Thursday, October 29, 2015

Random Musings

Sometimes it’s hard out there for a Republican …

Last week New Jersey Governor Chris Christie nearly missed his 9:55 Amtrak train from DC to New York and then he didn’t get the seat he wanted on the train and then he ALLEGEDLY had a hissy fit on his phone and then … he got kicked out of the Amtrak quiet car!

Alexander Mann, a commuter on the train tells the tale:

“He got on last minute yelling at his two secret service agents I think because of a seat mixup, sat down and immediately started making phone calls on the quiet car. After about 10 minutes the conductor asked him to stop or go to another car. He got up and walked out again yelling at his secret service. He was drinking a McDonald’s strawberry smoothie.”

I guess he didn’t get the Happy Meal?
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I am a fan of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, because I like it’s twist, and sometimes twisted, take on fairy tales. I also like that they don’t stick to the stereotypes of what a fairytale character should look like.

As in this season’s twist on Camelot, with Guinevere being a Latino woman, and Lancelot being African American.

But it’s Merlin, the white neared old man from the story that interests me now, because he’s played by much younger and far hotter, African American actor Elliot Knight.

That ain’t your Daddy’s Merlin, people.
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Linda Harvey is a religious wingnut who hates gays and hates Halloween, and possibly really hates the gays on Halloween.

But she says this about the upcoming Trick-or-Treat Fest:

“Halloween celebrates the spirits of darkness like no other event. [Demonic forces] are more active than ever in recent times in America because we are inviting their activity in our lives. So here’s my question about Halloween: ‘Why hand your children to dark spiritual powers on a silver platter?’”

Seriously, I agree with her because everyone knows the Devil is so bad about returning things that you should never serve your children on a silver platter ... use a paper plate instead.
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True story: Norwegians use the word "Texas" as slang to mean crazy. It pops up frequently in everyday conversation, as in the phrase "Der var helt Texas!"

Translation: That’s totally Texas!

It became part of the language when Norwegians started watching cowboy movies and reading Western literature. Its first usage dates back to 1957, when it appeared in a novel by Vegard Vigerust called The Boy in which Vigerust writes about a boy who wanted to buy a village and says “he would make it even more Texas in the village".

Nowadays, the word is widespread all over Norway and most frequently used in the phrase "helt Texas" — 'Completely crazy' — and has appeared in Norwegian newspapers 50 times this year alone.

Funny, because here in America, when we say Texas we often mean ‘crazy,’ too.
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First off, I have an alibi … and the alibi is that this happened in Portland, Oregon and I haven’t been there in years.

But … last week a man broke into a Portland home in the middle of the night and found a couple sleeping in bed so … he stripped naked, climbed in the bed and began kissing the man.

The kiss apparently awoke the Sleeping Beauty and he found the naked burglar straddling him. The victim pushed the suspect off of him and the suspect put his pants back on and fled.

The suspect was arrested and faces charges of burglary and sexual abuse, as well as unlawful use of a weapon.

Again, I was three thousand miles away at the time.
This story is still all over our news. If you haven't heard, I'll break it down ...

A girl at a local high school was on her phone in class when the teacher asked her to get off the phone.

She said, 'No.'

He asked for the phone to be given top him for the rest of the class.

She said, 'No.'

He asked her to leave his class.

She said, 'No.'

The police officer on duty at the school was called into remove he and flipped her, in her desk, onto the floor and dragged her from the room.

The officer, who has had these same issues in the past, has been fired.
But, here's the problem with this ...

While the officer's actions were reckless and ridiculous and violent, what do we do about students in school ... children ... who have zero respect for authority?

What do we do about this rash of police violence against, mostly, African Americans?

What do we do about teachers who are so overworked and underpaid that they have lost control of their classes?

All kinds of questions, no clear answers.

9 comments:

  1. krispy kreme is a tool. linda harvey is a bitch.

    and yes, the cop in SC was SO wrong to do what he did and deserved to be fired. but the girl should also be held responsible for TALKING IN CLASS.

    MANY (but not all) people in TX are batshit crazy.

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  2. 1) as a lifelong Halloween fan how did I escape the devil?!!

    2) the resource officer - talked to my good friend about this.
    every year they invite all new police officers to their school to explain
    their class (mentally ill, potentially violent boys). when a boy
    acts out they empty the room. if they can get him in the quarantine
    room (which is seen as a safer place to act out) he goes in there.
    the parents are called to come get the student. if he becomes a danger
    to himself or others the police are called. this happens several times
    a year. she has worked there for
    years and no issues of boys being injured or aggressively handled.

    the thing is that teachers are dealing with kids that they never
    had to deal with when we were in school. the americans with
    disability act (which has done a lot of good things) also provides
    that the schools deal with kids who are horrendously difficult.
    kids with issues at home (and there are more and more of them)
    make for kids who have issues at school. just basic hunger is a lot
    bigger problem. my friends classroom has a head teacher, a social worker
    and 3-4 aides. Some kids must have two people at all times in the room.

    Happily they have had kids turn around and are successes (they can handle
    their issues) and they come back to visit and thank them. others - not so.

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  3. The Texas tourism industry's motto used to be "It's a whole 'nother country!"
    If only it were true!

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  4. The kid wouldn't get off her cell phone. So you send her to the principal's office. You don't call in a fucking cop! Especially not Officer Roid Rage who apparently has a history of roughinkg kids up. He's apparently been fired, but I hope she pursues assault charges against him.

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  5. Me thinks Linda Harvey would benefit a stay from the Hotel Cortez. Meanwhile on the radio when I heard of Christie getting up, they said he headed to the café car. I thought...wait to Bob hears that one......

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  6. Again, I was three thousand miles away at the time. {Allegedly}

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  7. That Christie chappie:-
    I can just hear him bellowing "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?" In fact I'm pretty sure I heard it from here.

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  8. Oh my fucking god. My brain hurts.

    As for your alibi. No need. If you were the culprit, there wouldn't have been a complaint.

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  9. Speaking as a retired teacher of many years, I can still vividly recall the day one of my 5th graders (with a 'behaviour problem') actually pulled a gun on me. Turned out to be a starter's pistol, but all the same...
    So, I'm fully prepared for all the flaming that's coming my way when I say...
    Yay Cop!

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Say anything, but keep it civil .......