Kickass Dad of the Day: When Stuart Chaifetz learned that his 10-year-old son, Akian, was being violent and disruptive in class, he was puzzled. He knew Akian, who has autism, to be mild-mannered and sensitive, and had a hunch that something more was going on. But after several meetings with a team of school officials created to help special-needs students, nothing changed. So Chaifetz did what any concerned parent would do.
On the morning of Friday, February 17, 2012, I wired my son and sent him to school. That night, when I listened to the audio my life changed forever. I heard my son being bullied by his teacher and aide. The six and a half hours of audio I had proved that my son wasn’t hitting the teacher because there was something wrong with him — he was lashing out because he was being mocked, mistreated and humiliated. His outbursts were his way of expressing that he was being emotionally hurt at school.
The New Jersey father has since launched a website full of damning evidence and aFacebook page, and he is petitioning the state to change legislation so that teachers who bully children are immediately fired. The aide has been fired, but the rest of the staff have merely been relocated.
“I seek a full and public apology from all those adults who were in my son’s class for what they did to him,” Chaifetz says. “It is also far past time that these issues are allowed to be hidden from public view.”
[vvv]
Another Follow Up of the Day: The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has sided with the MPAA in its decision to reject The Weinstein Company’s request to lower the rating of the film studio’s bullying documentary from an R to a PG-13 so it could be used as an educational aid.
Bully received an R rating from the MPAA for “some language.”
If The Weinstein Company makes good on its threat to set aside the rating system, NATO’s President and CEO John Fithian said in a statement, “I will have no choice but to encourage my theater owner members to treat unrated movies from The Weinstein Company in the same manner as they treat unrated movies from anyone else.”
The would mean branding Bully an NC-17 movie, prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 from viewing it.
Responding with its own statement, The Weinstein Company called the treatment of Bully as an NC-17 film “unconscionable, not to mention unreasonable.”
The statement continued: “In light of the tragedy that occurred yesterday in Ohio, we feel now is the time for the bullying epidemic to take center stage, we need to demand our community takes action.”
A petition posted to Change.org by a teenage victim of bullying calling for the MPAA to reverse its decision has racked up over 100,000 signatures since it was launched a three days ago.
[deadline.]
This does not have NEAR ENOUGH notes. I cried within the first 10 seconds of watching this trailer. And then continued to bawl like a baby for the rest of it. Kudos to the Weinstein Company for taking a stand on this.
The MPAA is, once again, on the wrong side of every issue. I just put on a hat so I could take it off for the Weinstein Company.
Canada Is About To Pass Sopa’s Evil Little Brother. Politely.
“I’m a Canadian.
We’re a quiet bunch; prone to enjoying hockey, drinking stronger beer than our friends south of the border, and lovers of fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy.
We also, apparently, have an inferiority complex when it comes to being evil dirt bags, because we’ve decided to pass our very own version of SOPA up here.
Only better*
Meet Bill-C11. Formerly Bill C-32. (I think they thought if they made the number lower people would care less about it?)
But, as innocuous as it sounds, C-11 does a whole lot that SOPA did with a few extra twists you might not find in the Wikipedia write-up.
Like your PVR? You can’t keep it under C-11.
Like ripping CDs to your iPod? Say bye-bye.
Hey, do you want to be able to unlock your $500 smartphone and take it to a provider less dedicated to violating your wallet? That won’t be allowed either.
Did you get accused of internet piracy but no evidence has been presented and a trial date hasn’t even been set? Under C-11 your ISP will now be forced to terminate your internet access.
And people say that governments can’t be bought.
There are only 14 days left people. Get active.” - DearThey
Send a letter to your Member of Parliament now. The letters are prewritten, you just need to click send.
Come on non-Canadian people, please signal boost this for your Canadian friends.
Oh come on, canada, stop being silly
OHAYOCON - TURN ME ON PROJECT
Attention Ohayocon-bound Homestuckers!
I’m working on a project based on this video, and I hope you cool kids want to help!
This is a semi-open call from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM on Friday of Ohayocon. I will be taking “dancing” shots, and each set will only take a couple of minutes.
If you’ve got a Homestuck outfit, please consider attending! (Note the Taken Characters list. If your costume is on there, you’re still welcome to show up! However, please understand the first priority is getting new shots for the video.)
We will meet in the HYATT lobby at 9:20, then move to the area BEHIND the main staircase (those of you familiar with the convention center, it’s next to the Crimson Cup coffee shop and the giant wall of windows.)
TAKEN CHARACTERS (alphabetical order)
Casey
Eridan
Equius
Feferi
Gamzee
John
Kanaya
Karkat
Nepeta
Rose
Terezi
Terezi (FLARP version)
Troll Hussie
Everybody else is fair game! Show off your sweet dance moves! The character does NOT have to be in the original video. Jake and Jane? Exiles? Bring ‘em. (ESPECIALLY needed are a Sollux and Robot!Aradia.)
The individual photos will be available to everybody when the whole project is FINISHED and POSTED. Please be patient, don’t want to spoil the surprise! If you’re coming, drop a line or reblog. I’d like an idea of what exactly I’ve gotten myself into. ^_^
7H4NK5 GUY5!!!!!!!! :o)(Leaux as John)
Hey Homestucks going to Ohayocon~ check it out!
THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING IDEA! I am defiantly going to this! :D
This has to happen near us
Oh my, Hanari, we both know we can make this happen.
Oh shit yeah we can O.o
We’re gonna need help from Alex and Ashley probably though :\
This is not a project one can take on alone.
oh god damn I actually went to Ohayocon last year, I’m so jealous
yes can we make this happen in Florida (I AM PLANNING TO BE THE HANDMAID, AFTER ALL…)
Call To Action of the Day: Horrific footage of blatant child abuse was posted to Reddit earlier this evening by a person claiming to be the daughter of Arkansas County, Texas Court-at-Law judge William Adams.
Posting under the handle shoeofallcosmos (which has since been hacked), the alleged abuse victim says the beating — which took place in 2004, when she was 16 — was being administered by Judge Adams and his wife as punishment for “using the internet.”
Judge Adams has reportedly made several controversial rulings on the matter of child abuse, including, incidentally, that lack of video evidence is grounds for case dismissal.
“I was holding onto the video until the right time,” says Hillary, “and after a barrage of harassment from my father over the phone, I snapped and finally uploaded it. Now I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner.”
The outpouring of support and disgust was immediate, with many reaching out to media outlets and local authorities on Hillary’s behalf. ”I hope my father gets everything he deserves,” she writes, “and loses everything he doesn’t.”
Should the video be removed from YouTube, the original file can be found here.
[reddit.]
Tagged as: #warning for abuse #sometimes there are no words #signal boost
7 months ago on 02/11/11
