to think that Littlewoods advert should be banned?

[CherylWillBounceBack]

Shameful for all the reasons below:

a) Ruins Christmas by exposing the truth about Santa's existence.
b) Encourages debt fuelled consumerism (easy payments)
c) could pressurise people out of guilt to spend more than they can afford
d) Attempts to make presents which are ridiculously look like the norm
e) Suggests that we should pass our hard earned up a generation by putting laptops on the knees of grandparents. Rich old people can buy their own electronic tat if they so choose.
f) annoying tune that gets stuck in the head.

I bloody hate that ad.

'Peachy, most people do not have SN children who could benefit from having an iPad. Most children can survive perfectly well without one. Your exception proves the rule.'

Rubbish. That is what the upper classes say, who invariably give their children one.

Schools are looking into providing Ipads, we are moving towards digital books. All our children need access to these things, to create a level playing field. We don't want a digital divide.

Many, many people have children with SN Math- mild ASD of the borderline variety can be supported by the sport fo specialist planners available on an ipad- and supported into earning; I think latest figures suggest 1 / 66 children have ASD at that level: as a whole population that really is not very few children at all: plus an awful lot of otehr children who could benefit (such systems also help those with dyslexia for example)

Claig- speaking to council's employment people in next few weeks to discuss funding for a website, fingers crossed!

Fantastic, Peachy. Good luck with that.

Many but by no means all, Peachy, so not all children could benefit from having an iPad for educational purposes. 1 in 66 is a lot but 65 out of 66 is far more.

'If a child will waste their time using it to fire birds at bricks'

We can't predict what is a waste of time or not. The computer games industry is bigger than the movie industry. 40 years ago, it didn't even exist.

A child of 7 may have great fun firing birds at bricks, but by 17 they may be writing the next bestselling game or app.

You've got to be in it to win it.

'A box of blocks or a set of markers can also spur creativity.'

There are children all over the world who only have access to those things, and not to computers and the internet and the wealth of information available at the tap of a key. Those children are disadvantaged compared to more affluent children who have access to more technology and information.

The best schools and universities are kitted out with the best facilities. The days of chalk and blackboard are long gone.

By age 17 there may of course be no such thing as an app, given the breakneck pace of development in computer games, etc.

The most prosperous person I know who is involved in that area is a middle aged Russian who was a nuclear physicist back in the USSR. His solid background in maths and logic has stood the test of time and massive cultural change.

Agree, mathanxiety.

Russia and teh Eastern bloc had a great education system and trained their brightest children very well. Education is key.

But lots of these presents like keyboards, guitars, laptops, Ipads, cameras etc. can be educational. They help not just teh individuals, but the whole nation. And of course many of these very clever Russians create great businesses, often helped by credit from countries like America.

It's all just 'keeping up with the Joneses' tat, Claig. That is its function for most families who buy such items. They are bought because they feature in ads; in order to avoid giving your children the feeling that they are the only ones without something electronic and pricey under the tree parents get their children what they assume everyone else will be getting. They are the opium of the people.

To benefit from something like a keyboard, guitar, camera, etc, a child needs systematic instruction and encouragement. Most children get no further with a keyboard than picking out 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Most children would benefit from markers, blocks, writing paper, books plus encouragement from parents to a far greater extent than they benefit from presents laid at their feet which serve the purpose of making the parent feel better about what they can provide.

I don't know where you get your ideas about 'these very clever Russians' setting up business with credit 'from countries like America'.

Russia is now capitalist, so it is changing and its people will eventually grow richer. But most of the world's most successful companies are not in the former Eastern bloc.

Yes, lots of children won't progress with these things. But there are some whose interest will be sparked by access to them. Even a simple present like a tennis racket may lead to a future Andy Murray.

People can pay back the interest on that racket over a lifetime's work. It is a small investment to make. But exorbitant interest rates should be clamped down on.

Where did I say all Math? You are arguing with yourself.

'People can pay back the interest on that racket over a lifetime's work. It is a small investment to make.

But exorbitant interest rates should be clamped down on.'

You're not even making sense from one sentence to another, let alone in your general drift, Claig.

How can anyone get rich if government gets too involved in regulation? I thought that was the basic economic problem with Communism after all, and that the basic good thing about capitalism was the unlimited potential for anyone to make a lot of money/go from getting a Casio keyboard to being Van Cliburn? (That was the general idea behind the whole trickle down mirage iirc)

(A gift of a tennis racquet will get you nowhere without a tennis court and lessons).

Peachy, I said the idea that all children will benefit from an iPad is silly. You said:

'Goodness wouldn't it be tempting to type a three hour spiel about how Ipads run Apps that allow children and adults with Sn to access communication aids (whoever thinks state provides it is daft) and lots of other educational chances.

But fortunately I cannot be arsed so will leave it at that.'

You then mentioned that there are many, many children with SNs -- 1 in 66 with a specific SN, and many others with other SNs like dyslexia.

If the implication from stating you could spend three hours writing on the subject was not that iPads might benefit many, many children then it certainly looked like that. If not, then the exceptional circumstances you pointed out do indeed prove the rule -- that children in general do not need an iPad.

'You're not even making sense from one sentence to another, let alone in your general drift, Claig.'

Then you need to improve your comprehension abilities. Check Littlewoods; catalogue, they may have something useful for you.

'How can anyone get rich if government gets too involved in regulation?'

There is nothing wrong with teh right type of regulation. Regulation is just rules, just like law and order. Without law and order, it would be a jungle.

'I thought that was the basic economic problem with Communism'

No, the basic problem with communism was that it was a deliberate system to hold people back and prevent them from getting rich.

'A gift of a tennis racquet will get you nowhere without a tennis court and lessons'

But a court and lessons will get you nowhere without a racket.
Which is cheaper? A parent can invest in a racket a lot cheaper than in a court and lessons. Many top players learnt by hitting a ball against a wall.

How is paying interest on a racquet over a lifetime of work a small investment, Claig?

Where do you draw that sensible line of yours between holding people back and 'the right type of regulation'? (This is what American politics revolves around btw, with some extraneous elements like Church/state relations and gun control thrown in to complicate things or attract people who hear the word 'socialism' and run for the hills)

If you figure out the answer, maybe you could consider running for President of the United States? Or submit your CV when the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer comes up?

'Many top players learnt by hitting a ball against a wall.' LOL

Technology in schools is the way of the future.

theweek.com/article/index/211896/georgias-plan-to-save-schools-an-ipad-for-every-student

Even if you disagree with the Republican senator's that it will "save" Georgia's schools, you will probably agree that it will "save the planet".

'How is paying interest on a racquet over a lifetime of work a small investment, Claig?'

A penny a year

'Where do you draw that sensible line of yours between holding people back and 'the right type of regulation'?'

At exactly the right place.

You need millions to run for President of the United States.

My guess is that the senator from Georgia is either unconcerned that those iPads are all made in China or he has shares in Apple. And that he doesn't understand how much plastic and metals are used in the manufacture of iPads, nor much about the batteries, that they are not generally user-replaceable and that Apple will charge for replacement units when the batteries stop giving a charge over time, with data on the original units lost.

As for saving the planet, the built in obsolescence of most personal electronics is not exactly their greenest feature.

'Many top players learnt by hitting a ball against a wall.' LOL

'Wozniacki grew up with little adversity, aside from hitting balls alone against a wall for hours because no one would play with her as a seven-year-old. Much like the determined mermaid, she relentlessly chased her own dream of becoming a tennis champion.'

www.tennisconfidential.com/Caroline-Wozniacki-Interview.htm

'My guess is that the senator from Georgia is either unconcerned ...'

I think he is concerned about improving teh education of children in Georgia, and cutting down on teh cost of textbooks, which are much easier to update online.

'The Fairy Tale Life of Caroline Wozniacki' is the title of that article.
Emphasis on 'fairy tale' Claig.

She earns millions. It's a fairy tale that is possible to achieve, and it can start by a simple present of a tennis racket from a Littlewoods catalogue.

Merry Christmas

I intend to have a Merry January too.