and I've criticised them for attempting to "reinvent the wheel".

 

[Flying Pig]

'Innumerate' doesn't mean 'can't do any sums' just as 'illiterate' doesn't mean 'can't read any words'. The article's saying that about 22% of people when they leave school can't do maths at the standard expected of a primary-school child, and therefore will have major problems with the mathematical demands of daily life and employment. Being able to do only very simple sums with difficulty and only when concentrating fully isn't a good start. Looked at from another way, if the teaching of maths in schools was working then nobody would bother putting in extra effort to find new techniques.

 

[Borachio]

It's a confusing article. It uses the phrase "innumerate" but then goes onto say this innumerate population is "mainly limited to arithmetical computations". Well numeracy is basically addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and i would say that falls under the umbrella of "basic competence in math, limited to arithmetical computations".

So yeah, we aren't failing people in numeracy. Which is one area where the CC advocates are claiming to fix and I've criticised them for attempting to "reinvent the wheel".

Hmm.

I think being able to add up, subtract, multiply (sort of) and divide (with a following wind) isn't going to cut it in the modern everyday world when very nearly everyone has access to some kind of credit.

If you can't understand APRs, and let's face it most of us can't, you're b&**8red. (on both sides)

As for deciphering a gas or electricity bill.... good luck with that one. They have got a little bit easier just lately. But only a bit.