Watching Thunderheart Again

 Thunderheart as Seen in 2021

 What is Thunderheart?

Val Kilmer in London, England, 2005     

Staring Val Kilmer and Sam Shepard, among other wonderful actors, Thunderheart is a 1992 movie about a murder that occurred on an Sioux Indian reservation and therefore investigated by the FBI. Being part Sioux, Kilmer's character is the junior FBI agent sent to investigate. Sam Shepard plays the senior agent. Graham Greene plays the reservation's head cop and Sheila Tousey plays a reservation school teacher. These American Indians assist Kilmer in finding the guilty party. This movie is currently playing on Amazon Prime for those of you with an account. 

{Image of Kilmer: John Griffiths from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 }

What I Remembered about Watching It the First Time 

I like watching old movies that I have seen before. I remembered that the Kilmer character learned a lot about his American Indian heritage and left the reservation with a greater respect for the American Indian than he had when he first arrived there. I remember that he caught the killer. I remembered that the movie impressed me the first time I saw it. I decided to watch it again.

Watching an Old Movie Again in 2021

After the first hour, my impression of the movie is a bit different. Wakey, wakey. The prejudice against the American Indian, disrespect for the rights of the reservation's residents, and the violence in the treatment of the Native Americans felt like the stories of police mistreatment of Blacks and other minorities repeatedly being reported in the news over the last year and during 2021. I vaguely remembered being disturbed the first time I saw the movie, but mostly being reassured that Kilmer got the bad guy. 

Today, I feel a sad disgust of the way the FBI, with the assistance of some Native American security agents trampled the rights of those residents of the reservation that did not toe the party line--or were simply in harm's way that day. 

And since when was it OK to fire multiple time at an unarmed man running away? Back  then, such action films used guns a lot. Today, I see this action as totally uncalled for, poor policing, and violations of civil rights. 

I am 70 now. When I first saw this movie, I was the mother of teenagers. I enjoyed action films. I do not think my children developed the same values I was taught growing up since we watched these movies together. What I now see as questionable policing, they surely saw as the norm for awhile. 

Today, their thoughts are more nuanced. Their love for this country is sincere. But do they see the faults of some of our State and Federal policies, of some of our elected officials, as clearly as I do now? Is politics a popularity contest to them or matter of maintaining our democracy? Many of the current young Americans are serious about politics and patriotism. Many have good values. Can they save our democracy as a beacon of freedom for all, not just a good living for the chosen few?

I am old now and will not live to see the full ramifications of the challenges faced by our country. Will democracy survive? Will nationalism and bigotry destroy this country? Will we survive the changing ecosystems engendered by global warming? Will the...the questions go on, but the answers are in the hands of the next generations. I hope that they, too, will see Thunderheart in 2021 with a belief that all men are created equal and that all have rights and that our country can be stronger by making inclusion and patriotism mean an adherence to the values of the US and its constitution as applied to all, not just the elite majority.

A Quick Guide to Supplementing Your Child’s Learning During the Pandemic

 

Guest Article by Emily Graham of Mighty Moms 

*with some additional formatting and comments by Valerie

Image via Pexels

* We are all schooling at home now

Whether your little one is participating in distance learning due to COVID-19 — or you’re looking for some ways to supplement your child’s education from home — the resources below offer tips on online learning, finding a tutoring service, and helping your kindergartner to learn with fun educational activities and family outings. Read on to discover resources that will help to supplement your child’s education during the pandemic — and well after it ends. 

Online Learning Tips 

To ensure that your child gets the most out of the online learning experience, check out these three resources. 

 ● Review these distance learning tips and ideas. 

● Utilize online learning tools like ABCmouse, Reading Eggs, and Starfall. 

 ● Learn everything there is to know about digital security to keep your little learners safe and protected online. 

Tutoring Services 

Whether your little one is struggling in an area like math, science, or reading — or you’d like to expand your child’s knowledge from home during the pandemic — these tutoring services can help. 

 ● Overcome the challenges of homeschooling by connecting with a skilled tutor from Coskrey Biz. 

● Need help with your child’s homework assignments? Use online resources like Chegg Tutors, Homeworkhelp.com, and Time4Learning. 

 ● Visit free educational websites like Scholastic, Sesame Street, PBS Kids, CoolMath, and TIME for Kids to expand your child’s knowledge from home. 

Educational Activities for Young Kids 

Make learning fun with these educational activities and attractions for young children. 

 ● Learn astronomy in your own backyard. 

 ● Explore Moab as a family with outdoor entertainment, hiking, biking, climbing, and more. Just don’t forget your face mask! 

● Keep little ones busy at home with these 20 fun learning activities from Good Housekeeping. 

● Teach your children about nature by observing wildlife in your own backyard. 

* Help students stay caught-up

 Many kids have fallen behind on their learning amid COVID-19 — but the resources above can help to supplement your child’s education through fun learning activities, tutoring services, and online learning tools. Instead of playing catch-up once the pandemic ends, help your little one to get one step ahead by supplementing your child’s learning from home! 

 To find out more about how Valerie Coskrey can provide you with homeschooling assistance and tutoring call (979)248-9450 *or visit Coskrey Biz. 

*A note from Valerie: Add your suggestions via the comments. Comments are moderated, but I will take a look at the links you send and decide. I will also add a few comments of my own for other links that I have found. 

Thanks to Emily for her suggestions. She has been homeschooling/coaching her children during the closing of schools and required online sessions. She speaks from personal experience.

Memes of the Quarantine

Hi folks,

You know I have a love of memes and a belief that songs are poems that beautifully represent memes of our culture. Here is a post from my other blog that contains a list of songs for the emotions of the quarantine. I invite you to help me grow the playlist for the songs about the memes we are all living with today.

A post on Seattle for my readers

 I have several blogs, so I find myself having to ask my readers to take a look at another blog post. This is one of those times. Please, read my post here on Knee Jerk Reactions. It talks about the Native American John T. Williams and the repercussions of his death. 

There are pictures. Here are a few more to whet you appetite. Both are Seattle, WA, at sunset.

Seattle at sunset

 

By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

 

Both images are from WikiCommons and are used with a Creative Commons License

3139990.html

Some Days You Just Have to Laugh

What Do You Read When You Just Need Cheering Up?

Some science fiction is read for the laughs. This series is one: EarthCentAmbassador. Currently the 16 books are listed with Kindle Unlimited.The stories are based on the adventures of an Earth ambassador to Union Station where the sentient planets send their ambassadors. The first in the series is Date Night on Union Station, rated 5 star on Amazon. Most of the series is rated 4.5-5 stars.


What is unique about these books is that they are suitable for all ages. The author E. M. Foner claims he wrote the first book as a relaxing relief from the toils of writing his science fiction epic. His comedic and personable style can be enjoyed in the author bio on Amazon and in his blog. 

 Another series takes place in contemporary Earth-- the AI Diaries.

In the AI Diaries an AI travels to today's Earth to observe humans. The Turing Test is the first in the series.

In Meghan's Dragon, a teenager in this coming-of-age novel must mature into a mage and control her dragon. Foner states that his goal in writing this book is to explore the world of young adults who must face challenges as they interact with aliens and AI in adventures that are not world-shatteringly dangerous.
Enjoy the laughs!

And read these out loud to the kids. Or let them read these themselves. Have fun.

I am also a believer in using good science fiction to encourage reading, to encourage an interest in science, to expand the ability to imagine and conceptualize, and to foster discussions between teachers/parents and youth. As a science teacher, I have written about this in various blog posts and my websites. Check out some of these posts by clicking on the labels. 

Designing Spaceships for Games

Space Engineers -- a Game that Encourages Design

My adolescent grandson plays Space Engineers. He has designed two spaceships for the the game. He has generously allowed me to share the pictures with you. I believe he began the designs with a template. It does offer the young a way to do computer graphics. 

Needless to say, I am proud of him.

The photos are of the laptop with the spaceships on the screen.

screenshot of first spaceship he designed

screenshot of 2nd spaceship he designed

Space Engineers offers a 3-D printed model of one's spaceship for a price, of course.

17 Equations that Changed the World

 The Equations

OK. So I took this title from Facebook. It was shared by a friend, David.

From Fotolia, which is now part of Adobe Stock

However, as one who sides with science in the culture wars, I hope an audience will take note of the ongoing effectiveness of science and math in society.

Can you name the 17 highly influential equations without reading the book? Or going to Facebook?

Look at all we as mankind have been able to do with science and math!!! From the Pythagorean Theorem to the Information Theory, Chaos Theory, and Black-Scholes Equation, Man's technology has been based on math. Remember E=mcsquared?

How much more will our world change?

Here is the Book. Click the Book to see What it is all About.

In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Ian Stewart (Author)


Who knows? Maybe this will help solve the Plastics Problem. Solutions which, by the way, has been  posted by the World Economic Forum on Facebook and which I have posted on my own Facebook timeline.

If you need to know more about the image, I have the details still and will tell you the credits and name.

A New Set of Military Space Operas to Read

Ok, so actually they were new to me because I recently discovered them. I read the first one and got hooked on the series in each case. So I am telling you about them. (Click on the books to go to Amazon for more info and to get your copy.) (Updated 2020)

My Favorites

You might remember from past posts that my favorite space opera authors are these, although not in this order:

1. David Weber
2. Elizabeth Moon
3. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

David Weber has a new series called Manticore Ascendant that introduces a new hero as a midshipman. Although in the Honorverse, there is little mention of Honor Harrington. Also, this book can be read by a young adult. It is a good coming of age novel.

For the YA Reader

Then there is the series for YA readers that features a teenage Honor Harrington. This series begins with the book A Beautiful Friendship. 

Trade Secret by Lee and Miller is another book for YA, but it has a higher reading level than some. At least the grades 7-9 kids I introduced to it thought it difficult to relate to. The story is rather complex, but I enjoyed it.

Elizabeth Moon long ago wrote Sheepfarmer's Daughter that is part of The Deed of Paksinarrion anthology. Paks is another warrior that the YA reader will enjoy knowing.

For You and Me, as Adult Readers:  Space Operas to Enjoy

But let's get back to the military space operas. Some have female heroes. Some are actually in the space service of the universe. Some have several trilogies in the series; some just a few. All have lots of challenges to be solved and plenty of interpersonal relationships with ongoing friendships, different crew members with which to deal, families and at times a love interest.

Then there are the different approaches to what a spaceship is like. And how it moves through space. Seldom is there an alien species, but what the hey. These were enjoyable and I even paid to read the next one when the first was from Kindle Unlimited, but not the next or 5th or whichever. There are hundreds more.

• Trading in Danger (Vatta's War Book 1) by Elizabeth Moon
• Space Viking by H. Beam Piper
• Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space (The Henry Gallant Saga Book 1) by H. Peter Alesso
• On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington Book 1) by David Weber
• Star Nomad by Lindsay Buroker
• Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn

... ... ... ...... ... ...

More to come.

This picture and the spaceship above are from Fotolia, which is now part of Adobe Stock.

Hi,I 'm back.

I was able to enjoy this view of nature often during my blogging hiatus.

It is hard to believe that I haven't blogged here since 2014. The last few years have been eventful for me.

1. I blogged my best ideas for a client instead of myself.
2. I spent time taking care of my dad, who recently died. He was 91.
3. I have resettled back into my house after spending years at my dad's.
4. I have fretted over US politics and the bleakness of the future.
5. I have seen the glory of the future possibilities.
6. I have written new poems.
7. I have expanded the nature of my freelance business.
8. I have clients for my business that I share with my husband.
9. I have new great-nieces and and great-nephews and newly married nephews.
10. I have read hundreds of books on Kindle through Bookbub and Kindle Unlimited.
11. I have listened to my favorite music on the Echo with Amazon Music Unlimited.
12. I have lost and then found my glasses.

An that is just a short list of just a few highlights of the last few years. It would take a book...

A book is what I am concentrating on now. My business, Coskrey Biz, has expanded into book editing and maybe soon into publishing Kindle ebooks.  We have so many plans for future projects.

These are the better blogs from Talking about This and That that I wish to share with you.

A Poem about Chimeras and GMO Foods

Homage to Bt Corn
Valerie Coskrey © 2014

Oh, Chimera,
You're fated to be
Reviled for your
Lack of purity.

Your grandmothers 3
Are surprised to see
The offspring
Of your continuity

Since traits All behold
That ancestors gave
Through descent
Of grandparents 5 unfold.

Last line modified 8/11/15.

a cornfield in Texas
© Valerie Coskrey

A science poem on GMO corn produced by genetic engineering

Let us not forget about the animals and bacteria that produce insulin and other meds for us humans. Corn plants that are resistant to insects have the promise of increasing a farmer's yield. There are downsides to GMO products, but there is much promise, too.

An update to this post added 11/29/14:
See slide presentation on the top 10 GMO foods as presented by the Discovery Channel.

Teachable Moments while Reading Books with Small Children (Pre-K-2)

A First Grader Reads No. David!

The Richness of the Experience was to me an Awesome Surprise!

I recently had a tutoring experience that illustrated the power of books and imagination. A first-grader was reading a beginners book about David who always gets in trouble but his Mom always loves him anyway. In having the child explain what had happened and what story the pictures were telling, page by page, I was able to (1) reinforce and teach vocabulary and sentence structure, (2) to check for actual understanding, and (3) get a dialogue going about the child's thoughts, experiences and imagination. We were even able to (4-5) discuss consequences of actions, both in a social sense and in a scientific sense.

Now I know all you elementary teachers know this, but I am more used to working with older kids, grades 7-12. My point here is that just reading the story with a child or to a child provides only half the learning potential of a good book.

Teaching Science in a Reading Lesson

We even got a science lesson out of the book. I asked her what was wrong with how he was standing on the books. We demonstrated the danger with her sitting on her piano bench correctly and sitting on the very edge. I gave the bench a gentle nudge for each position. When the bench began to topple over while she sat on the edge, we giggled and she completely understood the consequences of David's unbalanced position. 

I suppose I could have asked her why the water in the fishbowl was level with the book bottom, but I didn't.

Learn More about David Shannon

Read about Shannon, the author, on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No,_David

I Highly Recommend the David series by D. Shannon

After having my first grade student read and discuss several of these books by David Shannon, I can say that the series is a valuable teaching tool. Each appeared at first glance to be such a simple story with little in it to advance learning. Was I wrong! The child loved the books, the underlying message, the same in each, is essential to a child's emotional development, and the stories are realistic. These are classics, right up there with Dr. Seuss.

 .

More about Tom Tierney and his Paper Dolls

 A few years back I wrote about Tom Tierney and his paper doll booklets. Today I received this notice from my sister.

To: LPAA <lostpinesartisansalliance@gmail.com>

Dear friends,

With great sadness I must tell you that our dear friend and long time Spoken Word member, Tom Tierney, died yesterday, July 12.  He was 86, but wouldn’t want that spread around.

Tom was famous as a creator of imaginative books of paper dolls, which were sold all over the world, but he was known to us as a witty and charming storyteller.   Our meeting[s] were brightened by each new chapter of his autobiography and the occasional patter song from his singing career in New York.

He will be missed.

I enjoyed the few months of our acquaintance back in 2010. He was always charming and told interesting stories. He had dozens of his booklets on display and for sale at his family's store in Smithville, TX. The artwork was superb and, he had reassured me, the fashions meticulously researched and reproduced.

©may14ik - Fotolia.com

Google Images has hundreds of pictures of Tierney's pages in his paper doll booklets. I wish I had the permissions to copy them here. As it is, I must use the Amazon.com views of his books that I do have permission to post. I am including a current day paper doll set by another artist as a comparison of styles.

Also, Tierney's focus was always on the fashion of an era or theme; he was a historian in his field of fashion, often adding snippets of history to his booklets, so comparing his historical works to a modern work of fashion doesn't feel disrespectful. Indeed, my intent is to honor him and his place in fashion history.



. .

2 Poems on Discovering Nature

Mere weeks after the Discovery Garden was planted, a few bushes bloomed.

Go  to poems; bypass intro.
On a Visit to a Discovery Garden

The city of West Columbia, TX, recently planted a Discovery Garden funded by a grant from TNMP (Texas New Mexico Power), the local provider of power lines and electric meters along with the electricity it carries.

I volunteered to write some of the web pages associated with the garden.  These pages will be posted by the end of June.

The Muse Strikes

As my fellow volunteer, Sam, and I shared thoughts on what to write, I borrowed his key words along with  some of his thoughts and produced these 2 poems. They are stylized since they are part of a K-12 set of learning activities based on park visits. I thought I would share them anyway. If you get a chance, visit the web pages and the park. While you are at it, visit the other parks in West Columbia. I wrote more about them a couple of weeks ago.

Lantana

The two Poems and some Photos
from the Discovery Garden

Note: All photos on this page are copyrighted 2014 by Coskrey Biz
and were taken by either Valerie or Wayne Coskey.

The Discovery Garden

© Valerie Coskrey

Planned to be sustainably Green,
The Discovery Garden is seen

Ladybug on Milkweed

To draw Man and butterflies alike.
For color and food, pollinators dance
 Among plants
With heat and drought tolerance
 Perfect for where temperatures spike.
 In the Coastal Texan summers scene,
Native species thrive as queen. 

Upon A Visit to the Discovery Garden

Firecracker Plant

©Valerie Coskrey 
 
Transcend through beauty to tranquility, peace,
by sustainable degrees;
Transport oneself through time
and space to relaxation;
Transcribe activities of flora and fauna,
tales of the birds and bees;
Transform landscapes to Green
with minimal vexation.

Ebooks make it as School Textbooks

Tablets for School Use

A few years back I predicted that all students would have access to

artist conception of image
on a tablet computer
©Valerie Coskrey

computers. The idea of having rented chapters of textbooks and whole ebooks of textbooks would, to me, have done 2 needed services for kids in junior and senior high schools: reduced the weight of backpacks and given the students a textbook that they would actually take home. Today, the smart phones, netbooks, tablet computers and ereaders are making this idea a reality.

Just yesterday this article was posted to the internet:
Private school’s Chromebook program explains why Google’s laptops have captured nearly 20% of the educational market

I will admit that using an ereader or tablet to read a textbook or magazine has some drawbacks. Not all texts are presented in the same manner as the book. But books cannot easily show videos and photo albums to illustrate the point, either. And there are programs out there that will present a book's page much like the page of a textbook or magazine.

Expense? Well, the books themselves are very expensive. If the tablets were purchased by the schools and rented to students by the year or month, the cost could be recovered. IF textbook publishers do not demand a high price for the ebook, that is.

In public schools, the idea of renting resources might be a problem. Community programs might be asked to supply funds for the poorer kids. Maybe the first tablet could be free with subsequent tablets requiring purchase.

Maybe kids would learn to respect their school supplies if they had to pay for them.

There are many issues to be worked out, but the day of printed textbooks are numbered.