The Indelible Bonobo Experience

Jeff Jones, a drama teacher at Oakwood Collegiate Institute, is on home assignment after complaints about a school assignment that included pages of shock-value jokes.

A Toronto high school drama teacher accused of handing out seven pages of violent and sexual jokes – most involving blonde women – as part of a homework assignment has been put on home assignment, the public school board confirmed. In early January, parents say Jeff Jones, a drama teacher at Oakwood Collegiate Institute on St. Clair Ave. W., distributed a lengthy handout filled with line after line of jokes about sexual violence, racism and dead babies. (via Teacher sent home after handing out ‘blonde jokes’ for assignment | Toronto Star)

Parents said students in the Grade 9 and 10 class were told to pick five jokes and prepare a comedy skit about them. A Grade 12 student claimed the jokes were examples students were to follow when writing their own one-liners.
“As soon as the Board became aware of this issue, an investigation was launched and the teacher in question was put on home assignment,” wrote Toronto District Board of Education spokesperson Ryan Bird. “The teacher is not currently teaching at the TDSB.”
“Gang banging jokes? … It’s deeply disturbing,” said Mary Alton, whose son attends the school. “That’s not the kind of conversation you bring up in school,” she said, baffled as to “why the teacher thought this was a good idea.”
By several accounts, Jones is a popular teacher at Oakwood who started a drama production program and accompanied students on a field trip to New York City to see musicals.
Grade 12 student Justin Davis, who worked closely with Jones in the school musical and was enrolled in his production class said the teacher was a controversial figure at the school. “He isn’t a conventional teacher — he’s not the best teacher — but he was a good teacher. He understood students and really helped us out,” said Davis.
Davis said the assignment was used to reinforce the idea that one-liner jokes need to have shock value. “This wasn’t a new assignment. This assignment has been around for years. The administration was well aware of it,” he said.

I see nothing wrong with using such jokes. The parents offended are dumb.

Posted March 1, 2013 at 3:07pm in jeff jones oakwood collegiate institute teaching drama overraction teacher | 2 notes

Vid Post

To This Day Project - Shane Koyczan (by Shane Koyczan)

Canadian poet Shane Koyczan has hit a nerve in the public psyche with his newly illustrated video on bullying.
Koyczan, who electrified audiences with his performance at the Vancouver Olympics, describes bullied kids as growing up “believing no one would ever fall in love with us, that we would be lonely forever.”
In two days, more than 1 million people have watched the seven-minute video, part of the anti-bullying campaigner’s“To This Day Project.”

A little too melodramatic, but interesting, nonetheless.

Posted February 21, 2013 at 9:15pm in canada pork chop bullying shane koyczan to this day bullied kids childhood drama poem inspirational zen | 3 notes

Photo Post

theatlantic:

Game of Thrones: Who Really Holds the Power in Westeros?

“If wars were arithmetic, the mathematicians would rule the world.”
–Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish

If there’s anything to be learned from the events that led to the country-spanning civil war of Game of Thrones’ second season, it’s that warfare is not a numbers game. The clash of kings that threatens every life in Westeros came from one fatal hunting trip and one unjustified execution. As Arya Stark says in a Game of Thrones trailer, “anyone can be killed” —and when that “anyone” is a person with power, the consequences are often severe. But if wars aren’t arithmetic, which of the four “kings” stands a chance in the game of thrones?

I am at a loss to explain why I am somewhat annoyed by this repetitive series while everyone seems to ~~love~~ be addicted to it. Well, let me try..

As a kid, I enjoyed SF but was never bitten by the bug of comic books or Role Playing Games (RPGs). I was quite surprised to discover that there are people for whom MMPORPGs are a lifestyle and sometimes a substitute for real life.

It’s not that I never enjoyed fantasy - I did, but in the printed word. I seldom watched a production made from a previously read book that was satisfying (in fact, I cannot recall any such instance) where I was even mildly satisfied with the results. When it comes to fantasy, my imagination is far richer and pleasurable to me than anything someone else might come up with and I suspect that this is true for anyone who enjoys reading.

This is why I am disappointed to learn that in the war of ratings, Game of Thrones is winning over Mad Men - a far superior epoch drama. It suggests that the viewing public is formed of people who have never enjoyed reading much and don’t know the difference between a good fantasy book that draws you in and a visual production that takes the much easier neuronal pathway of the eyes.

I guess if I was a cocaine addict, I’d rather chew coca leaves than freebase.

PS: Making Real Money in Virtual Games: The Strange Economics of MMORPGs

The Indelible Bonobo Experience

Renaissance Monkey: in-depth expertise in Jack-of-all-trading. I mostly comment on news of interest to me and occasionally engage in debates or troll passive-aggressively. Ask or Submit 2 mah authoritah! ;) !