Florida: Teacher fired for "Wizardry"

No, he didn’t wear anything inappropriate, didn’t summon up a demon nor did he sacrifice a student. In an attempt to get his students attention, he made a toothpick disappear. Now a fellow who would probably have been a really good teacher had his job go the way of the toothpick.

Link to Windows Media Video

From TampaBay10.com

Land ‘O Lakes, Florida — The stories in the news about inappropriate relationships between teachers and students have been overwhelming. There was even a substitute teacher in New Port Richey who got in trouble after investigators say she had a relationship with an underage student.

Well, another Pasco County substitute teacher’s job is on the line, but this time it’s because of a magic trick.

The charge from the school district — Wizardry!

Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears.

But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land ‘O Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own.

“I get a call the middle of the day from the supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, ‘Jim, we have a huge issue. You can’t take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'” he said.

When Piculas went in, he learned his little magic trick cast a spell that went much farther than he’d hoped.

“I said, ‘Well Pat, can you explain this to me?’ ‘You’ve been accused of wizardry,’ [he said]. Wizardry?” he asked. (Read the entire story)

Wizardry, can you believe it? Now I know Florida is a tad on the backwards side, I can say that I have relatives there, but fucking wizardry?????

If the people running the schools down there are accusing teachers of wizardry I can only imagine what the students must turn out like.

Found via Code Breaker at Daily Kos

American Axle strikers face a cruel police force, WTF is going on in Detroit?

I had to grab this article from fellow writer Bendygirls diaries at Daily Kos on 4/25/08

UPDATE: What the F&*K is Going On In Detroit

by Bendygirl

Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 06:15:46 PM PDT

Yesterday, families and strikers mounted a rally in Detroit to highlight American Axle’s desire to screw their workers while continuing to reap huge profits and dishing out million dollar bonuses to CEO and other executives.

And despite more than 37,000 workers off their jobs, 3650 American Axle Workers on strike, more than 30 plants shut AND 3 different countries affected, we still have nothing From Obama, Clinton and Mr. No-Right-To-Work-tax-your-benefits-anti-EFCA-McSame.

Not a F U C K I N G Word. Not one!

So, the union and other allies, families and friends, put together a rally. And then things went horribly bad.

• Bendygirl’s diary :: ::

So, I got this e-mail this morning (really early) and I needed to share and vent at the same time.

I went to another American Axle rally for Rich today. It was a great success through most of it. I was astounded and appauled by this site right before us.

This woman, an AAM employee, asked to “jay walk” along with other women. As she did a Detroit officer put her in a “chokehold” and litterally dragged her backwards to his cop car and arrested her. I was completely amazed. This woman is an older lady – I am told she is 65 with a heart condition – and she didn’t do ANYTHING!

Now, ya all know me. I am not one to keep quiet and I told Officer McGain this (the officer who did this to her). I am writing papers, tv stations and any parties connected with the Detroit Police force.

But don’t take my word for it, take a look at the pictures

This isn’t the time of Pinkertons killing strikers and locked out workers.

This is the 2nd incident with Detroit Police; police represented by a union as well. The first incident happened earlier in the strike.

Traditional media barely works. They haven’t been covering this, at all. But that means that WE have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of American Axle workers. Our neighbors, friends, countrymen. Isn’t it time to make a difference?