G'day...BELLY, JAY OF MELBOURNE, INDIVIDUAL, and LUDWICK -

Life's funny for sure BELLY, at each turn we can meet someone new, and often learn, if we have the time, lack of pride, and humility to listen to them.

INDIVIDUAL my friend, I have this intense dislike for most academics, or educated people, as you so subtly describe them. I'm not referring to those involved in the sciences, medicine, aero space, and many other practical disciplines.

Rather those who, purely by dint of their academic qualifications, tell us all how we must live. The theoreticians, sociologists, criminologists, some psychologists and others that sit snugly within this demographic.

It's this group alone, that when the speak publicly, cause so much trouble, dislocation of normal services, motivating some witless politician to make some grand change, purely on the untested opinion of some academic !

EG - there's a very well known criminologist, formally from here (NSW), thankfully now in a Qld University - who happens to have more degrees after his name than the Masonic Lodge ! This bloke is so out of touch with reality, both with policing and juvenile and adult corrections, he's a standing joke, with those working in the two industries. Yet, there are many politicians who worship him...? God help us.

I can really identify with you and your friend JAY of MELBOURNE. I'm the same. Never been good following written instructions (particularly those written in several languages, like instructions that accompany some appliances & mobile equipment) ? Though, when shown in person, the 'penny will usually drop'.

Thank you all for your contributions.

And good afternoon to you...LUDWIG -

Yes I tend to agree with you, apropos IQ's, in toto ? Another measurement contrived by some long forgotten academic many years ago.

I read somewhere the IQ has been replaced by something apparently more important ? A 'Maturity Quotient' or similar. It would seem many of these social scientists have agreed it's more important that a person is thoroughly mature, both in behaviour and outlook ? Than straight out intelligent ? Possessing neither virtues myself, I must agree it seems far more logical to me ?

It's my humble belief, the likes of BELLY and HASBEEN and LEXI - all thoroughly mature, responsible people, would have infinitely more skill, buckets of life experience, and a greater appreciation and understanding, of all that currently irks or exasperates many of the people who currently live in our fair country ?

You'd agree, one needs long term life experience in order to grasp, recognize, and ultimately fix most of the social problems that are currently obsessing this country of ours. You want evidence ?

OK, just look at some of their individual 'threads', the way they firstly determine the problem, and then, solve it ! There's no 'mealy mouth language', no BS, and no political correctness ? If you want a gentle, compassionate resolution, couched in a very perceptive, shrewd mind, see LEXI.

Or someone, who's 'knocked about' with tough, hard working men, who value ever single buck they earn by the sweat of their brow, who've probably seen and heard it all, along the byways and hwy's of NSW, in the extreme heat and cold ? See BELLY.

Still not satisfied ? Then what about a bloke who took on the toughest gig aviation has to offer, AND at the same time served his country as a Naval Aviator, pulled the pin, took up farming through drought and 'flooding rain' ? If that doesn't teach a person much in life, than nothing will - Just ask HASBEEN ! He's been there, and done that !

Thanks a bunch for your thread LUDWIG.

At some stage while in the navy, I went through the army methods of instruction course. On of the subjects was a breakdown on the effectiveness of different methods of learning. For an average person the percentages of information retained were;

For what we saw 15%.

For what was explained 25%.

For what we did 60%

This came down to how much we absorb, & it was eyes 15%, ears 25%, fingers 60%.

I have applied this for 50 years to people I was training, with a lot of success, but more importantly I have applied it to myself, with even greater success.

When I read or am told about, or how to do something I am interested in, I make a point of finding the thing, & doing the task as soon as possible. Once you've done it, just like riding a bike, it's there for life.

My daughters could never remember which way to turn a nut to tighten or loosen it. When I built some new gates, I put them to work bolting the hinges to the gates & the posts. The girl who had rung me a couple of times to ask how to get the oil filler cap off her engine can now assemble flat pack furniture, with that little allen key, with complete confidence. She doesn't have to think about it.

Of course if there was a good looking bloke near by, she just might find an excuse to need help, but it would not be because she could not tighten those nut things.

I'll bet you still know haw to handle a nut [case] o sung.

G'day HASBEEN...

I thought you wise, sadly I was mistaken ? What your dear daughter has exhibited, was that which is 'coined' as feminine 'wiles' - those little tricks, ruses, subterfuges, even cunning guile they all learn at an early age in order to contrive methods to control us poor hapless males, with their feminine charm !

When targeted, we're basically helpless. We stand there with a silly expression on our faces while they silently weave their invisible feminine web around us, and there's not a jolly thing we can do about it ! Nothing, nought ! Come on HASBEEN, if I can remember, so can you ol' friend ?

those involved in the sciences, medicine, aero space, and many other practical disciplines.
o sung wu,
that's exactly my point. I think it is actually an insult to call such people academics, they are professionals.
They are of benefit to society whereas the majority of those who call themselves academics are a burden.

Good evening to you INDIVIDUAL...

Of course you absolutely correct, it is very insulting indeed. Accordingly I offer my profound apology to all of those I've offended.

In my mind's eye, I picture an academic ensconced in this little, musty smelling, office space, staring out into nothing, while musing away as to why he never took up bricklaying, carpentry, plumber, anything rather than sitting on his backside staring into nothing.

Oh well, as he thinks away to himself, "I might just write another manual telling coppers how to catch crooks, anything to beat this damn boredom and monotony" ?

And that's about the size of it INDIVIDUAL !

Goodnight my friend and thank you.