Grammar and Usage
- Thread starter genius
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Guy is on a business trip when his wife goes in to labor. His very Italian older brother who still has heavy Italian accent rises to the occasion and tells him not to worry. He brings wife to hospital. Wife has fraternal twins, a boy and a girl after a grueling 10 hour labor. Husband finally gets to hospital and brother meets him. Says not to worry, that wife totally out of it so he picked names for the twins to go on the birth certificate.
"What's the name for the girl" he warily asks.
" Denise" the uncle says.
Sigh of relief — the husband thinks and with a smile on his face and thinks "not bad" and then asks "What's the name for the girl?"
"De-nephew" answers the brother.
"What's the name for the girl" he warily asks.
" Denise" the uncle says.
Sigh of relief — the husband thinks and with a smile on his face and thinks "not bad" and then asks "What's the name for the girl?"
"De-nephew" answers the brother.
It's odd because there is a time and a place for everything including osmosis of some things. And with forced efforts like universal pre-k whereas kids should be learning socially and spatially they are instead packed into gridded rows with worksheets, and yet, don't come out the other side digested properly. Duh?
The key is avoiding the extremes and striking the right balance. My elementary school education was not as rigorous as currently being required, BUT, it covered the basics throughly and covered more than a sufficient amount of the basics and then some. And we were tested with weekly tests, quizzes, and mid-terms and finals, versus just one big massive blob these days or homeworks that become tests. IOWs, what was so wrong with the way we were all taught? I like the goal of improving things and I don't think standardization in and of itself is evil, but, the goal has been too deep in bureaucracy and too long with non-educators.
The key is avoiding the extremes and striking the right balance. My elementary school education was not as rigorous as currently being required, BUT, it covered the basics throughly and covered more than a sufficient amount of the basics and then some. And we were tested with weekly tests, quizzes, and mid-terms and finals, versus just one big massive blob these days or homeworks that become tests. IOWs, what was so wrong with the way we were all taught? I like the goal of improving things and I don't think standardization in and of itself is evil, but, the goal has been too deep in bureaucracy and too long with non-educators.
Try a little experiment. Next time you buy something for $5.87 give the clerk a ten and 13 cents and watch what happens.
Qualification of experiment:
I shop at Hmart (Korean supermarket). You will get a $5 bill back in an instant there. Do the experiment at non-Asian places where the clerks are local HS or college students.
Additional qualification of experiment:
Ask if the clerk goes to or went to private school. If so don't bother doing the experiment.
Qualification of experiment:
I shop at Hmart (Korean supermarket). You will get a $5 bill back in an instant there. Do the experiment at non-Asian places where the clerks are local HS or college students.
Additional qualification of experiment:
Ask if the clerk goes to or went to private school. If so don't bother doing the experiment.
Cdoggy beat me to it. If he gave you a five back, I think that Hmart cashier would have been fired. What he probably would have done was said to himself, "Why is this guy giving me $10.13?" and then handed you the change that was due, $4.26. If you wanted a fiver back, you should have given him $10.87. And I don't think the cashier would have to be Korean, either, which I guess was your point. Any cash register in use today would tell the clerk exactly what the change should be, whether he or she came from Jericho High School or Wyandanch High School. That's the reason there's less emphasis on rote learning for arithmetic and spelling in school these days. Calculators and spell-checkers are everywhere. When was the last time anyone actually wrote a letter to anyone longhand or did long division with pencil and paper? Yes, I remember fondly my Waterman fountain pen and K&E slide rule, but education has moved on to the 21st century with the emphasis on problem solving and creative thinking, using the technology available today.
They're being told to be droids, just do what the cash register says, and when you vary from that, it can throw them, even if they can get to type in what you gave them. Many insist on giving me change even when I give them exact change or convenient change. (Which may be what's happening in your case).
Caveat: I've been off and on in situations over the years where I've needed to make change for people without an electronic device for support. Don't be tired doing it. But even if not tired, there is a point after a few hours where it becomes a blur.
Caveat: I've been off and on in situations over the years where I've needed to make change for people without an electronic device for support. Don't be tired doing it. But even if not tired, there is a point after a few hours where it becomes a blur.