When liberals try to think ...

Well, I would define and refine it just a bit further to say....'when liberals try to think for themselves'. Lord knows they do think.
They think we owe them something.
They think they should have whatever they want, not what they earn.
They think the constitution only applys when conveniant.

There are numerous sites on the Internet proving your point, Tom. Liberals could not name the three branches of government, Sec. of State, and on and on. Conservatives knew their stuff. Liberals go by the passion of the moment, whereas, conservatives think things through. Not all, but most...

The estimated average IQ by political orientation*, based on Wordsum scores of GSS respondents between '04 and '06, for men and (women)**:
Party ID Average IQ
Republican 100.0 (99.1)
Democrat 97.3 (98.1)
Independent 94.4 (92.5)
The numbers change somewhat when race is considered...but I ain't even going to go there!!!!
I guess IQ's don't really mean that much....I took a test on-line the other day, after 4 cups of coffee and scored a 135.... OMG i thought...so I took another one and only got a 130. And I can't even spell. I am not rich. I do however have a beautiful wife that must love me for my brains....even though she don't like me to scratch them in public.

Thinking takes work. Most people don't want to accept that.

Ask someone about playing in the NBA...they know it takes innate skills and hard work.

Ask someone about being a professional musician...they know it takes innate skills and hard work.

Ask someone about finding solutions to difficult problems...they'll talk for hours about their ideas, whether they make any sense or not.

The same people who complain all through their basic schooling, "Why do we even need to know this?" suddenly are experts in economics, business management, energy production and policy, contract law, etc.

People know when they can't make a jump shot, or play the piano...they accept these things. But tell people that their thinking is flawed, and that they need rigor and research to understand a subject, and you might as well call their baby ugly.

And I have seen a lot of ugly babies over the years.....

DrTorch, having played and taught piano for a little over 30 years, I can tell you that some people definitely do NOT "know when they can't play the piano"...haha. (I SO want to use Tom as an example for this one, but I will play nice).

Sorry, I just could not resist. Your point did make sense though.

Susan,
I bought the better half a yamaha portable grand for
a christmas gift. You have any advice for someone starting out, all over again. She played some when we
dated but that was 100 yrs ago..

Susan, As a drummer since I was 5...(egads thats 49 years ago!!! HOLY CRAP)...I can also atest to the fact that many piano, guitar, even cowbellers don't know when they suck. But I have never been one to hold back, if it stinks I tell 'em. Much the same as i am always up front on here...if I believe it, I say it...
but sometimes I say things I don't believe, just to get a rise out of some folks

SgtDAD,
nice choice....100 years ago huh? Well in that case, I would advise she just push the "DEMO" button a lot. And don't push the black keys too hard, they might not want to work!!!! OMG...sorry sorry sorry...it just slipped out...now where is that damn edit button?

What might not work the keys or the better half?

SgtGsDad, my first bit of advice would be to never let her hear you tell people that you first started seeing her "100 years ago"... haha.

I don't know which model you picked out, but that was a great gift idea! One time when I went in to Gromans to buy some new books for my students last year, the guy tried to do the hard sell on one of their brand new top of the line electric grand pianos. I could have bought a new car for the price of that thing. It was a beauty though, I swear there wasn't anything it couldn't do... I suspect that it could probably have been programmed to cook dinner, do the laundry, change diapers, help the kids with their homework and even laugh at my husband's jokes, but aside from being WAY out of my price range, there was just one thing I didn't like about it. It wasn't a "real" grand piano. Call me old-fashioned, but there just hasn't been anything invented (in my opinion) that can replace a real piano in my heart. (For some reason, I'm hearing Billy Joel and Ray Charles singing "My Baby Grand" in the back of my mind) They make the new electrics so well that to the average listener, you can't tell the difference, and they make them with weighted keys these days and a much more realistic touch to it. I noticed that even the pianist for the Lima Symphony Orchestra was playing on an electric piano at the Christmas Bells Brass and Bows concert this year... probably more because of a space issue than anything on that crowded stage, but it did sound wonderful. Even so, if I had the money to buy one or the other and not both, I'd stick with the traditional accoustic piano. I have a couple antique uprights at home right now. One is a work in progress for my daughter and the other is a very special project my dad and I worked on many years ago to refinish and rebuild. I'll never give that one up. But I tell my husband, someday, I want a grand piano. I would put it smack dab in the center of our great room and move all the other furniture out. And if we happen to move to a smaller house without the room for one, I'll get rid of the dining room table and replace it with a grand piano and some barstools (haha). Those electric jobbies are SO much fun though, and a LOT easier to move. I especially like the ones that will record what you play and print it out in sheet music form for you. I do a lot of improvising and often wished I had the time (and desire) to sit there and write out my compositions on paper...too time consuming though and it hinders the creative process for me. I did buy an electric piano a few years ago when my older kids were first learning to play piano. I suffered severe migraine and just could not handle the noise when they needed to practice, but I didn't want to deny them the ability to play, so getting the electric with headphones was a lifesavor.

Now see, you get me talkin about the one thing I have a passion for besides my kids (and my husband, of course), and I just go all off on a wild tangent. Sorry. Back to your original question. I guess it depends on how well she was able to play "100 years ago". There are some really good books out there in the music stores for adults who are just learning to play. I think, given that she has some past musical experience, she would probably be able to pick up one of those and work through it on her own. It'll all come back to her very fast. If you live in Lima, I'd suggest Groman's Music over on Allentown/North Street just past Cole. They have a very good selection of music for all ages and levels of difficulty. I've found the people working there to be very knowledgeable and helpful. They could easily direct you to a book that would be suitable for her.

I hope that is helpful in some way. I'm excited for her, I bet she loved that gift! Let me know how it works out.

danimal, it's even worse when a person thinks they can sing and they can't. I'd rather hear someone stumble across the piano keys or any other instrument than hear someone who is tone-deaf singing karaoke... or worse yet, during church. That's one of those times when I just can't make myself look at them. Just bow yer head and look like you're meditating on their message, while you pray they finish quickly.

I have a feeling DrTorch is wishing he'd not chosen that analogy at this point....

Back to the subject...almost.
Obama and the liberals want our guns.......
Doctors Think about this:

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.

(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are120,000.

(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.
Guns Now think about this:

(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million)

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.

(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188.

Statistics courtesy of FBI
So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.

We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!


(and I didn't want to piss Tom off today. Maybe tomorrow)

I like what Ann Coulter says about Liberal. "If Liberal could thing, they would be conservatives". I don't think Liberals can even think. And Mr. Savage says, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder." I love that remark. It is.

If liberals could think, they would be conservatives. I like the way Ann Coulter can put the truth out about different groups. I like her. She is not afraid to speak out. That is a woman.