I could work around it if it weren't for the whole needing to work for a living thing.

Please explain why we need to spend 7.1 bil dollars on bird flu , but have to cut things like medicare and medicade.

Well, coming from the perspective of all my meatspace friends having to go to their host governments next week and demarche them about bird flu, the reason can be short-handed as "Weak on Katrina, tough on bird flu."

The Administration has dropped the ball on so many things (including stuff that doesn't make the news much but is important like the Doha Round) that they are trying to find something that gives good marketing. So they've spun up bird flu as a big threat, and are Taking Action against it.

It plays really well in the media. In the US at least.

Heh, I was watching a taped movie last night, and then TiVoing, so I didn't hear about the closed Senate thing until Jon Stewart told me about it. Go, Dems! (At long last.)

My cynicism says that if 7.1 billion dollars have been allotted to deal with bird flu, then Haliburton has figured out a way to suck up most of it.

My instructor was showing us how to teach long multiplication on paper. She maintains that not putting in place-holding zeros is the Right and Proper Way.

Mathy people, particularly, does that seem right to you?

Obviously, you can do it that way, but is it particularly encouraged not to?

I think she's being a hardass, Debet. The zeroes aren't necessary for the algorithm, but they sure as hell help to give you a visual check that you've got the columns lined up right. Especially when you have third-grade not-yet-too-lined-up handwriting to contend with.

She maintains that not putting in place-holding zeros is the Right and Proper Way.

If I'm understanding you correctly, that's the way I was taught.

We're using graph paper, so it's less of a concern, and they've got the idea of Tens times Units starts at Tens. It just still seemed odd.

It may be something akin to Tom Lehrer's line about "If you're under thirty-five or went to a private school, you say '7 from three is six,' but if you're over thirty-five and went to a public school, you say '8 from 4 is six.'"

FWIW, I never had problems lining up the columns. In fact it never even occurred to me that someone would put zeroes there until this morning.

Yeah, I thought it might be a generation gap thing.

Mmm... graph paper...

I don't remember having problems either, but then again, my elementary-school self viewed any such crutches as a sign of weakness and needing to be culled from the herd. I was not a particularly nice child.