Jots and Tittles and other Random Things

Andre's Blog - Feb. Fun WC:143, 124, 121,110, 208, 168, 165

P14. Should education always require learning a second language?

The world is shrinking all of the time. While English is a universal language, it is arrogant to believe that everyone knows English. Knowing a second (at least) language could be helpful, especially if the area you live in, or work in is multi-cultural. Where I live (in Texas) knowing Spanish would be useful. Using the DuoLingo app helps some, but it is also easier to learn languages when you are younger. And it needs to be more than just a semester, one time. Because if you don't use it, you lose it. I got used to the app, and was starting to learn, at least reading Spanish, but once I put it down, I've lost what I had learned. I know that it would be hard to implement something like this, as arts seem to be on their way out of the schools. But I think it would be a great idea.




P17. Is government assistance just allowing people a free ride not to work?

Oh, for heaven's sake: It depends on what the goal is - There is a difference between a hand up and a hand out. If someone is doing the best they can, and still cannot make ends meet - would it be right to punish them and not help? I only get annoyed if someone has an "entitled" attitude. They they somehow are "owed" being taken care of without any requirements asked of them. The government is not anybody's personal piggy bank (could go down a rabbit hole here, but will refrain for now). There has to be a better way of determining the difference between those who really do need help, and those who are just out to not have to do anything, aka. a free ride.





P1. Professional sports - Are we reliving Roman gladiators or capitalizing profits? opinion

I like sports, and I plan on enjoying the Superbowl this year. That being said, my only grievance is the amount of money that is made in sports. This is just the advertising revenue from last year:

The advertising revenue from the 2021 Super Bowl, for example, stood at a record 485 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, an average 30-second ad spot during the Super Bowl broadcast cost an estimated 6.5 million U.S. dollars in 2022.

Source: https://www.statista.com/topics/1264/super-bowl/#:~:text=The%20advertising%20rev...

The winners of the Superbowl will get $157,000 each along with the trophy, the title of "world champion."
The losers of the Superbowl will get $82,000 each for being one of the last two teams standing.

whereas:

The average Public School Teacher salary in Texas is $54,866 as of December 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between $45,821 and $66,908.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+money+do+teachers+make+a+year&client=op...

Seems a little disproportionate, if you ask me. One day vs. all year long. Granted, football players are athletes, and train hard. But teachers do way so much more in my opinion. We have some seriously skewed priorities.




P9. Animals you shouldn't have as pets


No offense to those who have "exotic" pets. It is a choice that requires some thought. But there are a few animals that I don't think are such good ideas:

Alligators and crocodiles - They get really long, and even when little could take a finger or two. When grown, they probably wouldn't have any qualms making a snack out their owner.

Elephants - the sheer size would be off-putting. The food bill, housing, and who wants to clean up after that #2?

Monkeys - The mess that would ensue, especially if you had more than one. No offense to Andre and his cohorts, but imagine the cost of food, especially bananas, diapers and alcohol?

Snakes - Ewww! A hard no! Not happening! *shivers violently*



P6. Weather Disasters and what can be done to protect people and property before they happen

It really depends on the disaster we are talking about. I lived in Louisiana a little north of New Orleans. Hurricanes were a constant thing to watch for. You cannot prevent a hurricane. Hurricane season is from June 1 to Dec 1. That doesn't mean they can't happen out of this time, but it is where 99% of any storms run. You have to take precautions. My son-in-law has gotten really good at this. He has a generator that will charge phones, and keep the fridge and freezer running, and fans in case of power outage. He also makes sure there is plenty of bottled water and jugs of water for drinking/washing hands during power outages. He also makes sure there is plenty of ready to eat food and snacks. He is also prepared in case he has to cover windows due to flying debris. This is if there is danger of tornadoes or strong winds that come through during a storm. Once the worst is over, it is a case of making sure there are no downed lines in the yard or on the roof. You also need to take a look around your property for downed trees or debris. Then it's back to "normal" once the power is back on.




MyP1. The Offending of Others -

We have become an offense-conscious country. I'm not saying that it is bad; but like a lot of things, it can be taken to either extreme. We can be abrasive, rude, condescending, which is not desirable in any measure. But by the same token, we can be so afraid of saying something, in fear of offending someone to the point we say nothing. That isn't a good measure either. Look, if something was said in a harmful or hateful way, then yes, it is ok to be offended. But if someone is stating something that is their opinion, look where they are coming from before you dig out the tar and feathers. Some things are said, not to provoke anger, but to provoke conversation; to come to a meeting of the minds, if you will. There used to be a time where people could disagree without being called everything in the book. It was called disagreeing without being disagreeable. Just my opinion, but we sure could use more of that.





MyP2. Going Down Rabbit Holes -

I guess the first time I heard of going down a rabbit hole was in Alice in Wonderland. We know how trippy that journey was. Nowadays, I go down rabbit holes out of sheer boredom. I find that the biggest chance of doing so is when I "Google" something and find several paths to follow, or when I go on YouTube. There will be so many different things to catch my eye. Even on my phone, when I look at Facebook, there are so many things vying for my attention. If I want to kill time, (or even if I don't mean to) I can follow the rabbit hole and end up wasting several hours to a whole day. It was easier to not do this when I was working. And once I'm able to go back to work, I will have less time to chase that elusive, pain in the butt rabbit.