Hobo Jungle

[webenda]

Uncle Buck dealing with the assistant principal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlwVvuduWgE

[rogruth]

Dirt,

I don't think I ever warned anybody about those words.Or did I?I don't remember.

Oh yeah,Uncle Buck.I had forgotten.

[Tramp]

I really apologize for bringing up something silly like O-scale trains, but check out these weathered models from Kohs.

http://www.kohs.com/Weathered%20Models/ ... hotos.html

[webenda]

Tramp,

This one strikes me as most unusual because it shows PRR equipment on British bullhead rail mounted in chairs.

The weathering works. It took me a long time to decide if this was a model or prototype.

[Del Mar]

Jon,

Grrrrrr.

If I had it to do over, I think I would have sacrificed some life style and financial security to put the girls through private school. After screening the school. And the teachers. And the course of study.

My friends who have boys have suffered worse with the public schools here. Although completely outside of their area of expertise and authority, teachers in California often misdiagnose boys who are either frisky, dreamy, or passively resistant to their "authority" with ADD or ADHD and demand that that the parent put them on Ritalin. That is a psychotropic drug that has its uses in cases of genuine, clinically diagnosed disorder. Often, the general practitioners in health plans will simply rubber stamp such a request without due diligence and diagnosis of the child. The cuckoo's nest analogy and Nurse Mildred Ratched are a little too close to reality. There are some creepy parents for following through with such a thing without question, but not every set of parents invests care in their children the way we see among hobos.

It goes on through high school. We had a high school guidance counselor tell our youngest (at age 16 in her junior year) that it would be OK for her to have belly button piercing. The weird thing, is that Rosie was not even interested in doing such a thing until the counselor brought it up. I confronted the counselor about why she would have input on such an intimate and personal choice in an educational environment. It didn't go well, but she stopped hitting on Rosie. Unfortunately, that individual is still employed at the high school, last I heard.

San

[The Dirt]

Wayne, gorgeous beautiful stunning pictures of the rainbow!!

Posted-pics don't show on the computer at work. Didn't get to see them until now.

Wow!

[rogruth]

San,

I was a High and middle school band director for forty three years.I agree with what you said about Ritalin.I think that only a very small percentage of children that are using Ritalin should be.I think teachers push for it's use because they cannot keep the interest of students.In other words,they are boring the heck out of kids who will not be forced into the mold.

[Mitch]

Is some sort of prerequisite training in psychology mandated to become a teacher nowdays? It would seem that all teachers seem to practice it; none of them right.
When my boy Junior was in elementary and junior high school, the teachers and the principals tortured him mercilessly. Then on to Freeport High School, where their "on-staff" psychologist (why does a school need a paid psychologist?) simply ruled him a problem kid and they threw him out. But since our school district is responsible for the education of each child, it was on to Lenape Vo-Tech, where they consulted with Freeport High School, and they promptly threw him out too. Now the Freeport School District had to provide transportation to and from Elderton High School, 34 miles away, where the Principal recognized the symtoms of ADHD, after which our doctor diagnosed him with Bi-polar disorder, gave him the proper medication to control it, and he went on to graduate with no problem. Of course he still has to deal with it at age 30, but with the proper medication, (especially at certain times of the year), he gets along pretty well.

[rogruth]

Psychology not really required but all teachers today think they can diagnose anything,Mitch.

I'm glad things worked out for your child.

Too many times children are given Ritalin by well meaning doctors just to keep a parent or teacher happy without doing the proper study of the child.

[2railjon]

Hey! I'm working some overtime tonight, someone hurry up and enjoy a beer for me!

[AG]

sure friday night is the night for a cold beer!!
but, overtime where? ....no shoes??
Andre.

[webenda]

Gotcha Jon. I am trying this tonight...

I'll save you one for when you get off work.

[Mitch]

Hey! I'm working some overtime tonight, someone hurry up and enjoy a beer for me!

I already took care of that for you, Jon. Stopped on the way home from work at the distributor and picked up a cold case of LaBatts Blue (in bottles; it's even better that way), and carried in through the outside basement door and stacked the fridge (in the train/woodshop room), saving the last one for a quick thirst quencher. The second one was for you.

Crazy thing. I fired up the SD60s and was runnin' them with the sound on and it started makin' a hell of a noise like a diesel that just threw a connecting rod! I thought it was the beer, but no, it was definitely the engine. Shut 'er down, then started it again in stealth mode and it was quiet as a church mouse; so then turned the sounds back on and it was fine. Question: is LaBatts detrimental to electronics?

[rogruth]

Mitch,

Most Diesels don't run on beer.

[Del Mar]

Thinking about SuperBowl food?

Offered without comment or explanation.

Bacon Explosion



San