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ferdic1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 26
Registered: 12-14-2003
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Stephanie:
I suspect that one of the things that is most screwing this world up is all the parents who are trying to make things easier for their kids than they
had it.
Life (and English) is supposed to be tough, because we become better through surmounting obstacles.
I don't know exactly what this has to do with Baja, except that to enjoy anything there you have to go to all the trouble of getting out of bed,
getting all your stuff together, being prepared to handle whatever comes your way, and above all be self-reliant. I love it!
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Anonymous
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Stephanie, I saw this slogan somewhere and thought it appropriate.
"Come on bad spellers, let's untie!"...El Mochilero"
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Anonymous
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Lets untie!
Very funny!
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Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
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Steph......
You mentioned a few days ago that you were going for surgery.....You seem to be back really quick.....(good for you!) when my Auntie had that done, it
took her months to MOVE!
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Stephanie Jackter
Senior Nomad
Posts: 566
Registered: 11-3-2002
Location: Arizona
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Not yet.
I'm getting it done in April. The backlog of people who are seeking bariatric surgery is so long that it takes between 6 to 10 months to get the
surgery. There were around 20,000 stomach surgeries done in 1998. There are 125,000 a year now. Business is hoppin'.
When the goin' gets tough, the wierd turn pro
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Stephanie Jackter
Senior Nomad
Posts: 566
Registered: 11-3-2002
Location: Arizona
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Ferdic1: I suspect that one of the things that is most screwing this world up is all the parents who are trying to make things easier for their kids
than they had it.
Life (and English) is supposed to be tough, because we become better through surmounting obstacles.
Stephanie: You don't get it, Ferdic1. One in five people in this country never learns to read properly, many because of an anomoly we call dyslexia.
The brain problem that dyslexia is symptomatic of can be diagnosed in countries like Italy, Greece, Mexico and other countries with phonic
languages, but the incidence of diagnosis is very low because the children still become fluent readers and do not suffer social ostracization and
economic hardship because they are still able to learn to read.
The whole idea of written language is to share common knowledge, history and culture and produce citizens who can participate fully in the economic
life of the country. To be demanding enough to say that we make it hard and we know many will fail, but that's OK cause they need the challenge to
develop their lifeskills muscles, seems to me elitist, and in the final analysis, cruel.
Resistance to change is a fundamental characteristic of human existence, and what could be harder to change than the way one has been taught to read
and write. But I believe that it is high time to at least plant the seed of the idea that our language desperately needs to be standardized so as not
to lock a huge segment of our population into poverty and shame because they cannot read no matter how hard they try.
The difference between my own child when she was three years old and would turn the pages of her Madeline book and recite, line by line, every word of
the twenty page poem that I had read to her by memory with glee, and the little girl who regularly broke down in tears in the second grade, knowing
that the written page was still an enigma and all the other children were passing her by still makes me hurt to think about. I was able to tutor my
child for 2 solid years and bring her up to snuff enough to get her up to grade level, but she is still challenged. What about all those children
like her whose parents don't have the resources that I did. Just screw 'em?
Ferdic1: I don't know exactly what this has to do with Baja, except that to enjoy anything there you have to go to all the trouble of getting out of
bed, getting all your stuff together, being prepared to handle whatever comes your way, and above all be self-reliant. I love it!
Stephanie: It has nothing to do with Baja. But ask me if I care. I respond to threads as they come up. If I start a thread, I make absolutely sure
it is put in the appropriate category, but can't be responsible for tailoring my discussion to the heading instead of what the posts are if someone
else isn't as conscientious as I am or if the thread morphs.
As far as what it takes to be a Bajafile, it probably requires none of the attributes you cite, only a nice little padded bank account from wherever
that might come. Gettin' out of bed aint that hard a task. - Stephanie
When the goin' gets tough, the wierd turn pro
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Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
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As someone that has fought the 'weight thing'
for years (I should go check, dont' know which board I'm one......thanks Mike H.).....Whoops, I'll change to talk to Steph.......
Should this be the 'political board? I would like to get some advice on this. Thanks Debra
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Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
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Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
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And by the way........
I find the news of the new (Baja Babies) El Camote's (first) and Sally's new G-baby (born in Baja BTW) VERY much news I can use!.....so, I'm sorry if
it upset's (why?).....
El Camote mentioned "Huggies" soooooooo? I wanted to tell him that "Luv's" would be much cheaper! and the advice with the cotten diaper (good
advice) ......except, not in Baja.......You have to clean them......
Sorry to "offend" ( the Baja only) but, sorrier to, offend people that, don't understand that this is a forum that just want's to all. PAZ
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ferdic1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 26
Registered: 12-14-2003
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Stephanie, I don't mean to be at all cruel, and I'm the opposite of elitist. I truly have compassion for your daughter's difficulties, and those
experienced by all others who are dyslexic.
But to suggest that the most successul, widely used language the world has ever known, that is steadily heading toward being the universal language in
educated (well, OK, "elitist" if you insist) circles, should be overhauled and standardized to help dyslexics seems to me a stretch. I'd like to know
the evidence that it is the English language's irrationalities that cause dyslexics exclusive grief.
Even then, I don't know what we could do about it. But I am empathetic, and respect your views.
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Stephanie Jackter
Senior Nomad
Posts: 566
Registered: 11-3-2002
Location: Arizona
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The studies have been done. Other countries don't have the same dyslexia problems.
Because everybody who tries can read in those countries. Understand, I am only speaking about the spelling of the language in a more phonic form. It
wouldn't have anything to do with changing the content of the spoken or written language.
Sorry if I implied that you were elitist. That would be off base. Although there will be a segment of society that would object on that basis. What
is more likely is that it is such a new concept and there are so many people that are just ignorant of the lifelong barriers to full societal
participation that all of our exceptions to the rules that aren't really rules at all pose, it will take many people a while to understand that we
could have a much more functional society with less people on welfare and in jail because of the handicaps in earning power and self esteem that can
snowball into some very serious issues due to barriers that our written word puts up.
Standardization of our writtin language will happen eventually. But right now we're in the inital stage of change where the concept of why it needs
to occur is just being understood.
The people who we normally depend on to initiate change would be the experts in the field. But in this case, who are they? Well, generally,
linguists, people who, because they are good at decoding and are generally anal retentive sticklers about language usage, tend to be somewhat elitist
in their choice of that profession to begin with.
Then we have the idea of change by popular demand, but with the stigma thrown on people who have difficulty with the written language and others who
would be embarrassed about being percieved as even being associated with that group (that being how great the stigma is!), change will certainly come
slow.
But that makes it no less necessary to advocate standardization of the language, only more difficult. - Stephanie
When the goin' gets tough, the wierd turn pro
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ferdic1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 26
Registered: 12-14-2003
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Stephanie, So long as you're only advocating standardization of spelling, I'm with you. But standardization of "language" is a thornier issue, because
there are so many diverse flexibilities in English, where the same word may sit within different contexts and have different meanings. It's why our
poetry is so rich, for one thing.
One of the more basic problems is different spellings of the same-sounding word that has different meanings. Bear and bare, breach and breech, plane
and plain, for example. Even non-dyslexic people have continuing trouble with these, all their lives.
The irrationalities in the language may be a significant element in its success, because of richness and diversity they offer. How to preserve this
track record while solving the problem of those who are shut out by language/comprehension difficulties would be a very worthy project, in my view.
Simplifying spelling and nothing else would probably be relatively easy, if enough people got behind it. I remember past efforts that bloomed and died
for lack of common appeal. I forget which one it was (Time, I think), but a major magazine a few decades ago decided to lead the way by
spelling such words as photograph "fotograf" but it didn't catch on.
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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At Fred's
Originally posted by Stephanie, ?If you want to talk non-politically and only about Baja, GO TO FRED'S BOARD! They'll love to have you - and, just a
hunch - you'll be bored out of your gordito in about a week.?
Man Stephanie, you were more than right. Well, not about them being delighted to have me. Check out my post at Fred?s on the thread regarding bringing
a pet rat into Baja ? Not the one with my silly reply about needing a leash, but the one about importing parrots. I got scolded for straying off topic
when I couldn?t for the life of me see how I could possibly be considered off topic. Man, they run a tight ship over there; you really have got to
walk the line over there. Thank god for this place ? and thank you Doug.
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Casa P. D. y C.
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 9-18-2003
Location: BCN
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Direct quote from Freds...
"This is getting to be off topic baja, email me if you want more info, but our bird is a U.S. documented/banded bird, with a sagging right wing. Would
be hard to duplicate. "
Gosh I hate this, but where were YOU personally trashed for getting off topic? I certainly never meant to do such a thing. I stated that "I" was going
to get off topic talking about my bird and my bird problems. When will people stop looking for issues and get back to the important parts of Baja
life? I hang around all these boards as well as you do, and have for years. To take your statements and run off to another board looking for support
is kind of cheesy. My opinion. My bird problem was not something that I thought should take up space at Fred's board. I welcomed you to email me for
spacifics. Never did I think that you would run off to Nomad's looking for sympathy.
Shame on me.
Paulina <*)))><
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Ok. You're right Casa P. I was just surprised at how fast it I thought I was being considered off-topic. I certainly didn't think it was you who
didn't want your bird seeming off topic. But you did offer to talk by email which was cool. I wasn't looking for support by running here; I was just
showing Stephanie that I acknowledge that I shouldn't try to make it look like I would like Nomad's to be so stringently against off topic discussion.
It?s something that?s been going on here for a day or so.
I really knew I that I should have acknowledged that you offered to talk via email and to state so by editing my post here and there, but I was too
tired and I fell asleep. I especially didn?t like using the word ?scold.? Sorry about that. Live and learn, I guess. Are we getting off topic right
now by discussing our getting off topic? Just kidding. However, I am now getting very curious about your parrot. Could we discuss your bird?s
nationality status right here on this thread? I think it is relevant to Baja due to how it pertains to everybody who wants to bring pets into Baja. I
once saw a movie starring Cheech Marin where the same thing happened to him that seems to have happened to your bird. Everything turned out ok for
him; in fact, things turned out better than ok because he gets the girl at the end. I hope everything turns out ok for you and your bird.
Again, thanks to Doug for taking the time, and for also putting up with what it takes, to have such a nice discussion board.
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bajalera
Super Nomad
Posts: 1875
Registered: 10-15-2003
Location: Santa Maria CA
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Well, Packoderm, just look what that ill-advised vow of yours has led us to--picky spellers, tortilla diapers, hospital surgery, child-rearing
philosophy, parrots . . .
And you intend to dump the TMSetc. line just when we who wanted to know but were afraid to ask finally got your clue? For shame!
Your thoughtful posts are IMNVHO one of the brighter spots of this board. I hope you'll reconsider that perfectly inappropriate vow, and carry on in
your usual classy style.
- Lera
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Bajalera, hello. I?m going to lay low on the political content until Jan first; then I?ll be back in the thick of it.
There is one thing that has been on my mind about the political content on this board, and I am planning on typing up a brief sketch on it as I find
time, and then I will mildly break my vow and post it here.
I know it might seem to have painted myself into a corner, but I really need to think about other things during my winter break away from school, such
as watching after my young son who I intend to take to Baja sometime after Xmas. He is in my lap right now as I am typing this reply. He points to all
of the letters from the text on the screen and says what letters they are out loud. Too cute.
In the meantime, I will continue to be a non-political wrecking-ball. All of your guy?s posts are the bright spots, really.
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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Heard the one about the dyslexic, agnostic insomniac?
He lay awake all night wondering if there really was a dog.
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Franz Kafka?
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
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Oh, if THERE was a dog. I thought you meant that he wondered if HE was a dog. Now I get the joke. Duh.
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Anonymous
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Pack, I hope you are a student and not a teacher.
Dyslexic, dog=god. You are killing me man.
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