A Meteor Is Coming And We're All Going To Die

[The Old Man]

I just read this on another website...

A meteor is coming and we're all going to die, British teacher tells pupils

LONDON (AFP) - A British schoolteacher, attempting to motivate her pupils into making the most of each day, told them a meteorite was about to smash into the Earth and that they should all return home to say goodbye to their families, a report said.

The teacher at the high school in Manchester, northwest England, only realised her lecture was misjudged when many of the assembled teenagers started crying, the Sun newspaper said in its Friday edition.

According to the report, the unnamed female teacher made the announcement to around 250 pupils at St Matthew's Roman Catholic High School during their regular morning assembly.

Saying she had bad news, the teacher announced that a meteor would strike the Earth in 10 days' time, and that they should return home and say their "final farewells" to their parents.

After the crowd of 13- and 14-year-olds looked on in horror, and many burst into tears, the teacher swiftly explained that she was only trying to encourage them to "seize the day".

"Some of the children were 100 percent convinced they were going to die," the father of one child told the paper.

"God only knows what this teacher thought she was doing."

[Guest alpha]

Maybe she should of put "Dead Poets Society" on instead.

[Guest Wellington]

Hi

It always amazes me to see that pupils can genuinely understand some of what their teachers have to say. Strange enough, maths lessons are probably still looking for their way between both ears. However, given the discriminating nature of the information that finally made it to the brains (or what is left of them), I would think that around 95% of those teens were female.

Regards

PS: just kidding, ok?

[Libby]

Given that assemblies are means by which serious messages are given to the pupils, or are used to focus on tragedies and so forth, this episode leaves me feeling very angry on behalf of all those kids who were duped. I would hope that the teacher concerned gets drummed out of the profession - playing on kids' emotions about their families and friends is totally out of line.

OK, I've written much less of a rant than I really want to, so now for the somewhat less serious:

There was a programme on the box that I saw a couple of days ago about a meteorite that's heading our way. It'll get here in about 800 years time, but scientists are working on it. Various strategies had been put forward, but apparently the main problem is that it's made of the wrong kind of rock. (UKers will spot the reference there.) It's basically pumice, so if you fire a nuclear missile at it, it's so soft the meteorite will just absorb it. It seems the best method is to focus the sun's energy on it, which will burn a hole and the escaping gasses will move it into a different trajectory. Cue f*rt jokes.

[Guest Seraphim]

To be fair, most math is pointless so them not paying attention to that is okies. This reminds me of that "Aussie Bloke" Meteor/Comet/Dust Cloud scare back in June/July.

Edit:

A poster (Using the name Aussie Bloke) at several astronomy, conspiracy, and doomsday forums, claimed to be an astronomer and that soon three objects would impact the Earth. This was given as the reason for so many naval exercise over the summer, the lack of moral and ethical pressence in attacking Iraq, etc.. He claimed they knew about it for years, but were hiding it from the public. It caused quite a stir. The individual gave hints to his identity, which lead to a retired Australian Astronomer, who was quite upset someone had been impersonating him.

Edited November 19, 2004 by Seraphim

[Raven Wolf]

.....You do realize of course, that if this had happened in the US, she probably would be in prison by now....? (J/K)

[Guest black_panic]

As an (unpleasant) child, I played a Doomsday trick on one of my fellow pupils at school. I told him that the UK was being invaded by 'Schneizer ants' (well, we were only 11) which were huge and lethal, and that nobody could stop them. Several of my classmates saw the joke, and we all independently corroborated each others stories, even telling him that our relatives were in the armed forces, and that stories were being kept out of the newspapers to prevent panic. The poor guy (who used to be a boarder at the school) ended up going to the head teacher to ask permission to go home and warn his mother. Amazingly, he forgave me after a couple of weeks, and we are still friends (although he has conveniently forgotten the episode).

I also remember in the same year a warning that the world would end (on February 4th, I think it was) and being terrified - this was something to do with an alignment of the planets, I believe.

Man-made armageddon seemed close by for a long time. Its very easy for those who did not live through the Cold War (or were too young to appreciate what was going on) about the real fear many people had concerning nuclear war. A few times, we thought that might be coming, too. There's definitely something creepy about exploring the physical structures that date from the Cold War, like Royal Observer Corps buried bunkers, or underground radar control rooms. I often do this as part of my work as an archaeologist, and it still gives me the shudders when I think how real this all was.

[voidprime]

Doomsday tricks?! I always wanted to visit some underground bunkers.

Be Seeing You,

David Blackwell

[The Old Man]

Yeah me too! In fact we have one nearby in Cheshire I meant to go to last summer. I saw the roads signs for "Secret Bunker" which made me laugh! I read up on it and its was a legit cold war bunker that's been opened for the public. If the comet comes, I'll be in there - not. Me, I'd go stand in the garden and wait.

[Walkabout]

I agree except I'd be watchin my Millennium DVD's, dining on pizza and sippin a cold one.. and go out with a