Nataly

This is not a great scenario because we (the reader) do not know what those judgements were based on. If they *were* in relation to race alone, then your scenario implies that both candidates are exactly the same apart from colour, which is simply not possible. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Extra irony points for using logical and religion in the same sentence. Religion is just the tool they use to manipulate others. Like any tool, education is needed to properly use. But wait, religion does not like to be questioned as it can't stand up to scrutiny. In fact the more truly educated one becomes on religions, the less and less plausible they become. I'm not saying we should ban religion, but it definitely needs to be removed from all government. I'd much prefer athiest leaders that don't think they are doing "God's work", "What Jesus wants", "Allah's will", etc. and are focused solely on what's best for the mortal plane, not the afterlife. Agree with you completely. With the only addition that just as religion can be used as a tool to encourage "bad" acts, so too can it be used to encourage "good" ones. Karl Marx said it well: "Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opiate of the masses." It *does* serve a purpose, but I still agree with you. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Oh noooo!!! So cringe-worthy! Poor guys! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Explain how allowing a man to marry a man results in a man abusing a boy more than allowing a man to marry a woman allows a man to abuse a girl? Unless you can show evidence that folks who have engaged in heterosexual marriage don't commit the same crimes, your point is moot. This argument reminds me of the idea that gay couples shouldn't adopt because it would turn the child gay... I can never reconcile that with the obvious fact that 99.999999999% of gay people's parents were straight... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I would just like to point out that the above in no way refutes or weakens what I was saying. You're simply throwing out silly propositions, which don't strengthen your position, IMO. I think it's unlikely they adjusted the pass-rate on a mere whim. I think it's far more likely they thought long and hard about it and made a judgement call on a new pass rate. The original pass-rate was also a judgement call. Any cut-off point is a judgement call, and any judgement call should be subject to reasonable re-evaluation, given the right circumstances. In this case, it sounds like there was a real need to hire more candidates. Everyone is free to question the soundness of lowering the pass-rate, but you are mistaken if you believe that this is an isolated incident - this sort of thing happens all the time, across many, many, many occupations. The fact is that only time will tell whether it was a good decision. Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't. I just personally doubt that the "bumped-up" candidates will be grossly unfit to be police officers. At least no more so than the candidates who obtained only a marginal pass. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

His anti-Islamic rhetoric is extreme and incendiary... How can you trust what a man says about Islam when he spent a lifetime promoting extreme hatred of Israel by (almost) any means? Now his goal is to destroy Islam... It looks to me like he moved from one extreme position to another. Are there inconsistencies in the Quran? Are there inconsistencies in the Bible? If people twist and misuse the preachings/values of a religion, I don't think it's logical to claim that the religion is the problem... If someone uses a passage out of context or deliberately changes the meaning of what it actually says, the fault lies with the person and not the text. I'm not saying Islam is a good or a bad religion, but that his arguments against the religion are not logical. Especially if he himself is saying whatever is necessary to destroy Islam (even if it's misleading, out of context, or just plain false), which seems highly likely. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well, it's basically what the DOJ is saying. You are just being more blunt about it. Right, but being blunt and not caring what sounds racist, I do agree with others here that considerations should be made with respect to lowering those standards. Personal character and integrity are more important than IQ scores. Would you also support lowering the qualifications to be an airline pilot? Should the government force the airlines to hire pilots who failed the tests? Should skydiving instructors pass students who fail to pass AFF course objectives? Should teachers who can't pass tests be given jobs teaching your children? Should College Professors pass medical students based on failing test scores just to reach racial parity? How much more dumbing down in our society do you find acceptable? Do you really think none of those trades adjust pass-rates?? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

That reminds me of the time I phoned my internet provider to tell them I couldn't connect to the internet - there was no signal. They asked me to email them about it. I told them I couldn't email because I HAD NO CONNECTION. They told me to go to the FAQ section of their website. I hung up. If it hurts you to talk, why are you even answering the phone??? Don't you have an answering machine? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

It would be interesting to follow the careers of the people whose results got bumped up... Tests are predictors of performance. Even good predictors are not perfect. Cut-off points are slightly arbitrary... What is the real difference between 1% point, for instance?? Let's say you need 50% to pass... Take someone who scored 49% on the test and one who got 50% - is the person who scored 49% totally incapable of doing the job compared to the person who scored 50%?? Give both of them the same job - are you 100% sure that the candidate who scored marginally higher will be the better worker? Test scores are adjusted all the time... If there had been 300000 candidates, all with exceptionally high scores, they wouldn't have been able to hire all of them, so they would have *raised* their hiring standards. Of course, intuitively, it's difficult to object to this, but it seems unlikely that the hiring authorities would have selected grossly inappropriate candidates just to fill in a gap. It seems more likely that some people with only marginally low scores were given a chance. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Translation: These tests were designed by whites and that's why blacks do so poorly on them. Truth: You have no idea who designed these tests. For all you know it was a Black Psycholgist in conjumction with Black Social workers and Black Chiefs of Police. You white liberal guilt is showing. No. I was saying that it's possible that the people failing the tests are not the same people who created the tests. I was also saying that they may have other useful qualities that are not being measured as a result. ETA - Thanks Wendy - totally agree with your post (the non-sarcastic stuff!) Huh??? Why would anyone think the people failing the tests are the ones who designed them? The tests were ;ikely designed by psychologists familiar with what character traits make a good police officer. This isn't a test of math skills or history. From the news article: So even the NAACP recognises the test as being valid to determine the qualifications to be a Police Officer. I for one would not want one of these officers who failed the test backing me up in a dangerous situation. Holy crap. Perhaps I should have written "it's possible that the *kind* of people failing the tests are not the same *kind* of people who created the tests". You're not objecting to what I'm saying, but my grammar. And you're deliberately ignoring my point: perhaps the test isn't a good one. Even if the NAACP thinks it is. Which by the way is not what they are saying, but granted it is implied. And finally, I'm not saying this is definitely the case; I'm merely suggesting it as a possibility. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Oh, we have anal-retentive dickheads here for sure, but I am one Canuck that has zero issues with nudity. Male or Female. But I'm sure you meant to make your point in a more generalized way. Although I agree that North-Americans are generally a tad too prudish, I still think it's (*usually*) inappropriate to waste company time browsing the net - NSFW or not. If I employed someone, I wouldn't give a damn if they were on a "safe" site or watching a girl getting banged by 2 men - the point is they are being paid to *work* and not to waste company time/money on the internet. I worked with a colleague who spent all her time on Facebook. It was tremendously irritating because whilst she was sitting there idle, the rest of the team was over-worked to compensate. Fucking wrong. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Translation: These tests were designed by whites and that's why blacks do so poorly on them. Truth: You have no idea who designed these tests. For all you know it was a Black Psycholgist in conjumction with Black Social workers and Black Chiefs of Police. You white liberal guilt is showing. No. I was saying that it's possible that the people failing the tests are not the same people who created the tests. I was also saying that they may have other useful qualities that are not being measured as a result. ETA - Thanks Wendy - totally agree with your post. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

"They" are angry because of their religious beliefs and the leaders that corrupt and use them to manipulate their followers. There's a simple system for detecting how potentially dangerous a group is. The more unprovable things they base their cause on (such as religion) the more dangerous they can be. I do not think it's right (or accurate) to point the finger exclusively in their direction. I do not think their anger is enflamed *only* by crazy religious fanaticism. I think it's hypocritical and false to assume that our countries do not contribute to the problem. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

The problem with tests (including IQ tests) is that their validity/usefulness relies heavily on the people who designed them in the first place. This often means that certain sub-groups score poorly irrespective of whether they are clever or not because while they may lack the qualities being looked for, they may have other qualities that are simply not being measured/recognised. For example, you may test for numeracy skills when recruiting for an accountant, but this will not help you find someone with common-sense... Personally, I would rather hire an accountant who has a lot of common sense than a human-calculator. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

For me, Muslim extremists inspire more fear because deep down I think we know they have a lot of valid reasons for being angry. I find it deeply ironic that the "solution" proposed to get rid of individual terrorists was to invade entire countries and kill many people in the process (including many innocent civilians)... Perhaps Muslim extremists are dangerous because they have nothing to lose. Perhaps we should look more seriously into why they have nothing to lose. Perhaps we should be more honest about how our nations contribute to their disempowerment and do something about *that*. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Yep... A lot of the judgements made during interviews have little to do with whether the interviewee can do the job or not... And an awful lot of interviewers don't ask the right questions to properly determine whether the candidate is the right person for the job. Trouble is, people don't trust the alternatives (aptitude/skills/personality tests). And perhaps with good reason... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

People's views on sex/marriage are largely socially constructed. The idea that one behaviour is "good" and another is "bad" often has little to do with the purely biological function of sex (that is, to procreate). The fact that we include many non-reproductive acts in our sexual repartoire shows that sex serves purposes other than procreation (ie: it's just plain "fun"!). Marriage, too, is mostly a social construct. You could argue that it has its roots in religion, but you could equally argue that religion is a man-made concept anyway. The point is that some people are opposed to gay marriages because it doesn't fit their idea of what a marriage "should" be. But the reality is that just like sex is not just for procreation, marriage is not just about religious / legal unions. Many feel that mariage is a way to celebrate a loving union. Religions have a right to deny gay marriages based on legitimate religious beliefs against gay unions. But when secular institutions deny gays the right to marry, that is descrimination - pure and simple. You may not like the idea of two men or two women loving each other but that alone is not a valid reason to say they should not get married, IMO. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

+1 "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I've sat on 3 sides... As an interviewee, as a recruiter (ie: at a Recruitment Firm), and finally as an interviewer (with 2 companies I worked for). It's not clear what you're about to go and do?? Are you being interviewed or are you going to be the one interviewing? Anyhoo, here are some tips off the top of my head: INTERVIEWEE: -the first handshake and how you enter the room *does* make a difference. People make up their mind about you remarkably quickly and the first couple of minutes are KEY. -better to err on the side of "over-dressed" than too casual. -taking notes (IMO) demonstrates that you are interested and you want to get the details right. Just ensure you keep making eye-contact instead of staring at your page... I would recommend writing quickly and in short-hand (as opposed to writing *everything* down)... Good questions include things like: *Can you tell me more about this aspect of the job? *What kind of culture does the organisation have? *Can you tell me more about the team/team-structure? *Is there room for me to grow with the company in the longer term? *When does the role start? (or - When can I expect to hear from you? - careful, this can sound either cheeky or arrogant) INTERVIEWER -Be careful of the "Halos and Horns" effect - a tendency to favourably (or unfavourably) judge an entire person's character based on a brief first impression. -Read the bloody CV before you go into the interview and have some questions already prepared based on their particular CV (why did you leave your last job; can you explain this gap in your CV; why did you change careers; why are all your roles so short, et cetera) -You can ask general questions before the interview formally "starts"... Things like "how was your journey here?" It tests small-talk and personability. It can help you to see what they may be like to work with (as opposed to just looking at their skill-set). Hope this helps?? Sounds like you're in a hurry. Oh yeah... RESEARCH THE COMPANY if you are the interviewee. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Just finished reading "How To Be An Alien" Best review said: "If you are 'English' you will enjoy it. If you are an 'Alien' you will understand it." In any case, it's a good read - even if you are neither! Plus, it's short and has pictures

So true. Just because they make it in your size does not mean you should wear it. This is SOOO true of skinny jeans as well... They are extremely unflattering on almost everyone - why do so many people wear them??? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I think you misunderstood... Why do you assume the girl is the only one who could possibly have baggage?? The "nice guy" has had absolutely nothing at all happen to him in 7 years? Really?? Really??! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

You're assuming that only the girl has made poor dating choices during these 7 years... It's just as likely that the "nice guy" has baggage as well by this point - it's called life... It happens. To everyone. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

The nice person isn't being used if he knowingly and willingly enters the relationship. It's his choice to put himself in that position. I agree to a point. But would you agree that the nice person is getting 'leftovers'? Maybe the nice person's frame of reference is slightly skewed by a lifetime of being ignored as a lesser choice? Well, you could say he is getting leftovers, or you could say that the nice guy wins in the end... Some of the geeks in school that nobody wanted to talk to are successful businessmen later on in life whilst some of the popular "jocks" are the ones collecting unemployment cheques... Life can have a funny way of working out... Depends on your perspective, I think. ETA: absolutely *love* that Craig's list question/response "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I don't buy this. I think you can be nice without letting people take advantage of you. There is a difference between being nice and being a sucker. Sure, give someone the benefit of the doubt maybe once or twice, but if they abuse this trust, don't trust them again - this is not mean, it's common sense. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss