The Vent and Rant Thread - Page 1385

Stitchawl · 06-29-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I hate to ask, since I have no personal knowledge of the region, but perhaps the staff expect something more than the official fee?

Bureaucrats are a necessary part of society. But they need to be competent and virtuous. A hard combination to find and maintain if the salary is small and the honours few.

That would be a normal situation for dealing with anything S.E. Asian. I can't tell you how much I paid out over the years in 'tea money' when dealing with the usual pencil pushers, police, and customs officials to get things taken care of quickly or smoothly. In fact, it's so common that when drive around S.E. Asia using an International Drivers License, I keep the equivalent of $2-3 dollars folded inside the document. When pulled over for routine checks, (which happens often in some countries) I would just hand over the folder, they would walk around to the back of the car, come back and hand me the folder with a 'please drive carefully, sir.'

If I were IN Thailand, the first thing I would do is ask how much their child's school tuition has increased this year, or if Uncle's water buffalo has gotten sick, and would it be possible for me to help in any way.

But these are consulates in Japan. Here in Japan, only the very top execs take bribes, and usually in the thousands and thousands of dollars range. The man on the street is scrupulously honest. That $220 visa fee is listed on all the consulate web sites for this type of visa, so no extra money is being suggested, only confusion over which documents are required for the visa. My visit to the consulate today didn't clear up any of that...

To cover myself, I downloaded ALL the documents possible, filled them out, and when I get the medical form taken care of and the bank statement, I'll take them ALL to the Osaka consulate (who only requested four documents.) They will send it all to the Embassy in Tokyo, who hopefully will NOT then tell them that I am missing X, Y, and Z, so have to make another trip to deal with that.

Stitchawl

covingtoncat73 · 06-29-2012, 09:55 AM

Marc, that is a thing of beauty. I am nowhere near that creative and eloquent.

One of the biggest rants of my life was when I found out Katrina had hit as a cat 3, thcat the levees were supposed to withstand and didn't. It kind of went eff the effing corps o engineers anf eff the meffing Texas frat boy, ect. Only, of course, I didn't say eff...

wodin · 06-29-2012, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Bureaucrats are a necessary part of society. But they need to be competent and virtuous.

Yes we are, and I am and I am.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

A hard combination to find and maintain if the salary is small and the honours few.

So how would you taxpayers like to improve my salary?

wyndslash · 06-30-2012, 10:43 PM

i'll be due to graduate in a year or so, and i'm freaking out. i've no desire to go into corporate life as most of the stories i've heard about it, are frankly, the horror stories. i've this vision of getting fired within a month of being hired. x.x

ProfCrash · 07-01-2012, 12:10 AM

I went straight to grad school to avoid the working thing. And I really wanted to stay in school. It worked out for me.

wyndslash · 07-01-2012, 12:27 AM

i can't do that anymore; too old. this is my 2nd undergrad already

)

Rumpelteazer · 07-01-2012, 04:07 PM

Dear authors,

It's great when you decide to have or refer to Dutch characters or use Dutch settings in your novels. However, it would be nice if you did some research in Dutch names to avoid common but oh so annoying mistakes.

In a last name "van" usually doesn't begin with a capital V in Dutch, "van der" is usually two separate words, "von" is German, and surname prefixes such as "van", "van der" or "van de" are usually separate from the rest of the surname. E.g. my last name is "van Willigenburg", not "Van Willigenburg", or "Vanwilligenburg". If you use a random surname please make sure that it's written correctly: it isn't Pardekoper (in Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America), but either Paardekoper or Paardekooper (the latter one being old fashioned).

If you refer to place names make sure you write them correctly. And if you make up a place name please make sure it makes sense: Bleumenschoten (in Laurie R. King's The King of the Hive) doesn't make sense, "bleumen" isn't anything, I suspect it should have been "bloemen" (flowers), although "bloem" in combination with "schoten" is more natural than "bloemenschoten".

I find these types of mistakes and faults very distracting when reading, especially it's repeated throughout the novel.

Thank you very much.

SneakySnake · 07-01-2012, 07:03 PM

Dear Game of Thrones,

Please make the book be the same as the TV show.

I am getting confused.

Freeshadow · 07-01-2012, 07:07 PM

Dear Bianca that's still a harmless case of author-sided ignorance.
Once I stumbled upon a piece, where an author named a character, which was said to be Polish, Ivan. A Pole with a genuinely Russian name. That's a thing which simply wouldn't happen.

Rumpelteazer · 07-02-2012, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Dear Bianca that's still a harmless case of author-sided ignorance.
Once I stumbled upon a piece, where an author named a character, which was said to be Polish, Ivan. A Pole with a genuinely Russian name. That's a thing which simply wouldn't happen.

A lot of authors (and film makers) think Dutch and German names are interchangeable, too.

At the moment it seems that every other book I read has a Dutch character with a wrong last name in it. And although it's harmless it's annoying and it throws me right out of the story.

kindlekitten · 07-02-2012, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

Dear Game of Thrones,

Please make the book be the same as the TV show.

I am getting confused.

I've found that the show has very loyally followed the books, what's confusing?

WT Sharpe · 07-02-2012, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I went straight to grad school to avoid the working thing. And I really wanted to stay in school. It worked out for me.

Good for you. I assume you meant as both professor and student. Had I been independently wealthy, I would not have worked, but been a professional student instead for the last 40 years. I hated high school (dropped out in my second year of the ninth grade) but loved college (after I got my GED while in the Army). In a sense, I suppose that via the occasional night class, correspondence course, The Teaching Company offerings, and iTunesU, I have been.

SneakySnake · 07-02-2012, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I've found that the show has very loyally followed the books, what's confusing?

Second book- maybe not as confusing as unreconciled

Spoiler:

Maybe I wasn't paying attention in the TV show. And I haven't finished the second book yet so maybe it will all match up at the end.

Stitchawl · 07-02-2012, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Good for you. I assume you meant as both professor and student. Had I been independently wealthy, I would not have worked, but been a professional student instead for the last 40 years. I hated high school (dropped out in my second year of the ninth grade) but loved college (after I got my GED while in the Army). In a sense, I suppose that via the occasional night class, correspondence course, The Teaching Company offerings, and iTunesU, I have been.

Me too! Me too! Timing was a bit different... I made it through high school, but then managed to get kicked out of three successive colleges for partying instead of studying and gave up. I didn't go back (i.e. grow up) until I was in my early 30's, and the VA put me back in school... and I couldn't get enough of it! I went straight through without any breaks for four years, including summer sessions, and wound up graduating with enough credits for two degrees. I tried working one year at a private high school, and decided I preferred being a student better so went BACK to school, and did two Master's degrees at the same time... Then actually did some work before going for a doctorate. This is why you see the word "Opsimath" under my name! I'm considering doing another doctorate now, just to have something to do!

Stitchawl

ProfCrash · 07-02-2012, 09:49 PM

I left Academia a couple of years after I finished my degree. I was able to go to a highly ranked PhD program after college and get funding. Since I was used to living on nothing, I was able to get by on the TA pay and a second job taking loans only in my first few years of funding. I liked school so it worked out well.

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06-29-2012, 09:55 AM	#20762
covingtoncat73 Wizard Posts: 2,745 Karma: 83407757 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Lenovo Duet Chromebook, Moto e	Marc, that is a thing of beauty. I am nowhere near that creative and eloquent. One of the biggest rants of my life was when I found out Katrina had hit as a cat 3, thcat the levees were supposed to withstand and didn't. It kind of went eff the effing corps o engineers anf eff the meffing Texas frat boy, ect. Only, of course, I didn't say eff...

06-30-2012, 10:43 PM	#20764
wyndslash Wizard Posts: 2,951 Karma: 3000001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3 wifi, Kindle Fire	i'll be due to graduate in a year or so, and i'm freaking out. i've no desire to go into corporate life as most of the stories i've heard about it, are frankly, the horror stories. i've this vision of getting fired within a month of being hired. x.x

07-01-2012, 12:10 AM	#20765
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I went straight to grad school to avoid the working thing. And I really wanted to stay in school. It worked out for me.

07-01-2012, 12:27 AM	#20766
wyndslash Wizard Posts: 2,951 Karma: 3000001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3 wifi, Kindle Fire	i can't do that anymore; too old. this is my 2nd undergrad already )

07-01-2012, 04:07 PM	#20767
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,513 Karma: 27926918 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	Dear authors, It's great when you decide to have or refer to Dutch characters or use Dutch settings in your novels. However, it would be nice if you did some research in Dutch names to avoid common but oh so annoying mistakes. In a last name "van" usually doesn't begin with a capital V in Dutch, "van der" is usually two separate words, "von" is German, and surname prefixes such as "van", "van der" or "van de" are usually separate from the rest of the surname. E.g. my last name is "van Willigenburg", not "Van Willigenburg", or "Vanwilligenburg". If you use a random surname please make sure that it's written correctly: it isn't Pardekoper (in Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America), but either Paardekoper or Paardekooper (the latter one being old fashioned). If you refer to place names make sure you write them correctly. And if you make up a place name please make sure it makes sense: Bleumenschoten (in Laurie R. King's The King of the Hive) doesn't make sense, "bleumen" isn't anything, I suspect it should have been "bloemen" (flowers), although "bloem" in combination with "schoten" is more natural than "bloemenschoten". I find these types of mistakes and faults very distracting when reading, especially it's repeated throughout the novel. Thank you very much.

07-01-2012, 07:03 PM	#20768
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	Dear Game of Thrones, Please make the book be the same as the TV show. I am getting confused.

07-01-2012, 07:07 PM	#20769
Freeshadow temp. out of service Posts: 2,818 Karma: 24285242 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Duisburg (DE) Device: PB 623	Dear Bianca that's still a harmless case of author-sided ignorance. Once I stumbled upon a piece, where an author named a character, which was said to be Polish, Ivan. A Pole with a genuinely Russian name. That's a thing which simply wouldn't happen.

07-02-2012, 09:49 PM	#20775
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I left Academia a couple of years after I finished my degree. I was able to go to a highly ranked PhD program after college and get funding. Since I was used to living on nothing, I was able to get by on the TA pay and a second job taking loans only in my first few years of funding. I liked school so it worked out well.