Auf Wiedersehen, VW Microbus

The Fine Five - August 26, 2013
(1) Nothing like multiple physical altercations at the end of the lunch period to lead to the first-ever (to the best of my, and many other veteran teachers) "Yellow Alert - this is not a drill" partial lockdowns at Wellington. Apparently, at least five students were involved. The incident is still under investigation; thankfully, no bystanders were injured, and the situation was brought under control quickly.
(2) My novice debater class had its first research assignment due today: five articles (minimum) on gun control. COOL FACTOR: 35 of 38 brought in the assignment (and one of the students was absent, so really only two students in class failed to bring in the first research batch). As I wrote to the parents and students this afternoon, I AM ECSTATIC! THIS IS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS TO TURN IN THE FIRST RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT ON TIME SINCE I STARTED AT WELLINGTON IN 2002! IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT YEAR!
(3) The second research batch is due Friday; hope these gangbusters like printing out articles from the Internet and killing trees, because they'll be doing a ton of it the next five weeks.
(4) The debate team's airline tickets to Yale are booked - thank you, Traci Lowe!
(5) Hey, you Bloomfield Hills football fans - here's your chance to vote for the Birmingham Groves Falcons vs. Bloomfield Hills BlackHawks football game as your "7 On The Sidelines" Meijer Game of the Week! This is the first-ever game for the BlackHawks - MAKE IT COUNT!

Sad News of the DayFrom Boing Boing: "Volkwagen Microbus to end production" - Oh, the stories WBFH-FM station manager and Fundamentals of Radio Broadcasting teacher Pete Bowers could tell about his baby blue Microbus, and the trips we took to Mt. Pleasant and Ovid-Elsie and Lansing and other hot high school radio station locations across the Great Lakes State while I was a student at the now-closed Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School. Auf Wiedersehen, Microbus.
Wonder what Arlo Guthrie is thinking ...
Weird News of the Day
From Aero News Network: "From Parrots To Glass Eyes - Skyscanner Reveals Items Left On Planes" - I bet you didn't even know an information source called Aero News Network even existed.
Stupid News of the Day
From NPR: "Did Miley Cyrus 'Flirt With Bad Taste' Or Dive Right In?" - I didn't watch the VMAs. Instead, I followed Facebook and Twitter posters with the kind of pathetic amusement that comes with driving by a train wreck. Apparently the N*SYNC reunion - all 30 seconds of their performance - made women sterile or something. Pathetic. Boys, feh. Real men last much longer.
Florida News of the Day
From NWF Daily News: "'Man accused of exposing himself at convenience store" - How convieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenient.
Video of the Day
Steve + Kermit = Gold!