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« Ummm... Other?: April 2008 | Main | Ummm... Other?: June 2008 »

Ummm... Other?

Who Doesn't Suffer From a Little Mental Poisoning Now and Again?


By min | May 28, 2008, 2:16 PM | Ummm... Other? | Link



Even The Communists Fail the Poor

Link

Parents of the estimated 10,000 children who lost their lives in the quake have grown so enraged about collapsed schools that they have overcome their usual caution about confronting Communist Party officials. Many say they are especially upset that some schools for poor students crumbled into rubble even though government offices and more elite schools not far away survived the quake largely intact.

On Tuesday, an informal gathering of parents in Dujiangyan to commemorate their children gave way to unbridled fury. One of the fathers in attendance, a quarry worker named Liu Lifu, grabbed the microphone and began calling for justice. His 15-year-old daughter, Liu Li, had died along with her entire class during a biology lesson.

...

The crowd grew more agitated. Some parents said that local officials had known for years that the school was unsafe but refused to take action. Others recalled that two hours passed before rescue workers showed up; even then, they stopped working at 10 p.m. the night of the earthquake and did not resume the search until 9 a.m. the next day.

Although there is no official casualty count, only 13 of the school's 900 students came out alive, parents said. "The people responsible for this should be brought here and have a bullet put in their head," said Luo Guanmin, a farmer who was cradling a photo of his 16-year-old daughter, Luo Dan.

Sharp confrontations between protesters and officials began over the weekend in several towns in northern Sichuan. Hundreds of parents whose children died at the Fuxin No. 2 Primary School in the city of Mianzhu staged an impromptu rally on Saturday. They surrounded one female official who tried to assure them that their complaints were being taken seriously, screaming and yelling in her face until she fainted.

As a regular attendee of my family's events, i think fnord12 can tell you that you do not want a group of angry Chinese deliberately raising their voices at you. It can indeed cause you bodily harm.

The Education Ministry has issued a statement saying that the people responsible for the inferior construction of these buildings would be "severely punished." Some have offered the parents $4500 in compensation for their loss if they would only stop the public protests. While this amount is worth many times the average annual salary these people make, it is not enough.


By min | May 28, 2008, 1:15 PM | Ummm... Other? | Link



Cornelius Low

Low House!


By fnord12 | May 21, 2008, 11:17 AM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (2)| Link



Not That I'm Obsessed With Hello Kitty Or Anything...

...as some people have suggested, but how could i not post Dreadnought Kitty?

And it's not like i did it. I just found it and reported it.


By min | May 19, 2008, 2:30 PM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (4)| Link



Gross....Alot




Just ew.


By min | May 19, 2008, 2:16 PM | Ummm... Other? | Link



Where Are My Fake Doctor's Notes?

Link

A former Washington state social worker has been accused of faking brain cancer to avoid work. Theft charges were filed Tuesday against Sandra Dee Martinez, 40, formerly of Mountlake Terrace, who was employed by the Department of Social and Health Services in Arlington.

According to investigators, Martinez presented fake letters that appeared to be from doctors saying she had malignant brain tumors. Prosecutors wrote that she received $21,000 worth of paid leave and took advantage of sick days donated by co-workers last year.

Prosecutors wrote that Martinez came under scrutiny after using a neighbor's computer and leaving one of the letters on the printer.

Wonder if she used the same website as the lady who got a fake Dr. Wanyas note to get out of court.


By min | May 15, 2008, 3:34 PM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (1)| Link



Panda Panda Panda

In my mind, i imagine this is what the pandas were doing during the earthquake that hit China this past Monday - sitting there, munching away, disinterestedly watching as all the tourists who came to see them fell into holes opening up in the ground or got crushed by falling buildings.

It's wrong to be amused by that, isn't it? Tsk.


By min | May 13, 2008, 12:44 PM | Ummm... Other? | Link



Beyond strange

Link:

China's 2007 "Reincarnation Law". The case of the 11th Panchen Lama raised implications for what happens upon the death and subsequent reincarnation of the current Dalai Lama (the 14th) living in exile. Apparently mindful of its previous experience with the 11th Panchen Lama, Beijing late in 2007 took steps designed to solidify its future control over the selection process of Tibetan lamas. On August 3, 2007, the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) issued a set of regulations, effective September 1, 2007, that require all Tibetan lamas wishing to reincarnate to obtain prior government approval through the submission of a "reincarnation application." In a statement accompanying the regulations, SARA called the step "an important move to institutionalize management on reincarnation of living Buddhas."

I will happily be told that this is a hoax.



By fnord12 | May 9, 2008, 4:02 PM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (1)| Link



How Much Porn Does $20k Buy?

The Ariel school is an experiment in financial literacy with real-life oomph: Each incoming first-grade class gets $20,000 that the children ultimately get to pick stocks for and manage. The goal is to add an I -- investing -- to the three R's, according John Rogers Jr., chairman and chief execuative of Ariel Capital Management, a Chicago money-management firm that established the school in 1996.

At a time when pensions are being phased out and people must rely more on their own investment smarts, Rogers thinks saving and investment should be an integral part of the curriculum at schools across the nation. "It's important to have all the reading and writing and arithmetic skill sets, but we can't think of anything else more important than to be able to be financially viable and competent as you start to build your working career," he said.

...

The concept is simple: Ariel's experts manage a $20,000 portfolio for each class until sixth grade, briefing them regularly, and then begin turning over the decisions to the children. Upon graduation from eighth grade, each class returns the initial investment amount to the school for another first-grade class and donates, invests or pockets the profits.

Link

Porn or clothes. I don't know what else might be important when you're 14. I suppose some of them will be looking towards the future. A new car. Or mebbe the theory is right. Kids who are taught about money matters when they're young will be more savvy about saving. The first batch of first graders are currently high school juniors. Time will tell.


By min | May 8, 2008, 10:35 AM | Ummm... Other? | Link



Things

Horrible things.


By fnord12 | May 7, 2008, 3:09 PM | Ummm... Other? | Link



More Things I Should Have

 

I'm definitely sure i need the army of Hello Kittys dressed as horseys.


By min | May 7, 2008, 12:32 PM | Ummm... Other? | Link



Earthstopping

8.1 Generally earth stopping takes place the night before or during the early morning over the area the hunt expects to cover that day. Its purpose is to prevent foxes lying underground on the days hunting where they cannot be found. The holes at the entrance to the earths will be blocked by soil, or by inserting paper bags filled with a suitable material, - the latter must be removed after hunting.

8.2 The other reason for stopping is to prevent a fox from entering an earth. One of the purposes of foxhunting is fox control. It cannot achieve this purpose if the fox population is either underground or the fox goes to ground soon after it is found.

8.3 Although most likely earths will be stopped, the fox can and often does seek refuge in an unknown earth or refuge.

8.4 The Badgers Act 1992 provides for the stopping of badger setts by recognised earth stoppers accredited by a Hunt's Master. Strict rules apply and non-compliance leads to hefty fines, imprisonment, or both. (See Appendix II)


By min | May 2, 2008, 8:56 AM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (2)| Link



Where's my monkey?!


By fnord12 | May 1, 2008, 2:56 PM | Comics & Ummm... Other? | Link



Hello Kitty Euro

What the hell? These came out in 2005 and here i am, 2008, with no Hello Kitty collectible euros. You slackers.


By min | May 1, 2008, 8:38 AM | Ummm... Other? | Link



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