http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/02/04/2010-02-04_big_trouble_over_this_tiny_toy_mom_fuming_at_a_lack_of_common_sense_as_son_buste.html
ok, Carl… it was a 2 inch piece of plastic, not 4 or 5 inches of metal! You person, get an honorary facedesk. You should really go and remember your days (or day) at school. I remember when kids would pull up with shotguns in the gun racks in their trucks and park for the day b/c they just got out of the field from hunting, or plan on going out right after school. (yeah i know, i grew up in a backwater red-neck type of town)

The problem with schools nowadays is that they don’t teach students to use the word nowadays.

To sum it up, this boy was very nearly suspended for bringing in a lego toy gun, 2" in size.

I can relate to this because my son when he was in second grade very nearly was suspended for "terrorist threats" on another student while playing cops and robbers, he pointed his loaded finger at the student shouting, "Stop, Police, halt or I’ll shoot."

What would you have done in either situation?
Because it’s asked in the parenting section as to how parents would handle this situation if it were their child, but hey, if you are a caregiver of a child whom you did not contribute genetically to and would like to reply, knock your socks off.

people have become too sensitive these days. hell, when i was little we could carry around squirtguns no problem, but now it’s all "you can’t have that multi colored plastic gun, someone might think it’s real"

Again: a 2 INCH LEGO PLASTIC GUN!!!

Something like this can only happen in the USA.

Imagine something like this happening in Canada, in Europe, in Japan, in Austrlia, etc. Well, I can’t!

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/02/04/2010-02-04_big_trouble_over_this_tiny_toy_mom_fuming_at_a_lack_of_common_sense_as_son_buste.html#ixzz0eb8UWXaG

The kid did NOT actually get suspended. The principal WANTED to suspend him but was over ruled.

The principal should be terminated though. That lack of common sense and blatant stupidity is one of the many issues that is making our school system the worst of the industrialized nation.

HELP ME

humping and bumping is good for your soul you should tell her then if she trys to eat pickles beat her with ur grannys denture cream then steel an asian cat babys pickle jar and insert it into the key hole at the back one acctivated press the key on ur left then suddenly icecream will eject forcefully out of her eyes

hav fun with her boyfriends shes just over reacting but shell get over it i hope he pleasured ur treasure like a real man shood or else fill him out then beat him with ur nana

I know when you’re a teenager you go through a lot of changes. Recently, my brother got his ears pierced and has decided not to go to his high school graduation. I was a little disappointed but I respect his decision. People tell me that he really looks up to me. I never really thought too much about that. I just try to give as much as I can to him because I really love him. I always tell him I am very proud of him and no matter what I will always be there to support him. I try to encourage him to dream and to find a passion in life because he’s really smart and has a lot of potential to succeed in life. But sometimes, I feel like I am too hard on him because I want him to do well. Although I am not that old yet, I sort of forgot what it was like being a teenager. Sometimes I feel like I am not understanding enough and can end up getting mad at my brother for things that are not that important to him but are important to me. I really don’t like to get mad at him, because it always really hurts me to see him sad and quiet after I get mad at him.

I would like some support and some advice on how to be a better brother for this supposedly "crazy" time in his life. Thank you!

You sound like your doing a great job. He’s your little brother, and you obviously want him to be great and do awesome things. Just try and remember that he is only 18, and he’s kind of figuring out who is. You can encourage him to dream big, and have a passion for something, but like you said, your his brother. I have four younger brothers, and I know what you mean, so I speak from experience. You’ve already shown him that you’ll be there for him, and he knows that. Just continue to support him, and show him that you respect him. You might have already done this, but ask him what he wants to do in the long, he might start looking at life differently. Well, I hope everything works out.

They are just a set of reactions with structural compounds of certain functional groups (god knows how many exist) which change and bond to something else during a reaction (like playing with Lego, moving atoms and god knows what happens to them, they bond/double bond, form ions, this and that happens in acidic conditions, not with alkali conditions, nucleophiles come in and pick their noses in other compounds’ business… all that crap…excuse me for the word here chemists..).

*Memorizing* (this is a key word here) reagents needed for each specific reaction and the conditions which it has to be done along with each and every functional group’s properties, their preparation, reactions and idk what else..

I think all of this should just be set in tabular forms or charts or w/e for reference (like the Periodic table, god bless you Dimitri Mendeleev) because such information should not be memorized. It’s a matter of knowing the material that requires logical thinking because I only regard education and learning to be in that sense. (yah, surprisingly, I admit that there is some logic stuff, although I find it extremely rare).

I’m not disregarding the importance of organic chemistry in our lives in any way, as a matter of fact I know how important this branch of chemistry is in applying it in the manufacture og plastics, drugs, petrochemicals etc… but this is the way I feel about it from the way they teach it in school.

At the end of the day, I get frustrated and go through my physics material to get me some comfort and to get away from all of these terrible headaches I would’ve suffered from studying organic chemistry.

What do you all think?

I know I’m right, and that’s it……

P.S:
Organic chemistry sucks.
Note:

The statements above are not intended to insult anyone by any means; they are just a point of view.

So, all of you chemists out there, I respect you but there’s something wrong in your discipline.
People and their misunderstandings… I, sir, always get the best marks in my chemistry tests, I did NOT write this because I failed in this topic…

And the "question too long" answer, it may be true but you didn’t have to state it, you don’t want to read just move on to another question.

You are right! As a chemist, I was glad to get learning it over with. Unfortunately, you learn for an additional ‘lifetime’ in industry. I was fortunate to specialize in inorganic chemistry (glass melting). Believe it or not, organic is easy compaired to bio-organic stuff. All chemistry requires memory. When you specialize in industry in chemistry, you memorize what you need and keep your reference books and people with better memory handy. As far as being organized, you should have seen the mess in 1963. The topics has so many catagories and the newer students are different now. We learned much by rote, your generation by operating principles. The reactions (only about 200 to memorize!) are operating principals. My generation provided better tools to understand reactions, yours will provide computer simulations and software to eliminate many trial and error experiments.
You find comfort in Physics. Much rote learning of formulas until you learn to derive what you need. With luck, you will have profs who will recognize your problems and offer help. Mine recognized that I was best in the lab and not good with memory.
Now for the bad news— Most of what goes on in industrial chemistry goes on with simple reactions, catalysts, high pressure and temperature using about 100 chemicals available by the railroad car.
It’s only in the research lab and on CSI that the full range of chemistry is practiced.

I’m 19yrs old and am at a crossroads.

Ever since i was a young child, i always loved "building things". From lego’s to LED circuits to modifying my car, i have always had a knack for building. I guess you could say i am pretty talented with my hands… my dad has it, his grandfather had it, we just know how to build

I’ve never really been the greatest student in school- middle school had all A’s, earlier years in HS got A’s and B’s, towards senior year of HS more like B’s and C’s.. and some D’s….

When i graduated high school i thought i would go into engineering since i knew i was good at building stuff, figured i could use these talents (to which no one else seems to have…) to make some good money doing something i like.

Last year, during my first year at the University of Rode Island in the engineering program, took the same classes all engineers took, like Calc 1, Physics 1, Chem 1, later on took calc 2, phy 2, statics, dynamics….

My grades have been sucky, REALLY sucky. I guess you could say it’s just because i don’t like it. I hate math, period. Physics is confusing to me, i just don’t like it. Even statics and dynamics is just boring to me… strength of materials? BORING…

I don’t know if i want to be an engineer afterall. What is engineering after all?? If all i’m gonna do is sit behind a desk and to math and stuff, it’s def not for me.

I thought engineering would be more like working on CAD or sketching/drawing, but i guess that’s more "design" than engineering which seems to be more math.

I’ve taken Calc II two times now, can’t seem to get better than a D. I just don’t "get it". I failed Physics III, failed dynamics. It’s just boring!

I used to think i just wanted to be an engineer only because of the salary. I really liked the idea of starting out at 80k a year working my way up to the hundreds, but now i don’t think it would be worth it.

I’ve dropped out of school for the moment, since i can’t seem to pass these damn classes… I’m thinking of going into technology education, which i think would be better for me. I’d have nice hours, where as an engineer id have to work 5635 hours a day and have little "me-time". I’d have summers off where i could work on hobbies etc, and get to spend more time with family. My father’s been a teacher for 33 years, has his BS, MS and is dept head at a high school, he makes 77k a year. That’s after 33 years!!!!!!!

I keep telling myself the money isn’t everything, that’s until i see a Bentley drive by and i have to get into my 1988 toyota that doesn’t have working heat… =/

What do you think i should do? Any help/suggestions appreciated!

First, I want to dispel your thinking about a great starting salary. You will not be starting at 80k unless you are hired with a masters degree in some place like New York City. I would say the average starting salary for engineering is probably in the mid 50’s. This is also very dependent on the type of engineering you are interested in. For civil or mechanical you will likely be closer to the mid 50’s. For other fields like electrical or chemical you may start higher depending on the economy. I started about 10 years ago in the low 40’s and now make in the upper 80’s low 90’s so you will have the ability to get good raises is if you are willing to work hard.

Second, as others have mentioned you will not necessarily be using math and physics every day at your job. In my entire engineering career I have never solved a differential equation at work. Most of the high level calculations are done with software. However, it is important that you understand the concepts because the software often does not take into account all of the possible issues involved in solving a complex problem. So, it is important for the engineer to be able to recognize potential issues and resolve them.

Third, if you enjoy designing and CAD work then maybe you should become a CAD technician. I know we are always looking for good CAD people, especially if they want to become involved in learning about design. The problem with most people is that they want to know only enough to collect a paycheck. If you are willing to become involved in learning about design then you can become more involved in the design aspect. You may find that if you become a CAD technician it will give you a better understanding of the real world aspects of math and physics and you may be able to go back to school at your employer’s expense to get an engineering degree.

I would recommend sitting down with a career counselor at your university and discussing your concerns. He or she may have some good insight as well.

However I really regret the things I said to him the last two days. On Thursday he texted me and he told me he he got his ears pierced and on Friday he told me he is not going to his high school graduation because he’s going back to china for a few weeks to see his family and this conflicts with his schedule. He’s going to get his diploma and graduate. He’s just not going to walk for graduation. When he told me this, I just blew up on him. I told him that he didn’t even talk to me about skipping his graduation. I told him that I wanted to go to his graduation for the longest time and he just decided to not to go. Then I said to him, " I wish you would be more serious about your education in the future." Then later, I said, " do whatever you want, why should I care about your life. It’s your life do whatever you want." I have never ever spoke to him like that before and I know I hurt him because when we were in the car, he just fell silent. Then later when he wanted to pay for lunch, I just took the bill from him and said, " you don’t have money. I’ll pay."

I really really regret what I said to him because he didn’t do anything wrong. He’s going to graduate but he’s not going to walk for graduation because he misses his family in China a lot. I called him last night and apologized and he told me that he forgives me and everything is okay and that he still loves me. But my heart is still very heavy with regret because I know I hurt him. I was suppose to be happy that he’s finally going to go back to see his family in China but instead I got angry over something that is not even that important to him. I’m afraid he now sees me as a very unreasonable and not understanding brother . I really love this kid a lot and the last thing I want to do is hurt him. I’m afraid he’s not going to want to tell me anything anymore because he thinks I’m going to blow up again on him. I’m afraid I might lose him. Do you think I made a big mistake?

you tell your brother that you really care for him..and that is true… you didn’t make a BIG mistake though, you were just too protective, you just love him, and you expected that you’d be there on his graduation… you should have not blown-up to him, when you know what the results might come…there are a lot of things that your brother is thinking right now…. i know.. but you can cope things up, start your bond again… he wont refuse you, he’s lucky to have you…
goodluck

I was in 6th grade when I first read this article in a book from my grandfathers’ home library. I tore it from the book and kept it with me; from that time I became aware of my inclination to study engineering.
My interest in engineering started at a very tender age. It all began with my 5th birthday present, a Lego kit. Spaceships, castles, houses, fortress, cars, and pirate ships are just some example of the countless projects I have built with it. Legos have had an immense impact on my life. They did not only shape my childhood, but also the person that I became today. They were the jumping off point for other projects that I completed throughout my adolescence as well as for my decision in choosing engineering for major.
Engineering, I admit, fascinates me in many ways. One thing that interests me in it is the use of group work and team work to achieve a common goal. In engineering we see that one cannot complete the task alone but when a group combines forces it can come out with the much desired product. One of the first times I really experienced it was in 11th grade, when I had to deal with the mechanical parts of Boreas, our rocket project, while my other friends were dealing with propulsion, economy, and strategy. Through team work much progress has been achieved, and I’m sure that as a Ipora student I will be privileged by the college’s diversity. I know that diversity of cultures, race, opinions and ideas are fundamental keys in any area of study, especially in engineering, where team work is at the basics of the course.
Besides that, I see in engineering the golden opportunity to fight for a better world. I know that it may seem a bit cliché, but once one lives in a society like mine, the Brazilian, it gets almost impossible not caring about society problems, such as social disparity and hunger. Looking at these issues, I think that as a Ipora engineer I would have more chances to help solving them, for example there are hundreds of my city’s inhabitants who live in the ‘favelas’ or the slums where drug trafficking and violence is at the highest. These slums are excluded from access of basic services like water and electricity. I believe that with good engineering skills we can find solutions for these slums by finding ways of providing cheaper sources of power and clean water. With a Ipora education I know I will be connected to real-world problems and that I’ll "get my hands dirty” by transforming the theory in practical projects via group research projects.
I have always known that engineering is the right tool for a better world, and with a Ipora education I’m sure I can achieve that; that as a member of the ‘Big Green’ community I’ll be better suited for that.

nice. I agree.
It seems a bit ideal/unrealistic/unoriginal, considering you were in "6th grade."