August 30, 2006
Sockmonkey dress #2
Another one, with strategically placed monkey faces.
Originally uploaded by Mamluke.
The Sock Monkey Dress
And Michelle's birthday is in a few weeks. Hmmm....
August 29, 2006
MSN can't even handle the Rockstar voting
The voting mechanism for Rockstar Supernova has been down for about 20 minutes. I got 4 or 5 votes in for Magni before I started getting VB errors from the web site when I submitted my vote.
Permalink | Comments (4)Non Partisan Church Going Conservatives?
What's wrong with this?
Generation Joshua and the National Center for Home Education (NCHE), divisions of HSLDA, are pleased to announce the 2006 Voter Registration Initiative (VRI). Launched in 2004, the VRI is a non-partisan program designed to increase voter participation and voter turnout among church-going Christian conservatives.
What exactly is a non-partisan church going Christian conservative? If you'll excuse my language, this press release is a crock of shit. There is nothing non-partisan about Generation Joshua and NCHE. They are tools of the Republican party, pure and simple.
A critical part of this mission includes getting churches and their congregations actively involved in the political process. In 2001, a Pew Research poll showed that of the 59 million self-proclaimed evangelicals of voting age in America, less then 60 percent were registered to vote, and only 25 percent actually voted. With this paltry participation, it is not surprising that we have lost the pro-life battle for 30 years and are struggling to stop the onslaught of homosexual marriage.
The onslaught of homosexual marriage? Onslaught is defined as a violent attack. So gay marriage is now a violent attack on Christianity? WTF happened to love they neighbor? It must be the mysterious 11th commandment that proclaims none of this applies to gays.
A 10 percent increase in voter participation from America’s churches would mean 6 million more voters casting ballots for hundreds of candidates who believe in homeschooling, life for the unborn, and in marriage between one man and one woman. Imagine the impact this would have on our political landscape and the laws affecting the family.
I'm imaging it all right, and the scares the crap out of me.
To make this vision of church participation a reality, we are calling on all homeschool families to become voter registration coordinators for their churches. A church coordinator’s job is simply to obtain permission and cooperation from your church leadership, and conduct a voter registration drive on at least one Sunday before October. We have made this task easy with step-by-step instructions that include how to talk to your pastor, the rules about conducting voter registration drives in churches, and how to set up a voter registration table at a Sunday service.
I wonder what happens to the registrations from people that "look" liberal?
In addition, Generation Joshua and NCHE have designated September 10 and 17, “National Voter Registration Sundays.”
But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.
Sound familiar? Voter registration drives on Sundays are a sin. So what we have here is HSLDA willing to risk an eternity in hell to pursue political power. I guess that shows where their priorities really are.
I'm sure Cav has a nice place picked out for Farris and his ilk.
Permalink | Comments (3)Porkbusters & The Secret Hold
If you haven't been following the drama...
A bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate that would require Congress to create an easy to use web database of every grant and earmark in the budget. The ultimately in government transparency.
In a delicious twist of irony, some Senator used an obscure rule that allowed him to place a secret hold on the bill, which keeps it from coming up to a full vote. That's right, the government transparency bill is being held up by a secret hold.
Led by Porkbusters, bloggers of all political persuasions have been calling their senators and getting outright denials that they are the source of the hold. They are down to 9 suspects, 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats.
My money is on Sen. Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens. If you Senator is still a suspect, please consider making a call. The details on the bill are on the Porkbusters page.
Permalink | Comments (2)I have a whole new respect for Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson + Alcohol + an 80's metal cover band = Hilarity (NSFW)
via Jay
Permalink | Comments (2)August 28, 2006
High School as the 9 Circles of Hell
Read it and weep, or laugh, or both. She didn't mean it as an advertisement for home education, but it sort of works as one.
via Joanne Jacobs
Permalink | Comments (1)Homework sucks
I don't need to read the books to confirm what I already know to be true.
Both books cite studies, surveys, statistics, along with some hair-raising anecdotes, on how a rising tide of dull, useless assignments is oppressing families and making kids hate learning.
They are, of course, talking about homework sent home after Junior has already been in school for 6-8 hours that day. However, it is nice to see that the tide may be turning.
Permalink | Comments (4)August 27, 2006
Best.Prom.Ever
An Australian high school senior writes a letter to Ms. Universe asking her to the prom...and she says yes?
The Bud Light commercial practically writes itself, Mr. I asked Ms. Universe to the prom and she said yes guy.
All those blog posts about Jennifer Garner wasted. I should have just written her a letter!
Permalink | Comments (0)August 25, 2006
I Love The Internets
Frank Zappa on Crossfire from 20 years ago, debating censorship and rock music. This is great.
Very interestingly, 20 years ago, on that episode of Crossfire, Zappa said, "The biggest threat to America today is the movement towards a fascist theocracy."
Permalink | Comments (2)James Hill For Congress
I am the only drunken Pirate seeking office in this great nation.
And at that point I decided I would vote for him, if I could. He is running in the 1st district of Iowa.
Don, Christine, is that your neighborhood?
Permalink | Comments (3)Skip's First Ride
Today was the first day Delaney has been able to ride Skip since we brought him home last Saturday. Monday and Tuesday were get acclimated days, Wednesday was teeth floating day, Thursday was the farrier, and today she finally got him under saddle.
There were no problems at all. His under saddle manners are better than his ground manners.
He also was turned out with the herd for the first time last night. He had a couple of bite marks, which is to be expected, but otherwise that was uneventful too.
Permalink | Comments (0)Yeah Virginia!
The Secret Service wanted the Virginia DOT to shut down the HOV lanes on 95 South to make it easier for President Bush to get to a George Allen fundraiser. That would have created traffic disaster.
VA said no.
Permalink | Comments (0)August 24, 2006
The Terrorists are Winning
Bruce Schneier has published an important essay which points out what should be obvious. Every time we react with terror, the terrorists win. Blowing up planes is a tactic. Their goal is to destabilize western civilization, and quite frankly they seem to be doing one hell of a job.
Let's face it, the battery in my Dell laptop poses a greater threat to my safety than does any terrorist.
But our job is to remain steadfast in the face of terror, to refuse to be terrorized. Our job is to not panic every time two Muslims stand together checking their watches. There are approximately 1 billion Muslims in the world, a large percentage of them not Arab, and about 320 million Arabs in the Middle East, the overwhelming majority of them not terrorists. Our job is to think critically and rationally, and to ignore the cacophony of other interests trying to use terrorism to advance political careers or increase a television show's viewership.Permalink | Comments (1)
August 23, 2006
What Are You People Thinking?
Magni in the bottom three, again? I realize the average voter on Rockstar is probably 16, but damn. Magni is by far the best choice to be fronting Supernova. I'm not even sure that there is a close 2nd place. I guess I'll have to start voting next week.
Permalink | Comments (4)Social Issues Are All Noise
I'm not sure I completely understand this, but the writer claims that his charts prove that the Senate votes almost purely on economic considerations, thus all the talk of social issues is just noise because it never actually flows through the legislative agenda.
Permalink | Comments (2)Desert Snake?
California King snakes aren't supposed to need or want water in their living environment. Their natural habitat is the CA desert.
Blackbeard didn't get the message. He frequently spends 1/2 the day hanging out in his water bowl.
He also spends a lot of time hanging out on the fake tree branches in his cage.
California King snakes don't climb.
10 Skills For the Real World
Guy Kawasaki provides this list of stuff you'll need to know in the real world. I pretty much agree with it all.
How to talk to your boss.
How to survive a meeting that’s poorly run.
How to run a meeting.
How to figure out anything on your own.
How to negotiate.
How to have a conversation.
How to explain something in thirty seconds.
How to write a one-page report.
How to write a five-sentence email.
How to get along with co-workers.
How to figure out anything on your own is a pet peeve of mine. In every job, I end up functioning as the tech support for sales. And I constantly get stuck helping other sales people do really simple stuff with their computers. Stuff that they could figure out on their own with very little effort. This is not an issue with my current job - yet another benefit of working from home.
August 22, 2006
Don't Download This Song
Weird Al has released a song titled Don't Download This Song. It's a schmaltzy, We Are The World style ballad that is absolutely atrocious, and I'm 100% certain that is all part of the joke.
Sample Lyric:
Don't take away money From artists just like me
How else can I afford Another solid gold Humvee.
The download is a DRM free MP3.
I bet a Weird Al concert would be fun.
Permalink | Comments (4)Ask an Expert at Best Buy
Even though I am an uber-nerd, I'm horrible at explaining tech stuff to people that think of the truck first when they hear the word Ram.
So, if you fit into that category, or know somebody that does, there are others more willing and able to help.
AskABlueShirt.com is the web site of Best Buy's Blue Shirts - specialists in consumer electronics who provide knowledge on the latest trends, products and services to make the shopping experience fun and easy. If you can't make it to the store to get your questions answered, you can use AskABlueShirt.com.
In anticipation of going back to school, AskABlueShirt.com is hosting three chats so people can Q&A with a Blue Shirt on such a wide array of topics as laptops, software, digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs – anything. The chats are scheduled for:
Sunday August 27th from 8 - 8:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday August 29th from 9 - 9:30 p.m. ET
Thursday August 31st from 1 - 1:30 p.m. ET
So there you go. Now leave me alone, and stay off my lawn!
Permalink | Comments (0)links for 2006-08-22
August 21, 2006
Nerds!
Ahem.
I left Ron in the dust.
Permalink | Comments (9)We're Saved!
The Zero Boss introduced me to Carlton Pearson, a Christian minister who until recently had a booming mega church bringing in $50,000 a week in collections. What did he he do to lose it you ask? He had a revelation that Jesus died for everybody. There is no hell, so we are all going to Heaven. No knowledge of the secret Christian handshake is required.
Most of his parishioners left. Apparently they aren't willing to share Heaven with the likes of The Dalai Lama, or Ghandi.
Permalink | Comments (6)links for 2006-08-21
August 20, 2006
Exodus Decoded
I watched a fascinating documentary tonight on The History Channel, that purports to prove that the events depicted in Exodus really did happen.
Exodus Decoded places the Exodus at around 1500 BCE, and ties the volcanic eruption of Santorini to the 10 plagues that cursed Egypt. They provide a "scientific" explanation for all 10 plagues, as well as the miraculous parting of the sea.
They have to tinker with the accepted time line a bit to make it all work. The scientific story for the plagues seemed plausible enough. I have a real problem with the idea that the filmmaker is the first person in 3500 years that is smart enough to identify the real Mt. Sinai, especially since the evidence (mountain overlooking a huge plateau, evidence of a mountain top spring) aren't exactly the types of things that the whole world would overlook for 3 centuries. The gold trinkets hiding in plain view in a Greek museum, that he claims show the Ark of the Covenant from a view only Moses would have ever seen, are also a bit of a stretch.
The filmmaker alludes several times to an Egyptian conspiracy to hide evidence of the Exodus, as it would strengthen Israel's position in the region. Conspiracy theories are 2 strikes against your credibility in my book. Also, he alludes to the idea that the scientific explanation for everything might just show that God chose to manipulate nature to help Moses lead the Israelites to the promised land.
So, I'm supposed to feel better that God initiated a volcano 700 km away from Egypt, wiping out the Minoan civilization in the process, and setting off 10 plagues that killed untold numbers of innocent Egyptians, all to force one Pharaoh to allow Moses to lead the slaves out of the country?
Wouldn't have it been a lot easier to dangle the Pharaoh over a cliff until he said uncle, or something?
Permalink | Comments (4)Nifty Thunderbird trick
If you go to Options / General you can edit the location of the start page that appears in Thunderbird (or you can turn it off completely). However, if you and your wife have separate computers, and you edit the start page location on her computer to point to a file that you have remote access to, you'll be able to change her start up message anytime you want.
Not that I would do something like that ;)
Permalink | Comments (1)August 19, 2006
Anniversary Haiku
Fifteen years, it's been
I bought her clogs, and a horse.
Trophy wife, she is. :)
August 18, 2006
Today's Potty Humor brought to you by MLB
I am not making this up. The starting pitchers for the 1 PM Red Sox - Yankees game today are Wang and Johnson.
Go Red Sox, or in this case, let's hope for a big game from Johnson. Or maybe we should hope for Wang to come up short.
Permalink | Comments (4)Many Christian college freshmen are not Christian 4 years later
Is anybody really surprised that 4 years of freedom out from under mom and dad's thumb will open a kid's eyes to the world? The really interesting question is how many of the kids return to the church 5 or 10 years later? College is probably more disconnected from the real world than high school is. Can 4 years of wine, women, and song really deprogram the first 18 years at home?
Coming tomorrow, an HSLDA press release on the crisis on college campuses. The only way to insure that your saved child stays saved is to send him to PHC!
BTW, the fark headline on this was brilliant. Higher education: deprogramming fundies since 1790
Permalink | Comments (2)links for 2006-08-18
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heh. Good one
August 17, 2006
MySpace is the new AOL
Welcome to the first official post in the Pop Culture for Homeschoolers category. The 5 or 6 other homeschooling parents not afraid to admit they like pop culture now have a home. The rest of you (and I know you are reading) can keep up on the buzz without anybody knowing you keep up on the buzz. I may can the catgory though. It occurs to me that in a lot of ways, this entire blog is Pop Culture for Homeschoolers.
Today's topic - Myspace.com. It's an insanely popular blogging / social networking site that your teenager is hanging out on. For all the press and outright hysteria that I've seen on some blogs regarding the danger of Myspace, it's really quite simple to explain.
It is AOL circa 2000. It really is that simple. In 2000, teenagers were staying up all night obsessively hanging out in AOL chat rooms. In 2006 they obsessively update their Myspace blog. In 2000 preachers were warning parents about the dangers of AOL. In 2006 Myspace is the boogie man. In 2010 I'm sure Myspace will be old news, in decline, and some new boogie man will emerge.
However, unlike some people, I don't make this crap up as I go. I invested a couple of hours to set up a Myspace page, poke around the system, and figure out how it works. It does do an amazing job of guiding you through the process of building a profile page. The community building aspects are pretty cool, automatically linking you with others from your high school / college / fraternity, etc. Specifying "home school" as my school brought up the list of juvenile detention homes in VA. I thought that was pretty funny. It should recognize homeschool as a school though. Homeschoolers would then be would be able to hook up (virtually speaking) with other homeschoolers in the area. That would probably be pretty cool for the teenager crowd. The rest of the social networking stuff is built around music, movies, etc. The kind of stuff the young ones care about.
The privacy controls looked to be adequate. Of course, nobody is forcing the teens to use them. However, nothing posted in the base set up process is particularly harmful. Name, city, interests, school, etc is all generally available information. It's not like it asked for my social security number and blood type.
My profile has been up for about a week. Since then I've received 3 unsolicited emails.
1. A band that is playing Fredericksburg this weekend. I thought that was pretty cool.
2. A friend request from some female out west. I assume everybody gets that one.
3. A mortgage spam.
So, basically, it's a lot like regular email :)
The bottom line is that there is nothing about Myspace that is more harmful or more dangerous than AOL, or any other Internet space. The exact same common sense precautions that apply on AOL apply on Myspace. Don't stress over it, and go check out my profile. I need some friends :)
Permalink | Comments (8)Star Wars III - A Lost Hope
Featuring the R2-D2 mobile EPT unit, and the Sphere of Fear. It's six minutes of geek humor. Enjoy.
Permalink | Comments (0)New Addition to the Family
This is Skip. We bring him home on Saturday. He is a 5 year old registered Paint horse. We are thinking he can probably be double registered as a Palomino too, if we want to do that.
He cost 2X the retail value of my car. However, that is more a statement on the relative worth of my car than it is the horse :)
I'd go into great detail on what we learned on the road to this point, but I'm saving it for the book.
You think I'm kidding about the book...
August 16, 2006
Irrefutable proof of FSM
I report, you decide.
Permalink | Comments (3)American Pie, an analysis
Continuing on the music theme, I present this analysis of American Pie, by Washington Post humor columnist Gene Weingarten. I believe he is pretty much correct on this.
Permalink | Comments (0)Rockstar Supernova
Is anybody else watching Rockstar Supernova? I never really got into it last year when INXS was the band, but this year it has been a jolly good hour of TV each week. This season the band is Supernova, which is Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Jason Newsted (Metallica), and Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses). They have never actually played a gig, as they won't have a lead singer until the competition is over.
For those of you not in the know, it's sort of like American Idol, except that the prize is a job as the lead singer for the band doing the judging. They also wisely only let the audience select the bottom 3 each week, with the band deciding who goes home. A couple of things that I've noticed is that the singers are a much more diverse group than you will ever see on AI, and the band gives way better feedback and advice than the clown judges on American Idol. Also, when you listen to the band speak, you realize that although they may be high school dropouts, these guys are not dumb. You don't become a multi-millionaire in the music business without at least understanding the music business.
There is probably some connection to home education there, but I'm too lazy to make it.
And that is today's Pop Culture for Homeschoolers moment on ODonnellWeb ;)
Hey, that would be a cool regular feature!
Permalink | Comments (4)links for 2006-08-16
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Their definition of metal appears to include about 8 bands, and they seem compelled to include just about every album those bands released, which fills up a Top 50 list rather quickly. How the hell do you do a Top 50 of metal and not include a single Judas Priest
August 15, 2006
South Carolina, Here We Come
According to this survey, the place I really want to live is Greenville, SC. My top 10 look like this:
Greenville, SC
Tulsa, OK
Chattanooga, TN
Clarksville, TN
Charleston, SC
Jacksonville, FL
Knoxville, TN
Johnson City, TN
Jackson, MS
Athens, GA
Not a bad list, although I think I would prefer the cooler temps of the mountains to the heat and humidity of Greenville. I'm not sure I could put up with all the UGA crap in Athens for long though. Tulsa seems out of place among all the SE towns. However, I've never been to OK, so maybe I would love it there. I have no idea. I'm sure Delaney would enjoy living out in the horse country of the west.
Permalink | Comments (12)August 14, 2006
More bad homeschooling advice
Ezine Articles is just a bonanza of poorly written, factually incorrect advice. Consider How Long Is A Homeschool Year?
Parents have several explanations and justifications why they homeschool their children. They have concerns regarding the safety of their children, the quality of education that is offered in public schools, the expensive cost of private schooling and the struggle of the child to keep up with the entire class.
That's actually a decent opening paragraph. But wait, it gets worse.
Parents usually feel defenseless when their kids come home from school with accounts of emotional cruelty from peers, labeling them as "slow learners".
Do only parents of slow learners homeschool? Or maybe he thinks it's only parents of slow learners that need his advice? Who exactly is he writing for?
Now comes the advice part.
Your child will need a certain study area that is quiet, with few or no distractions at all. Study time should be scheduled well for each day.
If we wanted well scheduled study time we could just leave them in school.
Display a focused attitude towards your child; this is essential, as your child needs to realize that you are committed and enjoying your time together rather than irritable or unsatisfied with your child's shortcomings.
Apparently, the author thinks all homeschool parents are idiots.
You must reward, stimulate and encourage your child to create an affirmative emotional and informative experience. You must provide your child with basic school materials such as textbooks, globe, encyclopedia and dictionary. Consider also the resources the internet can deliver as an addition to your homeschooling program; the net offers information that continues to grow.
If you didn't learn it from a textbook, you didn't learn it. Or something like that. And what is this Internet he speak of? Should I have heard of that?
Have a supply of educational games of different varieties, art materials and supplies and reading books, in an accessible place. After your homeschool hours your kids can play games, do crafts, and read books independently.
THERE WILL BE NO GAME PLAYING DURING SCHOOL TIME. AND DON'T EVEN THINK OF OPENING A BOOK. SCHOOL TIME IS FOR LEARNING, NOT READING. ARE WE CLEAR ON THIS?
In order to begin the lesson planning process, you have to determine your timetable or what is the school year for your homeschool.
What are these lesson plans he speaks of?
First of all, know the total number of "school days" in the school year.
And while you are at it, you should probably also know the velocity of an unladen swallow.
When you have already resolved and finalized which days is more, that of the lowest number of your State's or your longest duration of curriculum, then you can determine the "total number of days" in your homeschool year. This is then the total amount of days that you should base your lesson plans upon.
I'm more interested in the total amount of useful information in this article. I think that answer is zero, none, nada.
Joshua Poyoh is the creator of http://homeschoolingreport.com. He writes and researches into the area of the information on home schooling law
Actually he writes worthless articles in a lame attempt to make money on Google ads.
Permalink | Comments (4)August 13, 2006
That was a short show.
Crossposted and edited from Horseshues.
We got up at 5 AM for a show today and were on the show grounds at 7:15 AM. Delaney took Shado to the ring with a lunge line, and before they even got started Shado stepped on the lunge line, then pulled his head up, thus snapping the stud chain down around his snout. He cut himself lightly, not really a big deal. Except that the cut was right where the outside ring of the bit sits on him.
Delaney, after starting to tack him up, decided that he was way too uncomfortable around the nose and mouth to be putting a bit on him. So that was that. We scratched all her classes and were back at the farm by 8:15. Not exactly what we had planned for today. Instead of a relaxing day at the show, I mowed the yard and changed the oil in both vehicles.
By the way, I hope there is a special place in hell for the guy they signed off on the location of the oil filter on a 5.7 liter HEMI. This will be the last time I do my own oil change on the truck. The location of the filter makes it impossible to get the filter off without dumping half a quart of oil all over the place. You have to twist and turn and snake the filter around several other parts to get it out. It's sort of hard to keep the oil in the filter while doing that.
So in summary, the 10 year old daughter showed remarkable poise, judgment, and maturity in putting horses needs before her desire to show today, especially in light of the fact that this was probably her last show with Shado. The vet check on her horse is Wed, and assuming all goes well, I'll be bringing him home next Saturday. Dad learned that the $14 I save doing my own oil changes is not worth it for the truck.
Permalink | Comments (0)Ricky Gervais Reads from Genesis
If I have to explain who Ricky Gervais is, you might be on the wrong blog.
Permalink | Comments (3)August 12, 2006
links for 2006-08-12
August 11, 2006
I'm one of the 75 most famous celebrities on the Internet
I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.
Permalink | Comments (3)The Seven Undeniable Truths of Homeschooling
The only thing undeniable about these is that they are undeniably wrong.
Seven Undeniable Truths of Homeschooling
1) Homeschooling is not alternative education. We were here first and we've been here the longest.
Leeches are undeniably not alternative medicine. They were here first and they've been here the longest.
98% of kids in the US go to school. We are alternative, very alternative. In fact, the more alternative we stay, the better off we are. The more mainstream homeschooling is, the more pressure there is on government to regulate us.
2) Every parent homeschools - but some parents homeschool more than others.
Isn't this the kind of thing school parents say when they are feeling inadequate? Not to mention a lot of homeschoolers (myself included) expend a lot of time trying to keep the distinction between homeschooling and cyberschooling clear. This attitude does not help.
3) Parents are accountable directly to God for the education of their children.
Wouldn't this require all homeschoolers to be Christian? In the real world, not everybody wears a denim jumper and prays for breakfast. In fact, it would seem to be the absolute height of arrogance to suggest that with all the war, disease and famine in the world, God is neglecting those issues for even a nano second to worry about your kid's education.
4) Homeschooling produces by far the best academics.
Except in the cases where it doesn't, like if you are teaching your kid that the earth is 6000 years old and humans just spontaneously showed up one day.
5) Homeschooling produces by far the best socialization.
Socialization is a not a product, it is a process. A process that never ends. If you approach homeschooling as a way to turn out a product just like yourself, you are more than likely going to fail. People don't work that way.
6) Homeschooling produces by far the best values.
Except in those cases where it doesn't. For example, the numerous homeschoolers teaching their children bigotry against gays.
7) Homeschooling is by far the best for parents as well as for their children.
Except in those cases when it's not. See Yates, Andrea.
Found on a blog that would probably be offended by a trackback from the dark side of the Internet, so I just won't bother.
Update: On second thought, not crediting the source is really a very uncool thing to do. If they don't like it, they can delete the blog post. It wouldn't be the first time somebody did that to avoid even a hyperlink association with me :)
Permalink | Comments (13)There is no IBB in Little League
In a nine- and 10-year-old PONY league championship game in Bountiful, Utah, the Yankees lead the Red Sox by one run. The Sox are up in the bottom of the last inning, two outs, a runner on third. At the plate is the Sox' best hitter, a kid named Jordan. On deck is the Sox' worst hitter, a kid named Romney. He's a scrawny cancer survivor who has to take human growth hormone and has a shunt in his brain.
So, you're the coach: Do you intentionally walk the star hitter so you can face the kid who can barely swing?
This is a real story, the ending is at SI.com.
For me this is very easy. Your job as a little league coach is like being a minor league coach in the pros. Job 1 is to develop players, while trying to win. However, when those two conflict, developing players always takes presidence. Romney's health or baseball skill level does not even matter. You don't intentionally walk anybody in Little League. Your pitcher will be better off regardless of what happens with Jordan. If he is going to improve as a pitcher it will be by facing the best the opposition has to offer.
via Baseball Musings, where the comments are active on this one.
Permalink | Comments (1)August 10, 2006
Why do I believe there is more to this story?
Overzealous House Inspector Becomes ‘Family Inspector’
An HSLDA homeschool member family in El Paso recently put their house on the market. As is the usual process with selling a house, the family contacted an inspector to assess the house for any possible problems. Little did they know what they were getting themselves into!
Their house inspector went above and beyond inspecting the house by inspecting the family as well!
After examining the house, the inspector apparently called Child Protective Services, stating that the family was unfit to care for their children since he had found their furnace to be slightly leaking, a broken vent pipe, and had some concern over the fact that they had a battery storage system and a windmill.
To really add insult to injury, the tipster added “and the family is homeschooling!”
When the social worker showed up on the family’s doorstep, the family, aghast, phoned the Home School Legal Defense Association for help. Attorney Chris Klicka took the call and spoke with the social worker, explaining that the family did not have any environmental hazards. The family had fixed their furnace and vent pipe as soon as the inspector alerted them of needed repairs. Klicka explained that the battery storage and windmill is all part of the backup emergency system for providing power for the family. He explained that this was a reasonable and important system, and that he knew of several families who owned such a system.
Klicka followed up the phone call with a letter explaining that the family was conducting a legal and valid homeschool program, but that it should not even matter since compulsory attendance laws do not even apply in the summertime.
In addition, Klicka advised the family to send the social worker several references from individuals they knew would vouch for the safe condition of their home, and the good care of their children.
Needless to say we have not heard from the social worker since, and the family has not referred any of their friends to this particular house inspector.
Since when does the seller shell out for a home inspection on their own house? Not only is it a waste of money (as the buyer will be doing it anyway), it also opens up the family to legal liability on the sale of the home. Real estate sales (at least in VA) require the seller to disclose any known defects. If the inspector tells you your roof needs to be replaced, you are legally bound to disclose that. If you don't know that, it is up to the sellers inspector to make that determination. Home inspections are more art than science, 2 people will have very different opinions on the same house.
Further, if you are smart enough to install a windmill and battery system for power backup, why the hell do you have to run to HSLDA for a simple explanation of your rights in the least regulated state in the country? It really wasn't even a homeschool issue anyway.
And finally, why has this family not sued the inspector, and the firm he works for, into bankruptcy?
Something about this story is just not passing the smell test. It's possible the inspector was just a busybody that was meddling where he didn't belong. However, given the condition of many "move in ready" homes I've looked at over the years, this inspector had to have seen far far worse, unless maybe this was his first week on the job.
Anybody in Texas familiar with this story?
Permalink | Comments (7)links for 2006-08-10
August 09, 2006
The Why Homeschool Blog Can Not Be Trusted
If you are trying to set yourself apart as some sort of trusted source for the homeschool community, it doesn't help when the author of the site deletes a long comment thread that she not only participated in, but actively encouraged, then puts up a bogus explanation about off topic comments. Every single comment in that thread as of late this afternoon was right on point. In fact, it was remarkably civil and on topic, for a 20 comment thread about teenagers and sex.
How can you trust anything these people write at this point?
Permalink | Comments (6)Announcing One Sentence
Laze, the creative genius behind the Daily Ping, ADDReviews, and Political Bumpers, proudly announces his newest project, One Sentence. It's real life stories, told in one sentence. Check it out, and contribute your own story.
Permalink | Comments (1)August 08, 2006
Flying Spaghetti Monster - The Game
Hat tip: The Homeschool Cafe.
Permalink | Comments (4)The Kennedys - Songs from the Open Road
I distinctly remember writing this review last night - I guess I forgot to actually publish it. Anyway, The Kennedys are back, this time with a CD full of jangly folk cover tunes from the 60s to present. Unlike the Susanna Hoffs effort though, The Kennedys infuse these songs with their own spirit, and it mostly works very well. If you like happy fun jangly folk pop tunes, or like the classic folk pop of the 60s (Byrds, etc) then you will dig this record.
The record is not officially released until Oct 3, but through this special Internet offer, you can order it off their web site today. Don't expect them to throw in a set of Ginsu knives though :)
Permalink | Comments (0)Man Bashing at Why Homeschool
The reality is that many men, if given the opportunity and right circumstances, would sexually assault a women.
According to RAINN, the current rape rate is less than 1 women in a thousand. That is still 1 in a 1000 too many, but to imply that the average girl / women is in mortal danger of being raped just from everyday life activities is plain loony.
Honestly, I may just have to kill all my homeschool search feeds. Reading this crap is just too depressing.
Permalink | Comments (8)links for 2006-08-08
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The learning never ends...
August 07, 2006
Date Rape is the girl's fault
According to at least one homeschool blogger in the comments at the Cates, a teenage girl who was dancing provocatively had it coming when she was raped several days later.
Here is the comment in full.
I was chaperoning a Ninth grade dance one time. One of my "pet" students was danicing in that overtly sexual style. Obviously, I told her that the dancing was inappropriate, but I also told her that the boys were looking at the way she moved her body and seeing all the different ways they could have sex with her. She didn't believe me. About two weeks later she missed a couple of days of school. When she came back, she told me she had been date-raped.
Girls can be dangerously unaware of the consequences of their provocative actions.
Is there any way to read that where is doesn't say the girl had it coming?
Good fucking grief. It's 2006 and people still have a "she had it coming" attitude when a teenage girl is raped? People have been dancing suggestively for thousands of years, usually while worshiping some God or another. It doesn't justify anything. The girl can bump and grind all night and the boy may reasonably expect that he is getting lucky, however he is entitled to nothing more than a cold shower if it doesn't work out that way.
Permalink | Comments (4)Rock music does not cause sex
Teenagers listen to obnoxious rock music. Teenagers have sex. This does not mean that rock music causes sex. The Washington Post is not a reliable source for this subject.
Correlation, not causation.
via Why Homeschool and The Thinking Mother
If sexually suggestive music caused sex I should have been scoring like nobody's business in high school. I listened to a steady diet of Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Ratt, Prince, etc in high school.
Permalink | Comments (1)This advice is worth exactly what you are paying for it
Yet another self-proclaimed expert has published some homeschooling advice.
Choosing your homeschool curriculum is by far the most important foundation of homeschooling. I strongly suggest buying a prepackaged curriculum for your base curriculum. A prepackaged curriculum will give you lesson by lesson, step by step, strategies and resources for your lesson plans. Let’s face it, we’re not super heroes. We can’t possibly know everything in every grade level and every subject area. A prepackaged curriculum will give you a great ‘core’ foundation on which to teach your child.
Those millions of kids getting a wonderful education every year without a connect-the-dots curriculum must be a figment of my imagination.
Make sure to get a curriculum that encompasses all core subject areas for your child/ren. Core subject areas include math, science, social studies, language arts and reading. A bonus would be to find a program that includes music, art, and P.E. as well.
Pushing the kids out the door doesn't count as PE? Do I really need step by step instructions for that? Somehow, I don't think this "expert" would accept my son's introduction to 80s metal as an acceptable music class.
Make sure that all lesson plans are included in your prepackaged curriculum. Some curriculum even includes workbooks, testing, and select materials. Many companies will even allow you to view samples of their curriculum prior to purchase
I'm surprised she didn't recommend hiring a teacher to come in and do all the teaching. Obviously, us parents not holding education degrees are woefully unqualified to make any decisions on our own.
Know what you are getting into upfront. Will there be extra curriculum or materials to purchase? What about workbooks? Are they included? Ask the company to provide you a complete list of what is included in the curriculum or kit that you are buying.
This advice provided for the benefit of people who have never ever purchased anything in their lives.
Keep in mind that curriculum will be your biggest expense in your homeschool budget and sometimes cheaper is not always better. Research the value that you will be getting for your money with all curriculums you are interested in.
Yeah, cause the schools spend a fortune on curriculum and look how well that is working out.
People ask me if they can homeschool their child without buying prepackaged curriculum. The answer is “YES”. However, I would highly advise against it. As a former teacher in the public school district, I realize that having a strong curriuclum foundation base is key to your child’s education.
I had this figured out in the first paragraph. I have no doubt that SHE is incapable of working without a connect-the-dots prepackaged lesson plan.
Supplemental curriculum or lesson plan swapping and sharing, is excellent to add to your child/rens curriculum. Use your core prepackaged curriculum and then add your own ideas or other lesson plans to help reinforce the learning process. For example, your curriculum has you do a lesson plan with your child on graphing. You research other graphing ideas and find a lesson plan on graphing M&M’s. This sounds like fun and now you can do both graphing projects with your child to reinforce the learning process.
Did she not already tell us to make sure the curriculum contained everything we would need? If I'm spending thousands on curriculum, it damn well better come with M&Ms. Also, graphing with M&M's? WTF is she talking about? Hey kids, lets dump this chocolate candy all over the carpet and draw bar graphs of the ratio of brown to red M&Ms.
Would it count as music class to have the kids explain why David Lee Roth had an aversion to brown M&Ms?
Remember that the curriculum that you choose is just a foundation or building block to help guide you through the teaching process with your child/ren. You know your child the matchless. Adapt lesson plans to their interests for a greater enjoyable learning experience.
Matchless? I haven't a clue what that means.
L. D. Mairet is a mother of four, former teacher with a triple major in education, and a previous educational preschool owner
So she failed as a teacher, failed as a preschool owner, and now she has failed as a homeschool expert. At least she is consistent.
Permalink | Comments (15)If you use AOL search - you might be screwed
AOL purposely and willingly published the search queries of 500,000 users. They replaced the screen names with numbers, but since the numbers correlate across searches, it is very likely that law enforcement or somebody else could figure out who some of these people are. This is especially true if the searches are things that might interest the government.
AOL pulled the files, but the estimate is 1000 copies were downloaded.
Permalink | Comments (1)East Coast Money and Homeschooled
Daryl forwarded this article about two national champion level equestrian teens from the left coast.
The quarter-horse world can be an intimidating place. It's filled with East Coast old money and homeschooled girls who spend every day at the barn, they said. A familiar face can offer a huge lift in that environment, they said.
Nice example of those superior socialization skills, eh?
Permalink | Comments (0)links for 2006-08-07
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This is why I don't go to the beach until after Labor day. This crowd is my idea of hell
August 06, 2006
Boot Camp for Young Domionists
David Byrne (Yes, that David Byrne) provides this review of the very creepy sounding documentary Jesus Camp.
Permalink | Comments (1)Little Shop Farm of Horrors
crossposted from Horseshues.com
We had an appointment today to look at a horse. We got to the farm on time just before 2 PM. This is a commercial boarding farm that runs kids camps, accepts borders, sells and trains horses, etc. Or at least that is what the web site claims. Michelle had traded several emails with the owner, and all seemed normal.
When we drove up the driveway the first thing I noticed was the collection of broken down vehicles on the property. There were at least a dozen cars and trucks that did not look like they had moved in quite a while. The second thing I noticed was the pitiful condition of the pasture. There were 4 or 5 horses trying to graze in a pasture that consisted mostly of leafy weeds that the horses apparently would not eat. It was really sort of sad. We drove by the house and towards the barn, assuming the last place we'd find the proprietor of a farm on a pleasant Sunday afternoon is in the house. I drove down to the barn and turned around. The barn was in disrepair, with holes in the walls that are a hazard to the horses.
I did see a nice looking riding ring across on the far side of the property. As long as Delaney had a safe place to ride I figured we might as well look at the horse. We had driven an hour to get there. The experience of learning how to evaluate horses is valuable, even if you would never ever buy a horse from a dump like this. And we would never ever buy a horse from a dump like this.
I went up to the house to knock on the door. The porch was littered with debris, including a pile of several hundred cigarette butts right in front of the door. It looked like somebody in the last hour or so had simply opened the front door and dumped a coffee can of cigarette butts. The whole episode was approaching surreal at this point. Little did I know it was about to get even weirder.
When the lady answered she told me that they had an emergency at the farm and she had sent us an email telling us she could not show us the horse. She explained that they had been off the farm yesterday and when they came back their farm worker was missing, and there was blood everywhere. She said the police were combing the farm even as we spoke, and we probably didn't want to be there anyway.
Remember, I had just driven around the property looking for her. I think I would have noticed a large crime scene investigation in process. I also think the police might have noticed me driving around contaminating their crime scene.
We had a good laugh over it as we left. My guess is that either she didn't really own the horse she was offering to sell us, and whatever deal she was trying to work fell through; or maybe the horse came up lame at the horse show they were at yesterday.
We had already decided to schedule a vet check on the horse we saw yesterday, so today's trip was really just due diligence since we already had the appointment. Had this horse been awesome we certainly were willing to put it in first place. However, I can't fathom that any parent would leave their kid there for horse camp, or that any horse owner would spent several hundred bucks a month to board a horse there. The place was dirty, poorly maintained, and downright unsafe, for both horses and kids. When we got home Michelle did find an email from her. It was sent at 1:40 PM - about 10 minutes before our arrival.
The tally is four horses looked at (counting this as a look). One good Appy that we gave serious thought to owning, one good Paint that we hopefully will own in the next week or so, one Paint that was much greener than indicated in the ad, and one mystery Paint living in the horse Twilight Zone.
I really hope the Paint works out and that we are done horse shopping, for now.
Permalink | Comments (3)Liberty in one easy lesson
This simple yet elegant flash animation is possibly the best explanation of the concert of liberty that I have ever seen.
Interestingly, it's the product of a Christian ministry.
Correction: It's just hosted at a Christian ministry.
Permalink | Comments (4)August 05, 2006
No Soliciting
I replaced Michelle's generic no soliciting sign with one that is a little more in my style.
ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING
If you are selling something DO NOT knock on the door, or ring the doorbell. We do not need your magazines, coupon books, or eternal salvation. I'm sure your cause is important, and it will still be important without the donation you will not get from us.
If you are a Boy Scout or Girl Scout this does not apply, please knock. One can never have too many Thin Mints in the house!
Nobody has bothered us all week.
Permalink | Comments (5)links for 2006-08-05
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How the waiver wire trading deals go down. I never really understood how this worked until now.
August 04, 2006
Only Christians Can Be Trusted to Homeschool
I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.
But I just get really uncomfortable with the idea that education is something that the parent isn't accountable for to anyone else. You and I might be good parents who are obeying God as we educate, taking our job seriously, but we can't guarantee that for our neighbors home.
The author is a homeschooler. With friends like these...
Permalink | Comments (3)Homeschooling is punk
Kim makes a compelling case that homeschooling is the punk rock of the education world.
Like punk music, homeschooling grew out of a desire to question the way things were done. It also said phooey to the rules. It made it possible for parents to become teachers without special training. And most homeschoolers I know are very able to be self-expressive to the point of clownish-and proud of it. Homeschooling is the antithesis to the conformism that schools prepare us for in modern society.
She also says that Martha Stewart is porn for harried homemakers. I'm not sure how that applies to the punk rock analogy, but I couldn't let a line like that go unnoticed.
August 03, 2006
Cinderella - Still Climbing
Cinderella may very well be the most under rated band to come out of the hair metal scene. Still Climbing, their 1994 (and final) release, is a rock solid, ball busting, bluesy, guitar driven exercise in rock and roll. There is nothing "hair metally" about it. It's crunchy blues rock done very, very, well.
Permalink | Comments (10)links for 2006-08-03
August 02, 2006
I'm a threat to Florida
The tropical storm currently threatening Florida is named Chris.
Permalink | Comments (2)links for 2006-08-02
August 01, 2006
Doing something right
When you get your rant published in full the front page of a pro public school, pro government regulation of homeschoolers blog, you've done something right. Even better when the blogger is question highlights the phrase mind your own business because she thinks this is bad thing.
Although I do regret wasting such a good rant on someone who so clearly does not get it. It's short, to the point, and extra snarky. What a waste...
Update:This just in from comment #50 in the original thread at Goldie's. This completely justifies all the time we spent there.
I do want to thank Goldie for this discussion, though. I have a three year old I plan to homeschool, and hadn't previously understood just how damaging a little testing to make sure kids are learning the basics would be. It's now quite clear that any testing requirements should be opposed vigorously.
Permalink | Comments (20)Better Living Through Big Papi
Yesterday I was dog tired all day. Our Sunday consisted of a 13 hour road trip to the middle-of-nowhere, WV to look at a horse for Delaney. My Sunday night consisted of a very poor night's sleep, due primarily to the amount of caffeine in my system. So I was dragging all day on Monday, and twice tried to sit down and watch the Red Sox Monday night. However, every time I started to watch, David Wells was pitching batting practice to the Indians. I was too tired and cranky to watch.
It was late and near bedtime as I flipped over to ESPN to check the score. It was 8-6 Indians in the top of the 9th. The announcers mentioned that if anybody got on base in the bottom of the 9th, David Ortiz would get an at bat. For you poor depraved souls who don't understand the significance of this, Big Papi, who probably has 7-8 years of baseball left to play, is already closing in on the all time records for game winning home runs. Sure enough, the first two batter reached base, and Ortiz came to the plate with two runner one with one out in the bottom of the 9th. And suddenly I felt much better.
I watch that live last night, I watched it again on Baseball Tonight immediately after the game, I watched it again on Sportscenter last night and this morning, and I just watched it again in finding the link. I'm not even close to being tired of it.
Note to Daryl: before you start throwing the name Abreu around, consider today's Soxaholix.
Permalink | Comments (3)