After learning that Steve Irwin died from an accident while doing a documentary, I surfed the net on all what there is about him. It was in his shows that I learned a lot about wild animals. I used to be scared of snakes that whenever I see one, I make sure that I kill it. It was thru his shows that made me aware that snakes strike only when they are cornered, threatened or unreasonably disturbed. There were other shows or documentaries that tell about wild animals but none of them were like that of Steve Irwins. He showed the good side of wild animals and told of what to beware of them. After his Crocodile Hunter series, it was there where I saw that he could easily come into terms with other wild animals. What I learned about very lately, and this was already after his death, was about the search and rescue he did while filming in seas near Mexico. There were two scuba divers missing not far from where they were filming. When they heard about this, he ordered his outfit to stop filming and helped with the search with his entire crew and staff and equipments. After long hours of searching, they finally spotted one scuba diver on the edge of a rocky island, badly bruised and hurting. It was really amazing to see Steve Irwin himself dive first to rescue the man. After the rescue, he was interviewed and called a hero. He humbly denied it because he said the real hero was the person he rescued because that person badly beaten was still trying to resuscitate his dead companion. If that were another celebrity, the crew could have been ordered to do the rescue. This simply shows the kind of man Steve Irwin is. I was not wrong to be glued to the TV whenever his show comes up. He is the type of celebrity who should be really praised and idolized.

It’s really difficult to accept the value of things and why they cost so much. I love, or it’s a hobby for me to be fixing things. Most of the time I use screws, bolts and nuts. Frequently, it will require a flat washer. For those who might not know it, a “Washer” is a flat piece (thickness and size varies) with a hole in the middle with the same diameter size of the nut hole used in between bolts/screws and nuts. In the Philippines, all coins used to be made of metal alloy. Now, I doubt if the one centavo contain any metal in it. I have not tried to melt or burn one. The five and ten centavos are probably made of copper alloy and the size is about half an inch in diameter, with a hole, about 1/8th of an inch, in the middle. If you would buy a packet of washers similar in size with the 5 or 10-centavo coin, with 25 pieces in it, it will cost about five pesos or more. Effectively, each piece will cost about 20 centavos! Two to four times the cost of the coins! Comparing the coins and the washers side by side, it is obvious that it will cost more to produce/manufacture the coins than the plain flat washers! So, it is now more practical to use these coins as washers! Another thing that really puzzles me are the cost of sneakers/rubber shoes. In the Philippines a pair of sneakers would be from 750 pesos and up. Known brands will cost anywhere from 2,000 pesos to probably 6,000 pesos or more. A pair of sneakers worth 750 pesos would last for a year, utmost. And the known brand of sneakers? With regular use, I haven’t seen one yet last more than two years with my kids, who are so careful with their shoes! There was even one pair of known brand given as gift to my son when he was 18 (he’s now 23). He really never used it and was just kept in its box. Discovering it 2 months ago, I asked him to give it to me. It had some mold and while I was cleaning it the rubber holding the sole to the uppers started to crumble and become powdery! When I was done, the soles simply came off! Now compare it to the price of a pair of tires. A pair of tires would go from 2,500 to 5,000 pesos. I had a pair of wide Goodyear nylon-belted at the rear in 1990. It really got worn out last mid-2004 when part of its canvass started to show! Imagine that, almost 15 years! Right now in front, I have a pair of steel belted Pirrellis on the same car and that was since 1998. The treads still show to be half-life! My car runs an average of 400 kilometers a month. Under regular use and road conditions, my tire dealer said tires should last for about 20,000 kilometers. With my use, the tires should last about 4 years. Some tires really give you your moneys worth. Now, will someone please tell me why a pair of sneakers will cost much more than a pair of tires? Sponsorships and endorsements? I think they’re just about equal.

Until now education still rates students under one standard when it is accepted that people have different intelligence quotients (IQ). If it is possible with the high tech now to determine an IQ of child, it would be best that they educate these children according to their IQ range. Then set standards of rating for each IQ range. Fast and slow learners are now recognized. Why not go a little further into recognizing their IQs? This would put children in equal footing or on even ‘playing’ grounds.
There are also children who have special skills or interests in various subjects. Why does the educational system not focus on this? My view on this is simple: Let the children learn the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. Then at a determined level or age when the student already shows skills and preferences, educate or train them in those fields. It is only then where you find interest and happiness that you find satisfaction. Where there is satisfaction, the need to improve or excel and could be motivated. We know very well that when something is forced upon a person, there would be more reluctance and rejection. This could result to rebellion! There are only a few children who would look ahead of their future 10 years from now. To most, it is a day-to-day existence or affair. I wanted to be a pilot when I was in high school. About to board a bus going to a military flying school, I just realized I was wearing glasses. One of the requirements then was a perfect 20/20 vision without any aid! That devastated me! I had to find something else where I feel I could have interest. That led me to finish a course in management. Whatever achievements I have made does not entirely make me happy until now. I still fantasize when I watch movies such as “Top Gun”, “Iron Eagle” and the likes.
I have four children. One male semi-autistic, semi retarded who still doesn’t look his age of 21, still in first year high school. We let him go to school specifically for social reasons. My eldest son, 23, has an above-average IQ, easily gets bored in the system of teaching and did not finish university. My only daughter also has an above average IQ and hopefully finishes her nursing course in another 2 years. My youngest son, 13, has a quite high IQ that he never really seriously reviewed for school exams, but still maintains himself within the top ten of his class.
This is the reason why I realized the inequity or injustice starting at school age. High IQ students within a class with lower IQs than they have, will definitely get the highest scores! That is injustice because they are being rated according to the standards of high IQ levels! Most of the high IQ students serious enough with their studies get all the praises and accolades! This could further depress and discourage lower IQ students because, no matter how hard they try, they just could not outdo their higher IQ classmates.
As life went by, I have met seen many people who were forced to take careers they never really liked. A friend who finished dentistry, was No. 4 in the board exams, never practiced it. He was satisfied in sales and retired from it. Another acquaintance is a pediatrician but did not find satisfaction. She is now a lawyer but first became a real estate broker before taking up law.
The educational system must now recognize this. At a young age, they should not let children experience injustice when it comes to learning. Learning is a process, just like computers. Pentium 4s with 512RAM with 120gbHDD can process data and information a lot faster than Pentium 2s with 64RAM with only 6gbHDD. Brains could have similar capacities when it comes to interpreting data and information, then storing them.
Dear readers and bloggers, I would appreciate very much if you are with me in this, let’s try to make the educational system in the world realize this. Even just through blogging? This is for the future of children, especially for those who are special and less blest in their leaning ability. Please contribute your comment on this at benny813.onesite.com

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