Christian Families and the "Top Universities:" Worthy Goal or Worldly Trap?

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, "College faculties, long assumed to be a liberal bastion, lean further to the left than even the most conspiratorial conservatives might have imagined, a new study says...By their own description, 72 percent of those teaching at American universities and colleges are liberal and 15 percent are conservative, says the study being published this week. The imbalance is almost as striking in partisan terms, with 50 percent of the faculty members surveyed identifying themselves as Democrats and 11 percent as Republicans...The disparity is even more pronounced at the most elite schools, where, according to the study, 87 percent of faculty are liberal and 13 percent are conservative.... The findings, by Lichter and fellow political science professors Stanley Rothman of Smith College and Neil Nevitte of the University of Toronto, are based on a survey of 1,643 full-time faculty at 183 four-year schools. The researchers relied on 1999 data from the North American Academic Study Survey, the most recent comprehensive data available...Top-tier schools, roughly a third of the total, are defined as highly ranked liberal arts colleges and research universities that grant PhDs. The most liberal faculties are those devoted to the humanities (81 percent) and social sciences (75 percent), according to the study. But liberals outnumbered conservatives even among engineering faculty (51 percent to 19 percent) and business faculty (49 percent to 39 percent)...The most left-leaning departments are English literature, philosophy, political science and religious studies, where at least 80 percent of the faculty say they are liberal and no more than 5 percent call themselves conservative"--Washingtonpost.com, Tuesday, March 29, 2005; Page C01.

What do you think? Should Christian students seek after scholarships at ivy league colleges with a pagan agenda? How about homeschooling college and picking your own books to read? For instance, don't just read ABOUT Bishop James Ussher from the politically correct slant; read Ussher's book for yourself and think for yourself. Most original source documents are available for free. Try this educational, Christian worldview freebie on for size:
The Annals of the World, by Bishop James Ussher, 1580-1656, a free copy of the public domain book, at http://bennieblount.org

Blue Monday Laundry Put on Hold; College Scholarship Game Opportunity

Here it is, Monday, again. Monday as in "Blue Monday," the traditional day you get your laundry done. For me, Blue Monday means, as in my washer and dryer are both giving me fits. I did a little research on the internet to diagnose the problem. Here's the best site I found, http://www.repairclinic.com, and it looks like my washer has one of the following problems:

"If your washer pumps out the water but doesn't spin, check these:
The lid switch may be defective. If it is, the washing machine doesn't spin. The switch is inside the washing machine main housing near the door frame. Often you have to raise or open the top or front of the washing machine to get to the switch. If it's defective, you need to replace it.
The motor coupler may be broken. Many Whirlpool®-manufactured washers use a small, relatively inexpensive motor coupling. It's plastic and rubber and is mounted to the shaft of the motor on one side, and to the transmission on the other. Over time, the coupler wears out and fails. You may need to replace it.

A belt may be broken. Many washing machines have one or two belts. If a belt is broken or badly worn, you need to replace it with a genuine belt from the manufacturer. (Some washing machine belts are designed with special characteristics not found in automotive belts.)
The clutch may be worn. If your washer is a GE, it may use a clutch to come up to the proper spin speed. As the clutch wears out, it may prevent the unit from spinning well or at all. If the clutch is worn, you need to replace it. For this job, you probably want to hire a qualified appliance repair technician.

The drive motor may be defective. Many washer brands use a reversing motor. For agitation the motor runs in one direction, for spinning and draining, the other. It's possible for a motor to burn out in one direction and continue to operate in the other. If this happens, you need to replace the entire motor.

The transmission may not be shifting properly. Older washers produced by Whirlpool® have a transmission with an electro-mechanical shifter. If the shifter becomes even partially defective, the unit may drain the water but not spin. This is a complex system, if your washer has a shifter problem, you may want to hire a qualified appliance repair technician to repair it.
The spin bearing or basket drive may be worn or seized. These components allow the inner tub to spin freely inside the outer tub. When this is the problem, you usually hear a loud sound during the spin cycle. Call a qualified appliance repair technician. "

Had enough? I know I have. Sure, I want to save money for homeschooling, but I'm an educational writer, not an appliance repair person. I'm not about to take my washer/dryer apart and replace parts, even if I could figure this stuff out. So it looks like Blue Monday will have to be put on hold, along with all the dirty laundry.

Switching gears (washer parts again?) from housework to homework, we're still looking for ways to pay for college. Do you like "trivial Pursuit" style educational games? Have you tried the Common Knowledge Scholarship Game? Our high school age homeschool students are thinking about getting involved. As I understand it, students take on-line quizzes, and receive points for correct answers and according to how fast they answer correctly. The contest is created in conjunction with the Deaver Foundation and Nova Southeastern University. It is possible to miss a quiz and still win the scholarship, according to the web site. "The questions could cover topics ranging from book knowledge to common sense to trivia, "from the sublime to the ridiculous." - Jim Chartre

View the Rules for the Common Knowledge Scholarship Game, at , http://www.cksf.org/

The Free Truth About Governement Surplus Property

Homeschooling on one income? If you're like our family, you're always looking for a way to save money. You've problably seen ads promising ridiculously cheap governement property, such as "buy a governement surplus jeep for $50!" Needless to say, those ads just take your money, and don't deliver the jeep. At best, they might provide you with a poor quality brochure of information that you can get yourself, for free. It's easy to find out the truth about government surplus property. Try these free web sites:

Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service - offers government surplus property.
US Customs Public Auctions - from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Items include real estate, vehicles, jewelry, apparel, electronics, and more.
United States Treasury Auctions - with information on and links to government managed seized property auctions.
GSA: Government Vehicle Sales - offers a directory of public auctions throughout the country selling pre-owned government vehicles.
IRS Real Estate and Personal Property Sales - describes where the IRS advertises property seized for the non-payment of income taxes.
GSA Auctions - official site for government surplus, seized, and forfeited property.
FedSales.gov - official U.S. Federal Government portal for information on all assets, surplus, and auctions currently offered to the public across all U.S. Federal agencies and departments.
Federal Communications Commission Auction - features information on FCC auctions of licenses for electromagnetic spectrum, including schedules and reference materials.

"Maybe God's Going To Cleanse Us."

What if...The terrible destruction from Hurricane Katrina--which, I understand, means "Cleansing--"started a revival in the hearts of the Hurricane survivors?
What if...Those Hurricane survivors, being sent across America to become assimilated into other cities, spread revival around the country?
Perhaps something to think about--or better yet, something to pray about.
Perhaps it has already started. On September 1, the New Orleans City Council President said:
"Maybe God's Going To Cleanse Us."
See the complete article at LifeSite, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/sep/05090111.html
Log on for a free subscription to LifeSiteNews.com, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/subscribe/, an alternative to the mainstream news media.

World Relief, the Church, and Hurricane Relief

World Relief, http://www.wr.org/forum , is providing a web service to "facilitate the partnering of churches seeking support and individuals and groups seeking to volunteer their time and expertise in the hurricane-affected region.At this time, World Relief is requesting that churches in need of help post requests. People or churches wanting to volunteer will be able to contact churches directly. If your team plans on responding to a particular church's need - you may post that info - but please refrain from posting personal contact information. Once you register to use this forum, people may contact you by email.God Bless Your Efforts!"