Weird news

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Re: Weird news

Postby Absentia » Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:15 pm

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Re: Weird news

Postby cmsellers » Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:26 pm


It seems Miss Seltzer is as explosive as her namesake. Probably not as bubbly though.
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Re: Weird news

Postby Absentia » Wed Jan 09, 2019 5:59 pm

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Re: Weird news

Postby LunarTeaHouse » Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:10 am

I'm sure you guys have already heard about this one, but here goes.
Salinas man caught on camera licking a doorbell for three solid hours.
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This is the most embarrassing piece of work since Clint Eastwood painted his wagon.
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Re: Weird news

Postby jbobsully11 » Mon Feb 11, 2019 10:57 pm

A teacher in Florida was fired for... giving zeros to students who didn’t hand in their work, rather than 50s per the school policy (which she says she didn’t know about).
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Re: Weird news

Postby NathanLoiselle » Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:01 am

jbobsully11 wrote:A teacher in Florida was fired for... giving zeros to students who didn’t hand in their work, rather than 50s per the school policy (which she says she didn’t know about).


I'm with the teacher on this. You can still pass the grade if 50's are only given and you hand in one assignment. Give a fifty if it's handed in at the end of the year.
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Re: Weird news

Postby cmsellers » Tue Feb 12, 2019 6:49 pm

That story was all over the internet last fall; it's weird that that that website decided to publish it as if it's current news. It's a good story that feels like it could be true, demonstrating both how little control teachers have over their own classrooms and how coddled kids these days are. However as with pretty much any story where someone claims to have been punished for being a little too tough on snowflakes, that doesn't appear to be the real story.

Instead, the school claims she was fired because she was a shitty teacher and there were numerous complaints about verbal and even physical abuse, including putting a student in a chokehold and slapping another student on their butt. (Given that several Florida counties still allow teachers to spank students, I'm pleasantly surprised the school district even considers the latter allegation an issue. She denies this and claims to have retained a lawyer to fight wrongful termination, but "it's all lies, ima sue!" doesn't inspire confidence.

The school also claims that it has no such policy, however other sources have pointed out that its own handbook states in big red all-caps letters: "No zero's- lowest possible grade is 50%." Leaving aside the multiple punctuation errors in that sentence, the school clarified when pressed that the policy does not apply to students who turn work in, a minimum grade of 50% only applies to work actually attempted in order to encourage students to try. It's not at all clear from the handbook that's the actual policy, but I've has teachers with that same policy, and it seems like a reasonable policy, though I'd probably craft it as "50% on each part of the assignment seriously attempted," allowing below zero for partially completed work. The school district also described it as a "best practice," rather than a "policy," meaning that while it exists, it's not necessarily enforceable.

Now, it's possible that school officials were annoyed by Ms. Tirado ignoring their "best practices" when it came to partially completed work or late assignments and seized on complaints they would usually have ignored to justify her firing. I had a similar experience, though substitute "annoying my immediate boss and coworker" for "ignoring best practices," and I'm no great believer in the honesty, integrity, or basic competence of public school administrators.

However because this story is so pat, so conveniently fitting a growing anti-snowflake narrative, and because she went right to "lies, I'm hiring a lawyer!" I'm very skeptical. Generously, what might have happened is someone confronted her over her grading, either misapplying the guideline or if she gave zeros to incomplete or late work. Then later, when the school told her she was being fired for being cruel to students or abusing students or whatever, she immediately jumped to this policy.

So back to the lawyer thing: if she had already gotten a lawyer, that lawyer would have told her not to directly comment on pending litigation, which tells me she either didn't look for a lawyer, didn't find one who thought she had a case, or ignored the lawyer's advice. If she does find a lawyer who will take her case, the outcomes could range anywhere from her being ordered to pay court fees for the school to her getting a settlement because she convinces a court she's right. However I think what's most likely if it goes to court is tha she settles for an amount a that just about covers her legal fees in exchange for going away and shutting up (ie, an NDA), which is how most civil lawsuits I'm familiar with have ended.
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Re: Weird news

Postby gisambards » Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:25 pm

Cannabis smoker finds tiger in abandoned house in Texas.

A man sneaking into a seemingly abandoned house to smoke weed found a tiger living in it, presumably an abandoned exotic pet. When he called them, police thought he was hallucinating and apparently only came out to deal with that, and then were also surprised to find an actual tiger.
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Re: Weird news

Postby Anglerphobe » Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:35 pm

I've never seen the attraction in owning a tiger. They're pretty cool, yes, but having something that's really expensive to care for and would rip me to shreds in a heartbeat seems pointless.
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"Tusser, they tell me, when thou wert alive,
Thou, teaching thrift, thyselfe couldst never thrive.
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To sharpen others, when themselves are blunt."

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Re: Weird news

Postby JamishT » Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:10 am

Anglerphobe wrote:I've never seen the attraction in owning a tiger. They're pretty cool, yes, but having something that's really expensive to care for and would rip me to shreds in a heartbeat seems pointless.


If you want something that's expensive, easily lethal, and fun, just start collecting quality guns!
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Re: Weird news

Postby cmsellers » Wed Feb 13, 2019 7:38 am

Nah, I think I think I'll stick with collecting quality Anthrax.
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Re: Weird news

Postby Kivutar » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:26 am

From the tiger story:

Police also described the cage as "rinky-dink", according to CBS


That's some top-notch Sophisticated As Hell.
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Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

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Re: Weird news

Postby cmsellers » Sun Sep 22, 2019 5:36 am

So, I'm not sure if this really qualifies as weird since the motivation is clear, but I still find it hilarious. In retaliation for the US "illegally" designating the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization, Iran has designated the United States Central Command (ie, the unified US command for the Middle East and Central Asia) as a terrorist organization.
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Re: Weird news

Postby Krashlia » Tue Sep 24, 2019 9:36 pm

cmsellers wrote:So, I'm not sure if this really qualifies as weird since the motivation is clear, but I still find it hilarious. In retaliation for the US "illegally" designating the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization, Iran has designated the United States Central Command (ie, the unified US command for the Middle East and Central Asia) as a terrorist organization.



Okay, time to break out the boards, news paper clippings and articles, string and pins, endless list of unpronouncible or confusing names, and conspiracy theorist level of interpersonal, pedagogical, and organizational connections spanning across time and various geographies, united by one ideology, and some religious extremism, that we probably accidentally started sometime in the 1950's.
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Re: Weird news

Postby Pedgerow » Wed Oct 02, 2019 8:21 pm

Jason Donovan tackles neighbour's fire in underpants

The London Fire Service quipped, "everyone needs good neighbours".
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