OPEN BAR: NO CISNORMATIVE ELVEN PATRIARCHS ALLOWED

[Doktor Howl]

So, exactly like the US, then.

More like Canada.  Underfund it until it goes belly-up, then claim it never worked.

Another valid comparison would be the US school system.

[Demolition Squid]

It really is a horrible mess.

I forget if I've linked this before but this video was given to me during training as material to help me understand where I sat as a project support officer within a commissioning support unit.

I was there six months and I spent most of that time trying to help other people figure out who needed to sign what to make things happen.

The grand sum of my achievements there was to book 6 training sessions for 30 or so people. I've since found out that 4 of them were cancelled because the person who took on the project from me couldn't get the trainers paid in time.

The cherry on top of the cake is that the mudslinging has already begun. Labour point out that this situation is because Cameron did exactly what he promised not to do with a top-down reorganization of the NHS, and the Conservatives respond that Labour will need to do the same to fix it!

Which they will. Because it is a horrible fucking mess that nobody - least of all the people involved in it - actually understands. Because that's what happens when you tear up massive organizations without first understanding what it actually is they do. I can (and have) ranted about all this for hours because it is such a naked, deliberate gutting of such a vital body and it really drives me mad. It is a miracle that the frontline services manage to continue as well as they do - but I also spoke with a lot of GP/Hospital administrators and they aren't expecting to be able to keep that up if things don't improve soon.

[The Wizard Joseph]

More and more I find myself wanting out of hospital work entirely. Seen too much behind the scenes BS and breaches of protocol. This from a top 100 in US hospital.

On top of that as a full time employee with in-house insurance my only financially viable health plan is still 'don't get sick, set bones myself, council is for sissies'.

Also Paes.. sorry to hear of the post op mrsa infection.
I didn't say anything before because my first thought was a criticism of the system not real sympathy so I just clammed up. Best wishes.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That sounds like full-on suck, Cain.

I'm having one of those mornings where I wake up at 5 for no fucking reason and can't get back to sleep, but of course I'm tired as hell and today is going to suck.

I've been pondering why it is that many of the people who cry loudest about science and skepticism are the least educated in science, often to the point of having no idea what they're talking about other than parroting some science guy they think is cool. It sometimes makes skeptic groups hard to tolerate... well, that and the incessant obsession with religion. This morning a woman in the PDX skeptics FB group posted "The Catholic Church has absolutely no business mixing with education".

headdesk.

Yes.  Dawkins is basically replacement Jesus.

That's a quotable quote if I ever heard one.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I came back to a rolling series of disasters.  The new bigass ball mill spit a door brick, which got buried in the media.  I have the operations guy asking me why I can't dump 500F media into plasticized cloth bags today.  I would think the answer to that would be obvious (media passing right though the bags, both igniting the bags and then sending 500F golfball-esque media bouncing all over the place.  The old Jetmill blew up internally (it was due for a failure).  The gearbox on one of the smaller mills took a shit (2 guys, 2 days to fix), 800 feet of natural gas lines need to be purged with argon so they can be removed, the computer on one of the tunnel kilns is pulling a Hal9000, and the waste-water pump went bang.

I have been asked if I can get all of this done today. I laughed.  How I laughed.  ha!  HAHA!  AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Doktor Howl]

That sounds like full-on suck, Cain.

I'm having one of those mornings where I wake up at 5 for no fucking reason and can't get back to sleep, but of course I'm tired as hell and today is going to suck.

I've been pondering why it is that many of the people who cry loudest about science and skepticism are the least educated in science, often to the point of having no idea what they're talking about other than parroting some science guy they think is cool. It sometimes makes skeptic groups hard to tolerate... well, that and the incessant obsession with religion. This morning a woman in the PDX skeptics FB group posted "The Catholic Church has absolutely no business mixing with education".

headdesk.

Yes.  Dawkins is basically replacement Jesus.

That's a quotable quote if I ever heard one.

Case in point, that Eli whackjob.

"Atrocities committed by atheists are different."

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So, because it's February, and because I can't have everything going well without one kid or another shitting all over it, I just found out today that my son hasn't been to school in over a month and apparently his father won't call the truant officer back about it, nor has he let me know.

And my car is in the shop to the tune of $600. Which would be less bad if I didn't also have vet visits for two of my dogs next week.

Yay February!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That sounds like full-on suck, Cain.

I'm having one of those mornings where I wake up at 5 for no fucking reason and can't get back to sleep, but of course I'm tired as hell and today is going to suck.

I've been pondering why it is that many of the people who cry loudest about science and skepticism are the least educated in science, often to the point of having no idea what they're talking about other than parroting some science guy they think is cool. It sometimes makes skeptic groups hard to tolerate... well, that and the incessant obsession with religion. This morning a woman in the PDX skeptics FB group posted "The Catholic Church has absolutely no business mixing with education".

headdesk.

Yes.  Dawkins is basically replacement Jesus.

That's a quotable quote if I ever heard one.

Case in point, that Eli whackjob.

"Atrocities committed by atheists are different."

That was possibly the stupidest fucking thing I've ever seen. Even stupider than measles parties.

[Doktor Howl]

So, because it's February, and because I can't have everything going well without one kid or another shitting all over it, I just found out today that my son hasn't been to school in over a month and apparently his father won't call the truant officer back about it, nor has he let me know.

I know that tune.  Did the same thing myself (IE, I fucked off from school).

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So, because it's February, and because I can't have everything going well without one kid or another shitting all over it, I just found out today that my son hasn't been to school in over a month and apparently his father won't call the truant officer back about it, nor has he let me know.

I know that tune.  Did the same thing myself (IE, I fucked off from school).

Thing is, I totally understand. That developmental age from about 14-17 is terrible. Hell, if it was up to me, I'd tell the boy to take the year off from school and go back when he's feeling ready. But the bureaucracy involved is bullshit.

[Doktor Howl]

So, because it's February, and because I can't have everything going well without one kid or another shitting all over it, I just found out today that my son hasn't been to school in over a month and apparently his father won't call the truant officer back about it, nor has he let me know.

I know that tune.  Did the same thing myself (IE, I fucked off from school).

Thing is, I totally understand. That developmental age from about 14-17 is terrible. Hell, if it was up to me, I'd tell the boy to take the year off from school and go back when he's feeling ready. But the bureaucracy involved is bullshit.

Is he 16 yet?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So, because it's February, and because I can't have everything going well without one kid or another shitting all over it, I just found out today that my son hasn't been to school in over a month and apparently his father won't call the truant officer back about it, nor has he let me know.

I know that tune.  Did the same thing myself (IE, I fucked off from school).

Thing is, I totally understand. That developmental age from about 14-17 is terrible. Hell, if it was up to me, I'd tell the boy to take the year off from school and go back when he's feeling ready. But the bureaucracy involved is bullshit.

Is he 16 yet?

Not until October.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I don't know whether Dan McGrew is trolling or really that stupid, but my current plan is to respond to him in ways that will drive him slowly batshit until he's banned.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That argument did not last nearly long enough, and now I have to go do something legit like make dinner for my kids.

[Doktor Howl]

That argument did not last nearly long enough, and now I have to go do something legit like make dinner for my kids.

Meh, he choked.  It's a consequence of spending your time in an echo chamber.