Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

PasturesNew

Oh dear... so I really didn't know what a curator was

I've never been in an art place ... er gallery?

sss555s

PasturesNew wrote: »

Oh dear... so I really didn't know what a curator was

I've never been in an art place ... er gallery?

I keep telling ya to install google dictionary on chrome...




Edit: https://chrome.google.com/extensions


:beer:

lemonjelly

vivatifosi wrote: »

It's amazing how much times have changed since we were kids Pastures. I grew up in a different country and poor. I didn't realise as a child that the reason my Mum was so thin (5 and 1/2 stones) was because she was saving the food for my brother and me and living off what could be grown in the garden. We were seriously, seriously poor. Yet still, we lived in a house and had running water and a toilet, albeit an outside one. We weren't at risk from Malaria etc, we got to go to school, if we were ill there was a doctor we could go to. I still can't believe that my circumstances have changed for the better so much, yet the majority of the world still lives in conditions far worse than those I grew up in.

It makes me very angry when people - not around these parts I hasten to add - gob off about not being able to afford the latest trainers or mobile phones. Although I'm not a mother my own upbringing makes me painfully aware of what Sue feels about the freezer. I don't talk about it much because my Mum got so ill she almost died, but I totally get this bit of the conversation, even if I do try and change it and talk about glib stuff like F1 because its a bit painful.

I'm a child of the 70's/80's. I can honestly say personally, I've never experienced true poverty in the same way I am sure that many here have.

My parents have always been pretty frugal - though my dad in particular is happy to spend money on something he really wants, after he has contemplated it a lot, done the maths etc. I remember as a child him buying a car, & telephoning 2 seperate dealers, with them knocking off £2 each call, until 1 refused to go any lower.

Since my parents became ill, they have become less concerned with saving money. With encouragement, they will buy stuff (managed to talk mum into going on a cruise a few years ago, finally! She loved it, & has been on another since). They are more at ease with spending their hard-earned/saved.

They have instilled a lot of the frugal/saving nature into me. Some of my friends are aware I am careful with money. My closer friends will openly call me tight!;) I must admit, that a number of my friends do not know how much I earn. There is a part of me that would be worried as to how they may re-act.

That said, disposable income has dropped, as since parents became ill, I pay most of the household bills (hence having a 2nd job).

But I have many friends who live on/close to the poverty line. I have spent time with parents/grandparents discussing "what it was like" to cut up cereal packets to line shoes etc. And as most of you know, I have, for most of my life, worked with many people who are in underclasses of sorts, or who experience poverty in one form or another.

2 things jump out at me. One, is to agree wholeheartedly with the particular section of Viva's post, where narrow minded and selfish individuals bemoan their lot, when actually what they are unhappy about is their desires outstripping their means. I have said before, students who come to see me here at work generally all have blackberry's or iphones. These items are, I believe, expensive, as are the contracts. Yet they come & see me advising they can't pay for their course, or even can't travel to college as the bus fare is too high. The cars on the student car park are also more expensive, and newer than the cars on the staff car park.

However I would also say, that in my time I have met so many people, who have adapted, learned, come up with the means to be able to cope, provide, and adapt to some ridiculously difficult circumstances. When I meet these people, it lifts my heart to see how adaptable human beings can be, yet at the same time, saddens me when I recall the first group, reminding me also how shallow some of us can be.

I am grateful to people like my parents, family, and people who are my true friends that I believe I fall into the second group.:)

lemonjelly

vivatifosi wrote: »

An update on the reading list. I've picked up and started reading this book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Teach-Quantum-Physics-Your/dp/1851687793/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288128439&sr=8-1

Having married someone with a science PhD, I thought after 20 years I should at least make an effort to try and understand some of it. I know that this will be a bit hard in places, but the fact the author addresses his comments on Quantum Physics to his dog seems to make it a lot easier to understand. I at least now know that wave particle duality exists, even if I don't fully get it. Missk Lydia and the big science brains might laugh at my selection but I will try and get to the end. Unlike Stephen Hawking, where I didn't get beyond the dust jacket.

Looks kinda interesting Viva. I know a couple of my friends who would describe that as a "boy book".
On a similar theme, have you read:


It is one which is on my list to read.

I'm almost finished on this:


Not sure what I'll start next, though it'll be next week at least before I'm ready to go for a new book...

lemonjelly

LIR I finally managed to figure out the toob!
ad major issues with buses, we wanted to do buses, but found it very difficult to obtain bus maps, until the very last day...typical!

And of course, we got to London on the 24th, the day of which there were major works on the toob, so that was a bumma!

Kings cross was actually closer to our hotel than Farringdon in the end, so we used that as our starter/stopper. We tended to invest in the off-peak travel card (£5.60 a day) as we could use that on buses, had we worked them out! We managed to figure a bus route from kings cross to our hotel - which was fortunate given my friends foot.

Sunday we did a Jack the Ripper walk with Donald Rumbelow. He wrote this book:

here he is in action

This caused problems, as it starts at tower hill, & we managed to finally get there, but it is a 90 minute walk, & we then struggled to get back, as we had no idea what bus to catch, & there was no toob service! End result was my friends foot was particularly sore!

Monday we did the Natural History Museum. The naieve idea was the morning in there, with the afternoon in the science museum. At opening time, we stepped into the NHM, & got kicked out at clsing time, having not had the chance to see everything we wanted to see!

The evening we did little - went & checked out westminster, but ended up having an early one, as the foot was still playing up from the day before.

Tuesday we did tower bridge, (did think about the museum they have, but not enough time). Went to the tower of london (& spent 5 hours in there! We then went on to London Dungeons, using an MSE voucher. That said, it was raining, & the queue was big, so we upgraded. The London Dungeons though were very very good. Whilst expensive, it is an experience. Not worth it withouit the voucher I have to say...(£24!!!!:eek: per person!!!:eek:)

I also have to say, as a slight digression, that I ethically have certain issues with the priority schemes they have - pay extra, go to the front of the queue. Even though we took advantage at the time, it doesn't sit well with me.

I did want to do London Bridge museum, & London Tombs, but cost & time got in the way of that one too.

Wednesday we went to the Bank of England, & it's museum (thanks to Inspector Monkfish for recommending it!:)). Later on, as there were so many things we hadn't got around to seeing, we got on one of the sightseeing buses. I must admit, £25 is steep. Very steep. Partially I wished we'd done it earlier, as they throw in a number of extras that I bet most people don't take advantage of (river cruises, complimentary walks etc) & we'd have done those if we'd got the tickets on another earlier day, but that is our own fault. Initially, we had some young chap as the guide, very so-so. After a few stops though, he swapped with an older guy who was fascinating, very knowledgable, and really knew his stuff & what he was talking about. Found him to be exceptional, & when the tour finished I wanted to take him down the pub to talk some more. He was very passionate, & an excellent guide.

Thing is, I've come back with a bigger list of stuff to do there next time!

The other thing is, a lot of London is set up to really milk a lot of money out of people. A lot of stuff is very expensive. At the same time, a lot of good stuff is free. It is a case of mix & match.

the last thing is, don't go in half term week! Though I don't know whether stuff would be quieter at any other times of year (& I mean transport systems AND venues/museums!)

LydiaJ

vivatifosi wrote: »

An update on the reading list. I've picked up and started reading this book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Teach-Quantum-Physics-Your/dp/1851687793/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288128439&sr=8-1

Having married someone with a science PhD, I thought after 20 years I should at least make an effort to try and understand some of it. I know that this will be a bit hard in places, but the fact the author addresses his comments on Quantum Physics to his dog seems to make it a lot easier to understand. I at least now know that wave particle duality exists, even if I don't fully get it. Missk Lydia and the big science brains might laugh at my selection but I will try and get to the end. Unlike Stephen Hawking, where I didn't get beyond the dust jacket.

Somehow didn't notice this when you first posted it, viva.

Firstly, I'm not a big science brain (at least I don't think of myself as such and I've forgotten almost all the science I learnt at university and only remember the stuff up to A level that I teach). I would never laugh at anyone reading science books at any level. And I've never actually read any Hawking.

Secondly, could you do me a favour and let me know what it's like when you've read it? It sounds like just the sort of thing we'd like to put on our list of recommended books for interested sixth-formers to try if they want to go a bit beyond what the syllabus requires - but only if it's any good, of course.

Likewise, LJ, would you recommend "Bad Science"? If so, I'll check that our school library has got it. That sounds like one I would enjoy reading myself, but I'm not optimistic about finding the time for it.

lemonjelly

Lydia, it isn't a book I've got round to reading yet. It was recommended by a friend.
My understanding is that it highlights how people carrying out bad scientific practise can be counter-productive to science as a whole. It shows how to see through the gobble-di-gook, false/misleading claims (especially in adverts and the like), and is designed to make science & scientific claims accessible to the lay person.

I have a number of lists, including a books list. Whenever I discuss/see/hear about a book that captures my attention, I add it to the list. Bad science was recommended to me a year or so ago. It must have done enough for me to add it to the list!

silvercar

I enjoyed John O'Farrell's "May contain nuts" but I found his "Things can only get better" tedious; a 200 page moan by him how he could have done better for himself had he been born at a different point. Didn't "May contain nuts" get dramatised for TV? I'm not convinced that JO can do an unimpartial anything, never mind 2000 year history.

misskool

LydiaJ wrote: »

Likewise, LJ, would you recommend "Bad Science"? If so, I'll check that our school library has got it. That sounds like one I would enjoy reading myself, but I'm not optimistic about finding the time for it.

I wasn't asked but I'll butt in anyways. I bought a copy of it as someone at work was raving about it. He is a bit ranting but reasonably good at putting his point across about good scientific practice.

The website https://www.badscience.net has a forum and things in it as well.

PasturesNew

So, MissKool ... did you find a Vicar to exorcise your pictures???