Anime Reviews by Xbolt

Strawberry Marshmallow (Ichigo Mashimaro) is another school life comedy, all about comedic situations rather than an overall storyline. However, instead of high school girls, this time we have elementary school girls. And one college girl.

Nobue Ito is the eldest of the group. (By far. She is twenty.) She is Chika's older sister, but all the girls call her Nobue Onee-chan. (Big Sister Nobue.) She usually holds the final authority on things. She smokes a lot, (which isn't good for your health either,) and often 'borrows' money from her sister to buy cigarettes. Her weakness is the girls doing something cute. Nobue is defenseless against the powers of cute girls.

Chika Ito is twelve. She is more sensible than the other girls, and is very good at cooking. Cookies especially.

Miu Matsuoka is also twelve, and a troublemaker. Miu likes saying random things out of the blue, and playing pranks. However, she is often interrupted by Nobue, ending up out for the count face-down on the floor.

Matsuri Sakuragi is eleven, and a very timid glasses-wearing girl with a pet ferret named John. She is often the subject of Miu's teasing, and resorts to crying and hiding behind Nobue.

Ana Coppola is an eleven-year-old British girl. She moved to Japan from Cornwall, England five years before the series started, and has forgotten how to speak English in the meantime. Matsuri befriends her, and they try to learn English together.

Overall, I have to say that my favorite character is Nobue, as she's really the only character I can relate to. You know, being a college student and all. But unlike her, I don't have four silly girls following me around everywhere. I doubt I could stand it.

And now for the prelude to Strawberry Marshmallow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aokbeRYRf-I

I guess this was a trailer or something that aired before the series. It's kinda cute, kinda funny.

Visit Xbolt's blog: http://blog.xboltz.net

April is Confederate History and Heritage Month

April is an important month in America's history. It is the month when the Civil War began (April 12, 1861) and ended (April 9, 1865). The Great Locomotive Chase, where Union spies attempted to steal the Confederate Locomotive "The General" and destroy rail lines and bridges, took place on April 12, 1862. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union General William Sherman on April 26, 1865. Thus, the month of April has become to be known as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

The tragic "War Between the States" claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of brothers, uncles and husbands. They were enemies on the battlefield, but after the war, the men of blue and gray sponsored reunions at such places as Gettysburg. The soldiers told war stories while the United States and Confederate flags flew side by side.

Even before the end of the Civil War, women's groups were decorating graves in the South where most of the Civil War gravesites were located. This is how our national Memorial Day originated. In addition to the May holiday, April 26 has come to be recognized as Confederate Memorial Day in many Southern states.

Efforts to mark Confederate graves, erect monuments and hold memorial services were the idea of Mrs. Charles J. Williams. She wrote a letter that was published in Southern newspapers asking the women of the South for their help. She asked that memorial organizations be established to take care of the thousands of Confederate graves from the Potomac River to the Rio Grande. She also asked the state legislatures to set aside a day in April to remember the men who wore the gray. She died in 1874, but not before her native state of Georgia adopted April 26 as a legal holiday.

The South can be proud of their men and women who served this nation from the Revolutionary War to the War in Iraq. It is important to also remember those men and women who defended their homes, families and states during the Civil War.  Among the gallant women was Captain Sally Tomkins, CSA who was the first woman to be commissioned on either side. She took care of thousands of soldiers in Richmond, Virginia until the end of the war.

Those who served the Confederacy came from many races and religions. There was Irish born General Patrick R. Cleburne, black Southerner Amos Rucker, Jewish born Judah P. Benjamin, Mexican born Colonel Santos Benavides and American Indian General Stand Watie who was born in Rome, Georgia.

Confederate Memorial Day is officially observed on or around April 26 in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Although not an official state holiday, Confederate Memorial Day is often observed on April 26 by historical organizations and local custom in other states as well, including Arizona, Louisiana, Texas, and Virginia. To find a Confederate Memorial Day event near you, log on to: http://confederateheritagemonth.com 

Source: Confederate History Month Series by Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Chairman of the National and Georgia Division Confederate History and Heritage Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Homeschooling High School: Helpful Tips

Building Teen Character: Part-Time Employment

By Rachel Paxton

The teenage years are a crucial time in a child's life. They are not children anymore, but they are also not adults. During this time the choices they make may have an effect on them for the rest of their lives. It is the parents' responsibility to guide their teenagers in the right direction by helping them make responsible choices and building their character to the point that when their teenagers move out of the house they are on the road to being responsible adults and have the tools they need to succeed in life.

There are a number of ways that parents can help teenagers build their character. One way is through part-time employment. Having a job provides many learning opportunities for teens.

Of course, all this sounds great but in reality can be difficult to put into practice. The first job our daughter had she got laid off from because she and her boss could not come to agreement on the hours she would work. After she started working there he changed the hours he said she could work and it conflicted with other activities she had. It was very hard for her to feel like she was "fired" from her first job. We had to talk through a lot of the feelings she had towards her boss and some of the experiences she had at that job. But because she chose to honor her boss by showing him respect when he didn't necessarily deserve it, he gave her an excellent reference for her next job.

A couple of months later she did find another job that was much better than the first one, and she had many great learning experiences of working with others and learning to serve others even when it was very hard work.

Parents can't just throw their teens out into the workplace and expect everything will go great. Issues will arise that need to be worked through with the parents' help, but this is where the learning occurs, and character development begins!

Article source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/building-teen-character-part-time-employment/ 

How to Save a Tree
by Betty J. Munis, Director, Idaho Forest Products Commission

Everywhere I turn, someone is telling me to "Save a Tree." I hear it from my banker, my insurance company, my computer, at the grocery store and the coffee shop. I hear it from the guy on TV promoting an Internet business, the news anchor reporting on how to save the planet, and from movie stars who like to talk about environmental issues.

This whole "Save a Tree" thing smacks of green-washing. They want us to see them as environmentally responsible and feel good about buying their product or idea. They want us to believe they care about forests and if we care too, we should "Save a Tree" by not using tree products.

But how does one really "Save a Tree"? Trees are living things with life spans. They sprout, grow, compete, mature, decline and die. To imply that you can "Save a Tree" by not using wood products is just wrong. It's a sound bite designed to make you feel guilty when trees are harvested for the products you use.

Trees are a great resource that should be used. They're renewable and can be sustainably managed. Healthy, growing trees take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Wood products hold carbon over long periods of time. They are energy efficient and can be reused and recycled. Trees help fuel our economy with wages, taxes and purchases from businesses and employees. 

Moreover, trees are abundant. In Idaho alone, they cover 40 percent of the state which is more than 21 million acres! Idaho has millions of acres of wilderness and special areas off limits to logging. We also have some of the most productive forestland in the nation. Where it makes sense, we should harvest, use and replant trees.

If you care about the environment and want trees around in the future, you should support harvesting trees, using wood and paper products, and replanting trees for the future. You should buy tree products from places like Idaho where laws protect the environment and require reforestation when trees are harvested. You should support the professional people who work in the forest products businesses. They, too, care about the forest.

Loggers, millworkers, truckers, manufacturers, foresters and forest landowners are part of a sustainable business that keep forests working and growing. They help ensure that forests remain places that support wildlife, provide clean air and water, sequester carbon, and contribute to the economy.

What else can you do? Support using wood products in local buildings and bridges. Learn more about our amazing forests and support forest education and research. Look into natural resource careers. We need bright minds and talents to meet future challenges.

And the next time someone tells you to "Save a Tree" by not using wood products, be bold and ask them "Why?" Explain that not using forest resources is a lose-lose deal. We'll lose the environmental and economic benefits of producing forest products. We'll lose forestland to other uses and reduce our opportunities to enjoy these special places. We'll pay more to fight wildfires in overcrowded forests. We'll miss out on the tremendous opportunities renewable trees hold for the future.

We must make thoughtful choices because not using trees won't save trees. Instead, "Save a Tree" using trees, replanting trees and keeping working forests working.

America. Republic. Socialism?!

By Carly Anspaugh

America, going once going twice, is she gone?  When our forefathers were founding this Nation, it was intended to be a place of worship, a living church service, where each man was responsible for his own actions and beliefs.  They had the freedom to base our country on such ideals because of one simple word.  Self-government.  When self- government is applied we can live in a productive, healthy, Christian, nation.  When it is ignored, we still have the same word, just without the freedom-oozing prefix, leaving us with a dry pasty, government. 

Why, does the word government, make grown men shiver?  Because, it is being misused globally, the purpose of government is much smaller, than we would think it to be.  We picture a horde of things associated with the government, such as taxes, laws, fines, rules, regulations, checks and balances, senates, a big house with little security guys running around and so on and so forth.  What if I told you, that all of this is unnecessary?  You guffaw and throw rotten vegetables at me and call me a rebel. 

But, the truth is government, is actually option 2.  We passed up option 1 blindly and that is, self-government.  If we were to be responsible and accountable to our Heavenly Father, we wouldn't need someone telling us what to do and imposing penalties, if we don't.  We can do that ourselves you know.  Why do we need someone else telling us?  The purpose of government, which our nations founders realized, and tried to uphold, is simply this: to be God's servant, and to restrain evil. 

Our constitution was and is still a revolutionary document.  It was based on the principle that man is born a sinner, and dies a sinner, and that we can only be redeemed through the blood of Jesus.  Other countries around the world and throughout history believe that man is good, or is perfectible by law and government and rules, and all of those droll things previously mentioned.  The first step to self-government is realizing, that we need to be governed.  A lawless nation is like a 4 year-old nursery that needs a nap.  It's a mad house.  But, the law doesn't have to imposed by a man with a white poufy wig, but rather, in your own heart.   

Founding Father and educator Noah Webster had this to say: "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."

 The founders also believed that Men had "unalienable rights" as stated in the Declaration of Independence.  But what they realized was that these rights were given by God, not by whoever was in power at a given time.  Therefore, the rights remained solid and unchanged from ruler to ruler.  They saw that they had no right to try and take God's place by imposing selfish laws among and upon the people.     

 Our country's founders knew the importance of two simple questions.  They saw that all of humanity, throughout the ages, had to eventually ask each one of themselves this.  Who is God, and who then is mankind?  They saw that if these questions were answered in a humble, righteous manner a nation that was fruitful and productive could arise.  They knew that when one had settled upon the answer that, if the answer be true, government would be needless. 

 They knew not only "who" was God they knew God.  They knew that they were mankind and that, no matter how high they climbed the rusty dilapidated ladder of government, they would always remain so.  They struck upon the idea, that there really is nothing special about someone whose face is on a dollar bill, except for what's inside their heart, and all men have hearts.  Who made the standard that because you're a duke, or baron or king that you're better? 

 So we now know the Forefathers answers to "Who is God and who then is Mankind?"  Lets take a look at modern day government.

 President Obama says, "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."

 While that may sound noble on the very thin surface, who is that statement giving glory to?  Who does he put his faith in when he says, "You'll make progress?"  That is really just a shallow statement, with no faith in God. 

 He also says, "The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam."  Little does he realize that the whole reason why He can say that is due to the Freedom of Speech principle based not on Islam, but on Christianity.  

 Can you see how these statements clash with the one by Mr. Webster?  Can you see how Obama is putting his faith in men whereas; our Christian founders clearly saw the foolishness in that?  Obama and most liberals don't realize that Federal government is actually option 2. When one thinks that the federal government is supreme to all else then they lose the sense of accountability we have to our Lord.  They are the highest point of authority, who is there to tell them what to do? 

 When the sense of accountability is lost, the leaders can then do what they think best, not what God tells us is best.  They can subdue the people of their nation by controlling how much money they spend and make; by how they care for their sick, and by how they protect themselves.  This is a ringing a bell?  It has happened many times before in history.  When a nation ceases to realize God's ultimate authority and presence in our lives than they crumble and fall into the grasps of humanism, socialism, communism, feudalism, and ultimately they become a pagan land seeking to please it's own selfish wishes and desires.   

 Our leaders today don't see that the more they struggle for power, the more they lose it.  They don't realize the necessity and value of self-government.  Do they see the importance of having humble answers to the two main questions, which installed them in high governmental positions in the first place?  Who Is God?  Who then is Mankind?  Are they certain of their answer?

 When a nation, realizes that the answers are in the questions, we will be able to apply self-government and become a peaceful, productive land that seems fantasy.  Who is God?  He is God.  Who is mankind?  We are mankind, and both will always remain so.      

 Carly, 15, has been homeschooling her whole life, and has two younger siblings. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan, where she enjoys dancing - Ballet, Pointe, Ballroom and Celtic.

Parent's Column 

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