Patriots’ Day: April 19th

April 19th is Patriots’ Day. This is the day the War for Independence started in 1775.

Here is a great article about this.

I will be flying my Gadsden Flag on April 19th!

The evolution of teaching math: 1950’s to today

I got this by email from friend G.H.:

The evolution in teaching math since the  1950s:

Teaching Math In 1950
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. Whatis his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20 Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong  answers.)

Teaching Math In 2005
Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera para $100. El cuesto de la produccion era $80. Cuantos tortillas
se puede comprar?

Anti-Muslim sentiment in US Society?

Anti-Muslim sentiment surfaces in attacks on Obama – Yahoo! News via kwout

This article says that a photo of Democratic Presidential Candidate Obama wearing African clothing and a turban indicates that we in this country are anti-Muslim. Couldn’t be, could it?

Was it Lutherans who crashed hijacked planes into buildings in this country a few years back? No.  Do Buddhists cut off the heads of people they consider infidels?  If so, I missed the video. Did the Catholic Pope issue a death sentence upon an author of a book he disagreed with? Not in the last thousand years. After millions of Jews were murdered by Nazis in the 1930’s and 1940’s, did anyone hear of a Jew going into a BMW or Mercedes dealership and blow himself up? No.

It is Muslims who commit these atrocities. Are most Muslims into this? No, but I don’t hear an outcry condemning these acts from that community when extremists commit crimes in the name of their religion.

So are Americans anti-Muslim? Wonder why?

Ops, our central planners made an error re: global warming

Global Warming and the Minefield of Unintended Consequences – Freakonomics – Opinion – New York Times Blog via kwout

Our all knowing rulers and central planners, who know what is good for us and who are bound and determined to impose their will upon us, made an error. Ops! Turns out that biofuels – or turning the last 1/2 inch of topsoil in the mid west into corn derived ethanol, causes more environmental problems than it fixes.

What a great example of why socialism failed! Only the marketplace, that is the result of free people making self interested decisions, can improve the human condition. Yes, freedom works!

By the way, the most destructive of these socialistic central planners are central banks – the US Federal Reserve, the EU central bank, et al.

Happy Birthday, Robert E. Lee

Today (Jan. 19th) is Robert E. Lee’s birthday.

Did you know that Pres. Lincoln wanted him to lead the union army in the War Between the States?  Probably not, because saying anything good about the Confederacy is very politically incorrect. The War Between the States was NOT about slavery nor rights for black people, it was all about power and money – just like most wars.  It was not a civil war, which is a war between groups within a country for control of the territory. Rather it was a war for independence of the southern states. Some folks get really politically incorrect and call it the Second War for American Independence.

Here’s a few links of interest:  www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/civilwar.html    http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo-arch.html