Here's hoping President will pardon the soldiers like Lynndie England that were convicted for torture when they were actually only following orders and/or reacting with dark humor to the prevailing attitudes of the policy in place! Here's hoping that the murky line of who gives the orders--DOD government employees, CIA, or ranking military--is quickly cleared up so no more of our patriotic enlisted get in trouble for carrying through with poor policies from higher up. Read Full Story

Why do we science teachers teach theories in science?"Facts and evidence" are important for one to know so that students have some practical knowledge about the world. But the meaning of "facts and evidence" is what allows students to predict "what will happen if...?" and how to make and use technology to get the job done. Theories are the framework that give the "facts and evidence" meaning so that predictions can be made more accurately and so that te... Read Full Story

One of my passions is encouraging kids to read my favorite books: great science fiction.In fact I even joined a group that facilitates just that. You can visit their website at Reading for the Future, which links to other sites with the same mission.In the back of my mind for years has been this idea. I present it you today.Yes, I know that authors do not having their works butchered orcensored. However, kids are kids and there are a few things about adult literature and kids that either ... Read Full Story

Visit the Widget GalleryI'll be writing about these programs from time to time. Meanwhile, enjoy the shows. The webpages have podcast links &/or ways to watch the streaming videos. These videos are geared towards teachers and faculty as professional development. They are entertaining and perfectly suitable for homeschool parents to stay up to date on educational practice.Later!Valerie Read Full Story

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This is from Simply Audiobooks. It may be purchased at a 24% discount.Joe Biden: Promises to KeepI will be voting for Obama and Biden (in case you haven't figured that out from my previous postings!).I am extremely concerned about dishonest election strategies. Please encourage your local press to keep a sharp eye out for local shenanigans. Report anything you know of to network news and CNN blog sites. DO LET THE VOTE BE STOLEN EVER AGAIN. Read Full Story

I found it interesting that Governor Palin was willing to continue the practice of expanding the powers of the vice-president beyond those defined in the United States Constitution.I was under the impression that a belief in the strict interpretation of The Constitution was a criteria of the Republicans for choosing justices to serve on the Supreme Court. Yet Cheney has managed to redefine the role of the Office of Vice-President without recourse to the intentions of the Founding Fathers, th... Read Full Story

Ever since the motto of "Change" was stated by Obama, McCain has termed himself a maverick and has seemingly co-opted the slogan "Change" for his campaign byword. Which candidate used the word first? What is the meaning of this Word for each candidate? What spin is being spun?Get this transforming image on items at Picket Fence Friends, a cafepress.com store. Name of image is Transforming and is a collage of Apophysis fractal flames. Read Full Story

Palin displayed charm and grace during the VP debate this past week. Using her best beauty-queen persona and sorority-sister method of disagreeing with another, she charmingly denigrated Biden's comments on the Bush influence on Republican policies, past and future, and proceeded to graciously avoid answering the moderator's question. In the manner described by her spokesperson to CNN who explained Palin's non-responsive answers to many of Couric's question as her method of ... Read Full Story

For some reason the Democratic Party arranged their state primaries to continue choosing between candidates until a date close to the national elections. Somehow this party arrangement is being touted as the fault of candidates that are campaigning according to the Democratic Party's plan set in place well before the campaigning began.How is it the fault of any Democratic candidate that campaigning to be nominee will continue until just before the national election? How can it be destruc... Read Full Story