December 3, 2014, Prescott- I had a satisfying day.  Seeing so many children in three groups of third graders find they were able to understand the idea behind multiplication, with the simple explanations I was able to offer, is the best outcome of a work day I could ever want.

I got some further materials for another passion- sharing and promoting Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.  I have to use the complete title, as there are plenty of adulterated, watered-down oils, which have actually made people sicker.  The oils I use, and offer, do not.

I got into a brief discussion on FB about eating animals.  Now, I enjoy eating some meat, from herbivores, or fish There is, though, a very sad level of ignorance among Americans as to eating carnivores. Many see nothing wrong with it. The fact is, the animals at the top of the food chain are lacking in the nutrients that the human body needs to stay healthy.  Even more difficult to understand is the pre-occupation some have with killing and butchering endangered species, “because we people are endangered, too.”  Seriously?  If you decimate a resource, it’s gone, period.  We have a food distribution problem, in this country, and around the world.  Buffets are copious and delectable, and the food could be put to better use, in a number of instances- even if we just consider those who are underfed and undernourished, in our own communities.  Thankfully, a growing number of communities are starting to address the food distribution issue.  Massachusetts has made it illegal for restaurants to throw food away, when it has not yet been on someone’s plate.  The leftovers have to be made available to food banks and public kitchens.

Finally, most states have land given them, in trust, when they were still either founding parties to the new United States of America, or while they were territories thereof.  The December 1, 2014 issue of the Wall Street Journal discusses this matter in some detail, and when I find that article, I will summarize it on this site.  The gist is, we have until June of next year to arrange for the revenues generated by limited use of these lands to go into funding our schools.  So, for those seeking to reverse a trend towards closing schools and forcibly increasing class sizes to an untenable level, this issue is one of those on which we need to increase our level of erudition.