IggyTheSmidge

u/IggyTheSmidge@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.

Terry Pratchett - Thief of Time

I'm not sure of its origins in the US, but 'spastic' used to be the term for someone with cerebral palsy - there was a UK charity called 'The Spastics Society'.

Over time 'spastic' (and the slang term 'spaz') began to be used as a pejorative, and was dropped from official use.

The charity rebranded to 'Scope' sometime in the early 90s.

If you're curious as to the level various books are rated as, you can look them up on AR Bookfinder

The ATOS Book Level is more helpful than the Lexile score - a Book Level of 4.3 (for example) means that a child should be able to read and comprehend that book by the 3rd month of Grade 4.

(The full site is a subscription thing - kid reads book, does 10 question test on book. Kid consistently shows they've understood the books they've read and the site recommends books of a higher level. The catalogue is free, though.)

From the article:

The pipe's unexpected elevation from the ground occurred at a sewer construction site where workers had been connecting an existing sewer line with a channel designed to hold excess rainwater to prevent flooding.

The pipe was being used as a retaining structure to keep the surrounding soil from collapsing during the operation, officials said. A short time earlier, workers had drained water from the pipe, which may have caused the empty apparatus to float, they said.

Ambassador Mollari: Tell me, is there anyone along our border with whom we are not currently at war?

Lord Refa: We need the room to expand.

Ambassador Mollari: Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts.

Only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts.

Babylon 5 - Ceremonies of Light and Dark