3 Ring Binder

"Today, people are beginning to understand that the government's account is overdrawn, that a piece of paper is not the equivalent of a gold coin, or an automobile, or a loaf of bread—and that if you attempt to falsify monetary values, you do not achieve abundance, you merely debase the currency and go bankrupt." —Ayn Rand, "Moral Inflation," The Ayn Rand Letter , vol. 3, no. 12, p. 1 For more information, please visit the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights .

As someone who found the " Chess for Girls " skit on SNL hilarious and as someone who likes to give color coded tool sets to young women heading off to college, I laughed when I saw this image in an email entitled "If Women Ruled the World". While I truly appreciate having the correct tool for every job, I have been known to occasionally fall prey to the heel and knife mentality.

Start by wanting to write about the original Iron Man (Giles Corey) with the intention of tying it to the release of the movie, Iron Man , today. Realize the poem attributed to Longfellow (albeit William Wadsworth Longfellow) is more interesting than the anonymous one in the Giles Corey link of yesterday’s post. Find out that Longfellow wrote an entire play on Giles Corey of the Salem Farms , but fail to locate the sought for poem. Find another play, Giles Corey, Yeoman , written by Mary Wilkins, free on Guttenberg Press. Go back, search more. Find peine forte et dure an interesting term in Law French. Seek to reaffirm the meaning of the Court of Oyer and Terminer . Again Law French . Seek to better understand Law French as a fascinating explanation to our court system and its history. Follow Fee Simple link (one used on the title of your property and mine), marvel at the etymology: Fee - A right in law to the use of land; i.e. a fief . Simple - in the unconstrained sense: 1) with...

In case you are interested in knowing how your Representative voted in yesterday's bailout proposal, see here . I wish I could know why they voted that way. Either yay or nay, I'm pretty sure it's not because they understand the destructive role of government interference in the free market - that's for damn sure! More likely, any legislator voting no on principle is more likely blaming the greedy capitalists . It's maddening.

This is not about Giles Corey , but rather in case your child asks, as mine did this morning, here are some things you might want to know about the unit "pound"and its seemingly disconnected abbreviation. pound (lb, lbm, or #) [1] a traditional unit of mass or weight. The Romans used a pound (the libra pondo, "pound of weight") divided into 12 ounces. All the countries of western Europe used similar units, divided into 12 or 16 ounces, until the advent of the metric system. 12-ounce pounds were common in Italy and southern France, but in Spain and northern Europe 16-ounce pounds became the norm. The word libra is used for this unit in Italy, Spain, and Portugal; in France it is called the livre . Further north, the Latin word pondo ("weight") is the origin of the names of the English pound, Dutch pond, Danish pund, German pfund, and Russian funt. In England, two different "pound" units became standard. The unit now in general use in the United S...

Not including the mother who appears to be getting a little aggravated by the young'uns' unruly behavior, only seven small turkeys remain (they're getting quite big). I had a hard enough time counting them, I can't possibly identify which has been lost, but I'm guessing it's one of the twins. The smart one. There was one who remained in my yard longer than the mother liked. She started squawking and the remaining turkey ran back and forth along the fence, apparently forgetting he had the power of flight. Here for your edification is a great little diagram of a full grown male turkey and how to tell the difference between a tom and a hen. Just call me Marlin Perkins.

Below is a copy of the letter I sent to my congressmen on Tuesday. Dear Honorable ______________; The emergency bailout package as handed down from the Bush Administration for you to consider will not keep us from the biggest financial catastrophe since the Great Depression, but rather, will kick the can down the road. Government funds, which is to say taxpayer dollars should never, ever go to fund bad choices made by quasi-governmental agencies, public companies, or other taxpayers. This is precisely what you are now being asked to approve. We are no doubt stand on the edge of an economic crisis, but not one made by the taxpayers. It is the governmental interference in these financial institutions which caused the faulty mindset leading to the overextension and eventual collapse of these institutions. They knew they were too big to fail. When the government decides which companies are not allowed to fail, we all pay the price: both those who took the risk, and those of us who played i...

While we've been all but consumed by the gloomy darkness currently threatening America in the form of unprecedented government bailout of the governmentally-induced failure of economic institutions, Shez at Homeschool Twins managed to bring some light into our morning. I recommend stopping by her site and watching the almost always funny Jon Stewart clip on the subject. If you visit, be sure to note the important James Madison quote showcased above Shez's picture. It is challenged by this very real domestic enemy proposing Tyranny and Oppression under the guise of saving us from ourselves.

Inspired by the general premise presented in Haiku Economics , (it’s amazing how far you can go-a-black-berrying ) I have come up with a few of my own poems. Go ahead and give it a whirl – the limited format makes it impossible to wander too far and requires that you get to the point, quickly. Screw Zen – punch it out! Economic Haiku Rocks poetic form. Government bailout -- Seven hundred billion bucks From whence does it come Red lines make black days Each made to carry burdens Not of his making Capitalism! Economic pluralists – Antithetical Have no “free” market The hand, now quite visible Must be slapped away Unhand me, you knave! If only it were so easy To make it behave. Even if I was appalled by the subtitle: Little Teaching Aids for Big Economic Pluralists , I couldn’t make sense of what the author had to say on that matter. It seemed like a witty bit of economic who’s who and what’s what thrown together around a spine of poetry, but amounted to little more than crap on a stick (...

Today we added Pepe le Pew to our cultural icons. As it happens, Pepe, the amorous French skunk of Saturday morning cartoons past, shares a homophonic name with an ancient Egyptian ruler, Pepi . But that may be where the similarities end (I really don’t know enough about the ancient Egyptian ruler yet to say definitively). But I do know that Pepe is a scoundrel! He’s obnoxious, aggressive, manipulative, and French ! I didn’t remember much about Pepe except his irrepressible nature. Yet, somehow, even as I was reintroduce to his more toxic personality traits today, I still found him plain funny. My daughter was not as easily amused. Now, that you’ve seen all that is Pepe from one of his classic cartoons, were you shocked to see his aggressive antics? I was. Were you amazed that he would try to manipulate Kitty by pretending to kill himself? I was. Were you wondering, “When are they going to speak English?” My daughter was. It’s funny that I don’t remember being irritated or confu...

I found this poem this morning. I also find it very amusing. Sure, it could be the subject matter or the fact that the Scottish dialect sounds like a pirate to me; in both cases it made me smile. To a Louse Poem lyrics of To a Louse by Robert Burns. On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church Ha! whare ye gaun' ye crowlin ferlie? Your impudence protects you sairly; I canna say but ye strunt rarely Owre gauze and lace, Tho faith! I fear ye dine but sparely On sic a place. Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner, Detested, shunn'd by saunt an sinner, How daur ye set your fit upon her-- Sae fine a lady! Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner On some poor body. Swith! in some beggar's hauffet squattle; There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle; Wi' ither kindred, jumping cattle; In shoals and nations; Whare horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle Your thick plantations. Now haud you there! ye're out o' sight, Below the fatt'rils, snug an tight, Na, faith ye yet! y...

These are happy cows in the happy fall field. This is a picture I took last year in the Berkshires. I love the building, I love the mountains in the background, I love the trees even though the color is fading and sky is dark and threatening. For a blazing beautiful maple tree picture that usually means fall to me, go here .

While not my typical fare, this poem gave me pause. During Wind and Rain They sing their dearest songs -- He, she, all of them -- yea, Treble and tenor and bass, And one to play; With the candles mooning each face.... Ah, no; the years O! How the sick leaves reel down in throngs! They clear the creeping moss -- Elders and juniors -- aye, Making the pathways neat And the garden gay; And they build a shady seat.... Ah, no; the years, the years; See, the white storm-birds wing across! They are blithely breakfasting all -- Men and maidens -- yea, Under the summer tree, With a glimpse of the bay, While pet fowl come to the knee.... Ah, no; the years O! And the rotten rose is ript from the wall. They change to a high new house, He, she, all of them -- aye, Clocks and carpets and chairs On the lawn all day, And brightest things that are theirs.... Ah, no; the years, the y...

Here are two bits of information which I found out this morning thanks to Geek Press , that I'd like to share: A new melody handwritten by Mozart has been found in Paris. A 12 year-old invents a new type of solar cell that works with visible and UV light.

As an update to the events of my We the People post of September 17, I submit the following for your consideration. Okay! I confess. I’m curious about what others might do in this situation and am soliciting opinions from my incredibly wise blog readers. After coming home from school on Thursday, my #2 child relayed a disturbing incident to me. She told me that when she went to show [her teacher whom I shall refer to as] Mrs. Infallibility (in the hall, after class) that the first words of The Constitution were, in fact, “We the People” and not “In Order to Form a More Perfect Union”, Mrs. Infallibility brushed her off saying “I know, dear. I have a copy of the Constitution, too.” [This was an improvement from the day before when she implied that she was correct because she got it “from the website”.] Even worse than belittling a student who was attempting to correct the misinformation Mrs. Infallibility had relayed to my #2 child not once, but twice, Mrs. Infallibility muttered...

It's everything I wanted to know about the LHC in a manner I can understand! I usually hate rap, but this is too good to ignore. Thanks BIL.

You have just 16 hours before for the start of the official Talk Like a Pirate Day . I know others have been warning you, but I can't emphasize this enough: should you be encoutered by a pirate-talking jim lad or buxom wench , you don't want to be caught with your eye patch off. In order to avoid this unpleasant situation, I direct you to the following videos: A systematic approach for us landlubbers or the quick and dirty five essentials . Now, I can't tell you why I find celebrating the confused jargon of historic mariner outlaws so funny just yet, but I thought you'd might want to be prepared anyway.

Now where have I heard that before? Oh, that's right. It's the first three words of the Constitution of the United States. Let me tell you a funny little story about that. Once upon a time, I was sitting in my daughter's Honors American History class taking a mini-version of the US Citizenship test. The question before me was "What are the first words of the Constitution?" And I had choices: (a) When in the course of human events; (b) We the People; (c) In order to form a more perfect union; (d) To Whom it May Concern. I chose (b)We the People. Silly parent. It's (c), In order to form a more perfect union. Now I had my trusty pocket Declaration of Independence/US Constitution in my purse, but I felt it best not to school this much beloved Honors US History teacher in front of a classroom full of parents on "Back to School Night", who apparently did not know the answer either!!!!! Unfortunately, this is not merely a story, but a page from my real lif...

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must direct your attention to today's post on How Not to Act Old . It has something for everyone (over 35, that is).

Delight in Disorder A sweet disorder in the dress Kindles in clothes a wantonness : A lawn about the shoulders thrown Into a fine distraction : An erring lace which here and there Enthrals the crimson stomacher : A cuff neglectful, and thereby Ribbons to flow confusedly : A winning wave (deserving note) In the tempestuous petticoat : A careless shoe-string, in whose tie I see a wild civility : Do more bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part. Herrick is better known for his poem, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time whose first line, Gather ye rosebuds while ye may , inspired Waterhouse's painting.

Here is my turkey family: Mom Tessa, chicks Tammy, Tara, Ted, Tabitha, and the twins, Shady Brooks and Butterball. Not pictured Terry and Tom, Jr. Not seen for 2 months, tiny Tim. Never seen, Tom. So, with their adoption of my back yard as their home, I need to know some stuff (snicker) about turkeys. What do they find so compelling about my yard? What are their family units like? How long do they take to mature? If I catch one, can I eat it? Really, it has been fun watching the little family wander into and out of our yard, their escape skills always growing. Despite chasing them several times a day trying to get a good picture of them, they keep coming back, much to our dog's dismay, which is funny in itself. My dog is no herder. Maybe she's just hungry.

I just can't help it. Apparently I'm stuck in the 80's regarding the cheesy, cool, sunglass aesthetic made popular by Patrick Nagel. Because of the image above, the picture below, taken by my daughter last weekend before I ran out of the house, rang familiar - and I liked it! It may just be a sign of desperately attempting to not go gently into that good night, or maybe, I'm happy (despite that look on my face) that with a little photoshop blur of the cluttered background, I can approximate looking like I'm in the 80's again. Cheesy, but pretty cool. If only I hadn't lent my purple lipstick to that pig! By the way, any resemblance to Edna Mode only makes me like it better.

Or possibly the week. In honor of our tremendous drum band experience this morning, I give you "More Cowbell" on the sidebar and the original skit from SNL below. Can you guess which instrument I played in the band today? I wish I had watched this yesterday so I could have known how to act like a proper cowbell player! For my band mates - enjoy .

To call September 11, 2001 a tragedy is to ignore history, evade the truth, and perpetuate the malignant idea that it was simply a catastrophic event which must be mourned rather than the ideologically-based systematic murder of Americans which must rooted out. The destruction of the Twin Towers and the horrific deaths of nearly 3,000 people that day were a clear and precisely executed attack on America and Western values by Islamic terrorists. The real tragedy of 9/11 is an America which lacks understanding of the gravity of what is still at risk because it refuses to identify and pursue the enemy. Please visit the Rule of Reason blog for this week's Objectivist Round-Up which is dedicated to "Nothing Less Than Victory", and a great post by Gina Liggett at NoodleFood .

Due to the popularity of the idea of Global Warming and the inability of our leaders to apply principles to their legislating activities, the EPA is now charged with delivering the chains of carbon dioxide based bondage to us all. Rather than consign the threat of catastrophic Climate Change (its latest all-encompassing moniker) to the ranks other doomsday proclamations, our legislators (with help from members of the justice system), bending to public outcry bubbled up from an aggressive socialist marketing plan, have elevated the idea into the pantheon of world changing ideologies. There will always be those who look to government to provide the answers; in this case, the regulatory answers are in response to the secondary questions when the primary questions have not been answered by science. They’ve just been accepted by popular decree. As we have demanded or allowed (depending on one’s level of evasion) the government to capitulate with increasing mania by offering stop-gap measur...

As I look back on the sights and sounds of my youth, I sometimes wonder how I was able to formulate any coherent thoughts. This " Make a Wish " show aired around the same time the fabulous School House Rock series. While I don't remember the show too much, I definitely remember its pure 70s hippie-psychedelic theme song sung by host, Tom Chapin. Listening to the words now I can only say, "huh?" My ten year-old summed it up nicely when she said, "Oh yeah. I can be a redwood tree." My finding this video is not as random as it may appear. I was actually trying to find Tom Chapin's song "What Does a Didgeridoo" to warn you all not to sing it around female Aborigines or they might get very offended .

C. August over at Titantic Deck Chairs was inspired by our stunning choices in the upcoming election to design this lovely t-shirt logo. Visit his blog post or his store front at Cafe Press to see the design better and to decide whether or not this, or another similar beauty will become the centerpiece of your fall wardrobe.

Has anyone else heard the radio spots for Blue Hippo ? I heard it on early morning radio last weekend and I was shocked! I wish I could find the ad copy somewhere. I did find several articles about how the company takes advantage of poor people, but not the script of the radio ad. It went something like this: Do you have bad credit? That doesn’t mean you can’t have the laptop you deserve !... You deserve it !... There is no reason you can’t get the technology you deserve , etc. The “technology you deserve” also referred to big screen TVs. What? Do people really fall for this nonsense? Apparently so. Blue Hippo Funding has been expanding its business since 2003. While you can buy a laptop at a store for about $600, Blue Hippo offers a similar product for the low monthly price of say, $30 a month for 5 years, for a grand total of $1800. Not a good deal by any means, but if you can’t save that much cash and no one else is willing to lend it to you, Blue Hippo can help you get a computer...

In what can only be described as a twisted over-achievement in my School At Home efforts, American Classical Academy has had to adjust its opening schedule due to a common school epidemic: Pediculis capitis. Despite sounding like an incantation for funny shoes worn on the ears, there is nothing funny about common head lice . That’s right, folks, we have cooties! Okay. Maybe there is something funny about it. As a newcomer to cooties, I have to say that I was fascinated with the fact that parasites I can actually see were living off the flesh of a human body, specifically – mine. From the Harvard School of Public Health website, this is my favorite line: Their six impressive legs are elegantly evolved to grasp hair shafts and provide a striking example of biological specialization. Makes them seem sort of... neat-o , doesn’t it? However, after liberating the 7th live louse from the head of my youngest, and continuing to find live lice despite our best efforts thus far, I became a...

All right. I didn't discover anything quite as exciting as Archimedes did when upon stepping into his bath and noticing that the water level rose in proportion to his submerging body, thereby discovering how to measure the volume of irregular objects through the displacement of water which caused him immediately to run through the streets of Syracuse in his birthday suit! But I did find this blog which is simply hilarious.

I spent today planning the next four months of my daily activities down to the fifteen minute mark. If that doesn't sound like fun, then you must not be a homeschooler. Actually, I'm in no way to be confused with a fun homeschooler (like Shez , whose kids get to do really cool stuff). I'm a school-at-home homeschooler and as such, I'm rather boring. This means that I try to duplicate what is a pretty rigid "school environment" in our house, 7:30-2:00, at a desk (with breaks, don't worry), homework (if the work is not done during the school day), snack, lunch, recess, etc. This also means that I am no fun, except when I get animated talking about Algebra, or pre-Algebraic math and cool science things, or diagramming confusion. Then I can be fun. Of course, this is solely my opinion. When we had 2 students in our exclusive private school, American Classical Academy (do you see the "A is A" in our logo, or is it too subtle?), we built a warm and co...