20 Feb 04
Originally posted by belgianfreakAny defintion of wether or not it is working should include a decrease in gun crime
Did you read what I posted? It depends on what your defenition of whether or not the gun controls are working is. I agree that they haven't and never will prevent 100% of gun crime. I also claim that the fact that he UK has vastly fewer gun crimes than the US has something to do with the tougher legislation & controls, and therefore it does work to an ...[text shortened]... is increasing in every area. For example, I believe gun crime in Liverpool is on the decline.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3112818.stm
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by chaswrayinteresting articles. The BBC one shows that gun crimes reduced in 2003. 2002 was a particularly bad year, which is what the year that the Telegraph report was written.
Here's another:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/02/24/nguns24.xml
Both of these tend to support my theory about drug crime. Toughen up the sentencing for the criminal. If there quilty make them pay. Don't give them a country club vacation
Also interesting is the statement that banning firearms did not result in a decrease in gun crimes. But banning guns and cracking down on problem areas has worked in 2003. A crackdown would not be possible if guns were legal, so a ban on guns and strict enforcement on the ban are necessary in conjunction. Which is only logical if you think about it.
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by richhoeyTry typing 'unflattering american statistics' into google. 3650 references!
Ian, are you a professor of unflattering American statistics? Where do you get all this stuff? I'm worried you may be clinically obsessed.
That said, I do find it strange that Columbine and similar incidents haven't created a much stronger movement for gun control in the US. In Britain we've always had pretty tight controls, but after Dunblane (a horr ...[text shortened]... those who don't know) everyone seemed to agree that they should be made even tighter.
Rich.
Obsessed? I don't think so - just passes the odd 5 minutes when I am bored.
Here's one for you. The average IQ in the US is 98 and is 100 in the UK. According to an estimate made by researchers from the State of Pennsylvania the IQ of George W Bush is 91!
/pearly6000.tripod.com/htmls/bush-dimwit.html
20 Feb 04
2 edits
Originally posted by ianpickeringTo paraphrase George Carlin: the average American's weight just passed his IQ going in the opposite direction 😉.
Try typing 'unflattering american statistics' into google. 3650 references!
Obsessed? I don't think so - just passes the odd 5 minutes when I am bored.
Here's one for you. The average IQ in the US is 98 and is 100 in the UK. ...[text shortened]... rge W Bush is 91!
/pearly6000.tripod.com/htmls/bush-dimwit.html
In fact, Googling about for something to refute your point, I found this:
http://www.anarchygolfballs.com/spec011.shtml
The figure of 91 does not surprise me--the President strikes me as being of pretty average intelligence, and I suspect you will find a small positive correlation between your perception of how intelligent someone is and their IQ, unless of course you base your perception on prior knowledge of their IQ, in which case the correlation will trivially be 1 (but you will likely have a pretty silly notion of what it means to be intelligent).
I find the 98/100 figure fairly suspect, because ''official'' IQ tests don't generally claim accuracy that fine anyway--98 and 100 are considered indistinguishable. In fact, I have had one such test administered and the result was in the form of two numbers, a and b, such that b-a = 1, with a being the minimum and b being the maximum number of standard deviations from the norm that my score was.
In other words, the ''score'' is really a range of 16 points (that's approximately the standard deviation of IQ scores on this test), so it is misleading on a lot of levels to conclude that Brits are on average more intelligent than Yanks based on your ''statistic''.
By the way, ianpickering, the link you give ne marche pas.
This is my new mantra: ''I think I speak for everyone when I say 'f*ck the sun'.''
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by royalchickenHi RC..
To paraphrase George Carlin: the average American's weight just passed his IQ going in the opposite direction 😉.
In fact, Googling about for something to refute your point, I found this:
http://www.anarchygolfballs.com/spec011.shtml
The figure of 91 does not surprise me--the President strikes me as being of pretty average intelligence, and I ...[text shortened]... nclude that Brits are on average more intelligent than Yanks based on your ''statistic''.
When I took my "IQ" tests from the army at Ft. Leonard Wood in prep for going to West Point... they said it came out at 138. Is that good bad or indifferent? I don't think it matters much myself. I seem to get along ok. Never bothered to study what IQ tests measure except you can figure how a cog will turn after 200 interactions with other cogs and systems. That and that after twelve pages of multiple choice that go E,B,E,C,A... if you only have ten minutes to finish and there are a thousand questions left... do it.😛
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by StarValleyWyIQ tests (and all of their cousins) have a very dubious basis, and probably serve their best purpose as examples for students in beginning stats classes. That said, a student in a beginning stats class would tell you that 138 is very high.
Hi RC..
When I took my "IQ" tests from the army at Ft. Leonard Wood in prep for going to West Point... they said it came out at 138. Is that good bad or indifferent? I don't think it matters much myself. I seem to get along ok. Never bothered to study what IQ tests measure except you can figure how a cog will turn after 200 interactions with other ...[text shortened]... ,A... if you only have ten minutes to finish and there are a thousand questions left... do it.😛
Actually, my mother is one of the teachers in the ''Gifted and Talented'' program in my local school system. Part of her responsibility is determining which students require the services of this program, and actually IQ tests are being largely phased out for purposes like this, which probably represents a step forward.
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by royalchickenI would think so. (Phasing out a good thing.) I was such a hayseed that my fellow candy stripe platoon leader Vernon Biggs, Chicago Ill. ... had to teach me that it was ok to joke with a black man. I was so uptight that he really had to chew me out to get me into the real world. I was so obsessed with not offending... Sheesh! Those are some memories. Dumb white kid from Wyoming who had never even SEEN a black man. What can you say?
IQ tests (and all of their cousins) have a very dubious basis, and probably serve their best purpose as examples for students in beginning stats classes. That said, a student in a beginning stats class would tell you that 138 is very high.
Actually, my mother is one of the teachers in the ''Gifted and Talented'' program in my local school system ...[text shortened]... being largely phased out for purposes like this, which probably represents a step forward.
PS. I bought a recordplayer and hid it under my bunk. We had twenty guys every night, all listening to music in our room. Not supposed to do that in Basic Training. I thought I was doing them a favor when I bought a "Johnny Mathis" album. 😕
I did make it up... after being 'splained to. The next weekend brought John Coltrane into my world. I still enjoy that a lot.
Mike
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by StarValleyWyJohn Coltrane has some good stuff. Can't say I'm too familiar with Mr. Mathis though...why a joke 😕?
I would think so. (Phasing out a good thing.) I was such a hayseed that my fellow candy stripe platoon leader Vernon Biggs, Chicago Ill. ... had to teach me that it was ok to joke with a black man. I was so uptight that he really had to chew me out to get me into the real world. I was so obsessed with not offending... Sheesh! Those are some memories. Du ...[text shortened]... ined to. The next weekend brought John Coltrane into my world. I still enjoy that a lot.
Mike
20 Feb 04
Originally posted by royalchickenWell... Johnnies greatest hit was "Chances Are"...
John Coltrane has some good stuff. Can't say I'm too familiar with Mr. Mathis though...why a joke 😕?
"Funny... I'm a man who loves travlin' Small World... Isn't it?
Small and Funny... and Fine."
Very slow... melodic , sedate and ... and... and ... words fail.
Geez! It was milk toast music! The black guys from our training company really did almost barf when they heard it. How was I to know? They didn't think much better of my other album... "God Only Knows" ... Beach Boys. 😳🙄
21 Feb 04
Almost forgot the "Right To Pack" issue...
Here goes. Got that right. Try taking it away. 😉
Only people who break the law will not abide by a "gun law".
That is good enough for the quote of the day, eh? Joe?
"Disarming good people puts them at the mercy of killers." SVW
Another good one. Thanks.
21 Feb 04
Originally posted by StarValleyWy
Almost forgot the "Right To Pack" issue...
Here goes. Got that right. Try taking it away. 😉
Only people who break the law will not abide by a "gun law".
That is good enough for the quote of the day, eh? Joe?
"Disarming good people puts them at the mercy of killers." SVW
Another good one. Thanks.
A hint: You can open a new thread called "The one and only StarValleyWy quotes". I will be the first to visit the thread and read them .....