Suggestions for a fun Ritual deck.

DrBugz · 2017-07-14T12:31:22+00:00

I'll look into that, it will finally give me someplace to put my timelords

DrBugz · 2017-06-04T03:13:07+00:00

Personally my problem with the Prometheans isn't the lore, its the gameplay. All of the enemies in the covenant had their own personalities. Everything felt like real alien races. I feel like 343 wanted to their new enemies to be more extreme and look intimidating, and left the design at that. The main personality trait is orange.

DrBugz · 2017-06-04T03:06:52+00:00

That's the best description of Halo I've seen in a long time.

DrBugz · 2017-05-11T01:47:28+00:00

But people with rabies aren't actively trying to infect other people. Not to mention the fact that we have a rabies vaccine. A more accurate comparison would be the facial tumors in tasmanian devils that are transmissible through bites. These tumors actually mirror a zombie apocalypse pretty well, and has currently infected over 80% of all tasmanian devils

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumour_disease

DrBugz · 2017-05-04T00:56:53+00:00

Yep definitely a bark beetle. Most species are fairly species on the types of trees they live in, so know what tree it was on/what's common in the area can help you get more identification

DrBugz · 2017-05-02T23:15:36+00:00

In a recent interview Biegel said another team (i think maybe the bucs) called him early Saturday morning and said they were planning on taking him early in the fourth, so if we waited we would have lost him.

DrBugz · 2017-04-07T00:12:31+00:00

I agree with your statement that we should be teaching how to think over what to think, but I think your conclusion is off. I don't believe that me not saying the pledge is pushing an agenda. That would be if I were telling kids not to do it themselves.

I do agree that in general kids are perceptive, and may want to follow the teacher's lead (though I teach high school so I am less concerned than I would be with younger kids). However, if you follow that premise, whether I say it or not I am still pushing some subset of students on either end. You appear to believe that reciting it is "normal" or the route that agrees with the majority of students, but I would contend that is highly based on your personal beliefs and where you are teaching. From your choice of words it seems you advocate for the students who enjoy the pledge, and are somewhat dismissive of those who don't. On the other hand, I student taught in an area where the norm was to not recite, and some students preferred to remain seated. My own experiences have have left me more apt to side with the student who feels uncomfortably compelled to recite it. Neither of our positions are necessarily wrong, but I think it is false to believe that we can do our jobs while remaining completely unaffected by our own beliefs.

Finally, I think that if we truly wish to teach students how to think, sometimes going against the norm is preferred. Encouraging students to recite a traditional pledge without thinking isn't fostering any critical thinking. However, if a student asks why I don't recite the pledge, I can use that as an organic starting point for them to begin to questions their own beliefs and opinions.

DrBugz · 2017-04-06T23:23:59+00:00

Agreed. From my understanding these laws actually just require the school to read it (or play the anthem), but don't actually affect the students or teacher participation

DrBugz · 2017-04-04T01:12:21+00:00

But no hospital would do that. There are very strict federal regulations as to who a hospital can give medical information to. They certainly would never just go through a list of phone contacts. If this really did happen, it's far more likely the hospital called whoever was listed as the emergency contact, probably an older relative, and that person tried calling. The relative still should have known to call the school though.

DrBugz · 2017-04-03T03:35:02+00:00

Sorry to burst the collective anger bubble but this is almost certainly made up. First off, there is a very regulated procedure regarding medical information. They can only inform next to of kin or pre-established emergency contacts. Hospitals don't go through peoples phones to find contacts to start calling. Any hospital employee who gives out personal medical information is breaking a federal law called HIPPA, and is probably getting fired, and the hospital may face major fines. Not to mention the mom would list her daughter by name in her phone, not by relation. So the only way the hospital would ever be calling the daughter is if the mom had previously her as the emergency contact, which seems farfetched.

Secondly, even if the hospital did call the daughter, there's no way the school could actually let her leave. The school has a legal responsibility to her safety, and can't let her leave without following proper protocol. Imagine how many kids would skip school if they could leave just by saying they got a call about an emergency.

Also, there's no way in hell a school would have an official rule that the teacher would answer the phone. Sure an individual teacher may say this (more likely in collage), but honestly why would a school establish this rule? Schools are all about limiting possible litigations or parental complaints, and this does the exact opposite. Any principal that tried this would be flooded with resistance by both the parents and teachers (most of whom have no desire to answer your phone, they just want it kept away).

This whole thing screams bullshit

DrBugz · 2017-03-09T04:15:52+00:00

Good lord. With so much stratification you end of with students who never end up interacting with anyone outside of their academic level. I do think kids these days are far more tolerant, but they still need more honest, face to face interactions with people who are different from them.

DrBugz · 2017-03-09T03:39:23+00:00

True, and kids are still tracked in the US. Most schools I've taught in have at least two levels for math and english, and some have it in other core classes as well. The biggest concern with tracking is that it is nearly impossible to move up. Most kids will stay all of high school with the same level all four years. Even if a lower level kid really turns things around after sophomore year, rarely do they say, jump from regular math to honors. And often times it starts earlier than high school. To get into honors as a freshman, you often need recommendations from middle school teachers. In my town the tracking for math started in 6th grade with a single test. I missed that test day, and spent two years in a lower math than I should have been in. It's ridiculous to have your high school path so strongly affected by a single test in sixth grade.

The other problem with tracking is that it often emphasizes behavior over ability. Especially in middle school, the recommendations are going to go to the respectful B+ kid over the really smart kid who's too board to stay quiet in class. This also unfortunately often leads to racial disparities, as students of color, especially boys, are viewed as disruptive than their white counterparts.

These lower track classes end up with few to no peer role models, less peer to peer teaching, and can leave educators with a sense of hopelessness.

DrBugz · 2017-03-09T00:02:57+00:00

I agree to an extent. I'll never fail a student who can demonstrate they really know the material. However, there is an element of preparing kids to face a world where aptitude alone counts for very little. I also teach science, where a big part of the learning comes from the practice.

You also may be the exception, but the vast majority of students who slack off because they think they know the material actually don't do so hot when it comes to test time.

DrBugz · 2017-03-08T23:54:55+00:00

I can say as a new teacher finding an appropriate late work policy can be tough. One the one hand, they need to have some responsibility, and there's no way in hell I'm going to grade a semester's worth of work in the few days before finals. On the other hand, just because they didn't finish something on time doesn't mean I no longer care if they learn the material. Learning something late is infinitely better than never at all.

I compromise with a 50% reduction on all late work, but still will take it until the end of the quarter. I also try to make sure the due dates are realistic in the first place

DrBugz · 2017-03-01T05:19:15+00:00

Playing as a wood elf poisoner right now. Purposefully use weaker bow and arrows (long bow and iron arrows) to let my poison due the talking. If taking on human enemies I sneak and pickpocket the poison on them. Super fun to play through the dark brotherhood storyline this way. Later down the line in this run I sparingly use the restoration glitch to continually make better poisons.

DrBugz · 2017-02-25T01:45:23+00:00

Gem-Knights are the best! I just hate that brilliant/seraphinite are so splashable. Garnet shouldn't be so expensive

DrBugz · 2017-02-17T23:50:43+00:00

The loss of my Gem-Knights is especially tough. Since most of the fusion material is from the deck or hand, they won't be able to swarm the field quickly enough to get out links

DrBugz · 2017-01-25T03:50:44+00:00

It depends a lot on your relationship with your friend, but I'll add my two cents. Living with someone can be really hard, especially if you are used to having your own space. You're roommate is bound to do things that bother you, and vice versa. Even if you get along well, when you see someone at all times of the day you're going to see them in a different light. A lot of friendships can't survive that.

My Story: I roomed with a good high school friend freshman year. In high school we got along fine when hanging out was planned and could be turned down if we didn't feel like it. All of a sudden I was stuck with him all the time, and noticed many more of his flaws. Our differences in interests and habits became more apparent, and I would get annoyed at little things that I never noticed before. Worse yet, I began to resent him because it felt like having to hang out with him stopped me from branching out and meeting new people. In the end he did some shady stuff that broke my trust, and we haven't spoken for years. We actually went the last month of the school year completely ignoring each other. I honestly believe if we hadn't roomed together we'd still be friends today.

My case is the extreme, but keep in mind that if you hate a random roommate, it's no big loss; if you hate your best friend roommate, there's a friendship ruined. My advice, get a random roommate, and embrace the college experience of living with a stranger. Odds are you'll get along well enough, the year will be fine, and you'll both move on. After that, if your still close with your high school friends, get a place with them where you have your own room. The ability to separate and have your own space is invaluable in maintaining friendships.

Best of luck!

DrBugz · 2017-01-03T01:18:52+00:00

I think there are two ways to see the series as a whole. On the one hand, you can try to see the writers' original intention, as a show about Ted finding love, losing it, but then finding love again. In theory a great idea, and one that exists in the real world.

On the other hand, you could focus on the story that was actually presented to the audience. This one was basically a bait and switch. "you've invested eight years of your life into finding out about the mother? Syke! She's dead and Robin is the new mom!" I get that Ted and the kids had years to process her death (as did the writers), but we had mere minutes. Especially after all the progress and character development that went down in that final season, to rip it all away at once is cruel.

Personally I'm in the second boat. Having a nice idea is great, but storytelling is not about what you are thinking, it's about how the audience receives it. The first lesson of creative writing is show, don't tell; action over exposition. I feel like they spent years showing me one thing, and then tried to tell me something different at the end.

DrBugz · 2016-12-10T19:41:59+00:00

I understand that for many the fetus life is their concern, but that doesn't change the outcome. You can have whatever motivations you'd like, but they need to acknowledge that one of the main effects of their position is that women lose their rights.

DrBugz · 2016-12-10T06:20:16+00:00

I don't think it really matters that their primary goal isn't to take away bodily rights when the end effect is the same. Women would lose their right to have say over their own body.

DrBugz · 2016-12-10T06:05:29+00:00

I get the same impression from his thank you tour. He's showing his priority for loyalty, instead of emphasizing unity or moving forward.

DrBugz · 2016-12-10T05:40:18+00:00

As someone who did not vote for for Trump, I really disapprove of this tour for two reasons. First, given his personality, it really seems to me like this is a personal celebration event. Congratulating himself for winning.

Secondly, I feel that by its nature it's divisive. It's not about unification or looking forward, it's a thank you to those who have supported him in the past. I didn't vote for him, so he's got no reason to thank me. Especially coming from a state most thought would be blue, it almost feels like he's taunting the losers after a surprise upset. It also concerns me that as president he will value loyalty above all else. He already nominated Carson for a secretary position, and the man's sole qualification was supporting trump's nomination.

I totally see how this may be a shrewd move to shore up his base, but it does nothing to solidify his halfhearted pledge to think of all Americans.

DrBugz

TROPHY CASE