Some Results of an Esteem Based Education

While doing my usual Facebook browsing today I noticed that there are many individuals who do not know how to write prices properly.  It appeared that each posting with an item for sale the price reads 150$.  The $ sign after the number instead of in front of the amount, $150.  People write as they talk, it makes sense until someone else sees the price.  All around us in stores the prices are written $4.99 or $350.00 so why when they put an advertisement for an item they have for sale the price will look like this 150$?  Is it just that people no longer review what they write or that they are no longer taught in school how to write? 

I know that in the 1980's the red pen was removed from teachers use, they could no longer mark their  pupil's school  work with red pen showing a child their errors, because it will hurt their self esteem.   Then they began giving children an 'A' just for handing in homework.  It does not matter whether the work is correct or not, just that they did the homework, again it had to do with the children's self esteem. 

As Richard and I chatted we began talking about the flu shot and what it covered.   When I first came to Canada I noticed that flu did not necessary mean influenza as they call gastroenteritis, stomach flu.  Over the 40 years of living here things have not changed, you have to ask if a person means respiratory flu or stomach flu.  With the out breaks of H1N1 people are being advised to get a flu shot more so this than in the past.  After getting the flu shot many individuals who get gastroenteritis complain because 'they had the flu shot' and yet they still got the 'flu'.  This would never be an issue if they realized that flu is short for 'influenza' and that stomach flu is actually gastroenteritis.

This week I was informed that H1N1 was 'stomach flu', that is correct, my first thought was they are just teasing me, but no, they were serious.  H1N1 is a respiratory illness, a strain of influenza, that is why people are ending up with pneumonia and a few die.  In this years flu shot they have added the H1N1 virus to help individuals, who come in contact with this illness, to hopefully, not catch it or if they do, will not have a serious case.

So for anyone still reading this; the flu shot covers respiratory illnesses, influenza, that can lead to pneumonia and in some cases death, it does NOT cover stomach flu, gastroenteritis, so if you have had the flu shot you can still get stomach flu.  I have a better idea why don't we just start calling stomach flu, gastroenteritis and flu, Influenza; but that would take factual based education.

Bathrooms and Renovations

Our home has three bathrooms one on the 2nd floor is fully functional although very tiny.

There is no door, just a curtain for privacy,the toilet is next to the tub at one end and the sink is the other end.  This bathroom serves its purpose and we have decided instead of making it bigger we will either add a pocket door or a regular door that opens out.  The plumbing for this bathroom comes through the ceiling of the main floor bathroom.

This will have to be rectified and hopefully put up between the floor and the ceiling.  The main floor bathroom will be a complete renovation.

A fireplace in the bathroom with a sunken tub

Toilet tucked into the other side of the fireplace

Ugly vanity

Baseboard heater has been replaced with a cast iron radiator

The tub is not used, other than by my grandson when he visited.  Under this bathroom is the laundry area, more horrors of plumbing, compromised floor structure and the third bathroom.

Laundry sinks (fish tank sold in garage sale) in basement

The original washer and dryer that we moved to our old home for the renters

This is the shower (which can not be used) and the toilet (which we replaced and turned) in the basement bathroom

 The next run of pictures is the plumbing from the main floor bathroom.  Also the compromised structure of the floor.  If you look close enough you will see double beams cut and removed.  Four by four posts that hold up the corners of the sunken jet tub and the floor where joists have been removed.  The more we have looked at the state of this area the more we have worried about the cost to repair the structure and have the plumbing replaced.

This is the water lines to the jet tub and the waste.  The 4x4's reinforce the compromised structure

Another 4x4 to shore-up the double beams that have been compromised

The bad plumbing from the toilet on the main floor

4x4 reinforcing the double beam that was removed to sink the jet tub

A mess of plumbing connecting PVC to copper with a ton of silicone repair and Y extension not closed properly

Better look of the double beam that was cut to make room for the toilet plumbing

A mixture of piping, galvanized is the heating system, the copper comes from upstairs and goes to the basement bathroom

Original galvanized stack and newer copper stack

Closer look of the two stacks that are in the basement floor both in use

 We do not believe that any of the new plumbing has any venting, sinks drain slow, toilets do not always flush the first time.  We believe that all three bathrooms connect to the new stack.  The kitchen and probably the sink in the spare room are the only items linked into the old galvanized stack.

This is the laundry area now with our front loaders and portable clothes closet.  We have been considering moving the washer and dryer up to the main floor bathroom, but not sure we should.  It may be better to reconfigure the basement when we rip out the bathroom.