Filed on June 17, 2013 at 4:49 pm under by dcobranchi
Yes, I haven’t had two homeschooling-related posts in a single day in years, but I can’t pass up this idiotic quote:
“Administrators should consider allowing, or even encouraging, partial homeschooling when a family expresses strong wishes to have their child receive ‘more’ during the school day,” says Deborah Ruf, an educational consultant for families of gifted children. “If the school isn’t set up for full-time gifted immersion programming, allowing the family to set up other opportunities for a portion of the school day can be an ideal solution.”
Partial homeschooling can provide the best of both worlds, Ruf says. If they’re fully removed from school, “bright students will miss out on knowing what ‘real people’ are like. We want our future policymakers to be grounded in real life without having to sacrifice their own high abilities and talents.” [emphasis added]
Right. HEKs don’t meet “real people” in “real life.” The only place “real people” show up are in the public schools.
We’re getting ready to start the home stretch for our home edumacatin’. Chelsea will graduate a year from now and Jonathan will be starting “high school” this autumn. We’ve been at this for, I think, 12 years. When we’re finally done 4 years from now, it will feel very strange.
********************************************
“I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because I apparently write like a baboon.” I scored a 56 out of 100 on this post. Of course, I didn’t actually make any of their suggested changes. What kind of crazy software thinks “edumacatin’” needs correcting?
Filed on at 2:32 pm under by dcobranchi
Bad stat of the day.
The number of children who are homeschooled nationwide increased by 75 percent last year and the trend is noticeable in our area too.
Filed on at 12:16 pm under by dcobranchi
Fotor requested a paid review of their Photo Effects photo editing software. They didn’t request any kind of control of what I said or even the right to review the, er, review prior to publishing.
I’ve been playing with it on and off for a couple of weeks now. It’s pretty powerful compared to other free software available (i.e., Picasa). It’s all basically push button options. A nice feature is that there’s a thumbnail version of what your photo would look like with each of the various digital filters applied.
Some of the filters are pretty slick. Here’s a before and after using Comics B&W.
A minor quirk, clicking Save As doesn’t bring up the normal pop up unless you first change the file name.
Although I haven’t tried any of them yet, there are downloadable versions for most common platforms (Sorry, COD, no Linux).
If you’re looking for some nice free editing software, Photo Effects is worth a look.
Filed on June 16, 2013 at 12:25 pm under by dcobranchi
Why are active duty military exempt from having to remove their shoes at airport security? Since 2001 there have been 23 terrorist attacks on US soil. One of those was by active duty military. Since about 1% of the population are in the armed services, basic statistics would indicate that a serviceman or -woman is ~4x more likely to commit a terrorist attack than is a civilian. Do I actually believe that? No. But I don’t believe that there’s any evidence that they’re less likely, either. So, have them remove their shoes/boots or let us keep ours on.
Filed on June 13, 2013 at 4:05 pm under by dcobranchi
Hmmm. I just had an “event” pop up on my Google calendar. A Nigerian scammer. The message bypassed gmail’s spam filters and went straight to my calendar. I hope this is not the first of a trend.
Filed on May 30, 2013 at 6:03 am under by dcobranchi
ExxonMobil shareholders, at the request of the Board of Directors, rejected a proposal to add sexual orientation to the categories of folks it’s against policy to discriminate against. The company claimed that their policy already covers LGBT folks. Here’s the policy, downloaded from their website a few minutes ago. You decide if they’re being completely honest:
It is the policy of Exxon Mobil Corporation to provide equal employment opportunity in conformance with all applicable laws and regulations to individuals who are qualified to perform job requirements regardless of their race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship status, age, genetic information, physical or mental disability, veteran or other legally protected status. The Corporation administers its personnel policies, programs, and practices in a nondiscriminatory manner in all aspects of the employment relationship, including recruitment, hiring, work assignment, promotion, transfer, termination, wage and salary administration, and selection for training.
As I read it, it’s okay to discriminate against gays and lesbians if they happen to live in a state in which LGBT is not a “legally protected status.”
There are only two companies on my personal boycott list: BP (for the Gulf disaster) and Lowes (for their craveness in the face of right-wing demagoguery). ExxonMobil has now made it three.
Filed on May 12, 2013 at 2:56 pm under by dcobranchi
I haven’t used anything from OpenU but I like the concept. I’m not sure I get their business model.
It might be worth a look for upper level high school age HEKs.
Filed on May 10, 2013 at 8:23 pm under by dcobranchi
Is this a Nigeria scam for chem geeks?
Why Why Why …there are so many professors ,experts ,Dr, and chemical engineers registered in this website No honest one can clean Anti-freeze Bill s/notes?
Anyone who has the knowledge and skills to clean Anti-freeze banknotes please contact with me : Qingzhuwu@hotmail.com
Reward is $100,000.00USD after cleaning in Beijing China. Good Luck!
It not only sounds a good job in fact it is a Golden chance to get a big money by one’s knowledge and Skills and nothing to do with money laundering at all but also if you missed this chance to get a big money it never come again to you.
Don’t Miss this chance which will not come again. If you have the ability to clean Anti-freeze banknotes Contact : Qingzhuwu@hotmail.com You will not be disappointed !!!
I responded that I’d be happy to develop a process for cleaning anti-freeze out of bank notes, but that I’d need a few “samples” for the method development.
Filed on May 5, 2013 at 1:10 pm under by dcobranchi
If this movie doesn’t get your geek factor excited, well, you must be reading the wrong website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oSCX78-8-q0
Filed on at 7:46 am under by dcobranchi
The whiners at the FRC have made CNN’s Belief Blog. They’re claiming that Christians (their flavor of Christianity, anyway) are becoming a hated minority.
I hope they’re right.
Edit: It has come to my attention that some folks are misreading this post as a condemnation of all of Christendom. It always helps to click the links and read the articles. But for those not so inclined, the post (and the linked article) is about the Family Research Council. They have been designated a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Any group earning that title deserves to be a hated minority.
Filed on April 2, 2013 at 7:16 am under by dcobranchi
Hey Gmail programmers,
The new “compose” plain sucks.
Yours truly,
Daryl Cobranchi (formerly dcobranchi@gmail.com)
Filed on March 31, 2013 at 8:39 am under by dcobranchi
Google has the American Taliban up in arms today over its doodle. Darn!
Filed on March 29, 2013 at 2:14 pm under by dcobranchi
Vaccines still do not cause autism.
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics Friday may put them at ease. Researchers found no association between autism and the number of vaccines a child gets in one day or during the first two years of the current vaccine schedule…
“When we compared those roughly 250 children with ASD and the roughly 750 children who did not have ASD, we found their antigen exposure, however measured, were the same,” said DeStefano. “There was no association between antigenic exposure and the development of autism.”
The researchers also found no association between antigenic exposure and ASD.
I’m sure this will finally satisfy the anti-vaxxers. Right?
Filed on March 20, 2013 at 5:54 am under by dcobranchi
For dads.
Filed on March 12, 2013 at 6:50 pm under by dcobranchi
He’s in the hole!
Filed on March 9, 2013 at 10:09 am under by dcobranchi
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” — William Shakespeare
Filed on February 28, 2013 at 9:08 pm under by dcobranchi
This little girl’s life is complicated enough without adults making it more difficult on her. Five or maybe ten years from now, this will not be an issue. But, for now, homeschooling is a really good (and safe) option.
Filed on February 3, 2013 at 7:29 am under by dcobranchi
Interesting that AMZN is pushing this book:
In this chilling novel, Anderson (Burger Wuss; Thirsty) imagines a society dominated by the feed a next-generation Internet/television hybrid that is directly hardwired into the brain. Teen narrator Titus never questions his world, in which parents select their babies’ attributes in the conceptionarium, corporations dominate the information stream, and kids learn to employ the feed more efficiently in School. But everything changes when he and his pals travel to the moon for spring break. There Titus meets home-schooled Violet, who thinks for herself, searches out news and asserts that “Everything we’ve grown up with the stories on the feed, the games, all of that it’s all streamlining our personalities so we’re easier to sell to.”
So, a company that thrives by selling us stuff that we probably could live without, using push/internet technology is selling a book about companies that thrive by selling kids stuff that they probably could live without, using push/internet technology.
And an HEK shall lead them.
Filed on January 26, 2013 at 11:44 am under by dcobranchi
But we scientists know which side respects science and which side doesn’t.
One of the great political shifts in the past decade has been the move of scientists toward the Democratic Party, a casualty of the Republican Party’s war on reality. It’s not about politics for scientists, it’s about the fact that only one party accepts scientific findings on everything from global warming to evolutionary theory to what does and doesn’t prevent pregnancy. Only 6 percent of scientists identify as Republican, whereas 55 percent identify as Democratic.
Filed on January 16, 2013 at 7:14 am under by dcobranchi
Amazon’s Kindle deal-of-the-day is Glenn Beck’s Agenda 21. If they were paying me $2.99 to download, I might consider it. Maybe.
Filed on January 12, 2013 at 9:40 am under by dcobranchi
Neo-con hack Thomas Sowell has determined that public school teachers are sapping American kids’ will to die in a nuclear war. Apparently, when Iran drops the big one, we’ll all turn French.
In France between the two World Wars, the teachers’ union decided that schools should replace patriotism with internationalism and pacifism. Books that told the story of the heroic defense of French soldiers against the German invaders at Verdun in 1916, despite suffering massive casualties, were replaced by books that spoke impartially about the suffering of all soldiers — both French and German — at Verdun.
Germany invaded France again in 1940, and this time the world was shocked when the French surrendered after just 6 weeks of fighting — especially since military experts expected France to win. But two decades of undermining French patriotism and morale had done their work.
American schools today are similarly undermining American society as one unworthy of defending, either domestically or internationally. If there were nuclear attacks on American cities, how long would it take for us to surrender, even if we had nuclear superiority — but were not as willing to die as our enemies were?
Filed on December 22, 2012 at 11:27 am under by dcobranchi
Filed on December 4, 2012 at 5:48 pm under by dcobranchi
Farris is a tool. And he makes us look evil.
Filed on November 30, 2012 at 4:37 pm under by dcobranchi
There are approximately 314,860,079 people in the US. I’d say that Mitt Romney’s odd of being named the next Treasury Secretary at slightly less than one in 314,860,079.
Filed on at 12:55 pm under by dcobranchi
Area rugs at Lowes for $10!
Filed on November 28, 2012 at 3:02 pm under by dcobranchi
Michael Farris makes homeschoolers look bad.
Filed on November 26, 2012 at 2:07 am under by dcobranchi
Ran into an interesting problem on the Wal-mart website. I could not check out with my purchase. Clicking on “Proceed to checkout” merely refreshed the screen. This happened under both Chrome and Firefox (Aurora). I contacted customer service to let them know about the bug. They had a solution right away: Disable DoNotTrack+. Apparently, Wal-mart requires an ability to track you across the internet before they’ll sell you something.
Guess which online retailer is now auctoris non grata.
Filed on November 25, 2012 at 9:47 am under by dcobranchi
The Powerball jackpot is likely to hit almost $500M by Wednesday’s drawing. With odds of 1 in 175,223,510 it might make sense to play every possible combination (if you think there won’t be another winner). Of course, the jackpot is in the form of an annuity, so the present value is probably closer to $250M. So, maybe it’s not worth the gamble.
I think I’ll keep my $175,223,510 safely hidden away in my mattress.
Filed on November 18, 2012 at 11:24 am under by dcobranchi
I have a favor to ask of the 2 or 3 readers left. I want to get Lydia a k-cup type coffee brewer (Keurig or other brand) but am having a helluva time deciding. Reviews for the Keurig machines are all over the place. Every machine gets great reviews and awful reviews. So, I figured I’d turn to some folks I trust: you. Does anyone have any experience with these machines? And, if so, which features are worth paying for and which aren’t?
Thanks.
Filed on November 7, 2012 at 6:44 am under by dcobranchi
I may be a jerk, but I’m pretty sure the Teabaggers have cost the GOP control of the Senate. Go on, keep demonizing minorities and antagonizing women. I’m sure that will be a winning strategy next time.
Filed on October 30, 2012 at 8:03 pm under by dcobranchi
I’m helping raise money during Movember. It’s for a good cause. If you’re feeling flush, here’s the link.
BTW, I’ll try to post pics of my lame attempt at growing a ‘stache.
Filed on October 29, 2012 at 5:42 pm under by dcobranchi
ONN is getting desperate. Check out one of their latest:
Is it a sin to vote for Obama and the Democrats?
The author seems to believe the answer to that question is a “no brainer.” My take is that it’s the author who is in a permanent vegetative state.
He even violated Godwin’s Law!
I imagine these Democrat apologists writing similar essays in the 1930s of how the Nazi Party was doing great things for infrastructure and social welfare programs in Germany. “Never mind that killing of the Jews thing,” they would essentially argue. That’s the underlying current of the Christian Democrat defense — “never mind the killing of the unborn beings made in God’s image thing.” That’s not to say that Democrats are Nazis, of course.
But, of course.
Filed on October 28, 2012 at 2:17 pm under by dcobranchi
I shave with a 60-year-old razor using a brush and mug to lather up. I wear a 40-year-old old style wind up Timex (21 jewels!). And I write with fountain pens exclusively. So, here’s your chance to be a bit of a throwback, too. November 2nd is Fountain Pen Day. If you’ve never used a fountain pen, now’s the time to try. And if you have just gotten away using from the best writing implements of all time… For shame!
These disposable Pilot pens have a good rep. If you order in the next 24 hours, they should be there in time for FPD.
If you don’t want to go the online route, inexpensive fountain pens are also usually available at the larger office supply stores.
Filed on at 2:07 pm under by dcobranchi
CNN is apparently a devotee of New Math. Check out the latest hed:
CNN Poll: Obama 50%-Romney 46% in Ohio
One would think that Obama was ahead. Not so, according to the chyron. It’s a tie. Yes, because the difference is within the margin of error, CNN thinks the candidates are tied. What idiocy! There is just as much chance that they’re tied as there is that Obama is up by 12%.
Filed on October 25, 2012 at 6:24 am under by dcobranchi
Yesterday was the 1st day of early voting here in WV. Of course, I did my duty and voted for President Obama.
Filed on at 3:07 am under by dcobranchi
This may be the dumbest thing ever written. In history. In any language.
Filed on October 23, 2012 at 5:08 pm under by dcobranchi
I’ve had only good luck making micro loans through Kiva. Here’s the latest. If you follow the link and donate, Kiva will kick in an extra $50.
And here’s a link to the #1 team on Kiva.
Filed on October 16, 2012 at 6:12 pm under by dcobranchi
Get all the details here.
Filed on October 12, 2012 at 2:54 pm under by dcobranchi
Must watch video!
Filed on October 7, 2012 at 10:06 am under by dcobranchi
Parade Magazine(!) has a pretty good article today about how anti-vaxers are killing kids. Their own and other parents’. I hope some of the anti-vax folks read the article and see themselves.
Filed on September 29, 2012 at 9:53 am under by dcobranchi
And the results aren’t pretty. Does it surprise anyone that Farris rejects the consensus medical opinion?
Filed on at 6:13 am under by dcobranchi
It’s National Coffee Day. Free cups of Joe at lots of places including McD’s and Krispy Kreme.
Filed on at 6:07 am under by dcobranchi
It’s free.
Filed on September 21, 2012 at 5:17 am under by dcobranchi
Trust me. Click the link.
Filed on September 18, 2012 at 4:14 pm under by dcobranchi
Better call Saul.
Stupid teacher tricks. A junior high chemistry teacher was busted for cooking and then selling meth. The moran was busted selling it in the school parking lot.
Filed on at 7:48 am under by dcobranchi
Just a reminder that tomorrow be talk like a pirate day.
Filed on September 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm under by dcobranchi
Creationists have their panties in a wad over a Dr. Pepper ad. Seriously.
Filed on August 29, 2012 at 3:24 pm under by dcobranchi
Are 4% of all students really HEKs?
And CNN owes Tim Haas a nickel for the photo.
Filed on August 17, 2012 at 8:48 am under by dcobranchi
Lots of free online classes being offered by Stanford, MIT, and Harvard. No college credit, but it probably would be ideal for an advanced HEK. Details here.
Filed on August 5, 2012 at 9:36 am under by dcobranchi
A usable laptop for $250 plus tax.
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