How a 1934 New York Graduation Exam Shows How Far Academic Standards Have Fallen | Intellectual Takeout

How a 1934 New York Graduation Exam Shows How Far Academic Standards Have Fallen | Intellectual Takeout
"Today’s education system has a myriad of advantages that earlier generations never would have dreamed about. 
Smartboards. 
Tablets. 
Advanced science labs. 
Massive libraries. 
These perks are wonderful and suggest that our schools are giving children a much better education than they would have had at an earlier time.
But what if all these advancements are just smoke and mirrors? 
Is it possible that the parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents of today’s students had a better education?
...Such was the case when I came across a collection of Regents Exams – the exams required to graduate from high school in New York – in the New York State Library. 
The archives provide a variety of exam subjects and range in date from the 1930s to the present. Curious, I pulled up one of the oldest, a 1934 American history exam, and did some quick, first page comparisons with the one given in 2017.
The most obvious difference was the question answer format. 
The contemporary version was full of questions like the following, requiring a simple multiple-choice selection:

Aside from a brief matching section, however, the 1934 exam relies on essay questions like the following:

Read all!

#1 This day 1981-----Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie

2017: Wind Power Surpassed Coal in Texas… Kind of, sort of | Watts Up With That?

2017: Wind Power Surpassed Coal in Texas… Kind of, sort of | Watts Up With That?
"Everyone knows that Texas leads the US in wind power capacity… And probably leads most other countries too.  
In 2017, installed wind power capacity in Texas exceeded that of coal… BFD.

Wind Power Capacity Has Surpassed Coal in Texas

Scientists at UT predict that by 2019, the state will get more energy from wind than coal.

BY SONIA SMITH
DATE DEC 2, 2017

Wind power capacity edged out coal for the first time in the Texas history last week after a new 155-megawatt wind farm in Scurry County came online. The farm in question is the Fluvanna Wind Energy Project, located on some 32,000 acres leased from more than 130 landowners.

Fluvanna pushed total wind power capacity in the state to more than 20,000 megawatts, while coal capacity stands at 19,800 megawatts and is slated to fall to 14,700 megawatts by the end of 2018 thanks to planned coal powerplant closures. Next year, Luminant will shutter three coal-fired plants—Monticello, Sandow, and Big Brown—and San Antonio’s CPS Energy will close J.T. Deely Station. Wind capacity in the state will reach 24,400 megawatts by the end of 2018, according to projections from Joshua Rhodes, a research fellow at UT Austin’s Energy Institute.

But capacity is one thing, electricity generation is another. In the first ten months of 2017, wind generated 17.2 percent of power in the state, and coal 31.9 percent, according to ERCOT. But wind should soon see large gains there. “By our analysis, in 2019 we’ll have more energy from wind than coal,” Rhodes said.

[…]

Texas Monthly

Wake me up when wind is catching up to crude oil and natural gas…

Texas Energy Production in Million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe)

Glamorizing anger-----Serena Williams' treatment resonates among black women

Serena Williams' treatment resonates among black women
"NEW YORK (AP) — When Serena Williams told the umpire at the U.S. Open final that he owed her an apology, that he had stolen something from her, and then she got penalized for her words, Breea Willingham could relate to her frustration and anger.
Willingham isn’t a tennis star, but she is a black woman. 
She and others like her say Williams’ experience resonates with them because they are often forced to watch their tone and words in the workplace in ways that men and other women are not.
And if they’re not careful, they say, they risk being branded “Angry Black Woman.”..."
Read on.

You ought to know!

State Department Spokesperson Issues Sore Statement On Closure Of Palestinian Liberation Office | The Daily Caller

State Department Spokesperson Issues Sore Statement On Closure Of Palestinian Liberation Office | The Daily Caller:

The Trump administration closed the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington Monday amid frustrations with the PLO’s inability to come to the table for peace negotiations with Israel.
“The United States will always stand with our friend and ally, Israel,” National security adviser John Bolton said in a speech Monday, “The Trump administration will not keep the office open when the Palestinians refuse to take steps to start direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.”

No brains, either-----Viewership for Miss America 2019 plunges 23% after swimsuit portion is cut - NY Daily News

Viewership for Miss America 2019 plunges 23% after swimsuit portion is cut - NY Daily News:
"No swimsuits?
No viewers.
Sunday’s Miss America 2019 competition — the first time participants did not don a swimsuit — reached 4.3 million viewers on ABC, a 23% plunge in viewership from last year’s broadcast, according to Nielsen overnights.
Past participants also ripped what they are now dubbing as “Miss America 2.0” for being “too rehearsed” and lacking a certain degree of authenticity..."
Read all.

AM Fruitcake

Muslims try to ban Franklin Graham from speaking

Muslims try to ban Franklin Graham from speaking:

He cited the terrorist attacks in London that year in which Muslim jihadists mowed down pedestrians with a van on London Bridge and then went on a stabbing spree in nearby pubs, killing at least seven and injuring 48.
The attacks were by “Muslim men who said this was for Allah,” Graham said.
“That is three Islamic terror attacks in London in less than three months. The threat of Islam is real. The threat of Islam is serious. The threat of Islam is dangerous. There is cause for concern, despite what some may say,” he said.
In January 2017, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim-rights group designated by the Justice Department as a terrorist co-conspirator, called on Donald Trump to drop Graham as one of the clergy members leading prayer at the inauguration ceremony.
In a press release, CAIR referred to Graham as a “notorious Islamophobe.”
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad, among the Hamas operatives who founded CAIR’s parent group, said “Graham’s ill-informed and extremist views are incompatible with the Constitution and with American values of religious liberty and inclusion.”

History for September 12

History for September 12 - On-This-Day.com
H.L. Mencken 1880, Jesse Owens 1913, Ian Holm 1931


Linda Gray 1940 - Actress ("Dallas"), Barry White 1944, Rachel Ward 1957 - Actress


1922 - The Episcopal Church removed the word "Obey" from the bride's section of wedding vows.


1963 - The last episode of "Leave it to Beaver" was aired. The show had debuted on October 4, 1957.

Twitter bans Benghazi hero Kris Paronto for 7 days after Obama comment and 'hateful' language

Twitter bans Benghazi hero Kris Paronto for 7 days after Obama comment and 'hateful' language:

Benghazi hero and former Army Ranger Kris “Tanto” Paronto has been banned from Twitter for seven days.
Twitter temporarily suspended Paronto over the weekend for several hours after he posted a tweet criticizing former President Barack Obama and a liberal account that claimed Obama “kinda killed” Osama bin Laden, former leader of al Qaeda.
And yesterday, Twitter issued Paronto a 7-day ban from the platform, he told American Military News on Tuesday.

Kavanaugh touched his pocket Constitution at least 378 times during confirmation hearings - The Washington Post

Kavanaugh touched his pocket Constitution at least 378 times during confirmation hearings - The Washington Post:

Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh brought with him a pocket Constitution he has had for the past 25 years. And he simply could not stop touching it, as you'll see in the video above.
Over three days of confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh touched his pocket Constitution no fewer than 378 times, according to a Fix tally. His frequent cradling of the document even caught the attention of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

The way we were-----Darryl Worley - Have You Forgotten?

Six Year Anniversary of The September 11th Attack in Benghazi Libya… | The Last Refuge

Six Year Anniversary of The September 11th Attack in Benghazi Libya… | The Last Refuge
"Six Year Anniversary of The September 11th Attack in Benghazi Libya…--Posted on September 11, 2018 by sundance

To honor the memory of those lost on September 11th/12th 2012:

The Benghazi Brief

The “Benghazi Brief” remains the most controversial research report we have ever produced. 
The brief contains over two years of research and hundreds of very specific factual citations supporting it. 
Four years after it was originally written, and not a single aspect outlined within the brief has ever been identified as inaccurate.

We know from the Bret Baier interview with Hillary Clinton that she was physically located at her 7th floor office in Washington DC on the night of the attack 9/11/12.

Unfortunately we also know during the November 2012 Thanksgiving holiday a mysterious fire took place in that building. Well, actually directly above her exact office – cause undetermined.

A “fire” which preceded an unfortunate slip and fall for the Secretary, resulting in a concussion, which led to the discovery of a blood clot, that ultimately delayed her congressional testimony before a Senate Hearing into the events of the night in question.

We know the Libyan uprising began on February 10th of 2011, and we also know that sometime around the end of February 2011 President Obama signed a presidential directive authorizing the State Dept and CIA to begin a covert operation to arm the Libyan “rebels”.

We also know of a Second Presidential Finding Memo authorizing additional CIA covert action in 2012, this time in Syria. 
However, unlike the 2011 Libyan operation we do not know the operational name of the second action in 2012 (Syria).

We know the Libyan “rebels” were positioned in two strategic places. 
Benghazi, and the port city of Darnah, both located in Northeastern Libya..."
Very long and detailed!
Read it.
Like the most disturbing novel you've ever read.

Benghazi timeline: "We are under attack"

Huckabee on In-N-Out Backlash for Donating to GOP: If You Don't Agree with Dems 'They Want to Put You Out of Business' | Breitbart

Huckabee on In-N-Out Backlash for Donating to GOP: If You Don't Agree with Dems 'They Want to Put You Out of Business' | Breitbart:

Huckabee called it “stupid” and “un-American” for the left to call on people to boycott In-N-Out over party donations.
“That’s the difference … between Democrats and Republicans. If you don’t agree with [Democrats] they don’t want to just beat you in the election, they want to put you out of business,” said Huckabee on Fox Business Network last week.

Voices from Inside the Towers (9/11 Documentary)

Bumped 9-13-16-----Blamed for Benghazi: Filmmaker jailed after attack now lives in poverty, fear

Blamed for Benghazi: Filmmaker jailed after attack now lives in poverty, fear | Fox News
"Four Americans died in the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi, and those who survived saw their stories of heroism told in a Hollywood movie, but the filmmaker whose work was wrongly blamed for touching off the event lives in obscurity, poverty and fear, FoxNews.com has learned.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the Coptic Christian whose short video “The Innocence of Muslims” was initially faulted for sparking the Sept. 11, 2012 terror attack at U.S. diplomatic compounds in Libya, is now living in a homeless shelter run by First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif.
He has served time in prison, been shamed publicly by the White House and threatened with death.
“I don’t believe in democracy anymore,” Nakoula told FoxNews.com. “I don’t think there is such a thing as freedom of speech.”
In the aftermath of the Benghazi attack, President Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seized on the anti-Islamist film as the cause of a spontaneous protest that turned violent. U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith and  CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed when armed terrorists laid siege to the compound and set it ablaze.
The story was told in the Michael Bay-directed film "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi," which starred John Krasinski.
Nakoula’s video trailer, posted online and credited to “Sam Bacile,” mocked the Islamic prophet Mohammad – depicting him as everything from a bozo and womanizer to predator and homosexual. 
Although Obama and Clinton were later forced to acknowledge that the attack was an organized assault by Al Qaeda-linked terrorists, Nakoula was soon charged with eight counts of probation violation, jailed without bail and deemed a “danger to the community.”
Read on!!

Lunch video-----Benghazi heroes recount what really happened during attack

Tax Reform 2.0 revealed as House Republicans move to permanently lock in last year's cuts - Washington Times

Tax Reform 2.0 revealed as House Republicans move to permanently lock in last year's cuts - Washington Times:

House Republicans announced legislation Monday to permanently lock in last year’s tax cuts, looking to remind voters of the surging economy — and the GOP’s role in helping it get there — in the weeks before the November election.
The three bills are being dubbed Tax Reform 2.0, and would make good on President Trump’s repeated calls on Congress to go beyond the $1.5 trillion package he signed last year.
The new legislation would make permanent all of last year’s tax breaks for individuals, while also boosting incentives for retirement savings and giving startups and small businesses more lenient tax treatment.