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As most of you know China's rise to power is one of my foreign policy pet peeves. China is a rather illiberal country that is the only strategic competitor to the US. The Weekly Standard proposes that it may be the next Germany, Japan, or Soviet Union.
My thought is that because of its long cultural history it is more likely that China may simply want to dominate the region, setting up a sort of Asian Monroe Doctrine.
One weird thing Boot said was that there should be created an Asian NATO. My thought was "There is! SEATO! Duh!" So I did some searching and I found out that SEATO was disbanded in 1977! I had no idea.
Maybe we SHOULD try and recreate SEATO. Call it the Asia-Pacific Treaty Organization, include India (one of the US's new favorite post-cold war buddies!), Pakistan (see, this type of alliance might keep the subcontinent from blow itself up!), Japan (I'm not sure how this type of alliance would work concidering the McAurthur constitution), Tailand, Laos, Afghanistan, the Philipines, and... Taiwan. That last one might be too much. That might be enough to start World War 3 (or 4, or 5 depending on what you think about the Cold War as well as the current "War on Terrorism.")
Two problems I see with creating these alliances are:
1. I think back to George Washington's farewell address, but in a global world issolationism is really not an option any more.
2. I think of WW1 being caused by alliances that got out of hand. Creating APTO could make something like a 1 on 1 confrontation between Taiwan vs China into a war between China and its allies vs. the US and its allies, it could spill into Vietnam, Russia could get involved. It could get downright ugly.
That's my international policy thought for the day.


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Friday, March 7, 2008
Good, clean fun
Massachusetts designer Rebecca Townsend has packaged these wonderful soaps and potpourris. We find that they make popular "hostess" gifts. (Think: "I spent a week at your beautiful lakeside cottage and all you got was this lousy bottle of wine." You can be a lot more creative than that!)
The potpourri contains oodles of shells, sea glass, scented rock salt and tiny fragrance pearls. Gallery Fifty carries Cottage, Beach, Beach Grass, Sea Warm Sand and Skinny Dip fragrances. Each are 8 oz. and cost $15.00.
We love the frosty, colorful shards of moisurizing glycerine soaps that really look like beach glass! These unique soaps have a wonderful clean, breezy scent. There are approximately 20-25 pieces per package and the cost is $7.50.
Labels: Great Gifts, Under $50

subset: commoncrawl


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Current Articles
This is a template for a creativity exercise centred on making monsters. It can be used for kids and adults depending on how you bias it and setup the exercise.
You can consider assigning the task to groups for an exercise on teamwork, teambuilding and management or run it individually for focus on creativity.
Ideally, you should run this exercise as a competition between participants to keep it fun and focused.
This exercise helps to develop delegates' observational skills on advertisement and marketing and also helps them design their own ads. It creates discussions on what works and what does not in designing an advertisement. Delegates can use this knowledge to get inspired and create effective and interesting advertisements for their products.
In this exercise delegates practice designing a story. Story design can be quite challenging so this exercise helps to break it up to a simpler task by giving delegates a helpful starting point. You can use this exercise in conjunction with other story telling exercises to train delegates on various skills required to make a story from scratch.
This exercise may lead to spoiling a number of movies for some delegates who might not have seen the movies yet. Since this exercise works best if everyone has seen a given movie under consideration, and to avoid the spoiling issue, you can consider using a rule that any chosen movie must have been seen by everyone.
Use this exercise to get the delegates design a story based on a single image. The choice of these images can greatly influence the exercise, so use this much like a template to craft a training exercise based on your specific needs.
This is a creative design exercise, allowing participants to work together as a team in achieving an objective. As part of this exercise, delegates will get to choose a number of political cartoons and have an attempt at designing one. The design is just a pretext to get people talk to each other and share what they like or dislike. The cartoons provide an opportunity to laugh about serious stuff so the exercise is light hearted but can have significant value as people can easily end up discussing values, current affairs, ethical and political issues and of course politics.
Note that the emphasis of this exercise is in the descriptive design of a cartoon as opposed to the actual drawing or art. Most people are not skilled in drawing and forcing them to draw in this exercise might make them feel uncomfortable. This is why the drawing part is ignored (though of course you can optionally add it if it suits your training needs). However, there is no reason why people cannot come up with an idea for a political cartoon which this exercise captures.
This creativity exercise is great in getting people to think how an uncommon designed object is used. The exercise can be used in two ways:
You can choose one of the above options based on what you need to train delegates on.
This is an elaborate memory exercise that can be used for several purposes.
You can easily adjust the difficulty level of this exercise by manipulating the timing and the amount of memorisation the delegates need to go through. You should decide this upfront based on your training needs and the capability of your delegates.
This exercise helps to stimulate creativity by bringing a variety of random object into consciousness. You can use this exercise during an incubation time between two sessions on problem solving. The exercise helps to make people think of unusual stuff and become conscious of a whole lot of random associations. When they return to the main problem, they end up having more ideas and can connect the new associations with the problem they were considering. This can lead them to potential novel solutions.
A great way to increase creativity is to use random stimuli. Random thoughts can lead to new associations which in turn can help the group to explore new parts of a search space not considered before.
This exercise helps delegates to use readily available modern technology for inspiration from random content and to improve their creative brainstorming.
It has become fashionable to place motivational posters on the walls in the companies. Depending on the nature of the organisation, this can be seen in two ways; a propaganda campaign by the management to make the workers work harder or an attempt to remind the workers of certain values held by the organisation.
With the first view the posters may look nice but usually do little to lift moral, educate or motivate. Various formats are used but usually those that have a generic picture with some bland slogan are the ones that are despised the most. They usually have a dark background, a central picture and a slogan at the bottom. Most often these slogans are single words, such as "Prosperity", "Motivation", "Ambition" or "Stability". Perhaps, the idea is that by seeing "Motivation" (and some random picture) on the wall every day, people become more motivated!
Well, you need to make a bit more of an effort than that to motivate people.
Posters which are used in the workplace to remind us of the organisation's values are often not very effective. They might be noticed the first time seen on the wall but it is then filtered out the same way we filter out those motivational posters or intrusive advertisements.
Both of these views seem to be problematic although the general ideal of being repeatedly reminded of something is a good one. In fact, productivity gurus have been recommending using this technique for years and if implemented well they can have great effects.
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text:
Egyptian news
Egypt main crops are:grains,fruit and vegetable.The egyptians used a plant called papyrus
to write with .The Nile River helped egyptians with calendars.egypt grew weak as they spent money trying to keep the other countries conquered,but eventually egypt was conquered by Greece and Rome.Khufu is the largest pyramid in Egypt that was build 4,500 years ago.
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is to help with the meanings of hieroglyphics.A pyramid was a tomb for the pharaohs.The Egyptian had a language that had pictures.This language was called
hieroglyphics.The stone had three languages on it that the the scientist tried to discovered.
It was later brought to a museum to be examined.
Silt is a small particle of a rich soil.The Nile river floods to help the Egyptians.When the silt reaches the Nile river,so it's banks start to flood on the crops.The flood creates very good crops and land.Today we use dams and channels to control the rivers.
What are Egypt's main crops
Egypt's main crops are vegetables,grain and fruit.Some farmers use simple methods to grow the crops.The flooding in egypt is important so the crops grow.When the river banks flood farmers get very happy.They even make the flooding a season in egypt.
sahara desert
It is the largest desert in the world.It comes from an arabic word that means desert.It is the size of the united states of america.It is the hottest desert, and covers most part of Northern Africa.It is home to the most of where the animals live in.
facts on Iraq
It has the most farming taking place.Oil is the country's major export.Its capital is the largest city.Iraq is twice the size of idaho , and is west of syria and jordan.For many years Iraq was known as mesopotamia, but the main rivers are tigris and euphrates.
Visit the Egyptian pyramid Giza
Have fun in egypt


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1. Each time I walk Henri, I go past the Christmas Tree Farm. I've been scoping out the trees each time I go by and I have my heart set on a skinny one. It has lots of character. I hope the family will oblige.
2. She borrowed one of my scarves, one that I thought looked old ladyish and would never have chosen for her. Man, it looks great on her! I need to rethink that scarf...or let her keep it.
3. We rounded a curve in the road and gave an audible gasp! The moon rose huge and bright above a dark mountaintop. The man-in-the-moon's face looked chubby on a moon so big.


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Fur Rondy is the big winter carnival up here. It was started in 1935 to help get people out in the winter. It's become quite a huge event in Anchorage and in Alaska. It ends with the start of the Iditarod. One of the big things with Fur Rondy, which is short for Fur Rendezvous, is the pins. It's a tradition that started back in the 1940's and the Fur Rondy Bobby's go around and "arrest" you and throw you into Rondy jail if you aren't wearing your pin!! But they'll gladly sell you a pin to get out. It's a two week celebration of all things Alaskan and chilly and it's a blast. I was surprised by all the tourists I met the last two weekends. And they all seemed to be having a blast. I don't think most people would think of Alaska as a winter tourist destination, but I guess some do.
|This is what my pin looks like.
One of the traditions a group of friends of mine have started is the annual Iditarod tail gate. The police block off a route downtown for the ceremonial start and we break out the portable fire pit, light up the grill and cheer on the mushers as they pass on by. The actual start takes place the next day about 70 miles north of Anchorage in Willow. It's also become a tradition for mushers to throw out used dog booties to the kids along the start. Some of my friends kids made out like bandits Saturday. I know one had at least 6. I was hoping to maybe get one. I thought it would be a great idea to make a couple relic cards out of a booty and give them away but alas I didn't get one. Maybe next year.
There are some fan favorites up here. Martin Buser being one of them. His kennels are in Big Lake, Alaska about 60 or so miles north of Anchorage. My friend was lucky enough to snag a Buser dog booty!! And inside he puts a custom trading card. I would have loved to snagged that if only to scan it for you all, but alas I did not. She ended up giving it to a friend's kid. I'm sure after it's washed it will be an enjoyable keepsake. It's smelled like dog poop. How cool would it have been to been able to make some custom 4 time Champion Martin Buser Iditarod relic cards??!!?? I think I might have to do TTM to him after the race.
|Martin Buser
Lance Mackey is another great musher currently in 5th and the defending champ, Buser is leading right now. Actually Mackey has won the last 4 Iditarods!! I think it's great. A lot of mushers are taking the Iditarod to the next level by posting video and other stuff even during the race. The race lasts from 8 to 12 days usually. I guess this year the weather is so warm that it's making the dogs overheat and there has been quite a few mishaps already.
|Lance Mackey, umkay.
Well all have a great week and I'm sure I'll be posting updates.
cb out.


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We had a very nice quiet weekend. Marcus has been exhausting us and himself lately. He is very over-excited at times and we are trying to teach him to calm himself down a bit. We decided to to keep to ouselves this weekend, and just enjoy being around the house together. Visitors often send Marcus into a froth of excitement.
We did have a surprise visit yesterday from Susan, Saffy and Immy. Saffy is one of Marcus's oldest buddy - they met at daycare years ago and get on very well. We had planned to have a picnic lunch in the Cascade Gardens, so we just made some extra sandwiches and took them along.
They have some quite big established evergreens, (don't ask me what they are) with well-spaced branches for climbing. Marcus climbed up into one and surprised the hell out of us when we saw his yellow-hatted head pop out three metres up.
Later he climbed up into another one. When I got over to see how he was going he was about four metres up and climbing. I realised that if he had a sudden loss of confidence I wouldn't be able to climb where he had, as the branches wouldn't support me. He climbed down with only a few wobbly moments. I was very proud of his adventuring, but glad he didnt get any higher before I spotted him.


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Nestle and Maggi have been in the news ever since food safety authorities declared in mid-May that they found lead and MSG content in two packets of Maggi instant noodles. While Nestle shares fell, the company announced a product recall even before the government announced a ban. While Maggi certainly is off shelves, some other noodles brands were in the news too, for similar wrong reasons.
Some ad and marketing pros believe it's not just Maggi, but the whole instant noodles category that could be hurt because of dented consumer perception.
Anisha Motwani, director and chief marketing officer, head – marketing, digital and direct sales, Max Life Insurance, says, "Maggi has been the category generic and was considered the Holy Grail. Given that other players are me-toos, it is only fair to expect that consumers will think that if Maggi is unfit for consumption, so would the others. I think the question is – will the category recover from this? Will there be a new leader who convinces consumers that it is safe and can be trusted? Or can Maggi change its processes and image, and come back slowly but surely and once again become one of mom's favorite resorts for hungry kids during non-meal times?"
Ramanujam Sridhar, founder and CEO, brand-comm, agrees with Motwani. He says, "Yes, there is a problem for the other brands too. When you look at it from the consumer's point of view, it's about health and that too of the kids (who these brands target). So, brands have to err on the side of excessive caution. If anything, the category has to follow stricter laws and rules for itself. This may lead to temporary issues, but it's better in the long run."
Dheeraj Sinha, chief strategy officer, Grey Group, South and South East Asia, believes it's not only the category of instant noodles alone, but packaged food that will be affected. He says, "There's no question about the instant noodles category affected. The suspicion is on the entire packaged food segment. Consumers are asking questions now. Even regulators are looking at other brands in other categories. They (other brands) need to inlook within themselves rather than start communication. They need to make sure everything that's in their product formulation is healthy. We've lived with a regime that almost everything was okay, and now the first step has to be looking inside."
Praful Akali, founder and managing director, Medulla Communications (a healthcare agency), believes that other brands in the category shouldn't try being 'loud' during this period. He reasons that if they do, they would be perceived by consumers as being part of the controversy.
He explains, "It has occupied a lot of conversation – which isn't based on robust information, so it's passing through to instant noodles and probably even other packaged food. Essentially, given the extent of the fear, any brand that directly talks about it, will get connected to the scare. Therefore as a brand, from a PR perspective, it makes sense not to say anything out loud at all. Even if you're saying positive stuff, you're linking yourself to this issue. Therefore at least on a conversational front, brands should lie low right now. All brands should get their products tested through independent agencies and keep the results ready and available in the future as a backup. Obviously, one needs to be very careful."
Chlorophyll Brand and Communication's co-founder, Kiran Khalap, is of a different opinion though. He says, "I think the government will investigate everybody and it depends on what happens after that. If the others are proven guilty, then, yes, they'll be affected. Else, it's like what happened in the chocolate market with Cadbury. Amul and the others weren't affected. Even when Pepsi and Coke went into the pesticide war, Thums Up wasn't affected."
Anisha Motwani, director and chief marketing officer, head – marketing, digital and direct sales, Max Life Insurance
"It is imperative for other brands to come out clean, to disclose their ingredients and manufacturing processes, to ensure that the rub-off doesn't happen to them. Circumventing the issue or staying silent only confirms consumers' perceptions that they too are as much the culprits as Nestle.
Ramanujam Sridhar, founder and CEO, brand-comm
"Rules have to be uniform for all the players and be transparent too. I'm reading other brands like Knorr are being withdrawn too. Everyone will need to be careful. Manufacturer, media, government, consumers – all need to know what is in the food. We still don't know what's the correct picture. We're not moving forward."
Praful Akali, founder and managing director of Medulla Communications
"It seems like the category is taking a hit for certain. It is natural given the extent of the scare that has happened around this particular situation. It's been hyped to a large extent and there's a scare and fear around consumers."
Kiran Khalap, co-founder, Chlorophyll Brand and Communication
"The problem is that there's some confusion on the purity standard. There's no common ground as to who is testing what."
Dheeraj Sinha, chief strategy officer, Grey Group, South and South East Asia
"Once you know you're on the healthy side, go out and talk about it. They need to reassure the consumers that what they're eating is fine. Once the health checks are done, then, the brand should step out and communicate it."
(This first appeared in the 26 June issue of Campaign India)


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Oh Alpha.
What were you thinking?
I'm well ahead of you right after the gun goes off.
And I'm even further ahead, as we run down the Böblingen school running track.
And no surprise here.
I'm ahead of you at the finish line as well.
'Cause your a slow poke.
At least compared with moi (aka Speedy Gonzoles)
But the question is, do you think Alpha is more like Slow Poke Rodriguez or Sylvero Gato?


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For this exercise I jotted down my values in no particular order. Here's my list:
Love of Self and Others Traveling
Money-financial security, charitable giving Learning
Adventure Creativity
Advancement Service
Civic and Community Involvement Privacy
Peace of Mind Personal Growth
Family Achievement
Being Supportive and Supported Leadership
Next, I had to narrow down the list to 10, my RESET 10. Some of the things I listed overlap, but they are certainly all interconnected for me. I had to ask myself what 10 things did I want to focus my energy on right now. After reminding myself that I don't have to conquer the world today, I settled on these 10:
Creativity: acknowledging and fostering my creativity is something I have never really done. As a child, my mother consistently sent me the message that I wasn't creative like her and my middle brother. I was just like my dad. Analytical. A linear thinker. This was the lie I believed and likely a major part of the reason why I have always felt like my family really doesn't know me. Although I'm not going to rank the rest of them, this is probably the most important to me in the immediate.
Advancement: For about three years I have done little to advance myself professionally simply out of fear of failure, being inadequate and the unknown.
Money: I would like to have a healthy relationship with money. Paying myself first is the goal. This blog is to keep me accountable.
Adventure: Trying new things in new places.
Traveling: This kind of goes hand in hand with adventure, although not always.
Peace of Mind
Personal Growth
Love of Self: I think this value is the most important for my life. Once I make progress in this area, I believe the rest will fall in line.
This exercise required me to take a hard look at what is important to me as compared to where I've been spending my time . <—-This is completely out of line. Some of the things on the list are difficult for me to address because it brings up negative experiences, personal failures and my perceived inadequacies. But I've given myself permission to really "do me". It isn't as selfish as it sounds. A whole, healthy and better me is more beneficial to the world. After all I deserve all the good things I desire.


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So you've decided to bring home a few rabbits and add them to your homestead. By now you should have decided how you will house them...cage or colony. There are advantages and disadvantages for each but if you are now reading this article you have perhaps decided on cages. Their cage or hutch will be the place for your rabbit's food, water, and sleep. If it's outdoors, it will also provide protection from harmful weather and from predators that would like to harm them. How big of a cage or … [Read more...]
Search Results for: rabbits
How to Keep Rabbits Cool in Summer
Really hot summer weather is not fun. We are lucky that we can go inside, crank the A/C, and relax even during the most severe heat waves. But what about homestead animals? The heat is tough on them too and they don't have the options that we do. When the summer heat kicks into gear there are a few tips and tricks you can use to keep your homestead rabbits cooler and more comfortable. I know there are some homesteaders who don't feel as though one should take any steps because they want to … [Read more...]
Feeding Rabbits on the Homestead
Like all pets, rabbits need a balanced diet in order to thrive. Because 20% of a rabbit's entire body weight is occupied by its digestive system, diet is especially important to a bunny's health. Many of the pellet foods that are provided in the US market contain everything that your rabbit will need nutrition-wise. They are also the simplest option – even though some of them are high in calories compared to what a rabbit would eat out in the wild. They can be kind of pricey though. If you are … [Read more...]
Raising Rabbits – Colony or Cages?
Once you decide you want to raise some rabbits on your homestead (congrats!) you will ultimately need to decide if you want to raise them in cages or in a colony. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method, neither is right or wrong. You just need to figure out what is right for you. You need to consider how easy or hard it will be to clean up after them, breed them, round them up as needed, and what is best for them "healthwise". Raising homestead rabbits in cages is exactly what … [Read more...]
Urban Homesteading – Raising Rabbits
More and more urban homesteaders are getting curious about raising rabbits. It is often times the ultimate goal to become more self sufficient and rabbits can help with that. In fact they may be one of the easiest and best ways to help you further your self sufficient homestead goals. How so? Why rabbits? Well there are a few reasons why someone might choose to introduce rabbits to the homestead...besides the cute factor. I have a few rabbits myself... giant chinchilla rabbits and red new … [Read more...]
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hello ,
due to the price of bottled water my dad will be getting a r/o unit ,i told him to wate befor he gets it, becaus i knew ya'll would know the best brands and what exactly to look for when getting one from the store ( costco, e-bay )
well, it will be for him and my sister not my plants(but he'll let me have some so my plants do not die) that is besides the point ! , what i'm mostly concerned with is will it filter out viruses , bacterium , and that verry small amount of fecal matter the water comp says is non harmfull <-- i think any in the water a human or animal is to drink to be dangerus .
it's not going to harm people with perficly functioning imune systms , but my sister who has a syndrom that compromises her imune sytem , could harm her.
that's another reson to be weiry of this , for me at least.
but my dad is set on getting one .
any help would be grately appreciated.


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230800392018-03-06T01:11:44.735-08:00Anecdotal EvidenceIt is hard to shuck the mantle of institutional education and recognize that human beings are hardwired to learn, to allow oneself to dance free of the constraints of institutional thinking, and to truly grasp that most things worth attaining cannot be measured by any test. Here is anecdotal evidence that learning happens.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-15317000903728661482009-05-10T04:55:00.000-07:002009-05-11T18:30:23.804-07:00Mother's Day Message: TwistedThis morning I am considering how Mother's Day began as a day for mothers to oppose war--so, as Julia Ward Howe wrote, "Our husbands shall not come to us reeking with carnage…Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience."--and became a tool of commerce as the florist and other industries taught us to honor our mothers by spending money on flowers, cards, candy, jewelry and more.

Show Mom You Love Her
"Show Mom You Love Her" is not a bad recommendation, but, shouldn't the activity occur more than once a year? Do you have to buy a card, or flowers, or anything, in order to show love toward your Mum? Does an annual response to mass-marketing really honor the woman who gave you life?

When my children were young, I incorporated Mr. Rogers' "Many Ways" song into their upbringing. "There are many ways to say I love you. There are many ways to say I care about you...." Mr. Rogers would sing examples of actions that say "I love you," and I adapted the song to reflect my values, to teach my children how they could show love to me- and others, in the everyday. "There's the picking up your room so I don't break my toes when I come in to kiss you good-night way to say 'I love you'...." and "...the speaking kindly to me way to say to say 'I care about you'..."

I also gave my girls an object lesson in the cycle of giving and receiving. Setting two clear plastic cups on the table, I told them, "one is your cup and one is mine," then I put colorful glass "jewels" --borrowed from our Mancala game--into the cups, about half in each. Taking jewels from "my" cup and putting them one by one into "your" cup, I talked about each bit of glass as I placed it into the new container. "When I cook dinner for you, I am giving you a gift, a jewel, a treasure." I included other examples, like, "when I set up a play date with your friend...take you to the beach...help you find your book...drive you to the library so you can pick up your book on hold...take care of you when you are sick..." and so on.

After a dozen or so examples, my cup of jewels was wiped out. "Now look! My cup is empty. I have nothing left to give you. So when you need to go somewhere, want me to fix your toy that broke, need a bandage on your knee...I don't have a jewel to give you."

After letting that sink in a little, I gave them the rest of the picture. Taking some jewels from "your" cup, I started placing them into "my" cup, one by one, with the explanation, "But you can give me jewels, too! When you come up and give me a big hug, that is a gift, a jewel, a treasure. When you do your chores conscientiously, without my having to check up on you, then you are putting a jewel in my cup. I gave further examples until the cups were again about even in the number of jewels.

"Now, since you gave jewels back to me, I have some to give to you, when you need something, or when I just feel like giving you one. It is a cycle of love, me giving to you, you giving to me."

This lesson made a big impression on my daughters, one that they remember even today. My 5'8" ninteen-year-old still comes to sit on my lap now and then. My almost-as-tall-as-her-sister younger daughter, at sixteen, still tips her head so I can plant a good-night kiss on her forehead. They sometimes pick a vase full of flowers for "no particular reason," and they often have dinner ready when I come home, because they know it is a jewel that fills my cup in the cycle of love.

The Hallmark Power Drain
The concerted effort to turn Mother's Day from a day of conscientious observation--a day of protest, even--into a Hallmark holiday, where a card and a gift "That Says 'I Love You'", has drained away the power of the original intention. The co-opting has stripped women's power from the holiday, sublimating that to the passive receipt of trinkets. This power, women's power to protest, to speak loudly, to stand firmly, to say, "Arise, all women who have hearts!" is potent, and has the potential to instigate much positive change. Is it wise to let the marketeers erase this vital energy from the observation that motherhood can be and is far more powerful than the sticky-sweet notion of a Shoebox Greeting?

Show your mother that you love her--today and throughout the year. But also, bring back the original intention. Take a moment to reclaim that power today, if only to read Julia Ward Howe's "Mother's Day Proclamation," which includes, "Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace, Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God." Amen!
Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-20403114350736513712008-07-28T09:17:00.000-07:002008-08-09T05:41:47.863-07:00Much of a YarnSomeone once said that, "education is what you get when you did not get what you want," and I have enjoyed using that bit of wit numerous times--particularly in reference to the times I received an education instead of what I had initially sought.

This weekend, two of my Sea Scouts and I met Steve Alexander to take our largest boat--a US Yachts 27--on her first cruise in 6 years. Except for the past month while we struggled to make her engine work, his boat had been on dry land all that time.

The weather was gorgeous for sailing, with a nice breeze...but we could not raise sails because the halyards had not been put back. Cap'n Alexander showed us how to fasten the "small stuff" that was a placeholder to the sheet, so we could use the thinner line to pull the thicker line into place in the pulley at the top of the mast, but we could not get the line through the pulley at the top of the mast.

We decided to take Amanda Grace out anyway, to put the engine through its paces, but discovered in preparation that the thimble had been cut off the end of the anchor rode and the anchor wouldn't have worked without it. So, thanks to Cap'n Alexander's patient tutelage and skill, Caitlin and Rebecca learned some marlinespike. They also cleaned out the anchor locker, and laid the rode in neatly.

The Volvo Penta diesel engine started and sounded beautiful for a "one-lunger." Cap'n Alexander reviewed proper procedure for helm commands and responses, then we cast off with Rebecca at the wheel. Out in the main channel, Rebecca gave her half throttle, and in about a minute the engine temperature alarm went off. Even though Mr. Schmoker cleared the clog in the salt water cooling system, there is apparently not enough water coming through. So, the Cap'n shut her down, turned the boat about, and we sailed back under Bimini power. A three-minute tour. Upon reaching our row in the dock, he turned us deftly, and then we used the boat hook and other boats' bows to crawl back to our slip.

The scouts and I did not get what we wanted--a glorious experience with sails raised and full in the wind--but we got a whole lot more. More experience we can use in future, and more to make a better story. Let's face it, if all had been uneventful, this post would read "we had a nice shakedown sail," and that wouldn't be much of a yarn, would it?Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-49514515434794839652008-06-28T08:51:00.000-07:002008-08-09T05:41:21.974-07:00The Good Stuff Off the SpoonI love the markdown section at the back of the grocery store. I never know what I might find, and, often, when there is something good, it is very inexpensive—as in cheap enough that I will buy it, even if my kids and I don't really need it. This is how I came home with a $1.00 squeeze bottle of crème de coco one day this spring. My kids and I are on a tight budget, and we didn't need this treat, but I was pretty sure my children—now 18 and 15 years-old—had never tasted it, and, for the price, I thought it worth introducing.

It was a beautiful day, and I was in good spirits, chatting and joking with the cashier, appreciating the puffy clouds in the sky as I headed into the parking lot with my grocery-laden cart, and enjoying a quick, bumpy ride on the shopping cart as it rolled toward my car, which was strategically parked next to the "cart corral," so I could have a longer coast, and easily stash the gravity-powered vehicle at ride's end.

Whenever the opportunity presents itself I hop onto the back of a grocery shopping cart and ride it in the parking lot, unmindful of enviously gawking kids and adults. I seek and appreciate the little thrill that makes me smile. Whether in the mark-down section, at the register, or in the parking lot, I look for the lagniappe in every day, and find it in everyday opportunities and actions.

When I arrived home, my younger daughter, Laurel, came into the kitchen to help put away the groceries. As expected, she was curious about my bargain purchase. "Get a spoon," I instructed as I opened the seal on the bottle. I squirted a pile of Crème de Coco onto her spoon, and onto another for myself. Doubtful eyebrow raised, Laurel lifted the spoon to her mouth, tasted, and smiled. It felt sinfully indulgent to be eating this sweet, creamy, high-fat treat before lunch, standing there at the kitchen counter, licking our utensils, with Laurel noting that, "Sometimes, you just have to eat the good stuff off the spoon."

There are a lot of sad and angry people upon this earth. Many have survived terrible childhoods, and physical or psychic wounds. In our individual ways, we are all walking wounded, and how we choose to respond to that determines our level of happiness. I have often said that people need to know that happiness is mostly attitude and intention, that it takes the same amount of energy to be happy as it does to be miserable. I am no stranger to abuse, loss, injury, or challenge, and those who know me best say that I have experienced more than my fair share of these. However, by a path of many turns, I have come to a place where I have largely forgiven those who have hurt me, and recognized the self-empowerment that comes with choosing to use those experiences to make myself better and not allowing them to make me bitter. I recognize that a person always fashions his or her own life, unconsciously or consciously--and I choose the latter. I keep my mind and heart open to possibilities, thoughts, and experiences. I look life square in the eye, embrace the whole of it, am responsive to whatever it brings while avoiding the trap of victim and martyr roles, push beyond fear, and strive to hold onto trust in even the darkest hours. I embrace and savor the boundless goodness of life, consider it an adventure, and have a tendency to find and make fun and magic wherever I go. These are characteristics I wish for my children to gain from homeschooling, far above academic success.

As we stood in the kitchen with spoons poised, Laurel's comment told me that over the years, my daughter had absorbed the lesson conveyed through my example of keeping oneself open to the possibilities, embracing joy and finding pleasure. Laurel understood the crème de coco moment and the concept at hand, the significance the value of spending a dollar on something needed only for its surprise luxury, and the importance of sharing a decadent moment eating the good stuff off the spoon.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-77628318721317829702008-02-28T09:00:00.000-08:002008-08-09T05:40:30.257-07:00Where Experts Fear to TreadI collect quotes wherever I encounter insightful or amusing phrases. When I find a passage that is both insightful and amusing, I am doubly pleased. Therefore, I felt lucky when this gem came in an email: "Not being an expert on anything, I rush in where experts fear to tread." My immediate response was a gut recognition. I, jack-of-all-trades, or, as some of my more charitable friends say, "Renaissance woman," could relate. My delight with his concept caused me to ask the author, Robert Desmarais Sullivan, for permission to quote him, and he graciously agreed.

While my initial reaction to those words included a giggle, there is more to Sullivan's quote than meets the eye. Something deeper, perhaps even dangerous, is wrapped beneath its flippancy. That blithe remark flies in the face of expertise, and even questions the value of it. In our society, credentials validate one's experience or opinion, and experts have these; the titles and degrees to prove their claim of expertise.

The dangerous little quote also begs the question, "where do experts fear to tread?" I believe it is in the places where they feel they are not experts. You are either an expert, or you do not "go there"; your opinion and experience do not count or matter. If experts hold the trademark on a particular topic or issue, then who are the rest of us to tamper with that propriety? If we dare to question, to rush in, we are often discounted. Pointing out that "she is no expert," is a facile way to discount everything about a person, to minify her as a person, in one swift cut.

At a recent social gathering, I had a conversation with an intellectual property attorney named Bob. He said that in his experience, most people who own a trademark, URL, or other intellectual property believe their right to ownership is much greater than the reality. My reflexive response to Bob's observation was, "That makes them feel better, feel more powerful." It seems that tendency to over-extended ownership pertains to wider intellectual "property," as well.

Many experts seem to believe they have a lock on expertise beyond what they actually have. As a homeschooler, I have seen this attitude expressed by doctors, teachers, counselors, school administrators, and others who presume that their expertise extends to homeschooling, to the point that they may even be certain that they are experts on my children's needs and lives.

Unfortunately, these are often people who know little about homeschooling, and may be set against it for some misconception they hold.

My second favorite thing to do—after homeschooling my kids—is to help other homeschoolers empower themselves, even though I lack an expert's credentials. I am not a lawyer, but I can read the law, and so can anyone who has reasonable intelligence and interest. In eleven years as a registered homeschool parent, I have learned a great deal about my state's Home Instruction statute, asserted myself and rallied others when my county asked for more than the legal requirement, and helped numerous parents find their courage to do the same.

When I began homeschooling in 1995, I was afraid that "they" would "come after" me, because I filed under an option that was not used by anyone I knew at the time. I was sure—for some nebulous reason—that I would be targeted and persecuted. Of course, as for the vast majority of us, that never came to pass.

Still, four years into official homeschooling, the county asked me to provide copies of the tables of contents from the books we would be using. Because the request was beyond what the law requires, I declined with a simple, civil letter that stated, "I have read the Home Instruction statute, and believe that I have met the legal requirements with the materials I have already provided.

However, if you will state the wording of the law, which requires that I provide the tables of contents, I will be happy to comply." A few days later, I received the so-called "approval" letter, and the county has not asked me for anything beyond law since. I encouraged my fellow homeschoolers to question the "experts" when the experts cross the line, and this attitude has spread. It is now common for seasoned homeschoolers in Virginia to advise frightened newbies to write the "show me" letter.

As I was wrapping up the original version of this article, I came across another pertinent quote, from Steve Kurtz of Critical Art Ensemble, who said, "Amateurs can fully exercise their rights to free speech. They can function as watchdogs to a certain degree. They can keep an eye on what is in the public's interest. Experts are incredibly beholden to whoever's doing the investing."

Kurtz's words struck a strong chord, and brought to mind the situation in June of 2005, when a national organization concerned with homeschooling knew that the Prince William County school division in Virginia had an extra-legal regulation on the books, but did nothing, because they didn't know- or, it seems, care that local families were being harassed. When confronted with their lack of action, the organization's representative indicated that the group had been hesitant to correct problem due to their fear of what might happen if they "opened up" the homeschool regulation. But I, "not being an expert on anything," rushed in "where experts fear to tread," spearheading a grassroots coalition that worked with the school board to resolve the erroneous regulation.

Unfortunately, this accomplishment also involved standing up to the national organization, which took issue with the idea of a local group of amateur moms who dared to initiate change in the school division's regulations without prior consent from the organization's experts. The result was that I not only questioned the school division's regulations, going where the "experts" feared to tread, but also questioned the experts' involvement and their planned course of action.

The situation was complicated and challenging, but my fellow coalition members and I were committed to riding it out, and the end result was a local homeschool regulation that does not stray beyond state law. This kind of personal action empowers individuals to stick up for themselves, and makes us each the authority of our own lives, rather than relegating it to the domain of "experts." We need to be our own experts. Doing so makes us stronger, better, more courageous people who feel good about ourselves- and about what we do. Through homeschooling, I am raising my kids to be the experts of their own lives, and, in the process, doing the same for myself. Perhaps I am also creating a place where experts fear to tread.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-80070887918570279202007-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:002008-08-09T05:37:46.545-07:00Homeschooling to Counter the Culture of ConsumptionI came across a Washington Post article titled "Spending More for a Little Solace," which explains reasons that people buy "features they do not need and may never use," the bells and whistles on their DVD player, SUV, digital camera, etc. As a parent who taught her children consumer awareness from their toddler years on, and who views mainstream American culture as largely driven by Madison Avenue, a passage jumped out at me. It noted that interviews with children and parents show that "low-income parents do not splurge because they fail to understand the importance of delayed gratification or because they are impulsive," but because "they are acutely sensitive to how certain consumer products influence their children's 'search for dignity.'" The researcher said that, even among famlies that were extremely poor, every 8-year-old boy in her sample "had a Game Boy or Nintendo." This is because "parents, especially poor parents, tend to buy products they cannot afford because they are acutely focused on whether their children are fitting into peer groups." The parents "were choosing their child's psychological desires over their own material needs.'" That is a sad indictment on mainstream cultural identity in the US, and it gives good reason to resist assimilation.

Because consumer awareness has been a consistent part of my children's home education, Caitlin (17) and Laurel (14) are keenly aware of the psychological effect of advertising, as well as the lack of real value in most things heavily advertised. As a result, they are not materialistic; they don't feel the need to have whatever product is "in." Instead, when making consumer choices they follow their own hearts, and even then, they tend to set aside instant gratification, often spending time researching the product and reading reviews online before making the decision to spend.

Unbeholden to Madison Avenue's commands to "Collect 'Em All!" and "Get the New Improved!," the kind of things my children buy reflect a different set of values. The goods they desire are thoughtfully chosen books, music, and movies--all things that enrich them on well beyond the temporary rush of obtaining something new, and on levels deeper than the simple brief amusement from items bearing little "play value."

Although many of the myths about homeschooling have been dispelled in recent years, our educational choice is still considered by many to be a "fringe" activity, practiced by oddballs from either end of the extremist spectrum. While I will continue working to clear those stereotypes in my own way, I also embrace the oddity of my educational choice, feeling comfortable being outside the mainstream, and so do my children. While Caitlin and Laurel are still sometimes looked at askance because of their unique educational paths, homeschooling has given them something of infinite value. Their desires are their own.
Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-70313435442720625182007-01-28T22:01:00.000-08:002008-08-09T05:39:18.400-07:00Stranger Danger? MaybeI did not teach my children "never talk to strangers," that all-too-common line that makes every unknown person a danger. Nor did I teach- or model for them the idea that every stranger is "just a friend you have not met." I am certain that if we never talked to strangers, we would never meet potential new friends, but I temper that with commonsense caution.

When my then-3-year-old daughter and I were at the local shopping mall, we spotted a man who had the most unusual walking stick, hand-carved with a snake undulating up its length, and embedded with semi-precious stones. We were both fascinated and curious, so I stopped him for a chat. The "stranger" told us that he had carved the stick himself, and collected the stones while on rock hound vacations with his family when the kids were young. We learned that his entire family had been into gem hunting and cutting, and that common interest was the center of their leisure time and a source of many happy memories. My daughter and I expressed appreciation for his work of art, and I thanked him for taking the time to share his story.

As my little girl and I continued on our walk around the mall, we passed by the little county police booth off the food court. A staffer saw my daughter and came out to offer her a McGruff the Crime Dog pencil and a coloring book, and proceeded to tell her she should "never talk to strangers!" and I almost burst out laughing.

According to personal safety expert and author Gavin De Becker , the police rep was more likely a danger—by virtue that she approached my daughter—than the man with the remarkable stick, whom we chose to approach. Of course, I used both of those encounters as examples of being open to approaching new people, and being cautious about those who approach us.

The majority of perps are not strangers; they know their victims, and gradually encroach, planning out every step, wooing the kids with friendship, attention, and special treatment. I know this from experience. Yes, it happened to me, and because of that, I have taught my children to trust their instincts, to worry about personal safety first, and "being nice" second.
Through example and careful words throughout their lives, I have let my children know that you can't recognize a perp by looking at him (I say "him" because most offenders are male), and that they have the right to say "NO!" to anyone whose presence or behavior makes them feel uncomfortable. This was reinforced by their taking the radKIDS and RAD self-defense courses, which provide interactive, physical lessons in defending bodily integrity.

My children's "lessons" in self-protection have been learned slowly over time, gently, and as appropriate. For instance, they have long known that adults have no business asking them for assistance, that adults should ask other adults for help. I have told my daughters that, if anyone approaches in a car, they are to walk in the opposite direction from the way the car is heading, and go to an area where there are a lot of people. They know that if they are lost or in trouble, they should seek assistance from someone—preferably a woman—working nearby, and they should not look for a security guard, because, statistically, most of them are ill-trained at best, and may be dangerous themselves.

I am glad that my daughters know that predators exist, and proud that my girls know they can stand up for themselves when need be. I am also pleased that they understand that strangers do not necessarily represent danger, that they are comfortable in a variety of situations. It is immensely satisfying to know that my children's lives will be uncolored by the taint of abuse, that they are free to be who they are, to live confidently in the world and enjoy it.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1162525199828108102006-11-02T18:26:00.000-08:002006-11-02T19:45:09.056-08:00History BuffsMuch unlike either of their parents, my daughters are history buffs. Caitlín especially likes the Oregon Trail, Colonial and Medieval periods. Laurel's favorites are the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil War eras, but she also likes the medieval period. Browsing some old e-mails tonight, I found this one of interest:

9-25-01
Out of curiosity, a few weeks ago I gave Caitlín an oral "test" on the history SOLs for 6th grade (which are rather lofty, and highly unlikely to be achieved in a public school setting). She already knew everything included--except for the terms "speakeasy" and "fascism." When I asked Caitlín if she could explain the influx of immigrants, the reasons they came, the hardships they faced, and their relationship to the rise of industrialism, she floored me! She has a very clear understanding of it all. Her knowledge was across the board, from the end of WWII through the Civil Rights movement. And nobody "taught" her a thing; she learned it because she found the books interesting. Caitlín didn't study history in chronological order, but bounced around, starting with 1847 on the Oregon Trail, then to 1777, forward to 1912 aboard the Titanic, and when the "Royal Diaries" came out, she went all the way back to 57 BCE, to Cleopatra's youth.

We don't do tons of hands-on activities for history. Caitlín sometimes will want to try a recipe or activity found in one of the books, but most of our "real life" history studies focus on the Colonial and Revolutionary periods, as there is a wealth of historical sites in our area. But she is asking for help finding historical sites of other time periods, such as the Victorian or Great Depression.

My daughters' enjoyment of history has far surpassed what I wrote just over 5 years ago--to places I could not have imagined at that time. I will post more about that soon.
Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1158629545470973392006-09-15T18:30:00.000-07:002006-10-01T19:41:48.066-07:00Memorials
My good friend, Linda, recently visited the DC area and wanted to go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I agreed to be her chauffer and tour guide, although I had never been to the Wall, afraid I would break down under the heavy emotional impact. The black granite wall starts out as a sliver, with just a few names. The list grows as the wall becomes higher, and the visitor walks deeper into the "hole." The polished stone reflects visitors' images, so they are juxtaposed with the etched names of the dead, reminding us that these are not just names, they are people, like us.

As we walked along the Wall, with the list of names overwhelmingly tall, I randomly read names, wondering who these people were, unable to imagine. My mind made a connection between this memorial and the Piscataway Indians' autumnal Feast of the Dead ceremonies, where ancestors are remembered, their names said aloud by descendents. Sometimes, they are names that have not been said since the last ceremony, or even in decades. As participants call each ancestral name, they tie a piece of cloth to the cedar tree in the middle of the circle. Speakers will sometimes make a brief statement about their ancestor, about who the person was, or how the descendent feels connected to the person who went before.

Despite the weight of those seemingly endless names etched upon the Wall, I held myself together well, even as we passed several little altars--the photos, medals, flags and other offerings to the dead. Then we came to a particular shrine, a zipper bag with a flag in it and some photos, a child's scribbled drawing, and a note that read something like, "Dear Dad, I graduated from college and wore your wings. I am married now, and have two children. This is my husband, Scott, and our daughters...[forgot their names]. I never met you, but I think about you often. You were only 22, and you did not come back..." That did it. Linda and I read it, looked at each other briefly, but intently, and I turned away as my eyes teared up. It took all I had to keep from breaking down as we walked slowly, silently back out of the hole, watching the list of names wane as we reached the top edge of that black mirror.

From there, Linda and I bypassed the pompous National WW II Memorial on the way to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, where the pale cast-aluminum soldiers were like scattered ghosts frozen mid-stride. The black granite wall there bears the etched images of American soldiers who served, likenesses taken from a multitude of photographs, their wraith-like faces straining the polished surface of the stone as if they were pressing through thin fabric. They seem to be in effort to lift themselves from it, as if they want to come forth to speak. I wondered aloud, considering when the Iraq War Veterans Memorial would be built, and how many dead would be honored there--and where would they put it? DC is running out of room for memorials to those killed in our wars.

The last memorial we visited was the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, my favorite. I like its relative informality, the individual rooms, the human touch, human scale, the varied use of water, and, of course, the quotes about social responsibility. I pointed out one of the best to Linda, "I have seen war...I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war."

Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1157327990209573952006-09-03T16:49:00.000-07:002006-09-03T17:11:16.960-07:00Tagged and Answering a Few Homeschool Questions1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED
Homeschoolers' Success Stories : 15 Adults and 12 Young People Share the Impact That Homeschooling Has Made on Their Lives, by Linda Dobson, because it offers an exciting and encouraging picture of the possibile paths and futures of today's homeschoolers. These young people have created hand-made lives; they are carving their own niches in the world. Reading their stories reinforces the hope that homeschooling my children will feed their uniqueness and enable them to make their own, custom, satisfying paths in life.

2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT
The Internet. It is a dictionary, library, encyclopedia, foreign language course, history resource, bookstore, music store, community portal and grassroots organizing tool all rolled into one.

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT
Books and curricular materials for which my children had not expressed prior interest, as most of them were shunted.

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR.
Tickets to "Le Nozze di Figaro" at George Mason University.

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR
Tickets to "Carmen" at George Mason University.

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY
Season tickets for theatre, opera, or symphony.

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED
History- or theatre based mathematics, to make it more interesting for my children.

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING
FUN Books, of course!

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY
VaHomeschoolers.org

10) TAG 5 PEOPLE
Marjorie, Robin, Stephanie, Missy, Susan
 Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1148865776993905262006-05-28T18:22:00.000-07:002006-05-28T18:22:57.006-07:00Crucial Elements
I was lucky to have an unconventional youth, during which short periods of my life were defined largely by who I was and what interested me. These were my halcyon days, upon which I still look with pleasure. Some time ago, I made a brief list of the elements that were crucial to these idyllic periods:

learning by following my heart and by doing

feeling accepted and welcomed

engaged in meaningful work

peaceful surroundings

having my private space

a strong sense of self

feeling loved

participating in enjoyable physical activities

enjoying a healthful lifestyle

feeling in love with life

feeling safe

knowing I make a difference

Looking at this list now, I see that my daughters are far luckier than I was; their unconventional youth affords them great sweeping expanses of life defined by who they are and what interests them.

Recently I have concluded that fun and magic are crucial elements in the design of my life today. They are nearly as essential to me as air and water. Without fun and magic, it would not be my life.

My children have repeatedly demonstrated that they are much more perceptive than most people give kids credit for. They pick up on nuances, read between lines, hear between words, scrutinize the examples we set. Scanning our lives for ideas, traits, thoughts, and ways of being that they can welcome or reject, they reflect who we are by being who they are, not our little dittos. I wonder what this revelation, about the essentialness of fun and magic, will signify. How it will affect my children's view of their own lives, and how much of their lives will they look back upon with pleasure?

Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1143461875939426032006-04-27T16:17:00.000-07:002006-05-03T13:42:30.823-07:00Driving Lessons, NOTMy oldest is 16 now, and not interested in learning to drive, although I am sure she knows a lot about it from being exposed to it through conversations and observations. It will be interesting to see how my early reader comes into being a driver. The funny thing is this kid is very emotionally mature and responsible for her age, so she would be one of the better young drivers. In fact, I see her wanting to wait as an indication of her maturity. Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1143421705518017382006-03-30T12:48:00.000-08:002006-03-30T22:01:29.310-08:00Summer Reading ProgramsA few years ago my older daughter, Caitlin was "in 6th grade," but reading mostly young adult books, as she had outgrown most in the youth section. Since she was reading "teen" books, she felt she should be able to participate in the teen level summer reading program sponsored by the library. The teen program offers prizes for a much lower number of books than does the level for younger children, because the young adult (YA) books are longer reads. I think they offered a prize for every 5 books, and the "little kid's" program did so for every 10, or maybe 20.

When Caitlin asked if she could participate in the teen reading program, the librarian told her "no," because she was not yet "in high school." Cait decided she would no longer participate in the reading program. "I read because I enjoy it," she told me, "and I don't need any prizes as incentives."

The next time we went to the library, another librarian spoke to us about the summer reading program, expressing disgust at the kids who were obviously signed on only for the prizes. She said it was easy to discern their motive, as they often chose books based on their brevity--such as poetry anthologies or books of jokes. The librarian was dismayed that these kids did not seem to want to read for the pleasure of it, but were only interested in jumping as low as possible through the hoops to get the goodies.

Then the same librarian asked my daughter if she had signed up for the summer reading program, and when Cait explained why she had not--that she thought it unfair that she was reading YA books and had to read so many of those to get a prize in the little kid's program--the librarian told her she should "pick short, easy to read books, like poetry anthologies and joke books." I hardly knew what to say. Cait was thoroughly disgusted and simply walked away. I think I said something like, "Caitlin seems to think that is not a viable option," and also walked away. We have not felt the need to revisit the summer reading program topic since.Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1142984243108378042006-03-25T15:33:00.000-08:002006-03-25T12:15:43.266-08:00Chortling Paramedics
My daughter e-mailed me the most recent culmination of her life without school: a Power Point trailer for the fictitious movie, "Chortling Paramedics." The words on the screen are a warning. "When you're in trouble...don't call for help...because you might not get it...if your town has been taken over by Chortling Paramedics!"

It has been interesting to see the evolution behind the product. Caitlin, now age 16, started her e-zine after watching me produce the VaHomeschoolers biweekly Updates for a couple of years, and the HEM Online Newsletter for the past couple of years. Needing content for her e-zine, "The Talisman," Cait began to write some book and movie reviews. In preparing those, she researched other reviews, to obtain a clear sense of what made a quality review, and adopted those elements into her pieces. Her research also took her to authors' sites, and movie sites, where she could pick up the year of release, exact spelling of stars' names, etc. She has apparently read numerous reviews, and has a great film literacy--well beyond that of her movie-challenged mother.

Many of the movie sites include trailers, which Cait and her younger sister, Laurel, have watched, discovering the elements that production houses use to pique viewers' curiosity. They learned Power Point from their lifelong friends, who came over for an afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Each of my kids has produced multiple Power Point slide shows, and her first fictional movie trailer. Production of Caitlin's trailer included learning how to download clip art, sounds, and animations. She learned how to recolor images, white out aspects she did not like, and took Laurel's advice on using a filled-in text box to mask the icon made by a sound clip. Cait also made the movie rating box from scratch, modeled after those she has seen online and at the theater.

I am unable to see where my children will end up, but I can tell they are on a course that incorporates literature, writing, and creativity. It is exciting, a pleasure, and an honor, to be on this journey with them. I would not have it any other way. Chortling Paramedics...who could have imagined?

Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141774563110366042006-03-21T10:43:00.000-08:002006-03-22T14:02:32.426-08:00Off the Specified RouteA couple of weeks ago, my friend, Kathy, drove me and another friend to a workshop about an hour away. Kathy did not worry much about finding the venue location, as her car has an onboard navigation system. It talks. A soft, pleasant female voice gives commands like, "prepare to turn left ahead."

However, Kathy has mixed feelings about her guide. The contraption does not appreciate it when the driver chooses her own route. "You are off the specified route," the voice will admonish. Then it will direct the driver to, "Make a 'U' turn as soon as possible," in an attempt to correct what it deems an error.

Kathy decided to ignore the onboard computer and take her own route, but the machine could not comprehend this deviation. It responded with repeated warnings about the importance of the specified route, and admonitions to turn back. We all laughed, but I probably laughed the loudest, as I saw a deeper meaning in the computer's messages. I noted that the computer's directions were much like those I had encountered from other experts, human experts. How many times I have been admonished for being "off the specified route!" Heaven forbid I should take the scenic route on a whim, make a side trip out of necessity, or visit a byway to satisfy my curiosity.

If I were to map my education, it would not be a linear "specified route." It would look more like a cobweb, (made by arachnids in the Theridiidae family) with threads weaving left and right, up and down, at every angle, and with points connected to points in a seemingly random fashion.

I like my cobweb of learning, and following a "specified route" does not interest me. My children would say the same, only they have had the whole of their lives to build their webs. It is a marvelous pleasure to watch them take shape.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141360012961364652006-03-12T19:57:00.000-08:002006-03-22T04:27:36.346-08:00A Byproduct of Public School

As I noted before, the idea of a person being a "product of the public school system" is one that makes me shudder. I attended 9 years of public school (plus 1 year of private school, and two years unschooling), but have never considered myself a product of the school sytem. Perhaps, though, I am a byproduct of public school.

A member of my statewide discussion list, VaEclecticHS, noted that in school she became "tired of being the weird one," and she tried "very hard to 'look stupid'" in order to avoid complete alienation, so she could have some friends.

She was not alone. I did the same thing, to some degree. In one high school class, the teacher offered a dollar to whomever won the pop quiz of the day--which consisted of questions regarding any number of subjects. It was sort of like a simple version of Jeopardy. I usually won the buck, but quickly realized that I could not keep winning without being not just unpopular (which I didn't really care about), but becoming a target for aggressive acts. This is an example of "learning outside the curriculum."

Another thought expressed during the same discussion was that, in school, it is "near impossible to be accepted...and do what is right for yourself." In my experience, that seems true. While I was in school, I walked on that edge many times. Fortunately, for the most part, I did what was right for myself, even though it meant withstanding disapproval from teachers, administrators, and fellow students.

I am consistently drawn to people who are authentic. They somehow tend to also be the more colorful, more outspoken, more odd, more peculiar. The wierd ones. I love the weird ones, the people who refuse to pretend they are "stupid" or act like anything else they are not. Thank goodness for homeschooling, as it allows us all to be ourselves, in our own unique, weird ways. I am proud to be one of the Official Weirdos.
Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141750538425446852006-03-07T18:50:00.000-08:002006-03-07T15:52:44.486-08:00Authority FiguresThe March issue of the HEM Online Newsletter includes one of my essays, which came about through recent conversations with several of my gal pals. Although the topics and mix of pals varied, a common element wove its way through these conversations. The mulling of that element and those conversations resulted in "A Homeschooler's Changing Perspective on Authority Figures."Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141670597186837112006-03-06T01:42:00.000-08:002006-03-07T15:58:11.666-08:00Life Without SchoolMy friend started a blog called "Life Without School," which was actually the inspiration for Anecdotal Evidence. My friend's blog offers a lot more than this one does. Unlike myself--whose blog went up with a single wave of enthusiasm and interest, my friend has put a lot of time and thought into creating a meaningful and well-planned site. Life Without School provides a smorgasbord of writers, intended to give visitors "a real-life living breathing panorama of what Life Without School can mean," and she made it "live" just this morning. Hey, look! She started it with my "Crucial Elements" post.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141306493804541282006-03-05T09:01:00.000-08:002006-03-05T06:15:32.430-08:00Homeschool Teen ReviewsMy eldest daughter, Caitlín, is a writer in her own right. Almost 16 years-old, she is skilled far beyond the level I had attained at that age. This is due to both nature and nurture; she has the brains and the inclination, and has grown up in an environment that provides excellent support for her endeavors.

One of Cait's more recent endeavors has been creating the HomeschoolTeenReviews discussion list. My daughter has been aware of e-mail discussion lists for almost as long as she can remember, and has a good understanding of their potential value. As with my own discussion lists, Caitlín's was born out of the desire to create something that would satisfy her, but it has also served many others. The description of her list states that it is "for homeschooled teens to post their reviews of books and movies, in order to share their favorites and read recommendations from others."

My daughter has learned a lot through creating and managing her list. Caitlín has had practice setting boundaries with people she has never met, risked being "unpopular" for sticking to her boundaries, worked on making her message positive, discovered how to deal with the host if there are problems, and explored ways to make HS-Teen-Reviews a more active list.

In addition, Cait's list has given her an outlet for her prolific reviews. She has over 11 pages of book and movie reviews lined up to post over time. The first time I read one of them, I was incredulous that this girl, who formerly "hated" writing, had created a thoughtful, well-crafted review. I noted that it was written in a professional format, and asked how she came up with that. "I read other reviews online and decided which elements I would like to include."

Raising this writer did not involve compulsory study of grammar, sentence diagrams, or long lists of spelling words to study or define. My daughter has simply been exposed to plenty of good writing, engaged in a variety of conversations, received assistance in finding answers to her questions, and supported in whatever project she chooses to take on. Caitlín became a writer by living a writer's life.Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141263380131791722006-03-02T23:23:00.000-08:002006-03-05T05:33:38.063-08:00A Pivotal PointA thought expressed on my statewide e-mail list, VaEclecticHS, was that, in school, it is "near impossible to be accepted...and do what is right for yourself." In my experience, that seems true. While I was in school, I walked on that edge many times. Fortunately, for the most part, I did what was right for myself, even though it meant withstanding disapproval from teachers, administrators, and fellow students.

I was a goody two-shoes in the elementary years, but in middle school I began to recognize that the sytem had some serious flaws, and I started to take action contrary to it. It was a gender issue that awakened my consciousness: being denied the education I wanted--solely on the basis of my gender--was an offense that fired my anger and resolve.

The incident began at the end of 6th grade, when choosing classes for the following year. I signed up for Wood Shop, after the woman who was staffing the sign-up had answered my question, telling me that girls were indeed allowed to take this class. I turned in my forms and skipped away, my heart light with pleasure at the thought of learning some of those things that, in my family, were relegated to the privileged and powerful world of men and boys. How excited I was, imagining myself using those tools to build useful, durable things in which I could take pride!

Now, picture a 12-year-old girl's face, when she receives her class assignments the morning of her first day of middle school. She unfolds the paper with anticipation, only to discover that, rather than the Wood Shop she longed for, she has been assigned to Home Economics.

Looking back, I see that as a pivotal point in my life. The searing injustice I felt at that moment was not just a reaction to the school system's pushing me aside, but also to a larger sense of being relegated to a second class, within my family--where the boys had a measure of privilege and status that was denied to the girls--and within the larger world. At twelve years old, I well knew the sting of descrimination, and I determined it was time to stand up and fight.

With steady support from my mother, I resisted the school system's attempt to sweepm me under the rug of the Home Ec. class. The authorities tried various methods to keep me in line: force, manipulation, intimidation, lies, and distraction. My mother's guidance was perfect. She acted as council, but empowered me with the responsibility of taking action. To each of the school's attempts, I responded firmly and calmly, until they had run out of excuses and tactics, conceded that they lost, and let me into the class. They lost the battle to keep a girl from learning what she desired to learn, and I won the ability to determine for myself what I would learn--at least for one period of the school day, for one half of the school year.

By the time I had won my case, the quarter was 1/2 over, so I entered Wood Shop at a disadvantage. Still, my interest and enthusiasm garnered me a "B" for the grading period, and I made an "A" for the second quarter. Although I suspect it was partly due to the shop teacher's admonition before I came into his class, my fellow classmates were polite, and seemed to accept my presence. They even indicated respect for what I had done, and for what I created in class.

So, I made my little mark in history, being the first girl to enroll in Wood Shop at that school. Through this experience, I learned something of the importance of being oneself, of speaking up, and of holding out for what one wants. I discovered that, with support and determination, I could stare down The System and change it for the better. It is remarkable what one can learn from life when meeting it head on.

To read my articles, visit my Web site, Synergy Field.

Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141159038631525902006-02-28T22:06:00.000-08:002006-03-02T10:02:15.670-08:00Interfering With LifeThe phrase, "I am a product of the ___ (name of district) public schools," is one that evokes my <sigh style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">shudder every time I hear or read it. The statement calls to mind the 12-step programs: "My name is ____ and I am a product of the public schools."

The Free Dictionary defines "product" as "something produced by human or mechanical effort or by a natural process," or "A direct result; a consequence." To state that one is a product of the public school system is to negate all that makes one something other than a factory-formed product. Although I spent about nine of my formative years in public school, I do not consider myself a "product" of the system or of school in general. In my mind, it is largely the time and learning I spent out of school, and even in resistance to school, that made me who I am. Were I to be only what the school produced, I would be a sorry specimen, indeed.

During the last two years of my public education, I often stated--in a joking tone, although I meant it sincerely--that "school interferes with my life." I was able to make this declaration only because I had experienced two years of life without school.</sigh> It was unschooling, actually, although it was considered "truancy" in that time and place.
<sigh style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">
M</sigh>any times in my school "career" (as they seem to call it now), I had little or <sigh style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">no interest in the subject at hand or the educational method used. I was completely turned off by rote memorization, history presented as a series of wars, busywork, and the lack of any visible connection between the curriculum and real life. Some of my teachers and classes were great, a few were awful, and most were so-so. Where I had great teachers, I put my energy into learning, and </sigh>I declined to invest <sigh style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">where the material or instructor was boring.

Observing the system, I learned how to work around it. My most effective response was to not show up. In my last two years of high school, I skipped nearly as often as I went to class. I showed up for first period, to be accounted for on the master roll call that went to the main office, then chose which classes I would attend that day, based on factors such as my interest in the subject, what was happening in class, and whether it was a day too beautiful to neglect taking a boat out on the river. I asked classmates for the homework assignments, completed those and turned them in on time, crammed for- and aced the tests, and kept a B average without totally ruining my young life. Amazingly, nobody in the system noticed. The only time I encountered any trouble was when a girl named Sharon finked on me for skipping, apparently because she was jealous that she did not have the guts to come along. I caught a lot of flak from my dad that night, but it was worth it; my afternoon on the river had given me much pleasure.

</sigh>During my junior and senior years, it was the time out of school that kept me sane. Given my resistance, I would certainly be expelled from today's schools, and, for me, that would be a good thing. Indeed, it would probably have been good back in the '70's, and expulsion might have occurred, had anyone been paying attention.
Shayhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141052731829350472006-02-27T16:02:00.000-08:002006-02-27T13:40:33.766-08:00A Level Playing Field?The News Leader's editorial board's piece, "A level playing field,"
includes no facts to support its position regarding homeschool legislation. The bill in question does not affect accountability; all homeschooling parents must continue to show annual evidence of adequate progress for each child.

The editorial expresses a complaint about Virginia "groaning under the onerous demands" of NCLB and government bureaucracy, while asserting that homeschoolers should be held to the same standards. In the name of "fair" the authors would justify one abuse with another and believe that the sum of two wrongs equals a right. I have to wonder about the reason for this punitive mindset, and whether the writers would extend this punishing "level" to private schools, as well.

In arguing that homeschoolers should be held to the same standard as public education, the editorial board forgets that homeschooling is not public education; it is private education. Homeschool parents are generally parents, not teachers. We are not seeking to qualify as "teachers," as we are responsible only for our own children, not thirty children who belong to others. One of the "legion" of reasons to homeschool is the ability to provide a custom education for our children, rather than forcing them to follow a standardized program. We implement this customization through the curriculum and down to the pedagogy. One cannot level the field when public schools and home education are not only played out on different pieces of ground, but engaged in two different sports.

(Submitted as a letter to the editor.)

For more articles, visit my Web site, Synergy Field
 Shayhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-23080039.post-1141011903237864052006-02-26T19:44:00.000-08:002006-03-02T20:25:52.380-08:00Anecdotal Evidence"How do you know they are learning?" people ask, referring to my homeschooled children. Their inquiries are well meaning, and yet, in the box. They have been taught that learning is measured by standardized testing, and that education is something bestowed, or "done to" by others.

It is hard to shuck the mantle of institutional education and recognize that human beings are hardwired to learn, to allow oneself to dance free of the constraints of institutional thinking, and to truly grasp that most things worth attaining cannot be measured by any test. My intention here is to provide anecdotal evidence of natural learning.

To read my articles, visit my Web site, Synergy Field.Shayhttp://email@example.com


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I've had a few of my clients that needed fresh installs of XP recently. If you cannot see in setupapi.log at which registry key it fails, you need to enable Verbose logging. What is the total sum of the cardinalities of all subsets of a set? more stack exchange communities company blog Stack Exchange Inbox Reputation and Badges sign up log in tour help Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed http://humerussoftware.com/internet-explorer/cannot-install-ie.php
I have XP Home 2002 with SP3. However, I have the downloaded version of IE8 that will install but is nothing but a big pain in the butt with glitches, hangs too long, loads page slow or not The first thing to try is making sure that you have downloaded all of the proper service packs. Check your computer for viruses with a good, freshly updated virus scanner (for example, the free version of AVG from www.grisoft.com).
There was none of this.Going into the control panel for the list of programs for Internet Explorer 8 and it was not there. I would leave Automatic Updates off until the end of this fix; once you have Windows Updates working again I've had no issues turning it back on. All Rights Reserved.
It's now part of several items needed to get Windows XP update back on its feet. –Fiasco Labs Jan 11 '14 at 4:15 add a comment| up vote 1 down vote While testing trying to figure out what was going on, I got a few more bluescreens, and one of them caused data corruption so I had to reinstall. I did have to add SYSTEM and ADMINISTRATORS groups to the hive first, and then give them full/read permissions, as the "Everyone" group apparently didn't cover those groups After this fix Internet Explorer 8 Not Supported On This Operating System How do I download a file from a local folder Teenage daughter refusing to go to school Advisor professor asks for my dissertation research source-code more hot questions question feed about
Windows XP Does Not Respond at "Setup Is Starting Windows XP" Message http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310760/ If this does not solve the problem, please read the next chapter, "Cannot install Service Pack 2". Internet Explorer Installation Did Not Complete Xp It is just fighting a losing battle. The repair installation overwrites Service Pack 2 files and may leave your computer with some functions not working and a few error messages repeatedly being logged, so you should then reinstall To find this topic quickly, you can search the Help and Support Center for UPnP.
The microcode version is identified by this utility as "CPU Revision". How To Install Ie8 On Windows Xp Read the chapter Read this first above for procedures. This also reenables ping responses and allows the browser service to start. Click on the Startup tab, disable all programs, and reboot.
We Rock Your WebThat's a Microsoft limitation, not a Firefox one. The problem is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article. Internet Explorer 8 Is Not Supported On This Operating System Windows 7 Other manufacturers, if affected, will follow suit. Kb946501 You receive the following error message: Service Pack setup has failed.
Also, a few from "Apple", one from "Real". navigate here To allow this again, open the Windows Firewall settings in Control Panel. {{offlineMessage}} Store Store home Devices Microsoft Surface PCs & tablets Xbox Virtual reality Accessories Windows phone Software Office Windows Additional software Apps All apps Windows apps Windows phone apps Games Xbox TheOfficialPCTechGuy 87,511 views 3:54 How to repair Internet Explorer - Duration: 13:58. Internet Explorer 8 Is Not Supported On This Operating System Server 2003
If you are sure you want to have the Windows XP SP2 firewall disabled permanently, for example because have a third party firewall running, disable it in the firewall settings first The guts of what is suggested is: I've downloaded newest version of Windows Update Agent for Windows XP (32-bit): http://download.windowsupdate.com/WindowsUpdate/redist/standalone/7.4.7600.226/WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe I've stopped Windows Automatic Update Service (net stop wuauserv) I've stopped WebPro Education 31,077 views 2:55 How To Reset Internet Explorer In Windows XP - Duration: 1:37. Check This Out Dale Powell 152,935 views 7:16 How to install Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8 on a mac without windows - Duration: 4:38.
All others are often malevolent and should disappear after the reset command shown above. The Version Of Internet Explorer You Have Installed Does Not Match The Update How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/ Installation freezes in normal and safe mode 2006-12-21 – Chris Llorca (http://www.ChrisLLorca.com/) wrote: I recently had my Windows XP professional computer Still with me?
Several manufacturers have updated their drivers particularly after Windows XP Service Pack 2, i.e. I didn't cure the problem because I wouldn't know where to start. Loading... Download Windows Xp Sp3 Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 Microsoft Knowledge Base support article KB957388 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=157958) resolves a problem when trying to play a video in a Web page by using embedded
Now I have issues with sites such as GoogleMaps "Street View" not working. AnonymousWhen I try to Install Internet Explorer 8 this message comes up: The file name, directory name, or volume Label syntax is not correct. AnonymousHi, I have a sony vaio,1.8gig P4,120gig hard drive, windows XP service pack 2. this contact form Properties" window select the Monitor tab and check the refresh rate.
Use the Exceptions tab and check the File and Printer Sharing entry, which should now, by default, be set only for the local subnet, i.e. AnonymousWhile trying to install IE8, I get the error message "Operating system not supported." The OS I'm using is Windows XP 64-bit. If that doesn't work, you have a better chance by doing a repair installation with a slipstream version, i.e. If renaming fails at first, because the file on the disk is read-only, removing the read-only attribute may already cure the problem.
My mom is getting upset, so please help ASAP.


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Stall Converter - Help
This is a discussion on Stall Converter - Help within the Automatic Transmission forums, part of the Drivetrain category; My understanding of a stall converter: You can rev your engine and it wont go into gear untill you hit ...
Stall Converter - Help
My understanding of a stall converter:
You can rev your engine and it wont go into gear untill you hit a certain RPM... but when you do hit that RPM your GONE.
If I am wrong could anyone set me right? Also, is there such thing as a stall converter that is usuable on the street? Possibly a stall converter that has a remote On/Off switch? On if I'm tearing up the track and Off if I'm driving around town.
EDIT: Sorry, I forgot, what is the difference between a torque converter and a stall converter?
Last edited by Tonik; 04-16-2006 at 04:51 PM.
not like that at all. if you know how a centrifugal clutch works, it's like that. the car will move with normal acceleration. it'll just allow the engine to operate at a higher rpm based on the amount of stall (IE 3500 rpms) you have. the yank py3400e i have on my 00 formula works like this. under normal acceleration it'll flash to around 2200 rpms and move. the more aggressive the throttle input, the higher it will go. at WOT from a standstill, it'll flash to 3400 rpms. as it's getting to 3400 rpms, the car will start moving, just slower than it would with a stock converter.
sorry, no on/off switches.
stall converter and torque converter are the same.Cold Air Intake, Muffler Delete, Vinci High Performance Dual Valve Springs, Hardened Pushrods, Yella Terra 1.85 Rockers, Some Hydropdipped Stuff, Strut Tower Brace, Some SS Badges, boost/vacuum gauge, fuel pressure gauge
04-17-2006, 10:45 AM #3Originally Posted by mrr23
ok, i think im getting it, but what do ou mean by.. "it'll flash to around 2200 rpms " it'll jump straigh up to 2200rpms? and if so... doesnt that mean you'll be jumping off pretty fast? what about in bumper to bumper traffic? what stops the wheels from spinning/burnning out?
thanks for the help mrr23
you'll still move like normal. the way you do now. the engine will be at a higher rpm while doing it. it's not a sudden tire shredding thing. not like having a manual car and dumping the clutch. right now your car will instantly want to move just by letting off the brake pedal. not so, with a higher stall converter. it will either creep forward or not move at all until you apply some throttle from a stop. by having the motor at a higher rpm, you'll be putting more power to the wheels. the benefits of a higher stall are more at WOT than normal day to day drving.
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think of it like this. you put your foot on the brake and powerbrake your car. the tires star spinning at around 1800 rpm or so "just a guess", now with a 3500 stall the tires want start spinning untill around 3500 rpm. the exact rpm depends on tire stikiness, suspension and horsepower and torque the car is making. note thats why most stalls say either 3000-3200, or 3500-3800. also when you take your foot off the brake the car will idle forward at a much lower speed untill you hit the gas.
Have you ever had a tranny that slipped? It feels like that only it's supposed to. The difference is when you lay into the throttle the car becomes a beast.
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After the juicy fatty portions were consumed the breast got left behind. Not to worry, 2 recipes Sailu's Capsicum Chicken and Soma's Mushroom Pepper Fry have been tempting me and also gave ideas for using the bell pepper ready for picking in the garden.
Since the chicken was already cooked putting this dish together was a breeze. If you are using raw chicken, cut the chicken to cubes and marinate them in a bit of corn starch, chili powder and salt. Heat a wok with oil and cook the chicken first and set it aside before proceeding with the recipe.
Chicken fry with bell pepper
1. 1 1/2 cups worth of cooked chicken cut in cubes
2. 2 cups bell pepper diced
3. 1/2 cup onion cut lengthwise
4. 1 tbsp tomato, chili garlic sauce (Maggi brand)
5. 1 tbsp chili sauce
6. 2 tsp oil
7. 4 garlic cloves sliced
8. 2 tsp grated ginger
1. In a wok heat the oil and saute the onions till translucent, add the bell peppers and let them cook till soft.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or two
3. Add the chicken cubes and let them saute for 2-3 minutes
4. Add the sauces and mix well. Saute till the sauces coat the chicken pieces well.
Serve with rice or even chapatis.


text: 23 month old baby not drinking milk and won't drink formula anymore? I need something to keep him fuller at night, he eats his supper at around 18:00 and goes to sleep at 20:00 but wakes up hunger at 03:30, but won't drink formula or milk, then wants to eat me out of house and home in the morning. He'll eat breakfast at 05:30 and then open the fridge for something more to eat 10min later. I can't keep up with it. It only started this week, before he would have his formula at 05:00 when he wakes up and then only eat breakfast at school at 08:00. He would be fine with that. Not anymore, what can I do?