As August winds down & September beckons, I’m reminded of a particular quirk in North American education programs.
Why do US schools open in August?
I’m constantly reminded of this seeming anachronism every year, but the COVID issue has made it particularly acute, as it’s on the news constantly. Do southern schools have A/C? Because that would be the only way it could be plausible for a Georgia school to be open in August, at least to me. I taught summer school for a decade, which ran six weeks from the start of July to the middle of August. That was hot enough in a Canadian brick & mortar school. I can’t imagine the internal temperatures of the buildings in the Palm Spring Unified School District, but GinMom routinely informs me every year that school has returned in the Valley.
Plus, I know how much US teachers are paid, and even with the exchange rate I make 1/3 more than the highest paid US public non-football coach school teacher. Summer school is a bonus on top of regular salary up here. I couldn’t bear having to go back to work when it’s still technically summer, and into a building with a temperature that would make a Russian leave his sauna.
Tonight’s sports:
- NHL:
- Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche – 6:00PM | NBCSN / Sportsnet1
- Game 4 – Dallas leads 2-1
- Philadelphia Flyers vs. NY Islanders – 8:00PM | NBC / Sportsnet
- Game 4 – NYI leads 2-1
- Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights – 10:30PM | NBCSN / CBC
- Game 4 – Vegas leads 2-1
- Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche – 6:00PM | NBCSN / Sportsnet1
- NBA:
- Nuggets vs. Jazz – 8:30PM | TNT / TSN
- Game 6 – Jazz lead 3-2
- Nuggets vs. Jazz – 8:30PM | TNT / TSN
- MLB:
- Braves at Phillies – 7:00PM | ESPN / ESPN2 / TSN3
- MLS Soccer:
- Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC – 10:00PM | FS1
Enjoy your evening.
Of all my picks, I’m happiest with my last round kicker pick. Hajrullahu! Hajrullahu! Haaaaj..ruuuuu….llahu!
Per someone else’s comment earlier:
I hate people
This is a lazy, shitty, insultingly stupid metaphor.
Not this year it isn’t.
Every year
I’ve heard this song in 2004, 2008, 2016, and now 2020.
I don’t care.
Despite a set of monster RBs, Dead Hobos aren’t exactly what you’d call strong
Ah, shut up!
Fantasy Draft complete.
Can Newton isn’t even going to start, is he?
Not if he’s smart
So you’re saying there’s a chance…
On the contrary, he will lead my squadron to the title. All hail Belicheat!
It’d be funnier if this were dashcam footage, but this was part of a training flight.
https://twitter.com/hoaxeye/status/1299933348148776960?s=10
https://theaviationist.com/2020/08/29/ukrainian-su-27-flanker-hit-a-road-sign-during-highway-landing-training/
Wait, are those just random people with phones hanging out on the runway during military practice?
It’s a highway
So…did they close the highway? I have many questions here
https://theaviationist.com/2020/08/29/ukrainian-su-27-flanker-hit-a-road-sign-during-highway-landing-training/
Longer video https://t.me/russianaviation_AD/14754?single
Apparently 4 teams are having fans in the stands to start the season. I put over/under on season cancellation at 4 weeks
They wont because money. The Shield! takes no prisoners.
I got the “D”.
/also, no flex position? I’d like to speak to the manager about me not paying attention
I thought that there was one too. I did not go through it with a fine tooth comb I guess.
Yeah, the third WR slot instead. Oh well, doesn’t matter, they’ll all get Covid at the same time no matter what position they play
Assholes:
With a Couple Stretches, TWBS’ dead goat BJs Have a Great Team if the Goal is to Finish Dead Last
Why do have 2 defenses? Be active on the waiver wire and you could be ok.
Because I didn’t realize until it was too late that we only had 15 picks.
Oh, and the No Flex thing tripped me up too.
This is the kind of menacing foe you are facing this year.
If I had boots, I would be quaking in them.
That reminds me, anyone who ever visited the AC Taj and voted for Trump has no excuse for not knowing what was coming
When I was in high school I thought it would be way better to be part of an empire on the start of the downswing, cause decadence. I guess that was true for about 5 years in the early 2000s during the poker boom, but otherwise I miscalculated
Ah yes, the poker boom. Where you bet “points” because then you weren’t betting real money and wouldn’t get in trouble!
Well, it depends on where you are in the empire.
Memorial TWBS FF League Draft went swimmingly.
I expect to get an F grade.
I’m expecting somewhere in the D+ range
D+ WOOOOO
B+? Whaaa?
Huh, apparently I have the third easiest strength of schedule. That’s what comes from kinda trying to avoid the teams that actively try to lose I guess
https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=cKUd0-KZIT4
I’m getting a B+ grade I think.
Which means I’ll lose most of my matches this year.
And I was just informed I did get a B+. lol
I got an A. I’m not going to win a single matchup.
The only one who hadn’t set his team name.
Ha! Just got it. I’m a C-!
I bet Doug Petersen is really respectful to the Flyers and their coach.
Just turned on the nhl side. Still very much enjoying these announcers. Makes the whole experience less harsh than THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!! COLTS AT BILLLLLLLLLLLZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!
wat
TMI
PADRES get the W!!!!
yea dog
Protest march just went by. Seems relatively small and peaceful.
“That just won’t do” — cops and MAGAts hopping into their pickups
Yeah, exactly.
Do I want to know what HNIC stands for?
OOhhhh. Hockey Night in Canada.
kind of feels weird not seeing either Durant or steph curry in the NBA postseason
It’s almost like getting out-shot 2-1 is a bad thing
“I would take that.”
-Jacob Blake
I really like hanging here with you folks. Too bad society and civilization here in the US is going to be over soon. It’s been fun!
We had a good run.
I got over sixty years out of it, my Patriots finally manned up after i rooted for them from 1968 onward, Spurs with Duncan kicked some ass, even the Red Sox showed some life. The Colt 1911 still sits in the bottom drawer of the night stand and will be the final exit of choice if we ever get down to it, but that is going to be some deeply disturbing shit gonna have to take place before I even start thinking about it.
We’re not there yet. There’s still plenty of good. Hang in there for a bit more.
You’re referring, of course. to dat ass.
And you’re correct.
Did we?
Status: drinking
Vision: most
Mission: be buzzed enough to draft AJ Brown on Rd. 1
I shortened the pick times to 45 secs.
Still seems like a long time.
Your poor wife
In many many ways.
11pm? West coast bias in action right here
FINALLY.
I meant it to start at 8. Yahoo thinks the western portion of this country all runs on Arizona time. Fuckers.
Never let a Canadian set a schedule.
“Start time? Around sunset or later, just whenever, eh? We’ll figure it oot.”
Our small place is hot like a sweatshop but Mrs Cola made Blueberry Vanilla, Nectarine & Lime, Rhubarb & strawberry jams today. Bring on the gluten.
I still have ghost pepper jam I made.
With goats cheese on a cracker?
Mrs Cola sounds awesome as fuck
The Padres have made 4 trades in 3 days.
Oh. I see.
Goooo Padres!
found a funny:
If you get bitten by a shark, bite it back. You’ll still probably die but the shark will be like “lol what”
Brilliant hockey insight by some guy on the teevee: “Stuff happens.”
spooky
That’s when other people do it. When people in the U.S. do it, they’re terrorists.
*black people
Anyone opposing the state becomes black in the state’s eyes
Tra Thomas with one of the best tweet/photo combinations you'll ever see.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m seeing a lot of different reactions on JP wanting more money to go back to LT. All I have to say about this is, you always pay a premium for better protection. Now get out and enjoy this beautiful Sunday!! GO BIRDS!!! <a href="https://t.co/vatTRu2fSJ">pic.twitter.com/vatTRu2fSJ</a></p>— Tra Thomas (@72TraThomas) <a href="https://twitter.com/72TraThomas/status/1300046509497606145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2020</a></blockquote>Backup vs. Backup in Flyers-Islanders. Do we get double curse of the backup goalie, or defense optional? Definitely would enjoy a not boring game.
Amazing
Well, it would appear the Braves have had JUST about enough of the Phillies shit. A 10 run inning!
Would be good enough for 2 runs against an actual MLB team
OSKAR LINDBLOM IN FLYERS WARMUPS! SMILE UPON US, HOCKEY GODS!
That’s amazing. How can a guy recovering from bone cancer not be too immune-compromised to play?
Well, see, the thing about that is
I hate the Flyers as much as the next Metro rival, but god damn his story is impressive as hell. Good for him!
Hey, no fair! I called that for my autobiography’s title!
Lets go Vegas!!
May have visited my sister in New Hampshire today, where mobile sports gambling is legal. PRAISE GAMBLOR!
Bengals Defense beat the Offense in the scrimmage. Offense showed flashes, but it looks like a long season for them.
Once upon a time, ESPN actually cared about the NHL, and even aired games. There was a dandy video/commercial they did with “O Fortuna” about the life cycle of a fan during an NHL playoff series that apparently doesn’t exist online. In fact, it’s so obscure that the 7th hit on google is a comment I made here 3 years ago complaining about the same thing. Very sad. Closest I’ve found is a 1997 playoffs montage they did, but I’ll not be sharing that.
Contact the boys at Reply All about it!
https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all
Just an incredibly 2002 video package
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul8n_KZ0MEo
I’m so interested in how this school year is playing out. Locally is all online (private schools in person). From the few people I know (Kindergarten through 6th grade parents), it sounds absolutely fucked. But I haven’t really heard anything about schools teaching in person. Guess they’re fine?
We were offered a full virtual and a hybrid in-class. We went full virtual. Of course, they then decided to cancel the in-person entirely until late October, so lol. Starts on Tuesday. Expecting it to be somewhat of a train wreck as it’s the first time out for the district. They’re only offering core subjects for the virtual program too, but I definitely feel they need more than that, so I guess this is the year I teach the boy how to break all my restrictions on the computer.
Our county starts on Monday and the entire system crashed because they didn’t plan for the traffic. Like, what did you think was gonna happen?
Also, I spoke with a girl who has a kindergartener. There have been 7 to 10 kids in his class all week, depending on the segment. It’s not a “great” school— I’m convinced the other 20 kids who are supposed to be in there just won’t have school this year.
Google Meet took a massive shit as schools started ramping up last week to the great surprise of no one. At one point, I received 300 admin alerts from google in a 24 hour period. On the bright side, Zoom is quickly fading from the education side as nobody wants to pay for features they can get for free through G Suite. The biggest obstacle will be kids in the more rural areas of our district. There won’t be any shortage of city kids who don’t have reliable internet, but we can toss them a dedicated hot spot and they’re good to go. The ones without steady internet who can barely get a signal are another issue entirely.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Fuck Zoom, snitch-ass motherfuckers
Schools in LA County are forced to go full remote by the County Office of Health. When they return, most are looking at “hybrid” options where a student will only go to school 2 or 3 days per week and the rest will be online.
This is so there can be some sort of social distancing in the classroom. With all kids there, it is impossible to social distance.
Eldest granddaughter was visiting yesterday and all of her classes are virtual. She’s Torrance Unified. She’s playing bass for their jazz band which is all kinds of awesome. She still has no idea how they’re supposed to practice. The Wahini is taking all virtual classes too. She’s first grade.
My niece teaches at a high school in Virginia. They are doing a combo in school/ online thing. Kids go to school either Monday and Thursday, or Tuesday and Friday, with Wednesday for prep and cleaning. The teachers are expected to do the cleaning in their classrooms. They start after Labor Day. She is fully expecting a shitshow of epic proportions, and is considering giving up on teaching and going to grad school for something else.
There’s a not insignificant number of 50+ year old teachers who are jumping ship out of fear of, y’know, dying. Many of them have already earned their pensions, and it’s not particularly encouraging when half the country is telling them they’re just going to have to die for childcare so the parents can work.
THIS!
It’s planned murder. They don’t care.
MFW the commentators mention the scoring system for the Offense and Defense scrimmage.
Also Raytheon
Also, complete fucking morons
Air Force Plant 44 for the groundwater contamination plume win!
Just as I start working on the Heretics preview…
https://www.nfl.com/news/chargers-s-derwin-james-meniscus-will-miss-significant-time
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
“Significant time is every single mental rep!”
– Patriot Not Watching If They’re Kneeling
Has anyone been watching Lovecraft Country? I’ve been thinking about checking it out. I’m not super-knowledgeable about the Lovecraft mythos; I’ve read a couple of his original stories, and have played some Lovecraft-themed games.
I watched a little. Lovecraft is more Mehcraft, but if into it is is very well done and really good cast.
Yes! I’ve been watching. It’s based on a book my buddy sent to me a couple of years ago. The book was fantastic. Each character that was introduced had their own horror genre. There was the haunted house, the interdimensional shit that Lovecraft was famous for and it ruled. The show has been fun so far.
Haven’t watched. Does it have all of Lovecraft’s racism in the mix? Because that was one racist motherfucker.
Oh yeah. That’s basically a driving point. It plays really well in our current environment.
And I’ve read every damn thing that Lovecraft wrote.
I guess some would call it a feature and not a bug.
The way they write the script is great, not the the way he intended at all.
I had the mythos basically beaten into me thanks to my years of World of Warcraft where Blizzard attempted to use basically his entire library. I like the idea of co-opting the whole thing into a Black story. I wonder if they’ll take shots at his cartoonish levels of racism too.
memories~
What about that color coordination? Is that negotiable?
EDIT: The clothes! I’m talking about the clothes!
Nice edit. Maybe if it is Bengals colors people will donate jerseys.
My You-Just-Did-Something-Stupid-Sense starting tingling.
/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20080419172713
That won’t help, unfortunately.
Bengals offense looks good or the defense looks bad. Also, with piped-in crowd noise, it sounds like the broadcasting booth is in the bottom deck of the Brent Spence Bridge in rush hour. Except this time traffic is moving instead of stopped.
D looks bad.
Yup. We’re gonna need to score 28 points in a game to have a chance.
Time to bring back PacMan, Burfict, and AJ McCarron….
YOUSHUTYOURWHOREMOUTH!!!, YOUSHUTYOURWHOREMOUTH!!!, maybe.
Is it short or just a weird color?
Finally getting around to the Fargo series. 5 eps in now. I slept on this show for too long.
Season 5 started?!?!
In California, school used to start in September after Labour Day, as God intended. Then, stupid liberal idiots that didn’t think the kids were learning enough thought that they needed more instructional minutes in the year and God Forbid you take away professional development days for the teachers, so they pushed the start of school up.
Never mind that the reason education has gone down in California is the lack of funding.
No preseason means the local radio is airing the Bengals scrimmage.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cincinnati Bengals in a primetime game. Somehow both of them will lose this one.
I was about to ask how that could be possible and then I realized that they could all get injuries.
Or, 2020 could be deciding to check out early and end with the football equivalent of dividing by zero.
Because this stupid fucking country is an anachronism living in the 1920s when we had to cater to the goddamn farmers that haven’t existed in this country in any significant numbers since we bombed Japan. Same reason daylight saving time, which is not just pointless buy biologically harmful to millions.
And that fucks Yahoo draft times if you live in the mountain time zone. WE ALL ARENT ARIZONA, WE STILL HAVE THAT STUPID TIME CHANGE.
School starting in September has nothing to do with the farmers. It was so the rich didn’t need to be at school during the hottest months and could fuck off to the lake.
It’s important to understand that America hates most teachers because they try to educate children, which makes the whole system hard to maintain as those children get older. Good teachers are the things Americans are raised to hate most behind some vague caricature of a 1950’s communist dictator.
I recall that white supremacist families used to hold themselves as intellectually superior to their darker skinned brethren. It was logical and “just the truth.” Then said brethren got educated. Now white supremacist families openly spur education.
But they aren’t driven by race…..
The right’s plan to defund education to produce a nation of morons, started under Reagan 40 years ago, continues to pay dividends.