Good news. I have the first takers on my challenge to put smartphones and tablets away on Christmas Day. And we hear from readers on education and Black Friday creep too ...
Dear Beth, You are on. I will put a basket out and see if my guests will comply! Of course, I will have to hide the basket. — Annette
Hiding the basket will probably be necessary in my house too. Jodi Stella, the Oviedo mom who had all of her Thanksgiving guests put their phones in a basket for turkey dinner, suggests silencing ringers too. Otherwise that basket will turn into the kind of distraction we're trying to avoid.
Dear Beth, OK, I am mentally coming up with my own corny poem and which pretty basket I will use to have all deposit their phones/iPads in. Thanks for sharing such an awesome idea! — Kelly
Love the enthusiasm, Kelly. I posted Jodi's poem in its entirety at OrlandoSentinel.com/bethkassabblog if you want more inspiration.
Dear Beth, You hit the nail on the head and I appreciate that you challenged readers to something small and doable, but significant. I came across this blog about a year ago and thought you might be interested: HandsFreeMama.com. — Megan
Wow. I'm aiming for a single smartphone-free day. Rachel, who writes HandsFreeMama, is going for life. That's commitment. More power to her. Too many of us aren't willing to draw the line.
Dear Beth, Where does all the lottery money actually go? — Paul, a teacher
I get it, Paul. I recently wrote about rising college tuition and the difficult search for a new education commissioner in Florida and you're saying, "Weren't we promised our education woes would end once the money started rolling in from Lotto tickets?" And you would be right. So here's the quick answer: The Florida Lottery took in about $4 billion in sales last year. Most of the money went to prizes and administrative costs. About a quarter of it, or $1 billion, went to education. The largest chunks of that went to Bright Futures scholarships and construction projects. Then colleges and universities take their cuts. That leaves about 20 percent of the pot for K-12 public education. Not the magic bullet it was thought to be, to say the least.
Dear Beth, At least [Gov. Rick] Scott is trying to do SOMETHING. He is not perfect but show me another politician who is trying to do something positive. I think you should run for office, since you seem to have an answer for everything. Are you from Chicago, too? — Nancie
I agree with you on one point, Nancie. The governor is trying to do something positive — for his own re-election campaign. The $10,000 college degree challenge makes a great political sound bite. By the way, I was born right here in Orlando and do have an answer for everything. Occasionally, the right answer.
Dear Beth, Just a note to say I totally agree with your insight on Black Friday and Thanksgiving. Why is there no common sense in America? I give up! Thanks for a great article. — Joan
What? Sleeping in a tent in a store parking lot for a week to buy a discounted flat screen doesn't strike you as a perfectly reasonable and lovely tradition to start with your family?
Dear Beth, Thanksgiving parking lot campers make me sad and a little angry. ... Thanks for using your spot at the Sentinel to set them straight! Someone had to say it! Have a very happy Thanksgiving! In a home. With turkey. And family. (Sans tent.) —Amy
Amy, the only way you'll get me in a tent on Thanksgiving (or any other day) is if there's a beautiful view of the St. Johns River right outside.
bkassab@tribune.com or 407-420-5448
