Is it me, or is America getting dumber by the minute? I can't decide who's the bigger idiot --the plaintiff, the jurors, or me, for even noticing this stuff. Try reading the Juror's explanation of the verdict with a straight face. Just try.


LOS ANGELES - A widow won $2.1 million from a high-priced matchmaker whom she claimed failed to deliver on promises of introductions to cultured, wealthy men.

Anne Majerik, a 60-year-old social worker from Erie, Pa., claimed in a lawsuit that she paid Beverly Hills matchmaker Orly Hadida $125,000 to be introduced to men who wanted monogamous relationships, earned more than $1 million and had estates of up to $20 million.

Instead, she said, she only got a few introductions to inappropriate men. For example, her suit claimed, the matchmaker's "international banker" turned out to be "an interpreter that worked in a bank."

Orly, an Israeli beauty pageant winner who goes by her first name, countersued. She alleged Majerik is a "serial matchmaker suer" who enjoyed herself with the men she met before claiming she had been "psychologically damaged by the process" and demanding compensation.

Orly claimed Majerik became her client after she helped the widow prevail in a lawsuit against another matchmaker, San Diego-based Valenti International. She said Majerik, whose husband died in 1999, gave her "enthusiastic feedback about nearly every man to whom Orly had introduced her."

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled in Majerik's favor on Tuesday, although jurors weren't entirely sympathetic to her.

"We wanted to punish the defendant, but in the amount we wanted to punish the defendant, we didn't want to reward the plaintiff," said foreman Christie Troutt. "They were both wrong."

Orly's attorney said she plans to appeal.

Unfortunately, its the American way. If you don't like something, then sue. This country is filled with sore losers.

Good Grief Charlie Brown...just shoot me!

Pardon my french but, when you make one million a year and have estates worth 20 millions, why would you want to marry a sexagenarian?
I mean for that kind of money instead of one sixty year old you can get three twenty year olds...
Sorry...

As my topic title says... Stupidity. And your comment calls to mind the great W C Fields line... I'd rather have two girls of twenty-one, than one of forty-two....

FJB

Actually I was trying to figure out where from I got that one...
so it's WC Fields.. Another unsung great philosopher..
And what a poet...


I lost my dad when quite young but he had time to make me discover three fundamental things in life:
The Marx Brothers, WC Fields and Helzapoppin..

Remember this is coming from the same state that produced a jury of six women and six men who were hung deciding whether the Menedez brothers' were guilty. The position of the six women was that they felt sorry for them becuase they would have to live the rest of their lives without their parents. Somehow they just couldn't see the reality that the brothers blew their parents heads off. We are doomed folks, dooooooooooooomed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I read the story and had the same reaction. They don't call it La-La land for nothing. I am amazed at the number of people in this country who can not take responsibility for their actions. Parents tell their kids it's not their fault, so as adults these kids look for someone else to blame and don't take responsibility for their own actions. Albeit this woman came from a generation that didn't sue for everyhting like today. but she probably got caught litigious fever.

When I was a police officer (forced into a disability retirement last year ) we use to talk at the station about how times have changed from when we were kids. If my parents EVER got a phone call from the police about me or my brother, we would have just assumed the cops locked us up because if our parents came to the station we would have been dead before we hit the floor. Let's face it, disappointing your parents was just about the worst thing you could ever do. Today, you call parents and they come to the station and turn around and blame the cops for setting their kids up! Gimme a break. We got better things to do than babysit ill-behaved and ill-raised children. These are the same ones who are going to run our country some day and award people millions of dollars for their own stupidity.

Lisa Marie (once again climbing down off her soapbox )

I'm not sure I would want your job, Lisa Marie (or your ex-job) but I'm SURE I don't want my wife's job --teaching 7th and 8th grades. I would be on trial for murder 1 in less than a week. But it probably wouldn't be one of the kids I'd throttle --it would be one of the parents. Maybe two of 'em. They are certifiably insane, all of them. Let's face it: We don't have parents anymore. We have managers and agents. They think their job is to negotiate the best possible deal for their kids.

Here's how bad it is. My wife teaches at a middle school, grades 6-8. In fact, I'll cite the name and place, because if any parent from that school should read this, I want them to understand just how screwed up they are. It's Lundahl Middle School in Crystal Lake, IL. The school is located on a very quiet, low-traffic street, and takes up the entirety of one block, between the school, parking lots and baseball and soccer fields.

The building sits about 150 feet from the street, facing it, but there's a side entrance facing the main parking lot, accessible by a two-lane entrance that leads both to the parking lot and the side entrance. My wife told me about the following, but I frankly didn't beieve her until I saw it with my own eyes one morning, when I had to drop her off while her car was in the shop.

Remember, the school is on a very quiet street, with hardly any traffic. And these are 11, 12, 13 and 14 year-old kids --not kindergartners. You'd think Mom would drive up to the school, stop along the sidewalk, let Heather or Justin out, and then drive off to the yoga class or beauty parlor or Soccer Mom Finishing School she attends. After all, a healthy 13 year old can walk 150 feet --fifty yards-- right?

Nope. Super Mom pulls her SUV into the driveway. Her, and every other mom in the school --and there are nine hundred kids attending school. The Los Angeles freeway is less crowded. Not only do they pull in, but they take up both lanes, so the teachers can't get into their own parking lots.

But it gets better.

Having pulled in, the last car is about one hundred feet from the side entrance. The Caravan or Bronco or whatever sits there, idling, while Brittany or Aaron gets dropped off --a long process, because, during the three-block ride from the house, li'l Brianna didn't have time to gather her books and other gear. So everyone waits while she looks in the back seat, the front seat, the rear compartment and the roof, yelling at her mother all along because she, Brianna, can't find her notebook. And everyone waits.

Finally, she gets out and the nect car moves forward. And then the next, and the next... now you'd think that Super Mom, sitting there idling, having reached the second spot in line, would turn to Brittany or Colin or whatever and say: "Okay, you can get out now, dear. It's only twenty feet to the door, and you had your breakfast --I'm sure you can make it."

Uh-uh. Nope. As God is my witness, every one of those moms waited until they could pull right up to the entrance before allowing their little darlings out. I am serious. I saw this with my own eyes. God forbid this frail, sickly 14 year old walk an additional fifteen feet...

But it gets even better. As I sat there in my car, watching in fascination (my wife had long since departed, but I couldn't move: I was rooted to the spot) I saw this incredible scene. A car had reached the second place in line, behind another silver-grey SUV... and this mother, no doubt a pioneer type, persuaded her son to get out at that point (the car in front was taking ever so long...) and he did so, but just as he stepped out, the first car moved away. May the Good Lord strike me dead, or turn me into a Demcorat, if I lie, but the kid then GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND WAS DRIVEN THE ADDITIONAL FIFTEEN FEET CLOSER.

I am not making this up, ladies and gentlemen. And, oh by the way, the time of year was October --not too hot, not too cold, and the sun was shining....

Yep, our future is in great hands... these kids today are just chock-full of life lessons.

So rest easy, all you people. Sooner or later, the class of 2012 will graduate from Harvard or Northwestern or wherever and begin guiding our nation's destiny... and they will, collectively, have not a single clue as to how to conduct themselves as rational, responsible adults.

You gotta love it.


FJB

Wow. I don't know how these kids would cope with what I had to deal with from 1st to 5th grade. I had to walk 3 miles each way to get to school and home - and that's if I took the short cut through the woods. If I walked along the road it was an additional 2 miles. I actually enjoyed the walk. After 5th grade I couldn't walk anymore because we moved to another district and I lived 20 minutes from school if we drove, so I had to ride the bus. This generation you're talking about is only 10 years behind me. What's it going to be like in 10 more years? Teleporters? Children dropped off at school sealed in a nice plastic baggy for freshness?

Philosophy corner dept.

History tends to show that people who don't have a single clue as to how to conduct themselves as rational, responsible adults have been with us probably ever since we became bipedals.. And I suspect, even before that..
Actually, history is full of famous and important people who didn't have a clue about anything, period..
I am in the opinion that life is the best teacher. Sooner or later, for some reason, these kids will HAVE to walk. I ain't too worried..
Anyways, my message to the kids, for when I'm gone:
"Kid, you're on your own, man.."

I would never have taken you for an optimist, AL. I wouldn't place bets if I were you. What I described in the parking lot is only a symptom of what goes on in the classroom and beyond. Simply put, the privelged kids of today are being taught that they bear no responsibiity for anything --at all. If they fail to turn in an assignment, the parents will call and ask the following: When are YOU (the teacher) going to give a make-up? Did YOU (the teacher) remind my child that the assignment was due? Did YOU (the teacher)make sure that he (or she) understand what he (or she) was being asked to do? Did YOU (the teacher) ask my child if there was any reason why he (or she) couldn't complete the work before assigning a due date? Did YOU (the teacher) provide my child in writing the complete scope of the assignment and a complete list of your expectations and objectives? Why are YOU (the teacher) picking on my child?

Think I'm exaggerating? Try (as I have) substitute-teaching for a day. I contrast this to the generation this site celebrates --the kids who grew up in the 1930s. Ask the Guarneres and the Mucks and the Carlsons and the Percontes and all the rest of them about the expectations that were placed on them. No, not all kids are like this,I know. Notice I said the "priveleged ones". Crystal Lake is an affluent community; most of these kids will never have a moment's want in their lives before they graduate from college. But I will be astonished if any of them learn their lesson about life anytime soon. At their first collision with reality, they will do what the woman whose exploits inspired this topic did: They'll sue the school system or their employers or their own parents. Life must be made fair, you see.

FJB

aka Sour-faced trog

It's not that I'm really an optimist, it's that I noticed that humanity has been happily going along from catastrophe to catastrophe for quite a number of millenia, so I eventually figured that it's probably the way it works..
In short, I'm a fan of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. if you see what I mean...
Hi Ho..
But seriously I know what you mean, having partly lived in an affluent family in Geneva, which is one of the most affluent cities in the world.
When my cousin flunked his "baccalauréat", the exam the kids pass at the end of high school in France, his parents bought him a Triumph Spitfire...
His sister was, according to her parents "depressive". Naturally, each bout of "depression" ended in shopping sprees Beverly Hills style.
However, he's now a pediatrician and a father of three, and she's been happily married for 25 years and raised two pretty well educated daughters. So it's not always that bad.
You're going to say I'm an optimist again but among those over-pampered kids, some of them will be smart enough to raise above the others. Very few, but some.
Remember Siddhartha Gautama..
He was from an affluent family..

Yeah, I know. But I love the feeling of moral superiority.

FJB

Theres is so much like this in america. When you can sue McDonalds because you got burns when you spilled cofee over yourself. "They never said the coffee was hot!"

I like that...a bank employee who speaks another language is an "international banker."

So here are some more upgraded professions:

"Emulsifier engineer for major international corporation" -- dishwasher at Burger King

"Internal Communications Specialist for Media Conglomerate" -- mailroom boy at CBS

"Travel Coordinator for Major Transportation Organization" -- Bus Conductor, London Transport

"Human Relations Counselor and Sexual Therapist" -- Hooker

I'm sorry but......this had me in fits

Lunacy begets us all around the turn of a century. We may find as these generations grow up they become even more nanified or radical. A form of government manifested as a backlash against all the stupid things they did when they were young. It is a sad truth even today that governments and societies are reacting to problems when they should be responding to them.

In France, the guy, or the lady, who cleans the floors in office buildings at the end of the day is called "surface technician"..
....
I spent my first ever night in the US at the Doral Inn hotel, on Madison ave. New York. My TV wasn't working so I call the desk and they tell me: "Yessir, we send an engineer right away."
An engineer? That scared me since what I expected was a repairman, at best.
I began to wonder how they'd call people building jet aircraft or suspension bridges.
Then the engineer shows up. The problem with the TV is that the image is B/W and the colors are just laid in stripes all over the screen. He tilts the TV forwards and begins banging on the screen.
-"Er.. Xcuze me? What are you doing?", I ask, slightly worried.
-"Don't worry sir, that's how to do it", says the engineer.
And indeed, after some banging, the colors go where they're supposed to be and everyting is back to normal.
I reckon it was some fine demonstration of engineering..

Four years at MIT, plus a Masters from Cal-Berkely. TVs are tricky things, you know.

Ahh, the BFH works every time. It either fixes the glitch or breaks it permanently so you get a new one, problem solved.

On the P-3 Orion, filled with delicate electronic instruments as it was, we carried an in-flight technician. I'd swear that step one for them troubleshooting any piece of gear was to whack it. Step two was to take the box out and put it back in. Surprisingly this fixed the problem most of the time. Built by the lowest bidder don't you know.

Well Frank personally I think first someone should knock tha dog snot out of their parents.. and then give them the same. Ya never know old remedies sometiimes work??? especially the kid that a ctually got back in the damn car and rode the extra 3 feet Utterly ridicioulous. or as you put it stupid ..hey ya know what Forest Gump said Stupid is as stupid does.. seems to apply

As a father of three girls I can tell you it isn't easy trying to raise kids to handle themselves. The key IMO is that it is OK to let your kids "fail".

Example #1, Our oldest is a wonderful 8 year old girl. But she has the memory the size of a gnat. She is just forgetful. My wife used to always keep on her about her homework and it used to drive the both of them nuts. So we decided to let our daughter remember on her own. Well of course she forgot her homework and books at school one day. She threw a fit and insisted that my wife take her back up to school. When I got home it was still going on. So I said, "What's the problem?" "I forgot my homework at school and Mom won't take me back to get it." "OK, well homework is your responsibility. Think about what you can do, and then do it."

I sent in an e-mail to her teacher telling her what happened and that if she didn't turn it in then to give her a zero. A little to my surprise I got a note back saying that my daughter did turn in her homework. She came in, sat down immediately, and got it done before class started instead of talking with her friends.

We now no longer fight about homework.

Example #2, our third is every bit a two-year-old. We have a small garden pond in the back yard. She used to climb up on the wall and play in the water. My mom was over one say and was getting all concerned that she would fall it. I said, "It's OK. I'm right here. She's got to learn for herself." Plop. In she goes and I pull her out by the ankle. She no longer goes near the pond unless I am holdig her hand. Before she would push my hand away and say "I do it, Daddy." I trust her now to not go near the pond without Kate or me.

Kids of today, yesterday, and tomorrow aren't stupid. They are no different than we were at that age. Think of what you did as a kid and ask yourself why you won't let your kid do the same thing. We adults just need to give them the chance to do the right thing. We need to get out of their way sometimes. We need to let them fail sometimes so that they learn what they shouldn't do as much as we try to tell them what they should do. Praise them when they do good, and make them take responsbility when they go wrong. They'll never learn to take responsibility for a mistake unless they get themselves in a situation where they have to take responsibility for a mistake.

It's good to keep them from seriously hurting themselves but it is also good to let them run the risk of skinning their knees.

Spot on. It's usually a faulty connection of some kind (eg, low contact area/corrosion giving a high effective resistance). Giving it a bash will often reseat a connector or clean some corrosion off giving a better joint. Taking things out and putting them back in has the same effect and can also 'reset' equipment that has entered some undesirable state.

Of course the main function of the BFH in maintaining the correct function of equipment is to apply it judicially to operators who start messing with settings

Paul, the problem isn't you: The problem is the parents who, as I said, believe it is their duty to run roughshod over everyone else so that their children don't suffer any growing pains at all. You acted responsibly when Maddie forgot her homework. Want to know how a significant portion of the parents in my wife's school would have reacted?

1. Call the teacher and DEMAND to know why she didn't check to make sure that Maddie had her homework when she left.

2. Regardless of her answer to Demand One, Demand Two is that Maddie be given a make-up date for the homework.

3. If Maddie forgets or refuses to make up the lost homework, call the school principal and DEMAND to know what's wrong with the teacher that she can't see to it that their child has an opportunity to turn in homework. Suggest that the teacher be fired or disciplined and DEMAND that Maddie get a new teacher.

4. Call the District Superintendent and inform him that you will be suing the school district for discrimination if Maddie gets a "zero" for her homework.


Paul, I wish I was exaggerating the facts, but I'm not. What I just described above happens every week. NO, this isn't all parents; it may not be a majority of parents, but it's a lot more than one or two. My wife's been teaching for over a quarter of a century, including in a poor rural district in Southern Maryland where the schools were roughly forty per cent minority, chiefly poor blacks, and she loved teaching then. I never heard her complain once, about the kids or the parents. But she will tell you that the situation in the last ten years has gotten to the point of literally driving teachers from the profession. Who wants to put up with this crap?

Yes, we were all kids once, and yes we tried to get away with murder --I know I did. But the difference was that if I was held after school for misbehavior, I would be punished a sceond time when I got home, no questions asked. Period. Today, the parents are on the line demanding to know if Justin was read his rights.

Keep doing what you're doing, because that's the right way. But unfortunately there are too many who don't see it that way.

FJB

I live on Southern Maryland. Huntingtown, Calvert Country. Basically go out Pennsylvania Ave from DC and when you think you've gone too far, go a bit further and that's Calvert County. It's not in the middle of nowhere but I can see The Middle of Nowhere from here.

Where did your wife teach?

My dad taught high school Spanish in the public school system in Baltimore County for about 30 years.

Know the area well. I grew up in DC, but we lived in La Plata for a couple of years, and then moved to Waldorf (before it turned into the armpit it is today). My wife grew up in Bel Air, Charles County, and her sister lives near Lexington Park, ST Mary's County, and finally a close frined lives in Calvert County not too far from PA Ave extended. Plus I used to work in Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges County. Got ya surrounded.

God willing, I'll be back in that area when she retires.

FJB

LOL there's some truth to this, trophies being what they are I guess.

Let us not forget the motto of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers:

"This looks complicated. I'd better get a bigger hammer."