Do people even go to school anymore????

[tomnackid]

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia plans to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2025 and wants to build a permanent base there shortly after, the head of Russian space agency Roskosmos said Friday. <br /><br />ADVERTISEMENT<br /> <br />"According to our estimates we will be ready for a manned flight to the Moon in 2025," Anatoly Perminov told reporters. An "inhabited station" could be built there between 2027 and 2032, he said.<br /><br />The only moon landing in history is NASA's Apollo expedition in 1968.<br /><br />Laying out Roskmosmos' plans for the next three decades, Perminov said that Russia's space programme receives less than 10 percent the funding the US programme receives, yet retains great ambitions.<br /><br />Russia intends to complete construction of its section of the International Space Station by 2015 so that the ISS "becomes a fully-fledged space research centre," he said.<br /><br />"Major modernisation" will also be carried out to the Soyuz craft used to ferry people and cargo to the space station.<br /><br />An expedition to Mars remains a long-term ambition for Roskosmos, which hopes to mount manned flights there after 2035, he said.<br /><br />Many difficulties linked to the planet's extreme physical conditions remain unresolved, however. "Current spacecraft do not provide the protection needed for the crew to survive and return to Earth," he said.<br /><br />The expected two- to three-year duration of the voyage would also involve huge challenges in terms of storage space and stress on the crew, he said.<br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />I guess I missed that "1968" moon landing!<br />

 

[drwayne]

The landing in 1968 was a hoax.<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[themanwithoutapast]

That article seems to be badly written/translated.<br /><br />We not only have a 1968 moon landing, we now also have Russia only completing CONSTRUCTION of its part of the ISS by 2015 (end of the ISS program). Rather they must have said, we want to complete the ISS program by then.<br />--------<br />"Many difficulties linked to the planet's extreme physical conditions remain unresolved, however. "Current spacecraft do not provide the protection needed for the crew to survive and return to Earth," he said. "<br /><br />And no the difficutlies of "protection" are not because of the planet's extreme physical condition, but because of radiation during the journey to and from Mars.<br /><br />tomnackid, I think you are right, people do not go to school anymore, certainly not journalists.<br />

 

[nuaetius]

You would figure that a journalist could expense using a human translator to get their sources instead of relying on what looks like a Babelfist.com free translation. I would love to have someone who reads Russian to read the actual source and translate.

 

[docm]

Who needs a translator to know somethings wrong when the date itself is corked? That alone should have triggered the journalists "blink test" response. <br /><br />But then again it might have been a member of the Washington press corps <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[hal9891]

My hovercraft is full of eels. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#808080" color="#999999"><font size="1">"I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them"</font></font><br /></div> </div>

 

[dragon04]

And that doesn't mention that 6 Apollo crews landed on the Moon over a roughly 3 1/2 year time span.<br /><br />Is this stupidity, or the next generation of Revisionist History? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[docm]

Both <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[windnwar]

I work at a tv station doing IT/Engineering for the place, and you should see the typo's these reporters, kids fresh out of college make in anything they have to write for our website. It's absolutely terrible! So I can understand the errors, most people don't even know how to use spellcheck, let alone spell. lol <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font size="2" color="#0000ff">""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein"</font></p> </div>

 

[haywood]

I agree.<br />I am appalled by the spelling errors I have seen on the Web over the years.<br />Just go to any forum and look at all the instances of people using "it's" when it should be "its" and "your" when it should be "you're".<br />They are either lazy or just didn't learn correctly.<br />A sad commentary of our "advanced" society.<br />The machines get smarter and the people get dumber.<br />

 

[docm]

Eventually voice recognition will obviate any need for spelling & knowledge of grammar on their part. Don't know if that's good or bad, but God help us all if they ever have to revert to typewriters. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[cbased]

"That article seems to be badly written/translated."<br /><br />True. English version can be found here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070831/sc_afp/russiaspacemoon<br /><br />Compare it with the russian version:<br />http://www.vz.ru/society/2007/8/31/105382.html<br /><br />1968 moon landing is not mentioned there at all.<br /><br />From the original (russian) article:<br />They see 3 major periods in their space program:<br />1. up until 2015<br />Complete construction of the russian segment of ISS; increase effectiveness of space transport systems.<br />New technologies for the 2nd and 3rd periods.<br />2. 2016-2025<br />Development of new launch and transport systems.<br />Manned flight to Moon (no landing just yet!)<br />Start construction of a russian space station on Moon orbit.<br />Readiness for Moon landing by 2025.<br />Moon orbiting station to be completed between 2027-2032.<br />3. 2035-???<br />Manned flight to Mars.<br />Anti-asteriod system.<br /><br />Hope someone finds it interesting. This is my first post here (although I was in the read-only mode for quite some time)<br />

 

[MeteorWayne]

And my favorite, "loose" for "lose" .<br />AURGHHHHHHHHHHHH! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[usn_skwerl]

increased world population means increased number of uneducated fools. i saw a report a few days ago saying that the average IQ is lower than it was several years ago. ergo, my intolerance for stupid people increases exponentially every day.<br /><br />and never trust anyone that pronounces radioactive stuff as "nuke-u-lar" <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mithridates]

Not really:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:World-Literacy-Rate-1970to2015.TC.png<br /><br />There's nothing to back up the belief that we're growing dumber as time goes on. Don't forget that the number of world conflicts per capita (definitely a measure of stupidity) has also dropped to a historical low.<br />The only reason it looks to be the case is because of increased opportunity, allowing people without proper education to slip through the cracks and write, publish and get their opinions out. Were it to be a century or two ago though, it's likely that these people wouldn't even be able to read in the first place. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>----- </p><p>http://mithridates.blogspot.com</p> </div>

 

[drwayne]

Welcome to the forum!<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[halman]

Sure they do! Where do you think people learn to play football, basketball, and baseball? Sports have become the most important aspect of school to a lot of people, followed closely by socializing. The school systems are set up to pass everyone, because there is no provision for holding back any substantial number of students. In many districts, all that is required to earn a diploma is to show up on time every day, and to do what you are told. Your test scores, essay grades, and lab results mean nothing, because those are not the criteria used in determining who will pass. Good attendance is the first requirement, because the district doesn't get paid for the days that a student isn't in school. Attendance has become so critical that some districts now penalize grades when attendance slips.<br /><br />So, even if you can do 'A' quality work, and keep up with your classes only attending two days a week, you will flunk. Forcing intelligent students to sit through classes that are geared to the lowest common denominator results in smart kids dropping out, because they are so bored.<br /><br />The second most important thing to getting a diploma is to do what you are told. Creativity is discouraged, independent thinking is penalized, and originality is frowned upon. Teachers want docile students, who will perform their work in a uniform fashion, so that grading can be quick and easy.<br /><br />American schools are set up to teach people to work in factories, where the two most important things are: 1.) Be here on time. 2.) Do what you are told. Unfortunately, there are very few factories in the U.S. anymore. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>

 

[usn_skwerl]

to add to that...some "kids" are passed with scholarships for various sports. thus allowing bricks to advance..case in point, have you ever listened to some football players speak? they A: dont know how to talk good terminology, and B: sound like they have a mouth full of marbles--and thats without the mouth guards. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mithridates]

I read an interesting article in the NY Times about a program that gives high school students a few extra years to graduate if they need it instead of just turning them loose at 21 when the funding is cut off. It seems to be working quite well and makes sense if you think of kids as an investment, and that an extra year or two could make the difference between a dropout and a graduate.<br />At the high school I went to, if you had all your homework up to date and there was no new material for you in the class for the day you didn't have to go and you could go off to the coffee room or somewhere else if you wanted. Pretty much the opposite of the attendance-based system you're describing. That wasn't the US though. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>----- </p><p>http://mithridates.blogspot.com</p> </div>

 

[windnwar]

Honestly if it's taking you till 21 or longer to get down a basic education, you definately have other issues. I think the biggest issue we have with our education system these days is this whole idea of teaching them to pass the state test, and all thier education is geared towards that one test. It's unrealistic and completely ignores independant thinking and creativity, while boring the hell out of the smart students. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font size="2" color="#0000ff">""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein"</font></p> </div>

 

[frodo1008]

Ever read anything by Dr. W. Edwards Deming who was not only the father of Japanese Quality Assurance (even though he was an American), but is considered by many in Quality Assurance to be one of the truly great of that very important technical field (and a personal hero of mine)?<br /><br />He was TOTALLY against either grades in school or performance reviews in industry!! So much so that many uninformed people considered him some kind of a Communist (these uninformed people not understanding anything about Communism either).<br /><br />He was, as usual, correct in his ideas! How many times have you seen people (even at the university level) whose ONLY goal in college was to get good grades whether or not they learned anything or not (this condition IS only somewhat leveled in highly technical classes, when your grades usually do match your personal effort in the class itself). Dr. Deming took grades to be the one greatest factor in destroying most children's love of learning, turning what could be the greatest joy in life into the greatest evil for the existence of children. And the worse thing is the smarter the child the worse it is. For crying out loud, Einstein's grade school teachers thought he might be ******** as he was not very good at basic number mathematics!!<br /><br />As to those performance reviews, they are just a management tool to control their working people (even the technical engineers). I remember going into the managers office and coming out with exactly the same paper as anybody else even if I got a zero raise. Somebody else (that might just be the managers buddy) could come out with a 10% raise, and nobody knew what anybody else made. This would make for a terrible amount of competition among those that should have been cooperating with each other instead of stabbing each other in the back!<br /><br />It was only in those so called (by many of the more conservative members even here where you would think they would know better) Communistic

 

[gunsandrockets]

Welcome! <br /><br />And thanx for the condensed translation, it was very informative.

 

[holmec]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Eventually voice recognition will obviate any need for spelling & knowledge of grammar on their part. Don't know if that's good or bad, but God help us all if they ever have to revert to typewriters.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Voice recognition has been around for decades. Even if computers get intelligent enough to be able to tell them what to do and what to write, I doubt that will make the need for spelling or the knowledge of grammar obsolete.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>

 

[cbased]

Interesting... Interesting to read about what happens in US schools. I have to say I am pretty unimpressed about what happens here in AU. I call it a "good effort" attitude. They try to encourage kids (which is good!) but in a strange way. Anything you do is a "good effort" even if it was really bad. They don't have marks in primary school (these are your first 6 years at school). how can you measure your kid's performance if you don't know how he/she stacks against other kids? They don't have homework. Why?! But what I really don't understand is the "science" subject. I know "physics", "chemistry" etc but I don't know what "science" is. I guess it is an eclectic mixture - a bit of everything. personally I don't feel it is the right way of introducing kids to these subjects. Is it the same in US and other countries?<br />

 

[Aetius]

Welcome! <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /><br /><br />I read in a book about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, that the imperial military there also labeled every soldier's performance as a 'good effort'. Centuries of meticulously recorded paperwork reflected this tendency.<br /><br />Even if the soldier in question could barely hit the side of a barn with his service weapon at point blank range, he was said to be a 'good shot'. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />I'm not exclusively poking fun at the Australian educational system by any means, as you'll see this pattern mirrored throughout the Western world.