The whole thing with these youth trials feels pretty ruthless, honestly, but I have to say, this indoor soccer scheme is actually a brilliant move. You sharpen up your technical skills on a smaller court first, and then you finally make the jump to the full-sized pitch.
hasu, regarding that logic puzzle—look, applying logical reasoning to a philosophical statement is helpful, sure, but at its core, it’s still just logic. Even if we hadn't used a variation of a Spinoza quote, the fundamental nature of the problem wouldn't change. It wouldn't suddenly become "philosophy" just because of the wording.
As for providing the answers upfront, I don't see why that would be any way to prevent someone from truly grasping a concept. First off, you can't just squeeze a complex philosophical idea into a tiny little two or three-sentence box. Besides, if you just hand out the answers, you're turning the whole process of understanding a concept into a simple exercise in identifying the "right" answer, rather than an active engagement where you actually think through things and express what you know. Personally, I'm not a fan of that approach. 😬
Well, I was also at the philosophy competition, so I might as well weigh in. In my view, the biggest issue isn't actually the concept of the competition itself, but rather how that concept was executed—specifically, how the organizer handled things.
To start with the terminology. Concepts themselves can't really be graded objectively because they require a certain subjective grasp of the term and a subjective explanation of it. Person A and Person B will both know that Husserl founded phenomenology, but their interpretations and explanations of phenomenology will likely differ. It’s just not something simple enough to be boiled down to a few objective bullet points. Now, personally, I think pushing for this kind of conceptual testing (subjective as it may be) is better than an objective test on the history of philosophy. Learning concepts makes reading actual philosophical texts easier later on, sparks more interest in students, and requires a different set of intellectual skills—skills much closer to actual philosophy—than just memorizing history. Someone who memorizes the names of all Platonov's dialogues would rack up plenty of points, but what does that actually mean if they couldn't care less about Platonov's actual thought?
The real problem with the "concepts" section is the execution. Being handed ten terms and given only 30 minutes makes absolutely no sense to me. Philosophy, for heaven's sake, is a field where a person is supposed to actually *think* about things. This kind of rushed, frantic dumping of whatever comes to mind when a term is mentioned has nothing to do with philosophy, nor does it have anything to do with using your brain. As someone else already pointed out, it basically boils down to being a fast typist. Also, I don't understand why the concepts carry so significantly fewer points than the essay, which we all agreed was the most problematic part of the competition regarding objectivity.
And then there's the essay. I believe that, all things considered, it is possible to standardize criteria to some degree. Sure, there will always be discrepancies between various judges (it would be weird if there weren't), but the gaps we saw in this competition were EXTREMELY strange. For example, two years ago, one student got a perfect 50/50 from one judge, an 8/50 from a second, and a 10/50 from a third. How is that even possible!? It's obvious the judges aren't sticking to any basic standards; they're essentially just pulling numbers out of thin air. If everyone stuck to the criteria and tried to read the text not as support for their own preconceived notions, but as someone else's genuine reasoning, I think everything would be much better.
Finally, the reading list. As verve noted, texts like those by Heideggerov aren't exactly suitable for someone just starting out in philosophy, especially when this competition is meant to motivate them to scratch a little beneath the surface (at least, that was the goal for me). I think providing such hermetic, dense texts like Heideggerov (I can barely remember the ones from my own age, and they weren't any better) won't just fail to filter for the best students—since it's unlikely anyone can extract anything meaningful from them—but might actually alienate those who have an affinity for the subject but find such texts (justifiably) too difficult. To me, the reading list feels like the product of the pretentious and arrogant mindset of the organizer, and I think studying such material for a competition does more harm than good.
Honestly, I'm convinced this is all just total fiction, which seems to be the usual pattern here. That said, Bellamy really is a piece of work; I still remember back when he was playing for Newcastle and he just started insulting Shearer out of nowhere for no reason at all. 🙄
George Cox8 said:So, I’ve been sitting here wondering... could I actually make a living as a translator? Is that even a viable career path, or am I just daydreaming? 😁 Honestly, one of those jobs would be a real uphill battle. 🙏
I mean, wouldn't you think a translator would have to clear some kind of proficiency course in American English first? Or at least pass a basic competency test before they even get near a contract? It seems like a pretty obvious prerequisite, doesn't it? 😁
Eric Robinson81 said:You should have been under anesthesia during the surgery. If they didn't give you enough, you should have been screaming. Well, now you’re dealing with the consequences of playing smart and thinking you could skip the local stuff, even though you probably could've managed without it. Look on the bright side: the pain should wrap up in about a week.
They did give me anesthesia. It hurt when they were administering it, and it hurt even more after the surgery once the effects started wearing off. And honestly, I don't see how skipping the numbing agent was even an option here. If things go sideways, it won't be because I opted for the procedure itself—it'll be because the job was done sloppily.
The thing that’s actually driving me nuts, though, is that my urologist didn't exactly pull a full job on the skin. He just trimmed off the excess at the tip, which leaves me facing the actual risk of paraphimosis. Now there's a real chance I'll have to go back under the knife for a second procedure, which would basically make my junk famous for being circumcised twice. Like, seriously? Seven layers of hell.
Anyway, regarding how it actually went: the pain was absolutely brutal—beyond anything I could have imagined, both during the surgery and the recovery. Even now, things aren't exactly great. Still, if this actually does the trick and gets rid of the phimosis (and the threat of paraphimosis), then I guess it was worth it.
Aaron Baker said:He was basically shutting down his own team's offensive plays more effectively than any defender on the opposing side, so naturally, his teammates just stopped looking for him. 😂
Great. Just wonderful. I am politely, most sincerely requesting that we stick to discussing the recovery process and the aftermath of circumcision surgery, and then he goes and does this. What am I even supposed to do now? Ban him? Because then he’ll just spend all day whining about how I’m being unfair.
Eric Robinson81, consider this your final warning. 🙂
Thanks for looking out for me, Jose Miller3, but I have to admit that Eric Robinson81’s post was actually pretty helpful from a different angle. By the way, just an FYI, I’ve pushed my procedure back by about a year because my college schedule is a complete mess right now. I decided to go see a private urologist for a consultation instead. At least there, they won't blow me off in fifteen seconds, and I can actually ask all the questions I need to.
Eric Robinson81 said:Honestly, the guy is overreacting. The real question is whether he actually has phimosis or if his skin just hasn't stretched enough yet. Still, the doctor offered him a circumcision, and the poor guy just completely missed the boat on that one.
Look, Eric Robinson81, I’ve been doing the exercises my whole life. I’ve made progress to the point where the glans can peek out, but that's where the progress hits a wall because it starts hurting. You get what I'm saying? As for these other methods you're hinting at—what are we talking about here? You sound pretty well-versed in the subject, so why don't you enlighten me? And please, spare me the "just do more stretches" or "pull harder" advice. It's not like I haven't already spent plenty of time inspecting the situation myself.
Jacob Howard2 said:And here’s some actual solid advice—pick up some Viagra, because you definitely don't want your future convertible popping up for at least two or three weeks after the circumcision😁 no joke 😉
Good luck 🙂
Honestly, that’s pretty sound advice. I was just sitting here wondering—if I can't have anything happening for two or three weeks, what happens during those morning wood sessions? Even people in Tibet couldn't control that part of the script, right? 😕
Why go through with surgery when there are less invasive options that might work better?
Sure, Wikipedia might list all these "less invasive" alternatives, but let's be real: Wikipedia isn't a urologist who can prescribe me creams. My doctor basically gave me the "just get the surgery" talk, and when I asked about other methods, he was just like, "Oh, please, give me a break..." If you actually know something useful about this, let me know 🙂
So, I’ve got my circumcision scheduled for Monday, and honestly, I am absolutely terrified. Has anyone here actually gone through this specifically because of phimosis? Does anyone have any actual insight? I’ve spent way too much time falling down Google rabbit holes, but there is so much conflicting nonsense out there that I’m starting to doubt everything. I’d really appreciate hearing some real, personal experiences if you have them. Thanks!
If we're talking about movies that became absolute classics purely by accident—without the director having any clue what they were doing—then "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is the undisputed heavyweight champion. 🙏 🙏