(no subject)

:
:
Full Article:
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/123497829.html


Excerpt:

Where history is concerned, this is fast becoming a nation of ignoramuses and amnesiacs.

The alarm bell has been ringing for years. Consider "Losing America's Memory: Historical Illiteracy in the 21st Century," a 2000 study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Researchers found that the majority of seniors at the nation's best colleges could not identify the words of the Gettysburg Address or explain the significance of Valley Forge. They did not know, the study concluded, because they had not been taught. History, the study said, was no longer a requirement in the nation's top schools.

And then, there is a 2006 assessment by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, often called the Nation's Report Card. It found that nearly 40 percent of high school seniors could not identify the purpose of the Lewis and Clark Expedition {...}  If kids are bored by that, who can blame them? And who cares?

We all should. No child should be able to finish public school, much less college, without a firm grasp of American history. Because history is not dust. Nor is it myths we tell to comfort and acquit ourselves.  Nor is it a lever we twist in order to gain political advantage. No, our history is the master narrative of who we are.

It is a narrative of slaves and soldiers, inventors and investors, demagogues and visionaries, of homicide, fratricide and genocide, of truths held self-evident and of government of the people, by the people and for the people....

(rest of article: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/123497829.html ) 

---

Book Rec's in this regard:
Lies My Teacher Told Me 
(Professional review:  Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.   From the truth about Columbus's historic voyages to our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.

Thought provoking, nonpartisan, and often shocking, Loewen unveils the real America in this iconoclastic classic beloved by high school teachers and history buffs alike. )

---

Back to fannish material:

Meanwhile, in the totally fictional (and bloodsoaked) history of Westeros (Game of Thrones), I have finished about 85% of Storm of Swords now and...

OMG I hate Cersei Lannister!  I want deeply horrible, vile, horrible, dire, awful, painful, excruciating, horrible things to happen to her!

I don't hate her in a 'she's a villain and so I hate in  a love to hate" way where I wonder "Hmm... what scheme will she come up with next?" while mentally rubbing my hands together in anticipation (Littlefinger has me intrigued in this regard) .  No, the hate I bear for this character is  "I know she's only a fictional character but I want something truly permanent, horrible, and painful to happen to her, and I will most  likely cheer any character that can do it ...because did I mention that I HATE her?  Because I do!" 

*ahem*

Back to your usual LJ broadcasting....

(no subject)

:
:
Full Article:
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/123497829.html


Excerpt:

Where history is concerned, this is fast becoming a nation of ignoramuses and amnesiacs.

The alarm bell has been ringing for years. Consider "Losing America's Memory: Historical Illiteracy in the 21st Century," a 2000 study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Researchers found that the majority of seniors at the nation's best colleges could not identify the words of the Gettysburg Address or explain the significance of Valley Forge. They did not know, the study concluded, because they had not been taught. History, the study said, was no longer a requirement in the nation's top schools.

And then, there is a 2006 assessment by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, often called the Nation's Report Card. It found that nearly 40 percent of high school seniors could not identify the purpose of the Lewis and Clark Expedition {...}  If kids are bored by that, who can blame them? And who cares?

We all should. No child should be able to finish public school, much less college, without a firm grasp of American history. Because history is not dust. Nor is it myths we tell to comfort and acquit ourselves.  Nor is it a lever we twist in order to gain political advantage. No, our history is the master narrative of who we are.

It is a narrative of slaves and soldiers, inventors and investors, demagogues and visionaries, of homicide, fratricide and genocide, of truths held self-evident and of government of the people, by the people and for the people....

(rest of article: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/123497829.html ) 

---

Book Rec's in this regard:
Lies My Teacher Told Me 
(Professional review:  Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.   From the truth about Columbus's historic voyages to our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.

Thought provoking, nonpartisan, and often shocking, Loewen unveils the real America in this iconoclastic classic beloved by high school teachers and history buffs alike. )

---

Back to fannish material:

Meanwhile, in the totally fictional (and bloodsoaked) history of Westeros (Game of Thrones), I have finished about 85% of Storm of Swords now and...

OMG I hate Cersei Lannister!  I want deeply horrible, vile, horrible, dire, awful, painful, excruciating, horrible things to happen to her!

I don't hate her in a 'she's a villain and so I hate in  a love to hate" way where I wonder "Hmm... what scheme will she come up with next?" while mentally rubbing my hands together in anticipation (Littlefinger has me intrigued in this regard) .  No, the hate I bear for this character is  "I know she's only a fictional character but I want something truly permanent, horrible, and painful to happen to her, and I will most  likely cheer any character that can do it ...because did I mention that I HATE her?  Because I do!" 

*ahem*

Back to your usual LJ broadcasting....

(no subject)

:
:
Full Article:
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/123497829.html


Excerpt:

Where history is concerned, this is fast becoming a nation of ignoramuses and amnesiacs.

The alarm bell has been ringing for years. Consider "Losing America's Memory: Historical Illiteracy in the 21st Century," a 2000 study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Researchers found that the majority of seniors at the nation's best colleges could not identify the words of the Gettysburg Address or explain the significance of Valley Forge. They did not know, the study concluded, because they had not been taught. History, the study said, was no longer a requirement in the nation's top schools.

And then, there is a 2006 assessment by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, often called the Nation's Report Card. It found that nearly 40 percent of high school seniors could not identify the purpose of the Lewis and Clark Expedition {...}  If kids are bored by that, who can blame them? And who cares?

We all should. No child should be able to finish public school, much less college, without a firm grasp of American history. Because history is not dust. Nor is it myths we tell to comfort and acquit ourselves.  Nor is it a lever we twist in order to gain political advantage. No, our history is the master narrative of who we are.

It is a narrative of slaves and soldiers, inventors and investors, demagogues and visionaries, of homicide, fratricide and genocide, of truths held self-evident and of government of the people, by the people and for the people....

(rest of article: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/123497829.html ) 

---

Book Rec's in this regard:
Lies My Teacher Told Me 
(Professional review:  Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.   From the truth about Columbus's historic voyages to our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.

Thought provoking, nonpartisan, and often shocking, Loewen unveils the real America in this iconoclastic classic beloved by high school teachers and history buffs alike. )

---

Back to fannish material:

Meanwhile, in the totally fictional (and bloodsoaked) history of Westeros (Game of Thrones), I have finished about 85% of Storm of Swords now and...

OMG I hate Cersei Lannister!  I want deeply horrible, vile, horrible, dire, awful, painful, excruciating, horrible things to happen to her!

I don't hate her in a 'she's a villain and so I hate in  a love to hate" way where I wonder "Hmm... what scheme will she come up with next?" while mentally rubbing my hands together in anticipation (Littlefinger has me intrigued in this regard) .  No, the hate I bear for this character is  "I know she's only a fictional character but I want something truly permanent, horrible, and painful to happen to her, and I will most  likely cheer any character that can do it ...because did I mention that I HATE her?  Because I do!" 

*ahem*

Back to your usual LJ broadcasting....

Thank God The Week is Over

 I don't know what I did that pissed God off this last week, but I really wish she/he would stop with the hissyfit.

*  First, the whole computer virus that kinda-killed my computer.  The tech did manage to get it up and running (after a WEEK) but it required wiping my hard drive.  Though he did salvage most of my files (though none of my programs).   And that wasn't free.

*  Then, my Talbot's order that was supposed to arrive in 3-7 days, took 14 days.

*  Then, my cable bill came in and was double what it was the previous month. Ah yes, I 'bundled'  internet/TV/Phone last year because it was cheaper than all the stuff I had separately.  But the 'discount' ran out, so it was a matter of bitching mightily and threatening to go with U-Verse or DirectTV before they put it back to what it was.

* Then, while going over that, my mom looked at my bill and said that I had the same package that she did, but... she has HD.  I told her I didn't have HD and she thought... I think you have HD.  But I don't have HD.  If I'm supposed to have HD I don't have HD.  And if I've been paying for HD... I DON'T HAVE HD!   So another round of calls.  And, turns out I have HD but it wouldn't work.  So they sent a tech.  And the tech said, well you have an ancient cable box.  But did he bring a cable box?  No.  Mom and Dad said they could go for me and while I was at work.  And Dad was trying to install it.

*  So, while I was leaving work, I decided to order Chinese food and surprise my parents (who were still at my house struggling with the TV... which they weren't have much success with) with dinner. Only when I tried to crank the car when leaving the restaurant THE CAR WOULDN'T START!

*  So I called my Dad (who was still struggling with the TV) to...er... do you have jumper cables?  No, he didn't, but they did pick me up to drive me to the auto parts store for someone to give the car a jump.  And, given that the battery is 7 years old, I didn't exactly have great optimism that it wasn't simply dead (it was), so then I had to have them jump the car, then drive to the auto  parts store so I could buy a brand new car battery.

* To come home to continue trying to call to the Charter Tech department to try to figure out why the HD wasn't working, properly because even when I finally got a signal and picture, I had no sound.

I'm pooped.

Finally got everything working, but I'm really sick and tired of stuff breaking on me this week.  STUFF STOP BREAKING!  And tech gods of the universe -- KNOCK IT OFF!

I'm going to go low-tech and read a book (I'm almost finished with Storm of Swords.  Cersei still sucks, yo!) 

Thank God The Week is Over

 I don't know what I did that pissed God off this last week, but I really wish she/he would stop with the hissyfit.

*  First, the whole computer virus that kinda-killed my computer.  The tech did manage to get it up and running (after a WEEK) but it required wiping my hard drive.  Though he did salvage most of my files (though none of my programs).   And that wasn't free.

*  Then, my Talbot's order that was supposed to arrive in 3-7 days, took 14 days.

*  Then, my cable bill came in and was double what it was the previous month. Ah yes, I 'bundled'  internet/TV/Phone last year because it was cheaper than all the stuff I had separately.  But the 'discount' ran out, so it was a matter of bitching mightily and threatening to go with U-Verse or DirectTV before they put it back to what it was.

* Then, while going over that, my mom looked at my bill and said that I had the same package that she did, but... she has HD.  I told her I didn't have HD and she thought... I think you have HD.  But I don't have HD.  If I'm supposed to have HD I don't have HD.  And if I've been paying for HD... I DON'T HAVE HD!   So another round of calls.  And, turns out I have HD but it wouldn't work.  So they sent a tech.  And the tech said, well you have an ancient cable box.  But did he bring a cable box?  No.  Mom and Dad said they could go for me and while I was at work.  And Dad was trying to install it.

*  So, while I was leaving work, I decided to order Chinese food and surprise my parents (who were still at my house struggling with the TV... which they weren't have much success with) with dinner. Only when I tried to crank the car when leaving the restaurant THE CAR WOULDN'T START!

*  So I called my Dad (who was still struggling with the TV) to...er... do you have jumper cables?  No, he didn't, but they did pick me up to drive me to the auto parts store for someone to give the car a jump.  And, given that the battery is 7 years old, I didn't exactly have great optimism that it wasn't simply dead (it was), so then I had to have them jump the car, then drive to the auto  parts store so I could buy a brand new car battery.

* To come home to continue trying to call to the Charter Tech department to try to figure out why the HD wasn't working, properly because even when I finally got a signal and picture, I had no sound.

I'm pooped.

Finally got everything working, but I'm really sick and tired of stuff breaking on me this week.  STUFF STOP BREAKING!  And tech gods of the universe -- KNOCK IT OFF!

I'm going to go low-tech and read a book (I'm almost finished with Storm of Swords.  Cersei still sucks, yo!) 

Thank God The Week is Over

 I don't know what I did that pissed God off this last week, but I really wish she/he would stop with the hissyfit.

*  First, the whole computer virus that kinda-killed my computer.  The tech did manage to get it up and running (after a WEEK) but it required wiping my hard drive.  Though he did salvage most of my files (though none of my programs).   And that wasn't free.

*  Then, my Talbot's order that was supposed to arrive in 3-7 days, took 14 days.

*  Then, my cable bill came in and was double what it was the previous month. Ah yes, I 'bundled'  internet/TV/Phone last year because it was cheaper than all the stuff I had separately.  But the 'discount' ran out, so it was a matter of bitching mightily and threatening to go with U-Verse or DirectTV before they put it back to what it was.

* Then, while going over that, my mom looked at my bill and said that I had the same package that she did, but... she has HD.  I told her I didn't have HD and she thought... I think you have HD.  But I don't have HD.  If I'm supposed to have HD I don't have HD.  And if I've been paying for HD... I DON'T HAVE HD!   So another round of calls.  And, turns out I have HD but it wouldn't work.  So they sent a tech.  And the tech said, well you have an ancient cable box.  But did he bring a cable box?  No.  Mom and Dad said they could go for me and while I was at work.  And Dad was trying to install it.

*  So, while I was leaving work, I decided to order Chinese food and surprise my parents (who were still at my house struggling with the TV... which they weren't have much success with) with dinner. Only when I tried to crank the car when leaving the restaurant THE CAR WOULDN'T START!

*  So I called my Dad (who was still struggling with the TV) to...er... do you have jumper cables?  No, he didn't, but they did pick me up to drive me to the auto parts store for someone to give the car a jump.  And, given that the battery is 7 years old, I didn't exactly have great optimism that it wasn't simply dead (it was), so then I had to have them jump the car, then drive to the auto  parts store so I could buy a brand new car battery.

* To come home to continue trying to call to the Charter Tech department to try to figure out why the HD wasn't working, properly because even when I finally got a signal and picture, I had no sound.

I'm pooped.

Finally got everything working, but I'm really sick and tired of stuff breaking on me this week.  STUFF STOP BREAKING!  And tech gods of the universe -- KNOCK IT OFF!

I'm going to go low-tech and read a book (I'm almost finished with Storm of Swords.  Cersei still sucks, yo!)