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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#241
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Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs
"Mike Mitchell" wrote in message ... On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 21:06:42 -0000, "Owain" wrote: "IMM" wrote | When I was in a German office for a month, they would have the | odd celebration and out came the beer. We were never invited. | I wonder why ? | Because we were better looking, better dressed, better dancers, | better singers and better at life than them. And we won the war. No, the *Americans* won the war! We put them up for three years. NO. We won the war with their weapons, doing their fighting and they charged us with interest. Something sounds not right in that. |
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Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote
| PoP wrote: | Take the worlds biggest w*nker, apply a | liberal dose of newspaper, and what do you get? | IMM? Soggy newspaper? Ink on your willy? Owain |
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Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs
Andy Hall wrote in message ... "IMM" wrote | When I was in a German office for a month, they would have the | odd celebration and out came the beer. We were never invited. | I wonder why ? | Because we were better looking, better dressed, better dancers, | better singers and better at life than them. And we won the war. I mentioned the war. That could be why you weren't invited to the parties.... I always found that asking people if they used to go to the Nuremberg rallies produced the same response. Particularly effective in disrupting meetings! Regards Capitol |
#244
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Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs
Mike Mitchell wrote:
On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 21:06:42 -0000, "Owain" wrote: "IMM" wrote | When I was in a German office for a month, they would have the | odd celebration and out came the beer. We were never invited. | I wonder why ? | Because we were better looking, better dressed, better dancers, | better singers and better at life than them. And we won the war. No, the *Americans* won the war! We put them up for three years. The russkies won the war. MM |
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Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs
In uk.d-i-y, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Applied to comp sci graduates from un snotty unis the usual response is 'thats not fair, you didn't tell us, and the government ought to tell us, that its possible to put bananas under a flower pot' .... I profoundly wish there was no truth in your assertion; but in my direct experience of regular guest lecturing at a couple of universities ("established", "traditional", or whatever we're supposed to call "real" ones - incidentally dissing a few excellent poly departments such as Hatfield's comp sci course), and confirmed by several friends who do Uni teaching full time - there is at least a substantial minority of students who expect detailed handholding and ludicrously explicit guidance about what will be On The Exam. I'm sure this attitude isn't totally a recent invention: equally, I'm sure it's more prevalent, and much more vocally expressed, than 20-30 years ago when Uni education was shamelessly "elitist", i.e. aimed to nurture the critical thinking skills of those able to string a few coherent thoughts together. There are still plenty of bright, self-motivated, intellectually curious students coming through: but the 'teaching quality exercises' seem to be geared towards making Uni teaching more and more like school teaching. Fortunately, most of the lecturers I know are still insisting on telling their students that it's an *education* they're getting, not some narrow "training", and that final exam questions and intermediate assessments/assignments are there to demonstrate reasoning from appropriately understood principles and an ability to do some unguided fact-gathering and sifting, rather than regurgitaion of last term's lecture notes. But as I say, there is more of an objection to this discipline than there once was: and it comes strongly, incidentally, from some students who are paying full (overseas) fees, and will say, more or less explicitly, "I [or more accurately, my parents or my country' government] have paid scads of money to send me on this course, when I have this qualification I can get a Good Job, it's your job to make sure I get this qualification". Indeed, one of the (presumably) unintended consequences of making students pay increasing amounts of their own money for their tuition - rather than treating their education as an investment by the whole of society in the minds of the best-and-brightest - is that it may well reinforce this narrow, selfish, consumerist approach to ones university education. Depressing... but, as noted, not universal, or even yet the majority viewpoint in the few institutions I have close contact with. .................................................. ....... followed by a claim for constructive dismissal and discrimination against the terminally stupid. Now here, oh Naturally Philosophical one, you stray in my view into the world of rant. No doubt there's some 'customer culture' element to the whinges of the wannabe spoonfeds, as I've already alluded to above: but regular legal action for teaching at an appropriate level has yet to rear its ugly head in UK academe! Stefek |
#246
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Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs
wrote in message
... In uk.d-i-y, The Natural Philosopher wrote: Applied to comp sci graduates from un snotty unis the usual response is 'thats not fair, you didn't tell us, and the government ought to tell us, that its possible to put bananas under a flower pot' .... I profoundly wish there was no truth in your assertion; but in my direct experience of regular guest lecturing at a couple of universities ("established", "traditional", or whatever we're supposed to call "real" ones - incidentally dissing a few excellent poly departments such as Hatfield's comp sci course), and confirmed by several friends who do Uni teaching full time - there is at least a substantial minority of students who expect detailed handholding and ludicrously explicit guidance about what will be On The Exam. So what. All students try to milk the lecturers beforehand about what is in the exam. We used to send a dollybird with her skirt deliberately pulled up her bum to one lecturer, who we knew would give more to her than anyone else. With many course the Qs are pretty obvious. One lecturer would prepare us by saying "If this was course where I didn't know the Qs until the day, this is how I would approach it". It was applying logic to the syllabus, and narrowing down matters. I'm sure this attitude isn't totally a recent invention: equally, I'm sure it's more prevalent, and much more vocally expressed, than 20-30 years ago when Uni education was shamelessly "elitist", i.e. aimed to nurture the critical thinking skills of those able to string a few coherent thoughts together. There are still plenty of bright, self-motivated, intellectually curious students coming through: but the 'teaching quality exercises' seem to be geared towards making Uni teaching more and more like school teaching. I was always told answer anyway you like, as long as you justify your approach and reasoning. Fortunately, most of the lecturers I know are still insisting on telling their students that it's an *education* they're getting, not some narrow "training", and that final exam questions and intermediate assessments/assignments are there to demonstrate reasoning from appropriately understood principles and an ability to do some unguided fact-gathering and sifting, rather than regurgitaion of last term's lecture notes. That is correct. But that is also used as a get out by some uni's for bad teaching. In short, they are saying, do it yourself. But as I say, there is more of an objection to this discipline than there once was: and it comes strongly, incidentally, from some students who are paying full (overseas) fees, and will say, more or less explicitly, "I [or more accurately, my parents or my country' government] have paid scads of money to send me on this course, when I have this qualification I can get a Good Job, it's your job to make sure I get this qualification". Quite right. It is the part responsibility of the institution to ensure students are up to scratch and of the standard required. I see the snots have one-to-one tutorials. All paid for by taxpayers. Indeed, one of the (presumably) unintended consequences of making students pay increasing amounts of their own money for their tuition - rather than treating their education as an investment by the whole of society in the minds of the best-and-brightest - is that it may well reinforce this narrow, selfish, consumerist approach to ones university education. Depressing... but, as noted, not universal, or even yet the majority viewpoint in the few institutions I have close contact with. Yes, like in the USA, where many courses are vocational, or mere training courses. .................................................. ....... followed by a claim for constructive dismissal and discrimination against the terminally stupid. Now here, oh Naturally Philosophical one, you stray in my view into the world of rant. No doubt there's some 'customer culture' element to the whinges of the wannabe spoonfeds, as I've already alluded to above: but regular legal action for teaching at an appropriate level has yet to rear its ugly head in UK academe! Stefek |
#247
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This week's Grand Designs [was: Huf Haus on last night's Grand Designs]
Ah., The mexican charcioal burner thing.
Well it was sort of raher wonderful in its awfulness... Yes I suppose if you are going for an indoor charcoal burner then purple is the only colour to have. Myself I'd have added pink polka dots a la Mr Blobby :-) Anna -- ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plasterwork, plaster conservation / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling and pargeting |____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 07976 649862 |
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