NOTE TO SELF: What ever happened to childhood?
As a grandparent this strikes me as too much, too soon but obviously parents don't think so.
Call it kindercramming. These days one of the fastest-growing markets for after-school tutors is preschoolers and kindergartners, whose parents are hoping that if their kids learn to read before first grade, it will ultimately help them get into college and get good jobs. Anxious moms and dads are no longer satisfied with traditional nursery school, which many see as a glorified romper room that focuses too much on learning through play. And of course, after years of Baby Einstein marketing, some parents have become convinced that the more math and reading skills their tots master, the better. Srinivas Rao, a veterinarian in Columbia, Md., began sending his daughter Sanjana to after-school tutoring last summer, shortly before her third birthday. To his delight, he soon found she could not only count the 14 dots on her homework work sheet but also write 14 beside them. "I didn't think kids could just learn that overnight," he marvels.
Read the entire story here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686826,00.html
What happened to the "good, old days" when children stayed home with a parent or grandparent and played with toys? While it's admirable to want to offer your child the best upbringing, perhaps let them be children first?
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Friday, November 23, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
WAITER RETURNS WALLET AND MONEY
NOTE TO SELF: Sometimes a good deed by a stranger gives a person faith in humanity.
Tourist, Thomas McCauley, was nervous in as far as crime is concerned when visiting New Orleans for a medical convention. He somehow lost his wallet stuffed with $8,000 he'd won at a local casino and presumed his pocked had been picked.
However, good samaritan, waiter Al Castro, found the wallet stuck in a booth that had been used by McCauley. Now he could have kept it and no one would have been the wiser but instead he returned it much to McCauley shock.
McCauley had stashed the cash, won Thursday at Harrah's New Orleans Casino, in a spare wallet, with no ID that he carries, in case his pocket is picked. His friends back home had warned him about that possibility. After dinner and a show, he realized the wallet was gone.
McCauley said Castro, who'd waited on him and his friend, turned over the wallet as they rushed back into the restaurant.
When asked why return a wallet with no ID, Castro said McCauley was a "gentlemen" and I put myself in his shoes.
"Plus," he said, "my wife's been telling me she believes in karma. Good things happen to people to who do good things."
Amen brother!
McCauley said Castro refused his offer of a reward. But Harrah's general manager said, "we're going to take care of him."
There are good people in this world who do good deeds because they want to, period. For his generous act, we salute waiter, AL CASTRO!
Tourist, Thomas McCauley, was nervous in as far as crime is concerned when visiting New Orleans for a medical convention. He somehow lost his wallet stuffed with $8,000 he'd won at a local casino and presumed his pocked had been picked.
However, good samaritan, waiter Al Castro, found the wallet stuck in a booth that had been used by McCauley. Now he could have kept it and no one would have been the wiser but instead he returned it much to McCauley shock.
McCauley had stashed the cash, won Thursday at Harrah's New Orleans Casino, in a spare wallet, with no ID that he carries, in case his pocket is picked. His friends back home had warned him about that possibility. After dinner and a show, he realized the wallet was gone.
McCauley said Castro, who'd waited on him and his friend, turned over the wallet as they rushed back into the restaurant.
When asked why return a wallet with no ID, Castro said McCauley was a "gentlemen" and I put myself in his shoes.
"Plus," he said, "my wife's been telling me she believes in karma. Good things happen to people to who do good things."
Amen brother!
McCauley said Castro refused his offer of a reward. But Harrah's general manager said, "we're going to take care of him."
There are good people in this world who do good deeds because they want to, period. For his generous act, we salute waiter, AL CASTRO!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
NEXT STEP TO ELIMINATING THE HUMAN TOUCH?
NOTE TO SELF: another move to replace people?
Perhaps as many people do, you might have complained about the long wait at the supermarket to pay the cashier. Then again there's always the do-it-yourself scanning system that in theory but not necessarily in practice, makes the check-out faster. Yet another move afoot or at hand in this case has been created to improve on the self checkout system with the use of a high-tech hand-held personal scanner.
Just what we need in life: another "tool" to schlep along while shopping.
The way it works is shoppers remove an item off the shelf, scan it and bag it all on their own without any human intervention. Although more commonly used in Europe, North American supermarkets are beginning to introduce it slowly to consumers. Once they finished shopping customers head to the front of the store and have their credit cards scanned.
So how about customers who try to "forget" about paying for an item?
To avoid this occurence some shoppers are randomly picked for audits - as a reminder of course for those "oh my - who me?" occasions.
There is no information provided as to whether stores using this "service" make items available at a lower cost since customers do all the work. But then don't we always?
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/06/21/scan.as.you.shop.ap/index.html?eref=yahoo
Writers & Friends
www.jrslater.com/forum
Perhaps as many people do, you might have complained about the long wait at the supermarket to pay the cashier. Then again there's always the do-it-yourself scanning system that in theory but not necessarily in practice, makes the check-out faster. Yet another move afoot or at hand in this case has been created to improve on the self checkout system with the use of a high-tech hand-held personal scanner.
Just what we need in life: another "tool" to schlep along while shopping.
The way it works is shoppers remove an item off the shelf, scan it and bag it all on their own without any human intervention. Although more commonly used in Europe, North American supermarkets are beginning to introduce it slowly to consumers. Once they finished shopping customers head to the front of the store and have their credit cards scanned.
So how about customers who try to "forget" about paying for an item?
To avoid this occurence some shoppers are randomly picked for audits - as a reminder of course for those "oh my - who me?" occasions.
There is no information provided as to whether stores using this "service" make items available at a lower cost since customers do all the work. But then don't we always?
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/06/21/scan.as.you.shop.ap/index.html?eref=yahoo
Writers & Friends
www.jrslater.com/forum
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