Belgian_Draft

. I hope you watched the England Germany game. Only (6) 5 goals scored, but if you still think it was boring, perhaps basket ball where 200 goals per game is the norm is your best bet. Germany played with no 'superstars', but they were clinical and inventive. Good win. Sorry, no I didn't. Why should I? I didn't care who won, I have never heard of any of the team members, and 5 goals in 120 minutes is still not much action. Let's face it, except for the immediate vicinity of the ball, there isn't mush going on. I actually detest what is called "pro basketball". The rules concerning ball handling(traveling, double dribble, etc) and charging are so loosely enforced one wonders why they are still on the books. My sport of choice is short track auto racing. With a normal feature race being 40 laps or less on a 1/2 mile dirt track, qualifying (heat) races usually 8-10 laps, and speeds approaching 140 mph, the participants cannot lay back and wait for something to happen. It is all out, balls-to-the-wall, take no prisoners competition from the drop of the green flag. Soccer? No thanks, I'll watch the highlights on ESPN. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Even though this was a fine game by any standards, I think you echo the sentiments of most Americans in respect to this sport. And your sentiments are precisely the reason why USA doesn't deserve a world cup let alone a presence in the tournament. I'm sure the people of Ghana will continue celebrating today as they should...second WC in a row that their country bumped USA out of the tournament. Not bad for a nation with 1/10 the population of their opponent. That's kinda like saying the Dallas Cowboys don't deserve new baseball gloves. Though it would be nice, most of them really don't care. Yep, Ghana has a fraction of the US population, but I think you would find there are far more people in Ghana who care for and follow soccer than in the US. That's total numbers, not just percentage. The sport will probably never be as popular here as in the rest of the world. We have football, baseball, basketball, golf, ten gazillion types of motorsports, etc. all competing for viewers. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

It would be impossible to test and verify limits of operation for all circumstances. In this instance cold weather operation was not tested for because it was highly unlikely there would be a launch at freezing or near freezing temps, and the engineers knew that any launch outside tested and verified parameters would be closely scrutinized, which it was. Unfortunately, people who felt they knew more about the operation and safety of the o-rings than those who designed and tested them overruled the engineers and gave the go ahead for launch. I suppose this was just that my friend's dad didn't want to blame others for the fault in the design. Because we all agree on what happened. There was no fault in the design. It was designed, tested, and constructed to operate withing a set of launch parameters provided by NASA. NASA launched outside those parameters against the warnings of those who designed the o-rings. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I will admit this was the very first time I ever watched a soccer game from start to finish. Sorry to say, never again. 120 minutes long and only 3 goals scored. Only slightly more excitement than golf. Just not my thing. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

The years I spent working before going to college taught me how to assess a situation and fix the problem. The time spent in the classroom getting my degree taught me to find the root cause of the problem and change things so that it wouldn't happen again, as well as to prevent problems from happening in the first place. Many "engineering disasters" have been blamed on the engineers who designed the structure when the real cause was somebody who felt they knew more than the engineer and changed something without consulting the engineer. The exploding Ford Pinto gas tank, the Challenger disaster, and the Kansas City Hyatt disaster come immediately to mind when "practical" people second guess engineers. I can think of a couple pipelines that ruptured because the welder felt his experience made his judgement of a weld's quality superior to that of the engineer who wrote the weld procedure. In one instance the weld was made, inspected, and passed yet the welder wasn't happy so he laid an additional (very short) pass at a much lower heat input. This dramatically changed the properties of the weld in that small area and led to failure of the entire joint. Yep, And another for much the same reason; the weld protocol wasn't followed by the "practical" folks. The Kings Bridge collapse in Melbourne, Australia, had similar causes. Another was the Alexander L. Kielland drill rig. It collapsed and took 123 men with it when a seemingly non-critical weld contained a microscopic hydrogen induced crack that opened up from cyclic stress, leading to catastrophic failure. I cite that incident frequently since it is a perfect example of what can happen when somebody doesn't follow protocol and procedure. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

It would be impossible to test and verify limits of operation for all circumstances. In this instance cold weather operation was not tested for because it was highly unlikely there would be a launch at freezing or near freezing temps, and the engineers knew that any launch outside tested and verified parameters would be closely scrutinized, which it was. Unfortunately, people who felt they knew more about the operation and safety of the o-rings than those who designed and tested them overruled the engineers and gave the go ahead for launch. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

The years I spent working before going to college taught me how to assess a situation and fix the problem. The time spent in the classroom getting my degree taught me to find the root cause of the problem and change things so that it wouldn't happen again, as well as to prevent problems from happening in the first place. Many "engineering disasters" have been blamed on the engineers who designed the structure when the real cause was somebody who felt they knew more than the engineer and changed something without consulting the engineer. The exploding Ford Pinto gas tank, the Challenger disaster, and the Kansas City Hyatt disaster come immediately to mind when "practical" people second guess engineers. I can think of a couple pipelines that ruptured because the welder felt his experience made his judgement of a weld's quality superior to that of the engineer who wrote the weld procedure. In one instance the weld was made, inspected, and passed yet the welder wasn't happy so he laid an additional (very short) pass at a much lower heat input. This dramatically changed the properties of the weld in that small area and led to failure of the entire joint. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

"The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked" Psalm 58:10 The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides By the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, Shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger Those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." -Jules Winnfield Gotta have one of these if you're going to recite those lines. http://www.bmfwallets.com/ HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

"The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked" Psalm 58:10 HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

The years I spent working before going to college taught me how to assess a situation and fix the problem. The time spent in the classroom getting my degree taught me to find the root cause of the problem and change things so that it wouldn't happen again, as well as to prevent problems from happening in the first place. Many "engineering disasters" have been blamed on the engineers who designed the structure when the real cause was somebody who felt they knew more than the engineer and changed something without consulting the engineer. Many, many lives have been lost because of those who learned all they needed to know without bothering with a formal education. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

That is exactly the situation I was in at one time. Go for it! You won't regret it! Well, not after you get your degree. I can only promise you that there will be times when you will be ready to say "fuck it" and give up on your goal, there will be times when you have to decide whether to eat or buy books, and there will be times when you feel you have to be the biggest fool ever for pursuing a degree at your age. But I will promise you right now that, once you walk across that stage and receive your diploma, you will be hard pressed to find a more gratifying moment in your life. You will need all the emotional support and encouragement your friends and family can give since it will feel like climbing a slippery slope where you slide back two feet for every three you move forward, but as long as you have the resolve you CAN do it!

Most people who think they know more than the professors usually end up the same way you did....out of school and no degree. The keyword in your remark is fundamentals. It is not meant as a comprehensive course that covers all situations and takes all possible variables into account. It only covers the basics. Since you failed to grasp them it is probably best that you dropped out and moved on with your life without a degree. Are the profs always right? Nope, but 99.99% of the time they are and most are very receptive to being corrected if it is done in a helpful way and not by someone with an attitude. I agree with Kallend. Just because you couldn't reach the grapes doesn't mean they are sour. Most find them to be very nutritious. I didn't think I knew more, I just had questions about what the prof was teaching. And I did it without attitude, merely inquisitive. I've never met an accountant in my life that factors in anything but the actual cost of a budget cut or an increase. Since they can't assign a fixed value to something like morale which may effect productivity, they don't even try. They just ignore all other impact which with as important as we've made exact accounting in our society (we've all said "damn beancounters" as we've been victims of their shortsightedness) is borderline criminal. I tasted the grapes, I didn't care to eat anymore. Your entire response reeks of attitude. In Kallends fable the grapes represent a college degree and the fox a student. The student could not reach the grapes and condemned them as sour. You never reached the grapes (college degree) and are claiming they are sour (degrees are worthless). You have never tasted the grapes. I don't say that to be mean, spiteful, arrogant, or anything else....just stating a fact. (Unless you actually do have a degree and haven't told us) HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Most people who think they know more than the professors usually end up the same way you did....out of school and no degree. The keyword in your remark is fundamentals. It is not meant as a comprehensive course that covers all situations and takes all possible variables into account. It only covers the basics. Since you failed to grasp them it is probably best that you dropped out and moved on with your life without a degree. Are the profs always right? Nope, but 99.99% of the time they are and most are very receptive to being corrected if it is done in a helpful way and not by someone with an attitude. I agree with Kallend. Just because you couldn't reach the grapes doesn't mean they are sour. Most find them to be very nutritious. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Really?? Have you ever been through an engineering program? I doubt it because if you had you would know how absolutely stupid that remark is. I went to a big school, known for its engineering and had a roommate and other friends in the program. They took very few classes outside of the engineering school buildings and curriculum. I don't think they even had any electives until 2nd semster sophmore year. So that makes Engineering College a trade school? That is quite a stretch. Not as much as you might think At the University of Illinois, the Engineering campus is on the North side of Green Street (Urbana). There really are students in Engineering here who cannot find their way around the South side of the campus. Please explain why you think that makes it nothing more than a trade school. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Really?? Have you ever been through an engineering program? I doubt it because if you had you would know how absolutely stupid that remark is. Yep, engineers know how to perform stress analysis on a given structure/part, trade school attendees know how to assemble said structures - only engineers pretend they can do both, usually out of ego. Damn, lucky, you and I actually agree on something. I haven't read a post of yours in this thread that I disagree with. Don't forget...some of us engineers were doing the hands-on part for years before we ever went to college. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Really?? Have you ever been through an engineering program? I doubt it because if you had you would know how absolutely stupid that remark is. I went to a big school, known for its engineering and had a roommate and other friends in the program. They took very few classes outside of the engineering school buildings and curriculum. I don't think they even had any electives until 2nd semster sophmore year. So that makes Engineering College a trade school? That is quite a stretch. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Me thinks you should look up the definition of the word "common". Me riding my motorbike to work is common, but I only ride once or twice a week. Trains stopping at a crossing and blocking traffic is common, yet most trains don't. Traffic jams are common, but most highways are clear most of the time. Students graduating debt free is common, but most don't. Since you seem to like statistics, why not look up and post some stats showing average lifetime earnings of college grads compared to non-college grads? HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Really?? Have you ever been through an engineering program? I doubt it because if you had you would know how absolutely stupid that remark is. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I know several who graduated a few weeks ago who paid their own way through college and have no debt and only a couple had help from mom & dad. Every one of them worked their ass off not only in class and at work but also in the financial aid department applying for scholarships. I guess it depends on your definition of what common is. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Sure computers do a lot of the work. But it takes an educated person to understand what input is needed to get the desired output, where and how to get the data, and be able to tell when the solution arrived at by the computer is wrong and find out why it is wrong. Computers are great TOOLS but they are only as good as the people who program them and operate them. Remeber: Junk in=Junk out. Somebody whose only experience is computer games and flipping burgers won't have a clue as to where to begin an ANSYS simulation. Think you can just grab somebody off the street, sit them in front of a computer loaded with CATIA software and they will just magically start to design automotive components? What happens when that employee has to make calculations in the field? What if they have to make decisions away from their desk and the only resource they have is their education? (You would be amazed at how many truck drivers think that the more weight they have on their truck, the faster they can stop) Almost anything you intend to teach a non-degreed person in order to fill a job vacancy has already been taught to a degreed engineer, even a fresh graduate. As far as debt vs salary, it is common for students to work their way through college by attending public universities and working pert time jobs during semesters and internships during summers. It is common for them to graduate with no debt. Starting salaries for entry level engineers start at around 40K and, depending upon major and class rank, can top out over 75K. I personally know a handfull who graduated college and started their first job with a salary over 100K. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Indeed they may have. And if they did their lack of an actual education will be noticed shortly after getting their first job if not during interviews. A college degree means much more that just getting a piece of paper. It shows the person has the stick-to-it-iveness to finish something they started. I can tell you first hand that en engineering degree is, as Jakee put it, not just hard...it's damn hard. On the job experience is irreplacable, but so is technical education. They compliment each other in ways so that somebody who has both is much farther ahead than somebody with only one of the qualifications. If I need to hire somebody to bring into an engineering firm to train to be a go-to guy for a particular subject who do you think will be the best choice...the guy with the BSME, or one of the two dozen applicants with a high school diploma and 10 years erecting buildings, bridges, etc? My money's one the college grad every time. If you're training them anyways, one of the guys with actual experience might be a better option as you could pay them less to start and they could go to classes as needed. Give me someone with proven job experience over someone with some letters after their name any day.

Indeed they may have. And if they did their lack of an actual education will be noticed shortly after getting their first job if not during interviews. A college degree means much more that just getting a piece of paper. It shows the person has the stick-to-it-iveness to finish something they started. I can tell you first hand that en engineering degree is, as Jakee put it, not just hard...it's damn hard. On the job experience is irreplacable, but so is technical education. They compliment each other in ways so that somebody who has both is much farther ahead than somebody with only one of the qualifications. If I need to hire somebody to bring into an engineering firm to train to be a go-to guy for a particular subject who do you think will be the best choice...the guy with the BSME, or one of the two dozen applicants with a high school diploma and 10 years erecting buildings, bridges, etc? My money's one the college grad every time. If you're training them anyways, one of the guys with actual experience might be a better option as you could pay them less to start and they could go to classes as needed. Give me someone with proven job experience over someone with some letters after their name any day.

Indeed they may have. And if they did their lack of an actual education will be noticed shortly after getting their first job if not during interviews. A college degree means much more that just getting a piece of paper. It shows the person has the stick-to-it-iveness to finish something they started. I can tell you first hand that en engineering degree is, as Jakee put it, not just hard...it's damn hard. On the job experience is irreplacable, but so is technical education. They compliment each other in ways so that somebody who has both is much farther ahead than somebody with only one of the qualifications. If I need to hire somebody to bring into an engineering firm to train to be a go-to guy for a particular subject who do you think will be the best choice...the guy with the BSME, or one of the two dozen applicants with a high school diploma and 10 years erecting buildings, bridges, etc? My money's one the college grad every time. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Varies significantly depending on the vehicle... My Dodge Hemi gets the best MPG at closer to 80 mph. I'll bet you a tank of gas it doesn't. Unless, of course, you mean it gets best mpg closer to 80 mph than 200 mph. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I agree. Tell him to STFU, then go club more seals while screaming "I LOVE YOU!" at the top of your lungs. Welcome to SC. Several rules, here is a sampling: It's Bush's fault, Clinton did it first, and nothing is sacred except mothers. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.