BS: World wide Ranking of ?

Subject: BS: World Wide Top 100 Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 11:55 PM

Tonight I was looking for the ranking of a particular something. I found a website, copyrighted from China, which ranked this sort of thing worldwide. This particular ranking is for 2007, but there are multiple sources published each year by various entities for this type of thing.

For 2007, the USA had 51 of the top 100 of these. Nine of them--I'm proud to say are in my home state--California, which is as many as were ranked in the UK. Six were ranked in the top 100 in Japan.

This, whatever it is, affects millions of people around the world; what is it?

I'll give the answer this weekend,if there are any responses, with a comment about the anomaly of this particular ranking.

I am sorry to be so vague about this, but almost any hint would surely give it away.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 12:56 AM

Colleges? Fashion Houses? Immigrants? Geniuses? Alcoholic geniuses?

I ain't got no idear.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 12:57 AM

World's laziest dog: located in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. At my place.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: gnu
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 05:54 AM

There's a contest for "Alcoholic geniuses"? What's the prize?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: kendall
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 06:30 AM

LH, my dog has to rest up before going to bed.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 07:34 AM

Dental Dam manufacturers or Stroke Book Publishers. Has to be one or the other as the high percentage in California is a dead giveaway.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Peace
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 07:55 AM

Universities?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 08:42 AM

Earhquakes

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 09:14 AM

Debt? Foreclosures? Self-indulgence?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Stu
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 09:24 AM

Whelk sanctuaries for whelks who have become vaguely confused.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: rumanci
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 09:31 AM

"There's a contest for "Alcoholic geniuses"? What's the prize?"

rosé tinted glasses ?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 10:30 AM

Stroke Book Publishers! That may be a correct answer, but not the one from my source. I'm gonna make that phrase my own,'spaw. Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 10:44 AM

Banks? Universities? Largest Cities?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 11:05 AM

Whelks never get confused. They are cool, and omniscient too.

I think it's tripe boilers.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 11:07 AM

Well, I know that Bank of America was started by a California-born chap named A. P. Giannini, and the Crocker was one of the West's Big Four, so I will give a definitive guess: banks.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 11:32 AM

Universities.

Alternatively, the number of reasons for wanting a change of government.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 11:40 AM

Well, the California State University and the University of California are two huge systems with many campuses (=campi).
As such, probably count as only two (=2). Still, probably the right answer.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Peace
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 12:43 PM

Refresh.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 12:44 PM

When will we know for sure?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:00 PM

Only da shadow knows.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:13 PM

Tune in tomorrow; same bat time, same bat web site.

Meanwhile, keep those guesses coming in.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:24 PM

A little more about the state-owned systems in California. There is also the California Community College system that offers 2-year (associate) degrees. The University of California is the only one to offer a Doctorate. So, if a 2-year degree counts here, the State of California has three multi-campus monster institutions.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:25 PM

Paris Hiltons? Madrigal dinners? Off-shore dilling factories? La Brea Tar Pits? Granola bars? Formal piscatorial outings?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 01:32 PM

Jello pits?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 02:42 PM

Disneyland? Knott's Berry Farm? Six Flags Over Burbank! Gotta be amusement parks!

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 02:43 PM

Privately owned assault weapons? Survivalists? Cougar attacks?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: gnu
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 03:10 PM

rum... "rosé tinted glasses ?"

Hahahahahahahaaa

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Ed T
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 03:40 PM

World class idiots?

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Ed T
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 03:43 PM

World class idiots = Widiots

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 04:05 PM

Grow rooms.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 08:20 PM

Drug busts.

Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 09:06 PM

OK, OK, I give!

The answer is (drumroll here)...........UNIVERSITIES
Ebbie got it right out of the chute, with a little hedging; Peace the first to get it unequivically.

Many of your answers were very creative, especially catspaw49's. It was fun watching pdq parse out the answer. Stanford & CalTech are the two private universities from California. The other seven each are members of the University of California system. While they are under the UC umbrella, they are largely autonomous, and have their own curricular specialties. My alma mommy, UCLA, ranks 12th, if I remember aright. It was lower, but then I graduated and they jumped way up.

Thank you all for participating.

The reason I was looking this up this subject is that American school kids K-12 seem to be lagging the rest of the known world, but our colleges and universities are, by and large, the envy of the world.

The anomaly is, to me, how can our schools be allegedly so poor, our colleges so good, and how are these students able to meet the challenge of these world class institutions?

I believe part of the problem is that we teach all of our children as if they're going to go to college, and most aren't...for whatever reason. Fifty-plus years ago, when I was in high school, most kids were not expected to go to college; the schools, recognizing this fact, had curriculum for vocational and commercial students, which had math and science courses geared for that type of work. I don't believe there is much of that now.

That is only one of the reasons, but it is the one that resonates most with me. Some might think we don't spend enough on the schools, others might think we spend too much. Perhaps some of the problem is that we have too many non-English speakers, but some of those do esceedingly well, learning English very quickly. Some might blame top heavy administration, some teachers' unions.

JotSC