THIS is TRUE #818: 14 February
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SINCE 1994 and reaching more than 106,000 subscribers in over 200
countries, this is the 818th weekly issue of...
THIS is TRUE: 14 February 2010 Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com
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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KID WHO NEVER GOT VALENTINES AT SCHOOL: Parents of
students attending Ashcombe Primary School in Weston-super-Mare,
Somerset, England, were told their children could not bring each other
cards for Valentine's Day. "Any cards found in school will be
confiscated," head teacher Peter Turner advised, in writing, because
primary school children are too young for such romantic ideas, he
explained. "Banning them stops children from having social skills,"
complained one parent. "How are they going to learn about relationships
otherwise?" (London Times) ...They won't, but Mr. Turner made it all
the way to head teacher without having any social skills.
GOOD OLD BOYS: A student at St Laurence's College in South Brisbane,
Qld., Australia, "has been dealt with" after creating a Facebook group
that urged members to kill prostitutes. The student at the Catholic
school for boys in grades 5 through 12 wasn't making a theological
statement about the sins of the flesh. Rather, the exact name of the
group was "Killing Your Hooker So You Don't Have to Pay Her".
Prostitution is legal in Australia. Facebook deleted the group after
protests from Aussie sex workers; by then it had already gained nearly
18,000 members. (Australian AP) ...The Dead Poet's Society -- the Next
Generation.
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IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE? Police in Queensland, Australia, have been
rocked with a number of scandals, from allegations of accepting bribes,
dealing drugs, and more. In the latest escapade, officers in Coomera
are accused of staging a fake robbery at a local store -- while on
duty. The robbery was allegedly meant as a prank, since they knew the
store was being staked out by undercover detectives. The prankster
officers ended up at gunpoint before the detectives realized the
"joke". Police commanders were satisfied that the Ethical Standards
Command could handle the case, and that it didn't rise to the level of
a crime, which would be handled by the police Crime and Misconduct
Commission. (Brisbane Courier-Mail) ...They're lucky it didn't have to
be handled by the Coroner's Office.
A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: The government of Chile has decided not to
recall a 50-peso (US$0.10) coin with an embarrassing error stamped in
it: it identifies the country as "CHIIE". The general manager of the
Chilean mint, and several of his employees, have been fired over the
blunder. The lack of a recall is probably because coins were in
circulation for more than a year before anyone noticed. (BBC) ...That,
and the government has found a lot of collectors willing to pay 10,000
times their value on eBay.
GET HER OUT OF THERE BEFORE SHE HAS MORE! "Drunk South African had 49
Children in 16-Seat Taxi" -- Reuters headline
DID YOU FIND an error? See http://www.thisistrue.com/errata.html
DR. MARC in Illinois writes: "Just when I think that This is True could
not get any better, you add a new feature like the Mug Shot Museum that
makes it BETTER and more necessary to read! You continue to make it
imperative that I continue my Premium subscription as long as I remain
on the right side of the sod. You make my life a bit more enjoyable
than it used to be before TRUE."
Glad you like it, Doc! I think the funniest mug shot this week is a tie
between "Blue Christmas" and "Hard-Headed Gamer"; the funniest *story*
is "Judge Not, Lest Ye be Judged" (fathers of teen daughters will like
it). You'll find those and more at http://www.MugShotMuseum.com
AMONG THE LATEST postings to Jumbo Joke: It's Still a Bad Economy. If you
didn't catch Understanding Derivatives (which makes institutions "too
big to fail") on Monday, it's also good. http://www.JumboJoke.com
THERE WERE *TEN* STORIES in the Premium edition this week. They include:
Farmer makes giant Valentine's heart for wife -- out of manure. Train
parks across a woman's only access to the street from her home, and the
railroad won't move it. Friend confesses feelings of suicide, so guy
tries to scare them into wanting to live. Theft suspect runs into
building -- the police station. Politician says HE didn't take free
trip from companies, but rather it was his cross-dressing alter ego.
Woman really, REALLY should have been suspicious of the "preacher" she
met on a dating site. AND the February Tagline Challenge results. Whew!
But you know, you don't have to miss all those stories (and the many
stories every week!) Just ask for your upgrade to start with the 14
February issue: http://thisistrue.com/upgrade.html
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DAVID IN CALIFORNIA writes about Yet More ZT stories in TRUE: "After
being a [too] long time free subscriber, I took the plunge and upped
for 2 years of the premium edition. This is my first Premium and I love
it. Your work is entertaining and for a fiscal conservative/social
moderate like me, a little common sense goes a long way and I share
your pet peeve around zero tolerance (I have two boys in elementary
school in CA and it is idiotic...including 1st graders having to sign
standards of conduct that includes prohibitions about touching (it's
sexual? Give me a freakin' break!)). Have you ever met a 6-7 year old
that could keep their hands to themselves?? But I digress...just wanted
to let you know I love the column! I retain hopes that good judgment
and common sense will re-emerge in our society...though the light is
dim."
That's for sure. I'm doing my best to shine the bright light of reason
on the stupid policies that are destroying our kids. And even when a
school has a GREAT policy, there are still school officials that *grew
up* (or were trained) in ZT policies and think that's the way to go.
http://www.thisistrue.com/blog-patrick_timoneys_gun.html is a perfect
example of that. If you didn't go read that blog entry last week, it's
important that you spend 15 minutes on it to see what some of the
people we pay our hard-earned tax dollars to help our kids grow up are
actually doing.
It's Premium upgrades that keep this newsletter going, so thanks to
David and Doc Marc and so many others who allow me to shine that light.
If you want to help AND get more stories (and no ads or upgrade
pitches!), please do upgrade to show your support for common sense in
schools (and life!): http://www.thisistrue.com/upgrade.html
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TEN YEARS AGO IN TRUE: Queen's bodyguard steals a pair of her panties
during fire at Windsor Castle. http://thisistrue.com/7034
And don't forget http://i.thisistrue.com for a new story every day on
your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, or other web-enabled phone!
BONZER WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: http://www.FoundMagazine.com -- Found
Magazine. Found features stuff that's, well, found: love letters,
birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on
napkins, doodles -- "anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's
life. Anything goes." The first find (which inspired the site and their
occasional print magazine) is an "amazing mixture of anger and
hopefulness": Amber is pretty upset with Mario, since she found his car
"HERE at HER place"! The hopefulness? After she expresses her "hate"
she adds, "Page me later." Sweet and mysterious.
-- Bonzer Sites archive: http://www.BonzerSites.com
THIS WEEK'S HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE goes to Walter Morrison, who invented
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