Dad Uses Audio Bug To Uncover Abuse At Kid's School

From KHOU.com - A concerned Dad couldn't understand why his autistic son was being accused of 'acting out' in school.  Using tech from the Watergate era, he 'wired' his 10-year-old son with a recording device and uncovered abusive TEACHERS, who were doing the 'acting out'.

As a result of his sleuthing, concerned Dad Stuart Chaifetz got one teacher reassigned and another is seeking employment opportunities elsewhere.

The school district took the 5th and had 'no comment'.

Student Tweets the F-word, Gets Expelled

From The Register Online:

"An Indiana student has been expelled from school after sending a profane – if rather witty – tweet from his personal account."

It seems that in fly-over country, they haven't heard that its 'cool' to use the F-word.  Anybody remember Veep Joe Biden during the President's announcement of 'Obamacare'?  Or what about the recent fundraiser for the aforementioned President Obama, where the infamous Cee-Lo Green dropped the F-bomb to a hall full of campaign donors in Atlanta?

Many are arguing that a suspension would be more appropriate.  Even the boy's mom says suspension is fine but expulsion is harsh.  Personally, I don't think young Austin Carroll should be punished AT ALL.  School administrators have more to do than enforce non-laws by someone who was exercising his 1st Amendment right of free speech, in a forum where such expression is encouraged, and in many cases beneficial for social discourse.

And the precedent, and example for the country at large has been set by our esteemed administration, in public, and has been deemed acceptable and a form of free speech.

Personally I don't like the use of the F-word, and I'm sure that foul mouths are uttering such on the boy's high school campus right in front of the school administrators without any repercussions.

I find it interesting that its the foreign press picking this story up and syndicating it.  Looks like it broke on HuffPo on the 25th, which had this little nugget of information;

A bill that would allow schools to punish students for off-campus activities has advanced in the Indiana legislature, permitting schools to suspend or expel students for engaging in activities away from school and after hours that "may reasonably be considered to be an interference with school purposes or an educational function."

Where are you, ACLU?

The Old Episodes Of Time

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It appears that Mevio (aka Podshow, which is how I will always remember it) has dropped the 'audio-only' folks, without warning or even the courtesy of an e-mail notice that they were planning to do so.

In light of this development, some of you (I'm not sure how many of you there are anymore) may not have access to the older podcast episodes of '101 Uses For Baby Wipes' and 'The Daddy Panel'.

 If you have interest in downloading any of the old episodes, please use the contact info above and send me an e-mail.  I'll reply with a link to the archives where the original files are stored.

The Future of Parenting: Call The Cops When Suzy Won't Attend School

While driving my son to school (no bus service due to budget cuts, yet the same number of buses and drivers are employed) I overheard a dispatch from the local PD on the police scanner, asking for officer assistance because a woman's 15-year-old daughter had locked herself in the bathroom, refusing to go to school.

I was briefly amused by that notion, and then I thought about it and drew a conclusion - that this was clearly a waste of police resources.  The officers charged with preserving the public safety surely have better things to do than retrieve distraught girls from the bathroom and take them off to high school.

The scenario kept playing out in the the theatre of my mind as I drove...

• I'm sure that when the girl heard mom call the police, she thought mom was bluffing.
• In a way, the high school is like county lock-up, but with more books.
• How is this any different from any house in the USA where there are teenage girls?
• Is there someone at school with a grudge and a Facebook account?
• I hope mom doesn't get arrested for her daughter being truant...

THAT WAS IT!!  Mom was protecting herself legally by notifying police when little Suzy wouldn't go to school.  I refer back to my own post in May 2011 when the OC Register reported that SWAT-style tactics were being used to round up moms and dads whose children didn't attend school.

OUR CHILDREN ARE NO LONGER OURS TO CHERISH AND RAISE - THEY BELONG TO THE GOVERNMENT!  IF THEY AREN'T IN SCHOOL SO FEDERAL MONIES CAN BE COLLECTED BY THE LOCAL DISTRICTS, THE COPS WILL COME FOR YOU!

If we as parents don't make sure the local school districts meet their attendance numbers (and keep their federal income to the district in doing so) the cops will be knocking on our doors!  This isn't about keeping kids in school for their benefit, this is about keeping the education establishment in the revenue stream!

I think I need to get rid of the police scanner.  Or start home-schooling my son.

FTC: Apps for Kids aka Digital Wild West (WashPost)

Fess up Apple and Google!  And you too, Facebook!

Lets face it - kids these days are just as plugged in to the social networks and app ecosystems as their moms and dads are.  And in this article from Cecilia Kang, she explains that the FTC is looking into privacy leaks where apps DESIGNED FOR KIDS are concerned.  Doesn't seem like all that scrutiny apps get before making it into Apple's app store is having any impact on privacy.

AND THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS ARE IN IT TO MAKE BIG $$$ FROM YOUR PERSONAL DATA!

Wake up, moms and dads!  These apps are NOT the product being sold - YOU and YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION are the product being sold!  Why do you think Facebook is FREE?  Why do you think apps on the app stores only cost a buck, but the shrink-wrapped versions cost $49?

You're being SOLD!  Your identity, your personal preferences, your daily schedule, ANYTHING that can be tracked and might benefit a marketer or advertiser is being collected at YOUR expense and SOLD!