Columbus Day 2014

(If you must have contemporary politics, please scroll down)

Unlike the Seattle School Board, I won't replace the Columbus Day holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day. Besides, since 2008, Native American Heritage Day has already been designated as the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Short video about Christopher Columbus:


Why did Columbus set sail in the first place? Not mentioned in the above video:

...Every schoolchild knows, or used to know, that in 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered America while searching for a new, westward sea route to Asia. But why was he searching for a new route to Asia? Because the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims in 1453 closed the trade routes to the East. This was devastating for European tradesmen, who had until then traveled to Asia for spices and other goods by land. Columbus’s voyage was trying to ease the plight of these merchants by bypassing the Muslims altogether and making it possible for Europeans to reach India by sea.

Some poetry for today:

Columbus

BEHIND him lay the gray Azores,
Behind the Gates of Hercules;
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: "Now we must pray,
For lo! the very stars are gone.
Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?"
"Why, say, 'Sail on! sail on! and on!' "

"My men grow mutinous day by day;
My men grow ghastly wan and weak."
The stout mate thought of home; a spray
Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
"What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,
If we sight naught but seas at dawn?"
"Why, you shall say at break of day,
'Sail on! sail on! and on!' "

They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow,
Until at last the blanched mate said:
"Why, now not even God would know
Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,
For God from these dead seas is gone.
Now speak, brave Admiral, speak and say" --
He said, "Sail on! sail on! and on!"

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
"This mad sea shows his teeth tonight.
He curls his lip, he lies in wait,
With lifted teeth, as if to bite!
Brave Admiral, say but one good word:
What shall we do when hope is gone?"
The words leapt like a leaping sword:
"Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

Then pale and worn, he kept his deck,
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck --
A light! a light! at last a light!
It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
Its grandest lesson: "On! sail on!"
— Joaquin Miller

Another Ebola Case in Dallas, Texas (With Addendum)

(Two posts today. Please scroll down. The post below is a musical interlude, a much-needed break from politics)

One of the Texas Presbyterian Hospital nurses who took care of Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan, Patient Zero here in the United States, has tested positive on a preliminary test and is in isolation. Thomas Eric Duncan died of Ebola on October 8.

Addendum: The protocols can't be sufficient, if someone following them gets infected despite them.

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Arwen's Vigil by ThePianoGuys:

About Arwen's Vigil

Nincompoopery Poll

(Nincompoopery — and worse — abounds! This edition of "Nincompoopery" offers specific links, and readers have the option of taking a poll as to which story they find the most outrageous. Discussion available in the comments section)

Links to read:

ONE: Department of Homeland Security official took bribes in cash and egg rolls

TWO: Link between Enterovirus D68 and illegal immigrant children? See Polio-like illness claims fifth life in U.S. and Human rhinoviruses and enteroviruses in influenza-like illness in Latin America.

THREE: Chicago pension crisis three times worse than just 10 years ago

FOUR: Teacher's wife phones in bomb threat to get him out of NYC charter-school staff meeting

FIVE: Imam at Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, and other prominent Muslims here in the United States will not condemn ISIS


Please cast your vote in the following poll, which closes on Tuesday:

survey tools

Enterovirus D68

Please adjust the video to begin at time marker 6:07 and continue to watch and listen through at least time marker 12:40.



Related articles:

1. Doctors Target Virus as Link to Solve Polio-Like Illness

2. Human rhinoviruses and enteroviruses in influenza-like illness in Latin America

Your thoughts?

Ebola Quotation Of The Day (With Addendum)

By Aesop, the owner of the blog Raconteur Report:

[T]he hospital in [Madrid] was using BL2 respiratory protection for a BL4 virus, and the nursing union in Madrid sent letters to the authorities months back telling them that if anyone was treated for Ebola in Spain, the hospitals wouldn't be adequately prepared, and that people were going to get infected as a result of inadequate equipment.

Short of hitting them upside the head with a tire iron, the medical workers did everything possible to tell the authorities how badly they were screwing the pooch.

The response from those authorities was to send the dog flowers afterwards, and point out the dog was asking for it.

Are we doing any better here in the United States?

[with a hat tip to FreeThinke for the above graphic]

ADDENDUM: Please read What's Coming Next, also by blogger Aesop.

Another Ebola Case In Texas? (Updated)

In Frisco, Texas, an affluent suburb of Dallas. I think.

There was a massive local response. Details below the fold.

Tales From The Classroom

("Tales from the Classroom" is a feature posted occasionally here at this blog.  All tales are true and present matters about which I have personal knowledge.  Note: If you must have politics or discuss Ebola, please scroll down to other posts)

The video below presents information about autistics who have found a way to communicate via RPM. I have one such student in my class this year and refer to him as "the letter board kid" in casual conversations with my friends. He's brilliant — but different, of course.

I have long stated that my personal hero is Annie Sullivan, so it doesn't surprise those who know me that I like to work with those who have learning differences. Indeed, over the years I have found that those who are different bring something new to the table and often have unique insights.

Please watch the following short video, which clearly shows that not all with autism are hopeless cases:


Ah, the mysterious human brain!

Obama's Ebola Negligence

A team of scientists at Northeastern University in Boston have used air travel information to predict where the deadly Ebola virus could reach in the next three weeks 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2783332/Husband-Spanish-nurse-contracted-Ebola-quarantine-health-authorities-admit-DON-T-KNOW-contracted-virus.html#ixzz3FSXk1EBf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

From the Daily Mail:

...Professor Alessandro Vespignani of Northeastern University in Boston, who led the research [about Ebola-spread patterns], said: 'This is not a deterministic list, it's about probabilities – but those probabilities are growing for everyone.

'It's just a matter of who gets lucky and who gets unlucky.

'Air traffic is the driver.'...

By not banning incoming flights from the Ebola Hot Zone in Africa, Obama will become Murderer-In-Chief if there is an Ebola pandemic here in the United States.

Information, Please!

Where was that Spanish nurse who just tested positive for Ebola vacationing? Can anybody here ferret out that information? Thank you.

Deadly Dumbing Down

The result of abandoning the proper teaching of geography?

With a hat tip to Barnhardt:

“He said he was from Liberia, not Africa…”

From this thread over at Lucianne.com. Emphases mine.

Reply 29 – Posted by: gone2pot, 10/3/2014 5:50:33 PM (No. 10030644)
It´s us. We are the reason for the panic. We vote for it, educate our kids with it, watch it on TV, “like” and “follow” it, and listen to its music. Here´s anecdotal evidence; my wife´s hospital is caddy corner to Dallas Presby, home of the ebola incident. The docs at her hospital left Presby to start a new, less screwed up system. So, they know Presby and keep in contact with former colleagues. Well, according to the old Presby docs, the thirty-something Dallas Presby nurse´s answer to the CDC was, “He said he was from Liberia, not Africa.” So, next time you want to believe the tin foil hat conspiracy theory answer, remember instead that we ARE that stupid and our stupidity is why we create the cases for panic.

Is the above anecdote true? I don't know, but it could be.  And I don't mean only with regard to the aforementioned nurse!  It's not out of the question that a doctor wouldn't know that Liberia is in Africa.

Sunday Graveyard Humor

With a hat tip to The Last Refuge:

Another graphic below the fold (hat tip to The People's Cube):

Open Thread

So, what's on your mind?

Here is your chance to vent, but please observe the guidelines listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. We will delete comments that include any of the following:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
4. We do not respond to anonymous comments
My contributions to this open thread: Leicester KFC customer shocked as he is refused hand-wipe because of branch's halal policy and U.S. tax dollars pay for U.S. mosque security upgrades.

Breaking News For D.C.

(Two posts today. Please scroll down for the earlier post today)

Patient Being Tested for Ebola at D.C.'s Howard University Hospital: Patient had traveled to Nigeria recently; is being isolated and tested

Second patient with Ebola-like symptoms in D.C. region

The Islamic State (ISIS) Vs. The Quran

Click directly on the image to enlarge it:

The above verses are, in essence, from the "new testament" portion of the Quran. See Medinan sura and The Meccan and Medinan Surahs.

The IS is the authentic Islam. Disbelieve that at your own peril.

Deadly Political Correctness? (UPDATED)

What didn't the profile of this Liberian national, visiting family and friends here in the United States (not a business trip or the like) result in immediate quarantine when he first appeared at a hospital in Dallas?

Ebola victim was originally SENT HOME from hospital with antibiotics before the deadly virus was diagnosed after he had mixed with other people for TWO DAYS

Also see A Hospital Sent the US's First Ebola Patient Home for Two Days After He Was Sick. Excerpt from the latter:

"We're trying to identify all the people who may have had contact with people while he could have been infectious," Frieden said. "Once identified, they'll be monitored for 21 days after for Ebola. If they have the fever, the same criteria are used."

How many are quarantined so far in Dallas and elsewhere in the United States?

Why are we allowing into the United States any flights from the Ebola Zone of Africa?

Additional reading:

1. Ebola Virus Symptoms and Prevention Tips

2. EBOLA in America (Mustang's site)

UPDATES

1. Patient in isolation in Hawaii (few details at the time of this posting)

2. ‘Hero’ Ebola Doctor Testimony Confirms Ebola Can Spread By Touch

3. VIDEO: NIH Director Admits Possible Ebola Could Mutate, Go Airborne [possible, but unlikely]

4. White House: No Ebola travel restrictions

5. Extensive report by ABC News, October 2, 2014

6. Ebola Expert Tells CNN We Can’t Ban Flights From Liberia Because Of Slavery

Tribute To Colleen Hufford

Click directly on the images to enlarge them:

Colleen Hufford (far right) is pictured with her husband KC, daughter Kelli and granddaughter Riley

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2774477/Pictured-Smiling-grandmother-beheaded-Muslim-convert-Oklahoma-just-months-losing-home-tornado.html#ixzz3Enh58ZfG
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Mrs Hufford, with her daughter and granddaughter

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2774477/Pictured-Smiling-grandmother-beheaded-Muslim-convert-Oklahoma-just-months-losing-home-tornado.html#ixzz3EnhtOizZ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

See this photo essay for more photos and additional details.

Also see Colleen Hufford Memorial Fund.

Another Beheader In Oklahoma? Arrested Before Deed Carried Out.

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

See Man says he represents ISIS, threatens co-worker. Full article below the fold.

Video: Jihad vs. Crusades

I'm still under water with a heavy workload of grading essays, but here is something to consider (hat tip to Joe Conservative):


A bit of reading: Obama Admits Islam Biggest Cause of Conflict in the World.

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The poignant "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor:


Basic information about Mozart's Requiem

About the text:

The Gathering Storm (September 26, 2014)

Guest Mark Alexander (author of The Dawning of a New Dark Age: A Collection of Essays on Islam), WC, and I discussed the recent beheading in Moore, Oklahoma:

A Beheading In Oklahoma

Islam is the trigger.  

And here in America now — in the 21st Century.

From AOL.com:

Oklahoma man beheaded female co-worker and stabbed another while reportedly shouting Islamic phrases

...Alton Nolen, 30, killed Colleen Hufford, 54, at the Vaughan Foods processing plant before an off-duty reserve Oklahoma County Deputy that works for the company shot him, Moore police said during a Friday morning media briefing, according to KWTV.

He also stabbed Tracy Johnson, 43, authorities said. She is in critical condition but expected to recover from her injuries.

The deputy has been identified by the station as Mark Vaughan, the company's chief operating officer. Vaughan shot him multiple times with a rifle, sources told KFOR.

Police said Nolen had recently been terminated from his job on the company's production line and began the rampage by ramming at least one vehicle in the parking lot before entering the building.

Nolen was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover, cops said. He was in the process of converting to Islam, KFOR reported.

Federal agents with the FBI have been called in after it was reported Nolen was shouting Islamic phrases during the attack and previously tried to also convert co-workers to Islam, KWTV reported.

Nolen has multiple tattoos on his torso including one that says "as-salaamu ataikum," a common Arabic greeting, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections records. He also has praying hands tattooed on his body....

More at the above link.

We shouldn't really be surprised or shocked, however.

Islam is as Islam does.

Recommended Reading

See The Great Unraveling (New York Times, September 15, 2014).

Full essay below the fold in case you don't have a digital subscription to the New York Times:

Pat Condell On The New Inquisition

A lot of truth in this (hat tip to Vlad Tepes):


At bit of related reading: Winston Churchill was a 'racist and white supremacist' claims Labour candidate.

The Disappearance Of Hannah Graham (Updated)

(For international news, please scroll down to the post just below this one)

Hannah Graham, who went missing in Charlottesville, Virginia, on September 12, 2014

What is this "person of interest" wearing?

The Great Flight Of The Kurds

The desperate attempt of 60,000-100,0000  [revision: possibly 200,000] to flee Syria as the onslaught by the Islamic State (ISIS) continues (Click directly on images to enlarge them):

More information about the above exodus HERE.


The Islamic State's map of their Five-Year Plan:

Musical Interlude For Meditation

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Peaceful composition by Leoš Janáček (1854-1928):

Breaking My Silence

I'm not yet ready to return to full-time blogging. This nasty cough still grinds on (What a virus!), and my workload isn't quite under control.  I should assign less work to my students, I suppose.

The above said, with the United States now embarking upon a non-war (What is this thing, exactly?), here's something to discuss for the next few days (not my "typical blogging style"):


The ugly truth is this, and all the wishing otherwise will not change the truth....

The problem is Islam.

Hiatus

 I will return when certain personal and professional matters have been resolved.  These matters are urgent.  Comment moderation will be enabled on an intermittent basis.

For now, you may consider this blog post an open thread; however, comments that violate the parameters for commenting at this blog will be deleted as soon as an administrator becomes aware of such comments.

Thank you for your understanding.

I leave you with this beautiful image:

Never Forget

The monster of Islamic terrorism came roaring from cerulean skies in passenger jetliners used as missiles. 

 
Jihad came to America.






Jihad is still being waged against America.


George Santayana: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Sick! Again!

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

I seem to have come down with "the common cold": nasal drainage, sore throat, productive cough, zero appetite, etc.

It's not unusual for us teachers to come down with a cold the first few weeks of school. I probably picked up this virus from one of my students or their parents.

If I'm not better in a few days, I'll go to the doctor.  Unless my symptoms worsen significantly, I'll still be going to work — and blogging as I'm able to do so.

George W. Bush's 2007 Statement

On July 12, 2007 (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):



Text of the speech, in case that the above video again becomes unavailable:

To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we are ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States.

It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaida. It would mean that we’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we’d allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. It would mean increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous.

GWB wasn't always right. Not by a long shot. The above statement from George W. Bush now seems prophetic, however.

Sunday Humor

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

There are limits to how far I'm willing to go so as to stay "connected"!

(with a hat tip to Woodsterman)

Nincompoopery Poll

(Nincompoopery — and worse — abounds! This edition of "Nincompoopery" offers specific links, and readers have the option of taking a poll as to which story they find the most outrageous. Discussion available in the comments section)

Links to read:

ONE: The Jihadi Serial Killer no One's Talking About

TWO: The FBI Spied On The Wrong People Because Of TYPOS

THREE: Obama's five-hour dinners at Chef Sam Kass's apartment

FOUR: U.S. Wages Down 23% Since 2008

FIVE: 7 months later, many still can't use Washington health coverage


Please cast your vote in the following poll, which closes on Tuesday:

survey hosting

Today On The Gathering Storm

)Two posts today. Please scroll down)

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and your truly.

The show broadcasts live for 30 minutes every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Our scheduled guest this week is Mr. Ducky. We plan to discuss John Ford's films.

Listen to the September 5, 2014 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

The Fruits Of Multiculturalism (With Addendum)

Multiculturalism has turned many into zipper mouths and craven cowards:


About craven cowards:

The word 'craven' has lost some of its older meanings, which was derived from a latin word for defeated. For example, a craven servant is a servant who completely submits himself to the will of his master, doing the master's bidding, regardless of right and wrong, etc. Craven also denotes one who lacks even the tiniest bit of courage. Many cowards may have courage in other areas, but one who is craven has no courage at all. Thus, 'craven' has several psychological aspects, and can be used as a deep insult.

So, a craven coward is not just any coward, but a coward who acknowledges his cowardice or his complete submission to another, both major psychological defeats.

ADDENDUM

The sexual abuse of about 1,400 children at the hands of Asian men went unreported for 16 years because staff feared they would be seen as racist, a report said today.

Must-watch video (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers):


Such is the state of the West today. Certain words must not be uttered!

Quotation Of The Day

The situation has deteriorated drastically since the statement below was published.

“Under Obama, the United States has suffered some real reputational damage,” admitted Washington Post columnist David Ignatius in May, adding: “I say this as someone who sympathizes with many of Obama’s foreign-policy goals.”

Read the rest of Damage to Obama’s foreign policy has been largely self-inflicted (Washington Post on May 6, 2014).

Also consider this information from Commentary Magazine (September 1, 2014):

By 2017, the U.S. military will be an increasingly hollow force, with the Army as small as it was in 1940, before conscription; a Navy the size it was in 1917, before our entry into World War I; an Air Force flying the oldest—and smallest—fleet of planes in its history; and a nuclear arsenal no larger than it was during the Truman administration.

Defenders and supporters of Obama, GET A CLUE!  We are standing on the precipice of the abyss.  Why can't you see that abyss?

Knocking On The Door (With Addendum)

Foreign-policy checkmate?

A SECOND MESSAGE TO AMERICA:

Insurance Notice We Received (NOT Health Insurance)

Note the wording, the kind of wording that Mr. AOW and I have never before seen on any of our insurance policies (Yes, we do read our insurance policies word-for-word):

We are receiving a $58 rebate on the 2014-2015 premium we paid about 10 days ago.

Two questions:

1. Has anybody else reading this blog post received any similar information about changes in policy coverage?

2. What has prompted this change in wording?

Back To School

Something to keep in mind as the 2014-2015 school term begins:

The classes that I teach to groups of homeschoolers begin tomorrow. This entire week will be a madhouse!

This year, the rotation for high school literature is British Literature.  We will begin the term with a study of Beowulf.  Other readings for this term, in addition to the anthology textbook, which contains a great deal of rather difficult poetry: John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, William Shakespeare's Richard III, and Charles Dickens's Hard Times.

I will also be teaching Grammar and Mechanics, Advanced Composition, American History, SAT Verbal Prep, Latin 3, Spanish 5, and Middle School Literature-Composition.  This class line-up reflects a reduction in the courses I offer.  I'm not getting any younger and need to be careful not to commit myself to course overload.

Many students new to the group have enrolled, and they will suffer a bit of a shock the first month. These classes are intense — as am I as a teacher.

Anyway, on September 2, we're off and running.

The Joys Of Summer

(If you must have politics, please scroll down to the open thread, the blog post just below this one)

Ah!  The joyful memories of summer! (with thanks to Duck, who took the photo and emailed me the jpeg):

Fountain (July 24, 2014)

See more of Duck's photographic art at Duck's Flickr page.

"End of Summer" by Stanley Kunitz:

Open Thread

Yes, I'm back — not that I was ever really absent from this blog, but rather spending a great deal of time preparing for the start of the 2014-2015 school term.

So, what's on your mind?

Here is your chance to vent, but please observe the guidelines listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. We will delete comments that include any of the following:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
4. We do not respond to anonymous comments
One infuriating story that recently came to my attention:

Christian children...Islamic songs [at Rejoice Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, on the evening of 9/22/13]

Even more infuriating — and dangerous:

Obama confesses: ‘We don’t have a strategy yet’ for Islamic State

A few days early.

All the tasks needing to be completed are now done.

I will have two posts early tomorrow: an open thread and an end-of-summer post

During this blog break, I've done my best to keep up with developments in the news. What an avalanche!

Blog Break (With Addendum)

It's time for R&R (rest and relaxation)!

Until August 31, this blog is on summer break.  Please return for new posts on that date, for which I already have two posts queued up. 

During this blog break, I might or might not be making blog rounds. Intense blogging makes R&R impossible and blights life.

Comment moderation is intermittently enabled during this R&R break. I rarely use comment moderation, but I'm determined to enjoy a period of respite.

ADDENDUM: If you wish to post comments about current events, go to this open thread. Otherwise, your comment will not be published.

In Honor Of Robin Williams

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Last photo, posted by Robin Williams to Instagram: "Happy Birthday to me! A visit from one of my favorite leading ladies, Crystal."

First, read about Awakenings, my favorite Robin Williams film.

Then, watch the short video below particularly poignant now that this brilliant performer is gone — apparently by his own hand:


Robin Williams the performer always gave 110%.  He could make me smile and cry, sometimes at the same time.

RIP, Robin. I miss you already.

Open Thread

So, what's on your mind?

Here is your chance to vent, but please observe the guidelines listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. We will delete comments that include any of the following:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
4. We do not respond to anonymous comments
One recent story that made me sigh in frustration:

Salon Attempts to Paint Avowed Communist Lee Harvey Oswald as a “Right-Winger”.

Here's another:  

FAA Issues Flight Restrictions Over Ferguson After Rioters Shoot At Police Helicopter.

Bob Schieffer: "A World Gone Mad"

Please watch this short video published on July 24, 2014 (hat tip to Reliapundit of THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS):


Your thoughts on the above?

Howard Zinn's Long, Influential Arm (With Addendum)

This blog post will remain here for several days so that readers of this blog can explore the information in manageable segments.

Please avail yourself of the opportunity to learn about the anti-American views of the man who has in recent years probably most influenced Americans' interpretation of our own history and heritage. Even conservatives have bought into many of Howard Zinn's ideas — and the disparagement of America.

In fact, his materials, including portions of and materials derived from A People's History of the United States, are used in classrooms all over the United States.

During the interview, Dennis Prager asked Zinn if the world would be a better or worse place if America had never existed. Zinn said that the world would be a better place if America had never existed.

The interview in four parts:











For further study:

The Zinn Education Project web site

The Zinn Education Facebook page

Questions for discussion:

1.  How much of Howard Zinn's influence impacted your education?

2.  How much of Howard Zinn's influence impacts your children's (or other younger relatives' education) today?

3.  Besides education, do you see other ways in which Howard Zinn's influence has impacted the way the people think today?

ADDENDUM

Since I queued up this blog post, the following information about the new AP American History Course has come along (August 7, 2014):

Historic fail? Greatest Americans missing from proposed curriculum

New history curriculum standards proposed for top high school students leave out such American icons as Benjamin Franklin and Martin Luther King, Jr., paint colonists as bigots and gloss over the Greatest Generation's fight to save the world from Nazi Germany, according to conservative education activists who want the framework delayed — and perhaps scrapped altogether.

An open letter circulated by conservative education activists is calling on The College Board to delay implementing new Advanced Placement U.S. History guidelines, saying a “rising tide of opposition” believes the curriculum will take the nation’s classrooms in a bad direction.

The Aug. 4 letter, which is addressed to David Coleman, president/CEO of the New York-based nonprofit, claims the new 98-page curriculum is a “dramatic departure” from the five-page outline previously used by teachers and students and offers a consistently negative view of Americans as oppressors and exploiters.

“The framework ignores the rise of democratic institutions such as the House of Burgesses and New England town meetings,” the letter reads. “It also omits the colonists’ growing commitment to religious freedom and the emergence of a pluralistic society that lacked an entrenched aristocracy.”

What’s missing from the curriculum, according to a former public school teacher and author of two Advanced Placement prep guides, is mention of John Winthrop and his “city upon a hill” sermon as one of the key early instances of American exceptionalism and references to Roger Williams and the birth of religious toleration.

[...]

“And you’re not going to find Thomas Jefferson and the House of Burgesses and the cradle of democracy either,” said Larry Krieger, who retired in 2005 after more than three decades in the classroom. “And finally, you’re not going to find Benjamin Franklin and the birth of American entrepreneurialism.”

Instead, students exposed to the curriculum — roughly 500,000 annually nationwide, many of whom will take the class as sophomores and juniors — will find a narrative laden with tyranny and subjugation....

More at the above link.

Also see New War Over High School U.S. History.

Howard Zinn has won!

August 8, 2014, On The Gathering Storm

I rarely post the audio of a particular edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, broadcast live and via podcast by Blog Talk Radio every Friday. The last edition of the show, however, is worthy of its own separate blog post.

Last Friday, Iraqi exile IQ al Rassoli and I discussed the recent bombing of ISIS ordered by Barack Hussein Obama. Please listen to the first 8 minutes of the show:

Popular Politics Internet Radio with WC Always On Watch on BlogTalkRadio

(web link to the show)

Music And The Brain

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

From Plato:

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.

Scientific evidence supports Plato's statement:


As Plato asserted, the benefits of music go beyond measurable neurological findings.   Music does indeed feed the soul (extensive list of quotes on that topic).

Staying Informed

Do you ever feel like this?

Nincompoopery Poll

(Nincompoopery — and worse — abounds! This edition of "Nincompoopery" offers specific links, and readers have the option of taking a poll as to which story they find the most outrageous. Discussion available in the comments section)

Links to read:

ONE: Michelle O’s menu ‘financial disaster,’ school district says

TWO: Feds spend $200K to uncover why Wikipedia seems to be sexist

THREE: "Appalling" Military Directive Elevates Rights of Muslims Over Christians; Reeks of Political Correctness

FOUR: Inquiry by C.I.A. Affirms It Spied on Senate Panel

FIVE: $7,060,259,674,497.51--Federal Debt Up $7 Trillion Under Obama


Please cast your vote in the following poll, which closes on Tuesday:

customer surveys

Race-Based Grading Policy?

Please forward to the 7:58 mark, and watch through the 10:43 mark:


The University of Wisconsin Madison denies that such a policy is in force. But take a look at the babble in this truncated version of the official policy of the University of Wisconsin [Ludicrous babble alert!]:

Book Review: The Housekeeper and the Professor

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

I've read several interesting novels this summer.  One of the gems I discovered is The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. The story, possibly suggested by the case of H.M.,  is both poignant and uplifting — with just the right touch of sentimentality. 

In fact, this book is pure enchantment.  A book to read over and over again!

Midweek Political Satire

With a hat tip to Western Hero:

SPEW ALERT!

FEATURED QUESTION: Constitutional Roles

(This blog post will remain here for a few days)

In several ways, my sister-in-law is a nice person. She is also financially prosperous. As the executive president and CFO of her own private business and living in a very exclusive area of Southern California, she is clearly a member of "the 1%."

When it comes to politics, however, she and I are at complete odds over on Facebook, where I'm actually quite restrained in any political posts that I make. Indeed, I rarely post about politics at Facebook; rather, I typically reserve that venue for contacting friends, family, and former students.

I'm sure that my sister-in-law would have a meltdown if she saw this blog! I have carefully kept secret from her my Always On Watch identity.

One day, my sister-in-law revealed an important part of her political belief system: "President Obama is the man with a vision. It is the job of Congress to smooth the waters!" I was dumbfounded. My sister-in-law is an anomaly in our family, and I didn't expect that salvo from her. Furthermore, she launches an attack every time I post anything the slightest bit political — the one exception being anything about Islam. She hates all religions with a passion.

FEATURED QUESTION: How does one reason with those who believe as my sister-in-law does? 

When Progressives are members of one's own family, it is well nigh impossible to avoid them completely — or to be oneself around them, for that matter.

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

A short portion of The Tempest, incidental music by Jean Sibelius:


[about Jean Sibelius (December 8, 1865 – September 20, 1957)]

The blurb from YouTube:

Open Thread

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Here is your chance to vent, but please observe the guidelines listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. We will delete comments that include any of the following:
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One recent story that made me sigh in frustration: Obama’s Eid message praises “contributions of Muslim Americans to building the very fabric of our nation”

Today on The Gathering Storm

(Ongoing political discussion at the blog posts below this one)

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and Always On Watch.

The show broadcasts live for 30 minutes every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Our scheduled guest this week is Mr. Ducky. We will be discussing Ukraine and Russia.