Drinking Space 9

The characters are always drinking, be it alcohol or coffe, but no one ... no one drinks water!

A character in the show, almost always drinking had significant cosmetic surgery and becmae blind -- you'd think from the drinking, but no -- from reading. What sort of values is the show trying to impress? I now know why it is considered fiction

Allen County seeks dry spell

Actually, a this point, it doesn't matter if it comes from a wand, incantation or magic beans. We have had lots, lots, lots, lots, lots of rain. Now. If I were an enterprising man, seeking to extort money from the desperate, like homeowners who want their lawns cut low, I could rake in tons of money. Until the monsoon season ends, wet we shall be. My car, with windows down, was bathed internally while I was away. Lovely, simply lovely.

Mad landscaping

Dig ... pull, set ... it's days in the making. I was clearly outdone by Dave.

Crossing the Gulf without a paddle

In my experience, I have had a chance to review education, as typtified by a middle-sized city and the quarks and limitations set by law, regionally, locally, federally.

Ultimately, with some effort you can see the gulf (like that of Mexico) between continents. While it is shorter/smaller than either ocean, it is a long way. You seek to find a way to get from Florida to Buenos Aires, but you haven't a paddle. So this is typical education. There are meetings, ideas and wonderful ideas on crossing the gulf on floatila without a paddle, a modern enginless boat without a paddle; outsourcing the hand water stroking to another person (country or privatized company), but nothing has worked.

Realistically, all the theories still resolve nothing because of a lack of innovation and the funds to carry out real education for all. No, not just throwing money at it, but without funidng, it dies.

More analogies: You're in Florida and need to get to Buenos Aires. You can't walk on water. You are now without paddles. You could spend $20 on paddles, then rent/make a boat and cross the gulf in a course of a month, with aid brought to you by chance passersby. A cleverer way would be to load up everyone on a plane and take off across the gulf and land, but it's costly and carries only a few persons (tens-hundreds) at a time. You could bypass the gulf, go through Central then parts of South America to get there -- still time consuming. You could charter a cruise liner and haul many people there in a few days.

I think the plan to build a bridge -- "bridging the gulf" (of achievement) is an idea that could not work the way it is now.

1. Can everyone, does everyone need to go to Buenos Aires?
2. Hauling people there, having them changed little for their journey -- except for poorer and fatter, but none the richer seems a poor choice too
3. Forcing each person to row their way there seems too cruel, so ...

Option 4
Assist only as needed, like a marathon. The runners are running to a goal, for their own reasons, finishing where they can. Not every runner finishes, and ultimately only a few finish within the top, and there is someone who finishes faster, because of training, because of natural abilities. Others, who tried are none-the-worse for their efforts. Their names are unknown, but they have tried and accomplished something others can't, won't and don't. They have finished what they could, assisted as needed on their run, by drink tables, snack talbes, medical aids, but not one person picked up a racer and forced them to run further. They ran because they chose to run.

A cold hard fact is: if you don't run, you achieve nothing. It doesn't matter if you aren't the fastest, aren't the strongest, or have the greatest stamina or best timing with your stride. There are one-legged runners who perform, and perform better than two-legged runners. There are deaf runners, blind runners -- these don't stop them from trying. You lose if you don't try. No gain nothing, are spared "defeat" only in that you didn't run, now left to only wonder -- to watch it from the side. There is no glory, no free drinks, snacks, no crowds to cheer you, despite the fact that you're in last place -- cheered on to finish, just as the final winner.

To get education to each person, money is needed.
1. to assist, only when needed
2. to provide anything that the person could no otherwise obtain
3. support, so that when the person tires and cannot legitimately finish, then they aren't shamed into a closet
4. each person knows that not working, weakens the self
5. while the participant's goal may not be Buenos Aires, but simple the Keys, they are supported to get there too.
6. some obstacles (parents, peers, commmunity) would be extricated for better success for all