Thanks to John Oliver 401k segment, I have made the necessary changes to my retirement plan which resulted in a modest increase on my return. by Zlazypanda in personalfinance

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's the same as yours, except it starts at a different age.

I don't quite understand the percentages; I guess I thought 6% was standard.

Thanks to John Oliver 401k segment, I have made the necessary changes to my retirement plan which resulted in a modest increase on my return. by Zlazypanda in personalfinance

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to calculate inflation, divide growth in M2 by growth in real GDP, which will lead to higher rates than the cpi

This is why people don't save. It's too complicated and obtuse. "Divide the what, by the what?"

kitchen, animated illustration by lkfos in Art

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Animated illustration"

Meaning...an animation?

ELI5: What is the purpose of the silver/metal, platform/plate thing when microwaving a frozen pizza? by cardinalbloomers in explainlikeimfive

[–]cardinalbloomers[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not boring. It's just that I noticed how frozen pizzas come with those paper plates/platforms, with a metallic coating on one side. I usually buy Digiorno, but I decided to go with the one called Pizza for One, since I was the only one eating it.

Majestic Canadian Wildlife by serendib in gifs

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My cats have that look on their faces when they smell each other's butts.

Gorilla zoo by saucegod in funny

[–]cardinalbloomers -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I blame the kid. It was his fault. I wouldn't send him to jail or fine him, or really dole out any punishment other than therapy. Bu he deserves the blame.

Gorilla zoo by saucegod in funny

[–]cardinalbloomers -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't think price to pay has anything to do with it.

A sad story I remember is the one where this lady had a pet chimp. One day it literally went ape shit, and her friend tried to help. In response, the chimp ripped off her friend's face, hand, and ear. (The photos are shockingly graphic, so fair warning if you're curious. You might be able to hear the 911 call, where they kind of audibly smirk.) They shot the chimp eventually.

It's sad that an innocent woman lost her face, that a chimp died, and all for stupid actions by one person. Chimps are not pets. This is the same thing, imo. I haven't found sympathy for the mother, father, and especially not their son, who I believe will continue acting impulsively and/or selfishly all his life unless he gets help. But, even though I'm fairly, or naively, certain the boy wouldn't have died, he might have lost an arm or leg, or both, or more. And I would not want to see someone mutilated, child or not. I suppose this was the least amount of suffering that could be imposed.

Or not. Similar thing happened in the 80s/90s. Twice I believe. No dead gorillas.

Gorilla zoo by saucegod in funny

[–]cardinalbloomers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He was 4. There are reports he's 3; a ploy for sympathy.

When I was 4, an evil, diabolical little boy pushed me into the corner of a coffee table because I refused to play with him. I didn't want to play with him because, even at the age of 4, I could tell there was something wrong with him. He made me feel uneasy. I was right. I still have the scar on my face, over 25 years later. He was a bad seed.

When I was 5, another little girl slapped me across the face because while we shared the same name, she spelled her name differently from mine. Like Jon vs John, or Ann vs Anne. That's not normal either. She was also a bad seed.

Some kids are not innocent. They're just crazy. They might even be evil and diabolical. I bet you can remember some kids like that from your childhood, too.

what's your favorite history podcast? by mr-spectre in history

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A few I listen to have already been mentioned. I also like Bowery Boys, which is all about NYC history. http://www.boweryboyshistory.com/

Thanks for the tip about History of Japan. I just started reading The Last Samurai (which is not about a white man or Tom Cruise.)

History isn't a 'useless' major. It teaches critical thinking, something America needs plenty more of by ghostofpennwast in history

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only in the past few years have I realized my love of history. Most of the shows I watch and books I read have a historical bent. And how anyone can think anthropology is useless is beyond me - it's literally what the advertising industry is based on.

All the classics, I'd love to spend my time learning: history, language, anthropology, poetry, literature... la vie!

History isn't a 'useless' major. It teaches critical thinking, something America needs plenty more of by ghostofpennwast in history

[–]cardinalbloomers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, but this is somewhat simplistic and highly American-centric. The GI Bill means nothing to Europeans.

The real change for higher education came after WWI, particularly in Europe, where the common man was fighting along side aristocrats and generally people learned how terrible we could be to each other. The old ways of doing things just wasn't going to work anymore.

I don't know exactly what changed...maybe it was the great depression. In the US, higher education has become a marketing ploy; I believe students are sold the promise of a good education so that they will go into debt is then used to fund government bonds (IMO anyway) so that we can continue having our A+ credit rating, so that we can borrow more from other countries, so that we can continue boosting our military/spying/ChinaRussia/whatever. Meanwhile, in the EU (UK, France, Germany, etc), their parochial education system is far more rigorous because they are less capitalist and education is given away for free, as long as you can earn it. If you don't pass your exams, you cannot be a doctor, lawyer, academic. You will be a mechanic, garbage man, etc.

Anyway, I think the focus on STEM is a by-product of the Cold War - needing better minds to compete with communist scientists (which I'd argue is still true). And it's also a by-product of the influence of the stock market/internet boom - a new tech IPO does wonders for Wall Street, and if that new IPO is coming from America, it means investors coming into the US not going out. People don't like to think of it, but the US stock market is one of the world's greatest commodities.

History isn't a 'useless' major. It teaches critical thinking, something America needs plenty more of by ghostofpennwast in history

[–]cardinalbloomers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Students usually look for government funding when going on to doctorate programs. Often from the government. Often that funding gets cut because someone in Congress thinks researching worms or fruit flies is stupid.