What's it like in Europe and other countries-compared to America

[Elite47]

Edric they CAN get jobs! If u were on the streets and had nothing, and saw everyone around you with everything u wanted... what would u do? U have 3 basic options:

- Stealing and other llegal activities

-Nothing. just be a bum and eat out of dumpsters etc...

- Do ANYTHING you can to make your life better. Find a lake and get some soap out of a dispenser in a public restroom, then jump in and wash yourself!! Find a low paying job ANYWHERE u can. Wash cars, mow lawns if u have to!

You act as if these homeless ppl are helpless babies. they drink, smoke, steal, mooch ... they have enough power to do this surely they have enough power to do somethig good for themselves... even if it is a slow process.

Edric u r too emotional u know that. u think im a sorry excuse for a human being? oh well, i can live. When walking through seattle, its very hard to not come across a bum. Ive done it many times. Ive also given them a dollar out of my pocket.. some change.. point is is gave them something to help. Did they deserve it?? HELL NO they didnt deserve it. But i did it becase it helped.

the moral of the story is bums don't *DESERVE* anything more than the effort they put out.

[Acriku]

Timenn the reason why our beer is pisswater, is because during the Prohibition years people made their own alcohol illegally. They mostly didn't know what they were doing, and had a lack of ingredients to make it, so they added more water to make it more. They got used to it, and when the Prohibition years ended the lasting beer companies (surviving by selling bread and cereal products from the wheat and barley) made it like everybody liked it. So...our beer is like the old days, water-diluted and weak :D That's a little history for you...

[ordos45]

Hmm, they can get jobs anywhere they want? Wow, Here I've been living in the USA my entire life and all I've seen in any state I've been in is that the homeless who attempt to get jobs, almost never managed to do so because no one will hire them.

(Though in New York City being homeless can be a profession for those good at it. One year a homeless man made over $32,000 begging, and recieved over a hundred free meals. He even had his own cell phone!)

While many are homeless "because they don't put forth effort", most cannot get help, or jobs.

[Elite47]

They can get *a* job. Not any job, *A* job. All it takes is will power.

[Acriku]

Well it makes sense to me, the idea is to attract customers, and when you have a homeless person stinking up the place and being as dirty as one would be, well I wouldn't want to shot in that store. But there are jobs that homeless people can get, like garbage men, janitors, etc.

[SurlyPIG]

"And if they were born on the streets, which school would accept them? ::)"

Public schools. It's their job. Public schools are legally obligated to accept absolutely everyone. The only reason they can refuse someone or expel someone is if the student has done multiple things to warrant expulsion. And it is never because they're stinky or unshaven or anything dumb like that.

"At most they can go to poor, miserable community state schools, while the kids of rich capitalists enjoy the benefits of an elite expensive education."

You mean private schools? Charter schools? True, they are better. Public schools are still damn good, though, because of the teatures. I don't know if thats the case where you live (I sure hope it isn't), but it is in the US. And here.

"They didn't get a good education because they couldn't afford it."

Actually education is free. It can be at the post-secondary level too. There are tonnes upon tonnes of scholarship organizations that require the recipients to be from a disadvantaged background.

They can even have educational advantages too. Through my juniour high years, I volunteered at a shelter to tutor the children of people living there. Few of them had fathers, but a week-long crash course, a textbook and some caring was all it took for me to help about two dozen disadvantaged kids get better grades.

"They are dirty because they never had a home. They are lacking in social skills because people always mistreated them."

There's all sorts of people willing to help out the homeless. I agree that some people would wish them away. Some just don't care. Some won't even help them to help themselves. But there are many more than you could imagine who make a routine of it. One of my students got a job as a store clerk BECAUSE she lived in a shelter and needed the money. Where I live, there are all kinds of community programs to provide everything from a roof, to jackets, to school supplies, transportation and beyond.

"In short, they are doomed to a life of misery."

It is so hard for some of them, yes. Who wants to learn algebra when you don't know who your father is? Who cares about proper spelling when you don't know where your next meal is coming from. The general goodwill of society tends to give them enough of the necesseties so that the CAN care about algebra and history and spelling. So they CAN get an education and a better job. So they break the poverty cycle.

To me, homeless people fall into one of three categories:

Mentally ill: This is the majority. Most homeless people have some sort of significant mental disability/disorder. Solution: more funding to mental health centers. It is critical, IMO. They are way way way way way underfunded.

Addicts: Drug addicts (alcohol included). Their addiction causes them to lose their job, thus their home. They end up on the street, usually dealing. Sometimes as prostitutes. Sometimes both. You cannot help these people unless they want to help themselves. If they are willing to break their addiction, they fall into the next category.

Disadvantaged: These are a minority. These are people that can work and have no addictions. Honestly, if someone hits this level, they don't stay there for very long. These people are the types that I try to help, along with many, many others. If they have the will, they can find a way. And if they can't, other people like me will try and pave it for them.

For example, one of my most memorable students was failing in school when his mother brought him to work with me. He was in a class of 35 with a teacher that didn't seem to care (a rarity). But he had the will to succeed. All he needed was a little extra explanation and some help along the way. Today, he's one of the top students in his school. He landed a job that most teenagers could only dream for. He was my student for three years. I'm still in touch with him today.

So don't just assume that society doesn't care, and that homeless people are trapped in a shell they can't break out of. There are all kinds of people who jump at the chance to help someone out of a hole. Dozens of organizations come to mind. Sometimes businesses will literally pick someone up off the street, give them a membership to the Y or something so they can shower, and, at their own expense, train that person in a field they can enjoy and give them a position in their company. The homeless person gets training, a job, and money, and the business gets an enthusiastic and extremely loyal employee.

[nampigai]

Acriku isn't Budweiser a czech beer? I think I saw somewhere but not quiete sure. My fav beer is a Hancock(no laughing)it's a lager that comes in 1l bottles, but it's only a local beer and the bottles aren't manufactured anymore.

[SurlyPIG]

Interesting piece of history Acriku. I had no idea your impotent beer dated back to the prohibition days. Learn a little every day, I guess...

[emprworm]

the biggest difference i saw while in europe compared to america is the amount of history you see in europe. The oldest thing in america is a few hundred years old totem pole. There is architecture in europe that is over 1000 years old.

[Dude_Doc]

It was back then, when all people lived in Europe. The real opportunities for the future lies in the US or in countries like Japan...

[Edric O]

You make a good argument, Ace. Perhaps I should use the term "the poor" instead of "the homeless". It gives a better idea of the kind of people I'm talking about.

Public schools. It's their job. Public schools are legally obligated to accept absolutely everyone. The only reason they can refuse someone or expel someone is if the student has done multiple things to warrant expulsion.

Read Ex's topic about his problems at school. If they can do that to a normal person, imagine what they can do to a homeless one.

A homeless person can't afford a lawsuit. The law doesn't protect him/her, except in criminal cases.

You mean private schools? Charter schools? True, they are better. Public schools are still damn good, though, because of the teatures. I don't know if thats the case where you live (I sure hope it isn't), but it is in the US. And here.

Private schools are almost non-existant in Romania, thank God.

And I do hope you realize that the public schools in "rough neighbourhoods" don't come anywhere near the standards set by the others. And most public schools won't accept a homeless person anyway, no matter what the law tells them to do. Like I said before, it's not like he can sue them.

There's all sorts of people willing to help out the homeless. I agree that some people would wish them away. Some just don't care. Some won't even help them to help themselves. But there are many more than you could imagine who make a routine of it. One of my students got a job as a store clerk BECAUSE she lived in a shelter and needed the money. Where I live, there are all kinds of community programs to provide everything from a roof, to jackets, to school supplies, transportation and beyond.

Well, then your community is a great place to live :) (at least from this point of view). But not everywhere is like that, and those other places are the ones I'm talking about.

I agree with the rest of your post. Yes, you are right about the 3 categories. And I believe you are a good person, for helping the truly disadvantaged.

But that doesn't change the fact that the good will of society is not dependable. It changes all the time, and may even turn into outright malevolence and hatred. You can't just *hope* that someone will help the homeless, and use that to excuse the government from social duties.

As long as there are people comparing the homeless to dogs, something needs to be done. Even if it's just doing more of the same, we must not allow human beings to be treated like animals by people who believe themselves to be "superior".

[emprworm]

private schools are the best way to go.

the last thing my child would ever do is be raised by the state.

in a private school i wont have to worry about secular dogma being shoved down my childs throat. and fancy this?? He/she could even PRAY IN SCHOOL or carry around a Bible wow.

[Edric O]

You would also be BUYING your child a better education. Thereby giving him/her an unfair advantage over poor children.

Private schools should be outlawed. They are a tool used by the rich to positively discriminate their own children by giving them a better education than the one given to the poor.

Edit: As for religion, you should adopt the Romanian model ( ;) ): students can take optional religious education courses if they want, and any form of religious worship is perfectly fine. Instead of banning all religious expression for the sake of tolerance, we allow all religious expression.

[Elite47]

You make a good argument, Ace. Perhaps I should use the term "the poor" instead of "the homeless". It gives a better idea of the kind of people I'm talking about.

Public schools. It's their job. Public schools are legally obligated to accept absolutely everyone. The only reason they can refuse someone or expel someone is if the student has done multiple things to warrant expulsion.

Read Ex's topic about his problems at school. If they can do that to a normal person, imagine what they can do to a homeless one.

A homeless person can't afford a lawsuit. The law doesn't protect him/her, except in criminal cases.

You mean private schools? Charter schools? True, they are better. Public schools are still damn good, though, because of the teatures. I don't know if thats the case where you live (I sure hope it isn't), but it is in the US. And here.

Private schools are almost non-existant in Romania, thank God.

And I do hope you realize that the public schools in "rough neighbourhoods" don't come anywhere near the standards set by the others. And most public schools won't accept a homeless person anyway, no matter what the law tells them to do. Like I said before, it's not like he can sue them.

There's all sorts of people willing to help out the homeless. I agree that some people would wish them away. Some just don't care. Some won't even help them to help themselves. But there are many more than you could imagine who make a routine of it. One of my students got a job as a store clerk BECAUSE she lived in a shelter and needed the money. Where I live, there are all kinds of community programs to provide everything from a roof, to jackets, to school supplies, transportation and beyond.

Well, then your community is a great place to live :) (at least from this point of view). But not everywhere is like that, and those other places are the ones I'm talking about.

I agree with the rest of your post. Yes, you are right about the 3 categories. And I believe you are a good person, for helping the truly disadvantaged.

But that doesn't change the fact that the good will of society is not dependable. It changes all the time, and may even turn into outright malevolence and hatred. You can't just *hope* that someone will help the homeless, and use that to excuse the government from social duties.

As long as there are people comparing the homeless to dogs, something needs to be done. Even if it's just doing more of the same, we must not allow human beings to be treated like animals by people who believe themselves to be "superior".

You act like you know more about America than you actually do Edric, and you make yourself sound ignorant. i will admit, you're smart and well educated... but u have this ego that u know everything. Stop it.

ACE was exactly right, whether u choose to believe it or not. "...no matter what the laws tell them to do... It's not like he can sue them" Perfect example.Public Schools *WILL* except a homeless person/poor person. There are many programs set-up for less fortunate people. As long as you go around babying homless and acting as if there is no hope for them to make it, there will *always* be a problem with the homless. As long as they are getting funded by the government from taxpayers money, they can survive and thus live on the streets. Instead that money should be given to help get the homeless OFF the streets in stead of keep them on.

[Elite47]

It also sounds like you're just mad that maybe u don't have a great life or something Edric? u like to blame it on people that have money? lots of people EARN there money because they put forth the effort to make something out of themselves. Even a damn homeless person can do that~ all u gotta do is try. You depend on God to carry you through life, when in actuality(if u believe in God) he will guide/be with you not Carry your ass. You are the only one that can make a difference for yourself. you have good intentions, i know that. but all i see from you is talk, just talk... no actions. If u r THAT concerned maybe u should be doing something?

[Edric O]

Public Schools *WILL* except a homeless person/poor person.

Very well, I will concede this point to you, simply because you live there and I don't. But I continue to find it very hard to believe, considering all I know about irrational and insanely prohibitive decisions taken by certain US public schools.

Take Ex's case for example.

Instead that money should be given to help get the homeless OFF the streets in stead of keep them on.

Yes, I completely agree. OF COURSE that should be the main focus.

I thought you wanted to stop government aid for the homeless altogether. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Edric O]

It also sounds like you're just mad that maybe u don't have a great life or something Edric? u like to blame it on people that have money?

You couldn't be more wrong. I don't want anything for myself.

I've got quite a lot of money, and I'm very satisfied with my material status. In fact, I've had my birthday recently and I had a hard time finding something to buy, because I don't want anything that more money can buy.

I do not fight for myself and my own personal gain. I fight for those less fortunate than me. I look at the poor, at how hard life is on them, and every fiber of my being cries out that this is wrong. Why should I be able to afford all these luxuries while they have to save up just for a scrap of decent food? Why me, and not them? I am in no way "better". Maybe some of them would deserve this money far more than I do. It is unjust that they are poor and I am rich (well, when compared to them). This state of things must change. My money is not enough to make any difference if I just give it away without putting thought into it. Instead, I should concentrate on changing the SOCIETY we live in, so that I would help all the poor. That is my goal.

[emprworm]

You would also be BUYING your child a better education. Thereby giving him/her an unfair advantage over poor children.

Private schools should be outlawed. They are a tool used by the rich to positively discriminate their own children by giving them a better education than the one given to the poor.

some people spend their money on a new car. i would rather ride a bus and spend it on a decent school for my child. and if learning morality and non-secularism is considered an "unfair advantage", so be it. Private schools are the only way you can shield your child from all the immoral BS that spreads through

this world like a pandemic plague

[Elite47]

and also deprive them of the social place school provides ::) Sure public schools have their bad points, infact i think my school is horrible. But, i would rather attend my school then any private school around here. i guess i see where you're coming from considering Seattle is a lot worse than Arlington/Marysville. The best think to do is to go to public school and get into some of the programs the school provides(IE Sno-Isle, If u have it down there, im sure u do)

[Acriku]

Since when is a private school better?

1) They can cost 10 grand a year.

2) They lack education on many scientific facts and concepts simply because they can teach whatever they want.

3) They basically brainwash the kids. (I have a friend who can vouch for this, she was in private school until 8th grade and was brainwashed to look at science and go "That's magical nonsense."

4) The kids that come from there are the worst! In my class we got some 3 people from a private christian school and they disrespect the teacher in every way possible.

Public schools:

1) They are free.

2) They teach everything the state tells them to teach, giving the student the best information and education.

3) No brainwashing here, unless the teacher is mentally unstable and isn't caught yet.

4) They are taught to respect their teachers early on, and helps a lot.

[emprworm]

Since when is a private school better?

for those who want to send their kids to one.

1) They can cost 10 grand a year.

cheaper than a car.

2) They lack education on many scientific facts and concepts simply because they can teach whatever they want.

if you are referring to the "scientific fact" of evolution, that would be a big plus. But as for other scientific facts, they are taught abundantly

3) They basically brainwash the kids.

maybe the Jim Jones or the David Koresh private schools do, but this generalized statement can be summarily dismissed.

(I have a friend who can vouch for this, she was in private school until 8th grade and was brainwashed to look at science and go "That's magical nonsense."

LOL! I have a friend who went to public school and thinks he was abducted by aliens. haha. man the quality of your arguments has been dropping. You find one stupid kid in a private school and THEREFORE the private school is bad?

I once knew a guy that went to public school and then blew his brains out with a shotgun.

I once knew a guy that went to public school who couldn't read after he graduated.

(all of those statements above are true- i did not make them up)

4) The kids that come from there are the worst!

DO they pack guns, smoke crack and steal your car?

In my class we got some 3 people from a private christian school and they disrespect the teacher in every way possible.

wow. Guess what? I once went to a class in a public school where more than 3 kids disrespected the teacher in every way possible. In fact, at my friend's public high school (Mt Tahoma High), one kid even shot his teacher and killed him. I think we can call that "disrespecting your teacher" ...eh?

[Acriku]

for those who want to send their kids to one.

They may want them there, but they are only doing their kid's an injustice.

cheaper than a car.

Um..So, uh...What's your point? It might be cheaper than a car in one year, but they go to the school for 8 to even 12 years, that's a couple cars right there ;)

if you are referring to the "scientific fact" of evolution, that would be a big plus. But as for other scientific facts, they are taught abundantly

Private schools can teach whatever they feel they want to teach, and that right there is a bad thing. The teachers can teach that science is for antichrists and the kids wouldn't know any better.

maybe the Jim Jones or the David Koresh private schools do, but this generalized statement can be summarily dismissed.

Really? Are there private schools that leave topics open and tell the kids "This may not be true, there is little proof for it and please accept it or don't accept it"? No, they teach absolution for everything they teach, which puts lax on their critical thinking skills.

LOL! I have a friend who went to public school and thinks he was abducted by aliens. haha. man the quality of your arguments has been dropping. You find one stupid kid in a private school and THEREFORE the private school is bad?

I once knew a guy that went to public school and then blew his brains out with a shotgun.

I once knew a guy that went to public school who couldn't read after he graduated.

(all of those statements above are true- i did not make them up)

You can show a few bad apples as did I, but what you do not show is millions and millions and millions of graduates of private schools gaining a better life through their education and skills. I wonder why?

DO they pack guns, smoke crack and steal your car?

Heh, I can't count the number of people that came from private schools that smoke mj, drink beer, and have sex. No better than public schools.

wow. Guess what? I once went to a class in a public school where more than 3 kids disrespected the teacher in every way possible. In fact, at my friend's public high school (Mt Tahoma High), one kid even shot his teacher and killed him. I think we can call that "disrespecting your teacher" ...eh?

Does not show that private school is any better.

[IxianMace]

To answer the original post in this thread:

Here in Australia, nothing much seems to happen. We get movies, music, technology etc etc, millenia after the US has had them, so by the time we get them, it's all old stuff (when it's new to us, it's old to the US). >:( As for Mahdi wanting Global Warming, he should come down here. It's boiling here at the moment. Summer time is cancer time. It's also the time of extremely high risk of fire, due to the heat and dry conditions we've been experiencing for an extended amount of time. Already, major areas of scrub in the country side have been lost to fires, believed to have been caused by the soaring temperatures. We had our hottest day since the 60's yesterday, which didn't help the firefighters much at all. It peaked at a maximum of 44.1 degrees celsius. Reinforcements have been flown in from New Zealand. Statewide water storage capacity is at 49% (it was updated on the news yesterday), and we've been on first level water restrictions for some time now. Still no sign of good rain for another week. Today, it's in the mid to low 30's, and the fires are burning their way towards the first highly built residential areas on the outskirts of Melbourne and the rural areas. So if you're cold, and you want to "warm yourself up", just come down here. It's nice and sunny, and you can always warm yourself up by the bushfires that are raging out of control at the moment. ::) :(

[vidiware]

Norway is a land of mountains. It has quite few habitants and, believe it or not, it is the best country in the world to live in(referring to UN's measuring stuff) :).

Norway is a quite popular tourist country and we earn alot by emptying the wallets of souvenir-crazy tourists ;D.

We celebrate christmas as you do in America with one main difference: We celebrate it all on the 24th.

Norway has a very small military army because we got more than enugh to spend our money on as it is. This is such an expensive country! :(

I have never been in USA so I can't compare the countries.

That UN Stuff is HumanDevelopmentIndex...

High BMP...

Money: Norwegian Kroner,

[vidiware]

Since when is a private school better?

Public schools:

1) They are free.

2) They teach everything the state tells them to teach, giving the student the best information and education.

3) No brainwashing here, unless the teacher is mentally unstable and isn't caught yet.

4) They are taught to respect their teachers early on, and helps a lot.

I have a comment for this one!!! >:(

1. Yes a school should be free.

2. That sometimes the problem, but what do you think Iraq teaches their childen? Public schools can be used for Captalistic/Communistic and other propaganda... and they can be brainwashed in regular school... Not cuz of the teacher but cuz of the leaders in the counrty.

3. Well our school had a teacher... my best fried was told this about the evolutionary theory: "And this is also the evelutionary theory, but foget it, its nonsense, we all know that god created the world",

4. In Norway respect is something some ppl dont have... and they are respectless whatever teacher they are meeting public or private

But this topic was silly!"