Sagan on Schools
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20 Weather Activities for Kids
Children always get excited about the different weather patterns, but they can get confused. Often, it’s a good idea to use weather activities to help kids understand what is happening. They learn something, but they can also have fun and do experiments. With the newest technological advancements available, it’s easy to forget the magic of weather. Get back to basics with your children and help them understand what comes from the sky. Then, share this list with relatives, friends, coworkers, and neighbors to remind others what the weather does for them. Continue reading
What American Schools Should Teach about Race, Racism and Slavery
Regarding race and much else, America’s students are not taught history. In fact, they are not taught; they are indoctrinated. With anti-Americanism.
The purpose of all teaching about race in American schools is to engender contempt for America. They are, therefore, “taught” the lies of The New York Times’ “1619 Project” — that the United States was founded to preserve and protect slavery — and of such works as Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility.
So, then, what should American schools teach about race? Continue reading
Removing Guilt and Shame from the Study of Slavery
Some people come from the “the land down under”. I come from the land where “old times are not forgotten”. As historians we must recommit to helping our youth understand our history and realize that without a commanding knowledge of our history, there is no future for a free United States of America.
After the Sale: Slaves Going South from Richmond
It is natural to fight for your place in the sun. God has even been known to assist people in that struggle; but it is diabolical to lie about your opponent. That is unforgivable. For this reason we must remove the perceived obligation to assign guilt, shame and victimhood upon historical individuals as we study the history of slavery in the United States of America. Continue reading
California School District Bans ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘Huckleberry Finn,’ Other Classic Novels
Perhaps instead of banning the books entirely, you could instead have an open discussion about the “challenging” content with the students so that they can, you know, LEARN. ~ Poor Mama Rose
The Burbank Unified School District in California has banned several classic literary works that contain racial slurs. To Kill A Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are two of the classics on the district’s new list of banned books.
According to a report by Newsweek, a school district in Burbank, California, has banned several classic books that contain racial slurs. The list includes: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men, The Cay and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Continue reading
Chapter 5: The American Revolution
~ Foreward ~
The American Revolution: When the Bankers Destroyed the Economy – History Repeating Itself?
With some forces wanting to erase American history these days, here is a history lesson from William Guy Carr’s 1950s classic, Pawns in the Game.
Carr documents the beginning of the secret society known as the Illuminati, and how the real enemies of all people, whether right or left, Democrat or Republicans, are the global bankers in this Satanic group.
This might be a different version of American history than what you are taught in school, especially if you were educated in a public school. (William Guy Carr was Canadian.) ~ Brian Shilhavy, Editor, Health Impact News
Benjamin Franklin, Painting by David Martin, displayed in the White House
In order to understand how men who obtained control of the Bank of England, and the British National Debt, also obtained control of the trade and commerce, and the monetary system of Britain’s American colonies, it will be sufficient if we pick up the threads of the story at the time Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) went over to England to represent the interests of the men who had been associated with him in building up the prosperity of the American Colonies.
Robert L. Owen, former chairman, Committee on Banking and Currency, United States Senate, explains the matter on page 98 of Senate Document No. 23. He states that when associates of the Rothschild’s asked Franklin how he accounted for the prosperous conditions prevailing in the colonies, he replied :
“That is simple — In the Colonies we issue our own money. It is called Colonial Script — We issue it in proper proportion to the demands of trade and industry.”
Continue reading
How Common Core is changing history
‘New standards move in exactly the wrong direction’
At every Olympic Games, a 26.2-mile race celebrates Pheidippides’ grueling run back to Athens to bring news of the great Athenian victory over the Persian army at the Battle of Marathon. According to last year’s California-approved ancient-history textbook from McGraw-Hill, however, the Greeks “defeated the Persian navy.” The author of this text also wrote the 2006 edition of the same book, from the same publisher. That earlier edition correctly describes the battle as a clash of armies.
So what changed between 2006 and 2019?
Answer: the Common Core.
American ideas of republican, representative government; the dangers of dictatorship; and the tensions between a republic and an empire all come directly from the experience of republican Rome. Continue reading
Her name was not ‘Hedly‘
November 9, 2020 marked the 106th birthday of Hollywood actress and inventor, Hedy Lamarr (image circa 1930) was often dubbed the “most beautiful woman in the world.” But there was far more to her story, as she was also the co-inventor invented a device that helped make possible the development of GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technology! Continue reading
Concerns about decline in kindergarten students
With great dismay, I read the article on KTAR radio’s website by reporter Griselda Zetino on Oct. 26 entitled, “Drop in Arizona students enrolled in kindergarten raises concerns.”
As the superintendent of the Pendergast School District located in the West Valley cities of Avondale, Glendale and Phoenix, we, as educators, believe kindergarten is essential for our scholars to succeed. It is the foundation and lays the groundwork for a successful path to a quality educational experience for years to come.
Our school board and administration have provided full-day kindergarten in all of our 12 schools, paid for through our budget override. Since the state only funds half-day kindergarten, districts like ours need to find additional funding, and we are fortunate our community has supported this effort that has paid huge dividends. Continue reading
The Education System Isn’t Designed for Smart Kids
“…this education system doesn’t need to be reformed; it needs to be destroyed!”
Sometimes, something that’s right in front of you can escape your attention.
Over the past five years I’ve looked at countless student performance numbers, and almost always, my attention goes to the large percentages of students who are performing below grade level in reading, math, history, etc. I see these numbers as evidence of the failure of the current education system. Continue reading
Classroom Busybodies Ban a ‘Jesus Loves Me’ Mask
In the middle of the 20th century, when Nazism had only just been vanquished and Soviet Communism was still on the march, C. S. Lewis could already see the next permutation of tyranny appearing on the horizon of the 21st century:
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. Continue reading
A Letter to Jefferson Davis: A [r]epublican in Exile
In Washington, D.C., while serving as Secretary of War in the 1850s, Jefferson Davis met Ambrose Dudley Mann, a native of Virginia who was the Assistant Secretary of State (and the first man to hold that office). The two men were drawn to each other immediately and became fast friends for the rest of their lives. In her biography of her husband, Varina Davis wrote that Mann had “every Christian virtue” and that “Mr. Davis and he gravitated toward each other at once, and loved like David and Jonathan until extreme old age.” [1]
After the formation of the Confederate States of America, Davis appointed Mann, an experienced diplomat, as a commissioner to Europe. Mann left his country in March 1861, and would never return. After the war, fiercely unwilling to live under Yankee domination, he spent the rest of his life in France, hosting numerous Confederate expatriates at his home, and continuing to correspond with Jefferson Davis, who visited him in Paris in the winter of 1868-1869. Continue reading
Perspectives on Homeschooling…
…from the readers.
What we present below, are comments left by educators and parents regarding the subject matter and the awakening of parents as to what they have begun to realize during the modern era of the current Plandemic of Covid-19 and the days of “Zoom” education.
In over twenty years of the websites which we have managed – this is the FIRST time that we have ever posted anything like this – yet – as I have stated on my broadcast – in many respects – the comments left on a column – take us beyond what the author intended – or do they? A writer – if he or she is good enough – can elicit THESE type of responses.
The comments included were “borrowed” from two specific columns by a single author – but they tell the story. ~ Editor
Continue reading
Good News: Covid Is Driving More Parents to Homeschool
Keep them at home…
There might not be a lot to cheer about in 2020. With rioting, looting, and draconian lockdowns, America seems to be on the precipice of social unraveling thanks to misguided policy decisions and the culture of divisiveness fomented by political elites and the media class.
But in any moment of crisis, there are always new avenues for innovation that make people better off. Yes, private individuals can take advantage of precarious situations and turn them around for good purposes. Just look at homeschooling. Continue reading
Financing the Civil War
Officials in both the USA and CSA were remarkably successful in finding sufficient financial resources to support their armies in the field for the better part of four long, bloody years.
~ Introduction ~
By the time of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration as President of the United States (USA) in March 1861, seven seceding Southern states had already formed the Confederate States of America (CSA). Political leaders throughout that territory, as well as most of their counterparts in the Northern and Border states, believed that any period of fighting to establish the legitimacy of the new Confederate nation would be rather short. Neither of the newly appointed Secretaries of the Treasury in the USA (Salmon Portland Chase) or the CSA (Christopher Gustavus Memminger) expected to have to raise several billion dollars to prosecute a four-year-long war. As they approached the task of financially supporting even a short war, both men understood that nations had traditionally used three major sources to finance their wars: borrowing money, printing money, and raising money through taxation. From 1861 to 1865, both the USA and the CSA used each of these mechanisms, although in different and varying proportions. Historical sources differ a bit on the exact percentages of their wartime expenses those territories raised from various sources. However, the following table incorporates several estimates from scholars using different assumptions about inflation, currency values, and definitions.
In many ways, describing these financing activities reveals a tale of two countries. ~ M.A.M.
Continue reading
How to Protect Your Children From Indoctrination
Do you look on with astonishment at Antifa and other extreme groups rioting and shouting “death to America?” How could all this happen? Where did all these young people come from who hate the US?
Chances are they caught this belief from our public school systems. If you live in California, it’s right in your face. Some are calling it out.
We’ve talked about why homeschooling is an excellent choice from an academic, independence, and character-building standpoint in previous articles. In this discussion, we’ll talk about protecting your children from indoctrination. Continue reading
Why Personalized Learning Is Struggling During COVID-19
Personalizing learning to kids’ unique academic needs and personal interests is a tough nut to crack, and that is especially the case within the confines of a Zoom square. That is one of the big takeaways from a recent national survey by the EdWeek Research Center.
Personalized learning, accelerated by advances in technology and new teaching approaches, has been gaining steam – and attracting criticism – for years. Just a year ago, nearly three-quarters of teachers had a favorable or neutral take on the strategy, according to EdWeek Research Center data, while critics continued to hammer the approach for overusing technology. Continue reading
School Choice and the Value of Religious Diversity
Institutions that shape public policy should beware of discrimination against traditional Christians.
Today’s culture wars have disturbing historical precedents, both in the U.S. and abroad, reflecting fundamentally contrasting approaches to managing the tradeoffs between unity and diversity and to the very role of the nation-state in a free society. This explains the recent uproar over Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Bartholet’s already influential 2020 Arizona Law Review article “Homeschooling: Parent rights absolutism vs. child rights to education and protection.” There she essentially advocates outlawing homeschooling, characterizing it as threatening both individual children and national unity, since homeschooling parents dare to impose their faiths on their children. Continue reading
The Real Story of Ben-Hur’s ‘Tale of the Christ‘
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – For many, watching the movie “Ben-Hur” has become an Easter tradition. The 1959 blockbuster, starring Charlton Heston, made history with a record 11 Academy Awards.
Now, the 1925 silent version is making a comeback. But what many may not know is that Hollywood didn’t create this classic story.
The idea came from the best-selling novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, published in 1880. The book tells the story of a life-altering encounter between a first-century Jewish prince and Jesus of Nazareth.
The author is Lew Wallace – a true renaissance man. Continue reading
Oct. 31, 1936 ~ Franklin Roosevelt Speech On the Eve of the Presidential Election
‘Government By Organized Money’
“On the eve of a national election, it is well for us to stop for a moment and analyze calmly and without prejudice the effect on our Nation of a victory by either of the major political parties.
The problem of the electorate is far deeper, far more vital than the continuance in the Presidency of any individual. For the greater issue goes beyond units of humanity–it goes to humanity itself.
In 1932 the issue was the restoration of American democracy; and the American people were in a mood to win. They did win. In 1936 the issue is the preservation of their victory. Again they are in a mood to win. Again they will win. Continue reading