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BS: World wide Ranking of ?

11 Sep 08 - 11:55 PM (#2437998)
Subject: BS: World Wide Top 100 Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast

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.


12 Sep 08 - 12:56 AM (#2438011)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Ebbie

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

I ain't got no idear.


12 Sep 08 - 12:57 AM (#2438012)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Little Hawk

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


12 Sep 08 - 05:54 AM (#2438161)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: gnu

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


12 Sep 08 - 06:30 AM (#2438191)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: kendall

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


12 Sep 08 - 07:34 AM (#2438220)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: catspaw49

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


12 Sep 08 - 07:55 AM (#2438230)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Peace

Universities?


12 Sep 08 - 08:42 AM (#2438249)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John MacKenzie

Earhquakes


12 Sep 08 - 09:14 AM (#2438275)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Rapparee

Debt? Foreclosures? Self-indulgence?


12 Sep 08 - 09:24 AM (#2438287)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Stu

Whelk sanctuaries for whelks who have become vaguely confused.


12 Sep 08 - 09:31 AM (#2438293)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: rumanci

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

rosé tinted glasses ?


12 Sep 08 - 10:30 AM (#2438336)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast

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.


12 Sep 08 - 10:44 AM (#2438346)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq

Banks? Universities? Largest Cities?


12 Sep 08 - 11:05 AM (#2438369)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Paul Burke

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

I think it's tripe boilers.


12 Sep 08 - 11:07 AM (#2438372)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq

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.


12 Sep 08 - 11:32 AM (#2438396)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: George Papavgeris

Universities.

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


12 Sep 08 - 11:40 AM (#2438406)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq

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.


12 Sep 08 - 12:43 PM (#2438472)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Peace

Refresh.


12 Sep 08 - 12:44 PM (#2438476)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Little Hawk

When will we know for sure?


12 Sep 08 - 01:00 PM (#2438495)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq

Only da shadow knows.


12 Sep 08 - 01:13 PM (#2438513)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast

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

Meanwhile, keep those guesses coming in.


12 Sep 08 - 01:24 PM (#2438520)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq

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.


12 Sep 08 - 01:25 PM (#2438522)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Rapparee

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


12 Sep 08 - 01:32 PM (#2438526)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John MacKenzie

Jello pits?


12 Sep 08 - 02:42 PM (#2438595)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: pdq

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


12 Sep 08 - 02:43 PM (#2438600)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Rapparee

Privately owned assault weapons? Survivalists? Cougar attacks?


12 Sep 08 - 03:10 PM (#2438634)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: gnu

rum... "rosé tinted glasses ?"

Hahahahahahahaaa


12 Sep 08 - 03:40 PM (#2438649)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Ed T

World class idiots?


12 Sep 08 - 03:43 PM (#2438654)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Ed T

World class idiots = Widiots


12 Sep 08 - 04:05 PM (#2438676)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Bee-dubya-ell

Grow rooms.


12 Sep 08 - 08:20 PM (#2438872)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: Little Hawk

Drug busts.


12 Sep 08 - 09:06 PM (#2438884)
Subject: RE: BS: World wide Ranking of ?
From: John on the Sunset Coast

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