Bracton, what an amazing experience to meet the astronauts and directors. Congrats

lawrenson wrote:Hi,

all flights cancelled in UK airspace (apart from emergencies)!

A cloud of volcanic ash has drifted over the UK. Currently at high level, but expected to drop to ground level at some point.

Bl**dy Icelanders! Steal our money then dump their crappy ash on us!
Lets nuke em!

Cheers,
Malc

At least those wacky Vikings stopped raiding your coastal villages some time ago. Let them have their fun.

Seriously, though, does this sort of thing happen often?

MetamorphosisSigma wrote:
At least those wacky Vikings stopped raiding your coastal villages some time ago. Let them have their fun.

Seriously, though, does this sort of thing happen often?

This specific volcano is its first set of eruptions in 200 years. Its not common from any other of our local Viking friends either, but a ball ache when it does (for those planning to fly anyway!)  

http://uk.travel.yahoo.com/p-promo-3311661

MetamorphosisSigma wrote:
At least those wacky Vikings stopped raiding your coastal villages some time ago. Let them have their fun.

Seriously, though, does this sort of thing happen often?

[pedant mode]

Actually the Viking raiders were mostly from Scandinavia.  Iceland was one of the places they went to rather than coming from. As well as North America.

[/pedant mode]

Anyway, please accept my apologies for the tedious point .  In answer to your question - not at all common - I wonder if the mistiness that has obscured the sun here in London is the ash cloud (he says excitedly). Although erupting volcanoes in Iceland ... that is something which happens all the time!  One of those places I would love to visit - hopefully this year or next (fingers crossed).

lawrenson wrote:Hi,

it doesnt even have the decency to have a pronouncable name either: Eyjafjallajoekull.

No, doesn't happen often here.

Might be a pain if it lands as a cloud - bit like breathing in asbestos.

Cheers,
Malc

The chemical makeup of the Iceland volcano might be different, but volcanic ash on Britain is unlikely to be a major problem.

You could see Mount St. Helens from my high school home back in 1980.  (Now it is still visible but harder to see because it is shorter.)

Ash did most of its damage by blocking roads in eastern Washington and by choking the rivers near to the mountain.   (There is still a long, tall dike of grass-coverd ash alongside Interstate 5 where the Toutle River meets the Columbia.  It was dredged up and dumped there after the eruption.)

Some people wore masks during the worst ash fall, but its impact on lungs was minimal.

It clogged the gutters for a while.

The end to New York City's infamous "Rubber Room" for teachers:

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/new-york-to-end-rubber-room-detentions-for-teachers/19441449

I wonder what finally was the catalyst for ending this ridiculous practice....any New Yorkers have the scoop?

Mike B.

Badmike wrote:The end to New York City's infamous "Rubber Room" for teachers:

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/new-york-to-end-rubber-room-detentions-for-teachers/19441449

I wonder what finally was the catalyst for ending this ridiculous practice....any New Yorkers have the scoop?

Mike B.

None of these teachers were gamers? A purgatory of tables and chairs is pretty much all a gamer needs. I could have taught them all to play ASL. That would have taken a few years to master.

I also notice that these teachers don't seem to mention reading much. Trapped in a room with a good book, what a punishment that would be, jeez.

Sometimes teachers are transferred there without any explanation of their alleged transgression.

"The charges have not been substantiated, but we're here in this purgatory of exiled educators,"

These are the two most pertinent lines in the article.

If the New York School District had anything...anything...to substantiate charges against these teachers they would already be gone.

The school district knows that if they "arbitrate" these cases they will find little or nothing to substantiate claims against teachers.  Rather than get sued by the teachers and/or the parents, the district is keeping them in limbo.

The article says that teachers accused of violence will be suspended without pay.  How can the district do that?  If they had any reason to fire a teacher they would have already fired him/her.  As soon as any teacher is fired without cause the district eats a lawsuit...and deserves to eat a lawsuit.

These teachers supposedly average $60,000 to $70,000 per year?  

FormCritic wrote:Sometimes teachers are transferred there without any explanation of their alleged transgression.

"The charges have not been substantiated, but we're here in this purgatory of exiled educators,"

These are the two most pertinent lines in the article.

If the New York School District had anything...anything...to substantiate charges against these teachers they would already be gone.

You're right, those two lines are the key.  And they're both the most suspect in the article.  I seriously doubt either is true.

These teachers belong to the one of the most powerful (and corrupt) unions in the state.  And that union will defend even the worst teachers to the bitter legal end.  If even one of these people were really being disciplined without any provable cause, believe me, NYSUT would be raising a giant public hue and cry and filing all kinds of expensive high profile lawsuits left and right against the city.

Funny how they haven't done that.

These rejects can't be fired because the union makes it very hard and very expensive for the city to do that.  It's a huge victory in itself that they can at least keep them away from the kids.   And the union has to grudgingly agree to this, because even though they'll never admit it, they themselves know for a fact that these teachers are bad news and really will cause problems if left in the classroom.  

You say the city won't arbitrate because they will lose, but it's really the other way around.  The union knows that these individuals are poison, but they will never ever admit that and will use every option to legally defend them.  The city wants to get these people out of the system, but it knows the union will make it a federal case each time it attempts to fire one of them.

And that's why we have "rubber rooms" and fake admin jobs.