the ongoing crisis
A Foley-free post.
* Well, this isn't good.... Global warming is projected to cause massive drought in the next hundred years. This is apparently the first time they've modelled drought specifics with a supercomputer climate modelling program, and the result is extensive and severe droughts... which could still be under-estimates.
* Not only did the meeting between Tenet and Rice in July 2001 indeed take place, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft received the same briefing about an imminent terrorist attack. As FDL notes, gee it's fun when the CIA decides they're not gonna be the Bush administration's patsies.
* Back in June, the Secret Service had a Colorado man arrested because he went up to Dick Cheney and said something like "I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible." Apparently, this qualifies as "assault" to the delicate sensibilities of people trained to jump into the path of bullets. The local D.A. declined to bring any charges for "harassment." The man, Steve Howards, is now suing the Secret Service agent for violating his first and fourth amendment rights. Damn skippy. If we still have either of those.
* An art teacher in Texas has been fired, supposedly because ten-year-olds saw nudes on their trip to the art museum. The principal said that was not the reason, but the district's story has holes in it. They say there were job performance issues, but Mrs. McGee had always received positive perfomance reviews, and has the copies of the reviews to prove it.
The principal criticized Mrs. McGee for wearing "flip-flops" to work, which were really Via Spiga sandals, I'm guessing the Gowan or Greek style, neither of which say flip-flops to me. I'm also aware that different places have different standards and customs of dress, so I can't say they absolutely were appropriate footwear for a teacher in her district. But I do know you don't fire a teacher with twenty-eight years of experience because she wears the wrong shoes to work. You ask her to wear different shoes.
One item that stood out to me in the article was that the principal "Ms. Lawson faulted her for not displaying enough student art." There's no elaboration on that, but it makes me wonder if the anonymous parent who registered the lone complaint had a grudge against Mrs. McGee for not hanging up their precious darling's art. In any case, the whole thing seems sketchy; they want to get rid of her, and are dancing around looking for excuses.
* Speaking of art and visual stimulation... Neuroscientist Elizabeth Gould has shown that stressful and non-stimulating environments stop the brain from making new neurons. Bad news: dull cubicle farms really do hurt your brain. Good news: learning and playing physically heal your brain.
* Well, this isn't good.... Global warming is projected to cause massive drought in the next hundred years. This is apparently the first time they've modelled drought specifics with a supercomputer climate modelling program, and the result is extensive and severe droughts... which could still be under-estimates.
* Not only did the meeting between Tenet and Rice in July 2001 indeed take place, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft received the same briefing about an imminent terrorist attack. As FDL notes, gee it's fun when the CIA decides they're not gonna be the Bush administration's patsies.
* Back in June, the Secret Service had a Colorado man arrested because he went up to Dick Cheney and said something like "I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible." Apparently, this qualifies as "assault" to the delicate sensibilities of people trained to jump into the path of bullets. The local D.A. declined to bring any charges for "harassment." The man, Steve Howards, is now suing the Secret Service agent for violating his first and fourth amendment rights. Damn skippy. If we still have either of those.
* An art teacher in Texas has been fired, supposedly because ten-year-olds saw nudes on their trip to the art museum. The principal said that was not the reason, but the district's story has holes in it. They say there were job performance issues, but Mrs. McGee had always received positive perfomance reviews, and has the copies of the reviews to prove it.
The principal criticized Mrs. McGee for wearing "flip-flops" to work, which were really Via Spiga sandals, I'm guessing the Gowan or Greek style, neither of which say flip-flops to me. I'm also aware that different places have different standards and customs of dress, so I can't say they absolutely were appropriate footwear for a teacher in her district. But I do know you don't fire a teacher with twenty-eight years of experience because she wears the wrong shoes to work. You ask her to wear different shoes.
One item that stood out to me in the article was that the principal "Ms. Lawson faulted her for not displaying enough student art." There's no elaboration on that, but it makes me wonder if the anonymous parent who registered the lone complaint had a grudge against Mrs. McGee for not hanging up their precious darling's art. In any case, the whole thing seems sketchy; they want to get rid of her, and are dancing around looking for excuses.
* Speaking of art and visual stimulation... Neuroscientist Elizabeth Gould has shown that stressful and non-stimulating environments stop the brain from making new neurons. Bad news: dull cubicle farms really do hurt your brain. Good news: learning and playing physically heal your brain.