Contact your Representative today and urge them to support the Parental Rights Amendment. The Parental Rights Constitutional Amendment bill has just been introduced in the House of Representatives! Our bill number is H. J. Res 97. You can read the language of the bill by visiting http://thomas.loc.gov and searching for the bill number. Rep. Pete Hoekstra introduced [...]

I have never really identified much with my ancestry -- race and nationality are not things that matter much to me.  I am proud of America, or more so its foundation of faith and history of sacrifice for liberty.  (That's different than being proud to be an American, something which I did not choose, but nevertheless choose to remain.)  However, these Ukrainian history markers catch my attention, perhaps because of my Ukrainian ancestry, but more likely because they are fascinating history.  It is a region rich with history, but largely unknown in the west. Posted by Skanderbeg over on RedState: Today In History – 6 December 1240 With all my travel to and around Ukraine, I have indeed made it to Kyiv (that’s the Ukrainian version of “Kiev”). Kyiv is beyond beautiful. Kyiv is majestic. Kyiv began as a Norse outpost. As Viking traders began to make use of a fairly easy route to Constantinople (up the Narva River, a fairly easy portage across modest terrain, and then an easy journey down the Dniepro River to the Black Sea), around 800 they established a fortified post at about the only terrain feature along the Dniepro – some high bluffs along the western bank. Thus was born the city of Kyiv. The local Slavs realized quickly that these Viking traders, whom they called Varangians or Rus, knew what they were doing. Lacking leadership themselves, they came to the traders and made an offer. They offered the lead guy kingship, and the choice of any one of their many excellent-looking princesses to be his queen. With good leadership and a good position along a major trade route, Kyiv grew rapidly in strength, wealth, and importance. In 988, the Kyivan leader Prince Vladimir accepted Christianity from Byzantine missionaries – while one of those missionaries, Cyril, gave the Slavs a written alphabet for their language. Vladimir ordered all his subjects to convert with him; they were all herded along the main boulevard of Kyiv – called to this day “Christening Boulevard” – and into the shallows of the Dniepro for a mass baptism. Kyiv continued to grow and prosper as an eastern outpost of civilization. By the early 13th century, it was the second largest city in Europe – second only to Paris – with a population of 50,000. But all that came to an abrupt end on 6 December 1240. When dawn broke over Kyiv on 6 December 1240, the population was 50,000. By nightfall, the population had been effectively reduced to zero. After a brief siege, the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan’s grandson Batu, broke into the city. The city was quickly pillaged, burned, and demolished. Gone were the 400 churches. Gone were the monasteries. Gone was the legendary “Zoloti Varota,” the famous “Golden Gate” – known musically as “The Great Gate of Kiev.” And gone, mostly, were the 50,000 inhabitants – slaughtered or, for the few survivors, dragged off into slavery. Think you’re having a bad day? Methinks that 6 December 1240 qualifies as the ultimate “bad day.” "OK, I am considering homeschooling... what does this have to do with homeschooling?" you ask.  Well nothing, except... tell me if you learned any of this in public school?!? Oh, the history of the Mongols and Vikings goes much deeper and has far more impact upon what you might consider "relevant" history.  The shape of Christian Europe, your church, and religious practices might be significantly different without these two powerful forces in history.  It's not just Ukraine; try England, France, Germany, and Italy... getting more "relevant"? Dig a little deeper... no dumbed down, politically correct, and State approved textbook is needed. That's the power of homeschooling.

Each week Considering Homeschooling recognizes the faithful service of someone getting the message out about private, biblical homeschooling.  This week we recognize "ladyofvirtue" for her blog "Virtual Schooling".  Visit the original on the Large Family Mothering blog.   Virtual Schooling December 2, 2008 by ladyofvirtue I live in a largely blue-collar town. There are no mansions or super affluent people that make up our community. The families that choose to be "traditional", with the daddy as the breadwinner, struggle. Lots of homeschooling families that I know here have had trouble even affording a computer. In a community like ours, virtual schooling where the government sends a family a computer, pays for internet use, and supplies all sorts of glossy, colorful curricula and even science and craft supplies, is just too much of a temptation. When our state first began to offer such programs, I can remember the glowing reports of all of the "goodies" that were sent--it was like Christmas! Everything needed was provided, including scissors and craft paper, and seeds for growing things. Mothers who before had been wringing their hands wondering how they were going to afford the Saxon Math series were now almost care-free. But there was a catch. Someone has said that nothing in life is truly "free". With all of the goodies and the ease of knowing someone else was in charge came a large price. Instead of worries over buying supplies and curricula, now the mothers had a heavy burden placed on them every day. They had to coerce and nag and bite their fingernails over getting the work done that was required--a whole boat-load of extra fact-cramming and busy-work that made it almost impossible for anyone to have a good life, especially for the mother who had even 3-4 children on different levels. Instead of having their lives simplified, they were complicated beyond comprehension, and their children were being harmed in the process and turned into drones who hated anything to do with "learning". The most unfortunate thing of all was that most mothers were convinced that this sort of government-sponsored slavery was what homeschooling was all about! Many who were already feeling overwhelmed about teaching their own children became convinced, after allowing the state to muck with things, that homeschooling was impossible and horrid. So, they gave up. But learning is not a super-complicated thing that only professionals know how to do! Our children were born to us completely helpless--they could not even hold their own heads up! Somehow, with our encouragement, they learned to walk and talk and feed themselves. Children, even in some of the most impoverished conditions, learn to do these things, unless they are ill or haven't any food to eat. Why do children learn these things? Is it because they are constantly nagged, or they have been through the right "programs"? No. Children learn these things because they want to and they need to. The parents are there to facilitate and encourage. Now here is the secret that those who run teaching colleges and publish curricula and make their living on the supposition of universal idiocy do not want you to know: TEACHING CHILDREN IS NOT DFFICULT--THEY ALREADY WANT TO LEARN! I once checked out a magazine published for teachers from the library, thinking I could glean something of value for my own family. An article was written therein about teaching composition to middle-school students. I could not believe the amount of verbage it took--paragraph upon paragraph of evidence and studies and then the methodology that took pages to explain. What a waste! Writing is just an extension of language, another form of communication. When it is taught in this context, it no longer seems mystical or complex. Good writing is learned by reading the good writing of others--with reading aloud, discussion, and application. The same goes for the other subjects. Math is a sort of communication, it is the communication of the Creator to His creation--that there is order and care. Science is best described as the "thinking of God's thoughts after Him". The wonder of this planet and the universe is the only catalyst needed. Once the appetite has been whetted, a parent need only to watch a child take off like a rocket-ship (and be willing to enjoy the adventure). Of course, you can't enjoy the wonderful adventure of discovery with your child if every day is prescribed and written down. The time and energy you would normally have to explore and discover is all taken up by the reading of droll, dumbed-down texts, numerous questions to be answered by rote understanding, canned experiments and the like. Yes, there are times when a little rote learning can be valuable, but not as an all-encompassing program. The teaching of facts should be likened to handing out tools that a skilled craftsman, the child, can use to create and discover further. Rote learning should never become the end, but the means. We should not be so much concerned with turning out children who can win at Trivial Pursuit as much as we should be concerned with raising children who can take the information in any situation, analyze it, and come up with wise conclusions and solutions. I do not write theory here; I myself have seen the proven examples, and not just among my own children. But the public schooling industry, and it is a great part of our economy, does not want you and I to know just how simple teaching and learning really is. Just think of how many meetings and conferences would have to be canceled. Whole political commmitees would have to be disbanded. We would see a lot of educational phd's flipping burgers, and whole educational supply industries woud go belly-up. Besides all of this, those who desire power over our population would be the saddest of all, because people of America would once again, as in the crazy times of our inception, realize just how many choices they have, and would develop the intestinal fortitude to pursue those choices. I personally believe that it would allow Chrisitanity to return once again as the underlying foundation of our Republic, as parents would be allowed to pass on their Judeo-Christain values in a personal way to the next generation. But you won't read this in the leaflets sent out to entice you. They will act as your friend, and say how they understand that you feel unsure and intimidated. But they are not friendly. They only wish to use your own fears to convince you that you can not do it on your own. But, with God's grace and help, YOU CAN!!!!!!

Each week Considering Homeschooling recognizes the faithful service of someone getting the message out about homeschooling.  This week we recognize Wayne Walker for his blog Hymn Studies, "studies of hymns that can be used in your homeschool as part of your devotions, Bible curriculum, or music study."   "All the Heavens Adore Thee" Dec. 13, 2008 on Hymn Studies "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" (Matt. 25.6) INTRO.: A hymn which aplies the thought of this parable to us is "All the Heavens Adore Thee." The text was written and the tune (Wachet Auf or Sleepers Awake) was composed both by Philipp Nicolai, who was born on Aug. 10, 1556, at Mengeringhausen in Waldeck, Germany, where his father, Dieterich Nicolai, was a Lutheran minister. After an early education at Mengeringhausen under Ludwig Helmbold and Joachim von Burgk, in 1575 Philip entered the University of Erfurt and in 1576 went to the University of Wittenberg, where he graduated in 1579. Living for some time at Volkhardinghausen neare Mengeringhausen, he frequently preached for his father. In 1583, he was appointed Lutheran preacher at Herdecke in Westphalia, where his father had been minister earlier, but found many difficulties there and resigned his post. In 1586 he became minister at Niederwildungen near Waldeck, and in 1588 moved to Altwildungen, where he also served as court preacher to the widowed Countess Margaretha of Waldeck and tutor to her son, Count Wilhelm Ernst. In 1596, he became minister at Unna in Westphalia. It is believed that he produced these words there in 1597 during a pestilence of bubonic plague which claimed some 1,400 victims. The song was first published, with the tune, along with two other hymns in the appendix to his devotional work Frewden-Spiegel dess ewigen Lebens, printed at Frankfurt-am-Main in 1599.  In 1601, Nicolai was selected minister of St. Katherine's Church at Hamburg, where he married at age 44 in 1606 and died of a fever two years later on Oct. 26, 1608. It is possible that this hymn is based on the Wachter-Lieder (Watch Songs), a form of lyric poetry popular in the Middle Ages and introduced by Wolfram von Eschenbach (1170-1220). However, while in the Watch Songs the voice of the watchman summons the workers of darkness to flee from discovery, with Nicolai it is a summons to the children of light to awaken to their promised reward. The translation was made by Catherine Winkworth (1829-1878). It was first published in her 1858 Lyra Germanica, Second Series, and revised in 1863 for her Choral Book for England. Several alterations, especially in the third stanza, have been made to Miss Winkworth's original translation, various ones attributed to illiam Cooke, Edward A. Dayman, Philip Pusey, and Frances E. Cox, which appear in the 1872 edition of the 1871 Hymnary. It is possible that the melody is based on the "Silberweisse," c. 1513, by Hans Sachs (1494-1576). The tune was sometimes ascribed to Jacob Praetorius, the music director of the St. Katherine's Church in Hamburg where Nicolai was minister. However, it is now known that Nicolai was the composer and Praetorious only arranged it.    The modern harmonization was made by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). It was done for the concluding chorale, "Gloria sei dir gesungen," in his Cantata 140, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme of 1731, based on this hymn. The hymn has been called "The King of Chorales" (chorale being the name for hymns used in the German Lutheran church of that day). John Julian calls the text, "A beautiful hymn, one of the first rank," and Winterfeld says, that the tune "is the greatest and most solemn melody of evangelical Christendom."  Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord's church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the first one in which I have seen the song was the 1963 Christian Hymnal edited by J. Nelson Slater, where only the third stanza is used. The entire song appears in the 1986 Great Songs Revised edited by Forrest M. McCann, the only other book among us that I know of to use it. This is not an easy song to sing. Believe me, I know because we sang it when I was in high school chorus. However, it is an important hymn historically. The message is good and the tune, while difficult, is majestic and inspiring. The song encourages us to wake, to watch, and to worship. I. Stanza 1 is a call to awake "Wake, awake, for night is flying: The watchmen on the heights are crying, 'Awake, Jerusalem, arise!' Midnight's solemn hour is tolling; His chariot wheels are near rolling; He come! O church, lift up thine eyes! Rise up, with willing feet; Go forth, the Bridegroom meet: Hallelujah! Lo, great and small, We answer all; We follow where Thy voice shall call." A. Christians are to awake out of the sleep of darkness: Rom. 13.11-12 B. God's watchman, through the written word, is calling us to be alert: Isa. 52.8, Ezek. 3.17 C. Therefore, like the five wise virgins, we need to be vigilant: Matt. 26.7-13 II. Stanza 2 is a call to prepare "Zion hears the watchmen singing; Her heart with deep delight is springing; She wakes, she rises from her gloom. For her Lord comes down all glorious, In grace arrayed, by truth victorious; Her star is risen, her light is come! Ah, come Thou blessed One, God's own beloved Son, Hallelujah! We haste along, An eager throng, And gladsome join the advent song." A. We need to remember that someday the Lord will come down all glorious: Acts 1.11 B. He who will come is the bridegroom, God's own beloved Son, for whom we wait: Jn. 1.29, Phil. 3.20-21 C. And we must be prepared so that we can join Him in the marriage feast of heaven: Rev. 19.6-9 III. Stanza 3 is a call to praise "Now let all the heavens adore Thee! Let men and angels sing before Thee! All praise belongs to Thee alone! Heaven's gates with pearl are glorious; We there shall join the choir victorious Of angels circling round Thy throne. No mortal eye hath seen, Nor mortal ear hath heard The wonders there; But we rejoice and Thee adore, And sing Thy praise forevermore." A. All the heavens, both men and angels, will adore Christ: Rev. 5.8-14 (the original third line read, "With harp and cymbal's clearest tone," but Christian Hymnal uses a different version to eliminate the reference to instrumental music) B. This will be the primary activity in that eternal city where the gate is made of pearl: Rev. 21.1-21 C. As yet, no mortal eye or ear has experienced this: 1 Cor. 2.9 CONCL.: The latter passage is not talking about heaven, but the language can still be used in this regard to remind us that while we as yet have not been to heaven, it should be our desire, both here and in eternity, to let "All the Heavens Adore Thee."

I'm really not making this stuff up, read the report about the PTA vice-president and mom seducing the teenage boy here. Your children are NOT safe in public school.  It used to be that you only had to worry about the male teachers, coaches, and volunteers around children.  Blame feminism, blame pornography, blame abortion... it doesn't matter.  All that matters is that your children are not safe in public school.  Even if you have only been considering homeschooling... start your home school now. The educational establishment in America really has pulled the wool over most parents' eyes. Almost every parent teaches their child to speak English or whatever is their primary language. They've done the bulk of the teaching of the basics. But the establishment has put this aura around education and (says) only certified teachers should be teaching. Those teachers are less qualified than you to teach your children. You know them... they don't. "What about socialization?" goes the establishment programmed response. "Do you think Americans are well socialized?" I always ask people who ask me the socialization question. They usually falter, especially after I remind them about the astronomical rate of family breakups, that workplace and school violence is escalating, that one in five high school students graduates with a sexually transmitted disease, etc.  Then I ask the inquirer what social skills he or she considers vital.  They usually cite the ability to get along with others or to communicate well with others. I ask them, "Do you think the typical public school teen can naturally have a meaningful conversation with a senior citizen – or with you?  And why not?  Could it be that being forced with people the exact same age as you all day, most days of the year does not mirror the real world -- where you need to adjust your social graces to all ages -- and actually produces a dysfunctional form of socialization?"  As a Christian homeschooler, I tell them, I can give my children consistent instruction on how to get along with others, and from the ultimate best source – the words of Christ such as "Do unto others..."  By the end of the conversation, the inquirer is often convinced that homeschooling can in fact be a great way to socialize children -- the right way. It's inevitable that you will receive criticism for considering homeschooling.  It's a spiritual battle, and the media has been used to turn hearts against the most Biblical form of education.  People are quick to tell you the negatives of homeschooling they have heard (and most of them are myths) but they don't know about the joys and good fruit.  By coming to our meetings, you can learn about the many blessings of homeschooling, as well as the actual challenges. Every meeting makes you more knowledgeable and confident.

Teaching a foreign language is extremely mother-friendly in the elementary years of education. You don’t need a curriculum at this age, only consistent and fun activities.

This article is the first of a four part series on how to teach a foreign language to your children (even if you don’t know the language yourself!). For many children, this age range is the best time to start. Before you spend a lot of money on DVD’s, CD’s, “language learning systems” and masses of extra flash cards, take some time to think about your child and your goals for the language.

ASL University is an online curriculum resource for American Sign Language students, instructors, interpreters, and parents of deaf children.

So, how do CLEP exams stack up as to difficulty? It is hard to say with precision because College Board and Dantes do not publish their overall pass rates, but the military posts their pass rates online. Military testers can take CLEP or DSST (Dantes) exams for free which could influence their choice to take an exam “cold” or without a lot of preparation. That being said, here are the military pass rates, arranged easiest to most difficult.2008 Pass Rate for Computer-Based Military TestingCLEP/DSST Exam – Pass RateDSST Technical Writing – 94%CLEP Spanish Language – 88%DSST Introduction to Computing – 83% (or 53%)*DSST Introduction to Business – 81%DSST Ethics in America – 82% (or 30%)*CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature – 71%DSST Here’s to Your Health – 70% (or 41%)*DSST Principles of Supervision – 69%CLEP Principles of Management – 67%DSST Business Mathematics – 66%DSST Human Resource Management – 65%CLEP Principles of Marketing – 64%CLEP German Language – 64%CLEP Freshman College Composition – 64%CLEP French Language – 63%DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement – 62%DSST Personal Finance – 61% (or 31%)*DSST Environment and Humanity – 60%DSST Management Information Systems – 58% (or 33%)*DSST Foundations of Education – 56%CLEP Western Civilization 1 – 55%DSST Fundamentals of Counseling – 55%DSST Organizational Behavior – 53%DSST Introduction to World Religions – 53% (or 30%)*DSST Astronomy – 52%DSST Principles of Physical Science 1 – 52%DSST Introduction to Modern Middle East – 49%DSST Business Law 2 – 48%CLEP Social Sciences and History – 47%CLEP Introductory Sociology – 45%CLEP Western Civilization 2 – 44%CLEP Introductory Psychology – 42%DSST Lifespan Developmental Psychology – 42%DSST Human Cultural Geography – 40%CLEP College Mathematics – 40%DSST Criminal Justice – 40% (or 35%)*CLEP Natural Sciences – 40%CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications – 40%CLEP English Composition with Essay – 39%CLEP Humanities – 37%DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union – 37%DSST Substance Abuse – 37% (or 39%)*DSST Civil War and Reconstruction – 35%DSST Western Europe since 1945 – 35%DSST Art of the Western World – 34%CLEP English Literature – 33%DSST General Anthropology – 33%CLEP History of the United States 2 – 32%CLEP History of the United States 1 – 31%CLEP Biology – 31%CLEP English Composition – 31%CLEP Introduction into Educational Psychology – 29%CLEP Precal – 28%DSST A History of the Vietnam War – 27%CLEP American Government – 24%DSST Principles of Statistics – 24% (or 49%)*DSST Fundamentals of College Algebra – 23% (or 12%)*CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics – 22%DSST Principles of Financial Accounting – 22%CLEP Human Growth and Development – 22%CLEP Introductory Business Law – 21%CLEP Principles of Microeconomics – 20%CLEP American Literature – 18%CLEP College Algebra – 17%CLEP Calculus – 17%DSST Money and Banking – 16%DSST Principles of Finance – 11%CLEP Financial Accounting – 7%CLEP Chemistry – 4%DSST Physical Geology – 2%Bear in mind a few details. These pass rates are for 2008 military on base computer versions of these exams. Some have been modified since these results were compiled. The best way to make an exam easy is to work hard, use the best materials available and study for exams that interest you. And a sure fire edge is being a member of InstantCert.More later on what makes an exam easy.*New updated DSST exams

November News from the Library of CongressNovember is Native American Heritage Month What started at the turn of the century as an effort to create a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a month being designated for that purpose.The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans with this joint web portal highlighting collections, resources and events: nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/? Living Nations, Living WordsEarlier this month, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to a third term, making Harjo the second laureate to receive this extension since terms for the position were established in 1943.During her third term, Harjo will focus on her signature project, “Living Nations, Living Words,”? a digital project that maps 47 contemporary Native American poets across the country. The map connects to a new online audio collection developed by Harjo and housed in the Library's American Folklife Center, which features the participating poets reading and discussing an original poem.Read the announcement: ? loc.gov/item/prn-20-075/?loclr=ealn Everyday Mysteries: Sweet Potato vs. YamJust in time for Thanksgiving, tackle an important question – what's is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? You can find out the answer to this question and other everyday mysteries by checking out fun science facts from the Library of Congress!Discover the Answer: loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/what-is-the-difference-between-sweet-potatoes-and-yams/?loclr=ealnEveryday Mysteries: loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/?loclr=ealn New Virtual Series: Behind the BookIf you have ever wondered how a book goes from rough manuscript to published masterpiece and how an author rises from obscurity to fame, then a new series of programs from the Library of Congress is just for you. The new series, Behind the Book, provides a behind-the-scenes view of the world of American book publishing, highlighting the editors, designers, publicists, agents and publishers who make the books that win prizes and endure.? Series announcement and schedule: loc.gov/item/prn-20-078/?loclr=ealn 12/3 Webinar: "Influenza and Covid19: What To Expect This Winter"The Library of Congress' Health Services Division and Science, Technology and Business Division invite you to participate in a webinar, “Influenza and Covid19: What should we expect this winter?” featuring international experts on infectious disease outbreaks, epidemiology and modeling.? This webinar, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m., requires advance registration, which is limited to 1,000 participants. You can submit questions in advance for the panelists using the Ask A Librarian service. When submitting questions, please indicate that it is for the December 3 webinar.Register Now Library of Congress MagazineExceptional photographs communicate with viewers in a universal language to inspire, provoke, educate. In the November/December 2020 issue of LCM, Library of Congress curators and reference librarians choose great photographs from Library collections that have inspired them, including images from the dawn of the photography to the present day.Download Magazine: https://loc.gov/lcm/pdf/LCM_2020_1112.pdf Library Seeks Applicants for the 2021 Junior Fellows Summer Internship ProgramThe Library of Congress is seeking applicants for its next Junior Fellows Summer Internship Program, which will run from? May 24 – July 30, 2021. This 10-week paid internship is open to undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning and conducting research at the largest library in the world. For the second year in a row, the internship will be conducted virtually.? The deadline to apply is? Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Students can learn more information or apply to the program by visiting? loc.gov/item/internships/junior-fellows-program/.

Common sense says that if your child struggles with writing, they need to write more. Right? Wrong! They need to improve their mastery of language. This is done first orally before it can be transferred to writing. Storytelling is the highest form of orality and one of the best ways to help your child improve their writing.

November News from the Library of CongressNovember is Native American Heritage Month What started at the turn of the century as an effort to create a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a month being designated for that purpose.The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans with this joint web portal highlighting collections, resources and events: nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/? Living Nations, Living WordsEarlier this month, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to a third term, making Harjo the second laureate to receive this extension since terms for the position were established in 1943.During her third term, Harjo will focus on her signature project, “Living Nations, Living Words,”? a digital project that maps 47 contemporary Native American poets across the country. The map connects to a new online audio collection developed by Harjo and housed in the Library's American Folklife Center, which features the participating poets reading and discussing an original poem.Read the announcement: ? loc.gov/item/prn-20-075/?loclr=ealn Everyday Mysteries: Sweet Potato vs. YamJust in time for Thanksgiving, tackle an important question – what's is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? You can find out the answer to this question and other everyday mysteries by checking out fun science facts from the Library of Congress!Discover the Answer: loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/what-is-the-difference-between-sweet-potatoes-and-yams/?loclr=ealnEveryday Mysteries: loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/?loclr=ealn New Virtual Series: Behind the BookIf you have ever wondered how a book goes from rough manuscript to published masterpiece and how an author rises from obscurity to fame, then a new series of programs from the Library of Congress is just for you. The new series, Behind the Book, provides a behind-the-scenes view of the world of American book publishing, highlighting the editors, designers, publicists, agents and publishers who make the books that win prizes and endure.? Series announcement and schedule: loc.gov/item/prn-20-078/?loclr=ealn 12/3 Webinar: "Influenza and Covid19: What To Expect This Winter"The Library of Congress' Health Services Division and Science, Technology and Business Division invite you to participate in a webinar, “Influenza and Covid19: What should we expect this winter?” featuring international experts on infectious disease outbreaks, epidemiology and modeling.? This webinar, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m., requires advance registration, which is limited to 1,000 participants. You can submit questions in advance for the panelists using the Ask A Librarian service. When submitting questions, please indicate that it is for the December 3 webinar.Register Now Library of Congress MagazineExceptional photographs communicate with viewers in a universal language to inspire, provoke, educate. In the November/December 2020 issue of LCM, Library of Congress curators and reference librarians choose great photographs from Library collections that have inspired them, including images from the dawn of the photography to the present day.Download Magazine: https://loc.gov/lcm/pdf/LCM_2020_1112.pdf Library Seeks Applicants for the 2021 Junior Fellows Summer Internship ProgramThe Library of Congress is seeking applicants for its next Junior Fellows Summer Internship Program, which will run from? May 24 – July 30, 2021. This 10-week paid internship is open to undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning and conducting research at the largest library in the world. For the second year in a row, the internship will be conducted virtually.? The deadline to apply is? Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Students can learn more information or apply to the program by visiting? loc.gov/item/internships/junior-fellows-program/.

A list of Afrikaans language programs and resources used by homeschooling families with a brief description of each plus contact details for ordering.

Library of Congress Releases Newly Digitized Hebrew ManuscriptsThe Library of Congress has released some 230 newly digitized manuscripts written in Hebrew and similar languages such as Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian and Yiddish. The collection, available online for researchers and the public for the first time, includes a 14th century collection of responsa by Solomon ibn Adret of Barcelona, considered one of the most prominent authorities on Jewish law of all time. The full digital project, funded by the David Berg Foundation, offers a highly diverse collection of materials from the 10th through the 20th centuries, including responsa or rabbinic decisionsand commentary, poetry, Jewish magic, and folk medicine.Click here for more information. You are subscribed to Latest News from the Library of Congress.

Library of Congress Hosts Premiere of “Language Is Life,” an Episode from the PBS series Native AmericaThe Library of Congress will premiere one of four new episodes of the acclaimed PBS series “Native America” on Nov. 9, focused on Native people’s efforts to preserve their languages and ways of life. The film, which features Library collections, will be followed by a panel discussion on Indigenous language preservation, as part of the Library’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month. Click here for more information. You are subscribed to Latest News from the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress is excited to announce that the Chronicling America Historic Newspapers website is in the process of transitioning from the legacy Chronicling America interface to a new Chronicling America interface and back-end search infrastructure. In Spring 2024, visitors going to chroniclingamerica.loc.gov will be re-directed to the new Chronicling America website, which will continue to provide free access to historic digitized newspapers. The exact date will be announced in the coming months on the new Chronicling America Website Migration page, on the Chronicling America Historical Newspapers email list, and also added to the home pages on both versions of the Chronicling America website. The current version of the website will be officially sunset later in 2024.Users are encouraged to begin using the new Chronicling America website for research. A Research Guide on using Chronicling America in the new environment is available. In the new system, the digitized newspapers will become part of a larger Library of Congress digital collections framework that recently received major upgrades to accommodate future growth and expansion of the collection. New website features include faceted browse options (refine searches by ethnicity, location, subject, language, etc.), improved image viewing, improved Advanced Search options, and more. The new interface also allows users to browse digitized titles in a map. Uploads to the new interface are now automated so you may notice that there are more pages available in the new interface than the longstanding version of Chronicling America. As part of the updates, the United States Newspaper Directory 1690-Present has also been migrated into a separate searchable collection. Users can access the new Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, which is a searchable index of newspapers published in the United States since 1690. This directory can help identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them. For a detailed overview of the Directory, search tips, and FAQs, please consult the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries: A Guide for Researchers.  Digital Humanities scholars and researchers who access the collection via computational methods will continue to have access to bulk OCR but should transition to using the Loc.Gov API at loc.gov/apis. Bulk OCR downloads can be accessed from the longstanding OCR Data page until further notice when a new "Datasets" page will be made available on the new site.Chronicling America was originally launched in 2007 and later updated to the current version of the website in 2011. Since that time, the site saw the growth of the collection to include over 21 million newspaper pages from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), NDNP continues to award funds to cultural heritage institutions around the United States to participate in the program.Please send feedback about the new website to ndnptech@loc.gov and subscribe to the Chronicling America Historical Newspapers email list for more updates.

As we announced last week, Chronicling America is in the process of transitioning from the legacy Chronicling America interface to a new Chronicling America interface and back-end search infrastructure. Read more about it.Through its enhanced search interface, the new Chronicling America offers more options to search the collection than the old Chronicling America.In the old Chronicling America interface, the simple search is on the home page. On the new Chronicling America interface, the simple search is available at the top of every page within this digital collection. Note "This Collection" is automatically populated in the top search bar on the "About this Collection" page. To access the Advanced Search, on the old interface, click on the "Advanced Search" tab. In this tab, you can refine your search by state, title, years or date range, language, and by doing multiple types of keyword searches. To access the new Advanced Search, click on the "Collection Items" tab and click the "plus" button next to "Advanced Search." After the Advanced Search is expanded, you can search by title, issue, or page. Select "Pages" to search within the full text of the collection's newspapers and to filter by language. You can still do multiple types of keyword searches and narrow your search by State/Province, County, City, and Title. For example, if you want to search only Arkansas titles, select "Arkansas" from the "State/Province" drop-down menu and only Arkansas titles will appear in the "Title" field. You can also narrow the new advanced search by ethnicity, such as African American, German, or Polish, and narrow your search by date. Once you hit "Search," you can further narrow your results using the facets on the left sidebar, for example, by title, date, county, or ethnicity. This is a new feature that the old interface was not able to do. Try out a search in the new Chronicling America interface today! The Chronicling America historic newspapers online collection is a product of the National Digital Newspapers Program and jointly sponsored by the Library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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