Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. BlueSky: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
I finally got curious and decided to google this story, and the headline is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let it never be said again that journalism is a humorless business.
Covering an odd tale about a 14-year-old autistic boy who was handcuffed by police and suspended for running down the sidelines of a high school football game at halftime wearing a banana costume, Washington, D.C. reporter Pat Collins donned a grape suit and went out to get his story.
Speaking to Bryan Thompson, who pulled the prank on Sept. 14 and found himself at the center of a controversy over the school’s response, Collins’ sarcastic outrage seemed palpable.
“School officials accused him of being disruptive and disrespectful,” Collins said. “Frankly, I don’t see what all the fuss is about.”
He asked the student: “Why a banana? Why not a … grape?”
“I don’t know,” Thompson replied. “Potassium is great.”
Following the prank, Colonial Forge High School Principal Karen Spillman suspended Thompson for 10 days, and even recommended that he be kicked out of school for the entire year.
Shortly thereafter, Thompson had composed his own rap song about the incident (called “Free Banana Man!”), set up a Facebook page dedicated to “Banana Man,” and someone even launched a petition calling for his suspension to be lifted.
Thompson’s outrage at the punishment was shared by his fellow students, who began creating yellow t-shirts that read, “Free Banana Man!”
So the school did what schools so often do when their authority is challenged: they banned the shirts, began confiscating them, and sent students to detention for supporting their classmate.
“But when you think about it, you might see [the school’s] point,” Collins jokingly concluded. “It starts with a banana. Then, all of the sudden, you have an apple, and an orange, and maybe a grape! And before you know it, you have fruit salad in the schools! We can’t have that.”
The school’s principal was ultimately forced to resign, and Thompson has since returned to his studies. [x]
Say hello to our new national mammal! Today the American bison officially joined the ranks of the Bald Eagle as the official symbol of the U.S. when President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law. And much like the eagle, the bison is one of the greatest conservation success stories of all time.
Explore 15 fun facts about bison – like did you know you can tell a bison’s mood by its tail: http://on.doi.gov/1Oc7VXg
Photo of a baby bison and its momma at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado by Rich Keen, DPRA.
i love following ppl for long periods of time on here bc u get to see people go through so many changes, wether it be the fact they changed their hair colour like 20 times or the fact they graduated, or that they are rediscovering their gender/sexuality, or that they are getting in and out of relationships, and you were there from the first mention of the person they were interested in, to the last time they were. it just makes me remember how real the people on here are, that they are changing just like you
I’ve taken this blog off the queue. I don’t think I post in it enough to make it necessary. Posting is likely to become more clustered and erratic. Hopefully, it won’t be too bothersome.
Y'all check out kitestring.io if you aren’t already familiar. It basically sends you a text message at a time you set and if you don’t respond or extend your check in within x minutes, it will send out a message to your emergency contact(s) that you may not be okay.
I plan to keep a sheet of emergency details regarding my date/his information and where I will be on a print out at home and my message will just inform my contact where to find the info. This way I don’t have to tell anyone my business in advance 😅. But for real, this is absolutely genius.
Reblog to save a life. Stay safe, ladies! (And fellas)
This has so many applications:
1. Someone who has a health condition, and might have an emergency away from help; 2. Anyone traveling alone, because life happens; 3. Nights out; 4. People who work in remote locations. We had a setup like this when I worked for a wind farm company and we sent surveyors into the field; 5. Folks who live alone and don’t have good security at their home; 6. Independent elderly people who might have a fall or the like.
TL;dr, this seems like a fantastic idea that’s potentially useful to most humans.
