The United States may have lost to Belgium in the World Cup this week, but that defeat should not put a damper on the nation’s 238th birthday. Why? Why should you go out and celebrate July 4 like a proud champion today? Because this is the home of Stone Cold Steve Austin. And Kate Upton . And Channing Tatum. And not the native country of Justin Bieber . Because of peanut butter and jelly and an abundance of pizza and the voice of Morgan Freeman and, of course, our brave men and women fighting overseas. Below, we’ve listed 238 17 reasons why America rules – or, to put it even more bluntly, why you should hold your head high this week and shout AMERICA, F-CK YEAH! 17 Reasons Why America Rules! 1. It produced Stone Cold Steve Austin.
It’s been 18 years since Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum (with help from Randy Quaid) saved the world from aliens in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day, a film which has grossed more than $800 million worldwide. With talks of a sequel in the works, and with several of the original film’s principal cast set to reprise their roles, we thought we’d take a walk down memory lane to see where the cast of Independence Day is now. The Cast of Independence Day: Where Are They Now? 1. Will Smith Will Smith is still making movies, though none have grossed as much worldwide as Independence Day. He WAS nominated for two Oscars, though, so that doesn’t suck. Will Smith, of course, has gone on to great success in his post-pilot days, earning two Oscar nominations and making headlines for his daughter Willow Smith’s behavior . Bill Pullman, meanwhile, really, really loves playing Presidents. His First Lady, Mary McDonnell, was most recently the first lady of the major crimes unit on TNT’s Major Crimes, a spinoff of The Closer . (Which featured Kyra Sedgwick… which probably means Mary McDonnell has met Kevin Bacon.) Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch also found new roles among the crime dramas, appearing in Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Numb3rs , respectively. Of the principal cast, the only one who hasn’t found fame, or infamy (looking at you crazy pants Randy Quaid) is Ross Bagley, who played Vivica A. Fox’s son Dylan. He’s now a student at California State University. Not shabby still. Maybe even healthy for the kid.
Was it that serious? Student Suspended From School Over Gun Keychain It’s reasonable that society is on edge after the numerous incidents of gun violence that have taken place his year, but a keychain isn’t going to kill anybody. According to The NY Daily News A 12-year-old boy was suspended from a Rhode Island middle school after a gun keychain — just bigger than the size of a quarter — dropped out of his backpack during class. Joseph Lyssikatos said a classmate scooped the novelty pistol from the ground and began showing it to other students at Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School in Coventry when a teacher confiscated it on Thursday. “I didn’t know that (there) was anything wrong with it,” the seventh-grader told NBC 10 News. Lyssikatos was suspended for three days and banned from a class field trip to Salem at the end of the month. The boy’s mother, Bonnie Bonanno, was outraged at the punishment. “That’s disgraceful,” said the woman, adding that the suspension alone was “enough for him mentally.” School officials declined to comment, but gave the news station a copy of its zero-tolerance policy, which states that suspensions are determined by the principal. Lyssikatos’ family said the school’s behavior specialist issued the suspension — who, along with the principal and the superintendent, won’t return their calls. “This is no bigger than my thumb,” said the mother, looking at the toy gun, which is barely two inches long. “(The classmate) was the one waving it or showing it to other kids, not Joseph. Joseph wasn’t doing that, so why weren’t both of them reprimanded?”mn shame Damn shame. Shutterstock
Where Are Your Parents? Hopefully not chopping down your friends! Via Mail Online reports : An 11-year-old boy in New Zealand has fathered a child with the 36-year-old mother of his schoolfriend. The revelation has prompted sexual abuse counsellors to call for a reform in the country’s r@pe laws after details of the case first emerged when the boy informed the principal at his school, in South Auckland. The schoolboy and the baby are now both believed to be in care and Justice Minister Judith Collins has said she will look into present legislation which makes it impossible for a woman to be accused of r@pe. She said the case raised an ‘important point’, adding: ‘I will seek advice from officials on whether or not a law change is required,’ The Weekend Herald has reported. The current law states only a man can be accused of r@pe when they force sex. Women who have sex without consent can be charged with sexual violation. Both carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. Child Youth and Family confirmed it was dealing with a case at the school which was going before the courts. The paper has reported the boy approached his principal about two-thirds of the way through the 2012 school year. The contact is understood to have started in April last year when the boy and his friend took a day off school. They spent the day at the friend’s home where the woman gave the boy alcohol and took part in a sexual encounter with him. It is understood the contact lasted for a number of months and the boy had turned 12 by the time the child was born. A CYF worker, who has since retired, told the paper the agency was involved in the case, adding the police would also be making inquiries, although the woman denied the sexual contact. Ken Clearwater, manager of Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, said if the allegations were true the woman should be held accountable, adding the gender-dependent laws should be changed. Meanwhile, family lawyer Jeremy Sutton said the boy would not have rights to the child unless he was present at birth and that he would have to make a case for access. This is just sick and wrong on all kinds of levels. At least they are changing the laws around these issues though because clearly women are just as much of predators as men! Continue reading →
Dane Cook has not received the reaction he was hoping for following last night’s Boston Strong benefit event at the TD Garden. The comedian was one of several big names to raise funds for victims of last month’s marathon bombings – joining such acts as Aerosmith and James Taylor – but while everyone else agreed to have their sets broadcast on television and online… Cook refused to live stream his jokes. Tweeted Cook in defense of his actions: “Hey everyone sorry my set was not a part of the live stream or televised! I didn’t want any of the new material to hit the airwaves yet!” But that only angered many Twitter users more, as they perceive Cook as placing his career above this important cause. “@DaneCook Really?” asked one critic. “Then why do a new set at a charity show? Couldn’t you just steal some @louisck jokes like you usually do?” What do you think of Dane Cook refusing to live stream his set? It’s understandable, he has a career to worry about It’s lame! View Poll »
For those of you closely following the Bond director saga, this news may come as a bit of a shock for you. Sam Mendes, the Skyfall director who repeatedly insisted he was leaving the franchise, is now confirmed to be directing Bond 24 ! What?? Stop lying all the time, everyone ! Mendes is also reportedly very close to signing on to direct Bond 25 as well. That means that the director has some time to play around with the character and develop a real arc for Daniel Craig. So what ultimately swayed Mendes? We’re not sure, but it probably involved a whole lot of Presidential Flashcards. The news means that Christopher Nolan, who was recently approached about directing the next Bond movie, will just have to keep doing moody thrillers.
Nice try, Ashley Barker. No, really, we mean that: very, very, very nice try. The first grade teacher at Laurel Elementary School in Polk County, Florida has finally admitted that she lied for an entire year about her and her father having a terminal illness, a fib that essentially gave her months off work. School officials took Barker (above, left) at her word for a long time, permitting her to often leave early and take full days off. As part of her ruse, Barker sent the principal over 120 letters regarding the disease from which she and her dad were supposedly suffering. When finally confronted over the misdirection, Barker reportedly gave in and told bosses the truth: she had simply been at home, hanging out. The school is now trying to terminate the lying teacher, but Barker has hired an attorney to fight for her job.
Some kids just need a good old fashioned a** whooping. Two Girls Make Video Death Threats Against Classmates According to North Jersey Two seventh-grade girls from School 27 have been removed from classes and face criminal charges for posting a video on YouTube this week threatening to kill their classmates, officials said. Authorities have not made public any evidence the two students actually planned to carry out the threats. But one parent at the school, Jackie Quinones, said the girls in the video named 10 to 12 classmates they said they wanted to kill and stab. “It’s serious enough for us to have this investigated, especially because of the current climate we’re in,’’ said Mayor Jeffery Jones on Thursday afternoon, shortly after being informed of the situation by acting Police Chief William Fraher. “Let’s hope that it was just frustrations and emotions and they didn’t mean anything, but we can’t sit back and just hope.’’ Parents, too, aren’t taking any chances. Officials say parents whose daughters were on the girls’ hit list went to police headquarters on Wednesday evening to file terroristic threat charges against the two students. Quinones said some parents also have spoken to investigators with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office at 401 Grand St. Quinones said the two girls who made the threats had not been in any previous disputes with their classmates. “No bullying, no fights, nothing,’’ said Quinones. “I don’t understand it.’’ Quinones said her daughter told her the situation started on Tuesday afternoon during a classroom journal writing exercise. One of the girls wrote in her journal the names of students – mostly other girls – she wanted to kill, said Quinones. At the end of the class, the girl read her journal entry to classmates, but not within earshot of the teacher, said Quinones. “My daughter said to her, ‘You want to kill me?’” said Quinones. “She said, ‘Yes, I want to kill you.’” Quinones said her 12-year-old daughter, whose name she asked not be published, then went to the bathroom to hide. “My daughter called me from the bathroom,’’ said Quinones. “She was so scared she was crying.” Quinones said she was working in Newark at the time but rushed back to Paterson and went right to the school principal’s office. She met with Graciella Ayala, who she said is the principal. Ayala told her the student who made the threats was being removed from the school and would not be allowed to return until she had been evaluated by a doctor, Quinones said. But the next day, Quinones said her daughter called again from the school to let her know that the girl who had made the threats was back in the building, but in a different classroom. Quinones said she returned to the principal’s office and was told the girl had gotten medical clearance. By Wednesday afternoon, another student in the class had found the threatening video on YouTube, Quinones said. The video showed the girl involved in Tuesday’s threats again saying she wanted to kill certain classmates, naming about a dozen of them, Quinones said. A second girl participated in the video, speaking off-camera about classmates to target, said Quinones. The video was 21-minutes long and remained posted on YouTube until about 1:30 am on Thursday, Quinones said. School district spokeswoman Terry Corallo issued a statement saying educators learned of the “disturbing video” on Wednesday. “As the safety of our students and staff is our utmost concern, we immediately took action and removed these students from the school environment,’’ said Corallo’s statement. “We have been communicating with the parents who had children in the same class as these two students. We have assured these parents that we have taken this issue very seriously and are taking the necessary steps to address this issue.’’ Corallo would not clarify whether the students have been suspended. “Additionally, the video has been pulled from YouTube,’’ Corallo said. “This is now a police investigation and they will have our full cooperation.” Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez, head of the Paterson Police Department’s detective bureau, declined to answer questions about the case. “It’s under investigation,’’ Rodriguez said. Have we become a culture obsessed with violence? Google Maps
Sex education has taken on a new meaning in the last couple of years…. Principal Charged After Having Sex With Her Students An ongoing investigation by Riverside County police in California has led to the arrest of an assistant high school principal after sufficient evidence was found supporting previous police suspicions that the principal was carrying on inappropriate sex-relationships with three of her students. via Huffington Post A California woman is accused of having [inappropriate] relationships with three underage male students who attend the Riverside County high school where she acts as assistant principal. Erin Henton, 45, an administrator at Tahquitz High School in Hemet, Calif., was arrested Wednesday following a month-long investigation by local police. Henton was arrested on suspicion of s*xual battery, or*l copulation and abnormal s*xual interest in children. She is also accused of sending harmful/inappropriate matter via electronic device. KLTA reported that the charges against Henton include 12 felonies, seven of which are for sex with a minor. She is being held on $1 million bail. Police allege that Henton carried on sex-relationships with three boys under the age of 18 throughout the course of several months but say that no encounters took place at the school. H In a statement issued by the department, police said that Henton was placed on paid leave March 8 after allegations were made by a parent. SMH. These schools are starting to sound more like freaknic bootcamp than educational learning institutions with all of these teacher-student “relationships” popping up. Shutterstock
In a slave ship, there can be 3,7999 slaves. 1,897 are dead. How many slaves are alive? What would you do if your nine-year-old brought this homework home? Had a student teacher not intervened, that’s exactly what would have happened at one NY school, but strangely enough it already happened just last month in Georgia . Via NY1 reports : It was quite a homework assignment that a fourth grade teacher at P.S. 59 wanted to give her students last Thursday. It consisted of a few math problems, but Aziza Harding, the student teacher who was asked to photocopy the worksheet, couldn’t believe a couple of the questions. “I’m just like, ‘Wow, this is really inappropriate,’” she said. Question 1 on the sheet, entitled “Slavery Word Problems Homework”, was written as a matter-of-fact subtraction problem. It asked: “In a slave ship, there can be 3,799 slaves. One day, the slaves took over the ship. 1,897 are dead. How many slaves are alive?” The second question had multiple parts multiplication and addition. It said: “One slave got whipped five times a day. How many times did he get whipped in a month (31 days)? Another slave got whipped nine times a day. How many times did he get whipped in a month? How many times did the two slaves get whipped together in one month?” “It shouldn’t be a homework assignment, and I did not want to make copies of this,” Harding said. The teacher who had told Harding to copy the assignment was in a meeting, so Harding made the decision on her own to photocopy another worksheet instead. She left the teacher a note explaining that she wasn’t comfortable with the first assignment and hoped to talk. Then, Harding turned to Charlton McIlwain, one of her professors at NYU, where she is a graduate student. “My first thought was, I don’t believe it,” McIlwain said. McIlwain contacted NY1, and we eventually showed the worksheet to the principal of P.S. 59. She later wrote to us, saying, “I am appalled by this.” But what’s perhaps even more shocking: it turns out this particular worksheet has already gone home, with another fourth-grade class, in January, and the questions had been written by students in that class, as part of their instruction on slavery. “You’re ostensibly teaching or trying to teach history or call attention to a particular historical moment, yet there’s no explanation, there’s no education, there’s no teaching going on,” McIlwain said. “And so, for someone who is probably, at nine years of age, has maybe heard of slavery but probably doesn’t know what it is really like, their first, perhaps, and most lasting impression about this historical event comes in a very abstracted, nonchalant type of thing that they have no real sense of connection to.” The Department of Education released a statement, saying, “This is obviously unacceptable and we will take appropriate disciplinary action against these teachers. The Chancellor spoke to the principal, and she has already taken steps to ensure this does not happen again.” The teacher who created the assignment has been at P.S. 59 for seven years. The teacher who asked Harding to photocopy the worksheet for her students has been teaching in city schools for five years, but is new to P.S. 59. The principal said she’ll be meeting with families and all staff members will undergo related training. The whistleblowing student teacher said she hopes that P.S. 59 students will get help understanding why slavery is a much more serious issue than these simple math problems. “Instead of these kids being desensitized to this type of violence, that they have a general idea that, ‘Wow, this was a terrible thing that happened to a group of people for over 300 years,’” Harding said. After seeing NY1′s story, State Senator Simcha Felder, who is the chairman of the New York City Education Sub-Committee, emailed a statement that read, “While the city, state and unions are busy haggling over teacher evaluations, New York City’s students are being subjected to reprehensible and irresponsible educational materials. I am calling for the immediate removal of these two teachers.” Felder also commended the student teacher for coming forward. SMH… What were they thinking? This is a damned shame. Seriously though, what would you do if your kids brought this home?
