Hey,
You know how the government takes Thomas Jefferson's phrase "wall of separation of Church and State" and says that it means that the government can have nothing to do whatsoever with religion, even to a point where they won't let a church share buildings with a school?  Well, here's another quote from Jefferson.
"[N]o man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

Also, from the Bill of Rights:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

Both of these are saying that no one should be forced to profess a certain faith, not that there should be no contact between Church and State.

And, Jefferson's quote about the wall of separation of church and state is badly taken out of context.  What it means, as most of you probably know, is that the government cannot keep people from freely worshiping, not that Church and State can have no contact.

Wouldn't it be nice if the government knew that?

Cyber vs. Reality

     Hey, everybody.  How many of you use Facebook?  I'm guessing just about all.  I don't, but many, many teens do.  How many of you text?  I am guessing most of you.  How many use Twitter?  Again, I'm guessing a lot.  So many teens use social websites or text messages, and I just want to say this:  while they're useful tools, don't fall into the all too common trap of spending too much time on them.  You probably think, "Well, I personally don't spend much time on it."  Well, time yourself.  See if that is so.  I challenge you.

     One thing that I really can't stand seeing is when teens text constantly.  Texting some is fine.  I will never do it, but it is okay if other people choose to do it.  But if you just stand in a school, a public building, or an amusement park for a while, you will notice.  And you will get annoyed.  I saw some teens at a local amusement park la few days ago, and after every single ride and between rides, they were on their phones, texting or surfing the web.  

     As I said, texting and surfing the web some is fine.  It just gets excessive when that's all you do.  So time yourself, and see how long you are on social websites and texting.  Make sure you spend a lot of time in the real world as well as the cyber world.

Hey everybody GS here.  I've been doing bog maintenance for this blog for the last few years since I stopped being the main poster.  I've just realized that there are dead links here and there around this blog give me a few days and I'll try to get those fixed.  Thanks for understanding.
The Big One
GS

A lot has been happening lately.  Bombs, shootings, wars, natural disasters, crashes, and other terrible things.  But do you ever feel detached from it all?  You know, like you are concerned about it and all, but it isn't that big?  Obviously, if it happened to you, it would seem different.  Just remember that it could.  Those things in the news tell about things that happen to people just like us.
Ever noticed that with nearly every terrible event, there is a hero?  I don't know about all of them, but with at least some of them, the reason that they kept a level head during those times might be because they avoided thinking "Oh, those things happen to other people, not me."  If they were mentally prepared, even just a little bit, they could have kept a level head better.  But than, I don't know.  But it is something to think about, isn't it?

Study

     Here is something that will really help you in your studies throughout the year.
     During the summer, keep learning.  I know, you want a break from all your school/homeschool work.  (You're lucky.  I keep working during the summer.)  I'm not saying to work as hard as during the winter; just brush through your work.
     The first lesson in my pre-algebra book is about addition and subtraction.  The next is about multiplication.  Division doesn't come until several lessons later (and even then it teaches remainders, not decimals, until several more lessons are passed).  I should expect that division is in the first review lesson at the beginning of the book, but no, it's not.  It's several lessons in.
     I was surprised by this, since I never take long breaks during the summer.  After all, it is made for eighth grade.  Eighth graders should know division, right?  However, I was told that people really do forget a lot during the summer.  Not quite that much, but having such ridiculously easy lessons is necessary so people are all on the same page.
     So what I'm saying is that you should just practice your work once or twice a week so you don't forget a lot when school/your homeschool work begins again.  That way, for the first several weeks of school, you will be brushing through your work and you will eventually turn out a lot smarter than if you didn't.
     I hope it works out for you.  Good luck!

Hi everyone.  Sorry for the delay.
Have you ever marveled at God's creation?  Not just thought "Wow.  That's pretty," but actually studied it really closely?  It is wonderful to look at, but if you study it really closely, it just gets better.
Take the woodpecker, for example.  God somehow taught it to close it's eyes the first time that the first one pecked.  "Why?" some of you might wonder.  The reason is that if the woodpecker's eyes would pop out if it didn't, so great is the force of the blow.  The first woodpeckers had to know this, yet until they actually pecked, how could they?  The only answer is that God put it in the woodpecker's natural instincts.  Amazing, right?
Take any other animal.  They all have natural instincts and features that all point to the fact that they could not possibly evolved, because if they did, the very first ones would have died before it could reproduce, thus there would not be any of those creatures.  God had to create them.
For more amazing animals, check out the documentary series "Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution."  It's interesting and highly informative.
It is indeed true.  All creatures really do glorify God.

The last two posts were more serious, so I figured that I may as well put something a little more lighthearted.  Here's a link: http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/archive/human-interest-news-stories/.  It's a page full of interesting (and unique) news stories from 2008-present.  Hope  you enjoy!