Spoiler threat silences disruptive class
Human Interest News — Posted on April 14, 2014
Game of Thrones spoiler threat silences disruptive class
On being faced with a noisy classroom, a math teacher in a school in Belgium, threatened to reveal the deaths that take place in the third season of Game of Thrones.
Asking his students which of them watched the fantasy drama, the majority raised their hands, to which the teacher responded: “Well, I’ve read all the books. If there is too much noise, I will write the names of the dead on the board.
Reported in the Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, the teacher continued: “They [the dead] are enough to fill the whole year and I can even describe how they die.”
Although taking this initial statement as an empty threat, the pupils quickly got back to work in silence when the teacher began writing the names of those killed off in the third season on the board.
The story, which spread via social media, prompted one student to write “my math teacher is a genius”.
Considering the popularity of the drama, the punishment could – maybe – make a welcome addition to UK classrooms.
In December, Ofsted’s chief inspector, warned of a “culture” of teachers tolerating misbehaviour and inattention in schools.
Following a recent survey that found that almost one third of secondary school teachers do not feel confident using the powers they have to discipline children who behave badly, maybe the threat of a spoiler would be an effective method of dealing with class disruption.
Although unlikely to get on the government’s list of approved punishments, it could be worth a try.
Ohio artist who created P&G’s Mr. Clean character dies at 92
The Ohio artist who created Mr. Clean, the bald character in a white T-shirt featured in advertisements for Procter & Gamble cleaning products for more than 50 years, died this week, local media reports said. He was 92.
Harry Richard Black, of Kettering, Ohio, died at his home on Sunday after a brief illness, the Dayton Daily News reported.
Born in Philadelphia, Black’s artistic career included a 20-year commission from the Department of the Interior to paint Smokey Bear, the fire prevention mascot who warns that “only you can prevent wildfires.”
In 1956, Black conceived Mr. Clean, a good-natured, muscular man with a hoop earing and dazzling white T-shirt, who promised to easily cut through grease and grime.
Procter & Gamble launched the Mr. Clean advertising campaign in 1958, and the brand and its associated jingle became hugely popular.
Black served in the United States Army Air Corps, the predecessor to the U.S. Air Force, during World War Two, the Daytona Daily News said. He was married and had three sons.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, the paper reported.
Watch a 1958 Mr. Clean commercial:
Eagle Scout candidate organizes bat condos
(San Antonio, TX) – Condo living isn’t just for people anymore.
More than a thousand free-tail bats are getting ready to move into their new home thanks to a local Eagle Scout candidate.
Will Judson said he wanted to do something a little different to benefit the community.
The bat condos, donated by the San Antonio Parks Department, will house up to 1,600 bats that will feed on nearly 7 million mosquitoes every night.
“Mosquitos are a nuisance to people daily, so I figured why not do a favor to the community and limit some of the mosquito problems here,”said Judson.
The condos stand about 16 feet tall and will house the bats that will consume about 3.5 tons of mosquitos annually.
Watch a news report:
From London’s Daily Telegraph, Yahoo News and KSAT San Antonio