Metric System

**Faiaoga** · 06-27-2014, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by WolfVanZandt

I have a section on my website where I talk about naturally occurring standards, like pacing off distances and using a middle knuckle as a measure of length. The funny thing is that I'm a proponent of the metric system and I was working out standards for the regular old foot, gallon, pound stuff. I'll have to refigure things in metric.

I hope you realize that the only thing that should be taught in school is information and skills that improve standardized test scores

I also hope you will share the address of your website. Thanks.

**Rick** · 06-28-2014, 12:40 AM

What we REALLY should be teaching kids is how to be parents and how to manage money. That's the most useful training they could receive and no one teaches it.

**WolfVanZandt** · 06-28-2014, 02:23 AM

Actually, how well students do on tests like the ACT, SAT, etc. correlates poorly with success in schools of higher learning, but it correlates quite well on who many of those schools accept. So there's the test preparation industry for whom I work.

Would you share with us the address of your website, please?

That would be against TOC but it is listed in my profile as my home page.

I do agree with you, Rick, that those are among the most important things but raising a family would most definitely be included under Health. And if you are a good problem solver, then you should be able to manage your finances.

But consider what is important in survival. A good survivor needs to be able to accurately observe and evaluate their surroundings. Their systems need to be able to deal with the physical and emotional assaults from the environment. They need to be able to deal with others. And they need to be able to flexibly deal with the problems they face. That's whether the survival is in the Rocky Mountains or in the center of Atlanta - or at home raising a family. I think that kind of education would prepare anyone for life in a very general way.

**Rick** · 06-28-2014, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by [COLOR=#333333

And if you are a good problem solver, then you should be able to manage your finances.

That's why 16% of our population live in poverty and over 1 million people filed bankruptcy last year. I know a lot of folks that can build anything you want. They are great problem solvers. But they haven't a clue about finance. Many don't even know how to balance their checkbook.

**WolfVanZandt** · 06-28-2014, 03:23 PM

That is a point - there are different kinds of intelligences, and I have a learning disability where I can do just about anything with numbers but, put a dollar sign in front of a number and it looses all meaning for me. Still, the problem solving I'm talking about will handle both structural stability and financial security. It's where you determine if there even is a problem, define the problem clearly, determine what you know and what you need to know, figure out the means available to get from the problem to a solution and use them, see how successful you are and if you're not satisfied, see if there are any other ways to attack the problem.

A lot of the problem you mentioned has to do with emotional maturity (health). I know several cases where people went under simply because they had to have that new car, that boat (they never used after they bought it), that new addition to their very expensive hobby. In other words, they couldn't distinguish between "need" and "want" and they could not wait to get the thing. Instant gratification is one of the banes of our time.

On the other hand, one of the few abject leeches and drug addicts I ever determined to give to when he asked had a live in girlfriend and after a few years they decided to do something with their lives so she started to school on the welfare she was getting - I tutored her, and by the time I moved, they had bought a car and a house, and he was starting to college to train to be a counselor.

So poverty can come from many sectors. Sometimes it requires solving a problem, sometimes it just requires growing up.