Lawsuit – Sillyfrog's Blog

Simply 6-Minutes 5/9/23- The Price of Genius

Posted on 05/09/2023 by Susan St.Pierre

We’re asked to write a story in only 6 minutes.

Today’s prompt is:

Wendall A. Winters’ parents bought him a make-your-own robot kit as an act of self-preservation from their precocious child’s tinkering.
He’d taken apart every electronic appliance in their home since he was 4 years old, and that ‘madness’ needed to be redirected away from their ‘valuables’ to his workshop.
Wendall was named after his great-great grandfather and had taken after the man completely. He was a genius with an ability to build anything and an unsatiable appetite for creativity.
The parent’s brilliant idea -meant to reduce the cost of Wendall’s proclivity -failed miserably when the mailman was severely bitten by his newly-created robotic dog and filed a lawsuit. There was no actual “law” on the books about such an incident, but it was most certainly going to be very costly.

https://christinebialczak.com/2023/05/09/simply-6-minutes-welcome-to-the-challenge-05-09-2023/

Writing Prompts

Simply 6 Minutes-2/28/23 Perfect Plans

Posted on 02/28/202302/28/2023 by Susan St.Pierre

We’re asked to use the photo below as inspiration for a story and we have only six minutes to write it.

They had made it!
Two young urban professionals who were a ‘perfect’ match.
They’d met in the workplace, of course. Were on their own ‘perfect’ trajectories for advancement too.
They had an apartment that suited them both only minutes from work AND had planned their lives together right down to having car rental agreements that alternately expired for a well-planned system to avoid even the smallest financial conflicts.

The wedding was the crescendo! “Perfect” couldn’t even have described it. The sun shone, the guests had been generous, and the photo shoot outstandingly artful.

A week later, a home pregnancy test was positive.
Nine months later, their marriage was ‘on the rocks’ and their ‘planned lives’ in shambles.
Having discussed everything, how had they overlooked the possibility of unplanned children?

It only took one of them to want to leave thus ending their ‘perfect’ marriage. She certainly had no choice but to sue the birth control manufacturer for ruining her life!

https://christinebialczak.com/2023/02/28/simply-6-minutes-welcome-to-the-challenge-02-28-2023/

Lawsuits VS Education

Posted on 03/15/201206/08/2012 by Susan St.Pierre

I have always loved science. One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a Geology set. I felt like a pro with my official rock hammer and samples that I could touch.

My interest peaked before my options did. There were no geology units, in elementary school, that delved deeply enough for me. How I wish that we had a Discovery Channel then.

Kids are offered many samples of information with TV and the internet. It is exciting to think their blooming interests will have “vines” to grow on. Alert teachers and caregivers have avenues, to offer their prodigies, that were not available in my day. Kids are not getting smarter, their choices are better.

I am a big proponent of the Montessori method in education. Reading, writing and ‘rithmatic can be taught in combination with any interest. It is the interest that must guide the learning not the other way around.

That said, the key in our schools, revolves around small class sizes. In a perfect world, I’d like to see no more than 12 kids in one class.(Ideally, 8) The primary teacher must have an assistant too. Then,and only then, the kids would be able to explore and learn to their own “tune”. The teacher would have a better handle on classroom discipline and a familiar feeling for what makes each student “tick”.

Alas, theory is much easier than application. Home schooling is a very good alternative but unaffordable to most.

The Boy and Girl Scouts, as well as, 4H organizations are very helpful to our future scientists. If not for liability issues, I’m sure communities would offer playground camps in the summer. Individual citizens would be more inclined to offer instruction too. There are Beekeeping clubs, gardening groups, bird-watchers etc. who could share their knowledge and excitement for specializing.

This rant is just that, a rant of frustration. The US is not capitalizing on our young peoples’ interests at the peril of our future. Liability and lawsuits are ruining us. I don’t know how to fix it. I’d like to see big penalties for bogus lawsuits. BIG PENALTIES. I’d like our kids to play together without hearing,”I’ll sue you!” on the Kindergarten playground.

Those who really have grounds for lawsuits are equally injured in the environment of “easy money”.

I started this post with happiness and hope. Where it lead me was beyond my first consideration. I think I’ve stumbled upon our real crisis…anyone got ideas how to resolve it?

(Rounding up unethical lawyers and putting them together on a remote island just may be a good start. Ha!)