http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/education-chat/ en-us Fri, 1 Jan 2010 18:11:00 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419041/posts Charles Krauthammer’s joining the ranks of Daily Times columnists pleased readers on the right who like his generally — though not invariably — conservative views. Those on the left are less than thrilled. I have my own reason for welcoming the doctor (he practiced and taught psychiatry before switching to speechwriting and then to commentary): He’s one of the endangered species called wordsmiths. Like master artisans working precious metals, wordsmiths shape and polish lumps of words until they gleam. Krauthammer on America’s limited activity in space: “We’ve done it with the most beautiful, intricate, complicated — and ultimately hopelessly impractical... The Kerrville Daily Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419041/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 18:11:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418822/posts In 2008, Congress disbanded the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) because according to the website Inside Higher Ed, the panel "had become too politicized." If the previous committee was "too politicized" to permit its continued existence -- its big sin was to press for establishing universal, easily understood, quantifiable academic standards -- then what are we to make of way the Obama administration is loading up the newly formed NACIQI with diversity advocates and left-wing activists? One has worked with ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now); another might have ties to LULAC (League of... The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418822/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 05:24:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418549/posts What's a Blue Moon? The trendy definition of "blue Moon" as the second full Moon in a month is a mistake. by Roger W. Sinnott, Donald W. Olson, and Richard Tresch Fienberg A rising full Moon lights the scene in The Fishing Party, painted by Fitz Hugh Lane after a visit to the coast of Maine in August 1850. That month contained a Fruit Moon, according to the Maine almanac's rules. Recent decades have seen widespread popular embrace of the idea that when a calendar month contains two full Moons, the second one is called a "Blue Moon." The unusual... Sky & Telescope http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418549/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:29:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418324/posts James David Manning questions whether or not Obama ever attended Columbia. Heavy stuff . ATLAH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418324/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:39:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418304/posts How YOU… my fellow Americans, With CHILDREN… AREN’T IN THE STREETS… I have no idea. YOUR CHILDREN are being intentionally Perverted, by the School that you Trust. The United States Government has decided (long ago) that YOUR CHILD needs to know of EVERY Perverse Act available to Humans. And they’re GOING TO TEACH IT TO THEM… Whether YOU like it or NOT. I had a lengthy rant spooled-up for this Newsletter, but I think I’ll just let the facts TEACH YOU What’s Happening to YOUR KIDS. Will you protect your OWN CHILDREN? STAND UP!!! http://areyouawakeyet.ning.com/forum/topics/my-newsletter-final-2009-the http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418304/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:49:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418301/posts Career Experts Say Positions in Growing Fields Will Require an In-Demand Degree Coupled With Skills in Emerging Trends If you're gearing up for a job search now as an undergraduate or returning student, there are several bright spots where new jobs and promising career paths are expected to emerge in the next few years... The degrees employers say they'll most look for include finance, engineering and computer science, says Andrea Koncz, employment-information manager at the National Association of Colleges and Employers. But to land the jobs that will see some of the most growth, job seekers will need to branch... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418301/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:48:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418092/posts This thing was designed for liberals but I took it and scored "very conservative 104". It claims the average American is 209. I was wondering, if more folks from Free Republic took that quiz would the Average American score lower more? http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/03/progressive_quiz.html http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418092/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:38:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418081/posts OK, what’s this book about? It’s about what happened to the American government after "conservatives" gained control of Congress in the 1990s and the White House in 2000. It’s about the disastrous decisions that government made, which have created the enormous problems we face now. It’s about the corruption that rotted the Congress. It’s about how traditional conservatism has nearly been destroyed by authoritarianism. It’s about how the “Religious Right” teamed up with amoral authoritarian leaders to push its un-democratic agenda onto the country. University of Manitoba http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418081/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:10:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418033/posts According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, College of Education officials recently established the “Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group.” It’s charged with helping to devise a new system for training prospective K-12 teachers, because current teachers lack “cultural competence,” a factor officials believe contributes to the poor performance of minority students. The task force “recommended that aspiring teachers must repudiate the notion of the ‘American Dream’ and instead “must embrace – and be prepared to teach our state’s kids – the task force’s own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic,” according to writer Katherine... biggovernment.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418033/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:40:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418003/posts Oh Yes, The Tea Party Movement is growing.Have you joined your local Tea Party organization?Click here to find a Tea Party Group in your State. Tea Party Patriots http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418003/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:58:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417548/posts The Freshman Class Council has run into controversy with its T-shirts for The Game. The FCC has decided to change the design of its shirts after the original design, which was submitted by students and voted on by the freshman class, sparked outcry from members within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. The original design, which won out over five other entries, displayed an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote in the front — “I think of all Harvard men as sissies” — in bold white letters. The back of the long-sleeved, navy blue T-shirt said “WE AGREE” in capital letters,... Yale Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417548/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:42:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417124/posts First, the student should have enough knowledge of his or her cultural tradition to know how it got to be the way it is. This involves both political and social history, on the one hand, as well as the mastery of some of the great philosophical and literary texts of the culture on the other. It involves reading not only texts that are of great value, like those of Plato, but many less valuable that have been influential, such as the works of Marx. For the United States, the dominant tradition is, and for the foreseeable future, will remain the... www.ditext.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417124/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:55:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416834/posts TOKYO (AFP) – First came see-through frogs. Now Japanese researchers have succeeded in producing goldfish whose beating hearts can be seen through translucent scales and skin. The transparent creatures are part of efforts to reduce the need for dissections, which have become increasingly controversial, particularly in schools. "You can see a live heart and other organs because the scales and skin have no pigments," said Yutaka Tamaru, an associate professor in the department of life science at Mie University. "You don't have to cut it open. You can see a tiny brain above the goldfish's black eyes." AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416834/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:02:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415496/posts Our Culture, What’s Left Of It By: Jamie Glazov Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Dr. Theodore Dalrymple, a contributing editor to City Journal and the author of his new collection of essays Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses. FP: Dr. Theodore Dalrymple, welcome to Frontpage Magazine. It is a pleasure to have you with us. I guess we can begin with your observations on the root causes of many of our social ills. You discuss how in your practise as a doctor you have confronted a growing pathology in our culture within which there is... FrontPageMagazine.com | Wednesday, August 31, 2005 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415496/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:05:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415147/posts On the topic of international trade, the views of economists tend to differ from those of the general public. There are three principle differences. First, many noneconomists believe that it is more advantageous to trade with other members of one’s nation or ethnic group than with outsiders. Economists see all forms of trade as equally advantageous. Second, many noneconomists believe that exports are better than imports for the economy. Economists believe that all trade is good for the economy. Third, many noneconomists believe that a country’s balance of trade is governed by the “competitiveness” of its wage rates, tariffs, and... Library of Economics and Liberty http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415147/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:16:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414897/posts COLUMBIA, Mo. – Dianne Lynch wanted to give the students of Stephens College a break from the constant digital communication that pervades their generation. So she asked them to put their phones and computers away and revive the 176-year-old school's dormant tradition of vespers services. On a bitterly cold December night, with the start of final exams just hours away, about 75 of Stephens' 766 undergraduates grudgingly piled their cell phones into collection baskets and filed into the school's candlelit chapel, where they did little but sit, silently. For an hour, not an iPod ear bud could be seen. There... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414897/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:52:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414846/posts New pictures of the ongoing eruption and destruction from Chaiten in southern Chile. More are at the header link. All pics are half-size; click for full-size. The growing dome Dome incandescence at twilight Blast zone View from the river (volcanic dome on the horizon) Photovolcanica http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414846/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:11:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414755/posts Sarah takes on Big Oil: The compelling story of Governor Sarah Palin's battle with Alaska's 'Big 3' oil companies, as told by the state's top oil and gas editors, Kay Cashman and Kristen Nelson (Hardcover) Product Description Sarah takes on Big Oil illuminates Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's rise to power, along with her successes and failures in dealing with the industry that is the lifeblood of the state's economy. This book is a must read for those seeking to understand Palin's qualifications for national leadership. Purchasers of Sarah takes on Big Oil qualify for a free, two-year, online subscription to... Amazon.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414755/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:33:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414661/posts The purpose of the General Welfare Clause of the Constitution was only to limit the tax power of the Government. The words "General" and "Welfare" were not placed there to give the Government authority to spend on whatever they want (ie healthcare), they're there to simply make it known that the Government has to always spend for the country as a whole, not for some single group. The clause doesn't give the Government authority, it limits it! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414661/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:56:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414590/posts Russian design studio Art Lebedev calls this simple invention--a camera that takes images from the front of a truck to show it on screens in the back--Transparentius. I call it geeneeuzz. I don't know why the drawing below shows a tank at the front of the truck, but I guess that in Russia people drive T-90s like people drive Fords in the U.S. I wish the technology was so cheap that this could be implemented for real, because I'm sure being able to see what's in the blind zone before switching lanes would save a lot of lives on the CNET News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414590/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:37:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413415/posts Hector was one of 52 terribly abused and neglected dogs owned by NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his friends. He landed here in Minnesota and is now part of a student service learning project which teaches the kids not to be mean or hurt animals. "He lived outside in the woods in a wire cage. So did the other dogs. They had very little food, very little water," said kindergarten teacher Amber Anderson. Third graders at Barack and Michele Obama school in St. Paul got a special visit Tuesday from Hector. "In St. Paul, there seem to be quite a... WCCO.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413415/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:59:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413183/posts One to 3 feet of snow fell in the western Plains yesterday, while up to 1/2 inch of freezing rain fell in the central Plains. The precipitation was in response to a potent upper low in the Southern Plains and an associated surface low, which caused upslope flow conditions. The heaviest snowfall amounts were observed in the Colorado Front Range and in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of New Mexico. Strong surface winds in these areas caused much blowing and drifting snow. Most of the snowpack across the West and western Plains is cool, with cold conditions at the lower... Watts up with that? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413183/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:19:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412889/posts NORWALK, Conn. — Before showing a video to the 11th and 12th graders in his physics class, Glenn Coutoure, a teacher at Norwalk High School, warned them that his mouth would be hanging open, in childlike wonderment, almost the whole time. Mr. Coutoure then started the DVD, showing him and other science teachers floating in an airplane during a flight in September. By flying up and down like a giant roller coaster along parabolic paths, the plane simulated the reduced gravity of the Moon and Mars and then weightlessness in 30-second chunks. The teachers performed a series of experiments and... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412889/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:14:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412740/posts Lately the news has not been good - understatement of the year. If you can spare two hours to have a "mood enhancing" moviegoing experience - please go see "Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock. Movie - Blind Side http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412740/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:19:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412553/posts Columbia was, he declared, “a citadel of the mind swaying in the vertigo of a civilization changing (without admitting it) the basis of its faith from a two thousand-year-old Christian culture to the new secular and scientific culture.” Whereas the Christian culture “placed God at the center of man’s hope,” the new secular faith, which was “exclusively rational and scientific,” replaced God with Man. This was not indoctrination into communism, at least not explicitly. “No member of the Columbia faculty ever consciously guided me toward Communism,” he stated. “Columbia did not teach me Communism. It taught me despair.” That despair... First Principles http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412553/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:11:38 GMT