Matt Jones' Random Acts of Verbiage

I posted this over at Tumblr, but I thought I would repost here because it is a fairly complex and interesting topic.

thedailywhat:

Mad As Hell of the Day: A portly 16-year-old kid named Casey Heynes allegedly got into a fight at school with a bully. The video of the altercation was posted to Facebook by someone claiming to be the parent of Casey’s friend.

He/she writes:

The larger kid on the right, is my son’s friend Casey – thankfully they don’t go to the same school. Poor Casey has been bullied his whole high school life, and this is what happens when he snaps!! But guess who was suspended in this scenario – Casey!!

Although there is no official confirmation for this account (there’s a bit more here), Facebook has already sided with Casey, establishing a support page in his name.

[towleroad.]

Here is the video at Facebook and the (somewhat edited) video on YouTube (both the Facebook and YouTube videos have been removed) and from towleroad:

I have to be careful what I say about this since I am a public school teacher. I will say that if I ever have kids of my own, I would tell them to stand up for themselves just like Casey did.

Students should be able to stand up for themselves and not take bullying of any kind. Sure, Casey should be held responsible for his actions (possibly including suspension although I am not sold on that), that is a part of life (or it should be anyway), and he should be willing to accept those consequences. But he still should have done it even with repercussions.

The other child should have been punished much more severely as he clearly instigated the fight (and had probably bullied Casey in the past).

Other teachers and parents might disagree with me. “Casey could have moved away and gone to tell an adult” they might say. Yes, I suppose he could have done that. But the reality is that that would not have stopped the bullying, at least long term. The reality is that Casey will not be bullied again (at least by that student) because of his actions.

I don’t condone violence. I do condone and absolutely support students standing up for themselves (or others) against any form of bullying and students should be held accountable for their actions.

I should also note that I find it fairly sad that there are so many students just watching things happen. I know that is usually how it goes, but it still make me sad. Don’t just by a bystander, stand up for what you know is right.

What are your thoughts on this?

Update: Fox has picked the story up: Teased Kid Snaps! Body Slams Bully

There are lots of posts up all over the net about the devastating 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan (there have been nearly 400 earthquakes off the coast of Japan in the last week, 34 of them have been of magnitude 6 and higher). I just thought I would post the links, images, and videos that I found must striking.

Links:
Google Crisis Response: 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
World Vision Japan Quake and Tsunami Relief
Video: Earthquake in Tokyo from 22 stories up and 230 miles away from the epicenter
Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet, shifted Earth’s axis
NHK World TV

Satellite Imagery:
NY Times: Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami
ABC News: Japan Earthquake: before and after
NASA Satellite Imagery

Photo Essays:
The Atlantic’s In Focus: Earthquake in Japan and Japan Earthquake Aftermath
The Big Picture: Japan: earthquake aftermath

Tsunami:
NOAA Japan Earthquake Tsunami Model
OurAmazingPlanet: Japan Tsunami Earthquake Explained
Video: Raw Video: Tsunami Wave Smashes Boats and Cars
Video: Tsunami Flooding in Japan
Video: Flooding at the Airport
Video: Amateur video: Tsunami destroys Japanese village

Nuclear Reactor:
Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT
Nuclear Energy Institute: Information on the Japanese Earthquake and Reactors in That Region
World Nuclear News: Efforts to manage Fukushima Daiichi 3
World Nuclear News: Battle to stabilise earthquake reactors
ANS Nuclear Cafe: Media updates on nuclear power stations in Japan
How the nuclear emergency unfolded with an image that helps articulate why people don’t need to freak out:

Last night I finished off Suzanne Collins’ second book in the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire (here is my review of Hunger Games). While this series is one for “young adult” readers, it is definitely one that can be enjoyed by all audiences. The plot is interesting and the characters are relatable. Catching Fire definitely had an Empire Strikes Back or Two Towers feel to it; it is a middle book. That being said, it still carried its own weight in terms of plot development.

At the end of Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen has become victor in the arena but at the expense of making the Capitol look foolish. Because of her innocuous actions (at least to her), they have it in for her. Little do they know but she, and a surprising number of others, have it in for them. This book is definitely a build up to something larger.

My only actual complaint was that the resolve at the end seemed to happen all at once and a little to neatly (not that everything is good, just neat). It was nice to have some closure on things that I had already figured out, I just didn’t think wrapping up everything would come in the last few pages of the book. But that wasn’t a big deal and it did come naturally as part of the plot.

One of the most brilliant scenes was when Katniss’ designer had her turn into a Mockingjay, a very powerful symbol that has been with Katniss through her first ordeal and that will remain with her throughout her life. I am actually quite looking forward to finishing the series in Mockingjay.

Here are Cori’s thoughts on Catching Fire. And my original review of Hunger Games. Hey, look at that, book number six done!

This was my second time through Douglas Adam’s classic Hitchhiker and it was just as fun reading it again. I’m not going to do an actual review here, but just recommend it to those who enjoy quirky sci-fi. This is a classic for a reason.

I would also like to point out that this is the 5th book I have read this year. Which, for me, is a big deal. Just sayin’.

Just remember that the “answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything” is 42. Now, if only we knew the Ultimate Question.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe come next in the series!