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30 Nov 2010 10:23

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U.S.: Marinette, Wisconsin police: The teacher is the real hero here

  • The teacher was nothing short of heroic. She kept a very cool head and kept the suspect as calm as possible. We really give that teacher a lot of credit.
  • Marinette, Wisconsin Police Chief Jeff Skorik • Describing how the teacher involved in last night’s high school hostage situation ensured that things didn’t get worse. The 15-year-old student, who has not been named, was carrying two types of guns and a duffel bag loaded ammunition when he held a classroom hostage last night. He’s reportedly suffering from life-threatening injuries due to wounds self-inflicted as the hostages were released. It could have been far worse, kids. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 11:07

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Politics: On “It Gets Better” and general, non-anti-gay bullying

  • Clip of the day: We mentioned on Tumblr that we were saddened by the story of a 29-year-old Gloucester, Massachusetts man so broken down by high school bullying that he never went to college and lives in fear of conflict. We made the suggestion that there needs to be a more general “It Gets Better” campaign for guys like him, but it appears Washington Post super-blogging policy wonk Ezra Klein beat us to the punch with this well-thought-out piece on how growing older gives you control over your own destiny. Some good debate has come from Klein’s video, too. Good thing he did it, because we don’t have an animation budget to create a clip of Julius talking about how he got bullied when he was in the factory. (Hat tip fuckyeahcoolquotes) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2010 11:00

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U.S.: Chatroulette’s maker more interested in surprise nudity than school

  • The last three years at school, I haven’t done anything. I just can’t make myself. There’s so much interesting stuff in the world, and I have to sit there with textbooks?
  • Chatroulette creator Andrey Ternovskiy • Regarding his feelings on school. An apparent juvenile delinquent, the Russian teenager created his way out of ever needing to finish school with Chatroulette, which is insanely popular, to the point that he only started making an effort to crack down on the nudity after Ashton Kutcher personally said something to him about it. Which is kind of hilarious. Actually, everything about this story is awesome. Well, except for the nudity. That’s pretty scary. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

03 May 2010 10:34

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U.S.: Student at failing high school rats out her lazy classmates

  • Some students complain about receiving failing grades in many of their classes, but most are socializing and not focusing on their studies. It feels as if Burke students are only coming to school to interact with their friends.
  • Burke High School student Chrismaldy Morgado • On the root cause of the under-performing status of her Boston-area high school. As a result of the failing grade, the district has decided to fire all the teachers and only re-hire the ones they think are working out. Morgado, however, doesn’t blame the teachers for the problem, but her fellow students. Why them? Because many of them seem to be utterly unfocused on the education aspect of school. Morgado recommends instead that stricter rules should be implemented to ensure students are actually studying in class and not just screwing around with their friends all day. (The comment section on this article, by the way, is actually pretty refreshing.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Apr 2010 17:32

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U.S.: “A little soap opera”: Thousands of images in school spying case

  • Apparently, they were using the webcam-equipped laptops for constant surveillance. The Lower Merion, Pa. School District, currently facing a class-action lawsuit for its role in a webcam surveillance scheme, reportedly took photos of plaintiff Blake Robbins while he was sleeping, chatting, and so on – as many as 400 images of Blake alone over a two-week period. (Just imagine how that worked for all the other kids with school-issued laptops.) Administrators reportedly loved the service, which has now been disabled, and Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter has introduced legislation to block usage of surveillance software for this purpose (smart idea, dude). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2010 00:04

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Culture: Before they were at each other throats: Late-night class photos

It’s weird how innocent the trio looked in their high school class photos. Other highlights include Jimmy Fallon wearing super-thin pencil ‘stache. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Dec 2009 11:40

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Offbeat: High schoolers don’t see humor in U. of Chicago’s great joke

  • Dear University of Chicago, It fills me up with that gooey sap you feel late at night when I think about things that are really special to me about you. Tell me, was I just one in a line of many? Was I just another supple ‘applicant’ to you, looking for a place to live, looking for someone to teach me the ways of the world?
  • A University of Chicago sample entrance essay • Which, in our estimation, is the most amazing thing ever. It was sent to high school students last week in an attempt to inspire them to come up with killer application essays ahead of the January 2 deadline. Somehow, though, some people don’t see the humor in this amazingly well-crafted essay and are criticizing its sexual overtones. Others are freaking out big time, afraid that their essays are really similar. WTF?! Enjoy it for what it is, guys! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

07 Oct 2009 21:21

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Sports: Ah, high school football: A drunk fan smacks a ref with a chair

  • There’s a good two minutes of buildup before the pretty awesome payoff. Trust us, stick with it. Stadium chair-on-referee violence beckons.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Sep 2009 11:34

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U.S.: Bad, completely illegal idea: Strip searches in gym class

  • At an Atlantic, Iowa high school, a girl in a gym class noticed that $100 was missing from her purse. She freaked, then told her gym teacher. source
  • School administrators then conducted a search on five other girls. Their parents say it was a strip search. Their lawyers say that’s not legal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2009 11:54

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Sports: LeBron comes clean about his high-school hijinks in a new book

  • Was the vehicle excessive, with its bank of three televisions? Maybe. Probably. Of course it was. So were the BMWs parked in the St. V lot, belonging to fellow students. But nobody ever questioned those.
  • LeBron James • Defending his mother’s purchase of (and acquiring of a $50,000 loan to help pay for) a Hummer. James was under heavy scrutiny at the time, as something of a “chosen one” at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio who had already appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In his book, “Shooting Stars,” out this fall, James also admits to smoking pot with his teammates in a hotel room one night. “Stars” was co-written with Buzz Bissinger, who wrote a book you might know better for its TV show and movie adaptations – “Friday Night Lights.” • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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