Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04

I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.

Lynn

On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:

> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>
> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.

In recent history over 50 Dilbert comics books
have been banned! Let's see Pearls Before Swine
complain about that!

And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
so that would be forcing people to read apparently
offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
knows what it's like to be forced to read
offensive books like The Color Purple.

On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:

> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>
> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.

On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:

> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>
> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.

In recent history over 50 Dilbert comics books
have been banned! Let's see Pearls Before Swine
complain about that!

And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
so that would be forcing people to read apparently
offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
knows what it's like to be forced to read
offensive books like The Color Purple.

Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
>And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
>that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
>so that would be forcing people to read apparently
>offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
>knows what it's like to be forced to read
>offensive books like The Color Purple.

That is nothing. In one school, I was forced to learn long division
against my will even though I found it extremely offensive.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article <ur0kv4$ebn$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
>Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
>>And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
>>that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
>>so that would be forcing people to read apparently
>>offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
>>knows what it's like to be forced to read
>>offensive books like The Color Purple.
>
>That is nothing. In one school, I was forced to learn long division
>against my will even though I found it extremely offensive.
>--scott
>--

They don't do that anymore as far as I can tell, so the kids just have
no idea how to divide on paper.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:33:08 -0800, Scott Dorsey wrote:

> Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
> > And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
> > that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
> > so that would be forcing people to read apparently
> > offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
> > knows what it's like to be forced to read
> > offensive books like The Color Purple.
>
> That is nothing. In one school, I was forced to learn long division
> against my will even though I found it extremely offensive.

I learned long division from a school teacher who
simply told how to do it. I find the "guessing game"
school of pedagogy to be offensive.

On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:39:19 -0800, Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com>
wrote:

>On Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:33:08 -0800, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>
>> Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
>> > And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
>> > that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
>> > so that would be forcing people to read apparently
>> > offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
>> > knows what it's like to be forced to read
>> > offensive books like The Color Purple.
>>
>> That is nothing. In one school, I was forced to learn long division
>> against my will even though I found it extremely offensive.
>
>I learned long division from a school teacher who
>simply told how to do it. I find the "guessing game"
>school of pedagogy to be offensive.

Towards the end of my time with the IRS, the training people developed
a new theory of education: self-education.

The /theory/ was that the instructor would do the normal preparation
to be up on the topic but just listen to the students discuss the
topic, intervening only when things got off track. No actual
instruction.

The /practice/ was the the instructor didn't bother to prep for the
course, so anything could be proposed and accepted, however far off
base. No instruction at all.

I suggest that your long division instruction was superior to this.

--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

On 19 Feb 2024 23:30:14 GMT, ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan
<tednolan>) wrote:

>In article <ur0kv4$ebn$1@panix2.panix.com>,
>Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
>>Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com> wrote:
>>>And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
>>>that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
>>>so that would be forcing people to read apparently
>>>offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
>>>knows what it's like to be forced to read
>>>offensive books like The Color Purple.
>>
>>That is nothing. In one school, I was forced to learn long division
>>against my will even though I found it extremely offensive.
>>--scott
>>--
>
>They don't do that anymore as far as I can tell, so the kids just have
>no idea how to divide on paper.

When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
/long division with functions/.

You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
one gets the hang of it.

But then, I learned long division (of numbers) in grade school.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

On Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:32:09 -0800, Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com>
wrote:

>On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>
>> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
>> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>>
>> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
>> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.
>
>In recent history over 50 Dilbert comics books
>have been banned! Let's see Pearls Before Swine
>complain about that!
>
>And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
>that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
>so that would be forcing people to read apparently
>offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
>knows what it's like to be forced to read
>offensive books like The Color Purple.
>
I consider myself one as well - but have no time for those that would
burn books or do the "Charlie Hebdo thing". And the creator of "Jesus
Pis" or the Nikos Kantizakis sub-plot about Jesus throwing it all over
in favor of a "normal life" is at least as offensive as those Danish
cartoons.

Frankly I have nothing but contempt for the sort of Muslims who seem
to feel they have the right to engage in violence any time they feel
their faith is offended.

(Given the Mad Magazine parody of Lawrence of Arabia years ago it's
amazing they didn't declare jihad!)

And that very much >IS< happening more and more in Europe and European
countries who are quasi-defending Muslims who do outrageous things
like the ones who using searchlights shone "From the River to the Sea"
onto Big Ben.

If you're a Muslim and want to live in peace in the West as a good
neighbor (and I know personally quite a few who do) all well and good.
If you want to remake my society in your image to fit your social
mores - then to Hell with you. Nowhere more so than in attitudes
towards women.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has documented a lot of this in detail in her book
Prey. (I am aware she has since converted to Christianity but Prey was
written long before that)

On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
<psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>/long division with functions/.=20
>
>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>one gets the hang of it.

REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.

On Mon, 04 Mar 2024 20:52:25 -0800, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>
wrote:

>On Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:32:09 -0800, Pluted Pup <plutedpup@outlook.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>>
>>> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
>>> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>>>
>>> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
>>> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.
>>
>>In recent history over 50 Dilbert comics books
>>have been banned! Let's see Pearls Before Swine
>>complain about that!
>>
>>And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
>>that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
>>so that would be forcing people to read apparently
>>offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
>>knows what it's like to be forced to read
>>offensive books like The Color Purple.
>>
>I consider myself one as well - but have no time for those that would
>burn books or do the "Charlie Hebdo thing". And the creator of "Jesus
>Pis" or the Nikos Kantizakis sub-plot about Jesus throwing it all over
>in favor of a "normal life" is at least as offensive as those Danish
>cartoons.

IIRC, that "sub-plot" was from based on something from one of the
early Fathers claiming that the final temptation happened and involved
choosing to live, but was, of course, greatly elaborated on by
Kazantzakis.

>Frankly I have nothing but contempt for the sort of Muslims who seem
>to feel they have the right to engage in violence any time they feel
>their faith is offended.
>
>(Given the Mad Magazine parody of Lawrence of Arabia years ago it's
>amazing they didn't declare jihad!)
>
>And that very much >IS< happening more and more in Europe and European
>countries who are quasi-defending Muslims who do outrageous things
>like the ones who using searchlights shone "From the River to the Sea"
>onto Big Ben.

I long ago reached the rather ungenerous conclusion that a "good
Muslim" is simply a Muslim who is not, at the moment, engaged in
terrorist activity. Of course, many Muslims are "good" in that sense
throughout their entire lives, but just because one is "good" today is
no guarantee of tomorrow. I now think that this is not phrased very
politely but, at the time, the attempt to distinguish "good Muslims"
from "bad Muslims" was in full force and clearly misconceived.

>If you're a Muslim and want to live in peace in the West as a good
>neighbor (and I know personally quite a few who do) all well and good.
>If you want to remake my society in your image to fit your social
>mores - then to Hell with you. Nowhere more so than in attitudes
>towards women.

Until the repeal of Roe v Wade, I enjoyed pointing out (when
appropriate) that the main difference between the Republicans and
Taliban was that the Taliban /actually enforced/ Traditional Family
Values while the Republicans merely used it to get votes. Sadly, those
days are gone forever -- at least on that issue.

>Ayaan Hirsi Ali has documented a lot of this in detail in her book
>Prey. (I am aware she has since converted to Christianity but Prey was
>written long before that)
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

On Mon, 04 Mar 2024 20:54:10 -0800, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>
wrote:

>On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
><psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>
>>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>>/long division with functions/.=20
>>
>>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>>one gets the hang of it.
>
>REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.

AFAICR, I was not.

But, as I said, it was a weird idea, but I didn't have any trouble
doing it.

It was, BTW, not presented as anything we had been exposed to before.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

On 2/19/2024 4:32 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>
>> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
>> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>>
>> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
>> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.
>
> In recent history over 50 Dilbert comics books
> have been banned! Let's see Pearls Before Swine
> complain about that!

Dilbert *books* banned? Really? Do you have a citation?

I'm aware his strip has been dropped from newspapers,
but books? Which ones? 'This is the part where you
pretend to add Value'? 'Another Day in Cubicle Paradise'?

Or, by 'ban' are you referring to their removal from some
particular library or book store?

All the books remain available for ordering.

pt

Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>
>It was, BTW, not presented as anything we had been exposed to before.

I frequently talk to students about how ohm's law is a universal and that it
applies everywhere to every electrical network, and that everything electrical
can be represented as a network.

When you're a freshman, the variables are scalars... when you take AC circuits
they become vectors... if you take a real electronics class they become
functions... if you really stick it out they become matrices or even matrices
of functions. But it's the same equation the whole way through so you probably
should learn it well.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On 19/02/2024 21:32, Pluted Pup wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:38:59 -0800, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>
>> Pearls Before Swine: Banned Books
>> https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2024/02/04
>>
>> I am a devout Christian but I don't want to live in a theocracy. I also
>> don't trust anyone to make up a list of banned books.
>
> In recent history over 50 Dilbert comics books
> have been banned! Let's see Pearls Before Swine
> complain about that!
>
> And Tom Tomorrow in his comic strip suggests
> that Floridians will be forced to read Dilbert,
> so that would be forcing people to read apparently
> offensive books and anyone who's gone to school
> knows what it's like to be forced to read
> offensive books like The Color Purple.
I'm cautiously interpreting this as mostly
nonsense.

Regarding _The Color Purple_, I have not
read it or watched the film(s). I prefer
not to. I believe I know enough details
of the story to say that the characters'
misfortunes seem to be portrayed with
historical accuracy. I regret the
misfortunes. However, I do not wish
to experience them myself in these forms.
If it's a school assignment, I'll brace
myself. But the controversial book of the
day was _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_,
was it not?

The Horny Goat wrote:

> On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
> <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

>>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>>/long division with functions/.=20
>>
>>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>>one gets the hang of it.

> REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.

Are you talking about long division with polynomials, which I too did in
11th grade (I was a year ahead), or long division with some more general
class of functions, which I know nothing about?

We also did synthetic division in 11th grade. That's short long division
with polynomials.

--
Jerry Friedman

In article <893a27ba579b2475edd178f4de8f1379@www.novabbs.com>,
jerry.friedman99@gmail.com (jerryfriedman) wrote:

> The Horny Goat wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
> > <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>
> >>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
> >>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
> >>/long division with functions/.=20
> >>
> >>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
> >>one gets the hang of it.
>
> > REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.
>
> Are you talking about long division with polynomials, which I too did in
> 11th grade (I was a year ahead), or long division with some more general
> class of functions, which I know nothing about?
>
> We also did synthetic division in 11th grade. That's short long division
> with polynomials.

While the example of long division with polynomials looked familiar, I
don't remember doing it in high school. I do remember being taught how
to extract a square root (which I think is an application of synthetic
division).

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
—-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 03:34:44 +0000, jerry.friedman99@gmail.com
(jerryfriedman) wrote:

>The Horny Goat wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
>> <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>
>>>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>>>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>>>/long division with functions/.=20
>>>
>>>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>>>one gets the hang of it.
>
>> REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.
>
>Are you talking about long division with polynomials, which I too did in
>11th grade (I was a year ahead), or long division with some more general
>class of functions, which I know nothing about?

I was talking, to the best of my recollection, about long division
with polynomials. jerry.friedman99@gmail.com (jerryfriedman) may or
may not have been, but I'm not doubting his experience. Educational
systems (if "systems" is the word) differ, after all.

>We also did synthetic division in 11th grade. That's short long division
>with polynomials.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

Paul S Person wrote:

> On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 03:34:44 +0000, jerry.friedman99@gmail.com
> (jerryfriedman) wrote:

>>The Horny Goat wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
>>> <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>>>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>>>>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>>>>/long division with functions/.=20
>>>>
>>>>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>>>>one gets the hang of it.
>>
>>> REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.
>>
>>Are you talking about long division with polynomials, which I too did in
>>11th grade (I was a year ahead), or long division with some more general
>>class of functions, which I know nothing about?

> I was talking, to the best of my recollection, about long division
> with polynomials. jerry.friedman99@gmail.com (jerryfriedman) may or
> may not have been, but I'm not doubting his experience. Educational
> systems (if "systems" is the word) differ, after all.
...

OK, thanks. Like The Horny Goat, I'm surprised to see that you did
that in an advanced college algebra or analysis class, but I haven't
taken either at that level, and as you say, :systems" differ.

--
Jerry Friedman

Robert Woodward wrote:

> In article <893a27ba579b2475edd178f4de8f1379@www.novabbs.com>,
> jerry.friedman99@gmail.com (jerryfriedman) wrote:

>> The Horny Goat wrote:
>>
>> > On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
>> > <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> >>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>> >>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>> >>/long division with functions/.=20
>> >>
>> >>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>> >>one gets the hang of it.
>>
>> > REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.
>>
>> Are you talking about long division with polynomials, which I too did in
>> 11th grade (I was a year ahead), or long division with some more general
>> class of functions, which I know nothing about?
>>
>> We also did synthetic division in 11th grade. That's short long division
>> with polynomials.

> While the example of long division with polynomials looked familiar, I
> don't remember doing it in high school. I do remember being taught how
> to extract a square root (which I think is an application of synthetic
> division).

I never learned the "feeling of power" algorithm for square roots--I think
I was just a year or two too young--but after looking at it, I don't think
it has anything to do with synthetic division. That's just a concise way
to divide a polynomial by a monomial (which also evaluates the polynomial
at the constant term of the monomial--to skip a complication or two).

--
Jerry Friedman

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 21:44:17 -0700, Robert Woodward
<robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

>In article <893a27ba579b2475edd178f4de8f1379@www.novabbs.com>,
> jerry.friedman99@gmail.com (jerryfriedman) wrote:
>
>> The Horny Goat wrote:
>>
>> > On Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:21:11 -0800, Paul S Person
>> > <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> >>When I was taking 400-level classes in the 80s, which were mostly
>> >>about /real/ Algebra and Analysis, one of these classes involved doing
>> >>/long division with functions/.=20
>> >>
>> >>You think I am kidding. I wish I were. Although it isn't that bad once
>> >>one gets the hang of it.
>>
>> > REALLY??! I was doing this in grade 11 algebra back in 1972.
>>
>> Are you talking about long division with polynomials, which I too did in
>> 11th grade (I was a year ahead), or long division with some more general
>> class of functions, which I know nothing about?
>>
>> We also did synthetic division in 11th grade. That's short long division
>> with polynomials.
>
>While the example of long division with polynomials looked familiar, I
>don't remember doing it in high school. I do remember being taught how
>to extract a square root (which I think is an application of synthetic
>division).

yes and yes - we did it in our grade 12 pre-calculus class.