#203 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday November 23)
Good morning,
It’s Tuesday and time for comments from friends, filled with good humor and great insights…
SAVING STUFF
From Mark DiMaria: “Of course, I still have every pay statement, ticket stub, school notebook, phone bill, etc., etc., that I ever received or created. The DiMaria Memorial Archivist would never forgive me if I did not retain these treasures, for the inquisitive, fawning public and scholars of the future! Public Storage likewise is appreciative and honored for the opportunity to house these valuable artifacts.”
TEACHING AND SCHOOLING
From Sue Meltzer: “I believe we must train our teachers much like we train our doctors and lawyers…and that they should be paid as well as lawyers and doctors. When I interviewed for my principal position, I also spoke against tenure. It ought to be easier to transfer or fire teachers and administrators to achieve better fits.”
Sue is right. Until we treat education as a profession, and until educators are subject to standards of performance to which the rest of us are held, it’s not going to get better.
Chris Grey thinks I’m too naïve about stepping away from the curriculum debates to just let teachers teach: “Most teachers in this country are nothing more than unionized babysitters and prison guards. The debate over ideology is a side show. The real issue is that our education system, and most of our teachers, are not any good at teaching kids. We spend more than almost any other country and look at the pathetic results we get.”
UNHEALTHY FOOD, REDUX
From Chris Grey: “It goes way beyond Cheesecake Factory. America’s entire food system is a disaster, unless the goal is to make people sick so you can then stuff them with expensive pharmaceuticals.”
From Mark Farrell: “In 2014, I spent a month and a half in Australia. The first thing I noticed, aside from traffic patterns, was the food. Everything was more "bland." The American palate is accustomed to massive amounts of sugar, salt, and fat.
I first noticed it in, of all things, beer. American beer has a high sugar content, evidently. Even fast food was superior. We drove through a Burger King and was surprised at how good and fresh the burgers were.
It took a few days to get used to the Australian diet, which was more healthy. Once used to it, the subtleties of the food became apparent and it was no longer "bland." It was just good food.
On a side note, when Rebecca and I lived in our RV traveling the country, we decided to abandon "chain restaurants," like Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden, opting instead for local, mom 'n pop restaurants. Best decision we ever made! Great food, great stories, and a family member might just take you into the kitchen to show you their tandoori oven. Or "Grandma Nonna" and the namesake of the restaurant might sit down at your table and tell you stories of immigrating from Italy. Or Dad might sit down at your table and say, "Don't eat that crap! I'll order you the good stuff!" And then you might eat lingua for the very first time and love it.
No more Cheesecake Factory for me.”
Me too…
Have a healthy day,
Glenn
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