When did art go from richly textured acts of beauty captured on canvas and stone to (literally, in many unfortunate cases) the crap on display in modern museums?
If you haven't checked out Ladies Against Feminism, I highly recommend it. Not only will it feed your brain's need for intellectual stimulation, but it's postings of real art related to the post subjects will feed your need to see something beautiful as well.
As for the degeneration of education, I was appalled yesterday to catch a snippet of the History channel's WWII in HD. Why? Because I learned more in five minutes about WWII than I ever learned in all the years I was in school! While I am not uninformed on the fact that textbooks are written selectively, I remain amazed at all the things that would have held and piqued my interest in school that were never taught. Did you know that the Bataan Death March happened because General MacArthur pulled out under cover of night, abandoning the troops in the Phillipines? Did you know that the marines at Guadalcanal were also abandoned for five weeks, alone on a Japanese infested island with no supplies, backup or reinforcements? Did you even know where Guadalcanal was?
The more I learn, the more I empathize with homeschooling families who prefer to teach their children about life through a love of reading and personal interest than through standardized text books. It's easy to see how someone pursuing a love of any subject could easily master other less intrinsically interesting subjects when they are worked in as related to the subject of choice.
On an only somewhat related note, if you're like me and have a tendancy to loan out books from your personal library, you may have noticed a need for bookplates to stick in the front to make sure they get returned to you. Which, of course, would have led to wincing when you looked at the price tag attached to said lovely plates (such as the elegant but expensive examples here). I am delighted, then, to share FREE bookplates available here. There are a number of fun designs in a variety of sizes, including a children's section if you have any little people in your life that you're trying to encourage to love reading.
Anywho, that's enough out of me for now. Eric's on base for Guard Drill this weekend and my list of things to do is long. To say nothing of the unloved puppy at my feet, hoping to get out for a run. More later!
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