Posts by urbanowl81

Sean Palmer67 said:I mean, wasn't Ivey just screaming at Derrick recently because she sent a legal notice to one of his buddies? Then this lady starts crying and running straight to Paul

To me, this whole thing just looks like smoke and mirrors—just trying to boost visibility and play the victim. Nothing else is actually happening

I've heard that story from other sources too, but without actual names, it’s worthless.

I hope it isn't true because Mary does good work. It would be a shame if she's just rigging the system to hand those apartments over to her cronies.

northerntiger9 said:There's an admissions calculator here—plus a breakdown showing the minimum scores required over the last four years for specific majors.
I've also attached a PDF with all the score data if you want to dig through the numbers there instead.

Thnx, I completely forgot we're talking about an arts program where the admissions interview is what actually matters.

Carl Bishop2 said:Look, I honestly dread these types of admissions more than the national exams. Entrance tests are fine if the actual performance matters more than just GPA. But the idea that a kid from Skyfall needs high school grades just to get into a vocational arts program is a nightmare, regardless of the entrance exam.
Have the test results come in yet? They said we’d hear by May.

A quick side note, just for info since we joke about our kid not needing to study—she’ll just enroll in a vocational art or design program and call it a day. But now it looks like if she doesn't study, she won't even get into that. What do kids who pass with decent or passing scores actually end up enrolling in? Just trade schools?

Since this topic popped up, what’s the actual best buy for a small color laser multifunction printer for occasional use? Is this one worth it?

https://www.nabava.net/multifunkcijs...x-a4-179593301

What’s the cheapest color laser out there that isn't total junk or comes with a catch (like proprietary toner that costs more than the printer itself and runs out instantly)?

It’s for an office setup. A colleague ordered one recently—he went with an inkjet because he wanted color (paid about $500-$200), and now we’re buying new ink roughly 9 times a year even though we barely print anything, just a few pages here and there.

Drew Johnson2 said:I truly believe you have no choice in the matter. Back when I was working at Chase, I personally never made a single error—though, looking back, it was likely just because I hadn't been on the job long enough 😁—but I once had a colleague who managed to $1000 process a withdrawal through the system as if it were a $3,000 deposit. By the end of the business day, she was left with a deficit of $2000, and while she realized immediately which transaction had caused the mess and reached out to the client, he flatly refused to come in to sign the reversal paperwork and fix the entry.
She was stuck footing the bill herself, and since our monthly pay was only about $4,800 back then, and the bank didn't want to cause a scene with the client...

Something similar happened to me, but I just accepted the refund. It didn't seem right to take money from an employee.

Susan James said:Honestly, I think that's missing the point.
Usually, when kids struggle with physics, it's because their elementary teachers didn't properly teach them how to handle units of measurement or word problems. They run into math issues, too...
Let's be real: some kids simply won't have the aptitude for those specific subjects, regardless of when they start school. It's just how it is.
And it’s a total myth that delaying school makes things easier for them when they reach 7th-grade chemistry.

Some kids truly do need that extra year, and it’s vital that they get it and spend that time productively.

On the flip side, there are plenty of kids whose parents refuse to sign off on a delay—even when specialists recommend it—who end up struggling immensely. Some face issues as early as 1st grade, but most start seeing trouble from 5th grade onward, especially by 7th.
It isn't always about "abstract thinking"; often, it's because they've accumulated gaps in their knowledge, faced ongoing struggles (which might have been patched up, but not entirely), lost their self-confidence, and then you add puberty into the mix...

But more and more kids are hitting roadblocks because certain foundational skills aren't being developed during the critical windows they should be... though that's a whole different conversation.

I agree, though I didn't realize most show issues by fifth grade (especially seventh). I know that moving from elementary to middle school brings much higher demands, but the most common reason for delaying enrollment is emotional immaturity, or issues with analysis and synthesis—basically falling behind in reading and writing. That's what shows up on entrance exams and screenings, provided the kid catches up on literacy by third or fourth grade at the latest (unless there's a deeper issue at play).

She’d probably still be pissed even if they hadn't pushed it back. Honestly, I can't even see how things would have turned out differently if they hadn't. 🤔 Then you've got cases like this kid whining in class just because he's bored. You could easily argue that's an emotionally immature kid who needs to be held back anyway.

Jacob Lopez2 said:Everything has to be official and there has to be paperwork for every single thing. How are they supposed to agree on which class gets the specialized group without making it public?

At the end of the day, these kinds of classroom setups already exist in various schools. A friend of mine works at one such school, and she says working in a room where every single child has special needs is absolutely terrifying.

Character building starts at birth, not when a kid turns 6 or 7.

And from my own experience, a child who isn't ready at 6 won't magically be ready at 7 or 8 either; that extra year doesn't change a thing. It is a matter of character, not maturity.
It’s just like getting used to daycare—they won't truly adjust until they are actually there for the full day, rather than just sitting there for a few hours over several months.

Probably, but enrolling them early makes it much harder to get the timing right. There's a much higher chance of making a mistake.

@Trump: now I'm curious, are we talking about something serious here, or just issues like blood pressure fluctuations and such?

Noah Perez5 said:Same here. Massive issues logging in, and even when I do manage to get in, the site kicks me out after a minute or two. It's happening right now while I'm typing this.

Another thing—it feels like the whole forum got stuck in yesterday afternoon, maybe around 5:30 PM. Since then, the page might refresh occasionally, but most of the time it just claims the last posts were made yesterday around 5:30 PM, which obviously isn't true.

Hitting F5 fixes it, except for the fact that everything is stuck in the past (my last comment shows up as yesterday at 4:38 PM). When I try to reply or hit quote, I get a blank message. Hit F5, then it displays correctly. Same deal with subscribed threads—shows old stuff, hit F5, all good.

Our vBulletin software is ancient, but honestly, they shouldn't bother switching to a new platform either. 😁

Sometimes things go off the rails and lose all sense of class, but overall it isn't terrible. It’s always the same story—maybe it feels better now just because I don't read as much as I used to. The only user capable of having a high-level discussion about economics was shadow, but he left (if I'm seeing that right), mostly because he had nobody left to talk to. Long before him, there were Monsignor and RealBear, but they got banned and left in protest (if my memory serves).

The economy of a PDF is far too massive for anyone to take on these responsibilities pro bono, and I doubt management will offer enough compensation to let me hand-pick a quality moderator (if such a thing is even possible). If we end up with someone who takes the job just because they want to play God—basically using it to vent frustrations and compensate for real-life complexes—things will be even worse than they are now. It's easier to just ignore a few unpleasant comments, like

diabolica said:you absolute piece of trash , bringing up my old man? I'll shove that primitive American garbage right down your throat, you low-class peasant, you total stench.

.. that's just life. If I were the mod, I wouldn't have sanctioned or deleted this.

Lawrence Reed3 said:I wonder how much longer they actually plan on keeping these isolation rules for people who test positive. Honestly, the whole thing feels pretty pointless now—especially since so many people aren't even bothering to get tested after being exposed. I know plenty of folks who either skip the testing entirely or just do one of those quick home kits just because they're curious. I've actually been around infected people myself a few times, and I can't say it ever crossed my mind to go get tested just so I'd be stuck stuck at home for seven days while feeling perfectly fine! It doesn't really seem like it makes much of a difference in stopping the spread anyway, if you ask me.

If you're healthy, you don't have to "rot at home for 7 days." If you're infected, you shouldn't be out walking around.

Contact tracers haven't been enforcing isolation for those exposed for a long time now.

Anthony Garcia19 said:Profit-seeker, I'm quoting you because it hits on my question. Others feel free to jump in too.

I'm not conflicted, I'm just double-checking. The official lines at the CDC in Washington, D.C. aren't picking up, and my family doctor's take is different from mine.

Here’s the deal: we have someone who just tested positive via PCR. They aren't vaccinated, they have symptoms, but the clinical picture is mild to moderate, and they're currently isolating. My question is: can they end their isolation if—following the latest CDC guidelines regarding infected individuals, close contacts, and ending isolation or quarantine, version 19 —they take a rapid antigen test on day five and it comes back negative, provided they've also been fever-free for 24 hours and their other symptoms are improving?

To me, the answer seems like a clear yes. But my doctor is interpreting the rules differently, claiming that since the person isn't vaccinated, they don't qualify.

I know of a similar case where Lom also insists on a 10-day isolation, though that was back in late January.

Alex Roberts4 said:This is what they've done to us: It's not "official isolation," but the kid isn't allowed in school. I mean, where am I supposed to take them? Who decides this? Where is it written down? If there isn't remote learning available, they won't let them work from home, but if it's not an official medical isolation order, there's no basis for sick leave. So, what is the teacher supposed to decide? What right does she have to tell kids, "Stay locked up and wait"? There are real consequences to this that clearly nobody is thinking about... What happens to a parent who can't justify an absence because they can't just leave a little kid home alone? Not to mention the paperwork... This matters to me! If there's no online option, where am I? If it's not an official mandate, where am I supposed to be? I have to justify this to my employer. My boss won't hear a word of it. I have to prove it. Things have gotten way too out of hand.

Call your doctor and explain the situation. That's what my wife did, and she got her medical leave.

It's the same stupid situation. I caught COVID, but she and our daughter didn't. Our daughter isn't vaccinated, so she has to quarantine, but since my wife is, she doesn't. At work, they're telling her to show up. She called her doctor, got sick leave, and within two days, she had symptoms—meaning she actually had COVID. If she had gone into the office, she would have infected more people.

Alex Roberts4 said:So, apparently, if you're under quarantine, you're allowed to head out for a stroll with your dog—and hey, grab some fresh air for yourself while you're at it. But a kid stuck in isolation? They aren't allowed to step foot outside for a walk. Truly masterclass level logic right there... They really have their priorities straight, don't they?

Think about it for a second and you'll see why. A kid can stay in isolation because they aren't going to go poop in the park; they aren't an animal. Same goes for you going to take out the trash, but it assumes you aren't some frustrated guy who's going to head out every five minutes or wander toward a dumpster 1.2 miles "miles away because the sign didn't specify exactly where I should drop this." Unfortunately, people here get frustrated way too easily.

rapidlynx78 said:Well, we're actually living that right now. 😁

Mali tested positive, but somehow nobody else caught it from her. Her CT value was 19, which apparently means a high viral load—at least according to what I read online.
My husband and I are vaccinated, but clearly, that isn't a foolproof shield, though thankfully our other two kids didn't catch it either.
I had them checked for antibodies, and they don't have any yet.

Same thing happening with a friend. Wife is positive; he and the kids are fine. Since the kids weren't vaccinated, they had to quarantine. He didn't.

By that logic, if one kid gets sick and the other doesn't, everyone should still be in isolation because they've been exposed and aren't vaccinated. The only exception would be if the other kids already had it; logically, they shouldn't need to isolate even if they were contact cases.

Is there any way to find out exactly how long an isolation period lasts if the person isn't picking up their phone? For instance, if someone says they’re stuck until Thursday, does that mean they're good until midnight Wednesday, or through Thursday night? There has to be a way to verify the exact end date. If the police pull them over on Thursday evening or they walk into a hospital, the authorities should be able to see their status. I assume they can; otherwise, people could just ignore the rules and wander around however they want because there would be no record showing they're actually supposed to be isolating.

brightsailor17 said:This sub used to be incredibly active. People were constantly whining and crying about how the mods were being unfair or power-tripping. Did the mods actually get better? Are they just doing nothing now? Or did everyone just stop complaining because they finally agree with everything? Maybe people are just tired of venting.

Personally, I'm complaining about the lack of complaints. It’s boring here. I used to actually know what was going on on Reddit.

I could probably pull off being a mod myself. You all know that's the dream. 🙂

It's been like this for a while—maybe over a year. At least it feels that way to me, since I spend most of my time in the finance sub where there hasn't been a moderator in ages.

I’d estimate about 200 first graders repeat the grade every year.

True, they can get an individualized education plan if the situation calls for it.

There is a massive gap between an "A" grade and failing first grade. And if she’s right, that’s exactly where her kid is headed. "Look, nobody is going to tell you this because they want the enrollment numbers, but for the sake of your child, repeating first grade is actually the better move. Long-term, it's less damaging than forcing them through a curriculum they aren't ready for, which just leads to burnout for both of you. Regardless, if they had listened to you, the kid would have started first grade in the 21/22 school year anyway—this way, they still start in 21/22, but they'll actually be prepared instead of wasting another year in preschool.". Well, here we go: her kid is repeating first grade. This isn't some hypothetical case about a kid from a movie or some crazy character; it's her actual child. And predictably, people like Frupi and Mad Hatter will ignore the core issue, burying one relevant comment about schooling under ten different remarks about hairstyles, all while picking fights just to make the thread more entertaining.

First grade isn't just "coloring and drawing"; it’s genuinely demanding for any kid who lacks emotional maturity or is performing below grade level. Whether her kid fits that description is something the school district's specialists should decide. I wasn't planning on getting sucked into this debate, but I couldn't let those blatant falsehoods and generalizations slide. It seems like the OP has already checked out of the conversation, so there's really no point in debating whether delaying enrollment was the right call anymore.

Jacob Lopez2 said:It honestly feels like they’re just dragging a child to a speech therapist now solely to justify delaying school enrollment. What on earth have they been waiting for? If there were red flags, that kid should have been in therapy a year or two ago.

The whole point of this forum is to share diverse perspectives. I highly doubt anyone is making definitive decisions based solely on whether Jacob Lopez2 or someone else claims a delay isn't necessary.

You have to look at the full picture instead of blindly trusting some specialist who barely spends five minutes looking at a child. They aren't nearly as infallible as they think they are.
In my opinion, the most weight should be given to the preschool staff, as they actually observe these children over a significant period of time.

It’s possible. Even though our preschool staff completely dropped the ball on this one, they were 100% behind the enrollment without a single second thought.