Socialization No Longer an ''Issue''

Socialization is no longer an “issue” for homeschoolers, according to some researchers on the long-running debate over public and independent schooling.

Susan McDowell, author of "But What About Socialization? Answering the Perpetual Home Schooling Question: A Review of the Literature,” has researched 24 studies on the socialization of homeschoolers, according to Bristol Herald Courier.

Other researchers, such as Larry Shyers, who holds Ph.D. in counseling, support McDowell’s findings. Shyers’ dissertation, "Comparison of Social Adjustment Between Home and Traditionally Schooled Children," won a national award in excellence in research from the Educational Research Information Clearinghouse in 1992.

His studies found that homeschooled children are not disadvantaged when it comes to socialization. He said that those taught at home were more likely to invite others to play with them, they were not as competitive but more cooperative, and they kept their noise levels lower. Homeschooled children also played with peers of both genders rather than with those of the same gender, he added.

Let's Ban Stupidity Next

BBC NEWS: British Doctors Call for a Kitchen Knife Ban to Cut Down on Stabbings

Maybe then we could ban cars and scissors and letter openers and pointy shoes and... maybe we could ban fists and elbows and knees too!

Taking Themselves Too Seriously

This image released by the British Museum on Thursday May 19, 2005 shows a hoax cave painting of a primitive man pushing a supermarket trolley, placed beneath a limestone statue from a 1st Century tombstone, which was on display in the British Museum in London. The work was planted by an anonymous 'art terrorist' called Banksy and museum staff were alerted Wednesday May 18, 2005, after he put a message on his website, saying that the 10in by 6in rock, 'had remained in the collection for quite some time'. This is not the first time Banksy has stuck fake objects to gallery walls and waited to see how long it takes before curators notice. (AP Photo/British Museum/HO)



Pretty funny... :)

Families Leaving San Fran in Droves

Child Population Dwindles in San Francisco - Yahoo! News:

"It is no mystery why U.S. cities are losing children. The promise of safer streets, better schools and more space has drawn young families away from cities for as long as America has had suburbs.

But kids are even more scarce in San Francisco than in expensive New York (24 percent) or in retirement havens such as Palm Beach, Fla., (19 percent), according to Census estimates.

San Francisco's large homosexual population — estimated at 20 percent by the city Public Health Department — is thought to be one factor...."

Ya think?

Second-Hand Estrogens

Good article on contraceptives causing major environmental problems. Here are some snippets:

"Let us open the door on the American individual’s sterility cabinet, for it is the synthetic female estrogen and progesterone hormones that have allowed this country to become the great and childless nation that it is today.

Just as the tobacco industry was forced to develop the low-tar and filter cigarettes to fend off critics of early death, so the pharmaceutical industry was forced to develop low-dose estrogen and progesterone only pills. The problem, of course, is that the new drug formulations do not prevent ovulation. Instead, they prevent pregnancy by preventing the embryo from implanting. They cause abortions.

The pharmaceutical companies, realizing the problem, fought hard to implement a solution. They wanted to re-define when life begins. After all, this is easier than formulating a safe hormonal contraceptive.

So, why does all this matter? Well, ask the environmentalists. For years, environmental scientists have known that the synthetic hormones from birth control pills are being flushed into aquifers, rivers and streams and have been causing catastrophic feminization in fish and wildlife populations.

Between 30 and 60% of the synthetic hormones and the biologically active metabolites from the birth control pill are excreted in the urine of a drugged woman. Sewage treatment plants do not remove this drug effluent. Septic tanks do not remove it either. The patch and the estrogen ring are even more concentrated sources of synthetic hormones, containing as much as three to six month’s concentrated supply of synthetic, biologically active hormone. Rainwater seeping through garbage dumps rinse the drugs out into the water table, assuming the septic tanks and treated sewage water haven't gotten there first.

Recent studies show that these same synthetic estrogens cause prostate deformities in men and kidney disease in both sexes. Since cancer cells are notorious for the proliferation of estrogen receptors, these hormones are also actively suspected as being the fuel for many cancers. They are likewise suspected as a principle culprit in reports of falling sperm counts throughout the developed world."

Link

Compromising Weasels

Senate Centrist Weasels Compromise on Filibusters...for now.

Saudis Shred Bibles Regularly

Link:

"With 400 smuggled Bibles 'sitting on the dining room table,' he believed his life to be in serious danger. 'That was a crime equal to rape, murder, armed robbery, and in Saudi Arabia you get the same punishment,' he said - the death penalty."

Bibles found in the possession of visitors to Saudi Arabia are routinely confiscated by customs officials, and in some cases copies allegedly have been put through a paper shredder, according to religious rights campaigners.

"If you have more than one Bible you will be taken into custody, and if you have a quantity of Bibles you will be given 70 lashes for sure - you could even be executed."

According to author and Islam scholar Robert Spencer, "a devout Muslim might very well mistreat a Bible, because traditional Islamic theology regards it as a corrupted and unreliable version of the genuine revelations that were given to Moses, Jesus, and other Prophets."

Spencer noted that in sura 9:30 the Koran says those who believe Jesus is the Son of God are under Allah's curse.

"Throughout history, most Muslim theologians have held that the New Testament has been tampered with since it teaches that Jesus is the Son of God."

Nazis, I mean ACLU, ask jail for Tangipahoa school officials

This would be comical if they weren't serious. The ACLU thinks these Tangi. Christians should "be removed from society!"

According to the Aggravate website, "This time, the group says, an elementary school teacher in Tangipahoa Parish repeatedly held prayers in her fourth grade class, encouraged students to bring their Bibles to school, held Bible study classes in the cafeteria of D.C. Reeves Elementary School and admonished students who didn't show up for the class.

In addition, the ACLU cites a prayer it says was recently given at Amite High School, over a loudspeaker, at an awards banquet. The prayer ended with the words "In Jesus' name we pray," violating the ban; the principal of the school sat silently by. [SHOCKING!!!]

"The consent judgment is repeatedly violated by these individuals because they do not believe anything will happen to them," the ACLU said in its Wednesday court filing. "Their refusal to comply with the consent decree should and must result in their removal from society."

Link

The Gap Increases

New Survey Finds Huge Gap Between Press and Public on Many Issues:

"Asked who they voted for in the past election, the journalists reported picking Kerry over Bush by 68% to 25%. In this sample of 300 journalists, from both newspapers and TV, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 3 to 1--but about half claim to be Independent. As in previous polls, a majority (53%) called their political orientation “moderate,” versus 28% liberal and 10% conservative."

Good Comments on 'Kingdom of Heaven' Movie

QUOTE: "Teen audiences who cheered on Legolas as he slaughtered hundreds by the bow in the vast battles of Middle Earth are invited in Kingdom of Heaven to conclude that nothing is worth fighting for. Bloom's character, Balian, surveying a massacre in the Holy Land, declares, 'If this is the kingdom of heaven, then God can keep it.' Sir Ridley [Scott] explains: 'Balian is an agnostic, just like me.' Yet there were no agnostics in the 12th century. That might sound ridiculous, but the word agnostic is a 19th-century invention (1869), just like the word homosexual (1892). There were sex acts between men in the Middle Ages, just as men and women doubted their faith, but neither fact defined a personal ideology. Sir Ridley's problem is that he links agnosticism and tolerance as joint forces of good in his film, and he makes true believers—either Muslim or Christian—baddies. That is an impossible historical pill to swallow. ... A more realistic view of history requires less retrospective fantasy and more brain work. It means forcing our heads round to see what motivated men and women centuries ago." —British opinion columnist Christopher Howse in his critique of the historical inaccuracies in Kingdom of Heaven [opinion.telegraph.co.uk, 5/5/05]

QUOTE: "The idea in the middle of [Kingdom of Heaven] is unhistorical and deeply inaccurate. Bloom succeeds by rejecting God, but it just wouldn't work. If he stood up and drew those conclusions he would have been burned as an agent of the devil. This is a nice 21st-century idea, that if you remove religion you remove extremism ... but in the 12th century, it's not a runner." —Dr. Jonathan Phillips, lecturer in Crusading History at Royal Holloway University in London [Reuters, 5/5/05]

Schiavo-like woman speaks after 2.5 years

WorldNetDaily: Schiavo-like woman speaks after 2� years:

"Not only did Tracy live beyond the day after the accident, she gradually began to improve.
Then, about three weeks ago, she spoke for the first time since the accident, about the same time she began to swallow on her own.

Previous to that she was fed via a feeding tube, similar to Floridian Terri Schiavo, who died in March of starvation and dehydration after the court-ordered removal of her nourishment.

'It's amazing, isn't it?' Dr. David Schmeidler told the local paper. 'I have never seen this happen in my career. I've read about it happening, the severely brain damaged recovering suddenly, but never seen it – until now.'

Continued Schmeidler: 'She is actually able to speak and to speak coherently. In light of all this stuff on Terri Schiavo ... it makes you pause and think. For three years or so, (Tracy) was fed through a tube, then she swallowed a little bit and now she speaks.' "

an idea

New 'mommy wars'

Story Link:

What's really happening with American mothers of all stripes - from full-time homemakers to full-fledged workaholics, all income levels, all racial backgrounds - is worry about popular culture, and what feels like a tsunami of forces threatening parents' ability to impart positive values to their children, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 mothers. Moms report a cultural onslaught that goes far beyond Hollywood movies and TV, and into the world of the Internet, electronic games, and advertising.

In the 2004 race, President Bush beat Sen. John Kerry by a whopping 19 percentage points - 59 percent to 40 percent - among married voters with children under age 18.

"I didn't really think that I trusted [Kerry]," she says. "[Bush] has God, religion."

One mother interviewed wishes there were a way to have a TV control system that would automatically shut out certain shows, the way she was able to block her daughter's access to certain websites when she was younger.

Geo. Washington in 3-D!

An Indian-American computer scientist is going to help give George Washington a "virtual makeover" using the science of 3D computer modeling.

Dr Razdan will be using various artefacts in arriving at the final 3D composite. They include a life mask and a bust of Washington made (when he was 53) by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, a life-size statue in Richmond, and the first president's dentures, eye glasses, clothing and shoes.

"It will be an interdisciplinary enterprise," Dr Razdan explained in an interview from Tempe, Arizona. "We will be working with anthropologists and artists to arrive at the final outcome."
The end result of the project will be three new life-like, life size figures of Washington that will be displayed in 2006 at his home in Mount Vernon, just outside Washington DC. They will show Washington when he was a young Virginia surveyor at 19, Washington as commander of the Continental Army on a horseback at 45, and Washington taking oath as president at 57.

Dr. James Dobson, 'evangelical devil'

Dr. James Dobson, 'evangelical devil'

"Dr. Dobson doesn't believe that "all roads lead to God, or peace, or love." Dr. Dobson actually might believe in such a thing as absolute truth. Dr. Dobson doesn't seem to have a "go with the flow" mentality. "If it feels good, do it" isn't advice that he gives to people. And as a result, when he speaks about what is good for a family or an individual it comes from a place that is genuine and truly based on what is best for them. Homosexual activists have grown to hate this about Dr. Dobson. So have serial adulterers, pornography producers and distributors, and people in government positions that enjoy all of the above. "

PlayStations of the Cross

The Rev. Ralph Bagley is on a very 21st-century sort of mission: introducing the word of God into what he calls the "dark Satanic arena" of the video game business. But he has an old-fashioned calling to back it up.

Bagley put his project on the proverbial shelf, and there it sat until the shootings at Columbine High School.

"Two of the investors that I had originally contacted--and they didn't know each other--called me back after Columbine," he told me recently, "and said, 'Listen, you know, I've been hearing this stuff on the news'"--much of the follow-up coverage focused on the teen killers' devotion to "first-person shooter" video games like 'Doom' and 'Quake'--"and now I kind of feel like maybe I should support this." With almost a million dollars in seed money, Bagley not only developed his ancient-Rome game, "Catechumen"--an early term for a convert--but also founded his own Christian game-development studio, which he named N'Lightning Software.

"We're going to hold the word of God up and illuminate the place," Bagley likes to say. "We're taking the land back from Satan."

Good Commentary on Laura Bush's "Comedy Routine"

I thought this was a fine review that expressed my thoughts exactly.

Mrs. Bush's Remarks To Washington Press Corps Embarrassing, Lacking In Discernment
by Michael Peroutka

Is it just me or did anybody else cringe and feel sorry for our country because of what [our first lady] had to say?

In a well-rehearsed routine that was supposed to be funny --- but was not --- Mrs. Bush began by stepping to the podium and interrupting her husband who was speaking. Referring to the President as "Mr. Excitement," she noted that on a typical evening he was sound asleep by 9 pm and she was watching the TV show "Desperate Housewives" with Vice President Dick Cheney's wife Lynne. Noting that she was a desperate housewife, Mrs. Bush added: "If those women on that show think they are desperate, they ought to be with George."

One reviewer has said that if this sleazy show had a subtitle, "it would be 'sex and the suburbs'" --- illicit sex, of course, sex outside of marriage. Referring to this program's "dark take on American domestic life," the reviewer noted that various episodes have been about "betrayal, an affair, an accident, a cover-up, an arrest, a murder, a burial and a memorable scene involving a urine sample."

Mrs. Bush also said that one night, after the President went to bed, she and Mrs. Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and [Bush adviser] Karen Hughes "went to Chippendales." She said she wouldn't say what happened but Mrs. Cheney's Secret Service code name is now "Dollar Bill." A "Washington Times" story describes Chippendales as "a strip club where women tuck cash into male dancers' skimpy thongs."

Mrs. Bush said the President's mother was less like the "Andy Griffith Show's" character "Aunt Bea" and more like Mafia boss "Don Corleone." She made fun of her husband's inability to pronounce correctly the word "nuclear." And she said the President has learned a lot about ranching since he once tried to milk a horse --- "what's worse, it was a male horse."

Ex-Roman Catholic priest and TV talk show host John McLaughlin is quoted in the "Washington Post" as saying, with a chuckle, about Mrs. Bush performance: "She was successful in disabusing any thoughts that she's a Christian fundamentalist extremist." Well, yes. I would say that she did this with vengeance.

Ironically, it was a liberal journalist who got it right. David Corn, a reporter for the far-Left "Nation" magazine said, of Mrs. Bush's standup routine: "It was very risque. I was wondering what the social conservatives and James Dobson had to say about all these jokes that were laced with sexual innuendo. Not a very family-values-type speech."

Several news reports have said that Mrs. Bush saying what she said was the President's idea.

In his historically instructive book "Myths In Stone: Religious Dimensions Of Washington D.C." (University of California Press, 2001), Jeffrey F. Meyer, a professor of religion at the University of North Carolina, says this about President George Washington's concern about ceremony and domestic behavior:

"[He] sensed that everything he did was significant. From the procedures to be observed in high government rituals down to questions of domestic etiquette --- how the president should relate to leading citizens and to ordinary citizens, what kind of house he should occupy, and what clothes he should wear. All of these issues, he realized, were expressive of the status of the president. He understood that all these items would, to use contemporary jargon, 'make a statement.'"

Indeed. And the same thing can be said about the behavior of a President's wife. The actions of a President's wife are significant and revelatory of the status of the office of First Lady. And what Mrs. Bush has demonstrated is that the status of her being First Lady is not a pretty one.

One TV reporter noted that on this particular evening in Washington DC all of us had seen "a side of Laura Bush that the public has never seen." I, for one, wish that Mrs. Bush had no such side but --- since she does --- that it had never been shown in public.

Pretty Good Article on Ten Years of the Louisiana Concealed Carry Law

"It's worked exactly like I thought would," Foster said. "Law-abiding citizens have gotten permits so they can protect themselves, and we've really had no problems with it."

Fair Warning

An English cat named one-two-three and a French cat named un-deux-trois were standing onshore waiting to cross a river. Both were afraid of the water so one of them suggested making a race out of it to make it more fun.

Who won?

The English cat of course, because un-deux-trois cat sank.