DH and I are atheists, but we place a high value on women with long hair because we believe it to be a beautiful tradition of our culture. In Western civilization, it was only in the past century that women began cutting their hair short. We feel that women with long hair seem more feminine. Hair is a reflection of one's values and ideals, just as wearing a specific kind of clothing can be both an indication of one's culture and an important reminder to the person wearing said clothing of what qualities they aspire toward.

You should screencap it and submit it to http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/ !

DropBox might be your answer. https://www.dropbox.com/ You can open a free account, which comes with 2gb of space, to see how you like it. They offer 100gb for only $8.25 per month (it's normally $10/month but you get a discount for paying for a full year in advance).

We'll probably moving to Athens, Georgia (pop. 110k) soon because of DH's work. We've always lived in small towns, so this is going to be a big change for us. We're trying to decide between these two options. 1. A house outside the city. DH would have to commute 45 minutes or more. The houses are cheaper, but they're also a lot older, in need of updates, etc. Grocery shopping might be a pain. No trash pick-up. It's quiet and the wooded lots are big enough that you feel like you have privacy. 2. A gated community within the city. Asssociation fees are an added expense, but there's a community pool and playground. It's a ten minute drive to scenic downtown, and close to the museums, parks, etc. The houses here are much bigger and newer, pretty much move-in ready. Homes are $50k more expensive, but it's still within our budget. They have very small lots--this is something we're not used to at all. There's maybe...25 feet between the houses. We don't have dogs, so we don't have to worry about pets not having enough space. DH is partial to living in the country and commuting. He likes the privacy and being able to see trees instead of other houses outside his windows. I'm leaning toward the city, because I think it might be good for us to break out of our comfort zone and take advantage of the amenities the city has to offer. Which would you choose? Do you have any advice for us? Help us decide!

So everyone involved who said or did inappropriate things is no longer there, right? And I'm assuming that if the "inappropriate" things were of a nature that they weren't illegal. This is just about a potential civil suit? Honestly, I would quit because I would not want to work in an enviornment where I knew I had been deliberately deceived about this controversy. This thing is huge, and you're having to attach your name to it, and they led you into the ring of fire without a by-your-leave. That shows a complete lack of professionalism or regard for your own well being. If they were okay with doing that, what else might they do? If push came to shove, do you really trust them not to scapegoat you if they thought it would save their own hides?

I don't know. The Mormons I've known haven't shown very much kindness towards gay people or polygamists. I remember one Mormon I talked to years ago who, after asking about my beliefs and learning that I was an atheist, condescendingly said, "I'm so sorry. Your life must be really sad." I saw two studies recently. One showed that atheists were the least trusted/liked of all groups in America—more than Muslims, to my surprise. The other study showed that atheists are the most likely to help people. I'll try to find that one...here it is. does anyone know if there have been any studies showing Mormons to be more moral, etc.? I only bring up the atheist study to point out how rare it is for people to say, "Wow, atheists sure are doing something right!" and to highlight the fact that we can rely on something more than (good or bad) anecdotes to assess groups of people!

We'd been to the Grand Canyon before, so we were shocked to find that Linville Gorge much more beautiful by comparison. The Grand Canyon may get all the hype, but we we were much more impressed with Linville Gorge. The two main hikes are Table Rock and he Chimnies. I'm trying to think of how to gauge their difficulty... Both my DH and I are overweight and out of shape, but we were fine -- out of breath, took breaks, but it wasn't terrible. The Chimnies was the easier hike. Each trail took us about an hour, with a lengthy break in between for lunch. Be aware that they don't have water fountains, so bring lots of water. They do have bathrooms and picnic tables. This site came up in a google search: http://www.linvillegorge.net/

You can make up to $450 with a paid bone marrow transfusion. It's a walk-in thing in most places.

Q 1. If your kids wanted to go to college, would you a) support them as well as you possibly could without enormous debt/hardship or b) refuse financial support beyond the absolute minimum required for a degree in something you thought economically viable? B. Q 2. If you chose b, why is the education you gave them via homeschooling worth making major sacrifices for, but not a college education? Because it is my responsibility to prepare my children for adulthood. Once they become adults, they are responsible for their own financial and educational responsibilities. We homeschool for primarily academic purposes. I stay at home and we are dedicated to making whatever sacrifices we need to in order to continue homeschooling. We don't homeschool so that they can go to college, and we do have many reservations about college. My DH was one of those rare few who, like previous posters, obtained a hard science degree that was very specialized. He still thinks half of his college classes were ridiculous. He still thinks the education bubble will burst at some point like the housing bubble. He still wishes he could sit his 18 year old self down for a hard talk about how today's university is not his parent's 1950's idea of university, where every young person who graduates with honors is sumarily awarded with a career. I'll stop here because it's derailing the thread to get into all the why's and wherefore's of our criticisms of what my DH calls the Educational Industrial Complex. I just want to emphasize that we are extremely skeptical and we have no qualms on sharing our opinions with our kids. However, if they decide to go to college, we'll guide them through the necessary steps to get there. We'll educate them about applications, scholarships, degrees. We would strongly advise them not to go hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt; this would not be the first time we introduced the concept of debt to them, so hopefully we could sway them against this, but...well, if they truly think it's the right path, it's their choice to make. We will support them wholeheartedly in whatever endeavor they choose. But we will most certainly not pay a dime. Not because of our feelings about university education, but because we believe that the true test of whether a person is an adult or just an overgrown kid is whether they are responsible for themselves. We feel that as long as parents give money to their children past the age of 18, even if that family is almost saintly in their awesomeness, there is a price. The price of power. The knowledge that the parents have that power over their son or daughter, even if they never abuse it (and who is to say whether they might subconsciously? or that the son or daughter might perceive an abuse even if there isn't one? or perhaps that the son or daughter grow to feel entitled?). The son or daughter would always know, if only in the back of their minds, that they are not making their own way, that he or she is a dependent. Those unintended consequences aside, we believe that as adults, college students should be responsible for their own finances. It would do our children a disservice to step in and take away a very important part of being an adult because of good intentions and our sentimental desire not to see them struggle.

"Interestingly enough, I have found that the prayers I offer to the sun and the prayers I formerly offered to God are all answered at about the same 50-percent rate." — George Carlin

:iagree::iagree::iagree: This scandal was only one symptom of a greater problem. You hear about teams covering up rapes (gang rapes even) all the time. Everyone knows its par for the course to accept players to a college who do not belong there, and that they get passed through college classes without having to show up. IMHO college football is rotten with corruption to its very core.

:confused: I thought I could add a poll after I posted, but I think I forgot to check the "Create Poll" box and now it's not showing up for me as an option when I edit the post.

I agree with you! I just wasn't sure what monetary amount to pledge--I wanted something modest enough that virtually everyone could agree that it was reasonable. I just saw that WTM is listed for $20 e-book and $30 hardcover. I'd be willing to pay that for Ruth's book. :001_smile: It's great that with the responses so far, the point being driven home (perhaps to a publisher turning an eye on this thread) is that the enthusiasm is definitely there.

The purpose of this thread is to allow Hive members to petition Ruth (lewelma) to write a science book. For those of you who may have missed her threads, please read: Scientific Inquiry How important is science curriculum? Rigorous Logic Stage Science Sequence If there are any other great threads I might have forogtten to link, please let me know. Ruth's book could talk more in depth about scientific inquiry vs. scientific history, how to incorporate WTM science in a practical way, how to choose those three science books per year, whether you should let your student just absorb what's in those science books or if you should require some sort of report, why you should resist the urge to just buy a boxed curriculum, why science is usually taught the way it is to children in classrooms, and of course science projects (this would probably be half the book). I'd love to hear more of her ancedotes on the projects she's done with her children, and it'd be great to see more problem-solving tips to keep science projects from hitting a brick wall. I humbly submit that she contact Peace Hill Press to see if this is something they'd like to get involved with. If not, she should at least self-publish on Kindle! What say the Hive? Will you join me on bended knee in asking Ruth to write a book in her copious free time? If you'd like to treat this as a kickstarter project, feel free to copy my pledge into your comment as a show of support. I will absolutely buy Ruth's book about teaching children science. I'd be willing to pay $15 per copy.

You should ask the superintendent for a list of all the addresses of students attending public school in your county, so that you can send them a very nice letter explaining how homeschooling students make the public school's much touted SAT scores look paltry.

I would sign her up for ballet, and explain that she's had a year (or however much time) to take gymnastics classes, so now she is going to give equal time to trying ballet. At the end of this year of ballet, she'll have had enough of each to decide which to do next year. It's like trying two different ice cream flavors. If you ate french vanilla every week for a year, you'd feel like you liked it "best" just because it's what you're used to having. But to truly appreciate new flavors, you can't just try something once or a few times...you have to devote some real time to it to see if it's what truly like best. She can't know whether she likes gymnastics or ballet better because she hasn't done enough ballet yet to really know. (Just trying to break it down in a way she might understand!)

I'm pretty sure you can call Animal Control and file a complaint with them about the owner. It's considered animal cruelty to not seek vetinary care for an animal that is clearly suffering. Not only will the owner (justifiably) get in trouble, but the cat will receive help.

This can only be done if you don't have pets or toddlers... Boric acid. It kills just about any bug it comes in contact with, and from what I've read online, it's what professional pest control uses against carpet beetles. Put down a light dusting of it behind baseboards, crevices, etc. if you have light colored carpet, dust the entire carpet and leave it for at least a day before vacuuming. It's harmless to humans insofar as touching it. However, it is poisonous if ingested, so don't let small children or pets around it!

It means they are reacting to your opinion of her.

There is no reason to be angry and ready to snap at all, cereal aside. It honestly seems like you're reading too much into a teen girls' sleepover. Your daughter really hasn't done any serious harm. I'm afraid you will regret letting your temper run away with you. Breathe. Try to summon up a generosity of spirit. Let the small things roll off you like water on a duck. Wait a few days before discussing this with your daughter, so you have time to put everything in perspective.

Maybe she hasn't come out because she or your daughter are getting a bad vibe from mom. I think it's a little premature to speculate about teen pregnancy.

Remember that your daughter is 15, and there is precious time left before she leaves the nest. I don't think it's a hill worth dying on. Let this go and you'll both laugh about this one day!

Even if you are on a budget, I think hospitality dictates that you shouldn't invite guests over if you can't spare half a bag of cereal. I honestly wouldn't even blame your daughter. Imagine how she must have felt when this friend said that she didn't want leftovers because she didn't care for what was cooked, and then asked to snack on some cereal. In your daughters position, it seems like it would have been rude (and humiliating) not to concede to such a small request. Edit: she shouldn't have lied about having already eaten. However, I don't think this is a big deal considering her motive was probably not to seem rude by turning away what was cooked. It's evident that YOU believe that one should never do that, but different families have different standards and this must be accounted for.

http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Email-Signature-on-an-iPad I changed mine as soon as I set up my email account!

The Diva Cup has a lot of the convenience of tampons, without any risk of TSS: http://www.divacup.com/ I've been using them for the past eight years and would never go back to tampons!