Stupid Human Tricks

Just for something on the lighthearted side. These are all true stories, I checked them out.

1. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS.

Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home.

After firing 10 tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."

2. WHAT WAS PLAN B

An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, where the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.

3. THE GETAWAY

A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas, Kwik-Stop, and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.

4. DID I SAY THAT

Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words, "Give me all your money or I'll shoot, the man shouted, "That's not what I said!"

5. ARE WE COMMUNICATING

A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!" "Is this her first child?" the doctor asked. "No!" the man shouted, "This is her husband!"

6. NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHE

In Modesto, California, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun, but unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.

7. THE GRAND FINALE

On Lake Isabella, located in the high desert an hour east of Bakersfield, CA, some folks new to boating were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22-foot going.

It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong.

A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, the prop was the correct size and pitch. So,one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath.

He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard.

Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer.........

PC Run Wild

Another story of PC gone wild.

A school in (where else) Berkeley, California is considering changing its name because the name of the school is offensive.

What is this horrible name ??

Thomas Jefferson elementary School

He was (of course) an evil white man who owned slaves, so we cannot possibly name a school after him.

So parents, teachers and students (yes, 1st graders get to vote) will decide whether or not to dump the name. This will not be the first name change at a Berkeley school.

A school named for Christopher Columbus was changed to Rosa Parks Elementary and Abraham Lincoln Elementary became Malcolm X (I guess Lincoln was evil for being a Republican ??). Of course the fact that Malcolm openly advocated violence was ok...

http://www.foxreno.com/news/4308566/detail.html

Now you would think that this was the limit of PC nonsense, but you would be wrong.

A school in Salem Oregon invited students to bring in pictures of prior graduates at their jobs.

One girl, very proud of her older brother brought in a picture of him at work. But the principal of the school banned the picture because it might offend.

Her brother is a United States Marine on duty in the Middle East. The picture (gasp) showed guns, and that might violate the no tolerance policy of the school.

http://www.katu.com/stories/76079.html

Sigh....

Movie Studios Just Don't Get It

In theory, movie studios are businesses, just like any other. Which means that the job of the boss is to make money, to succeed. But based on the actions of studio leaders over the past few years, I start to wonder.

It has long been established that R rated movies are by far the worst possible investment for a movies studio.

Consider the following.

A study by the Dove Foundation showed that G-rated films yielded the highest gross profit, $94 million on average,while R-rated films earned $11 million on average, that is an 8.3 to 1 ratio.

For G-rated films, the average gross profit was 66 percent, PG films returned 52 percent; PG-13 films, 50 percent; R-rated, 37 percent; and NC-17 films 27 percent.

A PG-rated film was, on average, three times as likely as an R-rated film to earn at least $100 million in ticket sales.

Now the studio folks tended to scoff at these numbers, arguing that the profits only differed because G rated movies had lower production costs (gee and I thought low production costs were good, silly me).

They also pointed out that because they made more R movies, the audience was more spread out, so the per film profits were lower, but overall profits were more.

Well not anymore.

In 2004, PG rated films outgrossed R rate movies by over $ 200,000,000. For those in Hollywood that means the pile of PG money is BIGGER than the pile of R money.

In fact, five of the 10 top-grossing films were rated PG, including the year's biggest film, Shrek 2, which took in $441.2 million.

But only four R-rated movies cracked last year's top 25. The biggest was The Passion of the Christ, which took in $370.3 million.

To be fair, PG-13 movies outgrossed both categories, thanks to legions of teenage boys. But even so, R rated films were at the bottom of the pile.

So to summarize.

G rated movies make 8 times as much profit per film and are 3 times as likely to earn the magic $ 100,000,000 mark.

PG rated movies made more money than R rated movies.

PG-13 movies made more money than R rated movies

Moving from G to NC-17, the profit margin steadily declines, with R films at about 1/2 the rate of G movies.

Now you'd think this means that they make more G or PG or at least more PG-13 movies than R rated ones.

Wrong.

In fact in 2004, 60% of the movies made were rated R, more than all other kinds combined.

Now personally I'd think you'd go where the profit is.

But I guess agenda trumps logic, assuming of course they actually think about things in Hollywood.

Good Friday

I'd just like to take a moment to wish everyone a joyous Good Friday and Easter holiday.

Never forget the meaning of this time of the year.

Born once, die twice.

Born twice, die once.

Merit is Evil ??

I was listening to the radio recently and a couple of disturbing topics came up.

The University of California system is seriously considering abandoning participation in the National Merit Scholar Program.

Why are they doing this ??

The first reason the usual attack on standardized testing as either sexist or racist or whatever the currently popular ist is.

The second is that the awards are based on......... MERIT (insert horrified liberal gasp here).

The argument being that all awards should go to monetary need and this is unfair.

Basically back to the argument that we should all be equal and nobody should be raised above another.

The second story, which was inspired by the general subject, came from a caller. They were in an employment agency, looking to hire people. While there they read a brochure that was designed to advise employers hiring Generation Xers.

Part of the manual suggested that during the interview process that it be made clear that rewards and promotions might not result from average performance (no kidding !!)

The point being that this generation has gone through a school system where everybody who 'tries real hard' gets A's and B's, regardless of merit (there's that evil word again).

I'm sorry but these two stories make me mad. I'm all for helping out those in need and for giving a boost to the disadvantaged.

But we are rapidly moving to a society where everyone has to be equal, nothing can be quantified, and hard work is no longer a virtue but a sin.

All men are created equal but that doesn't mean that all men are equal in everything. It used to be that part of growing up was to learn this. Not everyone is a perfect scholar and not everyone is a super athlete

When I was in school I wasn't very good at sports. Should I have been made center of my high school basketball team because I tried hard ??

Like many, I didn't look like a movie star and I had fairly limited social skills.

Should I have gotten a date with the head cheerleader because I was a nice guy ??(Well actually that's not a bad idea).

Life is hard, you have to work at it to succeed. That may not be what we all want to hear but its the truth.

If you want a preview of what happens to a meritless society, take a look at the mess that is Europe.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Spare The Rod or Spoil Your Career ??

Now let me make it clear that I don't have any children so my right to express an opinion on corporal punishment in schools is admittedly limited.

Those views are somewhat mixed, balanced between my desire for order and discipline in the schools and my feeling that the state shouldn't take over for parents.

But regardless of how any of us feel, I certainly think that there is room for argument on both sides. I feel that teachers are particularly deserving of the right to express a viewpoint and would tend to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Well it seems that not everyone feels that way.

Scott McConnell is a 26 year old teacher in New York. He is, or rather was, also a student at Le Moyne College, a Jesuit college located in Syracuse, New York. He was studying for his graduate degree while also working as a teacher.

Last fall he wrote a paper for one of his classes in which he argued that corporal punishment had a valuable purpose in schools. He discussed the fact that as a young child he had acted up in class until a teacher spanked him. As he himself put it, the spanking didn't really hurt him as much as it shaped him up.

When the paper was returned it got an A- and was marked with a positive note from his professor who stated that he had shared the paper with the dean of the graduate program, Dr. Cathy Leogrande.

As far as Scott knew that was the end of it. Imagine his shock when he recieved a letter from the good doctor.

She told him that "I have grave concerns regarding the mismatch between your personal beliefs regarding teaching and learning and the Le Moyne College program goals. Your registration for spring 2005 courses has been withdrawn."

So basically he was tossed from the program because he dared to offer a view that was not in sync with the line offered by the college. Mr. McConnell feels that his evangelical Christianity may also be a factor, and that very well may be true.

He is currently working with a variety of 1st amendment groups trying to resolve the dispute.

Taking the lead is the Foundation For Individual Rights In Education (www.thefire.org)

Amazingly, the New York Times actually covered the story

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/10/nyregion/10paddle.html

Welcome

Welcome to The Bully Pulpit !!

As you might have guessed this site is named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, one of my personal heroes. I hope that the discussions and debates will reflect his spirit.

While we will have a lot of emphasis on political issues both California and national, we will also discuss a wide range of other topics. I welcome suggestions, comments, etc as long as you keep things polite.

I'm still working on the format for the site, so please be patient.