>> All I can say is that IME, as soon as you ask somebody about a job they
>> instantly say "how many years experience do you have?" If you say some
>> number less than 3, suddenly nobody wants to know you. I have no idea
>> what the hell is so special about 3, but what ever. Employers seem
>> completely uninterested in what qualifications you have, only how much
>> experience you have.
> 
> How long have you been where you are now?

Far too long. (At any rate, much longer than 3 years!)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Post a reply to this message

Jim Henderson wrote:
> 
> I'm just waiting to see how many get the reference. ;-)

I think very few, if any, would have gotten it without my second message.

> Jim


-- 
Eero "Aero" Ahonen
    http://www.zbxt.net
       aer### [at] removethiszbxtnetinvalid

Post a reply to this message

Warp wrote:
> 
>   Not only that, you have to pay mandatory annual car insurance (good
> thing, I suppose) as well as a mandatory annual car tax (you receive
> nothing in return, it's a *pure* tax for simply *owning* a car, without
> any benefits).

That has been easied, the tax of owning a car also demands the car to be 
marked to be allowed to use in traffic. IE my other summer car is marked 
"not in traffic" atm, so I don't pay taxes nor insurances of it.

>   On the plus side, you'll usually get a fast broadband internet connection
> for a quite moderate price here.

In a city.

-- 
Eero "Aero" Ahonen
    http://www.zbxt.net
       aer### [at] removethiszbxtnetinvalid

Post a reply to this message

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:10:57 -0400, John VanSickle <evi### [at] hotmailcom>
wrote:

>
>Finland is regarded here:
>
>   http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm

Oh comparisons! Here is a site that gives a Global Peace Index. Countries with a
"United" in their names don't do that well :)

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/comparison/2008/CA-DK-FI-GB-US/

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

Post a reply to this message

Stephen <mcavoysAT@aoldotcom> wrote:
> http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/comparison/2008/CA-DK-FI-GB-US/

  The "electoral process" gets a flat 10 in that list. I seriously disagree,
but that's another story.

  (Yes, I know that things are pretty good here in that field compared to
many other countries, especially the so-called "banana republics", but
I wouldn't give Finnish electoral system a full 10. Maybe a 9. There are
details which really grind my gears.)

-- 
                                                          - Warp

Post a reply to this message

On 6 Jul 2008 06:21:06 -0400, Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote:

>Stephen <mcavoysAT@aoldotcom> wrote:
>> http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/comparison/2008/CA-DK-FI-GB-US/
>
>  The "electoral process" gets a flat 10 in that list. I seriously disagree,
>but that's another story.
>
>  (Yes, I know that things are pretty good here in that field compared to
>many other countries, especially the so-called "banana republics", but
>I wouldn't give Finnish electoral system a full 10. Maybe a 9. There are
>details which really grind my gears.)

There are so many ways to make comparisons that it sometimes seems meaningless. 
A score of 10 is a bit suspect IMO unless Finland is taken as the standard :)
Life expectancy and Infant mortality are good indicators. I was a bit surprised
that Finland scores 3 on Willingness to fight against the UK and USA's 2.
Initially I only looked at the ranking but looking a bit further at the figures
I see that the UK has 0% for "Number of visitors as % of domestic population" In
2001 there were 22.8 million tourists that travelled to the UK with 11.5 million
visiting London. No wonder it feels so crowded.
I don't trust this site completely but then that's internet rule #1 (in my book)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

Post a reply to this message

Warp wrote:
> Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> 
>>Every week I face classrooms of people who often are turning to cab 
>>driving as a refuge of last resort.  When they find that once again they 
>>have to crack open books and face rote-learning challenges some are 
>>openly discouraged and humiliated, others react with extreme hostility 
>>and defensiveness.
> 
> 
>   What is it with the western culture that makes studying and intellectuality
> a good thing and a shame, all at the same time?
> 
Two replies.

First, the particular point I was trying to make was that some people 
really don't have the 'lights' for it, or possibly, have the ability but 
never acquired the skills. So the situation is very embarrassing for 
them.  For instance, I preach writing things by rote to help memorize 
them.  Suppose writing is an excruitiating and nearly impossible task?

On a different tack, there may some circumstances and people where it 
might be argued that study is really an escape from the world,... 
guiltily so.  In other words at some point in ones development you have 
to cope with the world beyond books.

Post a reply to this message

Warp wrote:
>   There are other things which you should consider more seriously.

I don't need to consider subtleties after *that* show-stopper. ;-)

> For instance, you might not need to fill tax forms ever, but OTOH you'll
> be paying quite a lot *more* taxes than in the US.

I expected that, yes.

>   And do you even know how much gasoline/diesel costs here? An American
> would drop his jaw into the ground if he saw it. Translated to the US
> units, gasoline is about 9.5 dollars/gallon, and diesel is 8.3.

But you have good public transit, yes?  When I've been on vacation in 
Europe for weeks at a time, I never rent a car.  In the USA, it's really 
difficult to live most places without a car, except maybe in the middle 
of a big city.

>   Oh, and cars cost almost double what they cost, for example, in Germany
> because of all the taxes. (In Germany, IIRC, a tax of 16% is put on the
> price of sold cars, while in Finland it's something like 96%.)

That's high. Here it's usually closer to 30% all told on a car.

>   Not only that, you have to pay mandatory annual car insurance (good
> thing, I suppose) as well as a mandatory annual car tax (you receive
> nothing in return, it's a *pure* tax for simply *owning* a car, without
> any benefits).

Same here. Well, I mean, the taxes go towards upkeep of the roads and 
such, but it's not like you directly see the money come back to your 
pocket. California car taxes are exceptionally high because we're so 
"progressive" here. :-)

Heck, you have to pay $100/year if you send in the form that says "I own 
the car, but I'm not going to drive it at all."  And if you change your 
mind and you *do* drive it, you wind up with a huge penalty/interest/etc.

You have to pay $10/month to the water company if you don't want them to 
run pipes to your house because you have (say) a well on your farm or 
something. Never quite understood that one.

>   Own a TV (or, for that matter, any device capable of decoding TV
> signal)? Tax.

Not quite that here, no. But you pay to receive the signal at all in 
most places, by paying the cable company. We never got a TV tax, but 
then we never got government television stations either.

> Own a house? Tax. Own land? Tax. Inherit some money or
> property from a relative? Tax. Win a car abroad and want to bring it
> to Finland? You'll have to pay almost the original price of the car
> in taxes.

Yep, yep, yep, yep. America has all those taxes.  Probably not quite as 
high, but we have em. I think the property tax on my house in California 
is something like $5000 or $6000 a year, around 1% plus "melo roos", 
which is interest on the bonds the local government sold to build 
schools and stuff. (Long story, that.) Plus taxes on water, sewage, 
trash collection, phone service, etc etc etc. Basically, everything has 
sales tax, and all the utility services have taxes on top of that. Phone 
service is a favorite dumping ground for taxes - probably 40% of my 
phone bill each month is 3% tax this, $5 tax that...

Oh, and we have "gift tax."  Someone gives you a million dollars as a 
present? Please give half to the government, thanks.

>   On the plus side, you'll usually get a fast broadband internet connection
> for a quite moderate price here.

And your government doesn't seem to treat citizens like the enemy, as 
well. :-)

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

Post a reply to this message

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:13:03 +0300, Eero Ahonen wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> 
>> I'm just waiting to see how many get the reference. ;-)
> 
> I think very few, if any, would have gotten it without my second
> message.

I'll be one of the very few, then. ;-)

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:32:40 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

>>> All I can say is that IME, as soon as you ask somebody about a job
>>> they instantly say "how many years experience do you have?" If you say
>>> some number less than 3, suddenly nobody wants to know you. I have no
>>> idea what the hell is so special about 3, but what ever. Employers
>>> seem completely uninterested in what qualifications you have, only how
>>> much experience you have.
>> 
>> How long have you been where you are now?
> 
> Far too long. (At any rate, much longer than 3 years!)

Then you've got at least 3 years of experience.  So that's something.

Jim

Post a reply to this message