Greek Vegetable Dip

This is a really good yet very healthy recipe for vegetable dip. It has a Greek flair which comes from the garlic and yogurt ingredients. It works well as an appetizer before lamb, fish, or chicken. For vegetables, I recommend carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, or broccoli, but others will probably do as well.

Ingredients
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 cup organic sour cream
1/2 cup organic plain yogurt
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
parsley flakes or dill weed for garnish

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients (excluding parsley or dill weed) together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Pour mixture into serving bowl.
3. Sprinkle parsely or dill weed over dip for garnish.

'Extinct' Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Found in Arkansas

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The ivory-billed woodpecker, long feared extinct, has been rediscovered in a remote part of Arkansas some 60 years after the last confirmed U.S. sighting, bird experts said on Thursday."

"Several people have seen and heard an ivory-billed woodpecker in a protected forest in eastern Arkansas near the last reliable sighting of the bird in 1944, and one was captured on video last year."

Click here for the full article.

The Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses

I recently purchased some molasses to try out in my milkshakes. I was surprised to find out the nutritious value this forgotten all natural sweetner has in it.

For instance, it is loaded with vitamins, minerals and trace elements naturally present in the sugar cane plant and is a good source or iron, vitamin B6, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Click here for recipes.

The Geneva Bible

The Geneva Bible is not well known even among commited Christian believers. I was not aware of it until a few years ago. But history reveals that it once had a much brighter spotlight.

"This was the Bible read by William Shakespeare, by John Donne, and by John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress. It was the Bible that was brought to America on the Mayflower and used by Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War."

For more information, check out the The Geneva Bible entry at the Wikipedia.

Smoothie Recipes

Here are some smoothie recipes I have picked up lately.

Beam Me Up Banana
2 bananas (frozen)
1 cup of strawberries
1 cup of vanilla rice milk
2 cap full of Vanilla Extract
4 tablespoons of Grade B Maple Syrup
1/10 teaspoon of nutmeg

Lots-a-Fruit
½ cup of sliced strawberries
2 apples peeled, cut and with seeds removed
½ cup of blueberries
½ cup of peaches
¾ cup of natural apple juice
¾ cup of natural orange juice

*Make sure the juices are not from concentrate

Gettin’ My Grove Back
1 cup of natural orange juice
1 cup of sliced strawberries
2 mangos peeled and with seeds removed
2 tablespoons of Grade B Maple syrup
1/3 teaspoon of Cinnamon
¼ Tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of crushed ice

Morning Quickie
2 Frozen Bananas
1 cup of sliced frozen peaches
1 cup of natural apple juice
½ sliced strawberries

What’s Up Doc!
6 carrots
1 apple (remove seeds first)
1 celery stalk

Liver Lover
3 carrots
½ beet
1 cup of parsley

Vampire Killer
1 Handful of parsley
4 carrots
2 celery stalks
3 cloves of garlic

Blood Builder
6 carrots
6 spinach leaves
½ cucmber
1 tomato or 2 stalks of celery
½ beet
4 springs of parsley

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar has significant health benefits. I strongly recommend looking into creative ways for introducing this ingredient into your diet.

A healthy tonic before bed:

• 1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 T Clover Honey
• 8 oz water

Be sure to wash your mouth with water afterward, because the vinegar will eat your enamel if left on your teeth.

Also, I recommend the Bragg brand of organic vinegar. It the benefits of natural unfiltered richness not found in the common store brands. You can purchase Bragg vinegar online OR go to your nearest Whole Foods grocer.

Great Books Academy

This is a compelling article for introducing others to the notion of pursuing the Great Books of Western Civilization.

"The tradition of the West is embodied in the Great Conversation that began in the dawn of history and that continues to the present day. Whatever the merits of other civilizations in other respects, no civilization is like that of the West in this respect. No other civilization can claim that its defining characteristic is a dialogue of this sort. No dialogue in any other civilization can compare with that of the West in the number of great works of the mind that have contributed to this dialogue."

- Robert M. Hutchins

Click here for the article.

Antiquities of the Jews

This quote comes from a book, by Flavius Josephus, entitled Antiquities of the Jews. Josephus was a Jewish historian that today is still held in the highest regard by both Jewish and Christian historians.

"Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."

Guides for Writing About Great Books

This link points to some guidelines for learning to write about Great Books!

These guides are especially useful for teachers of the humanities.

Click here for the guides.

Get connected with Answers in Genesis

This blog entry is for anyone wanting to stay current with Creation Science events. Particularly for those interested in getting a free newsletter subscription from the Answers in Genesis organization.

In addition, you can also sign up to receive notices of monthly specials (sometimes half off the list price!).

Click here for the AiG Newsletter sign-up

U.S. Homeschoolers Beat Oxford Debaters

This article on WorldNetDaily tells the story of a team of homeschoolers who went to Oxford and won a debate tournament.

U.S. Homeschoolers beat Oxford Debaters

A Book on Speaking and Listening

I just bought a book from Amazon titled How to Speak How to Listen by Mortimer Adler. Adler was also the coauthor of the popular classic, How to Read a Book.

How to Speak How to Listen is a relatively short book on the art of speaking, listening, and basic conversation. We are all aware of, or so I hope, books that teach on public speaking. This book does that, but even beyond that. It takes the reader into a realm marked with candor unlike any I have ever seen.

It starts out by defining the different types of communication, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It touches on their similarities and also differences. Then the book covers the idea of speaking and listening found in simple, normal, everyday two-way conversation. We learned in school about reading and writing, and a pinch of public speaking. However, no where did we (in the main) learn how to listen. This book will help anyone who is in the business of communicating with others (including but not limited to parents, teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, construction workers, etc...).

At any rate, I stongly recommend this book. It is an essential item to have for any library.

Whole Foods Market Guide to Greens

"Beautiful stacks of fresh chard, bok choy, collards and more easily catch the eye, but just how much do you actually know about these colorful greens?"

"Is arugula's flavor mild or sharp? Do greens provide calcium? What's the best way to wilt greens?"

The Whole Foods Market Guide to Leafy Greens will help you leaf through it all and become a guru of greens in no time.

Governors Work to Improve Highschool Education

This is a telling article that comes from some interesting sources. For one, this article was posted onto Yahoo's Asia news website. Second, it takes quotes from the likes of Bill Gates, of whom is not on my list of people to admire (check my other blog, Computing Matters, for that topic).

However, in this instance, I have to give Gates and others the article quotes some credit. At least they are acknowledging the modern U.S. school system is broken. Gates is even quoted as saying the modern U.S. high schools are obsolete.

Here is my assessment. They are still in the dark about finding a real solution to the problem. Consider this metaphor: All these high profile officials from business and government are meeting in a room that is totally dark around a large round table. Now they have realized that there is bomb ticking as the center piece of the table. They are beginning to realize they have problem, and they need diffuse the bomb. Time is ticking away. How are they going to diffuse this bomb. No one in the room has any true wisdom concerning the matters for bomb diffusion of this sort.

In the same way, the solution for the school system is to diffuse the modern educational process with a better approach to education. If man in all his wisdom and know-how has in fact reached heights of intelligence never before attained, why is it that we are having this problem at the center of the table. It is easy to point out that we need more rigor and challenging discourse in the classroom. But how does a social program implement such an enormous change without causing the parents to hemorage over putting too much stress on their dear little children.

The problem is occurring long before the child enters high school. The problem is occuring from the very beginning, even from birth with regards to our modern philosophy towards education. God, the master Designer and Creator of matter itself, has already given us wisdom on this concern. His solution is complex and very few can understand it. But I will make an attempt here to explain it.

In a capsule, God essentially commands parents to teach their children. End of sentence. It is not to be a passive responsibility. It is not the government's responsibility. It is not the village's responsiblity. But God has ordained in His word that the responsiblity rests on the parents to teach their children.

More specifically, who does God direct this command at? Is it the mothers? Has God commanded, mothers bring up their children in the training and admonision of the Lord? LOL. Of course not! God commands the fathers to train up the children in the way they should go. Does that mean that fathers are to stay at home, and mothers are to go out to work and provide for the family. Taking the whole scripture, God's word is saying is that fathers are to be the headmasters and to have close oversight for their own school and the method in which their own children are instructed.

For more on this topic, check out these other blog entries:
Training Up Children
Classical Education Links
Books for Providing a Classical Education
Introducing the Westminster Catechism
A Vision for Ministry to Children and their Parents

John G. Reisinger Online Library

Wow! This guy is hard core and with a spat of wit plus dry humor.

John G. Reisinger Online Library

Building a Creation Library

I was recently approached by a friend inquiring about what he should buy for building his family's library concerning creation science materials.

In this list of materials, I am recommending a collection of videos, magazines, and books for children, general, and technical readers.

For some reason, the AiG website will not allow for direct URL links to online products. I am going to follow up with them on this. But in the meantime, just print this list out and locate them on the website or other websites such as ICR's bookstore.

Videos
Creation Conference 2003 Entire Set (any of the 26 Part DVD Series)
Creation Library Biology Set (any of the 5 Part DVD Series)
From a Frog to a Prince

Magazine Subscriptions
Creation and TJ Magazines

Children
A is for Adam
D is for Dinosaur
Exploring Planet Earth
The Ocean Book
Wonders of Creation
Dinosaurs of Eden
Whale of a Story
Special Wonders of the Wild Kingdom
Grand Canyon: A Different View
The Wonder of It All
The True Story of Noah's Ark
Special Wonders of the Sea World

General
The Annals of the World
The Answers Book
Chronology of the Old Testament
Streams of Civilization (along with related texts)
Creation and Change
Tools for Teaching (along with related products)
Creation and Time
Did God Use Evolution
The Genesis Record
The Great Turning Point
History of Modern Creationism
The Young Earth
One Blood
Refuting Evolution
The Remarkable Record of Job
The Twilight of Evolution
What is Creation Science
Think Biblically!

Technical
Starlight and Time
Biblical Creationism
Bones of Contention
The Biotic Message
The Genesis Flood
Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study
Not By Chance!
Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth
Science and the Bible
Scopes: Creation on Trial
Thermodynamics and the Development of Order
Vestigial Organs are Fully Functional

Crocodile Missing Link

This is truly remarkable. Finally a missing link demonstrating the evolution of one crocodile into another crocodile! No sarcasism here. No really.

Click here for the article.

"the ancient crocodile had sharper and laterally compressed teeth enabling it to sheer prey and an extra jaw muscle to give a stronger, more powerful bite."

Latin in the Classical Education

One aspect, among many, that sets the Trivium apart from other educational philosophies is the devotion it makes towards communication and language skills. Even at the early stages of the primary years are courses taught normally reserved for latter grades.

More specifically, Latin may be introduced anywhere from between K through 3rd grade. It is in these years that the child becomes acustomed to the basic parts of speech found in the Latin language. Each year the child continues to build on this knowledge until the Rhetoric stage and capable of reading primary texts such as Virgil and Cicero.

For more information and resources, check out the products from the Memoria Press.

This Memoria Press site also provides a free semiannual newsletter. Just a sample of one of the articles is Why Study Latin?

A Primer on Classical Christian Education

This blog entry seeks to explain the Classical Christian Education to promote awareness of its ideals. First, I discuss the more general Classical Education and then delve into the more specific, which is the Classical Christian Education approach.

The Classical Education is essentially described by the Trivium, which is a teaching model that tailors the educational curriculum to a child’s cognitive development.

Using language of the contempory establishment, the Trivium proceeds using the following process:
1. Elementary School - Concrete thinking and memorization of the facts
2. Middle School - Analytical thinking and understanding
3. High School - Abstract thinking and articulation

Subjects unique to Classical Education which help accomplish the goals of the Trivium are:
1. Grammar - Science of language usage
2. Logic - Science of right thinking
3. Rhetoric - Science of verbal and written expression

The Classical Education approach can be further refined with a stronger emphasis of Christian ideals. This refinement is identified as the Classical Christian Education (CCE). The CCE is characterized by a rich exposure to the history, art, and culture of Western Civilization, including its languages (Latin and Greek), its philosophy and literature (the Great Books of Western Civilization and the Christian tradition), and the development of a Biblical worldview with Theology in its proper place as the Queen of the Sciences.

One benefit of the CCE is that it can proceed at the child's own pace. Not so that we go too fast for the child and "leave them behind". But rather, I don't want to hinder their progress according to my prejudice about when I encountered the subject matter. For instance, I did not engage in learning foreign language until the 8th grade. The CCE introduces foreign language in the grammar stage (elementary years). If a child is able to read by the age of 3 or 4, let them read (not uncommon for Classical homeschoolers). Because the primary purpose of teaching our children to read is so that they can read the Word of God. And sooner the better.

My opinion is that homeschooling in-concert with a co-op strikes a healthy balance between homeschooling and also allowing a child to get healthy social interaction with other children. If a family still feels that homeschooling is not for them, then I encourage them to consider a CCE academy in their area.

For example, here are some academy schools that I am aware of across the nation. I will update this list as I discover more.

• FaithWest School (Katy, TX)
  
• Veritas Christian Academy (Houston, TX)
• Memorial Lutheran School (Missouri Synod) (Houston, TX)
• Veritas Academy (Leola, PA)
• Logos School (Moscow, ID)
• Geneva School (Winter Park, FL)
  

White Bean Spread

"When thinking of great taste accompaniments to bread, challenge the butter and olive oil and balsamic vinegar routine with this herby spread. What you have here is a versatile accompaniment for toasted baguettes or warm crepes. You can also use it as a dip made for thick chunks of French bread or pita sandwiches. Plan one day in advance in order to soak the beans overnight. Of course, you always have the option of using canned beans if you're really pressed for time."

Click here for the recipe.