sees_all1

Once you graduate high school, colleges and universities don't care about your middle school grade average. Once you graduate college or university (and perhaps sometime a year to two before then), you won't put your high school GPA on your resume. The grade you earn should not be your long term goal. With each level you advance, the level before that matters less and less.

I think I found the trick to winning this... Will submit on Friday :mrgreen: EDIT: It also seems the baseline I posted is pretty high...

I think it would be good if winner of this first competition gets to add one rule, take away one rule, and change the scoring for the next competition. I'll might paint up some custom siggy thing for the winner as well... don't expect too much, I'm not that artistic. Also, I just drowned 2,270 guests and I built a rollercoaster (that follows this set of rules) with a max lateral g of 6.45. Now, to build my entry :mrgreen: .

I believe loops were an altogether different flavor of rollercoaster. Splashes were in the original. Bit real life of trivia - the world's first (and only) looping wooden rollercoaster was the Son of Beast in King's Island, Cincinnati OH. The rollercoaster had it's loop removed after an accident in 2006 which injured about 30 of people, they removed it in order to lighten the carts. I don't believe that rollercoaster is operating right now, it was closed last year.

Banked turns for steel minicoasters. Virtually every other type of rollercoaster had them, except the small ones. I'm not exactly sure what else was added, maybe the weird track element where the track goes from a banked turn up to increasing... but that'd only be on the vertical roller coaster? Also, the large half loop for inverted roller coasters are off limits. Post a screenie of your rollercoaster (without the stats) and we can verify its made from legit elements.

No, the point has been made several times before and quoting it again would be redundant. You know what's funny about Arguing with Idiots? They first preface a section with an "idiot's question," then they proceed to answer it with examples, historical facts and hard data. They then go down the line of all the questions and stupid points an "idiot" would bring up in that same vein of argument. Unfortunately, that book is at home right now, so all the statistics and sources it found are not at my fingertips, but the larger points they make that I still remember are: -Average police response sucks, on the order of 7 minutes or more. -The police are not required by law to protect civilians (from a court case where the cop being sued was on duty in a position to help but chose not to) -There tends to be an inverse relationship of the percentage of population that is armed versus the overall amount of violent crime

Pretty much every statistic used in this thread has been cited by a reputable source, or a reputable source has been given when asked. Maybe you're not paying any attention? Our society requires police officers, who are armed to protect citizens (I don't understand your argument - "boo hoo some people are mean") I'm pretty sure that people who own firearms strictly for defensive reasons do not have "the intention of harming another person", because it would be a contradiction of terms. Also, take note that using a gun in a defensive situation does not mean that you have to fire it, or take the life of another human being in order to protect yourself, your family, and your possessions: From Arguing with Idiots, p.57 (emphasis mine) From the back of the book: SOURCE: Gary Kleck, "Guns and Self Defense," in Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control (Piscataway, N.J.: Aldine Transaction, 1997). Google'd the source, the guy is a criminologist at Florida State University and has a phd.

I spy with my little eye someone who hasn't taken a university level course in statistics. Obviously, I forgot to put in the [/sarcasm] tag ... It didn't look like to me that you were sarcastic - usually when I see someone cite that "statistic", it tells me a couple of things - 1. They don't know how to reject or parry statistical claims made by others 2. They don't understand statistics enough to make their own claims - basically, a humorous attempt to draw attention away from a personal weakness in debates. Anyhow, to try and put my post back on topic, I was wondering if any of you have watched the Discovery Channel's show called Sons of Guns? As crazy as it seems, I'd trust one of those nutters with a firearm more than I would a random, average citizen of the U.S. The main reason is because the guys on that show know that if they do anything wrong (illegal) with their gun, they're likely to lose it, and that seems punishment enough to deter them. Also, they know how to handle guns, which is more than I can say for the average person.

I spy with my little eye someone who hasn't taken a university level course in statistics.

We're not page 1-50... we may never be first now. I doubt it too. Maybe we could try get to the first page with a "What if....?" or "What would happen...?" question, baically any question people might ask in Google. Some of those questions show up on Google Instant. I was thinking more along the lines of It makes me so happy I just want to pee my pants.

We're not page 1-50... we may never be first now.

You can build the coaster in any of the expansions, as long as the coaster you build is compatible with the original.

Don't worry, I took care of it.

I won't comment on the truth of this, as I do not know whether this is true or not scientifically and statistically speaking, but isn't one of your right wing talking points that "teachers are so hard to fire which is why education sucks!" ? How does that level out with that often heard claim? Bit of cognitive dissonance, no? Teachers are hard to fire, firing a teacher is not the same as laying bunches of generic union workers off. I'll come back to a thought experiment in a bit. To the talking points about why education sucks, there are many reasons that I'd rather not go into right now. I'd say the events happening in Wisconsin right now are relatively unrelated to the quality of education, I'd like to believe that it really is a budget issue. There are a few statistics that are interesting, I believe that Wisconsin teachers automatically have $1000 per year deducted from their salaries that go straight to the union. Part of this bill will remove that requirement. The purpose of a corporation is to make money. The reason people go to work is to make money. Most of the time, people's interests and the corporations they work for will share similar interests, in the fact that both want to profit. Sometimes, unfortunately, an individual's motivation, their interest, does not align with the corporation's interest. Usually when that happens, they either quit, the corporation fires them, or they get laid off. I don't have a problem with this, and I don't see why anyone should have a problem with this. You should tax me more. This year I had to pay directly 22% of my income to support the government, even though I'm not yet out of college. What's another 18% among socialists? Tax me high enough and I might just go on welfare, I'll get more for free. Anyhow - the union thought experiment. You're the leader of a large union, and you have to negotiate with management. Management tells you that they can't afford all the hard fought things you've worked for, the benefits for your members. They tell you they'll have to cut everything by 10%. What would you rather have them do, lay off 10% of the workforce, or cut everyone's salary and benefits by 10%? The question to you is, would you rather have 100% of people complaining about losing 10%, or would you rather have 10% complaining about 100%? Oh, and here's the kicker. That 10% that lose their jobs will likely go elsewhere to find work, they're not likely to stick around or be in your union in the near future.

I feel like one of the ironies of a union is that they usually would rather have their members be laid off than take a benefit cut.

You're allowed to build - Wooden Roller Coaster Wooden Crazy Rodent Roller Coaster Steel Mini Roller Coaster Mine Train Roller Coaster Steel Roller Coaster Standup Steel Roller Coaster Steel Corkscrew Roller Coaster Suspended Roller Coaster Inverted Roller Coaster Suspended Single-Rail Roller Coaster Single-Rail Roller Coaster Bobsled Roller Coaster Reverse Whoa Belly Roller Coaster Vertical Roller Coaster

Get off TIF. We'll tend to your admin duties while you're gone. Don't worry - we'll take care of it. :shades: Oh yes, I'm sure I would not return to find our beautiful admin bathroom trashed, looted and turned to rubble. We have a 60" plasma TV in there you know. Like I said, don't worry - we'll take care of it.

Get off TIF. We'll tend to your admin duties while you're gone. Don't worry - we'll take care of it. :shades:

According to this site, they don't make half as much as the private sector, its about 4.8% less.

For levels 1-20ish, you'll get full amounts of experience. When you start getting above floor (er, deeper than?) 20, you'll start getting dinged in the % bonuses. The more skillers you have in the floor, the less you should get dinged.

This isn't my submission, but I'd figure I'd give you guys a baseline :wink: And to show the score in action. [hide=pictures of ride] [/hide] Excitement: 7.32 Intensity: 8.27 Nausea: 4.39 Score: (2*7.32 + 8.27) / 4.39 = 5.21 Hope you can do better than that, I plan to.

That's fine, it just has to be a rollercoaster type from the original.

Changing this competition up again. Rollercoaster may be from up to RCT2. [hide=This includes:] RollerCoaster Tycoon (1999) Expansion CorkScrew Follies (aka Added Attractions) (1999) Expansion Loopy Landscapes (2000) Compilation RollerCoaster Tycoon: Gold (aka Totally RollerCoaster) (2002); Includes original game and both expansions Compilation RollerCoaster Tycoon: Deluxe (2003); Includes original game and both expansions with more designs for the different customizable rides RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (2002) Expansions and sequels by Frontier: RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 Expansion Wacky Worlds (2003) RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 Expansion Time Twister (2003) Compilation RollerCoaster Tycoon 2: Combo Park Pack (2003); Includes original game and Wacky Worlds expansion Compilation RollerCoaster Tycoon 2: Triple Thrill Pack (aka Totally RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (2004); Includes original game and both expansions [/hide] [hide=This does not include] RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (2004) Expansion Soaked! (2005) Expansion Wild! (2005) Compilation RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Gold (2005); Includes original game and Soaked! expansion Compilation RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum (aka RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Deluxe Edition) (2006); Includes original game and both expansions [/hide] Screenshot(s) must include the entire track, along with the name of the rollercoaster visible on the ride entrance. Score for this competition is the excitement rating. Rollercoaster must be submitted before the week ends - by 11:59::59 GMT on Saturday. [hide=ARCHIVED OP]For all you Rollercoaster Tycoon fans: Da rules: Competition Rules: 1. Rollercoaster may be from ANY game in the RCT series. This includes expansion packs and new releases. The rollercoaster may be in sandbox mode or as part of a scenario, unless otherwise stated in the ride rules. 2. Rollercoaster must be submitted before the week ends - by 11:59::59 GMT on Saturday. No exceptions. 3. The submission for the rollercoaster must be in the form of screenshots of the park. The entire rollercoaster must be included in the screenshot, or multiple screenshots. The ride's ratings and the name of ride on the entrance to the station platform must match, and be in at least one of the screenshots. This is to verify the ride in the screenshot is legitimate. 4. The winner of the competition from the prior week is allowed to remove one ride rule, add one ride rule, and change the scoring of next week's coasters. Ride Rules: Baleeting this one: 1. The rollercoaster must be entirely above ground. 2. There must be no footpaths above the rollercoaster, or within 2 squares on the same level of the rollercoaster. 3. There must be no other rides or rollercoasters within 4 squares of the rollercoaster. New rule: The rollercoaster may not be more than 6,000 feet in length. Scoring: The rollercoaster's score is its fastest speed in MPH, divided by its maximum lateral G force. Where the minimum lateral G force is 1. Good luck! [hide=here be glory] Week of 2/27/11 - 3/5/11: sees_all1 with "Triangle" Week of 3/6/11 - 3/12/11: [/hide] [hide=Obsolete rules: (OP)] Build the best rollercoaster design competition. Not sure how popular this thread will be, so here are the rules: 1. Rollercoaster must be from the original Rollercoaster Tycoon - nothing from Corkscrew Follies or Loopy Landscapes, or any of the recent stuff. If a rollercoaster got new track elements in expansion packs, they're not allowed (such as banked turns on steel minicoasters). 2. Submission for best rollercoaster must be within one week of this post - Saturday, March 5th at 11:59:59 PM (Before GMT switches to Sunday). 3. Rollercoaster must be entirely above ground 4. There may be no trees or scenery within 4 spaces of the rollercoaster. There may be no footpaths above the rollercoaster, or within 2 squares on the same level of the rollercoaster (except for the path directly connected to the entrance and exit). There may be no other rides or other rollercoasters within 4 spaces of the rollercoaster. The intent of the rule is to make sure the ride's ratings are strictly from the rollercoaster itself, and not from elements near the rollercoaster. 5. Submission must include a screenshot of the entire rollercoaster, along with the stats and ratings of the rollercoaster. The entire rollercoaster's name must be visible from the entrance of the ride, and must match the stat box. 6. Score for the rollercoaster is calculated as follows: Score = (2*Excitement + Intensity) / Nausea Where Intensity has a maximum of 20.0, and Nausea has a minimum of 2.0. [/hide] Sound good? Get to it! [/hide]

Straight from the horse's mouth: Milwaukee Public Schools - Average Teacher Hourly Rate - $36.98, with benefits - $59.24 MPS public school rates