Category Archives: Other Columns

Columns concerning any and everything. Enjoy!

Cursive! Foiled Again!

16 Tuesday Apr 2019

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I’ve mentioned this terrible education trend before. Linda Shrock Taylor mentioned a long time ago. People are becoming illiterate. Part of that is due to the loss of cursive writing (and reading) skills; see what Taylor had to say about it in 2011. By the way, the kids don’t know cursive. It’s like our secret voodoo code language. To the Z’s cursive is as mystifying as that circular number thingy ticking away on the wall.

Even Carlos Slim’s Blog has noticed the problem (and possible revival).

Cursive Seemed to Go the Way of Quills and Parchment. Now It’s Coming Back.
Nearly two dozen states have reintroduced cursive instruction since 2010, when the Common Core standards dropped a requirement that it be taught in elementary schools.

…

The Common Core standards seemed to spell the end of the writing style in 2010 when they dropped requirements that the skill be taught in public elementary schools, but about two dozen states have reintroduced the practice since then.

They’re concerned but they don’t know why (or much else). No mention of Taylor or her correct observation that learning cursive reinforces phonics and reading skill. They did, however, manage to find this millennial teacher in New York City … of all places:

Noelle Mapes, a third-grade teacher at a public school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, said the agenda to include cursive classes “feels like a big nostalgia move.”

“I’m a millennial teacher, so it almost feels like a boomer effort,” she said.

The practice was helpful when teaching children with occupational therapy needs or fine motor skill needs. But requiring cursive is not a good use of time, she said, especially because schools and teachers face more urgent demands.

“Add typing skills, anti-racist pedagogy, add activism skills, add digital literacy,” she said. “There are so many other things.”

Forget reading and civilization. We need to type! Because that doesn’t involve literacy in the slightest and, of course, there’s no such thing as talk-to-text, you know. Anti-racist is code for “anti-white.” Activism skills resemble idle unemployment. Digital anything is starting to sound like a world-ending sham.

I’m serious about the talk-to-text link, here. It exists, authors use it, and it stands to replace typing, as the idiots had typing replace writing. One small problem – large segments of the younger population are beginning to lose the ability to speak! Many, many most, have lost the ability to think. As an example, please refer to the above millennial teacher.

Homeschool or die.

Another Farcebook Departure

10 Wednesday Apr 2019

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Outrage o’ the day? Sure.

Dr. Joseph Mercola is calling it quits at Spybook.  He runs down a few of Faceberg’s legal laments and then does the right thing:

I’ve Decided — Mercola.com Will Leave Facebook

A while back, I issued a poll to see how you felt about my leaving Facebook. The results are now in, with a majority agreeing with my decision to withdraw from the platform.

While it will not take effect immediately, I am making plans to close my account, so, if you’re not yet a subscriber to my newsletter, I urge you, your friends and family to sign up now. My newsletter is published daily, and subscribing will ensure you get three daily articles delivered straight into your email inbox (all listed in one email).

What took him so long? He’s a libertarian/traditionalist/prepper staple. The fact that any of those groups – like Freedom Prepper, or any preppers! – voluntarily remain at the Faceborg concentration camp is beyond a mystery.

If you (or Dr. M.) need to know how to delete the FB evil from your life, here’s how to do it.

No, Real Men Do Not Dress Like or Act Like Women

10 Wednesday Apr 2019

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Irrespective of WSJ speculation and what goes on at the mall.

Jason Momoa, Hollywood’s shaggy-haired He-man, wasn’t up for an Oscar this year, but he did notch a very different sort of honor at this February’s Academy Awards: most talked-about male scrunchie. And not just any scrunchie but a custom pink-velvet Fendi affair to match his pink-velvet tuxedo. On Mr. Momoa’s YouTube channel, he noted that his entire pink Oscars outfit was inspired by a different pink scrunchie that was lent to him by a hairdresser on the set of his upcoming Apple TV show. “I freaked out ’cause it was beautiful,” said Mr. Momoa of discovering that initial salmon-colored accessory.

Mr. Momoa is just one of Hollywood’s many male stars who reflect the trend of men’s growing their hair long. (others in this club include Bradley Cooper, Timothée Chalamet and Dev Patel). And with long hair comes the need to pull it back from time to time. Like during workouts. Or sweaty awards ceremonies. Although the company doesn’t have specific statistics on male shoppers, Ellen Slicklen, the SVP and general manager of Conair and Scünci (known for its colorful hair ties) has seen an anecdotal uptick in male shoppers with flowing locks. “We’re finding that they’re using not only hair ties, not only our skinny headbands, but they’re using scrunchies now because they’re comfortable,” said Ms. Slicklen, who added that her 19-year-old son has recently let his hair grow out. “It is a trend,” she said.

Some men look good and manly with long hair. But, this new trend isn’t about channeling the inner Boromir. It’s about metrosexual androgyny; the look fits the new feel and disposition. It’s all dyscivilizational.

As I may mention in this week’s TPC bit (haven’t started it yet), if you’re out in public in any American city, you’ll find the scrunchy-wearing, purse-toting, swishy male masses. For fun, ask one of them if “he” is carrying a handkerchief or a pocket knife. Ask “him” if he could bench press a pocket knife. Actually, don’t. The scrunchies are depressing enough.

Book It

09 Tuesday Apr 2019

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Mental Floss composed a list of the “best book stores” in every state. I detected a slight leaning or agenda at work. But, hey, it’s books. Read ’em if you can.

20. THE BEST BOOKSTORE IN MARYLAND: SECOND STORY BOOKS // ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND

Second Story Books’s cavernous warehouse in this Washington, D.C. suburb is crammed with used books, rare volumes, antiquarian collections, art and antiques, and much more, all arranged in delightfully specific categories (Byzantine studies or polar exploration, anyone?). Be ready to hunt for buried treasure at 50 percent off the cover price. There’s another, smaller location in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood too.

Other Maryland Bookstores We Love: The Book Escape (Baltimore), Ukazoo Books (Towson), Normal’s Books and Records (Baltimore)

I noticed some conspicuous absences: Main Street Book Store, Starkville, MS, that second-hand place, McCormick, SC, Andover Books, Andover, MA, the very decent shop at Newburyport, MA, etc. And, of course, there are the ones we lost, like Oxford of Atlanta.

Go read something.

Masters Tuesday 2019

09 Tuesday Apr 2019

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It wouldn’t be the practice rounds without the weather.

Gates opened as scheduled this morning at Augusta National Golf Club for Tuesday’s practice round.

Steady rain has been falling all morning, and the forecast calls for continued rain with some shorter breaks before more rain moves in later this morning.

The forecast calls for the chance of strong storms this afternoon with heavy downpours, small hail and gusty winds.

Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest forecast looks good with sunny and warm temperatures expected.

The weather for the first round of the 83rd Masters on Thursday is expected to be partly cloudy and warm.

– The Chronicle

The National

More Decline, Cultural, Moral, Etc.

06 Saturday Apr 2019

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The Daily Mail posts some hard numbers and asks an honest question:

Is America becoming Godless? The number of people who have no religion has risen

  • 266 per cent – one third of the population – in three decades
  • People with no religion accounted for 23.1% of the U.S. population in 2018
  • By comparison, Catholics make up 23% and Evangelicals account for 22.5%
  • The three are now statistically tied as the largest religious groups in America
  • Meanwhile, mainline Protestant Christianity has seen a 62.5% decline in believers since 1982, to now account for just 10.8% of the U.S. population

Well, looks like it. And, why are people leaving those “churches?” Maybe it’s because those institutions shun God and His Word in favor of stuff like this:

Dispensationalism first gained a footing through the teachings of John Nelson Darby (1800–82) who strongly influenced the Plymouth Brethren of the 1830s in Ireland and England. According to this teaching, there are (up to) seven ages in the history of man and his relationship to God.

We are currently in the second-to-last age, the time of Grace – the period from the Cross to the Rapture of the Church. The final dispensation will follow: the Millennial Kingdom – A 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, centered in Jerusalem. This dispensation ends with God’s judgment on the final rebellion.

Dispensationalism rejects the notion of supersessionism, still considers the Jewish people as God’s chosen people, and some see the modern State of Israel as resulting in the Israel who will receive the fulfillment of all God’s Old Testament promises.

This view is no longer limited to the small sect that is the Plymouth Brethren. This idea is widely accepted in U.S. Protestant churches, with well-known figures such as John Hagee and Pat Robertson leading the charge.

Around the same time as this dispensationalist idea was being developed, there separately came a desire to restore a Jewish state. Dispensationalism was going nowhere until it met up with this Zionist desire. It was when these two met and wed that the heresy took firm root and gained ever-wider acceptance.

In walks Cyrus Scofield. Who was he?

All that is little different, and no better than the secular good news of the world evil pushed by Satan’s globalists. Meet the new, hip, cool Deep State favorite, Pete O’Butt…something.

“I’m reluctant to comment on another person’s faith, but I would say it is hard to look at this president’s actions and believe that they’re the actions of somebody who believes in God,” Buttigieg said.

“I just don’t understand how you can be as worshipful of your own self as he is and be prepared to humble yourself before God. I’ve never seen him humble himself before anyone. And the exaltation of yourself, especially a self that’s about wealth and power, could not be more at odds with at least my understanding of the teachings of the Christian faith,” he added.

Some people, more than a few think this character, not abstaining per St. Paul’s admonishments, is a worthy moral leader. Really. And, he is … just as the Pedo Qweens are good moral leaders for our children.

According to the investigation by MassResistance, which compiled records, a Houstonian by the name of William Travis Dees was incarcerated and listed as a high risk sex offender in 2004 after he abused multiple children.

Dees is now a member of the Space City Sisters, the group claims, a drag queen organization which conducts Drag Queen Story Hour for children at the Houston Public Library.

After months of investigation, MassResistance said they have been able to identify Dees as a Space City Sister who has multiple aliases.

Space City Sissies sounds like the band that might perform at your local Rock ‘n Roll, Cotton Candy, Feel Good, Mega Church. You know, where everyone! is welcome. Everyone except Jesus.