Book Review

On Off

by Colleen McCullough

Great murder mystery, the serial killer remains a mystery until the very end. I also suspect a sequel as the book had a surprising ending.

For all you history buffs, I recommend her series on the Roman Empire, starting with The First Man in Rome.

Field Trips

One of the advantages of home-schooling is all the neat field trips you can take. Here you will find a brief documentary of the field trips the Alawine's have taken in the past, and field trips we are looking forward to.

The Graduation Trip of a Life Time

May 4th,2005 we left for Oahu. The weather was great and the food was delicious, and there was lots of fun (don't tell but it was educational too) stuff to do. First I went for a dive on Atlantis Submarines (the guys chickened out on me), but they had fun swimming in the Super Pool while I was gone. After I got back we visited the Bishop Museum.

The next day we climbed Diamond Head Crater ( a ONCE in a lifetime experience, but worth it the view was awesome).

Day 3 we visited the Waimea Valley Audubon Center . Hubby swam out to the waterfall.

Day 4 we went snorkeling at Sharks Cove. Apparently the rest of the family are born snorkelers, I never got the knack of it and kept getting water in my breathing tube, but seeing the sea life was worth it. Hubby saw sea turtles.

Day 5 snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, in the morning and a drive in the mountains that afternoon. It's very windy and cool in the mountains.

Day 6 visit to the Dole Plantation geared more for younger kids but the pineapple sherbet was good.

Day 7 visited Fort DeRussy (it was close to the the resort we stayed at) before we had to leave for home.

Recommended reading "Shoal of Time - A History of the Hawaiian Islands" by Gavan Daws

Other Noteworthy Field Trips We Have Taken

San Diego, tons to do there and great Mexican food. Some of the places we enjoyed going, Balboa park and hiking at Torrey Pines.

Atlanta, tons of educational stuff to do and the Metro makes it easy to get around. Two favorites The Fernbank Museum and Underground Atlanta.

Jacksonville, Florida

Kids enjoyed the beach but we also managed a trip to Amelia Island, where we visited Fort Clinch State Park.

Washington DC

We visited a small slice of The Smithsonian which is huge, strolled along The Mall, and we even climbed the Washington Monument. The view from the Washington Monument is fantastic. You can't tell from the ground but there are small windows cut into the monument. We also took the time to go to Arlington National Cemetery which was special to me, as my Great Uncle Lucian is buried there, and I was able to take a picture of his tombstone for my Mother. We hope to go back to Washington D.C. one day. Needless to say we didn't get to see all the Smithsonian, and there was tons of other stuff we wanted to do. With our friends and fellow homeschoolers, the Theads, we visited Nanih Waiya Mound & Village. The kids had a great time playing in the river at a working grist mill, that was located nearby.

Field Trips Taken During the 2005-2006 School Year

With PEAK we have visited the Gulf Coast Exploreum where we toured The Mummy Exhibit, and the Louisiana Renaissance Festival , click here to read more about our experience at the Renaissance Festival. PEAK has field trips planned for Shell Mound Park and Bellingrath Gardens, Fall 2006, which we are looking forward to going on.

The heart has it's reasons, of which reason knows nothing.
Blaise Pascal

I first came across this quote when reading Susannah Kells novel "The Fallen Angels" about the Illuminati's part in the French Revolution. I ran across it again when reading BigNut's post Homeschoolers: Unwitting pawns of the Christian Rightwing? at Three Loose Nuts. Fate, destiny or just coincidence, you decide?

While reading the Carnival of Education, I came across these two post that peaked my interest. In the first Matt Johnston attempts to debunk the need for government preschool in his post Perpetuating the Pre-School Myth at Going to the Mat. Then Dana ask "Do Faith Based Schools Adequately Prepare Students for College"at huffenglish.com

Hopefully these informative and entertaining post will keep you busy for awhile. Because I think a good nights rest, is my fate in the near future. Besides I still have a few more chapters of "The Fallen Angels" to read.

UN Cracks Down on Homeschoolers

In 2003, however, the Flemish regional parliament decreed that all homeschoolers are obliged to sign a document in which they promise to rear their children along the lines of the UN Convention. The latter undermines the authority of parents and transfers it to the state.
The document the homeschoolers are made to sign also states that government inspectors decide whether families comply with the UN’s ideology. Furthermore, it contains a clause in which the homeschooling parents agree to send their child to an official government recognized school if the inspectors report negatively about them twice.

True this is in Belgium, but it doesn't bode well for home~schoolers. Click here to read the whole article.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

For the fourth straight year, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is ranked as one of the country's top 100 community colleges.

It's nice to know that the community college my son attends is ranked so well, even more impressive they moved up to #67, even though they had to deal with Katrina.

Once Upon a Time ........

Ladies never worked outside the home. If a lady found herself without a male protector she was restricted to earning a living by the few jobs that were deemed suitable for women; governess, seamstress etc.. Needless to say women were not allowed to vote.

Then along came such women as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to name a few. And women not only gained the right to vote, they achieved the ability to pursue whatever career they wanted. But honestly long before Anthony and Stanton came on the scene other women were showing the world how capable women were; Elizabeth I showed the world a woman could rule as well as a man, Jane Austen and George Eliot were busy writing books, and Sophie Germain was an important French mathematician.

But now women were free to become doctors, lawyers, bankers and politicians without overcoming huge obstacles first, surprisingly some women choose to stay home and raise a family. But since all women were free to choose what path in life they wanted to follow everyone lived happily ever after, right?

No, boo hiss....... Linda R. Hirshman insist that all women must work outside the home to be fulfilled. That women who choose to give up their careers to raise a family are making a mistake. Sorry Ms. Hirshman, but it's just as wrong to tell a woman she can't stay at home and raise her children as it was to force all women to stay home and raise children.

The Homeschool Cafe

Will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling, June 27th, drop in for some frank discussions on homeschooling.

I Capture the Castle By Dodie Smith

I just finished reading "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith. Thanks for the recommendation Natalie, I loved it. It's been awhile since I read a girlie book, it made a nice change of pace from all the blood and gore I have been mired in lately with the Starbuck Chronicles. The ending was a bit of a cliff hanger, so I'll have to write my own happily ever after.......................Back to the blood and gore, I am fixing to start on Bernard Cronwell's novel of the French Revolution, The Fallen Angels. He wrote it under the pseudonym Susannah Kells if you are interested in reading it.

Book Recommendation

The Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. The first book in the series places Nathanial Starbuck at the first Bull Run, and the books he has written so far continue until The Battle of Antietam in 1862. I do wish he would hurry up and write some more. I would like to know if Nathanial Starbuck survives the Civil War.

Finding Support For A Secular Homeschooler

As a homeschooler who isn’t homeschooling for “religious reasons” I felt very lonely when I first started homeschooling.

A large number of homeschool support groups in my area are of a religious nature and insist you sign a statement of faith before joining. While I consider myself a Christian I found it slightly insulting to be required to sign a statement of faith. I also found it upsetting that my friends of other faiths wouldn’t be allowed to join. Then there were the meetings 10-20 minutes were spent on prayer request, at least 15 minutes was spent in prayer, and a measly 10 minutes were allocated to answering homeschool questions, and as a new homeschooler I had plenty of questions. And of course there were all the topics I had to warn my children not to discuss; things like evolution and theology (You would be surprised how many Christians don’t know who Lilith is).

So I set out to find an inclusive group. Why as a Christian did I want an inclusive group those of you who are perfectly happy in exclusive Christian groups might ask? First we don’t exist in a vacuum. It is very important to be able to discuss in a respectful manner other people’s viewpoints. One day our children will go to college or join the workforce, where they will meet people with views and values different then their parents, they need to know how to interact with them in a respectful manner. Secondly an inclusive group offers a chance to broaden your horizons and discover new things. So I was thrilled when I discovered PEAK. And while we are an inclusive group we do expect our members to exhibit good manners and behave in a civilized manner. Since we all have different religious backgrounds and beliefs our discussions mainly center on homeschooling.

Of course finding a support group wasn’t the only hurdle someone who isn’t homeschooling for “religious reasons” faces. Finding secular textbooks was a challenge. I finally found the HomeSchool Supercenter, which carries both religious and secular textbooks. It’s not that I am anti-religious, but I want my children to have a science and history background that will prepare them for university courses in the future. I still remember struggling in 7th grade with a real science class in public school after having been “taught” in a Christian Private School K-6th grade. My children won’t have to deal with being the only one in the class who doesn’t have a clue what the teacher is talking about when they bring up evolution.

So why do I homeschool, if it’s not for "religious reasons"? Because I believe my children deserve the best education available and the local public schools failed to deliver.

The Jesus Papers

Most of you know by now that The Da Vinci Code was based at least in part on the book Holy Blood Holy Grail. Now the co-author of the book Holy Blood Holy Grail, Michael Baigent , has written The Jesus Papers .

What We Will Be Learning

Sean will be in the 10th grade. Actually we don't really do grades. I use advance placement high school textbooks.

Since Sean expressed an interest in learning Spanish we will be doing that for his elective. We had a good experience with Power Glide when we learned Japanese so I will probably use it again.

The rest are textbooks I used previously with Jonathan.
Saxon 1st Semester Algebra II , second semester Advanced Mathematics.
AMSCO Economics and Institutions and Analysis
The EMC Masterpiece Series Literature and the Language Arts - World Literature
AMSCO Global Studies civilizations of the Past and Present (I will supplement this with the National Geographic as well as the textbook I used in college)
Conceptual Physical Science Second Edition by Hewitt, Suchocki, Hewitt
I ordered all these books thru the Homeschool Supercenter.

For Physical Education Sean usually plays soccer for OSSO, but I was very disappointed in several decisions the OSSO Board made last year. Mainly their plan to delay the start of OSSO's season until the end of FOOTBALL, and not providing uniforms for all our players until after we had played several games. Unless I see a different attitude regarding the U16 team, I think Sean will play for West River or D'Iberville if he still wants to play soccer. If not we will find some other activity for him to be involved in.

Judge Attempts to Teach Americans Civics 101

The Judge in the Intelligent Design case is attempting to explain civics to Americans, who apparently do not understand the importance of having an judiciary that doesn't act according to bias or political agenda.
We wish Judge Jones III luck.

Vice-President's List

Jonathan made the Vice-President's list at the Jackson County Community College. And as he reminded me, he had CALCULUS.

Sean hasn't finished for the year, but it looks as if he will have straight A's.

The Novels of Arthur - The Warlord Series

• 
  
  Ok, I'll admit up front that I prefer Jack Whyte's Camulod series. But honesty compels me to admit Cornwell's version is probably closer to the truth.
  
  It's comprised of three novels
  The Winter King
  Enemy of God
  and Excalibur
  
  The Winter King
  Uther the High King of Britain is dying. He blames his bastard son Arthur for the death of his beloved legitimate son Mordred, and is eagerly awaiting the birth of his grandson and heir Mordred. Mordred is born with a club foot, but is declared Uther's heir all the same. His mother is married off to King Gundleus, who kills her and attempts to kill the baby Mordred. Morgan (Arthur's sister) has substituted a slaves baby for Mordred, allowing Morgan, Nimue, Derfel and baby Mordred to escape from Gundleus' clutches.
  
  Derfel joins Arthur's men and is put under the command of the King's Champion Owain. When Prince Tristan brings Owain's treachery to light Arthur fights Owain and wins. Derfel is then sent to Benoic. Galahad (King Ban's bastard son) and Derfel fight mightily to protect Benoic, they rescue Merlin, and barely escape with their lives when Benoic falls. Ban's wife (Elaine) and his heir Lancelot (boo hiss) escape before there is any real danger. But Prince Lancelot who gets to Arthur's court first, lies about his part in the fight.
  
  Arthur was pledge to marry King Gorfyddyd's daughter Ceinwyn in order to bring peace to Britain. He breaks his betrothal to marry Guinevere, and starts a war instead. Deserted by the majority of his allies Arthur and his men face defeat at Lugg Vale. Prince Tristan brings his men against his father King Mark's wishes, but the tide is not turned until Merlin gets the Irish King Oengus Mac Airem to fight for Arthur instead of King Gorfyddyd. The book ends with Arthur's unexpected victory at Lugg Vale.

Enemy of God

Arthur plans to marry Ceinwyn to Prince Lancelot and give him Siluria to rule. Merlin promises Derfel his heart's desire if he will go with him to find the Cauldron of Clyddno Eiddyn (the forerunner of the Christian Holy Grail). Nimue has been talking with Ceinwyn and encouraging her to follow her heart. As a result at the betrothal feast Ceinwyn chooses Lord Derfel instead of Prince Lancelot.

Nimue, Ceinwyn, Derfel and Merlin face much danger but eventually find the Cauldron. Then Derfel joins Arthur to fight the Saxons. Humiliated by his inability to join the Cult of Mithras Prince Lancelot becomes a Christian. Arthur (who Guinevere encourages everyone to call a Prince) and Lord Derfel go to fight the Saxon King Aelle, leaving Prince Lancelot behind to defend their border. After Arthur defeats King Aelle, Prince Lancelot and the Saxon King Cerdic show up, forcing Arthur to make a peace with King Cerdic he doesn't want, and giving Lancelot the kingdom of Belgae, increasing his power in Britain. Lord Derfel is appointed the King's Champion, by Arthur.

Prince Tristan falls in love with his Step-Mother Queen Iseult. They flee to Dumnonia for protection, but Arthur turns them over to King Mark. Knowing that King Mark is a Tongued One, Prince Tristan chooses the Court of Swords. Culhwch (Arthur's cousin) and Lord Derfel offer to fight King Mark's champion in Prince Tristan's place. Arthur allows Culhwch and Lord Derfel to be trapped behind a shield wall, while Prince Tristan is slaughtered. Lord Derfel ends his friendship with Arthur over his betrayal of Prince Tristan.

Mordred comes of age and is named King. Culhwch challenges his right to rule. Lord Derfel refuses to kill his old friend when King Mordred demands it. Culhwch flees to King Cuneglas' kingdom. Arthur and Lord Derfel patch up their friendship. King Mordred sends Arthur and Lord Derfel to arrest Ligessac in hopes that the Christians will kill them. Arthur starts home with Ligessac as his prisoner, and Derfel goes to find his Mother, Erce. Erce tells him that King Aelle is his Father. Lord Derfel gets back to Dumnonia in time to see Lancelot wed the DEAD Norwenna in order to claim the kingdom of Dumnonia, and learns that King Mordred is dead. Arthur and Lord Derfel are also believed to be dead. Lord Derfel hurries home where his family is under attack by Prince Lancelot's Druids. His youngest daughter Dian is killed, but the rest of the family escapes to Cuneglas' kingdom. Galahad in the meantime has found King Mordred, and brought him to safety. Lord Derfel and Arthur join up to rescue Guinevere. Arthur discovers that not only is Lancelot her lover but she has used the Cult of Isis to put him on the throne. Lancelot is defeated and Arthur imprisons Guinevere. Arthur insist that Mordred is still King of Dumnonia, so they name Arthur Emperor, Lord of Kings.

Excalibur

Merlin has assembled the 13 Treasures of Britain and intends to summon the Gods on Mai Dun at Samhain. He is accompanied by Nimue and Gawain (who Merlin taught as a child to remain pure). Arthur, Galahad, Lord Derfel, Culhwch, Cuneglas and Issa storm Mai Dun to rescue Arthur's son when they realize Merlin plans to sacrifice him. They get there in time to save Gwydre (Arthur & Guinevere's son), and Mardoc (Mordred's son), but Gawain has already been sacrificed. When the God's don't come the people blame Arthur.

Arthur sends Lord Derfel to speak with King Aelle. Lord Derfel is forced to fight King Cerdic's champion, Liofa, before he can speak with his father. He leaves Liofa alive but scared. King Aelle gives Lord Derfel a ring to give to Ceinwyn and promises the wearer of the ring and her family will live when the Saxon's come.

Warned of Arthur's plans, by Mordred, the Saxons come at Beltane, surprising the Britain's. Lord Derfel, his family and Guinevere set out to join Arthur at Corinium. They are trapped by the Saxons at Mynydd Baddon. The Saxons believe Arthur is with them so they lay siege, and send for reinforcements. Looking at certain defeat Lord Derfel allows Guinevere to carry out her plan. She sends two fiery wagons toward the Saxon army saving the day. The next day the Saxons come in columns to prevent more wagons from wrecking havoc on their army, but Arthur shows up in time to prevent Mynydd Baddon falling to the Saxons. Liofa kills Cuneglas in single combat. When it looks as if the Saxons will win, Merlin shows up with Gawain (yes, I know he is dead - you'll have to read the book to find out) giving the victory to the Britain's. Severely wounded King Aelle begs Lord Derfel to give him a warriors death. Merlin warns Lord Derfel that Nimue will try to bring back the Gods and that she is harder and more ruthless then he is. Before leaving he tells Lord Derfel that what he seeks is among the dead trees. After searching the dead trees Lancelot is found and hung like a common criminal. Guinevere and Arthur reunite, and move to Siluria. Arthur's discarded wife Argante is married to Mordred. The troops of Dumnonia are split between Sagramor and Lord Derfel ( So everyone lives happily ever after - unfortunately we haven't reached the end of the book).

Gwydre (Arthur's son) and Morwenna (Lord Derfel's daughter) marry and have children. Mordered goes to Armorica to fight the Franks, where he is trapped and supposedly dying. Guinevere plots to give the crown to Gwydre while Meurig plots to take the crown for himself. Arthur sends Lord Derfel to Dumnonia to raise Gwydre's standard. Lord Derfel finds his garrison slaughtered by Mordred's forces and he is taken prisoner. Taliesin (a famous bard) poising as a Druid frees Lord Derfel and Bishop Sansum (Morgan's husband). Lord Derfel arrives home only to find Ceinwyn seriously ill. Nimue summons him and reveals that she has placed a curse on Ceinwyn and that she will not lift it until Lord Derfel brings her Gwydre and Excalibur. Nimue has blinded Merlin and is holding him prisoner. Merlin mangages to reveal to Lord Derfel the four curses Nimue placed on Ceinwyn and tells him that out of love for Arthur and Derfel he has a final gift for them. When all is lost they should go to Camlann and find Caddwg the boatman and he will take them into the silver mist. Lord Derfel returns home and Taliesin reveals he can lift the first three curse, but that he doesn't have the skill to reverse the curse of the Otherbody, and that he doubts anyone in Britain other then Merlin and Nimue do. Arthur and Merlin recalling Morgan was once Merlin's priestess send for her. She reveals that she can lift the curse but that it is against her Christian beliefs to do so. She finally agrees to lift the curse if Lord Derfel will become a Christian and swear allegiance to Bishop Sansum. He agrees to do so, Morgan then reveals that whatever binds Derfel to Nimue must be destroyed, which happens to be Derfel's hand. Lord Derfel allows his hand to be chopped off, Ceinwyn recovers and plans are made to sail for Dumnonia and join Sagramor.

Before they can set sail Nimue's army of the mad attack. Arthur's army escapes on the boats and Nimue sacrifices Merlin to Manawydan causing a storm to swamp all the boast except the one Arthur is in. With most of his soldiers lost at sea Arthur makes plans to flee Britain. Arriving in Camlann they discover Caddwg is caulking his boat and it will be the next day before they can leave. Reinforced by Sagramor's men they hold Mordered's army off until Caddwg is ready to leave. Arthur is severely wounded killing Mordred. Unable to take everyone Caddwg takes Arthur & Guinevere, Gwydre & Morwenna (their children), and Galahad away. Lord Derfel & Ceinwyn choose to stay behind with a dying Sagramor, and a dead Culhwch. Lord Derfel takes Excalibur and throws it into the sea. The fight ends and Meurig takes control of Dumnonia.

Growth of the American Republic

Thanks to Becky at Farm School I may have found a history text book.

Under consideration.
Growth of the American Republic by Henry Steele Commager, Samuel Eliot Morison, and William E. Leuchtenberg (volume I, volume II)

We will probably do supplemental reading too, but these are the most promising textbooks I have seen so far.

Homeschool Mom in TN Arrested

At the Homeschool Cafe, Natalie writes about a TN homeschooler arrested on truancy charges.

The Grail Quest

Wonderful series by Bernard Cornwell, comprised of 3 books
1.) Harlequin (renamed The Archer's Tale in the States)
2.) Vagabond
3.) Heretic


Harlequin
Guy Vexille aka the Harlequin comes from a family of Cathars. He brings mercenaries to Hookton to retrieve the Lance of St. George and the Holy Grail from his Uncle, the Count of Astarac.

Thomas of Hookton, watches as his village is destroyed by the Harlequin and the Lance of St. George stolen from the Church. Using his skill at archery he drives the Harlequin and his men off, and promises the dying priest that he will hunt the Harlequin down and retrieve the Lance of St. George. Thomas joins the army of King Edward III as an archer and goes to fight in French Brittany and Normandy (The beginning of the Hundred Years War). Unfortunately one of his enemies, Sir Simon Jekyll has him hung before the end of the book....................(it's really bad form to hang one of the main characters). Thankfully he is rescued by Eleanor. Eventually Thomas finds the Harlequin and destroys the Lance of St. George.

Vagabond
Philip of Valois, King of France turns Guy Vexille over to the Inquisitor, Bernard De Taillebourg. Guy tells how the Vexilles owned the Grail, and that it was last in Hookton in his Uncle's possession. They leave for England, to question Hugh Collimore an old monk who nursed Ralp Vexille.

Meanwhile King Edward III learns of Thomas' connection to the Grail and sends Thomas, his fiancee Eleanor (bastard daughter of Sir Guillaume d'Evecque), and Father Hobbe to speak with Hugh Collimore. They arrive in Durham in time for Thomas to help repeal the Scottish invasion, led by King David of Scotland. Thomas sends Eleanor and Father Hobbe on to speak with Father Collimore while he helps fight the Scots. Gux Vexille and Bernard De Taillebourg kill Father Collimore, Father Hobbe and the pregnant Eleanor. The only useful information they discover is that Ralp Vexille had a son.

Devastated by Eleanors death Thomas of Hookton, and Robbie (a Scot captured for ransom and with his own reasons for wanting Guy Vexille and Bernard de Taillebourg dead) journey to Hookton, so Thomas can speak with his Fathers old friend Sir Giles. Sir Giles gives Thomas a book that Father Ralph asked him to keep until Thomas was old enough to take care of himself. After receiving a summons from Sir Guillaume d'Evecque who is under siege from his liege lord for attacking Guy Vexille, Thomas and Robbie leave for France. After rescuing Sir Guillaume, Skeat and Mordecai they set out for La Roch Derrien.

Recalling his promise to Jeanette to return her son to her Thomas gathers some men in an attempt to kidnap the boy from Roncelets. Thomas is taken prisoner and tortured by Bernard de Taillebourg. Eventually he is ransomed for the book he was given by Sir Giles (after Robbie & Jeanette copy the original and make some changes to it).

During a battle between the French and English Skeat is killed trying to defend Jeanette from the Scarecrow. After the battle Thomas, Robbie and Sir Guillaume head south.

Heretic
Thomas and friends capture the Castillon d' Arbizon in time to keep the heretic (aka Genevieve) from being burned at the stake for being a beghard. Unfortunately Robbie comes to believe that Genevieve should have been burned at the stake and he joins Thomas' enemies for a time.

After being asked to leave Castillon d'Arbizon to prevent division between Robbie's supporters and Thomas' supporters, Thomas and Genevieve travel to Astarac. On the way there Thomas and Genevieve are attacked by bandits, when Thomas captures the bandit leader's son (Galdric), the bandit leader (Philin) offers to let them go in peace in exchange for his son. He also tells Thomas that Abbot Planchard will always take in a wounded man/woman. They travel to the abbey where Genevieve's wounds are treated. Abbot Planchard recognizes Thomas' badge, and identifies him as a Vexille. He shows Thomas a casket that once held the Grail.

Later Guy Vexile comes to the abbey looking for his cousin. Thomas and Genevieve hide in the ossuary, where they overhear a conversation between Abbot Planchard and Guy Vexille. Abbot Planchard's ancestor was one of the seven dark lords who took the Grail from Astarac and swore to protect it. Guy kills Abbot Planchard and sets out to find Thomas. Thomas and Genevieve in the company of the bandits make their way back to Castillon d' Arbizon which is under siege.

On their way into the Castillon they kill Charles Bessieres (the brother of Cardinal Bessieres) who was sent with Guy to plant a fake Grail in Astarac. They find the fake Grail, but when Thomas breaks it they realize it is a fake. Both side are overcome with the plague. Sir Guillaume and Jake die of the plague, but Sam, Genevieve, Thomas and Robbie survive and travel to Hookton where Thomas finds the Grail, exactly where he left it.

Whose moral compass counts?

A wonderful column in the Meridian Star by Steven Brody

Let's Teach History Not Fairy Tales

I have been looking for a good American History Book. You know one that actually teaches history and not some sanitized feel good fairy tale. It looks like my search will be getting harder.

California's many ethnic and cultural communities have sought legislation that requires school children to be taught about their "role and contributions" in a positive way and bans instruction that depicts them negatively. So instead of textbooks presenting the full story to today’s students written by fair-minded and authoritative historians, they are getting the politically correct sanitized version. And then we wonder why the students of today seem to have less knowledge of the world then those of my generation; who were actually taught history not some fairy tale concocted by those with enough political pull to get our history changed to suit them.

Frankly I am tired of special interest groups wanting to rewrite history and demonize historical figures. An example is two students who attend the Jeff Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. According to Genesis Be and her brother Israfel Briggs, they are embarrassed to tell people that they go to a school named after Jefferson Davis. First since they were free to go to any college or university if the name of the campus was such a problem for them, they should have gone somewhere else. Secondly their reasons for demonizing President Jefferson Davis shows an appalling lack of historical knowledge.


Jefferson Davis was much more then the first and last President of the Confederacy. He represented Mississippi in Congress from 1845-1846. He resigned his congressional seat in order to serve in the Mexican War. He was the Senator from Mississippi from 1847 to 1851, then again from 1857-1861. He was the Secretary of War in the cabinet of President Franklin Pierce from 1853 to 1857. This was a man who served his country well during times of war and peace, and he certainly deserves the recognition of having a community college located near his last home named after him.

Sir Federick Kenyon Died 53 Years Ago, Archaeological Finds Didn't Cease

Apparently Abraham Smith has his own agenda, and is extremely biased. Bart D. Ehrman chairs the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. His book Lost Christianities The Battles for Scriptures and the Faiths We Never Knew was scrupulously researched. He isn’t a so-called liberal scholar, with a hidden agenda as Smith maintains.

Even though we have numerous copies of text it is impossible to construct the exact words of the original as all the text differ. We are not talking about misspelling peoples’ names or having alternate destinations as Smith contends. Scribes made alterations that changed the whole meaning of the verse, in order to promote their sects beliefs. For example Jesus’ baptism, in the oldest surviving witnesses to Luke’s Gospel, the voice quotes the words of Psalm 2:7 “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (Luke 3:22). Supporting the adoptionists belief that God adopted Jesus at the time of his baptism. Even though the potentially dangerous (“heretical”) form of the text is found in virtually all our oldest witnesses, it is the altered form of the text that is found in the majority of surviving manuscripts and reproduced in most of our English translations. So Smith isn’t actually reading what Luke wrote, he is reading what the proto-orthodox scribes altered the text of Luke to say.

And with all due respect to Smith, Sir Federick Kenyon died August 23, 1952. Many archaeological discoveries have been made since his death. Sir Federick Kenyon’s daughter Kathleen also became an archaeologist and began excavating Jericho the year her father died. She came to conclusions that differed from her dad's. Today, Frederick's conclusions are seldom mentioned outside Christian circles. (Christian History Institute )

District Soccer Competition

Sean's U16 team played in the Mississippi Youth Soccer's Southern District playoffs in Hattiesburg, MS April 22nd and 23rd. They came in 4th place in their bracket. Way to go Sean!

Sean played for the Ocean Springs Soccer Organization this year. His coach was Doug Bates.

Sean had a great deal of fun playing soccer this year, and hopes to play next year. Because of the disorganization of OSSO this year, we may play for another league next year. We are considering playing for either West River (which is Gautier's league ) or the D'Iberville Youth Soccer Organization. Although Sean would be very sad not to see his soccer friends on a regular basis, and he would miss Coach Bates a great deal. Luckily U14 and U16 players are "free agents" so we have that option.

Sean was very happy that his Grandma Hazel and his Grandpa Wayne were able to come see him play.

His MawMaw Jean was also able to come, unfortunately a soccer ball busted her windshield, so we didn't get to visit with her long.

Thanks to sunscreen we didn't get sunburned, but it was very hot this weekend, especially Sunday. Sean did a terrific job, even though he injured his knee Easter Sunday playing Ping-Pong with Mom (he'll do anything to keep me from winning). After the games Sunday, Bo took us out to eat at Sicily's Pizza. Which we all enjoyed a great deal.

Does Anyone Want Some Geese

I still think the baby goslings are cute, but I am so sick of the gander. He has taken to attacking us. Today was the last straw. I got home from the grocery store, only to find the Geese family in my driveway (why they were camped out there is beyond me - they had the poor cat trapped in the garage). Mr. Gander decided to attack the car. I didn't give in to my baser instincts and run over him; so everyone is fine. But honestly it's my yard, I would like to be able to enjoy it.

Homeschool Cafe

Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and come join some homeschool Mom's for some frank conversation at the The Homeschool Cafe.

Geese Update

The geese family is on a walk about. They have started coming up to the house, which made it simple to take a close up picture I merely walked out onto my patio.

Whiskers (the great black hunter) and Socks (he who is afraid of his own shadow) enjoy watching them, but so far haven't offered to bother them. Luckily for one gosling as he tends to wonder off by himself, no wonder the gander was in a bad mood the other day. An angry gander isn't something I want to tangle with, I assume the cats feel the same way.

The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd

I really enjoyed the book. Although I am still horrified about the famine. It's hard to imagine so many people dying of starvation, and you can only imagine the agony the parents felt watching their children starve. If you enjoy historical novels I highly recommend this one, along with the Princes of Ireland.

We have Baby Geese

Just in time for Easter to boot. We had a pair of Canada Geese take up residence in our pond. The goose made a nest on the island. Today they hatched, and there are 6 or 7 goslings, swimming around in the pond with Momma and Poppa. As you can tell I am excited. If I can get close enough tomorrow, I'll try to take a picture. They are so cute!!!!!! http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/birds/canada-goose.htm

Didn't get close enough to get a really good picture. I don't want to scare them off. But if you look closely you can see the goslings in this picture. I got a really good look at them with the pair of binoculars we have.

Whose Version of Luke?

It's apparent that Abraham Smith isn't a theologian, if he was he would not put so much faith in the Gospel of Luke, which by the way the apostle Luke did not write (I am sure Smith wasn't trying to mislead anyone so I wanted to clarify that). The first four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written anonymously by well-educated, Greek speaking, Christians during the second half of the first century. The Gospel of Luke is believed to have been written by one of Paul's companions. We do not have the original of any of the New Testament books (including Luke); we don't even have copies of the original copies. It wasn't until the fourth century, nearly three hundred years after the New Testament was written, that we began to get complete manuscripts of all its books.


Bible scholars know that the words of the New Testament were changed in the process of copying them because they can compare the 5,400 copies that we have with one another. What is striking is that when they compare the copies no two copies agree in their entire wording. There can be only one reason for this the scribes that copied the texts changed them (Some thru human error, others did so intentionally). To put it simply there are more differences among the manuscripts then there are words in the New Testament.


The early Christian Church was full of sects with doctrines differing from one another. There is abundant evidence that scriptures were changed to promote the proto-orthodox viewpoint. (Lost Christianities The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths we Never Knew By Bart D. Ehrman)


Since Smith puts so much trust in Luke; perhaps he would be interested to know that in the oldest surviving witnesses to Luke's Gospel the scripture referring to Jesus' baptism reads "You are my Son, today I have begotten you" Luke 3:22; lending support to the Ebionites and the Roman Theodotians who believed Jesus was the biological son of Joseph and Mary, adopted by God at the time of his baptism because of the pure life he had lead.


Before Smith criticizes people for wanting to know more about the Bible and what the original texts actually said he should keep in mind that both Martin Luther and John Calvin were considered heretics whose views were considered sacrilegious by the Catholic Church. Today both Luther and Calvin's views are accepted as orthodox.

Also if Smith goes back and reads my original letter, he will see that I said “Jesus MIGHT have had a wife” not that he did. There is not enough evidence to be dogmatic either way; and I am sure Smith wouldn’t walk out of heaven if he got there and found Jesus was married to Mary (although if that’s the case I hope Mary sets him straight about being so close minded). As for me I’ll continue to study the Bible and read theological works to learn as much as I can and wait until I get to heaven to find out who was right.

PEAK Movie Day

Peak Gulf Coast was invited to view The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the CB base theater. We had a great time and look forward to future movie days.

New Book in Amelia Peabody Series

Sean and I have had a marvelous time reading Elizabeth Peters latest book, Tomb of the Golden Bird. While Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter are busy finding King Tut's Tomb, the Emerson's are busy protecting "him" (aka Sethos) from his enemies, reconciling him with his wife and generally getting into trouble.

In Defense of the Da Vinci Code

It’s easy to see from Mildred Smith’s letter to the editor that she hasn’t even bothered to read the Da Vinci Code before disparaging it. Apparently Ms Smith doesn’t understand the meaning of the word fiction. Fiction a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact. Fiction is meant to be entertaining and Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code certainly is.

She brings up another work of fiction that she approves of The Passion of the Christ.
Apparently anything that portrays Jesus in a manner she approves of is good, and anything that deviants from her beliefs is bad, even if it might be true.

She also states categorically that Jesus did not have a wife or father a child. I wonder how she knows, many theologians admit it is possible that Jesus was married, and a careful review of the scriptures show that they do not state if Jesus was married or not.

Evidence that Jesus was married:
Irenaeus' Doctrine of Recapitulation supports the notion of a married Savior. Irenaeus taught that Jesus Christ symbolically entered every critical stage of human existence and sanctified it. Since family life, including sexuality, is central to our lives, it seems logically consistent with the mission of a Savior to redeem and sanctify this aspect of our experience, as well.

In keeping with the Creeds of the Church, which teach that Christ had two natures: one human and one divine, the offspring of Christ would not have represented a "divine race".

Given the cultural milieu in which Jesus lived and the supporting Biblical evidence, the burden of proof lies with those who do not believe Jesus was married. They must show why Jesus and His parents would have been derelict in their civic responsibilities and not contracted a marriage. Unmarried men were considered a curse to Jewish society. The Bible says that Mary & Joseph were careful to perfectly obey the laws of their people. It also says that Jesus was "subject unto them". Since Jewish culture practiced arranged marriages (a Jewish boy was marriageable at age 16), it is reasonable to assume that Jesus' parents would have performed their parental duties faithfully and arranged a bride for the young Jesus. There are 18 silent years in His life (12 - 30). The Gospel of John tells us that there were many other things, which Jesus did which have not been recorded.

There are hints scattered in the Gospels of a special relationship between Jesus and Mary.

• 
  If she is the same Mary of Bethany in John 11, then we can explain why Martha arose to greet Jesus and not Mary. Some scholars say she was sitting shiva according to Jewish custom (married women were not allowed to break-off from their mourning unless called by their husbands). In this story, Mary does not come to Jesus, until he calls her.
• 
  At the Resurrection, when Mary meets Jesus in the Garden, there is a degree of intimacy (see the Aramaic here) which one would expect between lovers, not friends.
• 
  The Greek word for "woman" and "wife" are the same. Translators must rely upon the context in deciding how to translate it. Sometimes, the translation is arbitrary. When Mary is referred to as a "woman" who followed Jesus, it can just as easily be translated as "wife".
• 
  Some scholars cite the story of Mary with the alabaster jar anointing the feet of Jesus as the most direct witness to their marriage. It is in all four Gospels and was a story in which Jesus gave express command that it be preserved. This ceremony was an ancient one among many royal houses in the ancient world, which sealed the marital union between the king and his priestess spouse.

Belief in a married Jesus does not require any more faith than a resurrected Jesus. There is biblical support for both beliefs. Searching for answers does not make one sacrilegious, neither does writing a fictional book based on historical data. And before you disparage a book and label it’s author a heretic could you at least read the book first?

Mummy - The Inside Story

Monday, March 20th, we visited the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center to view the exhibit Mummy- The Inside Storey on loan from the British Museum in London, with our PEAK homeschool group.

While there we saw the Imax Film Mystery of the Nile, took a 3 D tour Inside the Mummy of Nesperennub. We were able to view Nesperennub's actual sarcophagus and coffin, and took a virtual tour of Nefertari's Tomb. And of course we stopped in the gift shop to pick up some souvenirs.

It was crowded and very noisy with all the school kids milling around. But all in all I had a wonderful time.

My Flowerbed

Spring is in the air

Which means I have been waiting for the weather to be nice enough for me to do some gardening. The kids took all my potted plants out to the patio for me Saturday, and after weeding around the hydrangeas, Bo treated me to some new flowers for my flower bed.

I also decided to redo the border and used some river rocks Bo had down by the pond to make the new border. I used perennials in the flowerbed I planted Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower , Snow Hill Meadow Sage, and Blue Hill Salvia. All of these attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so I hope to see some soon. They also bloom all the way into fall so I should get to enjoy them for a long time. I also got an annual for my picnic table. I have no idea what it is so if anyone does please let me know so I will know how to take care of it. It looks like some sort of violet.

Rocks

 

 

Sean got a rock tumbler for Christmas. Of course we had to wait for Bo to build the shop before we could use it, and then we had to wait for him to get electricity to the shop, so it was February before we got a chance to start a batch of rocks. Our first batch of rocks will be done today, Wednesday, March 8th. It looks like we are going to have some real keepers in this batch. Our next step will be to identify the rocks we don't know.

 

Hopefully we will be able to get started on our second batch of rocks sometime this coming week.

Pompeii Party

The PEAK Pompeii Party Friday, March 3rd, was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and educational opportunities abounded from viewing the kids projects to tasting authentic Roman foods.
Our next stop is Egypt...............................

Did You Know Evolution Is A Pagan Religion?

Most creationist don't seem to be playing with a full deck, but Dr. Kent Hovind of Pensacola, Florida, takes the cake. For all you REAL scientist out there the good news is Dr. Hovind has a long standing offer of $250,000 for anyone with empirical evidence (scientific proof) for evolution.

If you are interested in hearing Dr. Hovind speak he will be at Southeastern Baptist College (located at 4229 Highway 15 North in Laurel, Mississippi) where he will take part in a free seminar from 6:00-9:00 pm on Tuesday, March 28, 2006. For more info Call 601-426-6346 or email joharris@comcast.net. The public is invited.

Maybe someone should explain to Dr. Hovind the difference between religion and science. There are many Christians who believe the scientific theory of evolution. Our GOD is powerful enough to create the world anyway he saw fit, including using evolution.

Delaine Eastin: A Bad Choice For Homeschoolers

Mark Twain said, "First God made idiots for practice. Then he created school boards."

Delaine Eastin takes the cake. She served as Superintendent of Public Instruction for California from 1994 to 2002. During which time she seemed to support racism, by nominating Lomitas Elementary School as a "National Blue Ribbon School", even though she was fully aware of the discrimination that was occurring at Lomitas Elementary School

http://www.edethics.org/cdeeastinltr.htm

A scandal involving funds for adult education and citizenship classes took place on her watch. Many of the "'community-based organizations"' that were receiving this money, more than $20 million all told, failed to meet the qualifications. In some cases the funds were going to buy jewelry and luxury automobiles. One of the schools turned out to be an empty field. When this was brought to Ms. Eastin's attention she punished the whistle blowers not the wrong doers.

http://www.pacificresearch.org/pub/con/2003/con_03-01.html

During her dictatorship, acrimony between the homeschooling community and Ms. Eastin was at an all time high.

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/200411/200411171.asp

At this time Delaine Eastin is the executive director of the nonprofit National Institute for School Leadership. Where she is again attempting to cause trouble for homeschoolers. In a recent article in the Akron Beacon Journal Ms. Eastin is quoted as saying, "We're making such a fuss about accountability for some and no accountability for others, shouldn't we pay some attention to the homeschoolers?"

Ms Eastin, first you need to work on cleaning up the mess in the public schools; Discrimination, Racism, Corruption etc.
Homeschools have gotten along just fine without your "help" and I assure you we will continue to get along fine without any interference from you.

Another Must Read

The latest Eoin Colfer book Artemis Fowl - The Opal Deception.

http://www.artemisfowl.com/

Great Backyard Bird Count

Every year we try to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count. This is our journal for the 2006 Birdcount

Friday, Feb17th

Overcast all day with a light mist. It was in the 70's earlier in the day, but a cool front moved thru and now it's in the 60's. Walked down to the pond. Saw 4 Cackling Geese 3 males and 1 female http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cackling_Goose_dtl.html

Put some feed in the birdfeeder, we should see some birds at the feeder tomorrow. They were out there earlier in the week before the feeder ran out of food.

Feb 18th-19th

The weather wasn't really great for birdwatching, Saturday, Feb 18th it misted rain most of the day.
Sunday, Feb. 19th I saw a few birds. Sparrows, Cardinals, and Mourning Doves.

Evolution Wins Again

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/13896398.htm

New research is unraveling the very riddles that proponents of ID said couldn't be solved, while ID advocates lack any way of using hard evidence to test their theories.

How Annoying

A recent article http://nbc15.madison.com/news/headlines/2298846.html headlined WI School District Offers Virtual High School Online claims it makes homeschooling easier. I can either blame it on shoddy reporting, or wonder if public schools are so envious of homeschoolers they are now trying to co-op our name, which ever one it is I am annoyed. Attending a virtual public school doesn't make you a homeschooler. You are still a public school student, you just happen to be taking your classes at home. So to all you virtual schoolers or e-schoolers STOP using our name. You aren't homeschooling, and you are doing us a disservice by confusing the general public, who wonders why their tax money is going to homeschoolers.

Give Me Back My Book

Have you ever sat down with a good book, really started getting into it and had to get up to answer the phone, cook supper, or one of the million other things Mom's have to do, only to discover your teenage son has made off with your book??????

It happens all the time around my house. I really have to find a way to put a stop to it. But in Sean's defense Elizabeth Peter's latest book in the Amelia Peabody series is well worth fighting over.

http://www.ameliapeabody.com/

For those unfamiliar with the series, here is a cast of characters (by no means complete)

Amelia Peabody Emerson - her journals are the basis for the books. As she is a very proper Victorian lady you don't have to worry about the kiddies reading something they shouldn't.

Radcliff Emerson - prefers to be called Emerson, aka as the Father of Curses. The pre-eminent archaeologist of his time according to his wife. Stays pretty busy rescuing "Peabody" as he affectionately calls Amelia, but does get some archaeological work done.

Ramses - their son, aka The Brother of Demons, he is a handful as a kid, makes a terrific spy during WWI, seems to have inherited Amelia's talent for getting into trouble and his Uncle's (and I don't mean Walter whom he is named after) talent for getting out of it.

Sethos- aka The Master Criminal.................seems to plague the Emersons every season. Has a crush on Amelia much to Emerson's cringe.

Since space is limited other characters include

Peabody's family

Walter Emerson's family (Walter is Radcliff's brother)

and last, but by no means least the family of their Egyptian reis Abdullah

If you enjoy a good mystery, have any interest in Egypt or archaeology do give this series a try. Besides being entertaining they are educational. What more could you ask for.

What's the Problem with VPS????

Susan Ohanian ask "Should the Public Pay for William Bennett's Version of a Home School?"

http://www.susanohanian.org/atrocity_fetch.php?id=1931

My answer would be NO. Although I do respect the rights of those who have chosen to avail themselves of VPS. And if it works for your family then by all means use it.

My problem is with VPS being equated with Independent Homeschoolers. It's not that I think my family is superior to a family that uses a school at home approach, but their insistence on calling themselves homeschoolers while taking advantage of public funds leads to confusion among the general public, many of whom have never embraced the concept of homeschooling in the first place. They start demanding to know why homeschoolers are receiving public funds at the expense of traditional schools. They want to know why testing is required of some homeschoolers and not all. And with these questions comes legislation that HURTS independent homeschoolers.

So if you want to take advantage of VPS, by all means do so. But do homeschoolers a favor and call yourselves something else, that reflects your schooling choice; Virtual Schoolers or E-schoolers might be a good selection. You'll be more then welcome to participate in our homeschooling groups and we can be more supportive of your choice knowing that the general public will not confuse Virtual Public Schoolers with Homeschoolers.

For futher reading http://home.kc.rr.com/milhmschlhq/general_public_schooling_at_home.htm

Why I Stand For Homeschooling

Terri Willingham http://www.nhen.org/issues/default.asp?id=502 says in her post "I have no fear of the government -- I AM the government, and so is everyone else, if only everyone would remember that and act accordingly". Apparently she hasn't has much experience with the government. I do fear the government and with good reason. My life was going great. My kids attended a decent public school, they had wonderful teachers. Then some snobby parent who had friends on the school board decided that just dressing her kids in preppy clothes wasn't good enough, she had to be able to force her families preferred style of dress on her children's classmates and thus Mandatory School Uniforms with NO opt-out in the Jackson County Public Schools were born. The School Board didn't even bother to research the issue until after the fact when they were involved in a law suit with parents who opposed the uniforms. So forgive me if I don't have much faith in a government that will take away my parental right to dress my children as I see fit on a whim. Not to mention the inherent unfairness of telling me what color clothing I have to spend my money on in order for my kids to attend a public school my tax money goes to support. So when the government tries to co-opt homeschooling, my response is No way, I'll fight tooth and nail.

I sympathize with public school parents who are unhappy with their schools and can't afford a private school and aren't ready or able to homeschool. But I don't want my homeschooling freedoms curtailed by charter/virtual schools. It needs to be clearly understood that charter/virtual schools are PUBLIC SCHOOLS, their students are public school students and the government is still in charge of the students education. They are not homeschoolers even if they are located at home. The rules and regulations that apply to charter/virtual schools should not apply to true homeschoolers. What is homeschooling?

My definition of homeschooling. Homeschooling - parental control of the education of their children. The parents choose the method to use in teaching their children, pick out the curriculum, and judge the child's progress in learning the material without government help or interference.

So I will sign the We Stand For Homeschooling Resolution. If you want to sign click on the link http://westandforhomeschooling.org/res/index.php

Inheritance Series

I have enjoyed the first two books Eragon and Eldest in the series immensely and can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.

The author Christopher Paolini's pretty impressive himself http://www.alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm
He started writing Eragon after graduating from high school at 15, and was a New York Times bestselling author by age 19. This is one homeschooler that should be an inspiration to us all.

Home School Laws

There are several homeschool laws that MS Home~Schoolers should be concerned about. Check out http://nataliesnexus.blogspot.com/

Ramblings, Rants and Remedies for a New Perspective on the SB 2514

Mississippi Bills (SB 2514 and HB 310)
SB 2514: "The State Board of Education may establish student testing proficiency standards for promotion to grade levels for students in home instruction programs which are equivalent to requirements applicable to public school students."History: Introduced by Sen. Sampson Jackson and sent to Senate Education Committee on 1/12/06Status: In committee

HB 310: Seeks "To clarify that any child who attains the age of 17 during the school year shall be required to attend school for the remainder of the school term, and to delete the provision allowing a parent or guardian to disenroll a child from kindergarten;" Note: Currently, compulsory attendance begins at six years old.History: Introduced by Rep. Cecil Brown, Chair of the House Education Committee, on 1/06/06 and referred to House Education CommitteeStatus: In committee

Apparently the ID V Evolution debate is still ongoing in the Meridian Star
http://www.meridianstar.com/opinions/letters_to_editor/

Alawine: Scrutinizing intelligent design
By BO ALAWINE

OCEAN SPRINGS - A recent columnist, contributing his thoughts on the debate concerning intelligent design vs. evolution, stated, “I still can't bring myself to believe that an amoeba suddenly grew legs and decided to walk on land.”Apparently, many supporters of I.D. do not understand the basic tenets of evolution through natural selection. Organisms do not “decide” to grow limbs, nor does the development of complex biological structures take place in such a generally short time. Also, his assertion that “the notion that natural selection could produce new organs or wings or tails is simply unsupported by any observable evidence that would withstand the scientific method” would harvest quite a few objections from those who work in the life sciences. I myself would be interested in knowing how well I.D. stands up to the scientific method. But I digress.

Setting aside the debate of whether I.D. is a scientific theory on par with the theory of evolution through natural selection, several issues should concern the open-minded individual following this controversy.

First, many proponents insist on “teaching the controversy” - i.e., present both sides of this issue and allow students to decide for themselves that which is true. As a man of both science and, I hope, of common sense as well as being a parent, this approach alarms me greatly.Would these I.D. advocates be as willing to have other controversial subjects (such as abstinence vs. safe sex) be presented so young minds could decide for themselves? Methinks not. The responsibility of science educators is to mold young minds with the latest accepted, peer-reviewed scientific knowledge, not to confuse them with sociopolitical controversies.

Secondly, the whole concept of I.D. seems to smell just slightly of intellectual dishonesty. Intelligent design rests on the foundation that an Intelligent Designer exists or existed. If an Intelligent Designer exists/existed, He/She/It must have designed or created all that is. This sounds remarkably like creationism, something the courts of this nation have prohibited being taught in our public schools. Proponents of I.D. would gain more respect for their position if they admitted I.D. is repackaged creationism rather than to push I.D. as if it were something new and not tied to one particular religion.This “repackaging” causes one to speculate as to the true motives of I.D. proponents, but that's not a subject I'm prepared to discuss in this forum at this time.

Lastly, I would like to point out certain practical considerations have yet to be addressed by those pushing to introduce I.D. into the classroom. I.D. requires the presence of an Intelligent Designer, a Creator. If all the facts are to be presented to students, who is to be the Intelligent Designer? What is to be His/Her/Its purpose for designing all life? What predictions can we make as to the future actions of an Intelligent Designer?There are numerous religions in this word, all which have their own cosmogony: Judeo-Christian, Islamic, aboriginal, pagan, etc. (My personal favorite is Flying Spaghetti Monsterism.) Other religions, such as Hinduism, view time as cyclical. Also to be included would be theories in which aliens introduced life to this planet (I.D. = E.T.?).From a truly objective I.D. viewpoint, all of these scenarios must be presented as each is just as valid as the other. Are proponents of I.D. willing to travel that road? Again, methinks not.

I suspect proponents of I.D. are interested in only the Designer of one particular religion.The concept of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) is the starting point for both the theories of evolution/natural selection and intelligent design. While my personal beliefs allow me to accept evolution through natural selection as perhaps the vehicle by which a Creator brought life as it is to be, I refuse to be dogmatic about it. The search for truth begins with the simple statement: “I do not know.”Science tells us how. Religion tells us why. The two are complementary. To attempt to supplant one with the other benefits no one.As Albert Einstein said, “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.

Bo Alawine, a Meridian native and 1983 graduate of Clarkdale Attendance Center who currently lives in Ocean Springs, is a computer programmer/systems engineer for a defense contractor.

Religion is NOT Science

I have never understood why some religious fanatics insist on teaching Creationism, Intelligent Design or whatever "pretty name" they come up with in their efforts to bully their way into science classrooms. I wonder how they would react IF scientist demanded the right to teach Evolution in Sunday School Classrooms?

Religion is based on faith.

Science on the other hand is based on facts. First a scientist comes up with a hypothesis (an idea to explain a natural occurrence - in the case of evolution how life on Earth came into being). Then he comes up with ways to PROVE his hypothesis. If the data supports his hypothesis it becomes a Theory or Law.

But for some reason some people have trouble accepting this Scientific Truth.

The Short Proof of Evolution by Ian Johnston

http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/essays/courtenay1.htm

"Curiously enough, there is one major scientific truth which vast numbers of people refuse to accept (by some news accounts a majority of people in North America)--the fact of evolution. Yet it is as plain as plain can be that the scientific truth of evolution is so overwhelmingly established, that it is virtually impossible to refute within the bounds of reason. No major scientific truth, in fact, is easier to present, explain, and defend"

I suppose some of it is the general populations ignorance of what the definition of a scientific theory is. I had one woman tell me Evolution was nothing more the some devil worshippers crackpot idea about how the world began. Her statement is full of holes. Darwin wasn't a devil worshipper http://www.aboutdarwin.com/ he was a scientist. And the definition of a scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory".

Anyway to make a long blog short the judge ruled against teaching ID in the science classroom. You will find a very well written article on his decision here http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4516

One can only wish the so called Christian School Board members hadn't felt it necessary to resort to lying and intolerance to push their religious agenda. And maybe we should all stop and think, if religion is going to be taught in public schools, whose religion are we going to teach? And maybe it's time the religious fanatics understand that science is not religion, and religion is not science. They are two different things. Religious beliefs have no place in science textbooks. But hey if we are going to teach religious beliefs as science, teachers get out your pirate suites and get ready to teach the Theory of the Flying Spaghetti Monster http://www.venganza.org/

For those of you teaching the Theory of Evolution this site looks promising http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.......................................

Christmas

The tree is up (kinda, I put it up myself so I expect it to fall over any time now), it's decorated mostly (there are still some ornaments in the box to put on it, if anyone feels like it), and the presents are wrapped (yeah). So Saint Nick can come anytime he feels like it.

Oh wait, we have to have Sean's birthday first. My baby will be 15, December 19th............

Anyway Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to Everyone ~ The Alawine's

Renaissance Fair

December 6th, we went to the Renaissance Fair in Hammond, LA., with Gwyn & Mikaela. The picture is of Gwyn playing a musical instrument from that time period.
http://la-renfest.com/education/school.asp

If you haven't been, I encourage you to go, especially if you are studying Medieval England.

After the festival we stopped for a late lunch in Slidell and discovered a wonderful Lebanese Restaurant called Zaynati's.

One Homeschool Association to Rule Them All....................................

Ok, maybe it's not that bad. But the military has decided that they need to define homeschooling in order to meet their needs.

http://www.cobranchi.com/archives/005869.html

http://hr3753.blogspot.com/

http://www.odonnellweb.com/mtarchives/001923.php

http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/newscomm/?p=189

http://www.vahomeschoolers.org/

Apparently there was a goverment funded study http://www.cna.org/documents/D0009351.A2.pdf (don't you just love the things they spend taxpayer money on??). Anyway the study found that most home schooled males choose to go to college rather then enlist in the military unlike their public school counter parts. Personally I want my kids (both boys) to go to college so to me that is a Good thing. They also found that the home school population in the military did not represent the home school population over all. Most of those classified as "homeschooled" had dependents (in other words they were married{and/or} had kids). What they were mainly concerned about was that those enlisted classified as Home schooled did not complete their enlistment period and did not re-enlist as often as their public school counter parts.

I am concerned about this bill for several reasons.

• 1. Could all homeschoolers be forced to join HSLDA (or another National Home School Organization) in order to "prove" they were homeschoolers and provide a central data base for the military.
• 2. Would we have to "teach" courses that the military deemed necessary for them to meet their goals.
• 3. Would we have to allow the military to come into our homes in order to recruit our children.

There seems to be a lot of "unknowns" here. The biggest how does the military intend to define homeschooled.

I intend to work to defeat this bill.

If you agree please contact your U. S. Representatives NOW and let them know you oppose section 522 of H.R. 1815, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal year 2006. Otherwise Section 522 will slip through hidden in this huge bill when Congress approves the Defense Authorization for fiscal year 2006.
Here are links to contact information for both the House and SenateArmed Forces committees.

Senate: http://armed-services.senate.gov/members.htm

House: http://armedservices.house.gov/about/members.html

Here is a link to sign a petition http://www.petitiononline.com/hr1815/petition.html

I just signed and there were 700 signatures.

The Mud Shack

Tuesday, November 15th the Gulf Coast Peak Group enjoyed a field trip to The Mud Shack, 10008 Government Street in Ocean Springs (in case you want more info their # is 228-872-6113). We had toddlers to 16 year olds and a good time seemed to be had by all, even the Mom's got in on the act of decorating their own Christmas ornament. And I do believe a new tradition has been born in the Alawine family. I had such a good time I want to do it again next year, and maybe get hubby in on the act.

After The Mud Shack some of us went to Al Fresco for dinner. It's nice to know that some of my favorite restaurants are still around. I read in the paper Mary Mahoney's had reopened. Bo and I spent a very enjoyable anniversary there one year so I was pleased to know it survived Hurricane Katrina. The kids and I keep driving by Sicily's on LeMoyne to see if they have reopened. Looks like it will be awhile before we can visit our favorite pizza hangout.

We picked up our ornaments November 29th. I was very pleased with how they turned out. You will find a photo of Jonathan's Christmas Tree above.

The Peter Anderson Festival was Wonderful.

First we had a lovely breakfast at Bayview Gourmet, then Jonathan and I went to the festival.

There was lots of stuff to see. Some of my favorites were windchimes made out of agates. http://crystalrivergems.com/products/minerals/agate/windchimes/

I also like the art work of Frankie Buckley. I found her paintings "Five on the Prowl" and "Get Off my Tail" to be whimsical and cute. http://frankiebuckleystudio.com/

My friend Cissy's "Eye Candy" was fabulous, I would have been happy to wear any of the jewelry she had for sell.

There were several pieces of pottery that caught my eye, and what sounded like a South American Rainforst was coming from one booth. Wooden animals that made music when you stroked their back with a stick.

http://www.shakerman.com/frogs%20and%20crickets.htm

I found some turquoise earrings to match a necklace I have had for ages at one booth. I also discovered a new rock Larimar http://www.larimarmuseum.com/ too bad my rock hound Sean wasn't with me. And there were some lovely hand carved wooden bowls. The weather was lovely, sunny and warm. I can't wait to go back next year.