Look! It's good news from the public school system!
About 19 percent of schools served french fries to students in 2006, down from 40 percent six years earlier, according to the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The percentage of schools that sold cookies or other high-fat baked goods as part of a fundraiser dropped from 67 percent to 54 percent during the six-year period.
And in nearly half of schools, students can select bottled water instead of sugary drinks from school vending machines or snack bars, up from nearly a third of schools in 2000.
Who gives a shit?
Here's an idea - why don't you take all that nanny-state energy and devote it toward making sure the kids can read & write, instead?
And the irony continues...on the news last night was a report that Rockford is considered a "Drop Out Factory". How 'bout that?!?! So is this the "tag line"? We may bore your children to tears, but they'll eat few French Fries here!!
Amen. The same study referred to above identified something like 13 high schools in Jersey as Dropout Factories.
Jimbo - PRS exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 06:43 AM
Detroit schools are all considered drop-out factories.
I nearly choked when I saw they have something like a 40% graduation rate.
Quality Weenie exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 06:55 AM
Yeah, I'd much prefer that they actually *teach* the kids. Considering that I pay property taxes to pay for schools and I'll be homeschooling our kids, it'd be nice if schools were places of learning anymore.
sarahk exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 07:25 AM
But... but... Harvey - they can be healthy drop outs!!! Isn't that more important? And they can remain thin when they can't make any money to buy food - it works all the way around. I see no problem.
Hehehehehe....
Teresa exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 08:27 AM
Amen, Harvey! ::applauds::
Richmond exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 11:54 AM
Harvey, the kids don't need to read. If they read then they can get a job and the government won't have to take care of them.
Contagion exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 02:55 PM
Amen, Harvey. Being IN the damn effing school systems is driving me nuts. It's really not about teaching anymore.
Mrs. Who exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 07:08 PM
I think that the fries thing is more because they're serving "freedom fries" and not "french" fries these days...
And my wife wonders why I'm dead set against sending our children to public school. She's a sweetie, but a bit naive about what's been happening the last 20-30 years or so. What's worse is the crap I have to endure from her mother; she taught in the public schools for 30+ years. A wonderful loving woman, who I've respectfully told to eff off when it comes to this particular topic.
physics geek exemplified on November 02, 2007 at 10:23 AM
Susie - I wasn't watching football. I was watching Brett Favre play football.
Whole 'nother animal :-)
Harvey exemplified on October 30, 2007 at 05:05 PM
Hell, I like ol' Favre as good as the next, and better than most, but Lordy Harvey... you got your nose so far up his Louisianna butt... I ain't sure you can see daylight anymore.
Congrats on the win in Loser town... ;)
Wanna hit back... my team is the Rams.
Have mercy now...
RedNeck exemplified on October 30, 2007 at 08:22 PM
It's throws like that that make Denver fans wish their team had a pass defense.
Actually, I'm a suffering Dolphins' fan, but I've been rooting for Favre since he was still in college. I'm glad that he's once again playing on a good team.
physics geek exemplified on November 02, 2007 at 10:27 AM
vw bug exemplified on October 28, 2007 at 05:51 PM
Looks like fun. Too bad I haven't a clue about what the heck to do with it. I just make random holes that teleport me from inside the box to inside the box. Weird.
1) SCHIP expansion that was vetoed by Bush.
Oppose - I'd like my health care system to come with a label that says "Now 99 44/100% Government Free!". Anything that doesn't move us from where we are now to that goal goes straight to the dumpster.
2) Law of the Sea treaty.
Oppose - I can't believe this communist-fantasy piece of crap is still around. The whole "if you want to mine the oceans, you have to share the wealth with third-world shithole nations because they CAN'T mine the oceans."
F*** that.
3) Hate crime laws.
Oppose - Crime is crime. Punishing someone more because of his skin color seems like a violation of Equal Protection to me.
4) Gay marriage.
Oppose - Gay marriage has nothing to do with love & commitment, it has to do with health insurance & Social Security benefits.
If you love a man and want to have financial & legal entaglements with him, have a lawyer write up some reciprocal wills & powers of attorney, then refer to yourselves as "married" in public. Same damn thing.
5) Using the following enhanced interrogation techniques on captured foreign terrorists: stress positons, sleep deprivation, and waterboarding.
Support - whatever it takes to win the war.
6) The war on drugs.
Oppose - Prohibition creates more crime, violence, and human misery than it prevents. Anti-drug peer pressure from churches, family members, and social organizations is the correct tool for minimizing drug use, not the brute sledgehammer of law enforcement.
7) Congressional term limits.
Support - I like it better when my lawmakers haven't been in office long enough to develop the connections necessary to game the system. Constant turnover will make Congress weak, confused, and ineffectual, which is how I prefer the people who try to run my life.
8) Some form of Balanced Budget Amendment.
Oppose - I prefer my government to spend less than it steals in taxes, but you can't write a law that the lawyers on the Hill can't weasel out of. A BBA is an exercise in futility.
9) School vouchers.
Support - I would prefer my school system completely supported by tuitions instead of taxes, but anything that loosens the stranglehold of government control is a step in the right direction.
10) The Missile Defense Program.
Support - I've never met an incoming enemy missile that I wouldn't prefer to have shot down by an American one.
I've always hated books, movies, and TV shows with dystopian, tyrannical, oppressive, and/or post-apocalyptic settings (GATTACA excepted, but only because he beats the system for his own selfish personal reasons, instead of "destroying it in the name of the people" like some nihilistic hippie fantasy). I'm more of a gung-ho, can-do, "Progress! Progress! RAH! RAH! RAH!" kinda guy.
Also note that there's no condescening, sarcastic sneer when I say the word "progress". And yes, I consider insanely rapid technological advancement progress, no matter how many - wait... make that "especially if" - rainforests... and make that "jungles"... have to die in the process.
ANYTHING the has the effect of making human lives longer or more convenient is a blessing in my book.
Meanwhile, Ubu of Mahou Meido Meganekko perfectly sums up my feelings about luddite tech-hating futurist "artists" [THERE'S the sneer quotes] perfectly in this comment at Chizumatic:
If you're going to believe that the future sucks, why read or write about it?
i liked gattaca for the inhome shin-shortening surgery. do it yourself orthopedics is the future.
exemplified on October 20, 2007 at 11:40 AM
I've been reading 1984 lately, and I think it's pretty good, but I share your feelings, it reminds me of all the lousy distopia stories I've ever heard.
My vision of the future is so different from what all the science fiction writers seem to think:
I think most people in the future will be okay. Some people will have it good, some people will have it bad, but most people will have it okay.
"Where did you get that stuning vision?" I hear you cry.
Well, I happened to notice that that's pretty much how it's been as long as there have been people around.
Some people seek thrills by climbing mountains or jumping out of planes. I don't need to because I can get that feeling just by hearing you whisper my name.
(CAUTION: Romantics beware - comments may contain naughtiness)
Yet nothing makes me appreciate the fine arts as much as this little number titled "Prelude du Fornication", which should not be confused with Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time".
(281k download - probably shouldn't be viewed around children or the child-like).
Alexgur exemplified on October 12, 2007 at 07:36 AM
LOL - I didn't know what to expect with that one. Dope... how apt.
Teresa exemplified on October 12, 2007 at 11:12 AM
Wow that's quite a collection of spam there in them comments.
Um, anyway, I actually kinda dig those corset piercings :p But then I'm kind of a freak like that. Love the video, that was funny as hell.
Shadoglare exemplified on October 12, 2007 at 10:56 PM
How many takes did he have to do? Was that balsa wood?
Sports Fan exemplified on October 14, 2007 at 07:34 PM
I was terrified of escalators as a youth. Not in a phobia kinda way, just in a "worried that I'd get my foot eaten by the spiky metal teeth" kinda way.
Me, I'm blaming parents who don't bother teaching their kids not to screw around when they're riding moving machinery. It's a VERY basic safety lesson, and widely applicable to any time youngsters are on mobile metal.
Of course, I *still* won't buy the shoes, but that's only because I think they look like piles of gargoyle vomit.
You're so right about the escalators. My Mom taught me how to ride on them at a very young age and I never had a problem... but I see so many kids running wild these days in department stores... where are their parents? Who will teach them about the metal monster?
Or you just have kids like me who used to go hide in the clothes racks....my mom had to buy a kiddie leash for me. But you can bet I didn't get stuck in any escalators.
Carmen exemplified on October 10, 2007 at 08:27 AM
Hey, you cold-hearted bum! It's not the poor kids' fault, haven't you learned that yet? Geez. It's BIG ESCALATOR that's cutting corners, trying to make money at the expense of the kids! It's not about the shoes, it's BIG ESCALATOR. They've known for years ways to make escalators safer, but they refuse to do so because it would cost them money to retrofit all the escalators in the world. Instead, they'll willing to sacrifice children's lives for profits! I'm starting an online petition to save our children from BIG ESCALATOR. I'm also trying to find a lawyer that will help me file a class action lawsuit against these heartless corporations who want to kill children for cash. I bet you, Harvey, own stock in escalator companies, don't you? That's blood money! I'm going to write my Congressman and demand that he form a Congressional inquiry into when BIG ESCALATOR knew things and what they knew! IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!^!&^!!@!^@!
And the media is just now getting ahold of this. My cousin lost his toes on an escalator some 30 years ago. He was wearing sandals. I have had a phobia about escalators ever since.
Everytime I was going to get on an escalator as a kid, my mother made sure my shoes were tied and warned me not to get sucked in. How hard is it for a parent to do? (My dad just shouted, "LIFT YOUR FEET, STUPID!" and then mumbled something about my mother never letting him hear the end of it.)
Phelps exemplified on October 10, 2007 at 12:28 PM
From what I understand, the same technology that causes Crocs to mold to an individual foot's shape is the problem. Escalators are warm from friction, and the bottom of the Croc can mold itself into the nooks and crannies of the elevator riser itself; thus, the poor kid's feet can be basically stuck to the elevator riser. Scary.
Omnibus Driver exemplified on October 11, 2007 at 12:35 PM
... I'm 100% downtown in the gargoyle vomit theory.... those shoes are FUGLY....
When I add UV cold cathodes and custom UV decals to my computer and then buy a coffee table just to put it front and center in front of my desk rather than off to the side, it damned well is a "decoration."
Phelps exemplified on October 09, 2007 at 01:59 PM
Then please explain why Pan's x-box shelf is an ongoing decoration in progress.
"For purposes of this discussion, computers and their accessories are not considered "decorations"."
Neither are TV's apparently...
Richmond exemplified on October 09, 2007 at 06:24 PM
Hey, if it plugs into the wall, it's not a decoration :-)
Harvey exemplified on October 09, 2007 at 06:32 PM
The bitchin computer or tv do not qualify for 'decorating'. Would you really want them put in the same league as decorative baskets, scented candles, or window treatments?
ChrisA exemplified on October 11, 2007 at 03:16 AM
"Men, on the other hand, eventually finish."
I think what you're referring there to is unpacking boxes, and that's not decorating.
And, btw, by your own definition, ("Hey, if it plugs into the wall, it's not a decoration") beer signs aren't decoration, either.
Here's a great site that I've had on my rss for a year and everytime I read it I think of sharing it with you. So why didn't I drop it on you before? Because I can't access your site on my cell (graphic heavy even in mobile format at times - its the pics) and you're blocked at work (due to your naughty topics) and so I had to find time and come visit and drop you a line.
So here I is and here's your gratituitous resource link: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/10/10/your-first-10000-blog-posts-are-always-the-worst/
michele exemplified on October 09, 2007 at 08:23 PM
The "1" voted against the resolution because "I do not agree with comments allegedly made by Mr. Savage, but the First Amendment gives him the right to make those comments."
Idiot.
Free speech isn't a privilege that's granted. It's a right that's inherent by the mere fact of being a human being.
The First Amendment is a restriction on Congress against making laws that violate that right.
By the way, anyone want to weigh in on whether the First Amendment applies to city governments?
Um... Cities and First Amendment and this resolution...
They can certainly pass a resolution condemning what he has to say. It's stupid, (after all, look at all the free pub they just gave to Savage...) but they can do it. I would not have voted for it - even though I'm not a Savage fan - because these kinds of resolutions are ridiculous. It's like the city government stamping their feet and holding their breath because "we don't like him!" *sigh*
Now, if they, as a government entity, tried to take his show off the air or tried to arrest him and throw him in jail for what he says - now THAT is an infringement on his First Amendment rights. Why? (after all the city government is not Congress...)
This page with the quote from a ruling by Justice Robert Jackson, shows that the Supreme Court has traditionally extended the First Amendment to cover more than just Congress. Although it's possible I'm misreading that statement. I want to check out the books at the bottom of that page for further information.
Teresa exemplified on October 03, 2007 at 08:39 AM
The courts have held that the 14th Amendment keeps local governments from infringing on the rights of a citizen.
As for Savage, there is little that he says that I disagree with, I just can't handle listening to him for more than a few minutes.
Life goes by so fast, it seems like I'm always running. Whether towards something or away from something, I'm not really sure. But all that really matters to me is that I'm running with you by my side.
(CAUTION: Romantics beware - comments may contain naughtiness)
"I used to think I was weird because of my penguin fetish, but not after finding out what Harvey does with a can of Reddi-Wip and a Slip-N-Slide. Compared to him, I look positively Amish." ~Glenn Reynolds
"Tact is a stranger to you. I like that." ~Chris Muir - Day By Day"The man is a FREAK and a WEIRDO!" ~Vigilance Matters"The nicest thing about having Harvey around is that he makes the raincoat flashers look suave." ~Rocket Jones"...a very, very sick person." ~She Who Will Be Obeyed"pervert of renown extraordinare" ~Practical Penumbra"He's a really nice guy even if he is a little bit weird and creepy sometimes." ~Reflections in d minor"Curmudgeonly Old Coot" ~Hilarity Ensues"Mr. Bad Example" ~Straight White Guy"infamous den of rum, buggery, the lash, and pirate pickup lines" ~ErosBlog"Harvey is the bomb. I am frequently humbled by his wit, naughtiness and downright smartassery" ~Drama Queen"Harvey is like the Dean of Perverted Thought at the Academy of Retrosexuality" ~Frizzen Sparks"This blogger seems intent on presenting specious arguments to get up people’s noses." ~View from the USSR"Harvey's that guy at the party who makes sure everyone has a good time, even if he's not the host." ~Jen Lars"I hear Harvey likes breasts." ~Jen Lars"Bad Example is like a bug bite, you don’t want to itch it but you do" ~Angle of Vision"the blogger of love" ~Blown Fuse"Also, the comments for Bad Example are somewhat vulgar" ~One Happy Dog Speaks"I need to get the heck off his site, but it keeps beckoning me back today. Darn voodoo I tell you!" ~Patriot Paradox"Zen-like innuendo and amoral rectitude" ~Practical Penumbra"Who the hell is harvey?" ~Bernie's Top 17"The hole in the wall, addicting BBQ joint that gives you paper towels, welcomes you with a "How've ya been" and doesn't take credit cards." ~And What Next..."ferociously eloquent" ~Classical Values"His beard is what Grau's would be.... if Grau were a chick" ~Little Joe's Soapbox"Arrogant prick" ~blogless Jenn"A boil on the ass of blogdom" ~Rivers of Blood"Harvey is sort of a drunk Godfather of the blogosphere where you can go to get advice and make jokes about boobies" ~Spotted Horse"Banned in Utah" ~This-N-That"Banned in Wisconsin" ~Ramblings of an Ordinary"Banned in New York" ~Letters From New York City"Banned in Minnesota" ~Eckernet"Banned in Georgia" ~Thunder and Roses"Banned in Pennsylvania" ~Bobo Blogger"Banned in Arizona" ~And What Next..."Harvey's a little weird. I kinda like weird." ~Lone Pony"I found this website on a public restroom wall." ~Blue Tige"Harvey is to blogging what Sean Connery is to the Film Industry" ~Rantings of an Indentured Servant"Harvey is the H.P. Lovecraft of the blogosphere... Dreadful." ~Drunken Wisdom"69th Best Blog on Earth." ~BiggestOnEarth.com
E-Mail Me (Harvey)
And the irony continues...on the news last night was a report that Rockford is considered a "Drop Out Factory". How 'bout that?!?! So is this the "tag line"? We may bore your children to tears, but they'll eat few French Fries here!!
Dumb Dumb Dumb......
Tammi exemplified on October 31, 2007 at 04:33 AM