atomic_fungus (atomic_fungus) wrote,
atomic_fungus
atomic_fungus

#3772: MORE stupid stuff.

Teachers tell kids they're going to Disneyland, then take them to a bowling alley. From the linked article:
The teachers brought both Grade 8 classes at Roseland into an assembly room to show them a video of their dream vacation and a powerpoint presentation on all of the fun and rides awaiting them. Even travel brochures and hotel information was passed out. Students were told that deals were available on cheap flights after students expressed concern that their parents might not be able to afford to send them. The teachers then asked the students to yell out “We’re Going To Disney” over and over.
And:
I could understand a quick teasing about “rather than going to Disney this year, we are going to the bowling alley” but to work up the kids with brochures and chants is unbelievable.

I would probably not fire teachers over this, but I do believe written reprimands at a minimum are justified. What do you think?
I absolutely would fire them over this. How much school resources and paid time did these teachers waste on their elaborate and hideous (and utterly not funny) practical joke?

* * *

California's economy is not recovering. Any news to the contrary conveniently ignores unemployment rates as high as 25% depending on area.

* * *

"Shut up, or I'll kill you."
Four students in Oxnard, California were reportedly suspended for chanting “USA! USA!” at an athletic event. The school superintendent, incoherently, said that he was trying to advance the concept of “cultural proficiency,” whatever that means. The kids are back in school, but the matter is still open. They and their cohorts had better watch their language.

● Apparently, it’s very dangerous to criticize a judge in Indiana.

● If you’re criticizing the president, you’d better not … drink water or something. If you do, your ideas won’t get reported. Only your thirst will make headlines. You don’t think that’s censorship? I do.
Technically, censorship is government taking action to limit the free flow of ideas. But then we come to a philosophical question: if the press is the "fourth branch of government" (as it likes to say of itself at times) is their tendency not to report things they find inconvenient a form of censorship?

* * *

Europe is also not in an economic recovery.

* * *

Leftists never like to debate issues with people who can beat them in a debate. I'd wager that's why this communist walked out of the debate while his opponent was still speaking--using his nationality as an excuse, which is itself racist.

But of course communists always get a pass for their racism.

* * *

Doug Powers has more on the major EPA official who used several e-mail accounts to circumvent the Freedom of Information Act.

(Incidentally...I think Doug Powers does more writing over at Michelle Malkin's blog than she herself does. WTF.)

* * *

This certainly isn't helping matters in Detroit.
Detroit has the highest property taxes among big cities nationwide and relies on assessments that are seriously inflated. Many houses are assessed at more than 10 times their market price, according to new research from two Michigan professors.

***

Detroit's delinquencies are so pervasive that some owners have been allowed to keep their property even if they don't pay taxes. Wayne County treasury officials are so overwhelmed by foreclosures that they ignored about 40,000 delinquent Detroit properties that should have been seized last year and said they will look the other way on about 36,000 this year.
Property owners aren't paying taxes. Why? There's no penalty for not paying them, and the taxes are egregious.

* * *

Now it's Saturday morning. I've already gotten my butt outdoors and did the little bit of grocery shopping that needed doing, but when I went to put the groceries into the Jeep I couldn't get the tailgate open. It's frozen shut.

I managed to knock all the ice off the rear bumper, but apparently the latch mechanism is also frozen. We're only supposed to hit 30° today, but it looks as if we'll get a bit of sun; maybe it'll be warm enough to unfreeze my tailgate. Otherwise I'm going to have to borrow Mrs. Fungus' hair dryer and see what I can do with that.

*sigh*

* * *

Dinner last night was from a local pizza parlor, name already forgotten. Mrs. Fungus tried finding a Chinese place that delivers, but couldn't; when I volunteered to go pick up something she said it was too crappy outside for me to go anywhere and insisted on ordering a pizza instead.

Well, the pizza was forgettable. The crust wasn't very good and the sauce was bland; I mean, the marinara sauce that came with the breadsticks was better than the pizza sauce was. The breadsticks were supposed to be garlic cheese but all I could taste was mozzarella.

We don't have to get food from that place again, I guess.

* * *

All told we got perhaps three inches of global warming from the storm Thursday night. Friday morning I got the snowblower out and it started on the first pull; I blew down the driveway, cleaned off Mrs. Fungus' car, and dragged up the empty trash can all in about half an hour's time.

Note to self: I really must get a couple of replacement belts for that thing. I've had it since 2007, for crying out loud.

"Started on the first pull": the last time we got measurable snow, I had to dump the old gas and put in new stuff, and pull and pull and pull and pull and pull and pull before it would start. Ironically the old gas was the same vintage as the stuff I put in.

No, I don't really understand that. It was probably just flooded or something.

* * *

While I was shopping this morning I heard a tune on the Muzak system that made me think of certain anime titles. It was most reminiscent of Kimagure Orange Road or Maison Ikkoku and it got me to thinking that I probably ought to dig out some of the older stuff and have a gander at it.

* * *

The set of Babylon 5 movies that Mrs. Fungus ordered last week arrived with Thursday's mail, so we watched the series pilot (recut as "The Gathering") that evening.

One thing that blew my mind about it: when Kosh first meets Commander Sinclair, Kosh says, "Entil Zha Valen." (Not sure of spelling as there are no examples of romanized Minbari language in my memory.) "Entil Zha" is the title by which the leader of the Rangers is addressed (in English, "The One") and "Valen" is the name of the Minbari prophet who first organized the Rangers (the Anla Shok in Minbari) some 1,000 years ago.

This means that Ambassador Kosh knew everything that was going to happen years before it did. That, or else Kosh was surprised to see Sinclair. I suppose it's possible for Vorlons to be surprised, though I'm not quite sure how that can happen.

...getting into the books and the rest of the surrounding media are beyond my devotion to the series. Part of being a Fan is being able to prioritize, and I used up my TV SF geekiness reading all the Star Trek books my brother had when he was in high school. That was the last time I bothered with such ancilliary material, because once I grew up I realized why he had developed such disdain for the novels. (He's 5 years older than me.)

This is the same reason I don't read WoW novels, by the way.

* * *

In about 15 minutes I'm going to make breakfast for Mrs. Fungus, and serve it to her in bed. I had intended to play a little WoW before that, but instead I spent all my spare time this morning working on this post. I hope you're happy.

UPDATE: She loved it. Apparently no one has ever made her breakfast in bed before. Score one for me; thanks to Og for the idea.
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