Poli-Sigh

If you need something to get your blood moving this Monday morning, this will do the trick. But not in a good way. Seriously, everyone -- every single person -- in Congress needs to be fired and replaced. My teenagers couldn't screw it up worse than it is right now.

Quote of the Day

From Ben House in Punic Wars & Culture Wars:

Since history is stories, then textbooks are weak conveyors of history. A history textbook approach to history is like telling the story of the three little pigs by examining the eating habits of carnivorous beasts, the real and imaginative habitats of swine, and then the structure of different edifices, particularly straw, wood, and bricks. Textbooks are useful, even invaluable for the teacher. But they are recipe books, not the meals that are to be served.

Quote of the Day

From the excellent The Art of Teaching by Gilbert Highet, on parents as teachers: (emphases mine)

Children ask thousands of questions, because their world is all new, all strange and bright. If they ask at the wrong time, when we are fishing out the laundry or trying to get them to sleep, they should -- no, they should not be shut up, they should be told: "Ask me again, at breakfast-time, will you?" When they ask at the right time, they should always be answered ... Of course it is difficult to answer all their questions. It is impossible to answer some of them completely. But an answer should be given, if only to keep them interested in learning and friendly to their parents, for that is what all children are naturally, and anything else is a distortion. When they ask "Where does the rain come from?" tell them. If you don't know, tell them that too, and promise to find out. It is hard for them to think you know everything. It is good for them to think you like learning: that you find the world a place to enjoy, and not a mere factory to work in.

Time Management

Earlier this week, I disabled my Twitter account & deleted dozens of feeds from my Google Reader in an attempt to simplify and manage my time better. Unfortunately, that hasn't freed up enough time to read or to do much Latin study. Our full school load kicks in week after next, and I've got more to do to get ready.

I would really love to have more time to read books like this one, which sounds intriguing:

1. It Can't Happen Here

By Sinclair Lewis

Doubleday, 1935

A charismatic Democratic senator who speaks in "noble but slippery ­abstractions" is elected president, in a groundswell of cultish adoration, by a nation on the brink of economic ­disaster. Promising to restore ­America's greatness, he promptly ­announces a government seizure of the big banks and insurance ­companies. He strong-arms the ­Congress into amending the Constitution to give him unlimited emergency powers. He throws his ­enemies into concentration camps. With scarcely any resistance, the country has ­become a fascist dictatorship. No black helicopters here, though. Sinclair Lewis's dystopian ­political satire, now largely forgotten except for its ironic title, was a ­mammoth best seller in 1935, during the depths of the ­Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe. His president, Berzelius ("Buzz") Windrip, is a ruthless phony with the "earthy sense of humor of a Mark Twain"; one of the few who dare oppose him openly is a rural ­newspaper editor who is forced to go on the run. Lewis's prose could be ­ungainly, but he captured with caustic humor the bumptious narrow- ­mindedness of small-town life.

Obviously, blogging is something I could cut. But I hardly do it any more as it is.

Stopping Obamacare for $10

Hugh Hewitt has a great idea, and I just did my part. Check it out and pass it along.

Quote of the Day

From Christopher Dawson in 1960 on the instability of our world, as quoted in Ben House's Punic Wars & Culture Wars:

But there is nothing in this situation which should cause Christians to despair. On the contrary it is the kind of situation for which their faith has always prepared them and which provides the opportunity for the fulfillment of their mission.

Public Health Co-ops

If you're not reading John Stossel's blog, now would be a good time to start. He writes today about public health "co-ops", quoting extensively from Michael Leavitt, a former director of Health and Human Services. Here's a peek:

The Democrats are insisting that their version of a "co-op" wouldn't be government-run health care, but I ran Medicare and Medicaid as secretary of Health and Human Services, and I know this isn't true. When Washington provides the money, names the directors and ultimately pays the bills, government controls health care....

He's got some good proposals, so do go read the whole thing.

Amen!

Doug Wilson writes about the education of girls, and I nodded my head vigorously as I read it because I know some of those folks who think educating girls just isn't that important. Here's a peek:

One of the monstrosities that has circulated in conservative biblicist (I do not say biblical) circles is the idea that girls don't need to be educated, or that they don't need to be educated to the same level as the boys. It is the kind of thing that would get me pretty angry if I allowed myself time to think about it -- which I might have to do sometime.

In the meantime, here is just a short collection of observations. The kind of men who circulate this kind of foolishness are brittle and lazy -- threatened by intelligent women, and too lazy to deal with the threat by working hard, and standing tall. The right kind of man wants a woman he has to stand up straight for. From the biblical notion that men should lead their wives, these guys infer that in order to make this possible, the wives must be hamstrung so that they, the rulers of their future roosts, don't have to be challenged in any way. By way of contrast, the right response is to imagine a highly educated woman, and meditate on what it would take to win her respect.

Do read the whole thing. His point about grandsons is excellent. It's always been curious to me that the men who don't think educating girls is important or even right are the same ones who think it's important for wives to homeschool their children. Now, that's asking for trouble down the line, isn't it?

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

I'm making the meal for our church's youth group tomorrow night, and I'm putting it together today. It's an easy, family favorite.

Easy BBQ Chicken:

- boneless, skinless chicken thighs, as many as you want
- about 1 T. olive oil
- your barbecue sauce of choice (We like Jack Daniel's Original No. 7 Recipe)
- salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet, and add chicken thighs, seasoning with salt and pepper. Brown each side, and then add to your slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce, enough to coat the thighs pretty well. Cook for 2-3 hours on high.

When it's done, shred with a fork and serve on sandwich rolls.

Shameful

Our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is talking trash about the US while she's in Africa:

Hillary Clinton then drew some negative attention for comparing a disputed Nigerian election with the 2000 U.S. stalemate that ended with George W. Bush winning out over Al Gore, who served as Bill Clinton's vice president.

"Our democracy is still evolving," Clinton said. "You know we had some problems in some of our presidential elections. As you may remember, in 2000 our presidential election came down to one state where the brother of one of the men running for president was governor of the state. So we have our problems too."

It sounds like she's trying to find some common ground with the corruption in Africa by making up stuff about a stolen election. Classy, isn't it?

(Hat tip: Power Line)

Busy, Busy, So Dreadfully Busy

All of last week and 2 days of this week I was in faculty in-service at the classical Christian school where I teach Latin part time. Today was the first day of school, and words can't express how tired I am this evening. Next week the PalmKids and I will start back to school here at home with Latin, and then we'll add the rest of the courses in right after Labor Day. They're taking several classes through Veritas Press, and they start that week of Labor Day so I thought sticking with their schedule would be good for us. It also gives me more time to get some Omnibus IV reading done.

Speaking of reading, mine has dropped off significantly since in-service started. That has drained my brain. But a contributing factor has been that I'm trying to finish up Season 2 of Mad Men before Season 3 starts on Sunday. :-)

I'm also completely gobsmacked that this will be PalmBoy's senior year of high school. I'm trying to figure out where all the time went.

Quote of the Day

Another one from Gilbert Highet's The Art of Teaching:

The mind which is exercised on books is not being strained and stretched. It is being used for its proper purpose. To smother it with newspaper pulp, shiny clay magazines, and gossip, so as to keep it from bursting, is like keeping the eyes shut all day to rest them.