Gromnir

from the bbc "The White House says if the plan were adopted by all 50 states - which would be required to fund 25% of the costs, while the federal government shoulders the rest - it would save the average community college enrollee $3,800 [£2,500] in tuition per year and cover about 9 million students." is a a plan that need serious logistical work. that being said, if bbc numbers is correct, we can see that CA community colleges, which is technical 'posed to have free tuition, is still a fair bit cheaper than the national average. $3800 is national average, but from Gromnir's link above, we would be seeing a $1200 to $1400 yearly "tuition" for current CA community college students in our locale. work out a program to get free community college when you is current only paying $1400 does seem silly, but perhaps we would feel different if we were one o' the folks having to pay $3,800 or more. if $3,800 is an average, and we know that CA is considerable cheaper, then we assume some states is a fair bit more expensive. we will be interested to see numbers from TN where a similar program to the proposed plan from obama is already in place. unfortunately, obama doesn't likely have time to wait to see if the TN program results in a marked number o' additional folks receiving 2-year and 4-year degrees. he needs to get an antagonistic Congress to pony up a whole lotta money for a program that has a less than clear benefits. http://www.indra.com/8ball/front.html HA! Good Fun!

no doubt the UN is mobilizing OCHA, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP and the WHO. set up some refugee camps in chad perhaps or cameroon? well, something is better than nothing.

I agree this is not a simple situation and you have raised some reasonable logistical challenges that would face any military force But there are several major differences between a military mission in Nigeria and lets say Afghanistan Boko Haram really only operate in 3 states in NE Nigeria so the area where they are in is not as large as you think? Still challenging, but not unmanageable If there was a consolidated effort to address the threat of Boko Haram ( BH )neighbours like Cameroon and Chad would assist by working to close the various border crossings. So unlike the Taliban who could basically safely cross into Pakistan to avoid having to face the US troops this escape mechanism would be much harder for BH BH seems to be using the vast Sambisa foret as there real place of operation. So with Nigerian trackers and a Western military force this forest could surely be entered and BH could be engaged ? As that is where there real military camps seem to be based http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/29/nigeria-sambisa-forest-boko-haram-hideout-kidnapped-school-girls-believed-to-be-held BH does have an official leader, the brutal Abubakar Shekua. If you kill him that should also reduce their military effectivenesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abubakar_Shekau But finally Gromnir I can't stress enough that the main reason for the seemingly ineffectual actions of the Nigerian military against BH is there lack of discipline, training and there low morale. If you bring a military force that is motivated and properly trained we would see a different result So yes I agree there are challengers with any military mission but don't think that the issues that would face a Western military force in Nigeria are insurmountable. I firmly believe they would be effective over a period of 8-12 months dunno. iraq had a single leader and a far smaller population than has nigeria. also, the lack of discipline, training and morale make us shudder when we consider how much help the nigerians would be with the necessary security force that would be required to help maintain order after the western infidels showed up to help drive boko haram into hiding. oh, but at least we will stop referencing north west nigeria when we were meaning to describe north east. sheesh. baga is about as north east as one can possibly be in nigeria after all. keep in mind that we believe nigeria needs help, and what is going on in nigeria deserves more attention, but at the moment, we don't see any quick fixes or solutions, and am doubtful that a likely half-arsed western military intervention would do more than galvanize the islamic extremists in the region. this is another one o' those situations where when we is asked what we thinks should be done, we feels like slapping folks silly. our gut-level reaction is to respond with a question o' our own: "why didn't you ask that question in 2009-10?" am not speaking o' bruce, insofar as the slapping is concerned, but boko haram were a small problem in 2009. is 4 or 5 years ago that this problem shoulda' been addressed. HA! Good Fun! ps killing the leader of a terrorist organization has some value, but is arguable Not the best strategic option. the whole point o' a terrorist cell system is that independent cells can function, well, independently. no doubt there is great value in a single charismatic leader that can bring followers to a cause, but kill leader o' a terrorist organization would not be our goal. identify such a leader, find as many links 'tween him and other cells as possible, and then exhaust all the information one can through observations o' his operations, communications and intermediaries. kill such a leader may be necessary for political reasons, but is bad strategy in our estimation. removal of a leader in a cell structure is not the same as taking the head from the snake.

we had a girlfriend buy us a slow cooker as a holiday gag gift. am knowing it don't seem like a gag gift, but keep in mind that the only thing we use our microwave for is to boil water and make microwave popocorn... and occasionally to poach eggs. anywho. so we get this thing and we figure even though it is meant as a haha appliance, we should give it an honest chance. ... ok, we get how this would work for soups, if we went through the effort o' sweating vegetables and seasoning stuff in another pan first. chili would be ok, perhaps. stews, maybe, but only if we browned meats and combined ingredients in a dutch oven first. we tried a pulled chicken recipe that were recommended to us. seemed simple and straightforward, but what we ended up with were a kinda wet mass that will be parceled out to the dogs over the next few days. there were no recommendation to brown the chicken, but am thinking it might be necessary. probably shouldn't have bought supermarket chicken either, but we were told that our pretensions had no place when using a slow-cooker. dunno, is there any advice on how to make something in a slow-cooker that doesn't taste as if it were meant as a punishment for people who bring babies to the movie theatre? HA! Good Fun! ps we literal went through two dozen eggs to find the exact power level + time for us to perfect poach a single egg in the microwave, but it were kinda worth it. we haven't had the courage to experiment with two poached eggs at once.

is not requiring hostility towards the security force that demands such numbers. the majority o' the populations in somalia and afghanastan and even iraq were not actual hostile to US forces. were there elements within those populations that were violently anti-US? yes, very much so. the study we linked observes that any stability force on foreign soil is going to face significant challenges that require considerable man-power. surprisingly, the number o' overt hostiles is more likely to factor into the time-frame for possible withdrawal rather than the actual manpower requirements. also, please note that the nigerian government were completely ineffectual at stopping or even impeding the massacre at baga. try and consider just how impotent a western government would need be for that sorta thing to happen. the numbers o' actual boko haram members in northern nigeria is not what is going to make northern nigeria a hostile environment for a security force. the knowledge within the populace that the current nigerian government is ineffectual in protecting them will make the environment no less dangerous than somalia, afghanastan or iraq were when US and/or UN forces arrived in those places. it takes small numbers o' terrorists to destabilize a populace. the fact that a foreign security force is required to establish order is, sadly, proof that the terrorists is vital and that the established government is not. fighting terrorists with soldiers turns criminals into holy warriors in the eyes o' many potential recruits. is no less significant for the less extremist majority within the native populations to see foreign forces as initially legitimizing those being fought as 'posed to the s'posed government. keep in mind that the numbers we suggest is Extreme conservative. we is assuming that the security force need only maintain order in north-west nigeria (a pipe dream) and that the nigerians who failed to even recognize the events in baga will be able to contribute 2/3 o' the necessary security force (unlikely). but again, military intervention is rare successful when dealing with such groups... even when it appears all other options has been exhausted and one is left with nothing but military action. am doubting anybody in the west wants any part o' nigeria's problems, but the way many western governments and news agencies is giving so little attention to the events in sub-saharan africa is troublesome to us.

am s'posing the laughy face means we ain't to take serious... or not. am never good with emoticons and whether they is meant face-value or deflection. *shrug* we will simply note that you is being a bit silly with the self-concussion shtick and the "be-all end-all" hyperbole/strawman. if you is gonna add that kinda thing to a post, at least spread it out a bit, eh? have such stuff slammed together and then throw in the over-the-top power saw example to show proof o' your willingness to concede a point (*snort*) makes us itch to smite with righteous indignation at your foul treatment o' reason and/or logic. *add smiley emoticon here if you so desire* in any event, am not certain what more we can say. HA! Good Fun!

we pop in for a looksee at this thread 'bout once a month to see why it is still relevant. we always end up a bit befuddled. no doubt there is some inside joke related to a blue-haired idiot who somehow outed the deceased patriarch o' a chain o' fried chicken restaurants. am pretty sure kfc is owned by tricon, which were formed from the spin-out o' pepsico restaurant brands. am not certain why tricon, pepsico or kfc would have an interest in gamergate, or if col. sanders has risen from the grave to exact vengeance on pimply faced nerd warriors or sjw or... whomever. is all very baffling. HA! Good Fun!

to lc: you do realize that all those things you mention is intimate related to maintaining your work area, yes? being in a hurry leads to clutter. takes a couple minutes now to put away and clean tools, or, we wait til later? overconfidence is believing that unlike the folks who trained you, or any reasonable craftsman, you can work safely in a messy environment. keeping a clean and uncluttered work space is common safety sense. am not seeing how that could possibly be argued against. and every freaking genuine craftsman Gromnir has ever worked with (a good number) has stressed that safety come first. maintain tools and workplace is also taught as foundational for non-safety reasons too. first impressions is tough to break, and the slob who don't care enough to take care o' his tools is gonna instant be a magnet for derision, spoken or unspoken. an uncluttered workplace is also more likely to result in an uncluttered finished product... 'cause if only we had cleaned the oil and metal shavings away five minutes sooner... etc. is many cause of accidents. as we said earlier, carelessness is the most common cause--careless due to fatigue or poor training or whatever. everybody is careless at some point. that is one reason why craftsman keep work areas clean and uncluttered. bad things is more likely to happen in a cluttered work space with poorly maintained tools. that should be self evident. may be easier for folks to look at this from a different point o' reference. folks on these boards is more likely to have spent time in a chemistry or materials lab than in a metal, wood or auto shop. the reasons for maintaining a clean work environment in a chem lab is much the same as maintain uncluttered work space in a metal shop. not only does a clean work space tend to lead to better and more accurate results, but it is far safer. we bet we got more than a few slobs 'round these parts, but is anybody here gonna suggest that keeping an uncluttered and clean lab space is unimportant? heck, we has known many guys tinkered in the garage a fair amount without getting killed. am not sure if we would call them craftsman though. *chuckle* we actual took auto shop in high school. seriously, honors auto shop in point o' fact. the extra grade point didn't count towards academic gpa, but the notion that a high school would offer an honors auto shop still tickles our funny-bone. the teacher, a guy with a beet red complexion whose name were Mr. Roach, thought we were insane to take the class. called us "professor" in a unapologetic and sardonic manner. we did basic stuff such as taking apart and re-assembling lawnmower engines, then valve jobs and increasingly more complex stuff. roach were no less a stickler for organization and cleanliness and respect for one's work space than were our chemistry teacher, or our grandfather who were a carpenter, or the guy who ran the metal shop where we worked. the first real slob craftsmen we ever came across were some roofers. not all roofers, but a few. they were getting paid by the square, which in itself led to dangerous conditions. guys on a 12/12 pitch roof, taking amphetamines to keep their pace so they can get paid. then boss acts surprised when there is an accident? those were the guys who left hammers unattended or an extra roll o' tar-paper perched precariously against the chimney. were dangerous and stoopid. in any event, if your husband were an auto mechanic (we don't know what he is/were) am certain he would vouch for importance o' maintaining a clean an uncluttered workplace, even if, perhaps, he fails to follow his own guidelines nowadays. if he is just a hobbyist... well, that is a bit different. nevertheless, if you wish to discuss, we will continue, but as we said, am done with woldan on this. is as ridiculous as a serious chemist telling us that an messy work area is a sign o' creativity or whatever the bunk were he initial spouted. is nonsense. HA! Good Fun! ps hmmm... reply/quote error. oh well. also, we have no comment on milk as we primarily use it as a cooking ingredient as opposed to as a beverage. though we once had strawberry quick as a kid and thought it were the bestest thing ever.

is not a single irresponsible and slovenly craftsman we has met who has admitted that their work habits were irresponsible. so, color us less than surprised that you would have a similar blind spot. so, want the links about importance of maintaining clean and organized work environments? no? you can show us similar links o' craftsman who says a cluttered and disorganized workplace is a good thing as long as it is clean enough, yes? btw, we never said you were injured in workshop. you has been injured a great deal, and that is, like or not, a warning sign o' carelessness... or perhaps parkinson. *snort* as we said already: beyond help. seriously, a self-described craftsman actual arguing that a cluttered work space were not only ok, but a good thing? is funny if it weren't sad. hopeless. done. HA! Good Fun!

that part is worth repeating. read above concerning anecdotal evidence. want us to post 'bout 100+ links to sites for welders, carpenters, construction workers and craftsmen of all types that mention the importance of "safety first"? forget for a moment that a cluttered work environment is an obvious time waster, but safety should always be paramount, and cleanliness is invariably an aspect o' a safe work environment. *shrug* if you is actual arguing this, you is beyond help. cats is a subject 'pon which we rare add anything. nevertheless, Gromnir has one o' those gigantic 64 gallon trash containers that we maintain against an enclosure wall that makes it very difficult to tip over. a raccoon could tip it over if it genuine wished to, but there is so many cat owners in the neighborhood on fair sized, non uniform lots (ours is .37 acres) that we suspect the the opportunity for cat food trumps our cat litter waste as far as raccoon fodder/plaything go. that being said, we never cease to be amazed at how much dirt 2 cats are able to produce. we made our cats indoor-only a few years ago after one were bitten by a rattlesnake. cost were $800 to treat and it were a near thing on survival... were a kinda Last Straw moment for Gromnir cat freedom. am not certain if we has saved money on vet bills or lost money with increase in food and litter costs. HA! Good Fun!

"Like I told you before, I've been a successful craftsman who is happy with what he makes. Thank you for literally telling me that I'm an idiot and no good because I have a different philosophy on cleaning my workplace but thank you." is much like your misconceptions about health. just because you have been doing things a certain way for an admitted relative short period of time, does not necessarily mean that your way is the right way. you seem to have many accidents. most common cause o' accidents is carelessness. a decent craftsman typically is much concerned about the care o' his tools and workplace environment, for multiple reasons. one obvious reason is safety. you have problems with safety. so yeah, you been doing it wrong. deal with it. if you don't prioritize care of your tools and work environment, you is definite and incontrovertible wrong. has we met competent craftsman who didn't respect their tools or work environment? sure. hated working with them too as they were a danger to themselves and others. hopefully you work alone, so your lackadaisical habits need not endanger anybody else. HA! Good Fun!

I'm a sucker for scientific concensus myself, I don't trust my own observations enough about most things. yeah, folks discounting science in lieu o' personal anecdotal evidence is why faith healers and rand paul is able to so easily hoodwink folks. HA! Good Fun!

Serious question, how do you deal with kids that are ok with murder? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11338842/Paris-attacks-Two-worlds-collide-on-street-where-terrorists-lived.html "power corrupts. powerlessness corrupts absolutely." it is the belief o' being disenfranchised or powerless that is the key. there were an interesting experiment done in... the early 70s? *grumble* our memory for dates is not what it should be. 1969. dagnabbit. the twisted monkey who came up with the experiment were same guy who did the prison experiment where some folks took role of guards and some had prisoner roles. anywho, phillip zimbardo takes two cars and... ... is easier to link so we don't misrepresent accidental. http://www.zimbardo.com/downloads/powerevil.pdf end of page 9 and most of 10 is the part we reference. two guys, kellig and willson, later write an essay entitled "Broken Windows". is a good read if seeming a bit shallow. the zimbardo experiment would appear to be the only evidence presented, and some rather far-reaching conclusions is reached based on the limited data, but it does raise interesting questions and, surprisingly, it offers a solution... even if such a solution is based on somewhat dubious scholarship. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/304465/ HA! Good Fun!

Oh, but I'm perfectly aware of what irony is, thats why I asked you where the irony in your post is. If you had understood me maybethen you'd have realized that there is tiny difference in eating spoiled cooked meat filled with bacterial toxins and a live bacterial meningitis infection, a tiny difference that kind of makes it non-irony. *sigh* you could do a search of "bacterial toxins" and see what diseases and afflictions they cause. might help. is as far as we is going up the slopes o' everest with dingoes flying. we tried to explain compound interest and other seeming simple stuff such as why craftsman tend to keep their tools and workplace clean, but we had no more luck in those cases. HA! Good Fun!

Well yeah, karma is a b****. There's also the karma for the picked up flag in last week's game, so double karma payback. eastern philosophy ain't our bailiwick. should karma be invoked if you did not do a past wrong and yet you still is punished? is not as if the cowboys or dez bryant made the questionable call against detroit. in any event, am wondering about kubiak's decision to not interview for hc jobs. admittedly, he had a rough go of it with the texans, but am wondering if his choice is more a matter o' his being happy in baltimore, or perhaps he doesn't like any o' the current hc openings... which is understandable. the thing is, rare is a coach able to do a jim harbaugh and walk into an underachieving team loaded with talent. most (not all) head coach openings is for bad organizations with deficient rosters. HA! Good Fun!

we has given up trying to help you with basic understandings multiple times, so why should this time be different? if we honestly gotta explain cause and effect, we is kinda at a dead-end right from the start. george burns smoked cigars daily and drank hard liquor in substantial quantities. his health deteriorated at the age of 98 when he fell in the shower and cracked his skull. a person who wishes to live to see 98 or 100 should therefore smoke cigars daily and drink hard liquor. no? no. trying to explain irony to you would be like trying to climb mount everest while juggling rabid dingoes. HA! Good Fun!

*insert eye-roll* we could tell you, but we would have to educate you first. is the reason we didn't bother explaining cause & effect fallacy neither. *shrug* in any event, if your immune system does not protect from bacterial toxins, we suspect you will be a bubble-boy in no time. were nice knowing you? HA! Good Fun!

That's untrue, you've been ill. You've even said so in these threads. YouRE WEaK. WwwWWeeEEEaaAaaaKkKKKkkkkK!!!!!!111111!11! I had food poisoning, two times, but there is nothing you can do when you flood your body with bacterial toxins. Those were just three total days though. *chuckle* ironic. what precipitated this current line o' discussion were mention o' a case o' meningitis. one o' the common causes o' spinal meningitis is, you guessed it, a bacterial toxin. HA! Good Fun!

some o' you folks might try a vodoo priestess for your medical advice 'cause you is a century or two behind the times http://www.commoncold.org/special1.htm http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/4_immune_boosting_myths_busted http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/boost-your-immune-system/ etc. eat a normal diet and get some minimal exercise and your immune system, while complete useless for things like the cold (your immune system overreacting to the cold virus is actual what causes cold symptoms) will be as effective as if you exercised multi hours per day and drank wacky kale and orange juice concoctions. HA! Good Fun!

bruce forgot to address how he wants the military to stop the terrorist actions in northern nigeria. how does you suspect a western military coalition would defeat boko haram without any long-term presence in the region? what does you identify as the military assets o' a terrorist group when they will strap explosives to a teenage girl and then blow her up in the middle of a crowd? in gaza, hamas used a freaking donkey bomb? you sure as hell ain't gonna target every teen-aged girl and donkey in northern nigeria. oh, and north-west nigeria alone accounts for 25% o' the total population o' nigeria... which would make population in that region alone to be at +43 million? assuming for a second that a military operation could go in and defeat boko haram, what sorta police force would be needed to secure the region until nigeria showed the wherewithal and the ability to do so on its own? is a complete arbitrary number, but be generous and assume that 2/3 o' the temporary police force in north-west nigeria would be handled by nigerians... and that is just north-west nigeria. am doing a good bit of rounding down, but if 20 police per 1,000 is accurate for a stabilizing force, and we is only asking for west to supply 1/3 o' that force (a mistake the US made in iraq were assuming that the locals would supply the bulk o' police,) then according to the study we linked earlier, something in excess o' 250,000 foreign troops would be required. nigeria is a nightmare situation insofar as foreign military involvement is concerned. it took days for boko haram to slaughter those people in baga. the nigerian government either didn't know about the massacre and/or it ignored what were occurring in baga. not fun.

grabbing a guy's facemask when he is about to get away from you is instinctual. +90% o' holding calls is the result o' instinct subverting training. some clown punches you in the helmet and you punch him back is instinctive. dez bryant has a domestic violence charge from 2012 that is still pending... as hard as that is to believe. no doubt he reacted instinctive when he took a swipe at his mom. etc. instinct has never been a valid excuse. bob's dog humps the legs o' strangers and digs holes in the yard when left alone. bob can train his dog to stop humping legs and digging holes. such training may take effort as it would seem to go against doggie instincts, but such training is possible. no doubt dez is at least as capable o' learning as is bob's dog. HA! Good Fun!

keyrock is arguing that the rule is silly, rather than that it were applied incorrect. we agree that the rule should be reviewed as the application o' the rule has, in some cases, made a mockery o' the notion o' what it means to successfully catch a football. if a large number of coaches and players can watch the calvin johnson and dez bryant plays and see a result that contravenes common sense, then perhaps the rule needs be changed. alternatively, given that this rule is a known quantity, perhaps dez shoulda' first secured the freaking ball instead o' reaching for a touchdown. HA! Good Fun!

actually, one wonders how the fed and CA will handle free community college. technically, there is no tuition for community college in CA. we got a per-unit fee as kinda an end-around on tuition. HA! Good Fun!

Okay I see where you have misunderstood my view on USA military intervention, I need to explain my view in a better way I still support military action by Western powers under certain circumstances, its should be clear to anyone where the USA has been absolutely correct to intervene militarily under certain conditions, like Bosnia and the airstrikes against ISIS ( I can give more examples if required ). But that doesn't mean I support all suggestions where the USA has been expected to intervene in conflicts or areas of concern around the world For example the USA could only have attacked Assad if they had ignored the UNSC and that would have meant another illegal intervention as far as the world was concerned...and I don't think I need to remind you of how bad Iraq was for the American image. So as much as I wanted the West to remove Assad because he was a brutal and intransigent dictator I wanted them to respect the UNSC more...and thats what happened. Obama was correct to not ignore the UNSC Then Iran, there was a real concerted effort to get the USA to attack Iran from Israel and certain Republicans. Obama ignored this pressure and now due to the severe sanctions Iran has come to the negotiating table in a way that I doubt bombing them would have achieved. So once again I support Obama in this decision So there is no contradiction in my view of defending Obama but also acknowledging that sometimes military intervention is needed. We have to look at each possible example of military intervention on a per case basis But none of this changes the fact that the West could efficiently engage and defeat Boko Haram if they wanted to. But my point is why should they? This is an African problem and if Africa cannot deal with them then the Nigerians need to make an official request to the UN to get a proper UN military mission funded by Nigeria to defeat Boko Haram. And yes the USA should be part of this because of there experience and effectiveness Finally we aren't talking about the West fixing the economies of a country like Nigeria, they just need to defeat Boko Haram. So no nation-building in this case ok, the last bit is a bit naive. the current government in nigeria is unwilling or unable to stop or even limit boko haram. am not certain what you thinks would be accomplished by a military action designed at nothing more than stopping a terrorist group. also, am not certain what makes you think UNSC is so meaningful. neverthless, what makes you think that a UNSC resolution authorizing military action in nigeria would be forthcoming? indifference perhaps? less than 20 people is killed in france and you got world leaders doing a unity march. 2,000 people are massacred in baga and where is the public outcry for the dead in africa we wonder. unsc? *snort* http://www.bbc.com/news/world-23847169 HA! Good Fun!

one thing to note is that hurl is in CA. community college was extreme affordable here in CA for many years... we says "was" because we have no idea how much it costs per unit nowadays. relative speaking, the csu system and uc system were also kinda cheap compared to other public university systems, though tuition at uc and csu has increased dramatically in the past couple decades. CA might be a somewhat skewed example compared to the rest o' the US. dunno. http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time am genuine not certain how much community college costs, but truth-to-tell, if we were a CA resident who could not get into (and find some way to pay for) an ivy, stanford, duke, notre dame or other elite private university, we would wonder what would be the particular advantage o' forgoing community college for the first two years o' our higher education. with our community college units being free transferable to uc or csu, the savings by attending a community college would, we suspect, be extreme. am certain many parents attempting to pay for junior's tuition and living expenses at UCLA or csusd would be much relieved to discover that they need only worry 'bout two-to-three year commitment rather than four or five years o' such. ... quick check: http://www.losrios.edu/lrc/lrc_tuitionfees_spring.php community college isn't as cheap as we thought. take 12-15 units is between $552 and $690 a semester, no? however, the tuition is still relative cheap and anybody with a part-time or even a summer job could afford the tuition. if the fed plan is similar to the TN plan, 8 hours o' community service per semester for free tuition still strikes us as a bargain for a student... but yeah, am not certain that the free community college is going to be helping many additional californians get edumacated. HA! Good Fun!