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Author Comment        
SET



Jan 12, 08 - 10:32 AM 		OWBs

I have transferred this from the Summer School thread so that a cumulative list of OWB holders can be kept. Others are welcome to put forward nominations for the OWB committee to consider.


"Now to get back to the important matter of the OWBs (Order of the Woolly Beanies). I know that is the real reason that some of you want me back.

Secondary Teacher's daughter should get a rainbow-coloured one. I don't know why. It just seems right.

Boxer's will be in red with a Billy Bragg motif (some of you will need to google Billy Bragg).

Fiona's will be a tartan one. Is there a Walker tartan? I will check. I know that they do a good shortbread in tartan tins.

Graeme can make his own choice.

I will put Greg Williams on the waiting list for one in the colours of the Dockers.

Marko, dare I say it, can have one knitted by Level 3 teachers, at least by the good ones.

Web, despite being a bit cantankerous at times, perhaps justifiably, is in line for one made out of woven silk.

Others will be considered in the coming months."
Graeme



Jan 12th, 2008 - 10:43 AM 		Re: OWBs

Black please
WARNING to new visitors



May 17th, 2008 - 11:28 AM 		Re: Re: OWBs

This thread, in its entirety, is the pinnacle of idiocy on this site.

It was created by its initiator purely to inflate his own insatiable ego, that, other than puerile sniping at others, being his primary purpose for posting on this forum, and serves only the interests of those who seek to dismiss this forum as a nothing but a stage for fools.

Don't waste your time. There are no educational issues discussed here, nor any other discussions of any worth.
Secondary Teacher



Jan 12th, 2008 - 5:47 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET - a perfect choice a "rainbow" OWB for my daughter who embarks on a Early Childhood teaching career this year - apart from being bright she has all the beauty of a rainbow!! Then of course I am biased - I wonder what she will say when she reads these postings? SET - I hope your OWB's list grows and grows - I will miss meeting you at the next Plato meeting. Marko and Greg know who I am.
SET



Jan 13th, 2008 - 12:43 PM 		Re: OWBs

Graeme, black it is.

Secondary Teacher, I'm glad that you feel that rainbow is appropriate.

One further OBW has been awarded. Bernadette deserves one for her commitment to English teaching and to her students, and not just the academic ones. I know that Bernadette had been in the vanguard of trying to improve the English COS and that there is still work to be done.

I have read some of the excellent creative writing done by Bernadette's talented children so I think Bernadette's beanie should be white with some writing on it. My suggestion is this statement:
"The world is made up of stories, not atoms.'
SET



Jan 13th, 2008 - 5:56 PM 		Re: OWBs

Bernadette, an alternative for the statement could be;
"English is made up of stories, not outcomes."
Web



Jan 13th, 2008 - 11:01 PM 		Re: OWBs

"English is made up of stories, not outcomes."

A Quote of the Month!
Bernadette



Jan 14th, 2008 - 10:30 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET, good to have you back. It's also good to hear stories called that rather than 'texts' or 'pieces of writing' or even (shudder) 'documents'. Thanks for the offer of a beanie and for the kind words about my beautiful offspring, although most people know that it is fatal to start me on the topic of my gorgeous girls ... Richard's and Greg's eyes are glazing over already. I can tell even from this distance!

Re the dreaded 'outcomes': On Saturday a teenager employed at Coles loaded my groceries in the boot and then ran up to the driver window before I took off to say he supported my Plato stickers, especially the "OBE = Dumb and Dumber". He plaintively added that his school is still 'doing OBE' but he has friends whose schools aren't.

We still have lots of battles to fight even though I know many of us are feeling very weary of it all. The 'true believers' never seem to be sacked but merely moved sideways so who can tell how much influence they still wield? We have come too far to stop now, and the victories we have had give me some heart, but I do wish it was over! The poor CoS students of 2007 had to endure so much and their teachers suffered along side them.
Web



Jan 15th, 2008 - 12:47 AM 		Re: OWBs

But I hear that a couple of Silver City's "true believers" are effectively unemployed.

Oh well, it looks like Queensland is in the market for true believers.
SET



Jan 15th, 2008 - 8:53 AM 		Re: OWBs

Further OWB nominations received:

Chris Curtis, Primary POV, Bemused, Jeff, idledim and Joy.

More details to follow.
Paul



Jan 15th, 2008 - 9:19 AM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

I notice you’ve failed to nominate yourself. Let me correct the obvious injustice. I suggest something in purple with a matching scarf and the full accoutrements - including a nice set of dangly earrings and a number six buzz-cut hairdo.
SET



Jan 15th, 2008 - 10:47 AM 		Re: OWBs

Paul, your tendency to incorrectly stereotype people, usually women, is showing. Never mind. Most of us on PLATO have grown used to your behaviour pattern.
Paul



Jan 15th, 2008 - 11:23 AM 		Re: OWBs

“your tendency to incorrectly stereotype people, usually women, is showing.”

SET,

Don’t you think the misogynist angle has just about run out of steam? – after all, my mum was a woman – hell, I even married one! Has the thought ever crossed your mind that I might see a prat as a prat, irrespective of gender?

And please, before you going carrying tales of woe and cruelty, poor old Web has enough to do without pandering to calls for posts to be dropped because someone’s over-inflated ego has been offended.
SET



Jan 16th, 2008 - 7:41 AM 		Re: OWBs

Chris Curtis, Primary POV, Bemused, Jeff, idledim and Joy,

Do you have any preferences for colour/style of your beanie or do you want me to make that decision?
Chris Curtis



Jan 16th, 2008 - 8:20 AM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

I'll let you decide the colour, as long as the wool is from a nicely treated sheep. if no nicely treated sheep is available, kevlar would be a useful substitute.
Paul



Jan 16th, 2008 - 8:29 AM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

The thought of you sitting around turning out beanies always conjures up images of Madame Defarge busily knitting away.
SET



Jan 16th, 2008 - 9:07 AM 		Re: OWBs

Paul, thanks for the inspiration.

Chris, what about one in the colour of French blue in alpaca wool?
Paul



Jan 16th, 2008 - 9:23 AM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

I wouldn’t get too inspired. If memory serves, the character eventually gets bumped off with her own gun.
SET



Jan 16th, 2008 - 11:17 AM 		Re: OWBs

Given Jeff's interest in the Thai language on another thread, his woolly beanie will have to come from Thailand.
Jeff



Jan 16th, 2008 - 11:18 AM 		Re: OWBs

SET, I would like one in the colours of the Greek flag, with a brim to keep the sun off my nose.

It doesn't have to have corks. I can add them later.
SET



Jan 16th, 2008 - 11:32 AM 		Re: OWBs

OK. Blue and white with a big brim and no corks.
Jeff



Jan 16th, 2008 - 12:00 PM 		Re: OWBs

Thanks, SET

Just to clear up the confusion, I've been learning Greek for the last 4 years and that is my destination for long-service leave in July. I'm going via Thailand to visit friends.

Of course, if you make the beanie reversible, it could have the Thai colours on the inside.
SET



Jan 16th, 2008 - 9:39 PM 		Re: OWBs

Bruce Hancy deserves an OWB for his contribution to education and for his services to PLATO. I see Bruce as quite a formally dressed character, so the beanie needs to be quite subtle, perhaps a soft grey.
SET



Jan 16th, 2008 - 9:42 PM 		Re: OWBs

idledim's beanie is easy to choose, black and white squares, like a chessboard.
Joy



Jan 16th, 2008 - 11:00 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET

I'd like my beanie made from Yak hair please, to remind me of the adventures I had in Tibet, and I'd like it jade green.

Thank you.
SET



Jan 17th, 2008 - 8:12 AM 		Re: OWBs

Thanks, Joy (OWB), these beanies are becoming more exotic every day.
Boxer



Jan 17th, 2008 - 8:48 AM 		Re: OWBs

SET could you please make mine in the style of the South American beanies, with the long, ear covering side flaps?

Make the side flaps a little longer than usual, because as an aging man, my dangly bits including ears and nose, keep getting bigger.

The wooly G string will have to wait until you've met your burgeoning order list.
Chris Curtis



Jan 17th, 2008 - 12:57 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

French blue in alpaca wool sounds nice as long as it is from nicely treated alpacas.
SET



Jan 17th, 2008 - 2:12 PM 		Re: OWBs

Boxer (OWB), I understand your desire for extra-long side flaps and your request will be accommodated. You will need to visit a specialist shop for the string item that you mentioned, but thanks for your promised patience.

Chris (OWB), no need to worry, my alpaca has been nicely treated.
Paul



Jan 17th, 2008 - 3:41 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET + a G string + a well-tended alpaca – now that brings to mind some deeply disturbing images and puts an entirely new spin on the notion of a woolly beanie.
Primary POV



Jan 17th, 2008 - 8:36 PM 		Re: OWBs

Thanks, SET, I'd like a bright yellow one to remind me to always look on the bright side.... but I'd also like it to have retractable horns for when I succumb to the dark side.
Does Clifford have a beanie? In my recent encounters with him, his posts make me think of a teddibly British chap in a pith helmet sipping a sling at the Raffles. Can you knit a pith helmet?
SET



Jan 17th, 2008 - 11:10 PM 		Re: OWBs

Primary POV, I am sure that you will find a bright yellow one beneficial. Retractable horns can be a useful accessory.

Clifford has not yet been nominated for an OWB so to my knowledge he is beanieless. I do know Clifford and I don't think a pith helmet, knitted or not, would be to his liking.
Web



Jan 18th, 2008 - 12:13 AM 		Re: OWBs

A monogram would be nice, but perhaps the nickname that I was given by Ljiljanna R, Paul A and Mike K would offend sensibilities:

@&%%$#^* ???
SET



Jan 19th, 2008 - 9:58 AM 		Re: OWBs

Web, I can do Web as a monogram. What about silver on black? I'm sorry I don't know any expletives. I would need to check with Ms Ravlich for that nickname and I'd rather not.

I haven't seen anything from Greg Schofield for a while, but he deserves an OWB for his contributions to PLATO and the English Teachers' Forum.
Paul



Jan 19th, 2008 - 11:06 AM 		Re: OWBs

“I'm sorry I don't know any expletives.”

Oh come off it SET. Unless you’ve spent your entire life in a cave I find that very hard to believe.
SET



Jan 19th, 2008 - 12:33 PM 		Re: OWBs

Irony, Paul.
Paul



Jan 19th, 2008 - 3:09 PM 		Re: OWBs

Irony, but not particularly well done.
Paul



Jan 19th, 2008 - 3:54 PM 		Re: OWBs

Perhaps the real slight is that you’ve never offered me a beanie – something woven from heavy gauge steel wool in the style of Billy Gibbons’ Nudu – Google him, I’m sure you’ll get the ‘irony’.
Joy



Jan 19th, 2008 - 4:05 PM 		Re: OWBs

Wow, lovely nudu, Paul! No wonder you would like one of those! I agree that it would suit you.
Joy



Jan 19th, 2008 - 4:10 PM 		Re: OWBs

Not sure how the steel one would look on you, Paul. I think the original style Nudu would suit you better.
Paul



Jan 19th, 2008 - 5:08 PM 		Re: OWBs

“Wow, lovely nudu, Paul! No wonder you would like one of those! I agree that it would suit you.”

Joy,

And the best part is if it’s made out of steel wool the DET can’t read your thoughts via the CIA’s Echelon system!
Joy



Jan 19th, 2008 - 6:49 PM 		Re: OWBs

I hadn't thought about that aspect of your Nudu, Paul.

I actually knew a woman who reportedly wore an aluminium tin foil cap at home sometimes, to prevent the CIA from reading her thoughts. I heard that she was interviewed on local TV about this and other issues, but I was overseas at the time, so I missed it.
Paul



Jan 19th, 2008 - 7:59 PM 		Re: OWBs

She wasn’t going out with Tom Cruise was she?
Paul



Jan 19th, 2008 - 8:19 PM 		Re: OWBs

I watched a puff-piece on the guy the other night where he was travelling around the U.S. promoting the Church of Scientology’s national education program. Talk about someone deserving of an award – the Order of the Woolly Thinking!
SET



Jan 20th, 2008 - 9:00 AM 		Re: OWBs

Two new OWB nominations: Steve Kessell and Patrick Whalen. Beanie style, material and colour yet to be determined.
Web



Jan 20th, 2008 - 11:09 PM 		Re: OWBs

They're both transplanted Yanks, but please not red, white and blue.
SET



Jan 21st, 2008 - 11:47 AM 		Re: OWBs

An OWB for Michael Findlay. The beanie will have a detachable halo.
clifford chapman



Jan 21st, 2008 - 1:53 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET, well, I must admit you seem to know me quite well but I'm not sure of where our paths crossed. A little clue would be in order, I think.

You're also right about Primary POV's suggestion but then I thought she was taking the pith.
Primary POV



Jan 21st, 2008 - 5:40 PM 		Re: OWBs

I wath.
SET



Jan 21st, 2008 - 6:14 PM 		Re: OWBs

A pithy response.
Michael Findlay



Jan 22nd, 2008 - 11:03 AM 		Re: OWBs

Thanks SET,

I'll detach the halo and lend it to you whenever you need it. Does your beanie come with a rear vision mirror?
Paul



Jan 22nd, 2008 - 11:30 AM 		Re: OWBs

Being that SET’s omnipotent I doubt he/she/it ever turns out anything with a rear-view mirror. Come on SET get that knitting machine going, where the hell is my Nudu!!!???
SET



Jan 22nd, 2008 - 12:17 PM 		Re: OWBs

English RIP, although no longer a poster on PLATO, but possibly still a reader, has been nominated for significant contributions made in relation to the English Course of Study when English teachers were under real pressure in 2006. I will put in an order for another beanie in the colours of the Dockers.
SET



Jan 24th, 2008 - 10:57 PM 		Re: OWBs

An OWB to Ken Davis for representing the Union on PLATO. The beanie will be red, perhaps tending in the direction of pink. Congratulations, Ken.
SET



Feb 3rd, 2008 - 9:03 AM 		Re: OWBs

Laurie Sutton has been nominated for an OWB for services to the teaching of mathematics in WA and for his positive contributions to the PLATO discussion forum. His beanie will be designed using applicable mathematics.
SET



Feb 9th, 2008 - 5:02 PM 		Re: OWBs

Peter Harmsworth - a great teacher and 35 years as an active Union member.
Definitely worthy of an OWB.
Paul



Feb 9th, 2008 - 8:07 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

Still waiting for my Nudu. Come on, you know the drill – knit one, pearl two.
SET



Feb 10th, 2008 - 9:52 AM 		Re: OWBs

Ian Middleton has been nominated for an OWB. It will be his choice whether or not to have the letters IEUWA on the beanie. Perhaps without the letters would be better.
SET



Feb 16th, 2008 - 11:40 AM 		Re: OWBs

Lisa has been nominated for an OWB for her persistence and resilience. I hope that she will get an ongoing position in a public school very soon. The beanie will be in optimistic, bright yellow.
Paul



Feb 16th, 2008 - 12:18 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET,

I’d argue that in Lisa’s case something in hot pink Spandex with a shag-cut top emblazoned with Twisted Sister’s famous anthem – “We’re not gunna take it, no we ain’t gunna take it, we’re not gunna take it anymore!!!”

By the way, I’m still waiting for my Nudu – Jeez, you knit slower than my grandma!
Christine Kelly



Feb 16th, 2008 - 3:14 PM 		Re: OWBs

Paul - you must be a chuckle at a barbecue!!!!!!
SET



Feb 16th, 2008 - 4:20 PM 		Re: OWBs

Christine, please don't encourage him. He hasn't even been nominated for an OWB and he keeps demanding a Nudu.
Fiona



Feb 16th, 2008 - 5:14 PM 		Re: OWBs

What IS a nudu anyway?
Paul



Feb 16th, 2008 - 5:46 PM 		Re: OWBs

“What IS a nudu anyway?”

Fiona,

Have a look at - http://www.htexas.com/feature.cfm?Story=631 Billy Gibbons is wearing a Nudu, and a mighty cool looking one at that!

“you must be a chuckle at a barbecue!!!!!!”

Christine,

These days I get invited to very few BBQ’s – the odd ritual sacrifice – but not too many BBQ’s.
Fiona



Feb 16th, 2008 - 5:50 PM 		Re: OWBs

Sorta cute. I kinda like it. I wonder if they come in tartan.
SET



Feb 16th, 2008 - 5:55 PM 		Re: OWBs

This is all very speculative. Paul has not been nominated for an OWB. Therefore, no beanie, no Nudu, not even a tam o'shanter with a red hackle.
Fiona



Feb 16th, 2008 - 6:02 PM 		Re: OWBs

Mind you, totally hypothetically speaking, of course ... IF Paul was ever to be nominated, a prickly beanie would be perfect. Maybe a prickly nudu with nasty sharp points but soft and furry on the inside (but be careful or it might turn out mushy). I wonder if Patons does one like that?
SET



Feb 16th, 2008 - 6:22 PM 		Re: OWBs

Thanks Fiona for the important qualifications you made in your last post:

" totally hypothetically speaking, of course" and "IF".
Fiona



Feb 16th, 2008 - 6:24 PM 		Re: OWBs

Oh ... an excellent idea!!!! Paul's nudu, according to my specification, could be REVERSIBLE! at the moderator's discretion!!!
Paul



Feb 16th, 2008 - 8:39 PM 		Re: OWBs

I’d settle for a Tarboosh (preferably in red though), but with an extra long tassel.
moderator



Feb 16th, 2008 - 9:27 PM 		Re: OWBs

SET