The Common Room
The Common Room
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Recent Posts
Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley Sing the Crawdad Hole Song - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 3:56 pm
Toe tapping, sing along music.You ever been crawdad fishing? I used to go down to a ditch near a friend's house and we'd try and catch them with our hands and a net. I don't recall that we were very successful, and even if we had been, we'd have just had to put 'em back. The crawdads there weren't very big.The HM and the FYB love 'mud bugs,' and if I told you how many they could eat I am not sure you'd believe me. The FYB's love of crawdads led us to another rule my mother never told me I wo
Things that start with T - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 1:52 pm
Thomas JeffersonTulipstoads and turtlesThymeAnd Time
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Duty - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 11:30 am
A while back the mother of a teenaged girl who liked to dress like a floozy asked me how I convinced my daughters not to dress like that.Let me back up a minute and say that while I do understand there are varying cultural and personal standards on modesty, this is not such an issue. The only people who might find nothing wrong with this young person's daily attire would be members of the Brittany Spears fan club. Let me say also that I felt intensely sorry for this girl, and her mother, and t
More Adagio Stuffage - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 11:56 am
So, when posting about Adagio teas here, I forgot to mention another really sweet deal they have called Link Rewards. If your site has a Google Page Rank of 3 or higher and you post a link to their website, they will send you (after you give them your mailing address, of course) a gift. If your PR is a 3/4, you get a tea sampler set (4 different kinds of tea), and if it is a 5 or higher you get their IngenuiTEA gift set, which includes their teapot, a set of 4 tea samplers, and a lovely little b
More on Acorn in LA - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 9:27 am
Ye stars and little fishes, this one is bad. She wants to do background research for them and work with them to get their nefarious business off the ground for them. And THIS ACORN worker was interviewed by Raines of the LATimes who took her word without question when she said she did not offer any help and she showed them door. He didn't bother to ask anybody else involved for their side of the story.See... Patterico:In September, L.A. Times columnist James Rainey wrote a column in which h
More on the Leaked Documents from the Global Warming Folks - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 7:13 am
From a commenter, Chemist, here (the top of the ninth page of comments):I've managed to read about 300 emails so far. What we have is a massive conspiracy involving hundreds of scientists to exaggerate, obfuscate and manipulate data.Several major Green organisations are also heavily involved.Even more surprising is that several large oil companies have been secretly funding pro-AGW research so they can make money from carbon trading.Here is how I see the outcome:Nature and Science were once the
*Senate Judiciary Committee Head: We wouldn't need to interrogate Bin Ladin - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 7:46 am
Drew over at Ace's place has more video footage of Holden attempting to defend his decision to try a war criminal in civilian court, plus this:Here's the crap Holder is trying to sell that Graham won't let him get away with...Holder says, 'we don't need to question bin Laden because we have so much evidence already so we won't question him for a statement, therefor Miranda doesn't apply'.Graham nails him with the fact Miranda isn't just about 'the right to remain silent'. It's also about an affi
Voting Ends SOON! - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 6:39 pm
Vote here!Voting ends tomorrow, but why procrastinate any further?Just in case you're looking for us, we're in category 12.=)(top-posted today, scroll down for more recent posts)
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*Oh, My, My. Is this for real? - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 4:00 am
Watts Up With That: it appears that Hadley Climate Research Unit has been hacked and many many files have been released by the hacker or person unknown[...]An unknown person put postings on some climate skeptic websites that advertsied an FTP file on a Russian FTP server, here is the message that was placed on the Air Vent today: We feel that climate science is, in the current situation, too important to be kept under wraps. We hereby release a random selection of correspondence, code, and
DSS and the Waldorf Teacher - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 9:30 am
(picture of Jenny and the FYG on a bridge over the creek about a mile from our house)You may recall the story of Lia Grippo, a Waldorf educator, developer of outdoor programs for children, and teacher, who lost her license because she let her own children and the son of an assistant (who was also there) climb a hill on the beach.She's still fighting.'I think that there is a growing trend toward risk aversion in our society that has really gone over the edge,” Grippo said. 'We live in a time th
Reading the Health Care Bill Could Take DAYS - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 11:07 am
Our friend David Blackstone sent us this link, with these comments: ... that all three readings are requested. And then let us pray that they amend the bill before the final vote,and have to read it again. And then let us pray that the version passed does not match thehouse version, and the new compromise version from committee has toget read multiple times, too, in each house. And then let us pray that this becomes standard practice and billsbecome short enough to read!
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*Reading the Health Care Bill Could Take 34 hours - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 11:26 am
Our friend David Blackstone sent us this link, with these comments:... that all three readings are requested.And then let us pray that they amend the bill before the final vote,and have to read it again.And then let us pray that the version passed does not match thehouse version, and the new compromise version from committee has toget read multiple times, too, in each house.And then let us pray that this becomes standard practice and billsbecome short enough to read!Senator Coburn wants to exerc
*The Myth of the Soulmate - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 2:48 pm
The Equuschick wasn't sure whether to write this post or not because having been married just a couple weeks over one year she would feel sort of silly offering marital advice. (She does know though that men don't like it when you hit them with maps when they are lost, if you're really looking for tips.)In all seriousness however, the thing is that this is more like premarital advice if it is advice at all. But just to be on the safe side, let's call it social commentary.The Equuschick is not su
A Whole Slew of Folks Sing the Crawdad Song - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 4:05 pm
young Minnie Pearl, Faron Young, the Carter Family, and Johnny and Jack Webb. Fun times.(following is a repost)For years it seems I have been collecting material on the importance of song in our lives- not deliberately, just accidentally, by the by, like a magpie picks up shiny bits here and there, and before the magpie realizes it, the hollow in the tree is too full, and it's time for housekeeping.People used to sing. They didn't have to be exceptionally talented or gifted. They just sang. The
Picture from a 1940s spelling lesson on 'other lands' - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 6:50 pm
No comment, other than it's quaint, and I like silhouettes, even though that is a word I couldn't spell properly without a dictionary or spell-checker to guide me. What do you want to talk about?
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*Homeschooling andTea Time in the Common Room - The Common Room Nov 20, 2009, 1:00 am
This post is from something I wrote several years ago after a particularly amusing teatime at our house. It would have been, probably, some time in the fall or winter of 1998 (going by the age and gender of the baby in this story). I wrote it to encourage a group of friends, because I thought our foibles might help them relax a little. I thought it deserved a repeat. Enjoy.Dear ladies,I want to share today's teatime while it's still fresh on my mind, and on the kitchen kitchen floor, and gro
A 1948 Cartoon Short - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 7:45 am
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A great take on frugality - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 6:45 am
Anne Marie writes:One of my daughters today had the following math problem:"Brian saves 20% of his monthly salary. If his monthly salary is increased from $1200 to $1500, how much more can he save each month?"Her answer: $300. Not because she accidentally calculated 20% of $1500, but because if he's already saving on his current salary, he must be already covering all his expenses, so he can save the whole of the increase.So much wisdom in one so young! I LOVE it.=)
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*News and Views, stuff for the news notebooks - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 4:40 am
I don't know if this is proof that government spending can't save or create jobs, but it sure looks like proof that it didn't.I told you he wasn't going to close Guantanamo in a year as promised.Fact checking the Attorney General's statements about trying terrorist KSM in a civilian court. Holder has made a bad decision.Code Pink member, Obama donor, high level Obama fund raiser- she's met with the Taliban.The Whitehouse calls its version of scraping and bowing 'diplomacy through deference.' Th
November 19th, S - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 3:05 am
I am thankful for a Savior and for songs. I am thankful for sign language so the Cherub has some means of communication.I am thankful for the gift of speech, and also for the gift of silence.And I am thankful for the gift of sound and for friends who share links like this one. It's so amazing I don't want to give anything away by sharing even an excerpt. It is both beautiful, and horrible. Deeply touching, and at the same time, the implications are heart-breaking. See what you think.
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*Taking Seven Children to the Museum.... - The Common Room Nov 19, 2009, 1:00 am
Several years ago there was a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit in a museum in Canada. It was the last time these works would be seen anywhere on the North American Continent for many years, perhaps ever. We planned a field trip with two other homeschooling mothers. We planned it and looked forward to it for months. I gloated to all my friends, both real and virtual, about the cultural treat in store of us. About a week after the event, I wrote my friends about our experiences. Here it is:I would
Jerry Lee Lewis Sings the Crawdad Song - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 4:10 pm
erent from honky-tonk, and if so, how?You get a line, I'll get a pole, baby- that seems to be an early version of 'I've got a brand-new pair of roller skates, you gotta brand new key.'
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November 17th and 18th, Q and R - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 1:00 pm
Q is for Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, of course.He edited the Oxford Anthology of English verse, used by Charlotte Mason in her schools, and used by the DHM in hers.=) He is also the "Q" referred to in '84 Charing Cross Road' and its sequel. I have my grandmother's copy of Quiller-Couch's Oxford English verse, as well as her edition of a collection of his lectures, including On Writing.Perspicuity.—I shall waste no words on the need of this: since the first aim of speech is to be understood. The
I am so tired of.... - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 12:45 pm
People who apologize with any variation of "I'm sorry, but...." or "I'm sorry that you..." Especially irritating is the "I'm sorry you were offended" sort which puts all the onus upon the other person and conveniently and merrily absolves yourself of any responsibility.That's not an apology. "I'm sorry if..." is also a poor excuse of an apology. It's lame. It's not acknowledging that there is actually something you need to apologize for, is a weasally apology slithering out from admitting that
Where Has All The Money Gone? - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 11:42 am
Over the last couple of weeks, the media and the blogosphere has dissected the numbers coming from Recovery.gov and found them laughably phony. The pièce de resistance came when Watchdog.org noticed that the government-run accountability website appeared not to know that the US has only 435 Congressional districts, instead of the 875 listed on the website — but listed almost $6.4 billion in spending in the phantom districts. However, as we have seen here, phony 'saved or created” numbers
*The President in China - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 10:15 am
Seth Liebsohn: Yesterday, I detailed how little respect the Chinese authorities gave the Obama administration in its requests for media, "less respect than was given presidents Bush or Clinton" was how the New York Times put it yesterday. "A retreat," the NYT said. This morning the LAT has more, about less: "In China, Obama's Hosts Show No Signs of Budging" is the headline. The subheading: "President Obama is Leaving China Without Any Definable Concessions on Tougher Sanctions on Iran or Currenc
*How Hot is the Earth's Core? - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 6:56 am
Or crust, for that matter.Well, according to World Book, the core is probably a few thousand degrees, 7,000F or so. Watt's Up With That has more scientific data on that.Now what you are about to see sure explains a lot if Gore really does believe what he says. And the fact that Newsweek thinks he's the 'thinking man's thinking man' explains a lot, too. None of it very good, but all of it pretty funny.The Prophet of Green and uber smart Al Gore says:Two kilometers or so down the interior is ex
Home-Made Christmas - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 4:57 am
In our family we draw names for Christmas. This year I suggested that we limit our presents further by putting a five dollar ceiling on gift giving. The Progeny thought that sounded like a really fun challenge (except the youngest, who thought it would be better if he had a five dollar limit but the person who drew his name had the freedom to spend many times over that).Unfortunately, I didn't think of it until after some of us already had our presents, so we decided to set that aside and see
*Books for Girls - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 6:00 am
In the comments to this post on books for boys, Polly at Place of Promise asks for a similar list for girls:"...a "must read" list for girls. Like the one the boy made up for his brothers. A young lady looking back to her girlhood and recommending books that impacted her for the good. My daughter reads many excellent books, Jane Austen, Bronte's, Dickens, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Redwall etc. Just wondering what others would consider "must reads" for young ladies."So three of my daughters and I put
*Bread and milk - The Common Room Nov 18, 2009, 12:21 am
Plain, but satisfying fare. Rich, nourishing, but plain. A poem I read a long time ago talked about a weary mother's 'praise, plain as bread and milk,' and that phrase has taken root in my mind and heart and stayed with me. I blogged about it before, but I think it was long enough ago that it will seem, if not fresh and new, at least as good as old fashioned home-made bread:...surely mothers at home are the modern equivalent of the monastics. We are the preservers of truth and beauty in our c
Woodie Guthrie Sings Crawdad Hole - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 4:12 pm
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Boys and Toys - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 1:18 pm
That is the subject of the spelling lesson illustrated by these pictures in my old 1940s speller.
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Autism in England - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 10:41 am
This was interesting- I was browsing some of the categories and blogs for the Homeschool Blog Awards and came across this UK blog You Did What? (nominated in the geography category).I was quite startled to read this:Grace and I are going into Oxford for an Adult Support Services Resources Fair. Strictly speaking, this is for teens in transition (aged 16-18) with learning difficulties, not autism, so we are not sure how helpful it will be. Autism is not considered a special need in this country y
Adagio Teas is a high quality gourmet tea dis ... - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 8:39 am
Adagio Teas is a high quality gourmet tea distributor. They sell loose full-leaf tea, which gives the best flavor. To quote Adagio's website:"Adagio Teas began ten years ago with the desire to introduce customers to an array of gourmet hand picked, whole leaf teas and herbals sourced directly from growers around the world. When we started, many tea drinkers were accustomed to having low quality bags filled with tea dust as their only option. It has been our mission to bring tea lovers in all cor
Reforming Education - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 7:38 am
In an April, 2005 Reason Magazine article titled Homeschooling Alone- Why corporate reformers are ignoring the real revolution in education, Greg Beato writes:Despite homeschooling's increasing popularity—a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 1.1 million students are now being homeschooled in the United States—neither corporate altruists nor philanthropic foundations have shown much interest in it.Instead, would-be reformers continue to give gener
*Black Conservatives (And Other Thoughts) - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 4:30 am
I don't watch the Glen Beck show (no television), and I don't listen to talk radio. But from time to time I will catch an online reference to a segment from a program that sounds pretty interesting, so I'll find it online. This is one of those times.=)Glen Beck had a special program featuring black conservatives. You can watch it in three parts (I did not watch all three as the computer took too long to load them):Time to Be Heard, Part ITime to Be Heard, Part IITime to Be Heard, Part IIIA co
*What We Found During Nature Study - The Common Room Nov 17, 2009, 1:00 am
(Don't forget to vote in the HSBA!)(adapted and edited repost)From time to time the Headmaster and I pick a book to read together. Because our clocks are on alternate rhythms we end up taking turns with it- I read him to sleep at night, and he reads me back to sleep in the mornings.=0 One way or another we get through about a book together perhaps every five years this way. A few years back, the book we used to read each other to sleep was Penny Gardener's Charlotte Mason Study Guide.A key par
Leonid Meteor Shower Tonight/Tuesday Morning - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 5:37 pm
Check here, And here:Americans, set your clocks to 3:30 a.m. East Coast time. The shower will run from then until about 5:30 a.m. However, no matter where you live, you may luck out and catch a stray meteor anytime between 1 a.m. and dawn.'We're predicting 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia,” says Bill Cooke, from NASA's meteoroid environment office. 'Our forecast is in good accord with independent theoretical work by other astronomers.”L
Mac and Annie Sing Crawdad Hole Song - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 4:22 pm
(Don't forget to vote in the HSBA!)dmac.com/">Annie and Mac have a website and some CDs out. I like this one a lot.Another song they do that caught my eye and ear at youtube is The Irish Washer Woman: of this post about sesquipedalians, which brought me to this youtube offering:red by Isaac Asimov)Tune of : The Irish WasherwomanParadimethylaminobenzaldehyde,Sodium citrate, ammonium cyanide,Mix 'em together and add some benzene,And top off the punch with trichloroethylene.Got gassed up last nigh
*Stimulus creates jobs in NONEXISTENT Congressional Districts - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 1:09 pm
And that's from ABC, which has apparently decided to dip its toes into the waters of journalism, and in those deep waters they discovered:Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 9th Congressional District, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the website set up by the Obama Administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.Could the wheels of government bureaucracy be grinding too quickly for once?When it comes to sti
*A Little Bird Told Me.... - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 12:14 pm
(Don't forget to vote in the HSBA!)You could use this on a card. It would say "A little bird told me..." on the front, and inside it could say almost anything:"That you were feeling under the weather.""That you're having a birthday!""That your favorite food is blueberry muffins!" and then include a batch of muffins.
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*What does salty mean to you? - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 10:28 am
A few days ago Strider and the HG were in the car, having a conversation about building supplies. Strider described several features of one item he really liked (she can't remember what, having dived into this renovation/fixer-upper/do-your-own-home-remodelings stuff rather blindly) and concluded with, "...but it's kind of salty."There was a moment of silence, followed by the HG asking in a confused voice, "Salty?" In her mind, salty is slang for off-color humor and language. A particular person
Books for a Boy - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 9:26 am
So many. It's hard to choose. But these are the ones a boy might not pick up himself. And these are ones he really shouldn't miss."So says the firstborn son of Ann at Holy Experience. He has many younger brothers, and he wants to be sure they read the right things. His mother says:This is not a mama's list. Perhaps there are other books I perhaps would have chosen, books I would have selected as formative boy reads, and I mention a few titles. But this is his list. After ten years, I get to li
*Why We Don't Want Terrorists Tried in Criminal Courts - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 6:32 am
Former US Prosecutor and Counsel on the US Judiciary Committee: in the trial of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, prosecutors were required to turn over to defense lawyers a large amount of intelligence information. Documents from that discovery production, which were never supposed to be provided to anyone outside the defense team, were later found in an al-Qaeda hideout. Let me say that again, confidential documents from a trial in New York were later found in the hands of al-Qaeda. ??Now
When they drove the golden spike - The Common Room Nov 16, 2009, 4:41 am
(Don't forget to vote in the HSBA!)These pictures and accompanying study guides were my grandfather's from when he taught highschool- anywhere from the 30s to the 50s. I think they came from the late 40s. There's a big set of black and white pictures connected to the history of the railroad, and each picture comes with an accompanying study guide with background information and questions.Click on the pictures to enlarge.Here's a quote:"On May 10, 1869, after six years of strenuous effort, the r
*Happy the home when God is there,And love fil ... - The Common Room Nov 15, 2009, 12:53 am
Happy the home when God is there,And love fills every breast;When one their wish, and one their prayer,And one their heav'nly rest.Happy the home where Jesus' NameIs sweet to every ear;Where children early speak His fame,And parents hold Him dear.Happy the home where prayer is heard,And praise each day does rise;Where parents love the sacred WordAnd all its wisdom prize.Lord, let us in our homes agreeThis blessèd peace to gain;Unite our hearts in love to Thee,And love to all will reign.Cyberhym
The Tumbleweeds sing Nellie Bly - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 4:31 pm
Nellie Bly's father died when she was a child, leaving behind ten children of his first wife, and five children and his second wife. He left no will, leaving the second family ill provided for. Three years later, her mother remarried. A few years later, while Nellie was still a girl of 14, her mother divorced her husband- and Nellie testified against her stepfather in court for being a violent drunk.Here's a little bit more on Nellie Bly the Reporter, from Wikipedia:Nellie Bly married million
November 14th (and 15th), Thankful for... - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 1:04 pm
N and O I am thankful for nuts, the kind you eat and the kind you laugh at and with.I am thankful that I live in a world with creatures like the octopus, one of the most amazing critters known to man:
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Life is Full of Tough Choices. - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 10:35 am
The Equuschick really can't ride the horse and snuggle with The Pirate, so after a long struggle The FYG watched the napping Pirate and The Equuschick rode. (A very nice ride it was, too.)"You could sell Sky," suggested the DHM. "Can't either" said The Equuschick."Well then, we'll take The Pirate!" said the FYG. "Hahahaha", said The Equuschick.
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Appropos of Nothing.... - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 11:01 am
These are taken from a 1940s spelling book, and I liked them. Each two page spread has a word bank, a story with spaces left to fill in using words from the bank, and a couple pictures with a sentence again left with blanks the student will fill in. Creativity is a talent, but it is also a skill. The more you use it, the better you get at it. One way to strengthen those creativity muscles is look at something simple and brainstorm a bit- what does it remind you of, how could it be used, how
*An Educated Mind - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 7:22 am
Years and years ago when we started homeschooling, one of the many things that set me on what I believe has been the right path for us was a short but very meaty article in The Teaching Home magazine (which was then a very slight publication, hardly more than a black and white newsletter, in fact).That article simply walked parents through a number of questions to ask themselves as they developed and considered their personal educational philosophy. At that time, it hadn't even occurred to me t
*Home Visitation for Parent Training in the Health Care Bill - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 6:04 am
This past year the Education Begins at Home Act was defeated in Congress. However, the majority of that bill was attached to the Health Care Bill passed by the House Saturday night, and it's also in the most recently proposed Senate version, indicating it will be in the final reconciled bill.The purpose of the Education Begins at Home Act is summarized here at GovT rack:To expand quality programs of early childhood home visitation that increase school readiness, child abuse and neglect preventi
This Day in History - The Common Room Nov 14, 2009, 4:27 am
d breaking around the world journey today!(by the way, don't forget to vote in the Homeschool Blog Awards)
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Church Choir Sings Nelly Bly? - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 4:18 pm
I don't really think this is their church choir, but it is certainly a church building. I find a lot of folk songs on youtube being performed in cathedrals and church buildings, and seeing, say, Waltzing Matilda or some ancient murder ballad about a cruel knight who makes a habit of seducing and then slaying young women sung by a group accompanied by the church organ while they stand in front of the baptistry, stained glass windows, and hanging crosses of the local church building? It's sort o
Dont! Go Back in the Water... - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 1:18 pm
Cue theme music.Actually, I have never seen the movie. I wasn't allowed to go when it was out in theaters back in the dark ages. I did read the book. On the one hand, the link above is pretty interesting. On the other, I 'm thinking that I lived on the coast still, this would be information I would place in the 'I could live a long, long time without knowing that' category.
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*Links and Thinks, News and Views - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 11:30 am
NASA wants you to know that the movie 2012 is fiction.Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012. Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012. I agree, but don't you think they could be just a little more, well, scientific in this answer? It's the first part
1946 Workbook page - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 11:34 am
This isn't actually a workbook- the students weren't supposed to write in them (though the later pages of this one are covered in the childish scrawls of my uncle). This book covered three grades, 2-4, and was nonconsumable- the students wrote in separate notebooks so the text could be used for the next sibling.I think this is from the second grade portion of the book.
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*Frugal Hacks Post up - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 8:18 am
My weekly post is up over at Frugal Hacks. Drop by and say hello!Speaking of dropping by places, have you voted yet?Speaking of dropping, or something like that, poor Blynken has a concussion. His mother says they were at a store checking out and nobody really knows exactly what happened but he fell and hit his head on the counter. And the boys are coming here for the weekend, and we are going to a singing down south, Blynken and Nod in tow. I'd stay home with Blynken but the arrangements al
November 13th, M - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 7:00 am
On this 13th day of the month of November, I am thankful for these things that begin with the 13th letter of the alphabet:Mothers, my own mother, and for the blessing of being a mother. Itis an interesting thing to me, and perhaps a flaw, I do not know, but other grandparents have told me how much I am going to love being a grandparent, and how much better it is than being a parent, how much more they love it. I do totally adore our little Pirate, do not misunderstand me. I love him, but not
*Reading the Bills - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 5:00 am
There are a couple of movements to force our representatives to exercise a modest and incredibly basic level of responsible governing and actually READ the bills the impose on all of us before they pass them. I've blogged about them before- here's one example, here's another.It turns out these attempts are redundant, and I suspect that if Congress doesn't want to read the bills, and they do not, nothing can make them.Reading the bills is, you see, precisely what the Founding Fathers had in mind
*The Quality of Public We Now Have - The Common Room Nov 13, 2009, 12:12 am
Nine months ago, in the comments to this post, Brandy at Afterthoughts wrote a comment that deserved a post all its own. So here it is:I'm going through Neil Postman's "The End of Education." He is favorable concerning public education, and yet reading his work has given me some strong arguments against the public school! In one of the first chapters he writes:"[T]he idea of public education depends absolutely on the existence of shared narratives AND the exclusion of narratives that lead to al
Sweet Story - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 6:28 pm
Sabi, a bomb sniffing dog with an Australian-Afghan army patrol, was just recently found after being missing for 14 months.
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The Famous Pyle Brothers sing Nelly Bly - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 4:21 pm
This is weird.
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*If you don't go to jail for not buying health insurance, why doesn't Pelosi say so? - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 2:33 pm
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*Did Hoffman Concede Too Soon? - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 12:47 pm
I don't know, but this is interesting:Conservative Doug Hoffman conceded the race in the 23rd Congressional District last week after receiving two pieces of grim news for his campaign: He was down 5,335 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted on election night, and he had barely won his stronghold in Oswego County. As it turns out, neither was true.Owens lead is actually only about 3,000 votes, and the absentee ballots haven't even been counted yet. Hoffman's concession allowed Owens to be sw
Ooh, this is seriously uncool - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 11:46 am
Fox news spliced together footage of two different rallies to make Michelle Bachman's appear larger than it was.Jon Stewart catches them at it. That's gonna leave a mark.On the plus side, Stewart acknowledges that Glenn Beck's tea party rally was much, much bigger. Nonetheless, Fox needs to find out who is responsible for sticking the two month old footage in Sean Hannity's show (even if it was Sean) and take care of it.Later: Hannity apologizes, Mediate isn't sure they completely buy it. In
November 12th - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 9:38 am
The 12th letter of the alphabet is L, so on this November 12th I would like to especially express my gratitude for love, the love of God, the love my family extends to me, and the blessing of being able to love others,For laughter, without which we could not endure,For life, which is a gift we have great cause not take for grantedFor licking the frosting off the side of the bowl,And for leaves that change colors and fall to the ground, and which then make grand playplaces for children.
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Middle School Sells Test Points to Students - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 10:31 am
It's a fundraiser. Students can buy 20 test points for 20 bucks, applying ten points to two tests of their choice- ten points is enough to buy an A if you got a B, or raise a failing grade to a passing one (provided, I assume, you didn't completely bottom out).Officials at the state Department of Public Instruction say exchanging grades for money teaches children the wrong lessons. Ya think?
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She's a Cheater, is The Equuschick. - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 10:34 am
She thinks she'll just do all of the Thanksgiving Alphabet all at once, because the thing is the Pirate is happy with his Aunt FYG for now so the Equuschick ought to take advantage of it.A- Autumn! Her favourite season.B-Breakfast! C-Coffee!D-Doggies, naturally. E-E. Nesbit, who wrote some lovely books.F-Frogs, because they're kinda cute. Friends, because good ones are few, hard to come by, and very much worth cherishing.G-Grandmothers, because The Equuschick has seen a variety among the world a
*Remember Gerald Walpin? - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 8:57 am
Americorps Inspector General, caught an Obama supporter stealing 400,000 in Fed funds (Kevin Johnson, Sacramento mayor). He Johnson had to pay it back, but the IG also wanted him banned from further access to those funds (standard procedure), and Obama fired him, illegally, then tried to smear him as a senile old man. You can read more here.Walpin has been cleared, and he wants his old job back, and it's going to court.This was a naked power play by the President, one which the media kindly ig
*Children in Church - The Common Room Nov 12, 2009, 12:07 am
I was working on my reply to Laura's question about helping children learn to be quiet in church, and I thought what would really be helpful would be lots of answers from lots of other mothers, mothers who have done this successfully. I polled some of my friends who fit this category, and below are some of their answers. I have to apologize, because I thought I'd posted this. I remembered writing it, after all. But there it's been, saved as a draft for two whole weeks! Blush.Now, I need to
Just for fun... - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 5:26 pm
Sometimes, pigs do fly.
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*Women's Chorus Sings Nelly Bly - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 4:02 pm
From The Bluegrass Messenger:"Nelly Bly," a song by Stephen Foster, danced her way on stage with Christy's Minstrels in 1850 and remained a popular favorite for many years. One can imagine it as a song for two kitchen maids (the chorus is set for only two female voices) who sing and play the banjo as they attend their chores of sweeping, stoking the fire and preparing food. "Nelly Bly" is just as much a comic songs as it is loving tribute. Nelly may very well have represented someone in Foster's
*November 16th, P - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 12:57 pm
A while back when I posted the first pictures of the little Pirate (our new grandson), several people asked if this was the first time the face of any of The Common Room posters had been shared on the blog.I knew it wasn't, but I couldn't remember when we had posted a face picture before, and then, when we were nominated for the Homeschool Blog Awards, I remembered.I posted a picture of two of the Progeny and one of me- no photo-shopping, back in 2005. We'd only been blogging since the Februar
Thoughts On Winning - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 12:16 pm
No, not about the Homeschool Blog Awards.=)Although thinking about why it doesn't matter, usually, whether we win or lose reminded me that I meant to tell y'all that I recently mercilessly and soundly trounced the FYB in a game of chess, I then boasted about it to all his sisters (in front of him), and not only that, I showed him no, um, well, mercy. Now it's not every mother who would be quite so adamant about annihilating her 11 year old son in a game of chess, but before running away in shoc
Health Insurance, Car Insurance, and a Goverment Mandate - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 10:37 am
Why these two are not the same:Everybody doesn't have to buy car insurance. You can choose not to drive and then you don't need to buy the insurance.The only way to avoid mandatory health insurance will be to stop breathing. Our federal government has never required us to buy something just to exist in America.Driving is a privilege, Living and breathing is a right.You can choose liability coverage only for your car. Government will mandate what's covered in your health insurance.You can also bu
*The National Education Association Recommends Alinsky's Rules for Radicals - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 7:50 am
Posted at HotAir's Greenroom, Directorblue writes:Hard as it may be to believe, the recommending reading list of the NEA — the powerful, Democrat-controlled teachers' union — includes instruction manuals for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government. Two books by radical Communist activist Saul Alinsky advocate violence ('Radicals [must break] the necks of Conservatives”), destruction and revolution.I don't find it remotely difficult to believe. After all, as I have shared before, sev
CPSIA bans 'trauma' bears - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 6:06 am
A police department which formerly distributed (free, not for sale) 'trauma bears' to kids in crisis to help comfort them. They've switched to handing out books because of the CPSIA.I've always said Waxman and the Naderite groups are pre-Whoville Grinches, and I hope they're fully aware of just how much responsibility they bear for this shocking bit of nasty 'unintended consequences.'
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*Remembering the Ft. Hood Veterans on this Veteran's Day - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 4:20 am
A newlywed. The mother of an unborn child. A father of three married for 37 years, he had a heart attack two weeks ago and returned to work only a week later. A 23 year old ethnic Chinese, a popular graduate of a charter school whose parents don't speak English. A 21 year old known for being a doting uncle. These and others are the casualties of Major Hasan's terrorist act, and of a bloody policy that determined a few American lives are just going to have to be sacrificed on the alter of pol
November 11th: Thankful For... - The Common Room Nov 11, 2009, 1:00 am
November 11th, Veteran's Day, K: I am thankful for modern day knights.I am thankful for kindness, especially the small, unexpected kindnesses.And I am ever so grateful for kindred spirits.How about you?
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*Today, I was thankful for... - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 6:48 pm
November 10th, J: A dear family member whose name in real life begins with J, who helped me fix a broken piece of furniture, who helped carry boxes and furniture for another family member while joshing and joking about the heavy contents of the boxes, and who brings us all much joy, not coincidentally, I think, another J word.
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*Listenings Lately - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 6:08 pm
A little bit of music I've been listening to lately:~The Celtic Album by Keith Lockhart with the Boston Pops OrchestraToday I had to run some errands, and although yesterday it was very warm and sunny, today was very cold and grey. When I got in the car (which is when I realized how COLD it was out there), I had a sudden craving to listen to Christmas music, something like Mannheim Steamroller. Buuuuuut yours truly doesn't really want to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving (although it
*In Which The Equuschick is Surrounded By Amusing (If Slightly Irreverent) People - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 12:42 pm
The Equuschick, surrounded as she is by willing baby help in the forms of aunts, grandparents, and uncles, often leaves The Pirate in the care of one of these devoted and adoring fans while she checks on Sky or refills the water trough, etc. When she returns she invariably looks for who has The Pirate to ask how he's doing, much to the amusement of Shasta who likes to say "Well, his legs fell off while you were gone" or something like that.This morning when The Equuschick returned and asked the
Truman Price Sings Nelly Bly - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 3:55 pm
third or the fifth grade (I remember almost nothing from fourth grade, it is nearly a blank year) when I first came across this song, or rather, the lyrics to this song.They were written down in a scholastic biography I read. I think Nelly Bly was the title. The book was about, of course, the famous woman reporter Nelly Bly. Nelly Bly was a pen name, and she chose it because of memories of singing this song with friends as a girl.Nelly Bly inspired me- I thought for a long while I would be a
*Abortion, the Health Care Bill, and the Medical Industry - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 2:46 pm
WMedical Industry Pleads, "Please don't throw me in that briar patch! (DUFF WILSON and REED ABELSON, 11/09/09, NY Times)[A]s attention now shifts to the Senate, where Democratic leaders are trying to merge two bills into one, virtually every business group with a stake in the outcome will be hoping to strike at least a slightly better deal than they found in the House version. And they may indeed get a break from the Senate, where the need for Democrats to compromise to win 60 votes may ensure a
*Remember Kelo and the Eminent Domain Case? - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 11:00 am
Five Supreme Court justices ruled that the seizure of private property from several residents of New London, Connecticut to make way for a new site owned by pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer met the test of 'public use” for eminent domain. A decade after New London took homes away from its citizens to sell the land to a private corporation, Pfizer has decided it doesn't want the facility after all, And will the city or the Supreme Court Justices apologize and return the land to its proper ow
*Book Review: That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 11:35 am
I think I have written before about the time that the children and I were in a large bookstore, the Cherub was with the Equuschick and I was nursing a newborn in my sling, and the feisty and lively FYG was in the care of the HG (Jenny and Pip were seated together in the children's section, forbidden to move)- when the Cherub thought it would be hilarious to through the mother and father of all temper tantrums. The EC took her into the bathroom to try to calm her down- or at least avoid all eye
Why Are You Laughing At Me? - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 10:00 am
Me: Has anybody seen my book? I took it with me when we went shopping yesterday, but I was pretty sure I brought it back in when we got home, and now I can't find it.Them: What's it called?Me: Oh, it's something about Memory in the title- it's one of the books I'm supposed to review, and I can't remember the full title.-------------------------------------------------------The full title of the book is Memory Losses. I left it in Granny Tea's van yesterday.
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CPSIA and the Brass Banning - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 7:35 am
Check Walter Olson's blog and follow his links.By a 3-2 vote, the CPSC has confirmed that the absurd and inflexible Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act bans the sale of children's products which contain components of conventional (leaded) brass. The vote drew dissents from commissioners Anne Northup (statement) and Nancy Nord (official comments, PDF; further statement at her blog).One of his links is to former CPSC Commissioner (but still a member of the CPSC) Nancy Nord's blog. She writes:
Homeschool Blog Awards Again!!! - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 6:42 am
Vote here! I missed the submissions portion altogether, I am so ashamed. I'm not finished looking at all the categories yet, but I wanted to send y'all over to vote as soon as possible so you have time to check out all the cool new blogs.=)Cool and very gratifying beans- we've been nominated again for the best current events blog. Thanks!!
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*Writing Book Reviews for Books - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 4:37 am
To Review books for Thomas Nelson, go here. If you want to know more before clicking through, you need to have a blog. They want you to read the whole book and post two reviews of at least 200 words (they can be the same review)- one to your blog, and one to a consumer retail website. I post mine to Amazon, but you could do other places. Options they include:(Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com, borders.com, buy.com, christianbook.com, costco.com, lifeway.com, overstock.com, an
Teacher Jailed For Wearing Slacks In Court... - The Common Room Nov 10, 2009, 1:00 am
In 1938 America. I just got around to emptying out the drawers of an old secretary brought home from the Rattery months ago. There are two or three newspapers from 1938. This story is from the November 16th, 1938 issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune:Los Angeles, Cal Nov. 15- UPHelen Hulick, a school teacher, was sentenced to jail for five days today because she wore slacks into municipal Judge Arthur Guerin's court. The young woman was released on a write of habeas corpus after being locked up
Huberstephan sing Nellie Bly - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 4:09 pm
The words and music are by Stephen Foster: lyrics in what he believed was the accent or dialect of the southern black, but generally, when his lyrics are reprinted now, they are brought up to date.Over time, some of the lyrics have morphed a bit. Here's one version:Nelly Bly! Nelly Bly!Bring the broom along,We'll sweep the kitchen clean, my dear,And have a little song.Poke the wood, my lady loveAnd make the fire burn,And while I take the banjo down,Just give the mush a turn.Chorus: Hey, Nelly!
Autumn Fires - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 1:26 pm
Granny Tea, Grandpa, Jenny, and I drove north today to the five acre scratch and dent store and a few other places along the way. We spotted multiple sandhill cranes, saw leaf fires everywhere, and quoted James Whitcomb Riley poems all the way home.We could only remember a couple of lines from this one:When the Frost is on the Punkin by James Whitcomb RileyWHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,And the clacki
*Babies cry in their own language. - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 11:02 am
Via Brothers Judd:Babies are found to cry in their mother's tongue: Just days after birth, German and French infants' wails mimicked the patterns of their languages. Researchers believe they started to pick up on the melodies in the third trimester. (Karen Kaplan, 11/07/09, , LA Times)They may not be old enough to talk, but babies less than a week old know how cry in their native language. Researchers have known that infants have the ability to mimic speech starting around 12 weeks of age. Th
Cambyses II - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 10:35 am
"The force which was sent against the Ammonians started from Thebes with guides, and can be traced as far as the town of Oasis, which belongs to Samians supposed to be of the Aeschrionian tribe, and is seven days' journey across the sand from Thebes. The place is known in Greek as the Island of the Blessed. General report has it that the army got as far as this, but of its subsequent fate there is no news whatever. It never reached the Ammonians and it never returned to Egypt. There is, however
Could you have passed this 1954 18th grade test? - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 8:00 am
I couldn't.It's harder than this one.
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*CPSIA bans brass, BRIO, - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 6:26 am
Greg Allen at Daddy Types writes: The CPSC's new lead and phthalates restrictions and testing requirements for childrens' products kicked in earlier this year, and though some details are still to be decided, the contours of the new American toyscape are becoming clearer: giant toy companies manufacturing overseas and testing and certifying in their own labs are going to do fine. international toymakers and independent and handcrafted types are screwed, as are the secondhand and thrift shop indu
Window Shopping and Kitchens - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 4:00 am
We're on our second toaster in six years, and it's just about, well, toast.=) It works most of the time, but lately it's been sort of temperamental, and some days we can push down the knob, and other days we can't. The Boy thought he'd hit on a solution when he attempted to stick a butterknife in to hold the knob down, but happily, somebody older and wise in the ways of electrical appliances was in the kitchen with him to calmly explain that this was not safe (Yes, we know some of you are bitt
Minding Your P's and Q's, November 7-9 - The Common Room Nov 9, 2009, 1:00 am
Previous P'S and Q'sSaturday was a bit hectic- my mother was out of town for the day and my father found a golf cart key and went joy-riding on a state highway about a mile from here (happily, not a terribly busy State Road). He stopped in the driveway of a small piece of property nearby that abuts the highway just at the base of an overpass (a really dangerous spot), put the key in his pocket, and then didn't know why he was stopped. Shasta spotted him and brought him home, Jenny and I went b
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*As explained in the previous posts, the excerpt be... (195 hits)- The Common Room Jul 27, 2007, 9:26 am
As explained in the previous posts, the excerpt below is taken from Volume II of the Parents' Review, a magazine edited by Charlotte Mason. Volume II was published in 1891/2, and very few of the articles from it are online. You, Gentle Readers, may be among the first people to read this article in several decades. This article is by Leader Scott. Scroll down for links to the posts to the rest of the article.The little girl who "did not want to feel cross with Dollie" had the attributes of char
*Literacy (149 hits)- The Common Room Apr 17, 2006, 10:36 am
"Root ideas are much more important in practical affairs than we usually realize, especially when they are so much taken for granted that they are hidden from our view.
In American education, the ideas that influence us, though often hidden from view, come to us from the intellectual movement known as Romanticism, which held great sway during our country's formative years. It is thanks to the Romantics (also known as transcendentalists, pragmatists, and, in education, progressives) that the w
*Miers (81 hits)- The Common Room Oct 17, 2005, 2:38 am
Here are some interesting quotes and sources for further information on Miers. I don't have any thoughts of my own to add to this discussion- I've already said I'm worried, and I hope my worry is misplaced, and thus far Bush's reasons for me to support this nomination have been less than compelling. But, of course, I don't get to vote, so it doesn't really matter whether I support it, oppose it, or am neutral.
So, on to what more informed people than I have had to say (please note that advert
*REading List for 8-11 year olds, more or less (77 hits)- The Common Room Aug 10, 2007, 3:37 am
This list is by no means comprehensive. It's just a few of our favorites.the Melendy family books, by Elizabeth Enright. Betsy-Tacy books by Maude Hart-Lovelace. Moffat books by Eleanor Estes Little Women Little House on the Prairie Series Francis Hodgson Burnett's books Other books by the same author as The Wheel on the School Walter Brooke's Freddy the PigBlue Willow and others by Doris Gates Wolves of Willoughby Chase and others by Joan Aiken Almost anything by Kate Seredy Carol Ryrie Brink'
*Scopes and Eugenics (74 hits)- The Common Room Aug 9, 2007, 9:33 am
These passages come from the textbook used in Tennessee public schools, indeed, selected by the Tennessee textbook committee for all state schools to use in 1919: At the present time there exist upon the earth five races or varieties of man, each very different from the other in instincts, social customs, and, to an extent, in structure. These are the Ethiopian or negro type, originating in Africa; the Malay or brown race, from the islands of the Pacific; the American Indian; the Mongolian o
*The Chestry Oak (66 hits)- The Common Room Jun 16, 2007, 5:28 am
The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy is a wonderful book for boys- courage, self-sacrifice, self-control, discernment, freedom and liberty,responsibility- these are all qualities held up for admiration andwhich the young lad must attain- lives depend on it. Unfortunately, it's out of print and growing harder to find.The first time I read I cried. Both my older girls cried, too. buckets full. And I started crying just trying to explain to my dh what was so wonderful about the book. Of course now I am s
Find a Salvage Grocery Store Near You (55 hits)- The Common Room Jan 7, 2009, 7:28 am
What is it? It's a great way to save money on your groceries. This page is a State by State U.S. Discount and Salvage Grocery Store Directory. We've added this, as it was handed down to us, from another discount store owner. He waded through thousands of web pages to find these stores and verified most of them by telephone. Please enjoy the directory. Please, submit any changes or stores we have not listed via our contact form.Some people wonder: What is a discount grocer? What is a salvage gr
*INterview with Walden Media Prez Michael Flaherty (54 hits)- The Common Room Dec 10, 2005, 3:07 am
Michael Flaherty used to work for National Review. Now he's President of Waldon Media, the company that worked with Disney to make The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Katharine Lopez, edition of NR, intereviewed him recently. I enjoyed the entire interview, but I thought certain of The Progeny would be most interested in this part:
Flaherty: We are in London right now filming a movie called Amazing Grace, that tells the story of William Wilberforce, John Newton, Thomas Clarkson, Equiano,
*You know, I really dislike both the taste and ... (49 hits)- The Common Room Apr 24, 2008, 7:19 pm
You know, I really dislike both the taste and texture of grits, but Grits for Breakfast is fast becoming a favorite:The man named in the search warrant, Dale Barlow, actually lived in Arizona. He contacted authorities immediately after the Texas raid occurred to say they were after the wrong man, but Texas Rangers took their own sweet time investigating the bogus call. Why? I think it's because they didn't want it proven fake before the 14-day CPS hearing.Reported the Standard Times, "In a media
*News Updates, FLDS (49 hits)- The Common Room Apr 25, 2008, 7:12 am
CPS says 260 children remain at the coliseum, where CPS itself has described the living conditions to the judge as 'untenable.' No mothers remain. CPS spokesman Azar said the FLDS teens who have babies are different from other teen mothers because FLDS girls are "spiritually married" to middle-age men.So long as there's no 'spiritual marriage,' the more than half of all other teen-aged pregnancies in the community that are with adult men, old enough to be charged with statutory rape, are accep
*A Charlotte Mason Education, A Basic Tutorial (48 hits)- The Common Room Apr 6, 2006, 1:54 am
I. Read Miss Mason's books. If you can't read the entire six volume set before beginning (and I say that tongue in cheek, because of course you can't! Okay, some people can. But most of us find Charlotte Mason after our children are born), then read volume 6. While she wrote volume 6 for high school, she also wrote it as an attempt to formulate and summarize her philosophy of education, so there
*Two Treats (47 hits)- The Common Room Feb 17, 2006, 1:42 am
Scale How, Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason- if these mean something to you, you'll have already clicked on the links and I'm talking to myself and those of our readers whom I have not yet brainwashed indoctrinated introduced to Charlotte Mason. Thank-you to the Bookworm for sharing her vacation with all of us.
And thanks to Melissa at the Bonnie Glenn for the link, and also for this post about her
*Sunday Hymn Post (47 hits)- The Common Room Nov 13, 2005, 1:32 am
Just As I Am
(Click on the link to hear a congregation of real people, young, old, middle aged, mentally handicapped, Mensa material, average, red, brown, yellow, black, and white, any color, dark or light, including those who have had professional voice training and those who take their pitch by scraping their heel on the floor, all in one accord, if not in one key, singing to the Lord just as they are. These people are real, and I hope you are, too)
1 Just as I am, without one plea,But tha
*News Notebooks (47 hits)- The Common Room Nov 15, 2005, 9:10 pm
President Bush in China urges Chinese Government to permit more freedom.
The White House has another setting the record straight release up on their website.
Postal Rates to go up to .39 for a first class letter, Over five percent increase overall- beginning January 9th. Ugh.
Pytheas Online updates us on the situation in Zimbabwe:Over the last few years, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been expropriating the farms of white Zimbabweans in the name of racial reparations and handing th
*Cold Weather (47 hits)- The Common Room Nov 25, 2005, 1:04 pm
Cold weather is really here, and the horse trough had ice two inches thick over the top, even after I had I poured about two and a half gallons of hot water, and a pot of boiling water over it. The Grandfather has our pickaxe, so I had to use a hoe to get it to break. Don't you all envy me? :pBut, the good thing is, we can now officially (by officially I mean without the Headgirl yelling at us ) listen to Christmas music, and so far we have listened to "Michael Crawford: a Christmas Album," an E
*Substitutions and Making Do (45 hits)- The Common Room Jan 22, 2008, 7:44 am
We have company; the HM is out of town; Tuesday is our 'busiest' day (as opposed to other merely 'busy' days). Some of the children have art lessons at the library. WE get together with a family with four boys, who also take art lessons at the library. In between ferrying children back and forth from the library we do 'educational' stuff with the other children.It's cold and icy out and five of the children under 12 are boys. So we like to find things for them to do to get the sillies out.
*Slippery Slopes (45 hits)- The Common Room Oct 22, 2005, 4:42 pm
Previously we wrote a post titled The Disappearance of the Disabled. We linked to the post Eradicating the Disabled, by Wilfred McClay. It was a brilliant piece of writing. Wilfred noted that "the "right" to abort has become, increasingly, regarded as a social and moral duty."I've been thinking about those articles quite a bit. I am old enough to remember when Roe V. Wade declared open season on the preborn. I am old enough to remember the arguments that swirled around it. I remember when the
*The Easier Things Get, The Harder We Work (45 hits)- The Common Room Apr 15, 2006, 12:39 am
A few weeks ago I posted about those early homeschooling mothers in Charlotte Mason's time trying to figure out how to get it all done with no help other than a maid and a cook. The Nerdmom reponded on her own blog with some thoughts of her own. I posted to the commetns there, and I'm reposting it below.
I thought of all that tonight while reading Carmon's blog, a great place for making you
*All 416 Children Will Remain In State Custody (45 hits)- The Common Room Apr 18, 2008, 7:38 pm
Mormon Blog Messenger and Advocate has a comprehensive collection of links and excerpts from newspaper reports on the ruling. The judge says they 'may' lose permanent custody if they don't agree to provide a safe environment, but I think it's clear that there's really nothing they can do that will be agreeable to this judge.The Deseret News reports:During earlier testimony Friday, a 29-year-old polygamist mother testified today that she would be willing to do anything the court required if she
*Strong-willed Children, Weak Willed Adults (44 hits)- The Common Room Nov 28, 2005, 8:15 am
I think many of us have heard that the strong-willed child is actually better off than the 'compliant' child because the strong willed child who can defy his parents as a youngster will also be able to defy his peers and his culture when they are enticing him to do drugs, commit immoral acts, and defy authority in his teen years. I read this in parenting books over two decades ago, and it was a popular teaching then. I've heard it in various forms since then, so I assume it's still around. I
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