One Minor Tactical Oversight

I recently read (via audio-book) Now You See It by Duke University Professor Cathy Davidson. It was a richly layered book, discussing overlapping themes in the science of attention, educational paradigms, modern technology and global business.

Ms. Davidson made some excellent points, and certainly provided abundant food for thought. I won't get in to them here, but the book is well worth reading if you have the opportunity.

Despite the many valid ideas, it was a single assumption that she spoke aloud only once that most stuck with me: the information revolution is irreversible. This was a linchpin for many of her arguments - we need to embrace new technology because it's not ever going away. What does it really matter if we let go of a few clunky skills our machines have made obsolete?

In theory, it's a perfectly reasonable point. Except for one minor tactical oversight: it isn't true. The technology on which we so willingly depend is not guaranteed to us in perpetuity.

In fact, it's not nearly as stable and secure as most of us like to believe. Shut off the power for as little as a few days and you can watch the world begin to crumble. Remember the panic that people registered just a month or a two ago when it was thought that excessive solar flares might interfere with satellite access? Better still - think of the countries restricting access to the Internet and other technologies Western countries take for granted right now.

Or, God forbid, a One Second After scenario hits and an EMP shatters every electronic device we have. What happens to the young adults who have none of those "obsolete" skills to fall back on? Who can't read a map, use a compass, do basic math without a calculator or even know how to use a card catalog to look up survival books in their library? Let's not even think about how their brains are so wired for electronic reading that they'll struggle to read real books even if they find them! (See The Shallows for more on that.)

So while I appreciate the passion and good intentions of people like Ms. Davidson, I cannot in good conscience agree to let so many precious skills be rendered obsolete. It costs us nothing to learn the old skills alongside the new and in a crisis those skills could save countless lives. Let's not cheat ourselves out of a Plan B, shall we?

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

Blaming herself for her best friend's death and haunted by nightmares, ballerina Brielle abandons her big city dreams and returns to her tiny hometown of Stratus in the fall of her senior year of high school to start over. Her attempts to lay low are complicated by the mysterious -and distractingly handsome- new kid in school, Jake. When events take an unexpected twist, Brielle finds herself in a crisis of faith, forced to make soul-deep decisions in the face of terrifying circumstances and brilliant truth.

I found a lot to like in this book. The angels and demons are strong, powerful and realistic – decidedly the best portrayal of them of I've seen since reading This Present Darkness years ago. The facts and details, as far as I could tell, lined up well with what the Bible tells us about heavenly creatures. Where creative license was taken, it was beautiful, creative and respectful.

The characters were well developed, especially considering the relative briefness of the book. They were consistent, and it was a blessing to find that the relationships modeled were reflect the kinds of healthy interaction we want for ourselves and our young people – loyal friends, on-target parents/ guardians, supportive teachers.

Perhaps amongst its biggest achievements is the book's handling of difficult subjects like human trafficking and dealing with loss. These elements are dealt with honestly but tactfully; not an easy task. I read this in one sitting and look forward to the sequel!

Dillusionment and Educational Paradigms

Way back near the end of March, I read an interesting post over on Rural Revolution about an article someone had posted on Yahoo titled How to Earn $100,000 and Still Feel Poor. While the outpouring of response was predictably derisive, I've found myself thinking back to it more than once since.

I think the core of that author's lament is too important to ignore because its echos are shaping the mindset of the next generation: he feels cheated. He did everything he was "supposed to" do - worked hard at his career, raised a family, bought a house and saved for retirement. Now, just when he expects to being reaping the payoffs of his diligence, life seems startlingly thin and unsteady.

That theme shows up again in a video by Sir Ken Robinson of TED and the RSA. He points out that children these days are much less invested in school than their parents were because they feel the same disillusionment that the Yahoo poster did. They are seeing their grandparents and parents are on shaky ground after a lifetime of doing everything by the book, and have stopped believing that academic success is the route to a desirable future.

Likewise, in Now You See It, Duke University Professor Cathy Davidson argues that modern schools and businesses present incoming generations of workers with a tense paradox. Structurally and behaviorally, they continue to run on practices designed to meet the needs of the Industrial Revolution. But they reward out-of-the-box 21st century solutions. Students can't help but notice that many of the most brilliant, most successful (and richest) entrepreneurs in of the last ten years never completed college - if they even went at all.

Personally, I think that this makes one of the best possible cases for home schooling. What better venue to teach children crucial skills like time management, self-discipline, and flexibility early on? How better to expose children to the multitude of potential jobs available to them, and to help them dabble in those opportunities early?

More importantly, however, I believe that this widespread disillusionment should be a critical factor discussed in every school district in America. Traditional public schools can have a lot to offer, but they need to be on the same page as their students. Recognizing that many of these kids won't - and maybe shouldn't - plan to attend college right out of high school (or at all) will fundamentally change how schools approach curricula, guidance counseling, internship programs and extra-curricular activities.

My guesses? If these ideas are taken seriously, we should expect to see:

* An increase in the number of students attending BOCES or similar programs that prepare them for a trade immediately upon graduation.

* A shift from considering music, art and other extra curricular activities as optional to using them as a core factor in students' educational plans.

* Widely expanded internship programs, getting high schoolers hands-on experience in real work places as early as possible.

* A re-shaping of college recruitment, admissions and academic programming as fewer students enter with "exploratory", "undecided"  or liberal arts majors and more students enroll after time in the workforce, motivated by with specific goals and pursuing more technical majors.

There's a lot of room for discussion and dissension when it comes to education, but when the same idea surfaces repeatedly in vastly different arenas it's usually a sign that it's time to sit up and take notice. I'll be interested to watch and see where this one leads.

Menu Idea Monday: Lemon Garlic Chicken

Crock pots are wonderful - there's great peace of mind in knowing throughout the day that a healthy, homemade dinner is already under way and will be ready when you walk in the door. As a bonus, they're an easy way to have hot meals in summer without turning on the oven.

The latest addition to my crock pot recipes collection is Lemon Garlic Chicken from the Six Sisters' Stuff blog.

(Gorgeous picture from original site, of course.)

Opinion:

This is a keeper! It had a very rich flavor and the different elements were impressively balanced (something often lacking in lemon recipes). I didn't find the cream cheese to add any value, and the sauce was rather thin at the end. In the future, I will omit the cream cheese entirely and thicken the sauce a smidge before serving.

My Modifications:

I diced the chicken instead of leaving it whole, which worked out well for serving over rice. I also subbed my favorite Organic Better Than Bouillon for the bouillon granules. As noted above, I plan to omit the cream cheese next time.

Dietary Mod Friendly?

This one is pretty much everybody friendly from the get-go!

Menu Idea Monday: Donuts

I'm not a big donut eater, but every once in a while the idea of something decadent for breakfast really appeals. I was quite excited to find Chocolate Covered Katie has a donut recipe.

(Gorgeous picture from original site, of course.)

Opinion:

There is a lot to like about this recipe - it's quick, simple, healthy and tastes good. The biggest thing not to like is that it requires a donut pan. While you might get away with using mini muffin pans, mini bundt pans or some other small specialty pan it is not conducive to any standard pans. (Mine spread widely, ending up more like donut cookies than anything else.)

My Modifications:

I used raw whole milk, 1 egg and honey in place of Katie's non-dairy milk, fake egg and sugar, respectively.

Dietary Mod Friendly?

This seems to be pretty flexible, and should be able to accommodate everyone. It should even work with gluten free flour!

Expanding the Arsenal

I am not known for sharing well. I don't share my husband with the floozies who hit on him while he's deployed, I don't let almost anyone else drive my Jeep, and I have been known to close the gate to the driveway for an entire day just to enjoy the solitude.

So you can imagine that when I found out there were mice in my house I was NOT happy. I might have felt a tiny twinge of discomfort when we found the first one dead in a trap in the basement (I'd never used mouse traps before), but when we found evidence of one in MY kitchen it was officially war.

The gentleman who lived here previously seemed nice enough, but he was not exactly what I'd call pro-active. Mouse-proofing the property apparently never occurred to him. So between the basement and garage we killed nearly 20 of the little monsters. I'd hoped that my beloved Arthas would be of help in this; some border collies love mice. They're crunchy (at least at first) and they squeak - just like toys, right? Unfortunately, while he's vigilant and ferocious in protecting us against other people, turkeys, deer and a host of other things, Arthas is completely unconcerned by mice.  

So we decided to expand the arsenal.

 

Meet Archimedes. He was born on a local dairy farm and we expect he'll take to mousing like a fish to water. We brought him on board yesterday, and as soon as he gets comfortable around here the responsibility for decimating the mouse population will rest in his capable paws.

He's a bit petrified of Arthas still (though Arthas is wonderful with him), but coming around. He's spunky and curious and adorable. This will be a bit of a new venture for us. My husband has never had a cat before, and this will be the first intentionally outdoor cat I've ever owned. Not having a proper barn, I don't know if we can call him a barn cat, but that's the basic idea.

For now, though, he's prowling the house and getting used to us. I have high hopes that he will settle in and be a great addition.

Homestead in the Misty Moutains

People have been asking for pictures of our new homestead in the misty mountains, and I finally found the camera and got it to cooperate. It's amazing here, though I can't stay and gush as my (very long) to-do list is sitting impatiently beside me. So here's a sneak peak...

It's a little blurry, but this is the awesome gate across our driveway - we are our very own gated community! Can I tell you how much the introvert in me loves that?

I love having a fireplace! The carpet, on the other hand, I don't understand. Who intentionally chooses a mottled, rusty brown carpet for their house? It's okay. My take-no-prisoners vacuum has whipped it into shape so it's clean and that's all that counts for now.

 I have never seen anything quite like my ovens here, but it's an excellent set up. Being smaller than standard size, each oven heats up in a fraction of the time. With two, I can bake bread and make dinner at the same time! (Yes, I know. I get excited over the most random things.)

Incidentally, the color on the wall that you can see a little bit of is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter. It's a gorgeous, silvery shade that looks very clean and elegant. It works perfectly and I'm delighted with it. (It's also scrubbable, in case someone leaves muddy streaks from a wagging tail across it... not that we'd know anyone who might do that around here...)

It's technically part of the drainage on property, but if we'd wanted to incorporate a decorative "water feature" we couldn't have done any better than this. When it rains (which it has - a lot) overflow creates a little waterfall running over the shale and in a runnel along the driveway. It's beautiful.

Now that it's stopped frosting at night, several trees like this one are budding. I have no idea what they are, but I suspect they're going to be lovely.

Incidentally, pretty much every view out of our windows looks like this - all trees. It's gorgeous!

The house still needs plenty of love, but the scrubbing and elbow grease are starting to pay off. It's starting to look more like us, and already feels like home.

Sorry I'm not much of a photographer, but I hope you enjoyed the sneak peak!