Life is what happens when you are making other plans~ John Lennon
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind~Gandhi
The time is always right to do what is right~ Martin Luther King Jr.


Thursday, April 28, 2022

Teachers Reveal Things They Hate About Teaching

It's not all sunshine, rainbows and gum drops in the world of education. It's hard work and dealing with various types of personalities. Teachers reveal things they secretly hate about teaching.

1. Two types of students

-I dislike two types of students.

1.) Those who are mean to other students

2.) Those who refuse to take accountability for their actions

-Those qualities often overlap, but not always

2. Loves teaching, but there is a "but" to this

-Fifth year teaching. I love teaching but I'm tired of the workload, being treated so poorly and having to buy everything. I would [slay] for an alternative career

3. On the subject of bad students...

-I want to help students improve. I know every student has different issues. What frustrates me is when there is no effort. Worse is interrupting the learning of other students. Worse still, is open hostility and disrespect

4. Anything extra

-Yup! It's the "extra" stuff that [eliminates] you. Our district, and actually every school district in my area, is revamping the professional learning community. But it's killing everyone. The interesting part is a goal for our district was to help with teacher burnout, apparently not!

5. Beyond teaching

-What I hate? Monitoring for vapes and illicit [substances], paying attention to warning signs of depression or self-harm, poor nutrition, bullying, homelessness, [taking advantage of others], inappropriate sexual activity and playing bathroom monitor all while making entertaining lessons, exceeding last year's standardized test scores and not exceeding your scheduled hours.

6. After hours OT

-I love working in a school and building relationships with kids, but a lot of parts of teaching were causing me undue amounts of stress. In particular, the insane out-of-school time commitment (grading, planning, fielding parent calls) and the public speaking aspect/classroom management dynamic was causing a HUGE flare-up in my anxiety levels

7. Meetings, gradings, repeat

-I like being a teacher, but I can't stand everything else that comes with it. Grading, meetings, keeping contact with a myriad of families, hours of sifting through sources for the one that works...it's almost too much. Even just navigating social interactions with other teachers feels like a minefield

8. Giving it up

-This is why I left the classroom; Most of my issues were with authority and the feeling that I was "spinning" and not making any progress (professionally and with the kids). I was angry, anxious and felt like what I was doing for most of my day was relatively pointless. The worst part was that I did love teaching, but couldn't deal with the system

9. A rising problem in education today?

-I actually quit my teaching job because I hated [other] teachers and administrators, not the students. I believe in teaching the students and being a role model, not a dictator, which was apparently unpopular, so I had enough and I bounced. That is absolutely the problem with education.

10. Even teachers gossip

-I hated gossip. I must say it's weird how everyone involved is with everyone else. I'm a student teacher and when I went it was for pre-planning I was baffled at how little we all got done because everyone would rather gossip instead

11. Veterans of teaching

-Interacting with other teachers can be a minefield. A lot of the veteran teachers seem to be standoffish with getting to know newbies. EW!

12. Wrong choice of career?

-I love the relationships with everyone, contacting families, even meetings. But actually, teaching makes me want to throw up from anxiety (also, I quit last week)

13. Honesty is the best policy

-I hate all of my students, equally

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Stereotypes of K-12 Teachers

Every career has a stereotype. Teaching is no different. Kids often get that "wide eyed" look when they see teachers outside of school. And it even extends to college students when they see their professors outside of school. Movies make it seem like the world of teaching is glamorous, but in reality it's hard work. Teachers have to provide their own supplies, decorate their own classrooms and more. It's hard work. Books like Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room 10 and My Teacher Sleeps in School are two pieces of proof as to why kids think teachers all think about is teaching or that they seem to have no life.

1. We work fewer hours than people in other professions

2. We are less skilled if we are elementary school teachers

3. We don't mind the low pay and stress because it's such a rewarding job

4. We go into teaching because we want time off during the summer

5. We teach because we can't do anything else

6. We are supposed to perform to keep the kids entertained in the classroom

7. We are supposed to like all of our students

8. Special-education teachers aren't real teachers

9. Kindergarten teachers have it easy and play all day

10. Art teachers don't teach useful skills

11. We are supposed to be super sweet and caring

12. Male elementary school teachers are predators

13. We are only good teachers if we spend our own money on supplies

14. We'll tutor or help your child with their homework for free

15. We need to have well-decorated classrooms

16. Teachers drink gallons of coffee every morning and gallons of wine every weekend

17. We are trying to brainwash kids into socialism

18. Female gym teachers are lesbians

19. PE teachers are illiterate jocks

20. We shouldn't have tattoos or piercings

21. Substitute teachers are lazy and don't want to do actual teaching

22. If we're younger or first time teachers, we aren't as good as the veteran teachers

23. Science teachers are atheists

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

The Police and Lying

First and foremost, the police are 100% able to smell a lie right away. Your body is almost always going to give you up if you're lying. The police can always tell when a suspect is lying, from body language to nervous tics and more. Even if you think you're telling the truth, the police can still detect a lie

Bloodshot eyes

-This can be an indicator of suspicious activity. This can tell police if you're up to something. And if they ask, and you have allergies, tell them that. Otherwise, they will think something else is up. And plus, if you have bloodshot eyes and reek like you slept in a bar, that tells them a nice little present known as a DUI/OVI/DWI will be coming to you

Uncontrollable/Strange Laughter

-Some people laugh or crack jokes when nervous. If you're the one who is the complete comedian but seizes up like a deer in the headlights when officers are around, work on that. That's a huge tell to police. According to a veteran officer "Generally, if someone is giggling like a school kid and surrounded by others, they are typically just nervous but aren't worried about your presence. It's when you see someone joking around and they suddenly freeze up when they notice you, those would be the people I'm interested in."

Excessive Sweating

-First and foremost, this is an absolute dead giveaway that what you're saying is not the truth. When you are doing the Polygraph Test, aka "lie detector test", that is why you have the sticky things on your finger. When you lie, that detector can sense it and thus, will reveal it to the person conducting the test. It is revealed through electric-type receptors in the body, which can cause sweating. The same officer reveals "how sweat is a good indicator of truly suspicious behavior. You would be surprised how much people sweat when they are trying to hide something."

Avoiding Eye Contact

-A lot of people will often make direct eye contact with people to show respect, to show they have your full attention, to show they are interested in what you have to say, to tell the truth and more. Direct eye contact can say a lot. If you want to lie successfully, look the person in the eyes. According to one deputy sheriff "When you talk to someone you usually look at them right? Even if you're just nervous you still look at the person talking to you or the floor. The people who I get a 'gut feeling' about are always looking at anything but me. It's a weird kind of subconscious mental process where the person's eyes are always looking for a way to escape." And if your eyes are moving around constantly, you're either lying or on some sort of narcotic that causes nervous behavior, body twitching and more

Giving Up Information That Can Backfire on You

-The more you lie, the more crap that builds up only to roll back downhill on you. The more you lie, the worse it will look. According to one deputy sheriff "Usually when someone has something to hide, they will continually add unimportant information to their fraudulent story. If it doesn't make sense with the surrounding situation, no amount of additional information makes it more believable."

Giving Off "Weird Vibes"

-Secondly, after the "excessive sweating" being the first and foremost indicator of lying, there is the second most important indicator of lying. When you're giving off a "weird" or "suspicious" vibe, the police will pick that up right away. According to one officer "At the end of the day people who are nervous because they got caught act differently than people who are just nervous. The body language is different. They just give off a different vibe."

Moving Your Hands Around/Shoving Them in Pockets

-This is a red flag that you have something you shouldn't or you're trying to hide something. In cases like this, it's usually narcotics trying to be hidden. Police notice suspicious behavior and moving your hands around is like saying, without words "I'm trying to hide something" or "I'm suspicious". One officer noted "Suspicious people focus on how [they're] guilty. If they're holding, they keep putting their hands in their pocket. If they've got a concealed gun, they'll keep touching the clothing over it. If they're driving and they've had too much to drink, they'll put their hands over their mouth to smell their own breath."

Saying "I Swear to God"

-It's been stated as a fact that no one has sworn to the truth and used God to do it. It's also been said that it's the same for swearing on your mother's grave. From the words of one officer "In my experience as a cop every single time someone emphatically says 'I swear to God', I know they're lying to me."

Looking Over Your Shoulder

-One officer commented on Reddit that there was a guy on his force who had an unorthodox, but highly successful, foolproof method of catching criminals. "[The cop] would stand on the corner of a busy downtown street and stare at random passersby. If one of them turned around and looked back before he got out of sight, he would arrest him. In almost every case the guy was wanted for something." While this doesn't seem like the most reliable way of catching criminals, it gives you a taste of what police psychology is like. And whatever works, go with that

Strange Mannerisms

-Like the old cliche goes, "act normal". If you're acting strangely or suspiciously, naturally the police are going to turn their attention to you because they think you have something to hide. Eye contact not with the police officer's eyes, suspicious behavior, odd mannerisms, strange appearances all scream "I'm suspicious" unless you just have strange mannerisms anyway

Saying "You're just going to a friend's house"

-This is a stock excuse uttered by thousands of criminals, usually in murder or drug cases. Don't use this; the police will automatically know something is up

Literally taking off running

-Obviously, any person knows that immediately fleeing from police will result in a chase. And if the police lose the suspect, they then flood the area with officers, call in police dogs and will even use helicopters with heat sensors on them to pick up the body heat of suspects in hiding. There is no hiding from the police. If you immediately take off running, you're guilty! In the words of one officer "I consider running from police one of the stupidest risks you can take with your life and well being. I'm not going to lie, if I have a legitimate offence and a suspect, and that suspect runs away, I enjoy chasing them down and arresting them. But if the police dog gets involved, it gets really ugly. Why risk your life and limb for something minor? I personally think it's better to chance it out or walk away casually than run from the police."

If what you are currently doing is not connecting with the time of day

-The time of day indicates a lot of things. Police are highly aware of what they consider "normal" behavior for all times of the day. Most police often work the same shifts and they notice what is "normal". Around 5:00 pm, they'll see people in work clothes heading homes from offices or to the bar. If something seems off for that particular time of day, they'll take notice. One person at Reddit noted "It also largely depends on what shift you work, who you usually deal with and what kind of calls you typically take. We survey the whole situation. What time of day is it? What is your story? How many of you are there? What kind of place are you in?"

Immediate Non-Cooperation

-Cooperate with the police. Simple as that. It goes better. It's been noted that it's often worse for the suspect if they don't cooperate. In the words of one officer "One thing that stuck out to me is that the innocent folks were usually both cooperative and upset at the same time. I'd give them the cliche talk of 'everything will be fine if you've done nothing wrong,' and 99% of the time the innocent people were cooperative but vocally upset at being accused or investigated for a crime."

Having anything on you that could be used in criminal activity

-This might sound odd, but police are trained to look for anything suspicious. If you have drug paraphernalia on you, also known as drug-related items like syringes, bongs, etc., that tells the police you plan on doing drugs. If you have an open container, you're drinking and driving, etc. If you're out and about wearing dark clothes and carrying a strange bag in the middle of the night, and an officer sees you, the first thought popping into their head is breaking and entering. Context is key. Context is what helps officers do their jobs effectively. They look for what is out of place with the location and time of day. One officer noted "We look at the whole picture. What is the context of our interaction? Am I responding to a report of a crime, do you match a suspect description? [...] If I stop a suspected burglar with a backpack and he has a history of burglary and no reason to be in the area, his nervousness is more likely because I caught him red handed."

Monday, April 25, 2022

The Living Daylights (1987)

The first James Bond movie to feature Timothy Dalton as the famed British agent

Summary

-James Bond is off on his next mission, which includes investigating a KGB policy to kill enemy spies and also uncover an arms deal with global consequences







Cast

-Timothy Dalton: James Bond

-Maryam D'Abo: Kara Milovy

-Jeroen Krabbe: General Georgi Koskov

-Joe Don Baker: Brad Whitaker

-John Rhys-Davies: General Leonid Pushkin

-Art Malik: Kamran Shah

-Robert Brown: M

-Desmond Llewelyn: Q

-Caroline Bliss: Miss Moneypenny

Did You Know?

-Timothy Dalton was originally considered for the role of James Bond in the 1960s. He was initially considered for the role after Sean Connery left after 1967's You Only Live Twice. He did a screen test for producer Albert Broccoli for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He rejected the part only because he thought he was too young. He was, once again, considered for the film Diamonds Are Forever, but he turned it down again, fearing he was too young.

-Frederick Warner and Glyn Baker were cast because of their strong resemblances to George Lazenby and Sir Roger Moore

-To play the role of The Impostor, the Russian assassin in Gibraltar at the start of the film, a stunt man was considered. Instead, director John Glen decided to use a real actor for the role. He called up an out of work actor named Carl Rigg, who was taking care of his child at the time and was staying home while his wife was away working. After getting the call, he took the child to a neighbor's house and left a note for his wife, telling her he'd been offered a role in a James Bond film. He caught the next plane to Gibraltar to start filming

-If Christopher Reeve had not turned down the million-dollar contract to star in this movie, he would have been the only American, as of 2021, to play James Bond

-The name of the gas pipeline from Czechslovakia to Austria is the Trans Siberian Pipeline. The vehicle used for Koskov's defection was called a scouring pig. It's used to clean and check the pipeline between Wester Europe and Russia

-Maryam D'Abo is the last blonde Bond girl until 2015's Spectre. All of the other Bond girls have been redheads or brunettes

-Mel Gibson was considered for the role of James Bond, but producer Albert Broccoli rejected him because he wasn't British

-This film marks the first time James Bond drives an Aston Martin since 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service

-Prior to Bond meeting with Saunders at the coffee shop, you can hear the sound effects of the arcade game Galaxian playing in the background

-Timothy Dalton was 19 years younger than Roger Moore, the actor who played Bond prior to him

-The launch of a jeep from midair is an actual military technique

Friday, April 22, 2022

Weird Stories from Librarians

Librarians have seen it all. They encounter weird situations, strange items left in book drops. Here is some iron clad proof that librarians have seen it all.

1. Giving new meaning to the phrase "hot read"

-We waive a lot of fees during finals. We wake people up who are sleeping (I've definitely had a student thank me and immediately run off to a final). We have students get drunk in study rooms. Once we had a student who was cold light a trashcan fire in a study room to stay warm. Mostly though, it's exhausted tears and thousand mile stares as they turn in headphones and shuffle off to class. Finals are brutal. Edit: for those curious about the trashcan fire, it was a very small fire. The student was careful to take out the bag and it looks like they were just feeding bits of paper into it. Our best guess is that they were just trying to make enough fire to heat up the metal can and use it as an ambient heat source...but still. Who thinks that's a good idea?

2. Finding a cat in the book drop and adopting it

-Dewey the Library Cat was a famous resident cat who was found in a book drop as a kitten. A contest was held to pick a name, and "Dewey Readmore Books" was added to the staff

3. Something smells fishy

-Had someone put a whole salmon in it one year when we were closed for Christmas. Thing festered and rotted for 2 days [and] it did not smell nice

4. Nuclear fallout book drop

-I've found the strangest thing to be the book drop. When I switched branches to staff a newly built library, the book drop was built to be bomb-proof. It was a 24-hour book drop and at night we had a procedure to close off the unit from the rest of the room and then close the fire door to the small room that enclosed the unit. This was not a large city, but rather out in suburbia in a quiet town

5. Taking rap viral

-There was a 30-something year old guy who used the Macs and sound booths in the library to record his raps. He went by the name "Prince Rao", and his raps were so, so terrible. He tried to get some of the employees with video/audio knowledge to remix some of them for him (they didn't)

6. Returning books with a little something extra

-I'm not a librarian but I once returned by birth control pills to the library through the drop box. I was in university and had decided to get s---faced at 11am before a lecture and dropped off some books on my way to class. I had my b/c in my backpack and it must have gotten sandwiched between 2 books. Anyway, after my lecture it was pill time and when I reached into my bag they weren't there. I was still kinda drunk and started panicking. I told a friend who was in class with me (who found my drunken-ness to be quite amusing), [and she] told me I should retrace my steps. I went back to the library and asked someone if anyone had found a pack of birth control pills. She laughed at me and said "Yeah, we've been expecting you." Thankfully the pack of pills had a sticker on it with the prescription as well as my name and address. So all I had to do was show them some ID and they gave me my pills back

7. Bringing back memories with "Dancing Queen"

-I made an account just so I could respond to this. I work in an academic library, but we have one computer that is open for visitor use. We have this one older gentleman that comes in multiple times a week. During at least one of his weekly visits, he will sit at the computer watching slideshows of old black and white yearbook photos while listening to an instrumental version of ABBA's "Dancing Queen". Even though he has on headphones, he plays the music so loudly that I can hear it perfectly at my desk. Often times it's just the two of us in the computer area, and he listens for hours which means I listen for hours. I don't really have the heart to ask him to turn it down because he looks so happy.

8. Checking Google Street View

-Oh yeah, I have another guy who was once caught in a photo on Google Maps Street View. Now [after] everywhere he's been the day before, he comes in [uses] Google Maps Street View...to see if he's been photographed again

9. "Pong" all day

-I used to do some volunteer work at my local library, and there was this one dude that would come in every day and just play Pong on the computer. Nothing else. If he was told to go away, usually when someone else needed the computer, he would just go "sure thing" with a smile, then go sit on a chair somewhere else. The moment the computer was free again, he would go back to playing Pong.

10. Flash mob anyone?

-I was working in my college's library at like midnight during finals week. The library was packed. When some weird kids started a flash mob type thing in the middle of this area that was just rows and rows of tables. Nobody was happy with this and [everyone] started yelling at them. Then this guy went over [and] ripped the power cord out of the boombox and screamed at them to gtfo then proceeded to just yell at nothing before another dude came over and calmed him down. The student I was working with was a freshman and I think I watched his faith in college die

11. Celebrating finals with mimosas

-Someone was giving out mimosas in my school's library last semester during finals week. Don't think they ever got caught. I would have gone to get one if I could find a spot in the library, but it was completely packed

12. Putting MS Paint to good use

-Not a librarian...[I'm] an IT guy who works at a library - we have a guy who comes in and all he does is use [Microsoft Paint] to make road signs - like interstate signs, etc. He was apparently upset recently because we didn't offer large format printing for the road signs he was making. Also, he "improves" upon some signs and...[thinks] he will sell them back to people that will want to use them

13. Finals Week turning the library into the battlefields at Normandy

-I remember walking to the library about an hour after my bio exam during my first semester of college. I took up all of the time allowed for my exam, and it was tough, but I was finally done. I just wanted to return a book and get a cup of coffee quick before heading home for the holidays. Once I got there, I was overcome with how trashed the library looked. I went to Pitt, a big public university. There had to be hundreds if not more students living full time in the library for the past week. I remember looking around and trying to take it all in, it looked like a battlefield. On the third floor, in one of the comfy chairs, I saw a who I am almost certain was from [my] bio class. He was sleeping hard, surrounded by his laptop, a few books, pop cans and junk food wrappers. I chose not to wake him up, because he looked really peaceful at that moment. But I can't imagine the scene that must have happened when he woke up

14. Special delivery-Animal Crackers

-I'll never forget the time I was unloading the drive-thru book drop and heard this little girl. She was asking her mother about the drop, seemingly very curious and interested in it. She decides to experiment by dropping an animal cracker. Then another. And another. I'm chuckling at this point, finding it very amusing how excited she's getting watching the crackers disappear down the chute. About 20 crackers later (this girl was going ham, mind you), her mom decides it's time to drop the books in and puts them all in at once. Crrrruuunch. The crackers at the bottom practically explode from the impact, causing the little girl to squeal with glee at the sound. I now realized that I would...have to clean up this mess, a real FML moment. It turned out that some of these crackers were in her mouth and were wet and soggy, making them smush into the books

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

A View to Kill (1985)

The last official movie with Roger Moore as James Bond

Summary

-When a fellow agent is killed, a small microchip is discovered on the body. This leads James Bond into his next mission-a mad man industrialist looking to create a monopoly of microchips by destroying California's Silicon Valley





Cast

-Roger Moore: James Bond

-Christopher Walken: Max Zorin

-Tanya Roberts: Stacey Sutton

-Grace Jones: May Day

-Patrick Macnee: Tibbett

-Patrick Bauchau: Scarpine

-David Yip: Chuck Lee

-Fiona Fullerton: Pola Ivanova

-Manning Redwood: Bob Conley

-Alison Doody: Jenny Flex

Did You Know?

-During filming, Roger Moore turned 57, making him the oldest actor to play James Bond. Sean Connery was 52 during the making of 1983's Never Say Never Again

-This film marks Lois Maxwell's final appearance as Miss Moneypenny. She had thought of the idea of her becoming M, but producers felt audiences wouldn't accept James Bond taking orders from a woman. Ironically, in 1995's GoldenEye, M was played by a woman, Judi Dench

-This is Dolph Lundgren's film debut. He played a KGB bodyguard named Venz. He had gotten the role through sheer luck. He was dating Grace Jones at the time and just so happened to be on set when director John Glen realized he needed someone to fill the role of a gun-toting bodyguard

-Roger Moore and Lois Maxwell make references to their exiting the franchise with their final scenes. Roger Moore, literally, throws in the towel while Lois Maxwell is in tears

-This movie was highly hated by Sir Roger Moore because of the increased violence. He was stated as saying "I was horrified on the last Bond I did. Whole slews of sequences where Christopher Walken was machine-gunning hundreds of people. I said 'That wasn't Bond, those weren't Bond films.' It stopped being what they were all about. You didn't dwell on the blood and brains spewing all over the place."

-During the mine scene, Grace Jones screams for real. She didn't know that electric cables around her would go off as a special effect

-The then mayor of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein, granted all necessary permits to film in San Francisco. The reason being that Roger Moore was her favorite Bond actor

-David Bowie was offered the role of Maz Zorin. But he had to refuse as he had been offered the role in 1986's Labyrinth. Bowie's direct manner was not well received by producers and he told them that it was too "workmanlike" and "terrible".

-Film debut for actress Alison Doody, who turned 18 during filming. This made her the youngest Bond girl ever

-This movie is often given the credit of introducing snowboarding because of its use during the opening credits. Thomas Sims, American inventor of the snowboard, did the stunts.

-Dr. Carl Mortner, played by Willoughby Gray, was modeled after Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor who performed sadistic and unauthorized scientific experiments on Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz during WWII

-The description for Max Zorin was based on Sting, but with David Bowie in mind

-This was the last film for stuntman Bob Simmons. He died in 1987

-Tanya Roberts was not only the last Bond woman of the Roger Moore era, she was also the first to pass away. She died at age 71 on Jan. 4, 2021

-Roger Moore became good friends with San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein and her husband because of their support in helping to make this

-The outside mine scenes were filmed at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum in Sussex, England. When the airship with a dummy dangling underneath was flown, the local Sussex Police Department became overwhelmed with calls from local citizens who thought they saw a man hanging from a balloon

-A large portion of the cast were played by actors with different nationalities other than their own. For example, Christopher Walken is American but played a character of German descent. Willoughby Gray is British but played a German doctor. Fiona Fullerton is Nigerian-British but played a Soviet agent. Grace Jones is Jamaican-born but played Zorin's American henchwoman

-The age difference between Grace Jones and Alison Doody amounted to eighteen and a half years. This was the greatest gap in age for two Bond girls in the same movie. This record was beaten in 2015 when Monica Belluci and Lea Seydoux, who are both twenty one years apart, appeared in 2015's Spectre

-Patrick Macnee, who played a racehorse trainer named Sir Godfrey Tibbett, was the son of an actual racehorse trainer

-David Yip and Alison Doody both appeared in films of the Indiana Jones franchise. David Yip played Wu Han in 1984's Indiana Jones the Temple of Doom while Alison Doody appeared as Elsa in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which also starred Sean Connery as Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones' father, Professor Henry Jones Sr.

-The mansion used in this film is the same building used as the mortuary in 1979's Phantasm

-Grace Jones states that her "evil stare" came via inspiration from a schoolteacher of hers in Jamaica. She called it "Mas P's look". The teacher would regularly "beat" her and other children there

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

What to Know About Joining the Police Department

First and foremost, to become a police officer, it is often said a sense of helping others would be required. A sense of right and wrong also helps. But some people think it's easy; they think it's like the film Police Academy, but it couldn't be more different. This line of work is high stress, high risk and can sometimes be fatal. But, when you take someone dangerous off the street, it's incredibly rewarding.

Ironically enough, these officers are with the Cincinnati Police Department. The bridge in the back ground is known as the Roebling Bridge, or to locals, the Suspension Bridge. It leads to the Kentucky city of Covington

Half of police involved in shootings suffer from PTSD

-Like members of the military, police can suffer from PTSD after traumatic events, such as having to shoot someone, seeing something horrific at a crime scene, etc.

Police officers have vastly different opinions on the gun laws

-Not surprisingly, police officers are usually armed to protect themselves. But even police officers have opinions on the gun laws. Some officers are completely in favor of concealed carry licenses while other officers are strongly opposed to it

Firing a weapon is not out of the question

-Being a police officer, you will have to use your weapon to protect yourself, even if that means taking the life of someone who means you harm. But, as investigations proceed, it sometimes turns out that that was the other person's intention-suicide by cop. Despite what you hear in the news anymore, a lot of police officers go almost their entire career without discharging their weapon, let alone taking a life

There is a specifically high rate of alcoholism among police

-If you think, for one second, your job is stressful and requires a stiff drink at the end of the week, think about the high level of stress police officers are under. They see things they shouldn't see, they go to places they shouldn't. Various studies have shown that alcoholism can affect 1 in 4, which equals to 25%, of all police officers. The situation certainly is not helped by drinking in social situations because of the stress of their jobs

There is a strong connection between poor health and police work

-Sure, cops love donuts. It's a stereotype that can sometimes poke fun at police. But in all total seriousness, poor health and being a police officer go hand in hand. Because of the random sets of hours they work, they have to eat when they can, sometimes on the run. And because of this, they develop bad eating habits, leading to poor health, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes

They often use outdated equipment

-You would think that being a police officer, you'd get updated equipment. That's not true; a lot of police departments don't always get the newest, shiniest equipment out there because of funding. If a department does not have a lot of funding, they will stretch their equipment to their maximum amount of use. A lot of police departments depend on government funding to help them get new equipment and if that government is strapped for cash, there's a high chance the local police aren't getting new cars, new guns, new Kevlar vests and more

Police academy training is demanding

-It should be demanding; it's teaching you skills that will save your life and other's lives. The police academy is tough both physically and mentally. You must be able to have the physicality to get you through as well as the mentality to help you through. You must be physically able to chase down a suspect as well has have good mental health to help you through the times that make you want to quit.

Field training is difficult, near impossible

-Police academy training is one thing, but field training is another. Out in the field, you do what are called "ride alongs". You ride in the passenger side of a patrol car or shadow another police officer and learn how they do their job. This helps you to develop a style of policing that will be both effective and unique to you. Field training can prove difficult, even impossible because you have to take EVERYTHING you learned in the academy and apply it to real life and you're being constantly scrutinized by veteran officers

Long and irregular hours

-It's said that being a police officer, you will work crazy hours. You might be working the lonely graveyard shift one week, dayshift another and so on. This is because police officers are needed at all times. There could be times when you work 12 hours one day and have the next day off.

Thorough background check

-Becoming a police officer involves a thorough background check. The rule of thumb here is if you have anything to hide, the police world is not for you. You better believe in a New York minute that if you're thinking about becoming a police officer, they will do a thorough background check on you, which includes investigating any misdemeanors, felonies, past drug use, credit checks, etc.

Long hiring process

-If you think, for one second, becoming a police officer is a piece of cake, think again. The process of hiring a police officer is long and tedious. It can take more than a year to become a police officer. Potential officers are scrutinized through a lengthy training process and intense background check. And some departments even require previous experience from other law enforcement-type jobs before becoming an officer. If all is good and everything comes through clear and positive, you're on your way to becoming an officer

Excuses, excuses

-Whether you are actually breaking the law or some other reason, everyone has been pulled over at one point or another. Every driver has an excuse of one thing or another. Police have heard every excuse in the book and sometimes, if they are lucky, they get to hear new excuses. So the next time the blue and red or blue lights appear in your rearview mirror, just be honest or keep the talking to a minimum and move it on out

Higher education is not necessary

-While it does sound nice and certainly helps, it's not necessary to becoming a police officer. The reason for no requirement on higher education is because potential officers go through academy and field training.

Not so great $$$

-This is not one of those high paying, Fortune 500-level paycheck jobs. The pay isn't great, but for a lot of officers and even detectives, the reward of giving someone closure on a murder case or taking someone dangerous off the streets often is better than the pay. Police work is often said to have a poor work-life balance

Police officers are only drug tested during the hiring process

-There is a sad but true statistic about police officers and struggles with drug addiction. Some officers are able to struggle from drug addiction and hide it well from their fellow officers and even their lieutenants and captains. The reason? Many police departments only do drug testing during the initial hiring process. Like alcohol, drugs can quickly become the other major coping mechanism for the nasty sights and horrors seen by officers

It's all about politics

-To give you a sense of this meaning, watch the television show Blue Bloods and notice how there are always politics involved. In addition to trying to do their jobs by keeping the streets safe, police have to deal with politicians, local police watchdog groups, civil rights groups and the public. It feels as though every move they make is under constant scrutiny and this can lead to frustration and lack of trust. It's all because of politics on the job

High level of scrutiny

-Every time you hear about a shooting on the news, what is the first thing you hear about nowadays? Body cam footage! Police are under constant scrutiny because even the littlest mistake will be reported to their superiors. Like politicians, police are the second most scrutinized job in the world. Some decisions are not fair, but police still take heat for it. It's almost superhuman how police officers can take so much crap from people but still manage to do their jobs

Monday, April 18, 2022

Never Say Never Again (1983)

One of the last Sean Connery James Bond films

Summary

-James Bond is off on his next mission, which involves two American nuclear warheads, stolen by an agent of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., with plans of detonating them




Cast

-Sean Connery: James Bond

-Klaus Maria Brandauer: Maximilian Largo

-Max Von Sydow: Blofeld

-Barbara Carrera: Fatima

-Kim Basinger: Domino Petachi

-Bernie Casey: Leiter

-Alec McCowen: Q

-Edward Fox: M

-Pamela Salem: Miss Moneypenny

-Rowan Atkinson: Small-Fawcett

-Pat Roach: Lippe

Did You Know?

-The martial arts instructor was a young Steven Seagal. He broke Sean Connery's wrist one day during training by mistake. Connery just ignored it for years, thinking it was a minor pain

-This is actor Rowan Atkinson's film debut. He would later parody Bond in the film Johnny English

-Barbara Carrera had preferred to work with Sean Connery so she turned down 1983's Octopussy

-At the time of filming, Sean Connery was 52. The writers decided to make James Bond a retired agent. He was three years younger than Roger Moore when he played James Bond in 1983's Octopussy

-Sean Connery was allowed to have creative input on this movie. One thing he did was focus on casting and to remedy that, prominent acting talent was brought in. This includes Kim Basinger, Max Von Sydow, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Edward Fox, Barbara Carrera, Alec McCowen

-Barbara Carrera declined the offer of a body double for the love scenes with Sean Connery. In various interviews, she stated the nudity and sex scenes didn't bother her

-Prior to accepting the role of Domino Petachi, Kim Basinger had never seen any of the James Bond films

-The tiger-print swimsuit Domino wears is an actual swimsuit owned by Kim Basinger. It was given to her in 1981 by the Playboy organization

-This is the only James Bond film to be directed by an American, Irvin Kershner

-Pamela Salem was the first actress to play Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films other than Lois Maxwell.

-Kim Basinger and director Irvin Kershner didn't get along at all. She stated this was the worst experience she ever had until 1991's The Marrying Man

-Sean Connery has tattoos on his arm, which was usually covered up in the other movies. This movie makes no attempt to cover them up. These tattoos read "Scotland Forever" and "Mum and Dad"

-Edward Fox, who plays M, is seven years younger than Sean Connery. This is the only James Bond film where the actor playing M is younger than the actor playing James Bond

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Police on Social Media

A lot of police departments around the world use social media. And people follow these accounts to get updates on detours, crime in the local area and more. And sometimes, they even put random, funny stuff on here. It's always good for a giggle. Plus, you have got to hand it to the police; sarcasm always seems right for the job. And it's not just police departments in America. Included in these are police departments from Canada, the UK and more

Ironically enough, these officers are with the Delhi Twp Police Department in Cincinnati, Ohio. I live in Delhi Twp. I see the two male officers running around a lot in their gray and black SUVs

1. Cool Not Cool









2. Please assist!

3. You know the drill

4. Even police nerd out

5. Every name in the book

6. Coins, spice and everything nice

This has to be in the UK. First indicator is the pound symbol

7. Cuddle up

8. Cahj Friday

9. Go to the dark side

10. My shoes

11. Real life Mario Kart

12. Riding bareback

13. List of events

14. Too Cold

15. Finally have proof unicorns exist

16. Bad to worse

17. Sean Connery now does traffic reports

18. #annoyed mums

19. Eat your way to freedom

20. A great show

21. Full moon tonight

22. Don't be an Avenger

23. Nee-naw!

24. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

25. 30 MPH

26. It seals everything