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Debunking U.S. Myths

Debunking U.S. Myths

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Old May 24th 2005, 7:53 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by Duncan Roberts
I heard it was 87%
You are probably right.

I guess that my statistic was one of the 87% made up on the spot... i.e. complete crap.
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Old May 24th 2005, 8:03 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by CitySimon
You are probably right.

I guess that my statistic was one of the 87% made up on the spot... i.e. complete crap.
You really can make statistics say what you want. For example, a third of all accidents are caused by drunk drivers, that means two thirds are caused by people who are sober. Therefore it must be safer to drive drunk, right?
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Old May 24th 2005, 8:18 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by neil
Therefore it must be safer to drive drunk, right?
Sounds about right to me... Think I'll stop off at the bar on the way home. Thanks for clearing that up Neil!
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Old May 24th 2005, 8:22 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by edwords
Myth #7: The U.S. ranks low in educational achievement.

Fact: Only one nation, South Korea, ranks higher than the U.S. in the percentage of the population enrolled in post-secondary education, in spite of the U.S. having a large number of immigrants from third-world countries.
Gawd blimey ... now I know why statistics are often referred to as not being worth the paper they are written on!

They could have said that the US has more children in education than the UK and therefore ranks higher in educational achievement ... whilst also failing to mention that the UK has only a quarter of the population of the US.

Wonder why they didn't bother to make any reference to the PISA report!
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Old May 24th 2005, 8:24 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Myth #9: Americans don't read books.

Fact: The U.S. is tied with Singapore in fourth place for book sales per capita. Japan, Norway and Germany rank first, second and third, respectively. France is in 17th place.
I've bought loads of books... I don't often read them though unless I need them.

Clearly the French are illiterate... 17th place... that's s**t!
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Old May 27th 2005, 12:23 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by Dant3
Ahhh, it would appear that edwords of Gilbert, Arizona, is prone to such neo-con fantasy. Having reviewed his posting history, it seems that he leaps in at every available opportunity to correct all of us ignorant foreigners when it comes to the greatness of the United States. But don?t piss him off as he has a Romanian AK-47 and likes to ?practice his firing skills?.

Yikes.

Whatever happened to ?the loser buys the next round??
which school or college is this in????????????????
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Old May 27th 2005, 12:25 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

[QUOTE=edwords]Listed below are 15 commonly-held myths about social, economic, health and environmental conditions in the United States, followed by facts that debunk the myths. The facts have been gleaned from the Pocket World in Figures 2005, published by the The Economist magazine.

Myth # 1: The U.S. ranks low in human development.

Fact: On the Human Development Index, which measures literacy, life expectancy and income levels, the U.S. ranks above Japan, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and 38 other countries.

this may have something to do with the fact there are next to NO native americans in america,the country is made up of 99% of immigrants from all the countries listed above plus some
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Old May 27th 2005, 3:10 pm
  #23  
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

[QUOTE=chukka]
Originally Posted by edwords
Listed below are 15 commonly-held myths about social, economic, health and environmental conditions in the United States, followed by facts that debunk the myths. The facts have been gleaned from the Pocket World in Figures 2005, published by the The Economist magazine.

Myth # 1: The U.S. ranks low in human development.

Fact: On the Human Development Index, which measures literacy, life expectancy and income levels, the U.S. ranks above Japan, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and 38 other countries.

this may have something to do with the fact there are next to NO native americans in america,the country is made up of 99% of immigrants from all the countries listed above plus some
So there are 49 countries below it. That means its rank is........

And I'm sure its based mostly on income level in raw dollars.
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Old May 27th 2005, 3:16 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

[QUOTE=AdobePinon]
Originally Posted by chukka

So there are 49 countries below it. That means its rank is........

And I'm sure its based mostly on income level in raw dollars.
that must leave about 150+ above it


FACT
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Old May 28th 2005, 2:45 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by AdobePinon
Originally Posted by edwords
Fact: Only one nation, South Korea, ranks higher than the U.S. in the percentage of the population enrolled in post-secondary education
....WTF? ____ Doesn't mean much.
No, what it means is that American children "graduate" high school knowing next to nothing and have to go to "college" (for four years ) to learn what British children had already learned by the time they took their A Levels. This means that it takes Americans until they're aged 24 (or more) and a masters degree, to be as useful to employers as British university graduates are at aged 21. ...... Then Americans womder why employers high immigrants from India and export jobs to India!

Last edited by Pulaski; May 28th 2005 at 2:49 pm.
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Old May 28th 2005, 2:48 pm
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by Pulaski
No, what it means is that American children "graduate" high school knowing next to nothing and have to go to "college" (for four years ) to learn what British children had already learned by the time they took their A Levels. This means that it takes Americans until they're aged 24 (or more) and a masters degree, to be as useful to employers as British university graduates are at aged 21.

I had my degree transcribed to a US equivalent when we moved here and it turned out my British 3 year Batchelors degree was the equivalent of a 4 year US Masters degree.
 
Old May 29th 2005, 1:21 am
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by CitySimon
Did you know that 92% of statistics are made up on the spot.
And five quarters of people don't understand fractions!
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Old May 29th 2005, 2:31 am
  #28  
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by Pulaski
No, what it means is that American children "graduate" high school knowing next to nothing and have to go to "college" (for four years ) to learn what British children had already learned by the time they took their A Levels. This means that it takes Americans until they're aged 24 (or more) and a masters degree, to be as useful to employers as British university graduates are at aged 21. ...... Then Americans womder why employers high immigrants from India and export jobs to India!
And, boy, do they make a big fuss when the children 'graduate' 'knowing next to nothing' - we're getting fancy cards with ribbons attached announcing the high school graduation of various people (children of friends of my husband).

I mentioned to my husband that in the UK we just finish school at sixteen; our parents don't send out fancy cards, nor do we have any fancy ceremony or lavish parties to celebrate the fact (well, not that I know of) - he said that graduating from high school is something to be very proud of as you have completed that part of your education and that people in the UK are boring and don't know how to enjoy life? He has visited the UK a few times, and for some reason is still of the firm belief that the UK has nothing to offer children other than mind numbing boredom!

I've also noticed that there also seems to be some kind of 'graduation' ceremony/party (not sure which, might be both?) for when the children finish middle school ... being from the UK, I just find it all a bit OTT.

God knows what the parents do when their children finish Uni?
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Old May 29th 2005, 2:39 am
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

And as for the US ranking 2nd in the percentage of children in post-secondary education ... maybe that has something to do with the fact that a lot of the children here seem to take it for granted that their behinds will be sat in a classroom well into their twenties. There just doesn't seem to be any thought of actually leaving school and working ... I asked my 13 y/o what he wanted to do when he left school, he looked a bit confused and then said, "Go to college". And, it doesn't seem to matter what trade you want to get into, anything and everything seems to require several years sat in a classroom after high school!

I left school at 16 y/o ... had to get my behind into full time work because there was no way my Dad would have kept my behind beyond then. Education beyond that was paid for by me and completed on a part time basis while working full time ... I think a lot of the children here would regard that as parental abuse! lol
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Old May 29th 2005, 2:43 am
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Default Re: Debunking U.S. Myths

Originally Posted by Guelder Rose
I've also noticed that there also seems to be some kind of 'graduation' ceremony/party (not sure which, might be both?) for when the children finish middle school ... being from the UK, I just find it all a bit OTT.

God knows what the parents do when their children finish Uni?
They do that for primary schools too...
As for us lot at school, well after A-levels, we had a big marquee up and got pissed up in the sports field

But after uni....err...there given expensive cars? oh, forgot, they get those at highschools... *lol*

But you've got to blame hallmark really, they have gone and created a card for every small insignificant achievement possible to blow them out of proportion...
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