BJ Van Gundy
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On the article Selling Guns in Peachtree Corners
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On the article The End is Near: Will the World Really End on Dec. 21?
BJ Van Gundy
1:38 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
ReplyLOL. Good Article. Wrong Calendar pictured. It is the Aztec calendar. The good news is that the Patch is not alone. The wrong calendar has been used all over the internet.
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On the article The End is Near: Will the World Really End on Dec. 21?
BJ Van Gundy
1:35 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
ReplyLOL. The picture is of an Aztec calendar. Has nothing to do with the Mayans.
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On the article Selling Guns in Peachtree Corners
BJ Van Gundy
11:18 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012
ReplySorry Judy. But I don't see the relation between stores that sell guns nor the relevance of this article to what happened in Connecticut due to a mentally unstable individual.
@Mar You will be happy to know that Automatic weapons are NOT available for "general purchase and use". So put your mind at ease. Also. If it helps a little bit more, NONE of the guns for sale at Dick's or Walmart are/were Automatic weapons.
In order to actually OWN an Automatic weapon, that weapon has to have been manufactured prior to May 19, 1986, and must have been registered with the BATF. According to political scientist Earl Kruschke, as published several years ago, none of the 175,000 registered AUTOMATIC weapons had EVER been used to commit a violent crime.
The fact is, the only two things that makes certain guns targets for banning is: They LOOK scarier than other guns or they have a higher volume capacity of their magazines.
And of those two characteristics.... LOOKING scary should be ignored.
FUNCTIONALITY of ALL guns for sale "for general purchase and use" is the same for ALL guns.
If we are going to have a conversation in this country regarding guns, that is fine. But those that want to participate in that conversation should become informed on the subject before speaking on it. It would make the conversation more productive in the end.
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On the article Simpson Elementary Receives 2012 National Blue Ribbon Award
BJ Van Gundy
9:08 am on Friday, November 16, 2012
ReplyCongratulations to Ms. Schmit and all of the other fine teachers at Simpson Elementary. Proud to be a Simpson Parent of 4 children that attended/attending!
When my last gets done in 2018 I will have had a child at Simpson for 18 great years straight! -
On the article NHS's Jay Nebel Named Gwinnett Teacher of the Year
BJ Van Gundy
4:21 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
ReplyCongratulations to Mr. Nebel... who my Senior Class Daughter Whitney says, even though she never had him for class, is really nice and is a good teacher. If a student that never had him as a teacher knows he's good... he must be GOOD!
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On the article Understanding the Charter School Amendment
BJ Van Gundy
2:58 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012
ReplyCurious. What lobbyists are you referring to? I'm NOT a lobbyist. Haven't done ANY lobbying for ANYONE for 6 years... so I'm SURE you aren't referring to me...
For the record. I've not made a PENNY on Charter School issues. In fact. As a former member of the previous Commission... a VOLUNTEER position for ALL of us on it... I spent ~$1,400 a year serving.
I do this because my 4 children in Public schools are getting a good education and I want ALL students in Georgia to have the same opportunity my kids do. Right now. They don't.
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On the article Understanding the Charter School Amendment
BJ Van Gundy
12:28 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012
ReplyEconomics professor from GT:
http://www.econ.gatech.edu/files/papers/CharterSchools_0.pdf
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On the article Understanding the Charter School Amendment
BJ Van Gundy
11:24 am on Monday, November 5, 2012
ReplyLOL www.
Those that are opposing this amendment want you to believe this isn't about charter schools. It is. (See what I did there? It's YOUR opinion (whoever you are hiding behind "www") and this is mine. Simply saying something.... especially when you are hiding your identity.... hardly has weight with most that read this... I hope.
You are COMPLETELY wrong about the "types" of charters.
The TWO major types of schools are "conversion/dependent" charter schools and "startup/independent" charter schools.
You addressed the issue of "authorizers" not types of charters. The charter DNA if you will does not change based on WHO authorizes them... but WHO starts them.
Conversion/dependent and/or whole charter systems are created by the same folks that have brought us a graduation rate of 67% (48th in the nation) and an average national ranking of Georgia's education system of the high 30s to into the 40s. These typically have been created to satisfy parent groups of a particular school that felt that they wanted autonomy from the school system and ended up having the same kids at the school regardless of the fact of whether they were charter or not! The actual educating of kids doesn't really change much from how it is done by the "system" schools.
On the other hand. "startup" charters are truly independent and it doesn't matter WHO created it.... but what matters is HOW the teaching is done. And startups (~70 in GA) independently decide that.
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On the article Understanding the Charter School Amendment
BJ Van Gundy
9:27 am on Monday, November 5, 2012
ReplyRepresentative Ed Lindsey Opinion piece from Athens:
BJ Van Gundy
1:48 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
Mar. Silly concerns such as the kick of the gun I am simply not going to be able to discuss logically or objectively. You have obviously made up your mind that it is the gun that is at fault and that you are against ALL guns (while you initially WRONGLY were only against automatic weapons).
All of my guns have enough of a kick that requires reaiming. Even my .22. This, as I said, is simply a silly argument that NPR apparently had to come up with to make their silly argument that it is guns that kill people and not mental case people that kill people.