Posts by rustywalker42

nimbleranger19 said:Where on earth did you even pull that from?🤣

The Washington Post reports that the economy is cooling off, but is anyone actually feeling it? Inflation is supposedly coming down, yet my grocery bill looks like a phone number. They say the job market is softening too—does that mean layoffs are around the corner? It’s always the same story. Big numbers on a screen versus reality in the checkout line. Who wins here? Not us.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...56C0A962958260

Is anyone actually looking at this? This article from the NYT hits on something everyone seems to be ignoring. We’re talking about the massive shift in global power, specifically how Asia is leveling the playing field. It's not just some minor adjustment; it's a total overhaul of the status quo. Are we really prepared for the economic weight shifting East? For decades, everything revolved around Western markets, but now the momentum is clearly moving elsewhere. You see the numbers, you see the growth—how can anyone claim it's just a temporary spike? It's a structural change. A complete redistribution of influence. Why does it feel like the West is still sleepwalking through this?

Check this out: http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/papers/eeol.htm

The current state of the labor market? It’s a mess. You want to talk about employment trends? Fine. Let’s look at the numbers. Is the workforce actually shifting, or are we just spinning our wheels? Most people think they know what's happening with job availability and wages, but the data tells a different story. Are companies actually hiring, or are they just playing musical chairs with existing roles? It's complicated. The whole landscape is changing faster than anyone expected. What's the real goal here—stability or just survival?

Ever wonder why things move so slow in the corporate world over in Japan? Take a look at this. It’s the same old story of women hitting a massive glass ceiling. You read about the barriers they face—work culture, expectations, the whole nine yards—and you realize it's not just some minor hiccup. It’s a systemic grind. Why is it so hard to break through? Is it the rigid structure or just how things have always been done? Hard to say, but the data doesn't lie. Just another example of how much work still needs to be done.

Do yourself a favor and actually read these links. Give yourself a reality check, go splash some water on your face, and try to wake up.
It’s written "otkud," not "odkud." There's a vowel shift involved. Simple as that.

nimbleranger19 said:If you're out here trying to argue that facts don't actually matter, then man, you’ve got some seriously deep-seated issues to work through. Seriously.

Watch your mouth, man. You might actually end up facing the death penalty for talking about homosexuality like that. Seriously, you're lucky we aren't living in a place like Iran.🤣

Look, I was just kidding around, okay? Seriously, don't take it to heart.☕

Look, let's be real here—that's just not how it works. People act like that childcare is some kind of freebie handed out from the sky, but it's totally a myth. Their parents have been footing the bill for that whole setup through their tax dollars for years. It’s not "free" if it’s coming straight out of the taxpayers' pockets.

Honestly? They’d probably pack up and head out in a heartbeat if someone just slipped them enough cash.😍

The thing is, my bank account is looking pretty empty right now, and the only path I actually care about is a PhD program fully funded by the university. So, I've gotta grind through my Bachelor's and then probably tackle a Master's too if I want any shot at getting that tuition covered.

Nothing offends me. You're the one being offensive, and I already explained why.

Look, that's just not true. Their parents already paid for that education through their taxes, so it isn't actually free.

Exactly. And in the USA, you pay like $40,000 a year for college. So, look—which sounds better to you? Dropping that kind of cash every single year, or paying for it through taxes?
If you love the American system so much, why are you complaining about being broke? Go ahead, man, move to the States and go to school there.

They’d probably head out if someone would just foot the bill.😍

I bet. And then they'd realize what happened.

Because right now I don't have the cash, and the field I want to get into is basically just PhD programs funded by the university. So I have to finish a bachelor's and probably a master's too if I want to get in for free.

No money? That same old story again, "I don't have the money." Look, you know how it works in the West: no money, no degree. Simple as that.
So, maybe be thankful you live in this backwater place—as bad as it might be—because at least it lets you go to school for free. If you were studying in the USA, you definitely wouldn't be doing it.

nimbleranger19 said:1. My grammar skills have zero to do with this topic, and honestly, my knowledge of spelling rules isn't relevant here.
I went to a specialized math high school and now I'm at a major university studying math, so who cares about minor typos🤣 or some nitpicky linguistic stuff.☕

2. Just a typo, "American universities." You don't need to come at me like that just because you can't find a better argument.

Why? Just because the statistics tell a different story than your gut feeling doesn't mean they're wrong.

1. Why would I feel less valuable? Because right now, I don't have a better option?

2. Because currently, I don't have the cash, nor do I have the desire to move abroad for school. If I decide to go, I will—which is probably what'll happen if I pick a major that's impossible to pass back home.

I agree.

Yeah, let them in if they’ve got the right credentials, but obviously, not everyone actually finishes their degree.

Most people coming to study in the States arrive with a Bachelor's degree or similar qualifications already under their belt—though those programs are often just lecture-heavy—so they can jump into doctoral programs that they wouldn't even be able to pass back in their own countries. That's why Western universities are just better; they offer way more paths to success.

It was a sarcastic jab at your comment about me saying they lack funds.

Just because certain people are profiting from oil doesn't mean the whole country is loaded. Americans per capita earn twice as much and we have half the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient of Iran, yet we're still struggling.

Aha, turns out there’s this thing called compulsory education. You might want to look that up in a dictionary.

Well, if that's the case, it’s even more pathetic that you—part of the so-called intellectual elite (math high school, now a math major)—are semi-literate.
And you think you'll actually be an academic citizen one day?
Besides, what does your major have to do with anything? I finished technical college, and I can write just fine.

2. Typo, American universities. You don't need to attack immediately just because you lack better arguments.

When it comes to you, I have to. Because I see you can't even distinguish basic concepts.

Why? Just because statistics say something different from your opinion doesn't mean they're wrong.

No, that has nothing to do with my opinion. I'm talking about common sense. And common sense tells me not to claim our universities are bad just because they don't have Nobel laureates working there.
Take the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Slavonski Brod, for example. It's a great school with a long tradition, closely tied to the Đuro Đaković factory, which we all know was a powerhouse in mechanical construction back in the day, though they still do solid work today. Are we going to say this school (or the University of Osijek) is less valuable than one in Szeged just because the one in Szeged makes a ranking list and this one doesn't?

1. And why would I feel less valuable? Just because I don't have a better choice right now?

I'm just quoting you. You said our universities were worse. Following that logic, since you study at a "bad" university, I assume you'll have an inferiority complex when you finally join the Western elite.

2. Because right now I don't have the money, nor the desire, to go study abroad. If I want to, I'll go—which will probably happen if I decide to pursue a major I can't pass here in the States.

No money? Well, I've been waiting for you to say that... Glad you finally mentioned it.

Quote:
That was sarcasm.

Yeah, let them in if they have the right prerequisites, but not everyone actually finishes their degree.

What prerequisites? I’ve got a degree from the University of California, and I could get it recognized in Germany without breaking a sweat to find work at a university there. What are you even rambling about?

Most people coming to the USA for grad school already have a bachelor's degree or similar qualifications (which are mostly just lecture-based anyway).

Hold on, wait a second. Are you seriously claiming all these Indians, Pakistanis, and whoever else comes to the USA basically just finished some lecture-heavy courses?
Just so we're clear, a degree in Iran takes at least 4 years on average.

They come for doctoral programs they can't pass back home, because Western universities are higher quality and offer more options.

They don't go there just because it's easier to pass exams; they go because they know having a Ph.D. from a university in New York looks way more impressive than one from New Delhi, for example. Sadly.

Aha, there's this thing called mandatory education. Look it up in a dictionary.

Yeah, and? Iran has it, the USA has it. Take a look at how much of the non-white population actually finishes basic schooling. Not to mention the white trash.
Or are you still living in an illusion where 99% of Americans are literate? That includes all those gangs of Latinos, Black people, white trash, and the rest of the dregs of American civilization.

Carol Richardson45 said:Thanks, Anthony..
Here’s what things used to look like for women back in the States before the revolution

http://www.sportestan.com/ish/html/news/tf026928.html

Nowadays, you can barely find a single photo of a female athlete anywhere.

http://iber-press.com/photo.php?paro...ations&nfoto=6

The women over there really have it rough. I can't help but wonder how much more successful they could be in sports if they just had the freedom to dress how they wanted...

And what's the big deal? People fought for a new set of values, which includes these specific dress codes, so what?
The women aren't "pitiful," my dear Carol Richardson45. That's just how the media wants to frame it. Why don't you take a thousand bucks, fly over to Iran, and see for yourself before jumping to conclusions? Stop swallowing Western propaganda whole.
Look at Japan—a modern, developed nation—where women are essentially barred from high-level positions by default. Yet, you don't see anyone attacking Japan for it, do you?
Just because a woman wears a veil doesn't mean she's oppressed.
Bottom line: the veil does not equal oppression.

nimbleranger19 said:Yeah, look—about 80% of the big stuff comes from the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, while maybe another 10% trickles out of various European nations and China. Meanwhile, Muslim-majority countries might only contribute like 1%, even though they make up a sixth of the entire global population.

The real kicker here is why people flock to schools in the USA and other Western spots in the first place. It’s purely because they can't get that level of education back home. These Western nations actually put their money where their mouth is—investing heavily in universities, higher ed, and R&D. They aren't blowing their budgets on mosques or other useless nonsense.

So what's the point here? Subtle chauvinism in its purest form?

The only reason people head off to study in the USA and other Western nations is the quality of education they just can't get back home. It's because Western countries actually invest their money into building universities and R&D. Not into mosques and other useless nonsense.

Listen, nimbleranger19, the real reason people flock to the USA and elsewhere is because their home countries foot the bill for their education. They act like leeches on a system they despise—get a free ride, move abroad, validate their degrees, land a job at a university, and then use that money to fund their own grad school.
Honestly? I’d kick all those "great patriots" and "intellectuals" out the door right after high school. Let them go study abroad on their own dime and see how enthusiastically they write about the USA and everyone else then.
That goes for you too. Why are you still hanging around here in America if it stinks so much? Why didn't you pack up, head to the States, cough up $40,000 a year, and enroll in one of their universities?
Oh, wait, I forgot. Free is better, isn't it?

nimbleranger19 said:Yeah, okay, American state schools might be ranked lower, mostly because they have fewer resources, less famous professors, researchers, and all that jazz.

And why on earth would I feel "lesser" just because I'm studying at a school in NYC? Honestly, I'm already thinking about moving to the USA or the UK after I finish my undergrad if I can't find a specific program I actually care about here.

Also, what does how old a university is have to do with the actual quality of education?

Just because you don't like the way these universities are graded doesn't mean it reflects reality. This list was put together by professionals, not guys like you who would probably put an Iranian university in the top 10 just because you happen to like that country.☕

Well, yeah, the country is poor. Just because there are a few cities that are doing okay doesn't mean the whole nation is developed. In fact, one out of every five people in Iran can't even read.

First off, you're talking about literacy, and in this single quote alone, I see two massive blunders:

1. It's spelled "valuable," not "valubale" (fix your spelling).
2. It's not "universities in New York City"—it's the University of California, Berkeley. There's only one, but clearly, you didn't know that.

So what am I even supposed to say to a comment like this? This kind of nonsense? Claiming our universities are worth less borders on total idiocy. It makes zero sense.

Why would I feel less valuable just because I study at a university in New York City? In fact, I'm thinking about moving to the USA or the UK after my undergrad if the specific major I want isn't available here.

Wait a second, why are you being so contradictory? First you claim they're worth less, now you're asking why you'd feel less valuable? Make up your mind.
If they're so bad, why didn't you just go to one of those other 500 universities right away? Why are you studying at some obscure place in New York City?

What does the age of a university have to do with its quality?

Honestly? Absolutely nothing. 😉

The fact that you don't like how universities are ranked has nothing to do with reality. These lists are made by professionals, not types like you who would put universities from Iran in the top 10 just because you like the country.☕

No, I wouldn't put Iranian universities in the top 10. I'm an objective person. I'm responsibly stating that universities from countries not on the list are perfectly valuable and high-quality, regardless of whether they have a Nobel laureate or publish papers in S&P Global. I mean, where do you think all those highly successful immigrants in the USA graduated from? Certainly not from the US, and lo and behold, they're teaching at US universities now. I just don't get how they can be hired when they graduated from some unknown university.

Well yeah, the country is poor. Just because there are a few cities that are slightly wealthier doesn't mean the whole country is developed.

Well, just a few messages ago you wrote this, I quote:

When did I say they didn't have money?
What do you think they get from selling oil? Cookies?

So what exactly did you mean by that?

Still, one in five people in Iran can't even read.

Do you actually understand what "estimated" means, or are you really buying those sources claiming the literacy rate in the USA is 99%?🤣

Carol Richardson45 said:Do Iranians, Pakistanis, or Saudis have any famous swimmers, tennis players, or track stars? Please, I’m only looking for serious answers here...

Iranian female track athletes:

Padideh Bolourizadeh, Leila Ebrahimi, Ameneh Safavi, and Homa Sheikhan—they’ve all grabbed silver or bronze at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.
Also, remember that trout fishing championship held in Washington, D.C. last month? Half the Iranian squad were women. I don't know their names, unfortunately, so you'll have to dig that up yourself.
I don't follow sports, but hey, Google is your friend.

nimbleranger19 said:http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/7.html

http://www.online-universities.us/to...iversities.htm

Not a single Iranian school on there. Honestly, I'm just wondering why. It’s gotta be some kind of Zionist conspiracy or something.☕

When did I ever say they were broke?🤣
What do you think they get from selling oil? Cookies and milk?🤣

http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

Did you even look at how they conduct this research? In case you didn't, let me break it down for you. They count the number of Nobel laureates working at those universities, the volume of papers professors publish in Nature and science, stuff like that...
Are you trying to tell me that schools in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, or Houston are somehow less valuable than the ones on this list?
As a student at a major US university (I'm assuming), do you feel less worthy? Or should I rephrase: if they're so "prestigious," why aren't you studying there instead of at our obscure, backward local colleges?
Does that mean Harvard is garbage just because the University of Oxford in the UK existed 800 years before it?

When did I say they don't have money?🤣
What do you think they get from selling oil? Cookies?🤣

http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

Maybe you don't, but your "friends" certainly do. They claim Iran is a poor country. Well, pick a side already. Is it or isn't it?

nimbleranger19 said:Think ECGs, CDs, dialysis machines... all that stuff.

autogyros, 🤣

What aren't they?🤣

A Nuclear reactor designed by Fermi’s Pizza, just like America.😁 😍

The EKG? A Dutchman cooked that up using American and English inventions. The CD was a joint effort with the Japanese, all driven by massive multi-national corporations where the design engineers were probably just some guys from Chile or Pakistan. Who knows?
It’s "dialysis," not "dializa." Use the right terms if you're going to post on an American forum. And once again, the Englishmen—Hales and Warrick—took first place.

Quincy:

Autogyro? Really? 🤣

A pretty significant invention, I guess. You completely missed the point of my message.

Quincy:

What do you mean "aren't they"?🤣

I was doing the exact same thing here—calling them out on their "copy/paste" approach to industry and science.

Quincy:

Fermi's nuclear reactor? And pizza? Seriously?😁America.😍

So, they built a nuclear reactor at the University of Chicago—yeah, right near where Italy is, if you check that old CD reference—alongside some American guy. And yet, somehow, the whole thing only happened because three German scientists beat them to the punch earlier. Seriously?

Look, my point was simple: about 80% of the world's most critical inventions come out of the US, the UK, and Germany. And let’s be real—the US can pretty much credit that massive influx of foreign geniuses landing on its doorstep.
So, what? Are you saying every other country on this planet is just backwards because they aren't leading the pack in inventions?

nimbleranger19 said:Look, nobody's out here claiming they aren't a developing nation or pretending they don't have TVs and modern gadgets. My only real question is where you're getting this idea that Iranians graduate more students every year than we do in the States. Obviously, if you're looking at percentages, it might look different, but let's be real—the quality just isn't on the same level. American universities are leagues ahead of anything coming out of Iran.

BTW, building satellites, rockets, and messing around with nanotechnology isn't some magic yardstick for actual progress. It’s basically just burning through massive piles of cash. The rockets the Iranians are launching today are pretty much what the West was using fifty years ago, so they aren't exactly cutting-edge technology.

So, I'm dying to know: what "profoundly intelligent" logic led you to the conclusion that Western universities are better than Iranian ones?
By what metric? Just tell me. Give me some actual arguments. Explain the curricula. Compare Imperial College London to one in Tehran—show me the differences. Since you're throwing out such heavy accusations, I assume you actually stand by them.

BTW, building satellites, rockets, and nanotechnology isn't a measure of progress. It's just piles of cash.

Didn't you—or some other Iranophobe—claim they had no money? Pick a side here.
And finally, what defines "progress"? This part really interests me: let's hear the official definition from His Intelligence, nimbleranger19.

nimbleranger19 said:You don't get it—what did they actually *invent*?
I'm not talking about just buying existing tech and putting it to work, like computers, or making tiny tweaks to a bone fixator or winning various trophies.

What did they create from scratch that hasn't existed before?

How have they actually moved the needle for science?

What exactly did the Dutch, Spaniards, Japanese, or Italians come up with this time?

Paul Wells17 said:Quick shoutout to the moderators for actually sticking to their own rules for once. 😉

Hold on, why is a thread about Israel suddenly such a problem for you? When everyone was busy bashing Iran for 37 pages straight, nobody complained about the topic being removed.
What’s the issue now? Does the truth about Israel sting a little?
Look, it's a documented fact—even Wikipedia confirms it—that Israelis are racists who won't even use the plus sign because it reminds them too much of Christianity.
How do you want to comment on that?

boldgardener93 said:Look, I asked the exact same thing once and they basically told me to go look it up myself.
So, I sent them a scanned page from an actual math textbook. The silence that followed was deafening.

Oh, really?

Never heard that one. Can you send that scan again? What are they even using?

nimbleranger19 said:Don't mention it.

Honestly, you’ve said just enough to make yourself look pretty pathetic. You claim to care about democracy, yet you spend all your time trashing it, while simultaneously trying to paint this picture of how "magnificent" some Islamic republic is—you know, the kind where people get tortured and killed over nothing and where women and minorities are treated like second-class citizens. It’s a joke. 👎

And then there’s your attempt to label Israel as a racist state. Just so we're clear, if I saw trash like you in my country, I'd want you kicked out too. They should all just head back to their deserts with their camels.☕

Honestly? This modern version of democracy—what it's actually turning into—bothers me more and more every single day.
Got any actual evidence that they're killing people and discriminating against women and minorities, or are you just spinning more empty rhetoric?☕

And now you're trying to claim Israel is a racist state. Just so we're clear, I'd love to kick trash like that out of my country too. They should just head back to their deserts with their camels.☕

Well, newsflash: Israel *is* a racist entity, a military apartheid state. The real trash here are the settlers who moved in during the 30s and 40s. Why don't they just go back to their European and American homes?

nimbleranger19 said:And you don't think he's crazy?

Look, if some leader in Iran said something like this, we'd instantly assume it represents a whole bloodthirsty nation, mostly because they're famous for those sensationalist outbursts like "Destroy Israel" or claiming "there's no homosexuality in Iran" (mostly because they dress like women so the religious guys don't even register them as men😂)

Thanks, you said it all.

nimbleranger19 said:What does any of this have to do with democracy in the US?

We're talking about some crazy rabbi's ramblings here—stuff that honestly, nobody should even be taking seriously.

Oh, absolutely.

If this news had actually come out of Iran, we’d be looking at some bloodthirsty Iranian mob hellbent on wiping out everything Western civilization stands for. Wouldn't we?

When it comes to Israel, we’re really just talking about one crazy rabbi. That's it.

cosmictrucker14 said:You should double-check the Small Business Act to see which specific business category your idea falls under. There are free, tied, and privileged types... though I’m not entirely sure about the privileged ones—it might actually be a tied business, where they require you to have certain professional credentials or a master's certification. You might also want to look over the Small Business Regulations regarding operating out of residential spaces.

That bolded part is total garbage, and that's exactly what's stressing me out. Whatever, I'll just head down to City Hall and ask. If anyone else knows the deal, let me know. And being able to run this out of my house? That would be the dream.
Thanks for the help, everyone.

Alright, let's get straight to the point. As a college student (high school grad), can I actually start my own sole proprietorship focused on digital marketing?
How exactly? What kind of setup? Where do I even begin?
Thanks!

Richard Wilson4 said:Yeah, back in the day Ivankovo was more like 4,000 and Tovarnik was maybe 2,000...
But even 10,000 feels like a stretch...

What do you mean 4,000? Ivankovo is basically one of the biggest towns in the US, they've got nearly 9,000 people there. Just check the 2001 census.
That other island town used to be the big one, but they just officially became a city recently.

Richard Wilson4 said:In Italy, there’s an official count of 115,000 Chinese people living there, with 20,000 of them packed into New York City Chinatown.
Down in the city of Prato, the Chinese community has basically bought up the entire textile industry.
They use rock-bottom prices, smuggling, and shady business deals to push out the local shopkeepers... 👎

Slowly but surely, Chinese people are taking over the American market too.
My neck of the woods in the Midwest is one of the poorest areas in the US, still feeling the scars of old conflicts. There isn't much competition here, but prices stay high.
Lately, though, things have been getting weird...
Believe it or not:
I’ve personally spotted Chinese stores in:El Paso,Vinkovci,Vrpolj, Tovarnik, Ivankov, Županja—those are just the ones I saw while driving through...
Places like Vrpolj, Tovarnik, and Ivankov aren't even cities, they're tiny villages, all under 3,000 people...
If that's the case, I can only imagine how many Chinese people are living in the big cities... 👎

The Muslim invasion of Europe is starting to face some serious competition... 👎

So what? Nothing surprising there. I can spot five or six Chinese trade businesses within a 400-meter radius of my own place alone.
By the way, Ivankovo has nearly 9,000 people. And Vrpolj is bigger than that. Not so sure about Tovarnik.