Ok, it's been a while since I last wrote. Not that I haven't had things to say, its all about having the time. Instead of a particular topic it seemed like a good time to just pick a view things out that have caught my attention. Call it a new feature called

They are not serious are they?

First and foremost. This morning I am watching television, a rare occurrence for me I assure you, and during the news program they had a news alert. Ok, that got my attention. Perhaps something truly important happened that I needed to know right this second. After realizing what the 'Alert' was all about my first reaction was They aren't serious are they?  Not only have they determined that a Ted Kennedy going to the hospital was something worthy of a Special Alert? And not only a special alert but hours of up to the minute coverage?? Now I am sure that any other politician so much as had a hang nail we would have wall to wall coverage. ~cue sarcasm~ It's a politician for god's sake, it's not like it was a Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan story. Then it would have made perfect sense. I don't know what was worse, the idea there was so much coverage or the fawning I heard, and this was on Fox no less. Talking about how bipartisan he is? How he was so good at reaching across the aisle?? Excuse me? What planet exactly these people on? It got so bad I had to turn the channel and watch something else, anything else. And that is a big deal for me. I watch maybe one hour of television a week. Though I got lucky and watch a few hours on VH-1 Classic about the birth of Soul music. That was actually interesting.


Now the second piece. Since I still can't get links to work right here I will have to  paraphrase it. I will put the appropriate URL's at the end of post.


This is the opening of the article, should say it all.

No more tag or touch football for the students at Armatage Elementary in south Minneapolis.

The school now has an official "no touch" policy.

Originally the rule, circulated to parents Thursday, banned even casual touching such as hand-holding and hugging.

But Principal Joan Franks has now refined the policy to target aggressive and "unsafe" behavior such as play-fighting, pushing and shoving. And tag.

So let me see if I get this straight, it is no longer ok to let kids...be kids? Makes sense to me. ~scratches head~

I think this quote sums it up nicely. (Emphasis mine.)

In an interview Friday, Franks said: "We want to make sure every child has an equal opportunity to play without the fear of being hurt. If I have to err, I will on the side of safety."

Excuse me? An equal opportunity to play without fear of getting hurt?? Guess that means swing sets and all other playground equipment has to go, can't have the precious urchins possibly getting hurt on those. If I remember correctly, and I think I was a kid once long ago, kids did things that had an inherent risk of some sort. We could have fallen and gotten hurt. I know I did. I hate to break this news to the 'all-knowing and all-caring' types but life comes with risks. It is a shock I know but it has been know to occur.

A parents reaction:

"It sort of punishes the entire student body for the behavior of a few students and flies in the face of holding individuals accountable for their behavior," she said.

"Discipline the child or children instead of making a blanket policy that is unrealistic. If it's playground misadventures, let's have some policies that are specific to that."

Sums up the entire risk-free mentality quite well. Instead of dealing with individuals who cause trouble let's make an all encompassing rule. After all we can't hurt the feelings of the trouble makers now can we? What do we think childhood is, preparation for the real world? Perish the thought.

Third point. Again URL at bottom of point. This time it is the first in a two-part series. (Of course it is)
It has to do with the suspension rate from local high schools. The sub-headline sums it up.

Black students are far more likely to be suspended from school than are their white classmates -- and Minnesota's disparity in suspensions is twice the national average. Why? What are the consequences?

I read the article and didn't learn anything I didn't already know. To me it sounds very similar to the 'discussion' on why there are more minorities incarcerated or on death row. I've never seen these really mentioned as a possible reason, but maybe, just maybe, the reason there appears to be a disproportionate amount of certain groups punished is because they are disproportionately the ones causing the trouble/doing the crimes? Nah, that can't be the reason, how naive of me.

I find this little section precious. Again emphasis mine.

Cashon Richard, 15, was suspended a few times in middle school. "But it got real crazy this year," said the Washburn High School ninth-grader.

This year, Cashon -- who says he's a gang member -- has been sent home several times for fighting. But he's also been suspended for being three minutes late to class, for going to the bathroom without a pass and for sleeping at his desk. In all, he guesses, he has been suspended 15 times this school year.

Let's see, suspended for fighting, late to class, leaving class without pass and sleeping at his desk. I definitely see how he was targeted because of the color of his skin. ~cue sarcasm~

And this last one, for now, gets point for creativity, but loses them immediately for stupidity. Again headline sums it up nicely.

Witnesses say man warned to move away before he jumped into wood chipper

 And they say it was a suicide attempt. Uhmm I hope so. Again creativity points, but negative intelligence points.

Well that's all for now, its been a slow day. Stay tuned for another episode of: They are nor serious are they?

One last added one. Couldn't resist this one. This can also be filed under: Who cares?

U.N. racism investigator to visit U.S. from Monday

URL's since I can't get links to work.

1) No touch rule:
http://www.startribune.com/nation/19033559.html?page=1&c=y

2) Suspension Gap:
http://www.startribune.com/local/19034034.html?location_refer=Local%20+%20Metro

3) Wood chipper suicide attempt:
http://www.twincities.com/north/ci_9289725

4) U.N. racism investigator
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1684309820080516

Hey! A "Special Alert" for Dunkennedy going to the hospital is entirely justified.

It gives many of us a chance to get to the strores and stock up on celebratory beverages and snacks before the shelves are picked clean.