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Non-religious pet peeves

Started by fester30, February 20, 2011, 08:44:23 AM

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fester30

What are your pet peeve talking points that do not involve religion?  For example, mine is:

I've heard this on TV news, and repeated by family, friends, and through Facebook chain mails.

Members of Congress get their entire salary for the rest of their lives if they serve just one term.

FALSE.

The retirement plan takes 5 years to vest, and then they do not get to receive payments until age 62 (unless they serve 20 years, then they can start collecting at 50, or 25 years, then they can start collecting right away).  A member of the House of Representatives do not get any retirement benefits for serving one or two terms (at 2 years each).  A member of the Senate, after one 6 year term will begin receiving benefits at age 62.  They never get their full final salary in retirement.  It is an average of their highest three years of salary combined with a formula for number of years served, not to exceed 80% of their final salary.  For example, a member who served 22 years finishing with a high three average salary of 153,900 would get just under 85 grand a year.  It's a comparable percentage to the pension of a U.S. military member versus his/her high three salary with the same 22 years.  The biggest difference here is that military members have to serve 20 years for their pension to vest.

Yes, I understand they get great benefits.  My point is you don't have to outright lie to show this.

MariaEvri

my one
and biggest
pet peeve is:
they're, their, there

makes my hair stand to see them used incorrectly-and I'm not even english
God made me an atheist, who are you to question his wisdom!
www.poseidonsimons.com

Tom62

My biggest one is:  the  emission of CO2 by humans is the main cause of global warming
The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.
Robert A. Heinlein

fester30

Quote from: "Tom62"My biggest one is:  the  emission of CO2 by humans is the main cause of global warming

My major in college was atmospheric sciences.  While I believe CO2 is causing climate change, I don't believe the more extreme forecasts that call for many degrees celcius in the next hundred years.  In the past, the graphs show CO2 levels rising and falling with temperature, and many people assumed that CO2 levels were causing it.  However, if that was the case, that little graph that Al Gore used a crane to lift himself up next to wouldn't show such extreme CO2 rises without equally extreme temperature rises.  I believe that CO2 levels, prior to the industrial revolution, were caused by global temperatures, not causing them.  I also believe the earth has natural processes for balance.  Whether the earth will eventually go into an ice age due to the warming imbalance, or simply become uninhabitable to us, it will balance itself out.  I also believe that, since the CO2 levels are rising much faster than global temperatures, there is room for the argument that it isn't quite as bad of a problem as many like Gore try to make it out to be.  Let's not forget that Gore isn't so worried about it himself that he has stopped using an enormous amount of electricity to power his massive residences.

It's easy to talk about making the sacrifices necessary to bring us forward into a clean energy future, but at this point it is so inefficient and expensive to do so that by helping the environment, we'll be putting a lot of people deeper into the poor house.  These measures won't hurt the rich, but instead unequally hurt the poor (just like higher taxes on cigarettes).  We also have to contend with countries that don't care like China.

terranus

Smoking indoors. And I'm a smoker.
Trovas Veron!
--terranus | http://terranus.org--

Cecilie

Quote from: "MariaEvri"my one
and biggest
pet peeve is:
they're, their, there

makes my hair stand to see them used incorrectly-and I'm not even english
I would also like to add your/you're.
The world's what you create.

Tom62

Quote from: "fester30"
Quote from: "Tom62"My biggest one is:  the  emission of CO2 by humans is the main cause of global warming

My major in college was atmospheric sciences.  While I believe CO2 is causing climate change, I don't believe the more extreme forecasts that call for many degrees celcius in the next hundred years.  In the past, the graphs show CO2 levels rising and falling with temperature, and many people assumed that CO2 levels were causing it.  However, if that was the case, that little graph that Al Gore used a crane to lift himself up next to wouldn't show such extreme CO2 rises without equally extreme temperature rises.  I believe that CO2 levels, prior to the industrial revolution, were caused by global temperatures, not causing them.  I also believe the earth has natural processes for balance.  Whether the earth will eventually go into an ice age due to the warming imbalance, or simply become uninhabitable to us, it will balance itself out.  I also believe that, since the CO2 levels are rising much faster than global temperatures, there is room for the argument that it isn't quite as bad of a problem as many like Gore try to make it out to be.  Let's not forget that Gore isn't so worried about it himself that he has stopped using an enormous amount of electricity to power his massive residences.

It's easy to talk about making the sacrifices necessary to bring us forward into a clean energy future, but at this point it is so inefficient and expensive to do so that by helping the environment, we'll be putting a lot of people deeper into the poor house.  These measures won't hurt the rich, but instead unequally hurt the poor (just like higher taxes on cigarettes).  We also have to contend with countries that don't care like China.

The main cause is not the CO2, but the sun. Without the sun, nothing heats up. Second "cause" is good old H2O, because water reflects the sunlight. It was difficult for Al Gore to condemn that stuff, because we drink it and fishes swim in it. Any way, anyone who wants to more about CO2, climate change and skip all the hype, I'd recommend the excellent book "A Primer on CO2 and Climate" of Howard Hayden (Professor Emeritus of Physics from the University of Connecticut). And no, Hayden is not employed by any petroleum, coal, natural gas, nuclear-fuel, or any other energy company, or any utility, nor does he receive any compensation from any such facility, either as direct payment or as research support or any other kind of grant.
The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.
Robert A. Heinlein

The Magic Pudding

Quote from: "Tom62"
Quote from: "fester30"
Quote from: "Tom62"My biggest one is:  the  emission of CO2 by humans is the main cause of global warming

My major in college was atmospheric sciences.  While I believe CO2 is causing climate change, I don't believe the more extreme forecasts that call for many degrees celcius in the next hundred years.  In the past, the graphs show CO2 levels rising and falling with temperature, and many people assumed that CO2 levels were causing it.  However, if that was the case, that little graph that Al Gore used a crane to lift himself up next to wouldn't show such extreme CO2 rises without equally extreme temperature rises.  I believe that CO2 levels, prior to the industrial revolution, were caused by global temperatures, not causing them.  I also believe the earth has natural processes for balance.  Whether the earth will eventually go into an ice age due to the warming imbalance, or simply become uninhabitable to us, it will balance itself out.  I also believe that, since the CO2 levels are rising much faster than global temperatures, there is room for the argument that it isn't quite as bad of a problem as many like Gore try to make it out to be.  Let's not forget that Gore isn't so worried about it himself that he has stopped using an enormous amount of electricity to power his massive residences.

It's easy to talk about making the sacrifices necessary to bring us forward into a clean energy future, but at this point it is so inefficient and expensive to do so that by helping the environment, we'll be putting a lot of people deeper into the poor house.  These measures won't hurt the rich, but instead unequally hurt the poor (just like higher taxes on cigarettes).  We also have to contend with countries that don't care like China.

The main cause is not the CO2, but the sun. Without the sun, nothing heats up. Second "cause" is good old H2O, because water reflects the sunlight. It was difficult for Al Gore to condemn that stuff, because we drink it and fishes swim in it. Any way, anyone who wants to more about CO2, climate change and skip all the hype, I'd recommend the excellent book "A Primer on CO2 and Climate" of Howard Hayden (Professor Emeritus of Physics from the University of Connecticut). And no, Hayden is not employed by any petroleum, coal, natural gas, nuclear-fuel, or any other energy company, or any utility, nor does he receive any compensation from any such facility, either as direct payment or as research support or any other kind of grant.

I'll admit to a prejudice on the climate change issue, before it became mainstream I thought humans were surviving by consuming their capital, not a sustainable situation.  The magic pudding is a pudding that can be eaten and never diminishes, unfortunately the   Earth is not magic.  I'm in no position to weigh the science I need to have it interpreted, it seems the more trustworthy types are telling me there's something to worry about.  

What are the odds the climate change sceptics are right?  I'd say 10% would be a generous allowance.
Follow the advice of mainstream science and maybe you'll loose a point off GDP.
Follow the contrarians and well, have you seen the movie The Road?

I won't say it is a pet peeve but I hold a deep distaste, doubt and disdain for climate change contrarians.

ForTheLoveOfAll

A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
-Carl Sagan

I loved when Bush came out and said, "We are losing the war against drugs." You know what that implies? There's a war being fought, and the people on drugs are winning it.
- Bill Hicks

Epimetheus

Whenever people use text language and internet acronyms in normal speech. Also when people don't realize the difference between "they're", "their", and "there" and "your" and "you're". Generalizations. The incorrect use of the word literally in place for "very"; "That's literally weird" (wft?). Oh yes, and when people think that X/0 is valid and is equal to 0.

Tom62

Quote from: "The Magic Pudding"What are the odds the climate change sceptics are right?  I'd say 10% would be a generous allowance.
Follow the advice of mainstream science and maybe you'll loose a point off GDP.
Follow the contrarians and well, have you seen the movie The Road?

I won't say it is a pet peeve but I hold a deep distaste, doubt and disdain for climate change contrarians.
I'm not saying that the skeptics are right. At this moment I have insufficient data that either side is right or wrong, simply because climate change is a very complex process that is not well understood. I don't hold a grunge against anyone, who is doing real scientific climate research, pro or contra popular believes.
The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.
Robert A. Heinlein

Whitney

Too vs to  

It's really not that hard.  Nothing can make a professional email fail faster than leaving off an o.

fester30

Quote from: "Epimetheus"Whenever people use text language and internet acronyms in normal speech. Also when people don't realize the difference between "they're", "their", and "there" and "your" and "you're". Generalizations. The incorrect use of the word literally in place for "very"; "That's literally weird" (wft?). Oh yes, and when people think that X/0 is valid and is equal to 0.

Don't forget the use of the word "literally" when the person is speaking in metaphor.  "That Waffle House waitress had like, literally no teeth."  I heard that in a Waffle House a few years ago.  The waitress was missing two teeth.

hismikeness

Quote from: "fester30"Don't forget the use of the word "literally" when the person is speaking in metaphor.  "That Waffle House waitress had like, literally no teeth."  I heard that in a Waffle House a few years ago.  The waitress was missing two teeth.

Along the lines of waitressing, what really peeves me is when they come to the table and ask, "Are we ready to order?" or "What are we having tonight?" Sometimes, when I'm in that right kind of mood, I'll say "I don't know... what are we having?" and wait for their response. When they finally realize I mean them, I point out "If you are going to ask what we're having, you are part of that pronoun."

Waitressing 101 didn't cover that level of smartass. It did teach them to intentionally say "we" to be inclusive. Same as a light touch of the person most likely to sign the check, they waitresses are told, will increase a tip. I intentionally lower a tip if I've been touched, out of spite.

Here's one more of mine, and maybe I'm too critical of wait staff, but I think it just requires a little more observation than it is given by the average server. When I order a drink and they bring me a straw with it, and I take it out, place it on the edge of the table (the "I'm done with this you may take it" area of the table) when you bring my refill, don't bring me another straw. Maybe after the second is OK, but after the 4th, 5th refill you're still bringing me straws... tip declining.

Now, when I get a great waiter or waitress, I tip well. My wife and I had this guy at an Outback Steakhouse a while back that was great. Of course, it was 2pm on a Tuesday, so we were the only people there. I tipped him nearly 40%.
No churches have free wifi because they don't want to compete with an invisible force that works.

When the alien invasion does indeed happen, if everyone would just go out into the streets & inexpertly play the flute, they'll just go. -@UncleDynamite

KDbeads

Put the cell phone down and do your job already.  You are getting PAID to do whatever it is, not sit there and talk/text the whole freaking time while getting nothing done.

You spawned it, you deal with it.  Don't take it to a store and let it destroy everything in it's path and then blame the management.  Don't complain when you get kicked out of an establishment because your kid is disruptive, loud, mean, annoying other clients, and generally acting like it has no sense of right or wrong while you sit there on your damn cell phone ignoring it.

Customer service persons that roll their eyes at you just because you ask for x,y, or z.  

And we should not forget.... it's/its, to/too, there/their, here/hear


I could go on and on and on.....
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. - Douglas Adams