My uncle Charlie hand makes beautifully crafted Native American flutes. Its a hobby he has picked up and added to his many talents as a creative, innovative person. He recently got his 25 seconds of fame at the Ordway in Minnesota playing one of his flutes:
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1. GIVE IT UP. Every Lent it never fails: my Facebook news feed is loaded with Christian acquaintances posting what superfluous toy or 
food they have decided to deprive themselves of for 40 days. I vaguely recall a passage in the gospels where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for publicly displaying their fasting and how god will not “count” it on the list he is supposedly making and checking (twice). You poor martyrs! How terrible that you have to do without soda, candy, chocolate, video games, TV, etc for a WHOLE FORTY DAYS. Have you given any thought as to all those who live in abject poverty and NEVER have ANY of that stuff? How arrogant of you to think that your god will reward you for giving up such luxuries when so many starve to death every day because they have nothing to eat? Four years ago I gave up eating all processed sugars, sodas, fast food and excess. I have never owned a video game and have not owned a TV for 3 years. I do this because it benefits my health and encourages exploration of the world. I fail to see how you giving up candy for Lent and complaining about it does anything to benefit you or those who go without every day of their lives. For Lent, try giving up God and see how clear things become.
2. FISH. If you have ever cooked a meal for Christians on a Friday in Lent, you know about how they “deprive” themselves on Fridays in Lent (only 4-5 Fridays in the year) and make a big deal to make sure everyone knows they 
can’t “eat meat”. The last time I checked, fish was meat. This whole fish on Fridays tradition has an interesting metamorphoses through history. Fasting rules for Catholics in particular used to be very strict. It progressed from no meat allowed on EVERY Friday of the year to only Wednesday and Fridays during Lent and then lastly to “no meat” on only Fridays during Lent. Then, as people tend to do, the faithful found a loophole in their rules because they did not “count” fish as meat by saying that it came from water animals, not land animals. After decades of their flock bending the rules so they could have fish on Fridays, the Catholic Church under Pope Paul VI decided to allow Fish on Fridays in 1966. Now, I don’t mind accommodating my vegan friends, people with allergies or intolerance to certain foods. What does bother me is the “poor me” message that “fasting” Christians bring to my dinner table and to the world. McDonald’s even caters to their “fast” season, commercializing and capitalizing on the pointless tradition of one religion. I fail to see how eating expensive fish, now in short supply is a sacrifice.
Another problem with Christians eating Fish on Fridays is overfishing and how much Christianity has helped to decimate global fish populations.1 Fish is an expensive, rare meat on our over-fished planet. Christians are happy to help themselves to the almost extinct Tuna and Salmon in the name of their religious “fasting”. Eating a delicacy is a far cry from depriving one’s self in the name of Jesus. I also fail to see how encouraging people to consume fish during Lent is an example of good stewardship of the earth.
3. OBESITY. The thin priest will talk about it, but the fat ones won’t touch the subject. Gluttony, one of the ‘seven deadly sins’, plagues a large swath of the faithful across all Christian divides. They sit in their pews and hear about how they should give in charity, deny themselves pleasures. Yet they exit church each Sunday to find a doughnut at the community hall and fail 
to connect how eating 2 to 3 times the amount of calories needed to live each day equates to starving children dying in third world countries. Even here on American soil, families are finding it difficult to find enough food to survive and the pious obese flock to church every Sunday to be reassured by their pastor that they are checking off all the necessary dates to be admitted into heaven. This type of hypocrisy abounds during Lent when the biblical reading encourage homilies about abstinence, moderation, charity and self denial. Obesity is perhaps the most un-Christian behavior of all, exercising gluttony, sloth, greed, addiction, destruction of your “god-given” body and a complete lack of compassion for those who have no food to eat. I fail to see how being 200 pounds overweight exemplifies Christian behavior.
4. TRADITION. If you ask a Christian why they celebrate Lent, the common response is because Jesus went into the desert for 40 days. There he supposedly ate no food and was tempted by the Devil. The irony in this is that to remember this improbable story, Christians “deprive” themselves of American comforts and “fast” on Fridays, even though they found the loophole of eating meat. It is almost as meaningless as reenacting the cannibalism of eating the flesh and blood of Jesus with wafers and cheap wine. Oh wait… they already do that.
5. HISTORY. Let’s put the record straight. There are rumors out there that Pope Paul IV had monetary interest in seeing a budding new fishing industry succeed. It is not improbable, but still devoid of sources. Pope Paul IV was rumored to have had a mistress who’s husband owned a fishing fleet. What is known about Pope Paul IV was his strong Antisemitism and his major role during the Inquisition. In 1555 he issued canon law forcing Jews to live separate from Christians, which created the Roman Ghetto. He strengthened and reorganized the Inquisition and believed that outside of Catholicism there was no salvation. He also had fig leaves painted over the nudes in the Sistine Chapel. 2, 3
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REFERENCES
1. The Pope and the Price of Fish, Full article
3. NNDB
What do you think of when you hear the word “marriage”? Happy couples, cake, rings, wedding bells and day to celebrate? Young couples today are beginning to think beyond the wedding day, considering the financial implications of combining taxes and sharing debt obligations. There are many alternatives to getting legally married. The easiest one is co-habitation, but this carries with it some disadvantages when you want to be tied legally to your partner. What are the pros and cons of marriage?
Wedding Bills : The average US wedding costs about $35,000. If a new couple invested that money in IRA with an annual rate of 9%, they would have 1.26 million dollars by the time they reached 65.
Marriage Tax Penalty: When married couples both earn income, this places them in a higher tax bracket. They can end up paying more taxes, often negating the income of one working parent especially if the cost of childcare is considered. Avoiding marriage if both persons are earning income lets you file taxes separately and potentially keep more of your income. If however, one partner will not be earning income, claiming two deductions (claiming the non working person as a dependent) benefits a married couple on their tax filings. Monetary gifts between legally married couples are also exempt from tax.
Emotional Stress: Most couples go through emotional stresses as they plan their weddings, straining their relationship as they bring in extended family to help fund or make decisions regarding the wedding day. Consider a cruise vacation where you spend less than on a traditional wedding. You can simply enjoy your partner while on a stress free vacation.
Home Buying: Married couples who file jointly can keep up to $500,000 on the sale of a home without paying capital gains tax, whereas an individual homeowner can keep only $250,000.
Illness: Non married couples may have difficulty receiving visitation rights when one of them is hospitalized. This can be solved by having a lawyer draw up a visitation rights agreement between you and your partner. Power of attorney gives full rights to your partner to make decisions on your behalf.
Healthcare: Being on the same healthcare plan can be convenient and sometimes cheaper, however if one family member on the plan develops a serious illness, everyone else on the plan can be negatively effected by cost or the inability to get a low rate on a new plan. Keep in mind that if you are considering having children, it is best for both parents to get on their own healthcare plan prior to conceiving a child, as most insurance policies have a clause that excludes them from paying for labor and delivery costs if a baby is born prior to 12 or 18 months of the plan’s initiation. Fathers may also find it difficult to get a good rate on healthcare if they have fathered a child prior to applying for individual healthcare. When you have children, also consider which parent’s healthcare plan the new baby will be added to or if the baby will be on it’s own healthcare plan.
Loans and Bankruptcy: By getting legally married, couples are automatically joining their credit ratings and debt responsibilities. By keeping your credit ratings and monetary lending legally separate, you will not compromise your partner’s ability to operate financially. This is especially beneficial if either person owns a business as you can keep your assets in one person’s name and the business in the other’s name. Should the business run into trouble, your assets can be kept safe if each person is not legally attached through marriage.
Social Security: Legally married couples are able to receive each other’s social security benefits after death. Social Security benefits are so nominal that neither of you should plan on relying on it as income in either case. If you both reach the age of retirement, you may wish to get legally married at that point to receive each other’s SS upon death. It is also likely that SS will not be worth anything or phased out by the times you retire. Use the tools of legal partnership and legal marriage when and how they suit you and your partner best.
So how can you “get hitched” without all the downsides? Think of legal marriage as a package deal, granted by the government to recognize two individuals as one unit. This effects everything a married couple does, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. Assess what tools of legal marriage you and your partner would like to benefit from and hire a lawyer to set up a legal agreement between the two of you that will take advantage of only the positives. These may include:
- Legal visitation rights in a medical emergency
- Granting your partner the power of attorney
- Setting up a will for each of you
- Agreeing on what will happen should you decide to separate: children, assets, etc.
- Agreeing on who legally owns any assets or businesses that may currently be owned by both of you.
- Legally changing of last names and deciding what sur name your children will take.
- Setting up life insurance policies and ensuring that the surviving partner is the benefactor of such policies.
Hiring a good lawyer may cost between $1000-$2000, but this pales compared to the financial benefits down the road when setting up your tailor made partnership agreement. You may also find that websites like legalzoom.com with DIY legal documents may suit your needs for general items like name change, wills, etc.
Marriage isn’t what it used to be. The tradition of the dolled up bride in white, who’s parents throw an expensive party is borrowed from the days of kings and queens. The “princess” was the star of the day and no expense was too great to make her wedding day as lavish as possible. Today this medieval tradition can be too costly and unnecessary. Focusing on your future as a couple both financially and emotionally should be more important than putting on a show and party for your friends and family. Consider tailoring your legal partnership to best suit your needs, then take a long romantic vacation to celebrate each other. You’ll save money and enjoy yourselves much better than putting on a show.
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Resources: Financial Advantages and Disadvantages of Marriage
This cat caught my attention not because of her virtuoso talent, but rather for her ability to hold interest in the piano. For a cat, the ability to recognize cause and effect of the piano and the sound is remarkable. Nora takes it further and seems to enjoy repeating the sounds and sustains an interest in the keyboard.
All of these are worth a read if you go out to eat… I would hope that some of the better quality places don’t do some of these things. There are some great things to know in order to treat your waiter better too. Here is a taste, then follow the link to read ‘em all:
What You Don’t Want to Know
5. When I was at one bakery restaurant, they used to make this really yummy peach cobbler in a big tray. A lot of times, servers don’t have time to eat. So we all kept a fork in our aprons, and as we cruised through the kitchen, we’d stick our fork in the cobbler and take a bite. We’d use the same fork each time.6. If you make a big fuss about sending your soup back because it’s not hot enough, we like to take your spoon and run it under really hot water, so when you put the hot spoon in your mouth, you’re going to get the impression—often the very painful impression—that your soup is indeed hot
Autumn, our 2 year old kitty is really tough to photograph because of her dark gray fur and lazy stare. But her discovery of the empty dryer presented a perfect LOL cat photograph. We couldn’t decide which one was best:
Autumn, October 2009. Copyright LiberatedMind.com 2009
Autumn, October 2009. Copyright LiberatedMind.com 2009
I’ll post the LOL cat link if their website posts my submissions.
Yes, now I have a reason to go to Sweden! Next European trip, I am so there.
The City of Malmö decision after initially being asked to vote on a motion that would force women to cover up after a feminist group started appearing at pools topless. Instead they voted in an amended version that said that “everybody should wear bathing suits,” leaving the door open for topless bathing as long as the woman was wearing a bottom part of a bikini. 1
Rachel would like to know what you think about Jesus and the “Final Judgment”.
Yes 12%
No 86%
Do you believe in a final Judgment?
Yes 50%
No 48%
Maybe 1%
Do you believe we lived before birth?
Yes 68%
No 24%
First of all, I completely lucked out in buying the domain LiberatedMind.com … I had looked a few times and it was owned so I was considering other domain names. I was about to buy an alternative when I thought, what the heck! and checked on the domain name one more time. There it was! For sale! $7 and it was mine! Oh, the joy.
So in homage to all the previous uses of this domain name, I will divulge a brief, yet intriguing history of LiberatedMind.com…
From 1996-2000 it was owned but not used.
In 2001 the fireworks went off and it was used first as an Ad Tracking Campaign, then as a Scented Oils perfume company. The smelling company kept it until 2003 when they must have dropped it because quite honestly, their web page was about as amateur and off putting as they come.
In 2004 someone picked up our dear little domain to sell “Ultra Hot Undies”, eyewear and watches. I can only guess they failed at a web appeal because in 2004 GoDaddy sat on it for a few months. Our last owner briefly set up shop in 2005 selling Erotic art and art supplies. That ended abruptly in 2005. Dormant it sat from that year until this, where I scooped it up for your enjoyment.
In New York City, we might expect the smiley-faced tweenbot to be stabbed, stomped, mugged, or covered in graffiti, but every single one of the journeys was completed without a hitch. Pedestrians would stop and help the little guy when he was trapped against a curb or headed into traffic, and point him in the right direction.
WATCH:
Dawkins, Krauss, deGrasse Tyson… need I say more? Here is the line up: Watch it live stream or on cable via Cox Channel 116 and Quest Choice TV Channel 138.
Public Symposium, Gammage Auditorium**
Public Symposium: 9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Gammage Auditorium, ASU Tempe Campus
9 a.m. Welcome
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Steven Pinker
Don Johanson
Brian Greene
1:45 – 5:45 p.m.
Richard Dawkins
J. Craig Venter
Lawrence Krauss
Nobel Panel, moderated by Ira Flatow
Baruch Blumberg
David Gross
Walter Gilbert
Sheldon Glashow
John Mather
Frank Wilczek
7:15 – 9:45 p.m.
World Champion of Magic, Jason Latimer
Panel on Science and Culture:
Hugh Downs, Ann Druyan, Neil deGrasse Tyson…
Stephen Hawking
Day Three Symposium on Origins! Catch some live stream or cable.
Moderator: Roger Bingham (Salk Institute)
9:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. Session 4: Consciousness, complex cognition, and language to Culture, cooperation, morality and institutions
Panel 1: Consciousness, complex cognition, and language
Steven Pinker (language and cognition)
V. S. Ramachandran (neuroscience and cognition)
Patricia Churchland (philosophy of consciousness)
Robert Seyfarth (theory of mind in primates)
Jerrold Seigel (The idea of Self)
Sue Rosser (Gender consciousness)
10:40 – 10:50 a.m. Break
Panel 2: Human Uniqueness
Kim Hill: What makes humans unique?
Rob Boyd: What are the unique features of human cultural capacity that allow individually learned innovations to “stick” and be transmitted
Robert Kurzban: Some have said that humans uniqueness lies in our capacity for large scale cooperation and moral behavior. What are the origins of these human traits?
Panel 3: Culture and morality
Polly Wiessner: How did our ancestors maintain significant cooperative ties across much larger stretches of space and time than any other organism?
Jonathan Haidt: What is morality, and why does it vary?
A.C. Grayling: What does Philosophy have to contribute to a more “human” understanding of the implications of evolution by natural selection?
11:50 a.m. – 12 p.m. Break
Panel 4: The State, social norms, and Institutions
Michael Macy.: what are the origin and impact of social norms on individual and collective outcomes?
Margaret Levi: what is the origin of the state, and what are the causes of its failure?
Peter Bearman: what are the origin and impact of social networks on individual and collective outcomes?
More Symposium! Catch it live stream or on cable:
Saturday April 4: Symposium (Conference Rooms at Symposium)
8:30 – 11:35 a.m. Session 2: The Galaxy, Planets and Life
8:30 – 9:20 a.m. Panel 1: Do we have a successful theory of Galaxy and star formation and how will we know
Moderator: Lawrence Krauss
Ben Moore: How low can we go? Can we understand galaxy formation in a CDM Universe?
Carlos Frenk: Dark matter rules
Joe Silk: Outstanding Puzzles, IMF etc
Rogier Windhorst: JWST and its promise
9:20 – 10:20 a.m. Panel 2: How common are Earth-like planets?
Moderator: Ariel Anbar
Alex Halliday: When do solar systems form Earth-like planets?
David Stevenson: Can moonless “Earths” support life?
Ed Young: What are the building blocks of Earth-like planets?
Steve Desch: Where do planets get their water, and where can most liquid water be found?
Phil Christensen: Was Mars ever “Earth-like”?
Jade Bond: Is the chemistry of our Solar System unusual or unique?. TBD.
10:20 – 10:35 a.m. Break
10:35 – 11:35 a.m. Panel 3 How Does Life Originate and How Do We Recognize It?
Moderator: Kip Hodges
Baruch Blumberg: What will it take to know about life elsewhere in the universe?
Paul Davies: Is the life we know the only life there is?
Antonio Lazcano: How do we define the transition from a pre-biotic to a biotic Earth?
Steve Mojzsis: Paleontologic evidence notwithstanding, what was the earliest life on Earth?
Everett Shock: Are there definitive biosignatures for life on other planets and, if so, what are they?
2:15 – 5:00 p.m. Session 3: Origin of Species, Evolution, Human Origins
2:15 – 3:10 p.m. Panel 1: Origin and Evolution of Life and Phenotypic Innovations
Moderator: Manfred Laubichler
George Poste: Can we design new cells from scratch?
Doug Erwin: Extinction and the Origin and Diversification of Body Plans
Kevin Peterson: Complexity and Constraints in Animal Evolution
Randy Nesse: Disease as a by-product of social organization?
Peter Ward: Evolution
Break 3:10 -3:20 p.m.
3:20 – 4:05 p.m. Panel 2: Origin and Evolution of Sociality
Moderator: Jürgen Gadau
Richard Dawkins: Darwin´s Dilemma: How can we explain altruistic behavior?
Bert Hölldobler: The Origin of Eusociality as a Major Transition in Evolution
Joan Strassmann: Cooperation and Conflict: Two Intertwined Themes in Social Evolution
David Queller: Are the Basic Evolutionary Principles that Explain the Evolution of Social Life True for Bacterial Mats, Slime Molds, Eusocial Insects, and Primates, including Humans?
4:05 – 5 p.m. Panel 3: What is the origin of human uniqueness?
Q: What, from the point of view of your specialty, does it mean to be human?
William Kimbel moderator.
Alan Rodgers
John Fleagle
Ian Tattersall
Don Johanson
Curtis Marean
If you, like me were unable to secure tickets to the Origins Symposium featuring Dawkins, Krauss, Hawking and many more, watch it live via the web or tune into cable to catch a few portions on your coffee break 
Friday April 3 (At ASU, Tempe Campus)
Live webcast. Also simulcast can be seen live on Cox Channel 116 and Quest Choice TV Channel 138 (ASUtv).
8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Workshop for Journalists: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Forefront questions in Evolutionary Biology – Richard Dawkins
Forefront questions on the beginning of time – Lawrence Krauss
**11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Science Friday, Live from ASU, Katzin Concert Hall,** (Approximately 150 seats will be available for students, staff, faculty and the public, to be distributed on a first come first served basis. Once broadcast begins, no further seating will be made.)
Two Panels:
Physicists and the Origin of the Universe
Origins and Evolution of Life
1 – 2 p.m. Lunch with students from Barrett, The Honors College at ASU
2 – 5:30 p.m. Katzin Concert Hall, Session 1: Origins of the Universe, Multiverse, Physical Laws
2 p.m. Welcome: Sid Bacon, Lawrence Krauss
Frank Wilczek: The Big Questions
2:10 – 3:10 p.m. Panel 1: How Far Back Can We Go?
Moderator: Michael Turner
Steven Weinberg: How Can we probe inflation?
James Peebles: Is all well with the Universe?
Brian Greene: What can string theory do?
Lawrence Krauss: Are there fundamental theoretical limits?
Stephen Hawking: The Origin of the Universe
3:10 – 3:25 p.m. Break
3:25 – 4:20 p.m. Panel 2: Is Our Universe Unique, and how can we find out?
Moderator: Paul Davies
Andrei Linde: Inflationary multiverse and string theory landscape
Alan Guth: Eternal Inflation, Measures and Anthropics
David Gross: What is wrong with Anthropics
Sheldon Glashow: Is Particle Physics Over?
Alex Vilenkin: Mediocrity as a principle
4:20 – 5:25 p.m. Panel 3: New Windows on the Universe: What is knowable?
Moderator: Wendy Freedman
Barry Barish: LIGO and ILC: Which first? Which Best?
Adam Riess: Do Supernovae have anything else to tell us?
John Ruhl: Is the CMB a tool whose time is up?
John Mather: The Next Generation Space Telescope: So what?
Maria Spiropulu: The LHC: When will it work, what will it do?
Roger Blandford: The gamma ray sky
I strongly oppose home education for three reasons:
1. the children being homeschooled are limited to their parent’s ability to relay information and the previous schooling of the parents. In a school setting, children are provided with perspectives and knowledge from a very wide pool of minds.
2. Socially, homeschool does not expose children to peer pressure. Peer pressure can be a good thing and it can be a negative thing. Regardless, children need to learn how to handle peer pressure situations and how to interact with their peers (especially the ones that are different from themselves).
3. bias of the parents (whether for or against religion) will color the type and method of education. Even atheist children need to learn how to talk with and interact with religious people.
Finally, I find the motive of parents who show a desire to homeschool their children to b selfish. They want to have 100% control of what is let into their child’s brain. The best answer to a child who is behind in a subject or excelling beyond her grade level or even if something is being left out of the child’s school curriculum that the parent wants to add: simply supplement their regular school with your own help or a tutor’s help. Children can learn at home AND at school.
In the blogosphere VJACK posted Atheist Homeschooling which ushered quite a response from many different viewpoint. 20 posts down, a homeschooling mom supplied a link to her blog where she replied to VJACK in Homeschooling Concerns Baseless. Not to be confusing, but this was my response to a piece of her post…
I just want to address this one paragraph.
Alasandra said:
“Funnily enough the opposite argument (it could be argued that a CHRISTIAN parent who homeschools might be doing his or her children a disservice by depriving them of the opportunity to learn how to navigate the challenges of living as an CHRISTIAN among a largely secular/materalistic populace) is often made in reference to religious homeschoolers who feel the public schools are a cesspool of secular humanism. Homeschoolers do not live in splendid isolation. We meet all sorts of people from various backgrounds merely by going about our daily lives.”
1) ‘Funnilly’ is an adverb that serves little or no purpose in the sentence. Just had to get that out of the way.
2) Christian parents in America need not worry about helping their children navigate about a secular world. Only 16% of Americans openly profess no religion. That is only the ones who feel like they won’t be persecuted or made fun of by saying they don’t subscribe to mystical fantasies. Christians seem have the upper hand in America (so far). A few examples: Mormons have even been able to block homosexuals from receiving the same civil liberties as heterosexuals. In the state of Arkansas it is unlawful (according to the state’s constitution) for an atheist to hold public office or testify in a court of Law. Discrimination abounds against atheists and I agree with VJACK that children who decide to be atheist have many social challenges to face by not labeling themselves to a religion.
Alasandra goes on to say:
“It’s also ironic that VJACK assumes that his children will share his atheist beliefs, but then I suppose he intends to brainwash or indoctrinate them with his beliefs.”
Most parents assume that their children will follow their own world view. Religious folk are most at fault for this. In the Christian faith parents and god-parents take a promise at his baptism that they will indoctrinate the child with the religion. It is very rare for a person to switch faiths as an adult, which makes childhood indoctrination for religion a vital means to maintain their numbers. Atheists hold the premise that nobody so far has all the answers. Information and knowledge seeking are held in high regard for the atheist because saying “we don’t know” and having the humble approach to life’s puzzles requires one to be open to science, new ideas and ways of thinking. This is the kind of world view that an atheist encourages her children to adopt. The religious parent on the other hand imbues in their child a sense of certainty about a mythical being and set of human rules attached to that mythology. This encourages the child to be externally motivated by the religion and not internally motivated by their own self worth and sense of right and wrong.
Next time I suggest Alasandra back up the statements made with sound arguments, evidence. The current method of pointing fingers does little to advance the discussion.
To continue the discussion:
I too was enrolled in homeschool coops, took “classes” from other parents than my own and started taking college courses at two local schools when I was 17. However, my education was still largely controlled and censored by my religious parents. Academically I was prepared for college, but socially I was shamefully ill equipped. In a school setting, children are provided with perspectives and knowledge from a very wide pool of minds. These minds DO have opinion and varying teaching styles. That is what provides students with internally motivated methods of information evaluation. They learn to take things with a grain of salt and be investigative instead of believe everything that is tossed into their brains.
The peer pressure I experienced as a child from my homeschooling friends was not equal to that of public school children. Everyone I knew was indoctrinated with the same religion, shared the same ethnicity and had vary little variance from child to child. There was little or no exposure to people or ideas that differed from what my parents believed or were. I was allowed to participate in the soccer team from the local public school for a number of years. Socially, I was very different than those girls and I knew it, I just couldn’t figure out why at that age.
I do not oppose homeschooling as a valid educational choice. Everyone is entitled to raise their children as they please so long as they children are not harmed by it (physically). As a child I liked being homeschooled because I got done with the school hours before the other kids, I could do school in my PJs, and I didn’t have to deal with the peer pressure from school. My parents liked homeschooling me and my sister because it gave them full control and censorship from reality. Looking back, I know that those reasons for liking homeschooling were terrible reasons that caused damage that I spent a few years of college undoing: the social inability and religious indoctrination smothered who I really was. As a child, I of course choose the candy bar over the broccoli when it came to my education.
When it boils down, my parents steered me to be externally motivated and not internally motivated. From my experiences I have decided that if my children need their public school material supplemented, I will do so in addition to their regular schooling. Whether they excel or need a little extra help, supplemental material can be provided at home aside from regular school.
Many children from religious families are psycologically bullied by their parents to believe in whatever religion the family subscribes to. Children should be allowed to make up their own minds about mythology and religion without fear of ridicule from their parents. Guide, then step aside.
For any parent, I highly recommend reading “Raising Children Who think for themselves” by Elisa Medhus
Do you like cable without the cable bill? Just watch TV on your computer! These free online and LEGAL websites are put up by the show’s producers or are paid for by advertisements like commercials. Enjoy!
http://www.hulu.com/
http://www.southparkstudios.com
http://www.joost.com/
http://www.cnn.com/video/?iref=videoglobal
http://www.youtube.com/user/10mph
Turkey day is on the way and we are miles away from family and friends. Last year our holidays were filled with a scattering of going here and there, driving everywhere to satisfy everyone on both sides of our family. They all had traditions that they required our attendance to fulfill. Traditions that made us wonder where the real meaning behind them had fallen by the wayside and gotten lost in the comings and goings, spending and gifting.
Thanksgiving has lost much of its meaning for me. The traditions of giving thanks for what one has somehow turned into a day where family gather to eat more food than they normally do, most of which is unhealthy. On a day of thanks, I would prefer to give thanks for good health, family, friends, the things I have and the knowledge I have gained through a life of open minded exploration. Eating unhealthy foods in exorbitant amounts does not represent this type of thanksgiving to me.
Some new family traditions that would better suit Thanksgiving for my family would be donating to a foodshelf, volunteering time, gathering with family and friends to do something together that does not turn food into a source of entertainment, or even traveling with family, giving thanks in each other by spending relaxing time together.
Christmas is another holiday that has lost its meaning. Millions of present underneath the tree, usually translate to things that children do not really need: stuff that clutters, toys that are used once and never touched again. Holiday stress and expenses on decorations have crowded out the spirit of true giving.
Some family traditions that I would love to start for our Christmas holiday are:
Instead of cutting down a tree – Buy a fake tree and plant a tree or donate to an organization that protects wild areas or replants deforested areas.
Instead of wasting energy on lights – Use LED lights and/or homemade candles.
Instead of buying tons of presents – Start a tradition that each gift be limited to one and that the family as a whole donates time or money to an organization that helps needy families through sustainable living practices.
…you have noticed that everything an indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round.
The wind, in its great power whirls,
Time spirals around itself,
Birds make their nests in circles,
and their little ones grow in little circles.
Atoms rotate in a circle,
composing life itself.
The Sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle
and Moon does the same,
and both are round.
Galaxies spin in a circle,
whirling many round planets.
Music is round, in the circle of fifths,
and a sounding drum, guitar, horn, violin, all carrying circles,
their vibrations pulsing half circles into our round earlobes.
The Face is round
and inside two circle eyes, two circle pupils.
A woman’s womb is round,
so too her belly, ripe with child.
The life of the human is a circle
from childhood to childhood
and so it is in everything where power moves….
I feel like I am sitting on the edge of my seat in complete suspense at what is going to happen next on the movie screen of my own life. Everything is delicately hanging in the balance. The best part is that though I may be planning and preparing and doing my best to ensure those plans follow through, I do not know what might find me around the corner. Something my partner said the other day struck me: “If you were really ready for everything that happened to you in life, the opportunities would pass you by before you thought you were ready, and nothing would ever come of you.” Is anyone really ready for anything? As prepared as possible, perhaps, as educated as is reasonable, sure, but ever adequately ready? I am beginning to believe not. In a strange sort of way, I feel like I am riding an invisible bike, so to speak. I can feel the bike, I look like I am riding the bike, I can feel the wind through my hair and see the road ahead of me, but most people cannot see the bike and think I look rather foolish going about as I do. Typically in my past, once I was able to get ahead in anything, life would throw me under the bus. I have been on a running streak for months now, getting ahead in many areas of life and so far I haven’t seen the underside of a bus yet. Here’s to hoping it stays that way! I am ready to take chances. I am ready to take risks. I am ready to trust. I am prepared to be my own woman. I am ready to lean on another and offer support. I am ready to live vicariously. I am ready to map out my dreams, following the detours that the pursuit of each one might offer. I am ready for love, I am ready for life.
If I am a star, the world is the sky: deep black, so black it could swallow you whole. And the star’s light tries to go in every which way, lighting up the blackness for everyone, reliable and true. In this way the little star finds answers, sees things she has never seen before, and meets other stars she might never have noticed. And all this makes her fire burn brighter. But the light becomes tired, weary of shining it’s light upon every one it sees, trying to determine the true colors of those on whom it shines. For once in it’s little bright life, the light wishes that one of them would take her to himself, and ask her to share her light only with him. If I am a star, the world is the sky: deep black, yet filled with giant pin-pricks of light…
In the stillness of body
the mind awakens
to stretch synapse and reel,
wandering backwards
through the hastening of senses.
As in a dream,
remembering you
in your blue shirt and soft smile
smelling of peppermint and bright ocean spray;
the breadth of your hand
encasing mine in a cloak of crimson love-
fastening yourself to myself
with a clasp of golden leaf,
fallen fresh from forever’s forest.
The silent honor of this moment
echoes in my mind’s eye:
a glimpse of the future,
a shade of the past,
accented by the hues of fidelity.
And as the mind returns,
a promise to the beloved:
To perceive with immeasurable appreciation
all things of all natures,
all natures of all things
holding them forever sacred in the fresh parchment of thought
from this memory,
until the very last.
- c. a. prokop
Laura’s comments from Homeschooling is not the answer
POST 1
This has been an enlightening conversation. This is what is great about our country…our right to choose. So many countries have banned the idea of homeschooling or even private schooling as the choice of the parents.Homeschooling has been the “mainstream” way of thinking for thousands of years. It has worked and has raised up great leaders; presidents, inventors, college professors, teachers, doctors. etc…. Public school is the experiment as of late. The concept of a public, free educational institution has only been around for about 120-130 years. It is the “experiment”, not homeschooling.
On that note…anonymous, why do you care so much about what other people do concerning their childrens education. Do you care what they eat, where they shop, what kind of house they live in? Why when it comes to educating my children in my home all of the sudden, I need outside opinions and comments? I am not capable to handle the daily teaching and training of my own children? I know them best; their needs, their like and dislikes, their personalities. I can train them in an unique way that will challenge them but in the same turn use their strengths and weaknesses to their advantage. No other institution could do that. Not to their fault, its just not possible with so many different children in one classroom.
I have homeschooled for 5 years now. My oldest is ten. I don’t hate public school. To the contrary, I have many friends whose children are in school and are thriving. I myself attended public school and had a positive experience. For me to judge someone who chooses a path that is different from mine is arrogant. I can disagree and choose not participate in a certain activity, school, church, social event. But for me to say, you are not doing it MY way so therefore it is wrong and potential harmful, is ridiculous. We are not harming our children. Why do you care if MY children are exposed socially to peer pressure? Why do you care if MY children are “weird”? Are you implying that if my children or any homeschooled child may behave in a way that is countercultural that somehow that are not as viable to society? Some how they are harming our way of life as a society? The mere fact that there are cliques in school is proof that you can be socially weird and spend your whole life in a public institution.. And BTW..who defines weird anyway? I am from the south, live in the country, grow my own food and live off of the land. Up until a few months ago, that was not encouraged in our society. That was weird or backward. Now that the economy is bad, people are struggling, money is tight, even our new President is planting a garden, growing his own “Victory Garden” to do his part. Societal norms change and sometimes change rapidly. Our goal as a society should not be to focus on streamlining our children and youth into what we have become. Obviously that is not working. Why not try to make a better society where we can play off of the strengths of others.
Homeschooling, whether you like it or not, is rapidly becoming part of the “mainstream”. 3.5 million families can not be wrong or in your definition “weird”. Someone is failing our children and parent’s are stepping up and taking our children back into our own hands. Not to make them seperatist but to make them leaders, thinkers, truth seekers. Those are the type of homeschoolers I know.
If you are really concerned for the well-being of homeschoolers and not just flippantly offering an opinion, you should check out a local homeschool co-op. There are thousands all over the nation. See what they are doing, how they are teaching and “socializing”. See the community outreach programs they participate in and they organize. You should “educate” yourself before speaking!!!! I have!
POST 2
“The Best” says who. You act like you are speaking fact. It is all opinion. I know what I am speaking about is only “Best” for my family. Whether or not I homeschool my children does not in any way effect you. My children live in “the real world” every day. Sitting in a classroom with other children their same age is not “the real world”. In my profession I do not only work with people that are 35 years of age doing the same thing that everyone else is doing. It is contrived.
“For most; home-school was the only option for the poor and oppressed.” That is a ridiculous statement!! I was not referring first of all to college. When speaking of homeschooling, mostly you are referring to K-12. I was a History and Sociology major in college. In EVERY culture you study about, most education was in the home; whether by a parent or tutor; and I am not speaking about only the uppercrust that could afford it. The poor were not concerned with educating their children, they were concerned with surviving and you like to throw the word “oppressed” Read any article about the history of homeschooling and you will understand that is WAS the mainstream way of educating not only for the elite. around.http://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/Homeschooling
“I care about every child’s ability to learn from as many points of view as possible.”
Again, why do you care? Do you care only in the perspective that best suits you? Is it also wrong for me to raise my children in a certain religious faith? Should I compromise that just to suit you as well? I did comprehend your posts. I read them clearly! I in no way attacked you ability to see that your children are well rounded, learn to seek truth as well as receive a great education.On the subject again of living in the real world, my community allows homeschoolers to participate in the local public school activities; such as sports, band, debate, speech, math clubs, etc. My children are not old enough for it but when they are you better believe I am taking advantage of it. Being “in the classroom” of a public school does not make you more socially capable. We do not shelter our children and are in no position to “oppress” anyone. I am a Christian who holds strong to my faith. I don’t shove it down anyone’s throat or condemn anyone. I have strong opinions and values. I do believe in absolute truth but only God is the judge of someone’s heart. What is the difference in my opposition to homosexuality and yours about homeschooling exclusively? Do I not have a right as well to feel strongly about something. All of us want to share our opinions but none of wish to be opposed. That is viewed as “oppression”. Let’s just all please be grown ups here and realize that if you put your thoughts, feelings and opinions out there to be scrutinized, they may just be that.
I don’t hate anyone or spew venom because I disagree. Debate makes one either hold stronger to their convictions or change their was of thinking.
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