The Off Topic Topic

[The Larch]

BTW, the German universities complain that these rankings are more favorable to universities in English-speaking countries.

Yup, that's a complaint I've heard as well, that the ranking system favours Anglo-saxon style universities, so Continental Europe's are screwed in them.

BTW, mine is in the 7-11 bracket for Spain, 171-208 for Europe and 402-501 for the whole world.

[The Larch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVV9q4rESPg

Sexy lightsaber fight.

[DisturbedPervert]

I wonder why the American ones always rank so much higher.

This study is made by the Chinese, and it favors universities they want to emulate to make CHINA STRONG.  That means large research universities that pump out tons of nobel prizes, field medals, research awards, and lots of papers published in prestigious journals.  Just look at their methodology to see how they weigh all this.

[syk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVV9q4rESPg

Sexy lightsaber fight.

Force Bra Removal ftw!

[Malthus]

New university rankings are out. We're 76th in the world apparently. We've gone down 5.
I wonder why the American ones always rank so much higher.
And I wonder who seriously pays much attention to these things. Other than students trying to justify their decisions. Do employers actually care if you went to a highly or lowly ranked uni?
http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2009.jsp

U of T is at #27 - not bad.

[Malthus]

For most positions, not much. Unless you went to the university of Cancun or some other bullshit that throws up a red flag.

For doctors, lawyers and other specialized positions, the college you went to does matter more.

Even as a lawyer I haven't found that university makes any real difference.  It might be different in the US however.

My university is in the 200-300 bank in the world.  But since it was #1 in Manitoba it was good enough for me.

It makes a difference in that crutial initial hire at the very beginning of a career. After that, no-one gives a shit.

[The Larch]

Sometimes the jokes just make themselves:

Northen Ireland's first minister is under fire because his wife bankrolled her lover's bussiness venture. What's the name of NI's first lady? Iris Robinson. Her age? 60. Her lover's age? 19.

And here's to you...

[Savonarola]

Ice-T has been arrested 

Egypt holds Copt killing suspects 


The shooting outside a church on Wednesday night sparked clashes the following day [EPA] 


Egyptian police have arrested three people over the fatal shooting of six Christian Copts and a security guard outside a church in the south of the country.

The men were detained on Friday as police searched an area of fields close to where the attack took place in Nagaa Hammadi, about 60km north of Luxor.

"As a result of the security services' efforts to arrest the criminals [behind] the killing of seven citizens in Nagaa Hammadi, on Friday morning Mohammed al-Kawmi, Kurshi Abul Haggag and Hindawi Hassan surrendered," an interior ministry statement said.

Al Jazeera's Amr El-Khaky, reporting from Luxor, said: "Police started their search immediately after the crime took place and they found the car which was used in that attack ... outside a vast area cultivated with sugar cane.

"It took time to search inch-by-inch until they managed to hunt them down."

The killing on Wednesday, Christmas Eve in the Christian Coptic calendar, sparked clashes between thousands of angry Copts and police.

Fighting erupted outside a hospital morgue where the bodies of the Christians killed the previous day were kept, the official said.

The six male churchgoers and the Muslim security guard were shot dead by three men in a car as the Christians left a late night mass, witnesses said.

Retaliation claims

Al Jazeera's El-Khaky said that one of the men arrested over the attack was "believed to be a relative of a Muslim girl who was allegedly raped last November". 

"It is believed that this attack was in retaliation for the rape of the girl," he said.

"Now that he and his accomplices are in [police custody] the investigations are going to start to find out the real motives for the crime."

A Christian man has been arrested over the alleged rape of the girl and is in custody awaiting trial.

Bishop Kirollos of the Nagaa Hammadi Diocese said he was concerned about violence on the eve of Coptic Christmas because of previous threats following the rape of the girl.

He said that he had received a message on his mobile phone saying: "It is your turn."

"I did nothing with it. My faithful were also receiving threats in the streets, some shouting at them: 'We will not let you have festivities'," he said.

Kirollos said he ended his Christmas Mass one hour earlier than normal because of the threats.

Christians, mostly Coptic, account for about 10 per cent of Egypt's 83-million predominantly Muslim population.

Copt Killer, I know your family's grieving
Copt killer, but tonight we get even

[Malthus]

Sometimes the jokes just make themselves:

Northen Ireland's first minister is under fire because his wife bankrolled his lover's bussiness venture. What's the name of NI's first lady? Iris Robinson. Her age? 60. Her lover's age? 19.

And here's to you...

I'm trying to work out the genders in this story: either it's really complicated, or you've made a mistake somewhere. 

[Razgovory]

I just figured she's very understanding.

[The Larch]

Sometimes the jokes just make themselves:

Northen Ireland's first minister is under fire because his wife bankrolled his lover's bussiness venture. What's the name of NI's first lady? Iris Robinson. Her age? 60. Her lover's age? 19.

And here's to you...

I'm trying to work out the genders in this story: either it's really complicated, or you've made a mistake somewhere. 

Yup, you're right, the second should actually be a her. 

[Josephus]

U of T is at #27 - not bad.

Yeah. That's a good showing for it. Everybody raves about Queen's, it didn't do so well. And York...heh...York came last.

Mind you better than my alma mater Ryerson which didn't chart at all.

[katmai]

#14 and #16

[Barrister]

For most positions, not much. Unless you went to the university of Cancun or some other bullshit that throws up a red flag.

For doctors, lawyers and other specialized positions, the college you went to does matter more.

Even as a lawyer I haven't found that university makes any real difference.  It might be different in the US however.

My university is in the 200-300 bank in the world.  But since it was #1 in Manitoba it was good enough for me.

It makes a difference in that crutial initial hire at the very beginning of a career. After that, no-one gives a shit.

Bah - it got me hired at your law firm.

[HVC]

It makes a difference in that crutial initial hire at the very beginning of a career. After that, no-one gives a shit.

Bah - it got me hired at your law firm.

No system is perfect