OH, CANADA!
The quote from Dr. Suess’ Yertle the Turtle deemed too political for Canadian tots:

Dr. Seuss’s ‘Yertle the Turtle’ deemed too political for B.C. classroom

A Prince Rupert elementary teacher has been told a quote from Dr. Seuss’s Yertle the Turtle is a political statement that should not be displayed or worn on clothing in her classroom.

The teacher included the quote in material she brought to a meeting with management after she received a notice relating to union material visible in her car on school property.

The advice is in keeping with a 2011 arbitrator’s decision that found political materials must be kept out of B.C. classrooms, said Dave Stigant, who is acting director of instruction for the Prince Rupert School District and who met with the teacher to discuss what would and wouldn’t run afoul of district standards.

And while he conceded Tuesday that it might seem absurd to spend time reviewing quotes from, among others, Dr. Seuss and former Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker, Mr. Stigant said the review is necessary to protect students from an often-bitter dispute.

The quote in question – “I know up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here on the bottom, we too should have rights” – comes from Yertle the Turtle, the tale of a turtle who climbs on the backs of other turtles to get a better view.

“I responded that in the context, it was borderline,” Mr. Stigant said. “Contextually, it was political – but it was grey and I would prefer it didn’t appear and I believe she agreed.”

Yertle’s quest for a higher vantage point ends when the turtle at the bottom of the stack – who’s pleaded, “I’ve pain in my back, my shoulders and knees – how long must we stand here, your majesty please” – burps, sending Yertle hurtling to the mud.

Mr. Stigant said he didn’t know the source of the quote when he met with the teacher. On Monday afternoon, Joanna Larson, president of the BCTF local in Prince Rupert, noted on Twitter that “teachers could be disciplined for displaying a Dr. Seuss quote.”

Seriously? Political correctness has spread far enough that DR SUESS is BANNED in Canada?

On the basis of “Contextually, it was political” they could probably ban every book ever printed!

This asinine bit of bullshit is brought to you from Governor Moonbeam and the progressive state of California.

Gov. Brown signs bill requiring teaching of gay accomplishments

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Thursday that makes California the first state in the nation to require the inclusion of the contributions of gay, lesbian and transgender Americans in school history lessons and textbooks.

“History should be honest,’’ Brown said. “This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books.’’

The bill by state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) had sparked hot debate in the Legislature where it was pushed through by the Democratic majority. Republicans argued it forces a “gay agenda” on students, but Leno said it would reduce bullying by educating young people about the accomplishments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, community.

“Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans,” Leno said. “Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them.’’

This sounds like ‘Black history’. Even though as a small child in the 60′s I learned about Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver and other important historical figures in school -and wow, some happened to be black- a decade or so later we had ‘black history’ foist upon us, and for the very reasons cited above.

So instead of simply teaching history, they’re going to focus on lesbian, gay and transgendered Americans and make them special. That’ll keep bullies at bay! Um… not. Bullies will always bully, even if there is no reason; they’ll simply make one up.

If you look into a crowd of people, what do you see? History, made by each and every one of the people therein. Some meaningful, some mundane. But what happens if you start separating them according to sex or sexual preference or the color of their skin? They become different. They become ‘other’.

Homosexuals have been around as long as there have been heterosexuals. Their history, their accomplishments, are ours, just as heterosexual’s history is theirs.

What’s next? I don’t see anyone requiring the teaching of Jewish accomplishments, of which there are many. Irish accomplishments? German? Swedish?

I just don’t understand this focus on multiculturalism when all it takes to really integrate everyone is stop focusing on the differences in us.

Over at American Thinker, a clear headed Rick Moran writes:

The money quote:

I wrote this last year:

My parents had many friends and liked to throw parties. At least while we lived in California. Within their circle of friends were two women named Irene and Nadine. Rene & Nadine not only lived in the same home, they shared a life together, in and out of bed.
These women showered me with gifts -including a killer pedal car with fringe on top for my 5th birthday – until my family moved to Texas when I was 7.
Of course I as a baby had no idea that some people might perceive such behavior as wrong or immoral. It always seemed as natural to me as my mom and dad sharing a life… Because it just WAS.

My parents taught me right from wrong. What they did not teach me was a disrespect for alternate lifestyles. Or racism.
I’m not claiming immunity stupidity; I know I’ve been an idiot on more than one occasion.

All my prejudices have been learned, thank you very much. Even though I grew up in a small east Texas town where racism abounded, my parents had set an excellent example and it did not warp me as it did others.

It all goes back to the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. And thanks to my parents teaching by example, I’ve never thought anything of having friends who happened to be gay or lesbian.

Now. When do crazy coonass rednecks who wrestle gators for fun get their own sub-genre of history?

The demise of the incandescent bulb signals a change in how the Easy-Bake oven works. Thus, our generation’s version is dead. It worked perfectly, harmlessly and kept us endlessly entertained. Well, that’s all over.

Millions of young chefs have used the toy to make tasty baked treats. It was made possible by the oven’s heating element, a common 100-watt incandescent light bulb.

But starting next year, manufacture of such bulbs will be outlawed. It’s the start of a phased-in 2007 federal law that requires light bulbs to be more energy efficient. The practical effect will be to ban incandescent bulbs, which do not meet the requirement.

The 100-watt bulb was so energy-inefficient, its main product wasn’t light. It was heat — enough heat to bake cookies and cakes in Easy-Bake Ovens.

But youthful foodies, take heart.

Hasbro Inc., which inherited the Easy-Bake Oven when it acquired original manufacturer Kenner in 1991, said it has a plan. It released this official statement:

“We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In Fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs. This new oven features a heating element that does not use a light bulb and offers an extensive assortment of mixes reflective of the hottest baking trends for today.”

A heating element. Just like big ovens! Not the same thing at all. Video killed the radio star and progressive pols did the same for a child’s toy. I hope those hippie bastards are proud of themselves.

AP is reporting that President Barack Hussein Obama, Hissownself, will keep the ban on new drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for at least the next seven years.

A senior administration official told AP Wednesday that drilling leases won’t be considered in the waters off Florida. Speaking anonymously because the decision had yet to be announced, he said the administration is elevating safety and environmental standards because of the spill.

USA Today

He sucks.

Gateway Pundit: “The Castro Regime will begin drilling off the coast of Florida next year and will go deeper than the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April.”

We live in the land of the NO ZONES while Cuba and Russia drill off our coast.

Yeah, that makes sense.

How many thousands of jobs is he going to kill, anyway?

Can’t wear rosaries (not that one should) or American flag shirts to school… Christianity is taboo… yet…

Gateway Pundit:

6th graders from Wellesley, MA middle school were taken on a class trip to a “moderate” mosque in May. The boys and girls were separated and the boys then joined Muslim men in a prayer to Allah. This was a public school field trip to the largest mosque in the Northeast.

Not just any mosque, not just any history trip, but one to learn of “the denigration of western civilization and the glorification of Islamic history and values”.

In Addition:

The Texas State Board of Education is considering a resolution that would warn publishers not to push a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian viewpoint in world history textbooks.

A preliminary draft of the resolution states that “diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts” across the U.S. and that past social studies textbooks in Texas also have been “tainted” with pro-Islamic, anti-Christian views.

The resolution cites examples in past world history books – no longer used in Texas schools – that devoted far more lines of text to Islamic beliefs and practices than to Christian beliefs and practices.

In addition, the measure cites some books that dwelled on the Christian Crusaders massacre of Muslims in Jerusalem in 1099, while censoring Muslim massacres of Christians there in 1244 and at Antioch in 1268 – “implying that Christian brutality and Muslim loss of life are significant, but Islamic cruelty and Christian deaths are not.”

Michelle Obama is blessed with a woman’s body, not the anorexic model advertisers think we should all try to emulate. She obviously eats well and often.

She can make decisions about food for herself and her family, just like other Moms across America… so why then is she after schools, grocers and now restaurants to change?

Michelle Obama to Restaurants: Cut the Fat
“I’m not asking any of you to make drastic changes to every single one of your recipes or to totally change the way you do business,” she said. “But what I am asking is that you consider reformulating your menu in pragmatic and incremental ways to create healthier versions of the foods that we all love. That could mean substituting wheat pasta for white pasta in your regular recipes, or taking … an existing dish and cutting the amount of butter or cream.”

The first lady said she wasn’t calling for cutting so much as to sacrifice flavor, “but just enough to make a meaningful difference in the amount of calories and fat.”

The big worry of restaurants and other food companies is that her push leads to federal regulation of children’s advertising – something the industry has held off with voluntary restrictions. NRA responded to the speech by pointing out that two-thirds of U.S. fast food operators and half of family sit-down outlets offer more healthful choices for children than they did two years ago.

Less fat? I’m living proof that a person can give up fat and not lose weight.

While more fruit is fine, Obama lecturing private business on what they should and should not serve feels high-handed to me. Is she going to show up at people’s homes and inspect their refrigerators?

And hey… french fries are not on every kid’s menu in every restaurant. Parents know this.

Mona Charen points out that 1 in 8 Americans receive Food Stamps and more than half of all infants are on the WIC program.

Consider the problem of obesity. Under the leadership of the first lady, the Obama administration has unveiled a series of proposals to combat obesity in children. Among the 70 recommendations: new federal subsidies for fruits and vegetables; taxes on sodas, candy, and junk food; and mandates on federally funded and private health programs to cover obesity-related problems.

Mrs. Obama and her crack team of federal do-gooders did not consider that the federal government is also in the business of feeding a significant portion of the population.

The scale of federal nutrition programs is actually quite staggering. One in eight adult Americans now receives Food Stamps, along with 25 percent of children. More than half of all American infants are on the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) nutrition program. Sixty-two percent of American schoolchildren who eat school lunches are getting free or reduced-price meals.

How in the world did programs intended to keep the neediest Americans from malnutrition end up feeding — even overfeeding — such a huge percentage of the population?

To the billions we already spend on shoveling food at those who need to reduce their intake, we will now spend God only knows how much more encouraging them to exercise and “make healthy food choices.” And the deficit gets more obese every day.

Overfeeding, indeed. Maybe she should look at government instead of parents, schools, restaurants…

Is in Los Angeles. The $578 million Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools opens next month in the former Ambassador Hotel amid controversy… and little of it seems to be centered on the fact that the Ambassador was the site of RFK’s assassination.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The K-12 complex to house 4,200 students has raised eyebrows across the country as the creme de la creme of “Taj Mahal” schools, $100 million-plus campuses boasting both architectural panache and deluxe amenities.

“There’s no more of the old, windowless cinderblock schools of the ’70s where kids felt, ‘Oh, back to jail,’” said Joe Agron, editor-in-chief of American School & University, a school construction journal. “Districts want a showpiece for the community, a really impressive environment for learning.”

What’s wrong with cinderblock? A showpiece for the community??

Many parents are not impressed, given the 50% drop out rate, but L.A. is hardly alone in their extravagance:

Los Angeles is not alone, however, in building big. Some of the most expensive schools are found in low-performing districts — New York City has a $235 million campus; New Brunswick, N.J., opened a $185 million high school in January.

Nationwide, dozens of schools have surpassed $100 million with amenities including atriums, orchestra-pit auditoriums, food courts, even bamboo nooks. The extravagance has led some to wonder where the line should be drawn and whether more money should be spent on teachers.

“…whether more money should be spent on teachers.”

What are they thinking?

The RFK complex follows on the heels of two other LA schools among the nation’s costliest — the $377 million Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, which opened in 2008, and the $232 million Visual and Performing Arts High School that debuted in 2009.

The pricey schools have come during a sensitive period for the nation’s second-largest school system: Nearly 3,000 teachers have been laid off over the past two years, the academic year and programs have been slashed. The district also faces a $640 million shortfall and some schools persistently rank among the nation’s lowest performing.

Yikes. ‘Bamboo nooks’ over teachers. I’d rather my child learned in a cinder-block building with a good, well paid teaching professional, thanks.

Yahoo News

Lemme get this straight. A trusted, authoritative UN agency went all Chicken Little on us because of a student’s essay and a magazine story??

When are people going to stop giving credence, money and power to governmental entities because of this fabricated bullshit?!?

‘IPCC’s ice melt report based on student essay’

New Delhi, Feb 1: The UN Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change’s (IPCC) claims about ice melting from the world’s mountain peaks was based on a student’s essay, a media report said.

The IPCC report had said that reductions in mountain ice in the Andes, Alps and Africa was caused by global warming.

The report had also cited two scientific papers as its primary source of information.

According to UK newspaper The Telegraph, one source was the geography student’s dissertation and the other an anecdotal article in a mountaineering magazine.

The claims may cause fresh embarrassment for the IPCC, which had apologized this month over inaccurate forecasts about the melting of Himalayan glaciers.