Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:Theoderic

2011-08-21T01:59:15Z

Cassian: misspelled -- question if anyone is watching

Pardon me -- I'm a bit of a newbie -- how does one move pages? His name is misspelled (should be Theodoric). This is the guy who killed [[Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius]], author of the sublime ''De Consolatione Philosophiae''. [[User:Cassian|Cassian]] 21:59, 20 August 2011 (EDT)

Battle of Williamsport

2011-08-21T01:46:53Z

Cassian: wikify

{{ACWbattle
|name=Battle of Williamsport
|image=
|begin=July 6, 1863
|end=July 16, 1863
|place=Washington County, Maryland
|theater=Eastern Theater
|campaign=Gettysburg Campaign
|result=Inconclusive
|combatants1=
|combatants2=
|commanders1=[[George G. Meade]]
|commanders2=[[Robert E. Lee]]
|strength1=
|strength2=
|casualties1=1,730 (US and CS)
|casualties2=1,730 (US and CS)
}}
The '''Battle of Williamsport''' was fought during the closing phase of the [[Gettysburg Campaign]] of the [[American Civil War]].

During the night of July 4-5, Lee's battered army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Stuart’s cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland. On July 7, Imboden (CS) stopped Buford’s Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart’s command. Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid. On July 11, Lee entrenched a line, protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited for Meade’s army to advance. On July 12, Meade reached the vicinity and probed the Confederate line, and on July 13, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade positioned his forces for an attack. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of a new bridge, and Lee’s army began crossing the river after dark on the 13th. On the morning of the 14th, Kilpatrick’s and Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. James Pettigrew was mortally wounded in the fight. On July 16, David McM. Gregg’s cavalry approached Shepherdstown where Fitzhugh Lee’s and J.R. Chambliss’s brigades, supported by M.J. Ferguson’s, held the Potomac River fords against the Union infantry. Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss attacked Gregg, who held out against several attacks and sorties, fighting sporadically until nightfall when he withdrew. (''NPS summary'')

{{Template:Campaignbox Gettysburg}}
{{Template:ACW Battles of 1863}}

[[Category:American Civil War Battles]]

Battle of Williamsport

2011-08-21T01:46:25Z

Cassian: add introductory sentence, with context, and minor gram

{{ACWbattle
|name=Battle of Williamsport
|image=
|begin=July 6, 1863
|end=July 16, 1863
|place=Washington County, Maryland
|theater=Eastern Theater
|campaign=Gettysburg Campaign
|result=Inconclusive
|combatants1=
|combatants2=
|commanders1=[[George G. Meade]]
|commanders2=[[Robert E. Lee]]
|strength1=
|strength2=
|casualties1=1,730 (US and CS)
|casualties2=1,730 (US and CS)
}}
The '''Battle of Williamsport''' was fought during the closing phase of the [[Gettysburg Campaign]] of the American Civil War.

During the night of July 4-5, Lee's battered army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Stuart’s cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland. On July 7, Imboden (CS) stopped Buford’s Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart’s command. Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid. On July 11, Lee entrenched a line, protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited for Meade’s army to advance. On July 12, Meade reached the vicinity and probed the Confederate line, and on July 13, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade positioned his forces for an attack. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of a new bridge, and Lee’s army began crossing the river after dark on the 13th. On the morning of the 14th, Kilpatrick’s and Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. James Pettigrew was mortally wounded in the fight. On July 16, David McM. Gregg’s cavalry approached Shepherdstown where Fitzhugh Lee’s and J.R. Chambliss’s brigades, supported by M.J. Ferguson’s, held the Potomac River fords against the Union infantry. Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss attacked Gregg, who held out against several attacks and sorties, fighting sporadically until nightfall when he withdrew. (''NPS summary'')

{{Template:Campaignbox Gettysburg}}
{{Template:ACW Battles of 1863}}

[[Category:American Civil War Battles]]

Electron subshell

2011-08-21T01:39:27Z

Cassian: we use American English here, right? (revert if I'm wrong) minor copyedit

An '''electron subshell''' is a division of a larger [[electron shell]] based on energy levels. Energy subshells are denoted by the letters s, p, d, f with each letter indicating a higher energy region. Each subshell corresponds to a particular shape of the location in which electrons can be found, for example the s subshells take the shape of a sphere while the p subshells take the shape of a dumbbell. The number of electrons that can be held in each subshell varies, with s holding 2, p holding 6, d holding 10 and f holding 14. Generally electrons around an atom are primarily divided in energy levels by shell and then subshell, although this is not always the case (for instance the 3d subshell is of a higher energy level than the 4s subshell).

==See Also==

* [[Atom]]
* [[Orbital]]

[[Category:Chemistry]]

Trinity (atomic explosion)

2011-08-21T01:37:01Z

Cassian: minor expansion, cite, reflist

[[Image:Trinity.jpg|thumb|300px|A photograph of the Trinity explosion (from government archives). This photograph was taken from six miles away.]]
A test, code-named '''Trinity''', was the first atomic explosion in world history, on July 16, 1945. It occurred in a remote location in the middle of New Mexico, on what is now the [[White Sands Missile Range]].

[[Robert Oppenheimer]] named it Trinity after reading the [[sonnet]] by [[John Donne]]:
"Batter my heart, three-personed [[God]], for you/ As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend..." The scientists considered the name appropriate for something Godlike.

The atomic bomb that was tested was the implosion-design [[plutonium]] bomb (nicknamed "Fat Man,") equivalent to what was later dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. The detonation was equivalent to the explosion of 20 kilotons of TNT. The test was conceived out of the [[Manhattan_Project|Manhattan Project]], the Allied effort to build new powerful weapons using [[nuclear fission]].

The sand in the area around ground zero was so intensly heated by the blast that it was melted into greenish [[glass]], later known as trinitite after the test.

The 51,500 acre site is now a [[National Historic Landmark]], and visits can be made to the site only two days of the year: on the first Saturday in April and the first Saturday in October.<ref>[http://www.white-sands-new-mexico.com/military.htm Visiting the Trinity Site]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Links==
Trinity Pamphlet - White Sands Missile Range[http://www.wsmr.army.mil/pao/TrinitySite/trinph.htm]
[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:World War II]]

User:Cassian

2011-08-20T23:18:01Z

Cassian: minor update

Just some guy with too much time on his hands, who has studied classical music for close to forty years. I formerly spent a lot of time on Wikipedia, but now may help out here from time to time.

From Bach's B Minor Mass: "We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory." (''Gratias agimus tibi''.) Those words, and those words alone, run through four minutes of the grandest music ever conceived by the mind of Man.

----

In my experience editing Wikipedia, I found that a conservative viewpoint is not always welcome. That may be different here.

Homeschooling

2011-08-19T21:19:02Z

Cassian: boldly adding one: I think this may be the most serious problem not listed (feel free to revert)

[[Image:Homeschool.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A young homeschooled student]]
'''Homeschooling''' consists of the practice of students receiving education from a parent or guardian, or instructors acting under the direction of a parent or guardian, rather than from teachers in a formal school setting like a [[public school]]. Virtually every area of the United States has local support groups for homeschooling, which often meet in church facilities. Nearly 7% of college-educated parents homeschool their children.<ref>http://www.sagus.us/blog/blog_details.asp?ID=18&p=7&s=7&s2=7</ref>

Homeschooling has grown by almost 75% in the last 8 years<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/02/09/educating-children-evolution-home-schooling</ref> and in a recent survey "the average homeschooled student scored at the 88th percentile" in the core subjects of reading, language and math.<ref>http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/washingtontimes/200908100.asp</ref> The most successful [[mathematician]] in contests in history, Reid Barton, was [[homeschooled]].<ref>http://www.amstat.org/PUBLICATIONS/amsn/index.cfm?fuseaction=highlights0812001</ref> The top college football player and the first to win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, [[Tim Tebow]], was homeschooled until college.<ref>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/783999/heisman_trophy_winner_tim_tebow_puts.html</ref> A Wimbledon tennis star, Melanie Oudin, chose homeschooling beginning in 7th grade: "With how much I improved in the first year at home, I knew it was the right choice."<ref>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/kevin_armstrong/08/13/melanie.oudin/index.html#ixzz0VSMpJSxF (her twin sister remained in public school)</ref>

In the [[United States]], an estimated one to two million students are homeschooled, or nearly one out of every 30 students.<ref name="USA Today">http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-01-04-homeschooling_N.htm</ref> Homeschooled students make up many of the top college and graduate students in mathematics today.<ref>For example, Princeton University math prodigy Arie Israel "never attended a regular school. His parents home schooled both him and his older sister, Rachel, allowing them to work at their own pace and discover their own interests. His dad, Benjamin, a computer programmer, helped him with math and science, while his mom, Rebekah, taught him English and history." [http://weblog.science.fau.edu/info/images/israel.html]</ref>

Homeschooling, like being self-employed, requires more self-discipline and greater initiative. Many parents understandably give up or burn out after homeschooling for years, just as many people who try to be self-employed do also. Without a rigid schedule and structure to the day, there are constant distractions and excuses to making the same effort that one makes when told to do something. Initiative is required for homeschooled teenagers to meet other homeschooled teenagers, for example, and many return to [[public school]] in the absence of that effort.

Homeschooling [[parent]]s oversee their children's education, usually providing some of the instruction themselves. In addition, homeschooling enables them to mix-and-match other instructional approaches, including:
* attending a weekly course provided in many communities by the homeschooling community
* using a correspondence school (or the modern video- or [[computer]]-based equivalent)
* taking classes at local museums or nature centers
* joining with other [[family|families]] to share teaching responsibilities in a co-op
* encouraging the student to self-instruct using library books, traditional textbooks or workbooks, knowledgeable mentor's and/or hands-on experiences
* hiring a tutor for certain difficult topics, like [[physics]]
* attending a brick and mortar institution for certain classes and taking other classes at home

Homeschoolers often include local "after school" enrichment programs like scouts, 4-H, sports, [[music]] lessons, karate or dance classes, public library programs, and summer camps as part of their educational program. Some areas have extracurricular clubs and activities specifically for homeschoolers, some allow homeschoolers to participate in local [[public school]]'s after school activities, and some homeschoolers participate in extracurricular activities independently from their schooling through private organizations. In 2003, "76 percent of homeschool graduates surveyed between the ages of 18 to 24 voted within the last five years, compared to only 29 percent of the corresponding U.S. population."<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35226</ref>

==Homeschooling Statistics==

In the [[United States]], homeschooling includes an estimated that 1.1 million students - about 2.9% of children in grade K-12 - as of 2007. "The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74% from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36% since 2003."<ref name="USA Today"/><ref>[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/estimated.asp] Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report, National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES 2006-042, Feb 2006.

A 2005 estimate from the [[National Home Education Research Institute]] places the number between 1.9 million and 2.4 million while the [[National Center for Education Statistics]] estimates that the number of students being homeschooled increased by 29% from 1999 to 2003. Christian Examiner, Sept. 2007, Vol 25, No 9, Pg 1</ref>

Families who homeschool their children do so for a number of reasons. A 2001 study by the [[US Census Bureau]] found that the single largest reason that parents homeschool is that they feel they can give their children a better education at home. This accounted for 50% of the homeschooling families; [[religion|religious]] reasons came in second at 33%.<ref>Home Schooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics, by Kurt J. Bauman, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, August 2001, Working Paper Series No. 53 [http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0053.html]</ref> Other frequently mentioned reasons include dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools, the ability to provide religious or moral instruction along with academics, the ability to control what the child is being taught, flexibility in meeting the needs of a child with special needs (such as a physical or mental health problem, a temporary illness or giftedness), flexibility in scheduling family life, and concern about safety, drugs, and peer pressure at other schools.<ref>Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report, National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES 2006-042, Feb 2006>[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/TableDisplay.asp?TablePath=TablesHTML/table_4.asp]</ref>

Admissions departments at major [[college]]s are now familiar and comfortable with homeschooling, according to a 2004 Boston Globe article. The article quotes a [[Liberal Arts college|Williams College]] admission officer as saying: <blockquote>"We read homeschoolers' applications just like any other application. They don't get any special consideration, but they're not discriminated against, either. Their applications are interesting, and they've certainly done independent work their whole lives."</blockquote> It notes that the acceptance rate of homeschoolers at Williams is 20 percent,<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2004/03/21/schoolhouse_rocked?mode=PF Schoolhouse rocked] "home schooling has gone main stream, especially in Massachusetts. It's estimated that as many as 20,000 children here have abandoned test-crazy public schools and high-priced private schools for the comfort of the living room couch. But most surprising of all is that Harvard, BU, Brown, and other colleges are welcoming homeschoolers like all other students." Source for Williams College admission officer's quote, 20% figure.</ref> virtually identical to its overall acceptance rate.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-11-02-collegerates_x.htm College acceptance rates]: Williams, 19.2%. U. S. News and World Report</ref>

In the [[United States]], some states permit homeschooled students to participate in [[extracurricular activities]] at their local public schools.

The states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming in one way or another expressly allow equal access. In most other states, participation is worked out on a case-by-case basis. <ref>HSLDA: State Laws Concerning Participation of Homeschool Students in Public School Activities [http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000048.asp]</ref> In addition, some states, such as Alabama, are considering equal access legislation. <ref>HSLDA: Alabama - Legislation for Participation in Public School Activities[http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/al/200705010.asp]</ref> In New Jersey, school athletic associations dominated by public schools exclude homeschoolers from participation in athletics, even though they allow students at different charter schools to participate.<ref>[[New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association]]</ref>

===Academic level===
Many studies over the last few years have established the academic excellence of homeschooled children.<ref>[http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200410250.asp Academic Statistics on Homeschooling]</ref> Most recently, the average ACT (American College Testing) score of homeschooled students in 2009 was higher than the national average.<ref>http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090827/avg-act-score-of-homeschoolers-beats-nat-l-avg/index.html</ref> ACT-tested graduates reporting themselves as home-schooled numbered 4,593 in 2000, a 41-percent increase. Home-schooled students achieved a composite average of 22.8, 0.1 points higher than in 1999.<ref>http://www.act.org/news/releases/2000/08-17-00.html</ref> An extensive 2009 nationwide study conducted by Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute,<ref>''Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics''</ref> found that homeschoolers scored 34-39 percentile points higher than the norm on standardized achievement tests. The new study was described as “the most comprehensive study of homeschool academic achievement ever completed,” in which Ray surveyed 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, and drew from 15 independent testing services. Demographically, 82.4 percent of homeschooling parents identified themselves as Protestant Christian, 12.4 Roman Catholic, 1.1 percent atheist/agnostic, 0.8 percent Mormon, 0.4 percent Jewish, 0.2 percent Eastern Orthodox Christian, and 0.1 percent Muslim. Neither the income or educational level of parents appreciably affected the results.<ref>[http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090811/study-homeschoolers-scoring-well-above-public-school-peers/index.html Aaron J. Leichman, Christian Post Reporter, ''Study: Homeschoolers Scoring 'Well Above' Public School Peers'''] (Tue, Aug. 11 2009 09:26 AM)</ref>

==Reasons for Homeschooling==
Reasons for '''homeschooling''' include:<ref>For 57 unique benefits of homeschooling, see [http://capitolhillcoffeehouse.com/more.php?id=5239_0_1_0_M].</ref>

*Seeking a higher academic level, and avoiding violence, intimidation, invasions of privacy (e.g., searches) and other hostile aspects of the [[public school culture]].<ref>[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/RevealingStatistics.html#Sec13 ''Revealing Statistics: Education and Media'']</ref><ref>As an example of the violent culture at [[public school]], "parents said there have been violent incidents, mostly fistfights, at the high school every day this week. 'My daughter is terrified,' said Elizabeth Sabalu, whose daughter is a junior. 'She doesn't want to come to school any more.'" [http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/877459,CST-NWS-skul04.article]</ref><ref>"Nationally, about 160,000 [[student]]s miss [[Public schools|school]] daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and in [[Hawaii]] students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]]. One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref>
*Freedom from a culture of depression and [[Liberal_bias_in_academia|liberal]] and/or [[atheistic]] bias found in public and many private schools.<ref>http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol3/iss1/art2</ref><ref>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/17963/liberal_bias_in_our_schools.html</ref><ref>http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/04/conservatives-underrepresented-in.html</ref>
* A more flexible daily schedule, ability to take vacations and travel during the school year, less commuting, and a healthier diet.<ref>Obesity in [[public school]] students from junk food appears worse than in [[homeschooled]] students.</ref>
* Avoiding the frequent illnesses, unhealthy obesity, and fatigue that result from the daily routine of [[public schools]]
* Avoiding conflicts with [[public school]] officials.
* More time spent by parents with their children in formative years.
* Avoiding objectionable [[vaccines]], "mental health" screening, and questionnaires.
* Avoiding competition between genders, including public school [[feminists]] favoring girls over boys.<ref>Nicola Pearson ''Don't teach boys to be like girls'' Times Newspapers (July 8, 2008)</ref><ref>Holly Robinson, ''Teachers Don't Like Boys, Mom'' huffingtonpost.com (June 17, 2009)</ref>
* Developing the discipline to be self-employed as an adult, and to work at home.
* Creating an environment in which students are less likely to pick up life-long unhealthy habits from peers, like [[drug addiction|drug abuse]], [[tobacco addiction|smoking]], [[sex addiction]], [[pornography]], or [[alcohol addiction|alcohol]].
* Having the time and availability to learn a trade or profession as an apprentice, as has been done throughout history.
* Homeschooling is often an essential approach to achieve the very best in many fields, from [[mathematics]] to [[music]] to certain sports.<ref>For example, [[Jordin Sparks]] (b. 1989) became youngest winner of the music talent competition "[[American Idol]]" after she left [[public school]] for homeschooling to concentrate on her singing.[http://www.pr-inside.com/singer-jordin-sparks-12-400-video-newest-r592857.htm]</ref>
* Be part of a community that has a much higher percentage of adopted children than formal school; the homeschooling community has a refreshing culture of life.
* Avoiding being subjected to [[homosexual agenda|homosexual]] indoctrination.
* Avoiding political indoctrination.
* Homeschoolers are seen to develop independent thinking and self-reliance that help insulate them from techniques of mind control that afflict public school students and teachers<ref>This is most recently illustrated by techniques of mind control employed by the Obama campaign.[http://www.aapsonline.org/newsoftheday/0089]</ref>

It should also be noted that stay at home moms, the most common teachers for homeschooling, reported having happier lives than their working counterparts.<ref>http://www.momlogic.com/2008/07/sahm_wahm_happiness_poll.php?icid=100214839x1204880052x1200231518#start</ref>

==Homeschooling worldwide==
A thriving homeschooling movement exists in Canada, and homeschooling also fares well in Australia and New Zealand. It is relatively new in South America, and reportedly faces strong government resistance in places such as Brazil. Homeschooling also faces significant challenges in many other counties. The governments in Shanghai and Beijing are largely opposed to homeschooling. In European countries it is sometimes more restricted than the United States, or illegal, such as in Germany. In Switzerland, many cantons still allow homeschooling, but not all. <ref>http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Switzerland.htm</ref>Sweden recently passed legislation which is expected to ban all homeschooling, except for children with medical exemptions, or foreign workers with the appropriate work visas. <ref>Hilary White, ''Socialist Sweden Moves to Ban Homeschooling'', LifeSiteNews.com August 11, 2009 (August 11, 2009)</ref><ref>http://homeschooling.families.com/blog/homeschooling-around-the-world-europe</ref> Recently alarming in England is a June 11, 2009 report on home education by Graham Badman, former Managing Director of Children, Families and Education in the County of Kent, which would effect critical changes in regulation of homeschooling. The report, which was accepted in full by the British Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, uses the [[United Nations]] Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to militate against the educational rights of parents.<ref>http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200906161.asp</ref> An example of such possible restriction is seen in the United States, in which a New Hampshire Court ordered a thriving, 10 year old homeschooled Christian girl to attend public school, solely in order to expose her to "different points of view at a time in her life when she must begin to critically evaluate multiple systems of belief and behavior."<ref>http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090829/homeschooled-girl-ordered-to-attend-public-school-over-her-rigid-faith/index.html</ref><ref>http://onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=659638</ref>

==History==

In the United States, opting out of [[public school]]s is not new. When [[Thomas Edison]]'s public school teacher said he was "addled," Edison's mother took him out of public school and taught him at home.

Education at public school year-round from about ages 6 to 18 became common only in the 20th century due to compulsory education laws. The first [[law]] requiring attendance at public school passed in [[Massachusetts]] in 1852; the second such law passed in [[Washington D.C.]] in 1864; and most states did not pass mandatory schooling laws until between 1870 and 1917.<ref>[http://www.ncsl.org/programs/educ/CompulsoryEd.htm Compulsory Education], National Conference of State Legislatures: "More than 150 years have passed since Horace Mann helped Massachusetts establish a statewide system of education that eventually led to the requirement that all children attend public school. In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to pass compulsory school attendance laws, and by 1918, all states required children to receive an education."</ref><ref>http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/kellmeyer/050428</ref>

But even under compulsory education laws in the late 1800s, the school year was only twelve to twenty weeks long. Very few stayed in school from ages 6 to 18. For example, by 1900, only 6% of Americans had graduated from a formal high school. Moreover, these students did not learn basic skills like reading in school; they learned those at home.<ref>''id.''</ref>

Baltimore's Calvert School began selling the school's curriculum to parents in 1905. Within five years, more than 300 children were enrolled in Calvert's correspondence courses. Over the next hundred years, Calvert served over 500,000 children from a wide variety of families nation-wide and around the world, including missionary families and those in remote locations.<ref>Calvert School Homeschooling: A Century of Tradition and Innovation [http://www.calvertschool.org/education-services/home-school-history/]</ref>

The homeschooling ''movement'' began in the 1960s from very different ideological sources. [[Seventh-Day Adventists]] Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore pioneered homeschooling as a result of their research into education and their concern about the harmful effects of schooling on students, particularly boys, between ages 5 and 15.<ref>http://www.moorefoundation.com/article.php?id=2</ref> On the other side of the political spectrum, John Holt wrote a book critical of schooling in 1964, entitled ''How Children Fail.'' Holt was "a left-winger who regarded schools as instruments of the bureaucratic-industrial complex."<ref>Micklethwait, John and Adrian Wooldridge, ''The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America.'' Penguin, 2004. pp. 190-1</ref> More generally, millions of Americans were alarmed at the 1962 [[U. S. Supreme Court]] ruling which banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools, and many of those parents began to look for alternatives.

Truancy laws brought pioneering homeschoolers into conflict with local officials. The first [[New York Times]] story on "home schooling" appeared in 1974, and concerned two parents charged with "educational neglect" by the [[Westchester]] County Department of Social Services. Tests showed that they performed at or about grade level "except for one who is a little slow in reading," and the parents received strong support from a state senator.<ref>"Parents Accused in Home Schooling," ''The New York Times,'' July 28, 1974, p. 45</ref> By the mid-1980s the ''Times'' was running articles with titles like "Schooling in the Home: A Growing Alternative" and "There Are Benefits In Homeschooling," and states were legalizing homeschooling.<ref>Belluck, Pam (1998), "Life After Home Schooling," ''The New York Times,'' November 1, 1998, p. ED26: "Some 15 years after states began legalizing home schooling in earnest, these early graduates are starting to make their way in the world."</ref> A 1997 article said "It's not only [[Christian fundamentalists]] any more" and a 2003 article noted "Unhappy in Class, More Are Learning at Home."

== Prominent people who were homeschooled ==




Throughout history, a remarkably high percentage of accomplished people were homeschooled, including many great [[mathematician]]s. Here is a growing list of such achievers:

*[[Ansel Adams]], (1902-1984), the finest landscape photographer of the twentieth century. "At twelve, unable to stand the confinement and tedium of the classroom, he utterly disrupted his lessons with wild laughter and undisguised contempt for the inept ramblings of his teachers. His father decided that Ansel’s formal education was best ended. From that point forward, the boy was homeschooled in Greek, the English classics, algebra, and the glories of the ocean, inlets, and rocky beaches that surrounded their home very near San Francisco."<ref>http://wy.essortment.com/anseladamsbio_rjrq.htm</ref>

*[[John Adams]] (1735-1826), U.S. President. Learned to read at home, and was then taught in the kitchen by a neighbor with a handful of children. He matriculated to Harvard College at age 15.<ref>http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/notable.htm</ref>

*[[Louisa May Alcott]] (1832-1888), the author of ''Little Women'' and other great works, was taught by her father.<ref>http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/louisamayalcott.html</ref>

*[[Alexander the Great]] (356-323 B.C.), the greatest military leader of all time, was taught by his father and, as arranged by his father, by [[Aristotle]].<ref>http://history.boisestate.edu/WESTCIV/alexander/03.shtml</ref>

*[[Susan B. Anthony]], leading pro-life feminist and advocate of women's suffrage. Her father homeschooled her.<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

*[[Julian Assange]], the founder of WikiLeaks. David Brooks wrote, "His mother didn't enroll him in the local schools because, as Raffi Khatchadourian wrote in a New Yorker profile, she feared 'that formal education would inculcate an unhealthy respect for authority.'" <ref>http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10335/1107188-109.stm</ref>

*[[Jane Austen]] (1775-1817), one of the most popular novelists of the early 19th century, was school-educated for only a year, after which she was taught at home by her father, her brothers, and herself, using their large family library.

*[[Benjamin Banneker]] (1731-1806)) wrote the first almanac by a black man and helped survey [[Washington, D.C.]]. Banneker was taught to read and write by his grandmother in rural [[Maryland]]."<ref>http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Banneker.html</ref>

*[[Clara Barton]] (1821-1912), pioneering nurse during the [[Civil War]], founder of the [[American Red Cross]]. Barton was homeschooled, and at 15 started teaching school. She later attended the Liberal Institute in Clinton, New York. <ref>White House Dream Team: Clara Barton[http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/dreamteam/clarabarton.html]</ref> <ref>Clara Harlowe Barton, Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" edited by Patricia L. Faust
[http://www.civilwarhome.com/bartonbio.htm]</ref>

*[[Alexander Graham Bell]] (1847-1922), inventor of the telephone. His deaf mother taught him to read and write, and he returned the favor by inventing the telephone to try to help her (and other deaf persons) communicate.

*[[Dietrich Bonhoeffer]] (1906-1945), a [[Christian]] who spoke against [[Hitler]] and was martyred for doing so.

*Willard S. Boyle, the inventor of the CCD that is at "the heart of virtually every camcorder, digital camera and telescope" and is used in "every picture on the Internet, every digital and video camera, every computer scanner, copier machine and high-definition television," and for which he was awarded a shared [[Nobel Prize]] in Physics in 2009.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/science/space/10boyle.html?emc=eta1</ref>

*[[Mary Breckinridge]] (1881-1965), pioneering American midwife and founder of Kentucky's Frontier Nursing Service. Mary's father was a diplomat, and she was educated in America and abroad by private tutors.<ref>Frontier Nursing Service[http://www.frontiernursing.org/History/MaryBreckinridge.shtm] </ref>

*[[William Jennings Bryan]], [[Secretary of State]] under President [[Woodrow Wilson]] and before that was the founder of the modern [[Democratic Party]]. He was also the leading critic of the [[theory of evolution]] who prevailed in the [[Scopes Trial]] and was perhaps the greatest orator in [[American]] history. He was homeschooled until age 10 as his mother taught him to stand on table to recite his lessons.<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

*[[William F. Buckley]], leading [[conservative]] intellectual. He was homeschooled by his parents and tutors.<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

*[[Robert Burns]] (1759-1796) [[Scotland]]'s national poet.

*[[Andrew Carnegie]] (1835-1919), the brilliant American businessman and philanthropist of the late 1800s, his father was a poor weaver and Andrew dropped out of elementary school<ref>http://www.education-reform.net/dropouts.htm</ref> and had only five years of formal schooling.<ref>http://www.carnegieinstitution.org/carnegiemedal/background.html</ref>

*[[George Washington Carver]] (1864-1943) Botanical and agricultural researcher and educator. Born a slave, Carver "learned to read, write and spell at home because there were no schools for African Americans in" his area.<ref>http://lib.iastate.edu:9060/gwc/bio.html</ref> He did not attend school until age 12, when he went to a one-room schoolhouse in Missouri; he later graduated from Minneapolis High School in Kansas. Became the first black student at Simpson College in Iowa, transferred to Iowa Agricultural College in 1891. Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897.<ref>MSN Encarta Encyclopedia - George Washington Carver article [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574196/Carver_George_Washington.html]</ref><ref>George Washington Carver, By Mary Bellis [http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa041897.htm]</ref>

*[[Augustin-Louis Cauchy]] (1789-1857), one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, was taught by his father during an 11-year retreat to the country to escape the [[French Revolution]]. His father "wrote his own textbooks, several of them in the fluent verse of which he was master. Verse, he believed, made grammar, history and, above all, morals less repulsive to the juvenile mind."<ref>E.T. Bell, "Men of Mathematics," 273 (1937).</ref><ref>http://james.fabpedigree.com/mathmen.htm#Cauchy</ref>

*[[Pafnuty Chebyshev]] (1821-1894), one of the greatest Russian [[mathematician]]s, was homeschooled until college.<ref>http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Chebyshev.html</ref>

*[[Agatha Christie]] (1890-1976), best-selling English mystery writer. Christie was homeschooled by her mother, who encouraged her to write from a very early age. At sixteen she was sent to finishing school in Paris. <ref>PBS Mystery Series "Miss Marple" site: Biography of Agatha Christie[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/marple/christie.html]</ref>

*[[Winston Churchill]] (1874–1965), [[British]] statesman. It was at home that he was taught how to read, write and do math, and was not enrolled in a school until several months into the school year at the age of seven. After only about two years at that school, he was abruptly pulled out and then spent several years under the instruction of two maiden sisters in a less formal school setting.<ref>William Manchester, "The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, VISIONS OF GLORY 1874-1932 (Little Brown & Co.).</ref>

*[[Charles Dickens]], prolific [[English]] author who could not afford school. His "passions for reading were awakened by his mother," who homeschooled him with a curriculum that included English and Latin.<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

*James B. Eads, the greatest river engineer ever; by age 13 he spent his "time reading in his library. So began Eads' education as an engineer. He tinkered with his own inventions at home, building a six-foot long model steamboat when he was in his early teens. And he was intrigued by the inventions of others."<ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eads/peopleevents/p_jbeads.html</ref>

*[[Thomas Edison]] (1804–1896), the most prolific inventor in the history of the world and considered by many to be the most influential person of the last 1000 years.<ref>http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bledison.htm</ref> His mother pulled him out of public school at age 7, after just a few months, and began homeschooling him by reading from the Bible.

*[[Paul Erdos]] (1913–1996), the most prolific [[mathematician]] of the 20th century, was taught at home until college.<ref>http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Erdos.html</ref>

*[[Pierre de Fermat]] (1601?-1665), the greatest [[mathematician]] of the 17th century and the founder of the modern theory of numbers, was homeschooled.<ref>E.T. Bell, "Men of Mathematics" 57 (1937)</ref>

*[[Benjamin Franklin]] (1706-1790), a leading [[Founding Father]] and prolific inventor and statesman, only attended part-time school from ages 8 to 10.<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/148 Benjamin Franklin, ''Autobiography.'']</ref>

*[[Robert Frost]], the leading [[American]] poet of the 20th century and winner of the [[Pulitzer Prize]]. He "disliked school so much he became physically ill; what schoolwork he did was done at home until he passed the entrance exams and entered high school."<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

*[[Evariste Galois]] (1811–1832), among the brightest mathematicians ever and the founder of Galois groups and fields and Galois theory. "Until the age of twelve Galois had no teacher but his mother, Adelaide-Marie Demante."<ref>E.T. Bell, "Men of Mathematics," 362 (1937). Galois' life was tragically cut short at age 20 in a [[duel]], and his work was published posthumously.[scidiv.bcc.ctc.edu/Math/Galois.html]</ref>

*[[William Hamilton]] (1805-1865), the greatest Irish mathematician and biggest contributor since [[Isaac Newton]] of [[mathematics]] to [[physics]]. He was taught by his uncle, the Reverend James Hamilton.<ref>E.T. Bell, "Men of Mathematics," 340-41 (1937).</ref>

*[[Matthew Henry]] (1662-1714), "nonconformist" Presbyterian minister in England, and author of ''Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible'', perhaps the most esteemed devotional commentary of all time. Under State persecution, Henry was homeschooled by his father, and for a time by a tutor, before moving on to a Christian school in 1680.

*Zac, Taylor, and Isaac Hanson, of the band [[Hanson]]. Educated at home by their mother, and later by a tutor. <ref>Hanson: The All American Boys[http://www.drdrew.com/DrewLive/article.asp?id=1112]</ref><ref>Hangin With Presents
Hanson[http://www.agirlsworld.com/rachel/hangin-with/hanson.html]</ref>

*Jaime Herrera. She was recently elected to the U.S. Congress.<ref>http://www.earnedmedia.org/toshm1203.htm</ref>

*[[Fred Hoyle]] (1915-2001), the greatest British physicist of the 20th century, received a "homespun" education in which he sneaked away from his school for 60% of the time between ages 5 and 9.<ref>"My earliest research work was in truancy from school, in which I was successful enough to whittle down the time I spent mewed up in classrooms to something like forty percent of what it was supposed to be between the ages of five and nine." Fred Hoyle, ''Mathematics of Evolution'' at p. 1 (Acorn Enterprises 1999). Note, however, that Hoyle's parents were also apparently unaware of his [[truancy]].</ref>

*[[Julia Ward Howe]] (1819–1910), abolitionist, writer, and women's rights activist. Julia was educated by tutors at home and in girls' schools until age 16. <ref>Open Connections Program, Women Working 1800-1930, Harvard University Library: Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910)[http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/people_howe.html]</ref>

*[[Carl Jacobi]] (1804-1851), a prominent and prolific German mathematician, was taught at home until the age of 12 and was taught the classics and [[mathematics]] by a maternal uncle.<ref>E.T. Bell, "Men of Mathematics," 327 (1937).</ref>

*[[Joan of Arc]] (1412-1431), one of the greatest military leaders ever. Taught domestic skills and religion by her mother. <ref>"As a child she was taught domestic skills as well as her religion by her mother. ... It was my mother alone who taught me the 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' and the 'Creed;' and from none other was I taught my faith."[http://www.stjoan-center.com/#bio A Short Biography of Saint Joan of Arc][http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm New Advent - Catholic Encyclopedia - St. Joan of Arc][http://joan-of-arc.org/joanofarc_biography.html Biography of Joan of Arc]</ref>

*[[John the Apostle]] (c. A.D. 20-100), the author of the [[Gospel of John]], considered by many to be the greatest written work ever. He also wrote several other books in the [[New Testament]]. His parents placed him, most likely as a child, under the homeschool-like teaching of [[Jesus]] rather than a more traditional school setting.<ref>In an approach common among homeschoolers, John's parents placed ''both'' their sons under the homeschool-like teaching of Jesus.</ref> John became the first to develop [[Christian]] [[faith]] and his work has since spread Christianity to billions.<ref>For growing evidence that John was a child, see [[Mystery:Was John a Child?]].</ref>

*[[C.S. Lewis]] (1898-1963), the author of the ''Chronicles of Narnia'' and other famous works, was taught at home by his mother and a governess until age 10, and later sent to be taught by a tutor to prepare him for [[Oxford]].<ref>'''Lewis, C. S.''', ''Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life'', London: Harvest Books (1955) ISBN 0-1568-7011-8</ref>

*[[Abraham Lincoln]] (1809-1865), American president. "Though his [formal] education was limited to a few months in a 1-teacher school, Lincoln avidly read books such as the Bible, ''Pilgrim's Progress'' and Weemss ''Life of Washington''."<ref>http://www.civilwarhome.com/lincolnbio.htm</ref>

*Countess Augusta [[Ada Lovelace]] (1815-1852), a visionary programmer and namesake of the [[ADA]] programming language, was homeschooled by governesses and tutors hired by her mother.

*General [[Douglas MacArthur]], the leading [[American]] general of the 20th century, both in [[World War II]] against [[Japan]] and in the [[Korean War]]. His mother homeschooled him until the age of 13, at which point he attended West Texas Military Academy.

*[[Marcus Aurelius]], Stoic philosopher and last of the "five good Emperors" of Rome. In his Meditations, he says that he learned from his "great-grandfather, not to have frequented public schools, and to have had good teachers at home, and to know that on such things a man should spend liberally."

*[[Benoit Mandelbrot]], a [[Yale]] mathematics professor known as the "father of fractals" and the person who coined the term,<ref>http://www.creativitysoftware.com/fractals-images/pages-hs/mandelbrot.htm</ref> received no extended formal schooling and was taught at home by his uncle beginning at the age of 12.<ref>http://www.fractalwisdom.com/FractalWisdom/fractal.html</ref>

*[[Mark]], also known as John Mark, the author of the earliest [[Gospel]] who learned by tagging along with his mother, who was a follower of [[Jesus]]; Mark witnessed the teachings and [[Passion]] at an age of perhaps only 10 years old.

*[[Yehudi Menuhin]] (1916-1999), noted violinist and conductor, never attended school, and was taught Mathematics, History and Hebrew by his father, and French, German, Italian and Spanish by his mother.<ref>Slater, Elinor and Slater, Robert ''Great Jewish Men'' (Jonathon David Publishers; 1996) ISBN 0-8246-0381-8</ref>

*[[John Stuart Mill]] (1806-1873), influential 19th century political and economic philosopher, was home-schooled by his father, James Mill. He learned Greek at age 3, Latin at age 8, studied economics, history, science, etc. before age 10.

*[[James Monroe]] (1758-1831), highly successful U.S. President, homeschooled until age 11.<ref>http://www.presidentialavenue.com/jam.cfm</ref>

*[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] (1756-1791), German composer. "He was educated by his father, Leopold Mozart, a violinist of high repute in the service of the archbishop of Salzburg."<ref>[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica]</ref>

*[[Isaac Newton]] (1643-1727), considered the greatest physicist of all time. He was homeschooled until age ten, and then was an underachiever at school until he lodged with the headmaster.<ref>http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Newton.html</ref>

* [[Christopher Paolini]] (1983-), the author of the best-selling [[Inheritance Trilogy]] ([[Eragon]], [[Eldest]], and [[Brisingr]]). He was homeschooled by his parents, through an accredited correspondence course from the American School in Chicago, Illinois, from which he graduated with his high school diploma at 15 years of age. <ref>Book Browse Author Biography: Christopher Paolini[http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=934]</ref>

* [[Blaise Pascal]] (1623-1662), one of the greatest mathematicians and philosophers of all time, was homeschooled by his father.<ref>E.T. Bell, "Men of Mathematics," 74-76 (1937).</ref>

* [[George Patton]] (1885–1945), one of America's greatest generals. He was taught at home until age 11 based on his "father's theory of education" that "youthful mind should be led along a path that parallels the development of the mind of the race" by being read to by elders.<ref>http://www.pattonhq.com/unknown/chap01.html The Patton Society ("The Early Years")]</ref><ref>;http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=517</ref>

* [[Henri Poincaré]] (1854-1912), one of the greatest mathematicians ever and an original developer of the [[Theory of Relativity]]. Poincaré, who had diphtheria as a child, received special instruction from his gifted mother and excelled in written composition while still in elementary school. He entered the Lycée in Nancy (now renamed the Lycée Henri Poincaré in his honor), in 1862 and spent eleven years there. He entered the École Polytechnique in 1873, graduating in 1875. After graduating from the École Polytechnique, Poincaré continued his studies at the École des Mines. <ref>Jules Henri Poincaré[http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Poincare.html]</ref>

* [[Alexander Pope]] (1688-1744), one of the greatest and most-often quoted [[English]] poets and essayists. "From Twyford School he was expelled after writing a satire on one of the teachers. At home, Pope's aunt taught him to read. Latin and Greek he learned from a local priest and later he acquired knowledge of French and Italian poetry."<ref>http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/apope.htm</ref>

*[[Ferdinand Porsche]] (1875-1951), designer of the [[German]] Porsche automobile. He was homeschooled and self-taught during his formative years,<ref>http://famousbrandnames.blogspot.com/2007/02/porsche.html</ref> which is ironic given that homeschooling is illegal in [[Germany]] today.

* [[Eleanor H. Porter]] (1868-1920), author of the classic 1913 novel ''[[Pollyanna]]'' and its sequel ''Pollyanna Grows Up'', about an eternally optimistic missionary child who, by playing the "glad game", transforms an entire community. Porter, a Christian and a member of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]], was "educated in public schools during her childhood until illness caused her to turn to private tutors. She then attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts."<ref>Bestsellers,
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ''Pollyanna'' [http://www3.isrl.illinois.edu/~unsworth/courses/bestsellers/search.cgi?title=Pollyanna]</ref> <ref>Bestsellers,
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ''Pollyanna Grows Up'' [http://www3.isrl.illinois.edu/~unsworth/courses/bestsellers/search.cgi?title=Pollyanna+Grows+Up]</ref>

*[[Joseph Priestley]] (1733-1804), the father of modern chemistry and the discoverer of oxygen, dropped out of school as a teenager and privately learned geometry, algebra and numerous languages.<ref>Robert E. Schofield, ''The Enlightenment of Joseph Priestley.''</ref>

*[[Bernhard Riemann]] (1826-1866), a German recognized as the greatest modern mathematician. He was taught at home by his father, a Lutheran minister, until he was ten. After that he was tutored by a teacher from a local school until he entered the Lyceum in Hannover at 14. <ref>School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland -- Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann, by: J J O'Connor and E F Robertson[http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Riemann.html]</ref><ref>http://www.andrews.edu/~calkins/math/biograph/199899/bioriema.htm</ref>

*[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (1882-1945), U.S. President. He was educated by private tutors at home through age 14, then entered Groton, an elite private school in Massachusetts, in 1896. <ref>The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers. "Franklin D. Roosevelt." Teaching Eleanor Roosevelt, ed. by Allida Black, June Hopkins, et. al. (Hyde Park, New York: Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, 2003).
[http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/roosevelt-franklin.htm]</ref>

*[[Theodore Roosevelt]] (1858–1919), U.S. President. "Roosevelt never enrolled in a public school. He was mostly instructed by private tutors until he entered Harvard College in 1876."<ref>http://law.enotes.com/presidential-biography/theodore-roosevelt-administrations/education</ref>

*[[Erwin Schrodinger]] (1887-1961), was one of the developers of the theory of [[quantum mechanics]] in physics. "He was not sent to elementary school, but received lessons at home from a private tutor up to the age of ten ...."<ref>http://bdaugherty.tripod.com/berlin/schrodinger.html</ref>

*[[Joseph Smith]] (1805-1844), was a mayor, a lieutenant general, a political theorist, a city planner, and a religious organizer and the founder of the Mormon Church. He was deprived of a formal education but was mainly self taught and "instructed in reading, writing, and the ground rules of arithmetic.".<ref>History of Joseph Smith, Jr., by himself, in Joseph Smith's Letter Book at Kirtland, November 27, 1832 to August 4, 1835 (Church Historian's Library, Salt Lake City, Utah).</ref><ref>http://www.pbs.org/americanprophet/joseph-smith.html</ref> His mother said that he was often "given to meditation and deep study."<ref>History of the Prophet Joseph, Improvement Era, vol. 5, p. 257.</ref>

*[[George Bernard Shaw]] (1856-1950), author. Tutored in the classics by a clerical uncle until he entered school at age 10. Left school by age 15. <ref>Encyclopedia of World Biography on George Bernard Shaw[http://www.bookrags.com/biography/george-bernard-shaw/]</ref> <ref>Dictionary of Literary Biography on George Bernard Shaw[http://www.bookrags.com/biography/george-bernard-shaw-dlb/]</ref><ref>George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950 Biographical Sketch[http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/shaw.gb.bio.html]</ref>

*[[Mark Twain]] (real name was Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910), American author and satirist who said, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Attended school through the 5th grade, where he "excelled only in spelling" and was frequently truant, then worked as a printer's apprentice for a local newspaper. His mother said, "He was always a great boy for history, and could never get tired of that kind of reading; but he hadn't any use for schoolhouses and text books."<ref>The Mark Twain House and Museum: Biography of Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain [http://www.marktwainhouse.org/theman/bio.shtml]</ref><ref>The Project Gutenberg E-Book of Mark Twain, by Archibald Henderson
[http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/8/7/6873/6873.txt]</ref>

*[[Alexis de Tocqueville]], a Frenchman who came to America in 1831, when he was 25 years old, and wrote a two-volume definitive study of American culture entitled ''Democracy in America''.

*[[Leonardo da Vinci]] (1452–1519), Italian artist, inventor, and all-around "Renaissance man". Leonardo went to school in Vinci, where he learned to write, to read and to calculate, and was taught geometry and Latin. At 14, Leonardo moved to Florence where he began an apprenticeship in the workshop of Verrocchio. <ref>Leonardo da Vinci[http://www.kausal.com/leonardo/childhood.html]</ref>

*[[Laura Ingalls Wilder]], the author of the Little House on the Prairie.<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

*[[Andrew Wyeth]] (1917- ), American artist, was tutored at home until he was 18. <ref>The Homeschooling of Andrew Wyeth, A Conversation with the Artist, Gifted Children Monthly, May 1986, Vol 7 No. 5.[http://www.nfgcc.org/51.htm] </ref>

*[[Frank Lloyd Wright]] (1867-1959), considered the finest architect ever, was taught at home by his mother who dreamed that he would become an architect. She used "Froebel's geometric blocks to entertain and educate her son" as his father led the family among various Baptist churches, where he preached.<ref>http://freenet.buffalo.edu/bah/a/archs/wright/bio/index.html</ref> Wright then attended high school but dropped out of college.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0942394/bio</ref>

*[[Brigham Young]], first governor of Utah, the leader of the [[Mormon Church]], and founder of 200 towns and villages. He was homeschooled and had only "11 days of formal education."<ref>http://www.homeschoolutah.org/pages/pastandpresent.htm</ref>

In addition, a number of prominent people have chosen to homeschool their children. [[David Guterson]], author of the novel ''Snow Falling on Cedars'' (1994), which won the 1995 [[PEN/Faulkner Award]], also wrote ''Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense'' (1992), an account of his family's homeschooling journey.<ref>www.randomhouse.com: David Guterson [http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read/snow/guterson.html]</ref> Actor and recording artist Will Smith and his wife actress Jada Pinkett Smith homeschool their children.<ref>Reader's Digest: Will Power: Will Smith is One Driven Guy[http://www.rd.com/content/will-smith-interview/1/]</ref> Michele Bachmann homeschooled her own children, but Minnesota authorities prohibited the homeschooling of foster children (Michele Bachmann also had 23 foster children).<ref>http://www.radioiowa.com/2011/03/23/three-prospective-gop-candidates-make-pitch-to-home-schoolers-audio/</ref> Roseanne Barr stated in an interview that she has started to homeschool her 11-year-old son.<ref>Reuters Interview - Roseanne Barr says age gives her a louder voice [http://in.news.yahoo.com/070322/137/6dlba.html]</ref> Kristin Maguire, head of the [[South Carolina]] board of education, which governs all its [[public schools]], homeschools all four of her children.<ref>http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/09/17stjour.h27.html</ref> Elizabeth Edwards, the late wife of the [[Democratic]] vice-presidential nominee (2004) and presidential candidate (2008) [[John Edwards]], homeschooled both of their youngest children.<ref>http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2007/11/elizabeth-edwar.html</ref> The wife of [[Glenn Beck]] homeschools their children.

Others were taught to read at home prior to any school. For example, [[Ronald Reagan]] was taught to read by his mother before attending school;<ref>http://americanhistory.about.com/od/ronaldreagan/p/preagan.htm</ref> the only African American man to win the Wimbledon tennis championship (in a stunning upset that relied on a brilliant strategy), Arthur Ashe, was nicknamed the "genius" and had been taught to read by his mother at age 5.

==See Also==
*[[People Who Arguably Were Homeschooled]]
*[[Homeschooled celebrities]]
*[[List of homeschool curriculums]]
*[[Previous Breaking News/Homeschooling|Articles about '''Homeschooling''' from previous "In the news"]]
*[[Homeschool Legal Defense Association]]
*[[Homeschooling in England and Wales]]

===External links===
*[http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/view/rc/s31p54.htm Christian Children Must Have More Than A Fighting Chance] - Four reasons to homeschool your children, by [[Art Robinson]]
*[http://www.homeschoolacademy.com/famoushomeschoolers.htm] - List of homeschooled achievers.
*[http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-294.html Isabel Lyman, ''Homeschooling: Back to the Future?''] The Cato Institute (January 7, 1998)
*[http://www.homeschoolcentral.com/ Homeschool Central - Free Online Resources for Homeschooling]
*[http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/autism.htm] Homeschooling for Autistic Children

===Further reading===
* Gaither, Milton. ''Homeschool: An American History'' (2008) 273 pp. The standard scholarly history

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Homeschooling|*]]

Ludwig van Beethoven

2011-08-16T23:30:27Z

Cassian: /* Key compositions */ I think it's fair to call Fidelio "Key" (it's his only opera, and is firmly in the standard rep)

[[Image:Stieler Portrait Ludwig van Beethoven.jpg|thumb|Joseph Karl Stieler - "Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven when composing the ''Missa Solemnis''.]]
'''Ludwig van Beethoven''' (baptized December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827) was a [[Germany|German]] [[composer]] of the late [[Classical period (music)|Classical]] and early [[Romantic period (music)|Romantic]] eras.

Widely considered to be among the greatest, if not the greatest composer of Western music, he was also a [[piano|pianist]] of legendary virtuosity who shaped the future course of piano [[technique (music)|technique]]. Despite his encroaching deafness, which began in early adulthood and left him completely deaf in his last decade, his compositions include some of the most famous and enduring music ever written. Coming at the peak of the Viennese Classical style, Beethoven set a high standard for the composers of the next two generations, especially in the genres of the piano [[sonata]] and the [[symphony]].

==Early Life==

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven's early musical training was on the violin, and later in composition, keyboard, and [[organ]]. At first he was taught by his father, Johann, and then by C.G. Neefe, a court organist. At 11 he is recorded as filling in for Neefe as an organist. Neefe, a son of the [[Enlightenment]] who was also a member of the Bavarian [[Illuminati]], also influenced the young genius's education, and Beethoven is known to have frequented lectures at the university. Having caught the attention of Maximilian Frederick, the Elector of Bonn, he published his first works in 1783. In 1787 he travelled to [[Vienna]] in the hope of studying with [[Mozart]], but quickly returned on hearing that his mother was dying. He continued to produce ever larger compositions for the Bonn court, culminating in the grand ''[[Cantata]] on the Death of Emperor Joseph II'', written when Beethoven was 20. His father having turned to alcoholism after his mother's death, Beethoven was in charge of caring for his younger brothers, and was not able to return to Vienna until 1792, after which he was to settle for life.

Newly-arrived in the bustling musical capital, Beethoven made his mark almost immediately as a pianist, and pursued his studies in composition, first with [[Joseph Haydn]], and later with contemporaries Johann Schenk, Johann-Georg Albrechtsberger and [[Antonio Salieri]]. To all appearances, the first years in Vienna were marked by creative fits and starts: Beethoven's Opus 1 (published in 1795), a set of three piano trios, was already mostly finished when he arrived in Vienna; and while many of his first great works were begun in these first five years, Beethoven had nothing new to send back to his benefactor in Bonn. Maximilian Franz, then the elector of Bonn, was still financing the young composer's education, corresponding frequently and impatiently with both Beethoven and Haydn, and threatening to cut off funding if he did not begin to show results. Finally, in 1797, Beethoven's Opus 2, a bold set of three piano sonatas written in an unprecedentedly original style, was published and dedicated to Haydn. Five more opuses were published that year, and a flood of finished compositions followed in 1798. By the time his first symphony was finished and performed in 1800, Beethoven had thoroughly made his mark as a composer of powerful orginiality.

==Beethoven's Deafness and the "Heilgenstadt Testament"==

Already by the late 18th century, Beethoven had begun to recognize his loss of hearing. It had become so advanced by 1802 that he had considered suicide. At the advice of doctors, he spent the middle months of that year in Heiligenstadt, where he was to pen a moving testament in which he vented his despair at his deafness and expressed his fortitude to continue composing out of "the love of mankind and the will to do good."

Although the music of Beethoven is remarkable in its own right, it is perhaps most amazing in light of the fact that much of it was written when he was near or totally deaf. The most stirring example of this is the Ninth Symphony, written in 1824 when he had lost all hearing. At the end of the performance, one of the performers had to turn the composer to see the ovations which he could not hear.

Critics and music historians disagree on the extent to which Beethoven's deafness affected his music. Many of his later works, especially the late string quartets, were considered unintelligible when they were written, and this difficulty was attributed to his deafness. Others argue that his deafness had little to no ultimate effect on the quality of his music: he had a profound ability to "hear" the music even when deaf. There can be little doubt, however, that the loss of hearing had a profound personal effect on the composer, which undoubtedly bled into his highly personal music.

==The Music==

Beethoven's works include nine [[Symphony|symphonies]], sixteen [[string quartet]]s, 32 [[piano sonata]]s, five [[piano concerto]]s, a [[violin concerto]], an [[opera]] (''Fidelio''), the ''Missa Solemnis'', and numerous other pieces, including [[chamber music]], [[overture]]s, incidental music, and [[lieder|song]]s.

The composer's works are often divided into three periods: the Early, Middle, and Late Periods. The Early Period music shows a strong affinity for the music of Mozart and Haydn, the latter of whom was Beethoven's instructor, and is firmly in the realm of the Classical style. The Middle Period produced some of the most famous works, including the Fifth Symphony. The The Third Symphony, also called "Eroica" is considered to be the first movement of the Romantic period. Beethoven's Late Period is characterized by a highly romantic and introspective nature. His most enduring works, including the Ninth Symphony and the late string quartets, come from this period.

Many of his compositions remain popular with the general public, such as the piano bagatelle "Für Elise", the ''Moonlight Sonata.'' (a title not actually attributed to Beethoven), opus 27 no. 2, and many of the symphonies. The late string quartets are still considered "difficult" music, though they still have a strong following among devoted followers of classical music.

==Beethoven and Religion==

There is some dispute among scholars over Beethoven's religious beliefs, as his letters and the accounts of friends provide conflicting evidence. While he was raised a Roman Catholic and made several well-documented references to his faith, it is known that he never attended religious services. His teacher, the great composer Franz Joseph Haydn, thought Beethoven was an atheist. His friend and biographer Anton Schindler considered Beethoven a [[deism|deist]], especially due to the [[Enlightenment]]'s strong influence in Bonn as Beethoven came of age. Furthermore, Beethoven's choice of text in the choral movement of his ninth symphony indicates at least an interest (if not a belief) in [[Pantheism]].

The most convincing evidence for Beethoven's spirituality can be found in his late music. The String Quartet No. 15 contains a slow movement which Beethoven himself gave the title "Holy Song of Thanksgiving to God from a Convalescent" ("''Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenes an die Gottheit''"), after his recovery from serious illness. Perhaps most convincing, though, is the fervent nature of the Missa Solemnis, Op. 123. The sincerity found in this work could only have come from a deeply-rooted faith in God.

==Trivia==

*Beethoven was the teacher of Carl Czerny, who in turn taught [[Franz Liszt]], commonly considered to be the greatest pianist of all time.
*The first recording of all 32 of Beethoven's piano sonatas was made by pianist Artur Schnabel, a herculean accomplishment since repeated by several elite pianists, including Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel (3 times), Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andras Schiff, and Ursula Oppens.
*Beethoven described the piano as "the god of all instruments" and wrote more for piano than for any other instrument, including 5 piano concertos, 32 piano sonatas, 3 sets of piano bagatelles, 10 sonatas with violin and piano, 5 sonatas with cello and piano, many piano variations, and a number of miscellaneous short pieces, such as "Für Elise."

== Key compositions ==

=== [[Symphony|Symphonies]] ===
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, ''Eroica'', Op. 55 
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 
Symphony No. 6 in F Major ''Pastoral'', Op. 68 
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor ''Choral'', Op. 125

=== [[Concerto]]s ===
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, ''The Emperor'', Op. 73 
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 
Triple Concerto in C Major for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra, Op. 56

=== [[Sonata]]s ===
Piano Sonata in C Minor, ''Pathétique'', Op. 13 
Piano Sonata in C# Minor ''Sonata quasi una Fantasia'',<ref>Popularly known as "Moonlight Sonata," though the title does not come from Beethoven</ref> Op. 27/2 
Piano Sonata in C Major, ''Waldstein'', Op. 53 
Piano Sonata in F Minor, ''Appassionata'', Op. 57 
Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, ''Lebewohl'' or ''Les Adieux'', Op. 81a 
Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, ''Hammerklavier'', Op. 106 
Piano Sonata in E Major, Op. 109 
Piano Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110 
Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111<ref>The last three sonatas, often considered (and played) as a trilogy.</ref> 
 
Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, ''Spring'', Op 24 
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Minor, ''Kreutzer'', Op. 47

=== [[Opera]] ===
''Fidelio'', Op. 72

===Sacred Works===
''Christ on the Mount of Olives'' (''Christus am Ölberg''), [[oratorio]], Op. 85 
Mass in C Major, Op. 86 
''Missa Solemnis'' in D Major, Op. 123

== See also ==

*[[Romantic period (music)]]
*[[Franz Schubert]]

==Bibliography==
Bekker, Paul. ''Beethoven'', 1911. 
Cooper, Barry. ''Beethoven'', 2008. 
Mellers, Wilfrid. ''Beethoven and the Voice of God'', 2008. 
Nagel, W. ''Beethoven und seine Klaviersonaten''. 
Solomon, Maynard. ''Beethoven'' (2nd ed.), 2001. 
Thayer, A. W., Krehbiel, Henry Edward (trans.). ''The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven'', 1921. 
Tovey, Donald Francis. ''Beethoven'', 1941. 
Uhde, J., ''Beethovens Klaviermusik''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External Links==

* [http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/index.html Beethoven]

* [http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven.html Beethoven]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beethoven, Ludwig van}}
[[Category:Composers]]
[[Category:Pianists]]

Ludwig van Beethoven

2011-08-16T23:27:58Z

Cassian: /* Trivia */ add three sets of bagatelles (seven opus 33, 11 opus 119 and 6 opus 126)

[[Image:Stieler Portrait Ludwig van Beethoven.jpg|thumb|Joseph Karl Stieler - "Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven when composing the ''Missa Solemnis''.]]
'''Ludwig van Beethoven''' (baptized December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827) was a [[Germany|German]] [[composer]] of the late [[Classical period (music)|Classical]] and early [[Romantic period (music)|Romantic]] eras.

Widely considered to be among the greatest, if not the greatest composer of Western music, he was also a [[piano|pianist]] of legendary virtuosity who shaped the future course of piano [[technique (music)|technique]]. Despite his encroaching deafness, which began in early adulthood and left him completely deaf in his last decade, his compositions include some of the most famous and enduring music ever written. Coming at the peak of the Viennese Classical style, Beethoven set a high standard for the composers of the next two generations, especially in the genres of the piano [[sonata]] and the [[symphony]].

==Early Life==

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven's early musical training was on the violin, and later in composition, keyboard, and [[organ]]. At first he was taught by his father, Johann, and then by C.G. Neefe, a court organist. At 11 he is recorded as filling in for Neefe as an organist. Neefe, a son of the [[Enlightenment]] who was also a member of the Bavarian [[Illuminati]], also influenced the young genius's education, and Beethoven is known to have frequented lectures at the university. Having caught the attention of Maximilian Frederick, the Elector of Bonn, he published his first works in 1783. In 1787 he travelled to [[Vienna]] in the hope of studying with [[Mozart]], but quickly returned on hearing that his mother was dying. He continued to produce ever larger compositions for the Bonn court, culminating in the grand ''[[Cantata]] on the Death of Emperor Joseph II'', written when Beethoven was 20. His father having turned to alcoholism after his mother's death, Beethoven was in charge of caring for his younger brothers, and was not able to return to Vienna until 1792, after which he was to settle for life.

Newly-arrived in the bustling musical capital, Beethoven made his mark almost immediately as a pianist, and pursued his studies in composition, first with [[Joseph Haydn]], and later with contemporaries Johann Schenk, Johann-Georg Albrechtsberger and [[Antonio Salieri]]. To all appearances, the first years in Vienna were marked by creative fits and starts: Beethoven's Opus 1 (published in 1795), a set of three piano trios, was already mostly finished when he arrived in Vienna; and while many of his first great works were begun in these first five years, Beethoven had nothing new to send back to his benefactor in Bonn. Maximilian Franz, then the elector of Bonn, was still financing the young composer's education, corresponding frequently and impatiently with both Beethoven and Haydn, and threatening to cut off funding if he did not begin to show results. Finally, in 1797, Beethoven's Opus 2, a bold set of three piano sonatas written in an unprecedentedly original style, was published and dedicated to Haydn. Five more opuses were published that year, and a flood of finished compositions followed in 1798. By the time his first symphony was finished and performed in 1800, Beethoven had thoroughly made his mark as a composer of powerful orginiality.

==Beethoven's Deafness and the "Heilgenstadt Testament"==

Already by the late 18th century, Beethoven had begun to recognize his loss of hearing. It had become so advanced by 1802 that he had considered suicide. At the advice of doctors, he spent the middle months of that year in Heiligenstadt, where he was to pen a moving testament in which he vented his despair at his deafness and expressed his fortitude to continue composing out of "the love of mankind and the will to do good."

Although the music of Beethoven is remarkable in its own right, it is perhaps most amazing in light of the fact that much of it was written when he was near or totally deaf. The most stirring example of this is the Ninth Symphony, written in 1824 when he had lost all hearing. At the end of the performance, one of the performers had to turn the composer to see the ovations which he could not hear.

Critics and music historians disagree on the extent to which Beethoven's deafness affected his music. Many of his later works, especially the late string quartets, were considered unintelligible when they were written, and this difficulty was attributed to his deafness. Others argue that his deafness had little to no ultimate effect on the quality of his music: he had a profound ability to "hear" the music even when deaf. There can be little doubt, however, that the loss of hearing had a profound personal effect on the composer, which undoubtedly bled into his highly personal music.

==The Music==

Beethoven's works include nine [[Symphony|symphonies]], sixteen [[string quartet]]s, 32 [[piano sonata]]s, five [[piano concerto]]s, a [[violin concerto]], an [[opera]] (''Fidelio''), the ''Missa Solemnis'', and numerous other pieces, including [[chamber music]], [[overture]]s, incidental music, and [[lieder|song]]s.

The composer's works are often divided into three periods: the Early, Middle, and Late Periods. The Early Period music shows a strong affinity for the music of Mozart and Haydn, the latter of whom was Beethoven's instructor, and is firmly in the realm of the Classical style. The Middle Period produced some of the most famous works, including the Fifth Symphony. The The Third Symphony, also called "Eroica" is considered to be the first movement of the Romantic period. Beethoven's Late Period is characterized by a highly romantic and introspective nature. His most enduring works, including the Ninth Symphony and the late string quartets, come from this period.

Many of his compositions remain popular with the general public, such as the piano bagatelle "Für Elise", the ''Moonlight Sonata.'' (a title not actually attributed to Beethoven), opus 27 no. 2, and many of the symphonies. The late string quartets are still considered "difficult" music, though they still have a strong following among devoted followers of classical music.

==Beethoven and Religion==

There is some dispute among scholars over Beethoven's religious beliefs, as his letters and the accounts of friends provide conflicting evidence. While he was raised a Roman Catholic and made several well-documented references to his faith, it is known that he never attended religious services. His teacher, the great composer Franz Joseph Haydn, thought Beethoven was an atheist. His friend and biographer Anton Schindler considered Beethoven a [[deism|deist]], especially due to the [[Enlightenment]]'s strong influence in Bonn as Beethoven came of age. Furthermore, Beethoven's choice of text in the choral movement of his ninth symphony indicates at least an interest (if not a belief) in [[Pantheism]].

The most convincing evidence for Beethoven's spirituality can be found in his late music. The String Quartet No. 15 contains a slow movement which Beethoven himself gave the title "Holy Song of Thanksgiving to God from a Convalescent" ("''Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenes an die Gottheit''"), after his recovery from serious illness. Perhaps most convincing, though, is the fervent nature of the Missa Solemnis, Op. 123. The sincerity found in this work could only have come from a deeply-rooted faith in God.

==Trivia==

*Beethoven was the teacher of Carl Czerny, who in turn taught [[Franz Liszt]], commonly considered to be the greatest pianist of all time.
*The first recording of all 32 of Beethoven's piano sonatas was made by pianist Artur Schnabel, a herculean accomplishment since repeated by several elite pianists, including Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel (3 times), Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andras Schiff, and Ursula Oppens.
*Beethoven described the piano as "the god of all instruments" and wrote more for piano than for any other instrument, including 5 piano concertos, 32 piano sonatas, 3 sets of piano bagatelles, 10 sonatas with violin and piano, 5 sonatas with cello and piano, many piano variations, and a number of miscellaneous short pieces, such as "Für Elise."

== Key compositions ==

=== [[Symphony|Symphonies]] ===
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, ''Eroica'', Op. 55 
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 
Symphony No. 6 in F Major ''Pastoral'', Op. 68 
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor ''Choral'', Op. 125

=== [[Concerto]]s ===
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, ''The Emperor'', Op. 73 
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 
Triple Concerto in C Major for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra, Op. 56

=== [[Sonata]]s ===
Piano Sonata in C Minor, ''Pathétique'', Op. 13 
Piano Sonata in C# Minor ''Sonata quasi una Fantasia'',<ref>Popularly known as "Moonlight Sonata," though the title does not come from Beethoven</ref> Op. 27/2 
Piano Sonata in C Major, ''Waldstein'', Op. 53 
Piano Sonata in F Minor, ''Appassionata'', Op. 57 
Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, ''Lebewohl'' or ''Les Adieux'', Op. 81a 
Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, ''Hammerklavier'', Op. 106 
Piano Sonata in E Major, Op. 109 
Piano Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110 
Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111<ref>The last three sonatas, often considered (and played) as a trilogy.</ref> 
 
Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, ''Spring'', Op 24 
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Minor, ''Kreutzer'', Op. 47

===Sacred Works===
''Christ on the Mount of Olives'' (''Christus am Ölberg''), [[oratorio]], Op. 85 
Mass in C Major, Op. 86 
''Missa Solemnis'' in D Major, Op. 123

== See also ==

*[[Romantic period (music)]]
*[[Franz Schubert]]

==Bibliography==
Bekker, Paul. ''Beethoven'', 1911. 
Cooper, Barry. ''Beethoven'', 2008. 
Mellers, Wilfrid. ''Beethoven and the Voice of God'', 2008. 
Nagel, W. ''Beethoven und seine Klaviersonaten''. 
Solomon, Maynard. ''Beethoven'' (2nd ed.), 2001. 
Thayer, A. W., Krehbiel, Henry Edward (trans.). ''The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven'', 1921. 
Tovey, Donald Francis. ''Beethoven'', 1941. 
Uhde, J., ''Beethovens Klaviermusik''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External Links==

* [http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/index.html Beethoven]

* [http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven.html Beethoven]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beethoven, Ludwig van}}
[[Category:Composers]]
[[Category:Pianists]]

Ayn Rand

2011-08-16T23:22:42Z

Cassian: /* References */ correct title

[[Image:Jhyu65.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Ayn Rand. A great philosopher and writer who developed the [[Objectivism | Objectivist]] school of thought]]

'''Ayn Rand''' (1905-1982) was an [[atheist]]ic novelist, screenwriter, and [[philosopher]], who began her career in Hollywood. She used her novels to promote her philosophy, known as [[Objectivism]]. Her best-known novels are [[Atlas_Shrugged|''Atlas Shrugged'']] and ''[[The Fountainhead]]''.

She was a highly political author, with her novels often serving as political messages. She advocated minimal government interference (known by the name Minarchism) in business and strongly objected to socialism and nationalism. Combined, more than twelve million copies of her two best-known novels have been sold in the U.S. alone. Despite her anti-Christian and liberal views on social issues, her opposition to state economic intervention has made her works and philosophy popular with the [[TEA Party]] movement.<ref>''Ayn Rand stars at Denver stimulus ‘tea party’ protest'', Colorado Independent, Wendy Norris - 2/28/09 - [http://coloradoindependent.com/23026/ayn-rand-stars-at-denver-stimulus-tea-party-protest] </ref>

Her first name "Ayn" rhymes with "mine", and she was born in Russia as '''Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum.'''

==Philosophy==
{{Main|Objectivism}}

Ayn Rand attracted a following based on her opposition to [[collectivism]], as articulated in her novels, particularly ''Atlas Shrugged''. Her followers today tend to be [[libertarians]] and predominantly unmarried men, many of whom are drawn to a self-indulgent lifestyle consistent with Rand's philosophy. Rand often called herself a "radical for capitalism," by which she meant the pure, ''laissez-faire'' variety. Rand had very little in common with [[conservatives]] except for a mutual opposition to communism and socialism. Rand has also been accused of being a rape apologist for her rape scene in ''The Fountainhead''.

Rand's most famous and powerful follower was [[Alan Greenspan]] (b. 1926), long-time head of the Federal Researve System (1987-2006).

Rand's philosophy was anti-Christian to the point of even declaring that "faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason."<ref>http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_topic_religion%</ref> Such an anti-faith perspective [[atheism and morality|necessarily led]] to the [[moral relativism]] seen among her followers. For example, the movement she founded supports an "absolute right" to [[abortion]] at any time during pregnancy,<ref>http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5105</ref> including partial-birth abortion. Ayn Rand's philosophy and followers also support a "right" to have same-sex marriage, and opposed California's [[Proposition 8]] defining marriage as between one man and woman.<ref>http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=21821</ref>

Rand was an [[atheism|atheist]] and opponent of traditional family values, who personally adhered more to [[Hollywood Values]] than conservative ones.<ref>http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/bio/biofaq.html</ref> She was a strident opponent of altruism. As far back as 1957, [[Whittaker Chambers]] denounced the “wickedness” of ''Atlas Shrugged'' in ''National Review,'' and Dr. Gabe Vertin derided her "senseless self-aggrandizement."

== Psychological profile ==

The psychological underpinnings of Ayn Rand's socio-political and eco-political views are arguably related to her gender in the same way that [[Karl Marx]]’s views can be related to Marx’s gender. Namely, by the tendency of the genders to becoming overly sensitive in regard to their respective virtues. The male is most able in matters of [[individualism]], the female in matters of the collective. Ayn Rand’s disfavoring of the female virtues, and her consequent exclusivism in favor of the male virtues, may have been caused (in a modern world in which all good things are turned into more-or-less exclusives by some group or nation) by a particular sensitivity on her part to the female virtues. While it is good to feel things for others, it is not good to have that feeling used, in effect, to make one feel that one has no personal rights and needs. It can be argued that Rand typically felt so used, as do many women, but that Rand, unlike them, found herself with an opportunity to so 'right the wrong' that, unknown to her [[atheism]], she went much too far.

Like Marx, Rand's atheism saw only one way toward a global salvation, namely by the opposite of her natural virtues as a woman. Jesus never preached liberation of women from men, nor men from women, but most perfectly empathized with the plights of both in the face of the other. [[Adam]] was created without a penny to his name, but he owned the entire [[Earth]]. And, Adam never shrugged anything in order to possess it, which means it cannot be owned by a kind of individualism which denies a common [[culpability]] for a common plight of the suffering which results from the fact that differentiated individuals and genders cope differently to a given non-ideal situation.

Rand also grew up during the harshest years of communism in Russia which by her own admission had great effect on her personal beliefs. It is likely that the traumatizing effects of being a child at this time would have given her a great distaste for both the state and religion which was the object of intense propaganda under the Soviet regime. To a young and impressionable mind this may have had an effect on her thinking.

==Quotes==
"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: The stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission – which is the stage of the darkest periods of [[human]] history, the stage of rule by brute force."<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45735 WorldNetDaily.com Should Democratic Party merge with Communist Party?, August 12, 2005</ref>

==Works==
*''We the Living''
*''[[Anthem (book)|Anthem]]''
*''The Fountainhead''
*''Atlas Shrugged''
*''Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal''
*''The Romantic Manifesto''
*''The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution''
*''[[The Virtue of Selfishness]]''

==References==
* Burns, Jennifer. ''Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right'' (2009), standard scholarly history, by a conservative historian. [http://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Market-Rand-American-Right/dp/0195324870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256927458&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
*Doherthy, Brian. ''Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern Libertarian Movement.'' (2007), popular history.
* Gladstein, Mimi Reisel. ''The Ayn Rand Companion'' (1984) 130 pp. good starting point
* Heller, Ann C. ''Ayn Rand and the World She Made'' (2009)
* Kirsch, Adam. "Ayn Rand’s Revenge" [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/books/review/Kirsch-t.html?nl=books&emc=booksupdateema1 ''New York Times Sunday Book review'' Nov. 1, 2009]
* Uyl, Douglas J. Den, and Douglas B. Rasmussen, eds. ''The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand'' (1984) 235 pp.; dense essays by professional philosophers

====References====
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer Ayn Rand Institute]
*[http://www.ARIwatch.com ARI Watch] — argues that the above misrepresents Ayn Rand.
*[http://www.ios.org/ The Atlas Society — home of The Objectivist Center]
*[http://wiki.objectivismonline.net/wiki/Main_Page Objectivism Wiki]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rand, Ayn}}

[[Category:Women Authors]]
[[Category:Atheists]]
[[Category:Libertarianism]]
[[Category:Cold War]]

Ayn Rand

2011-08-16T23:18:57Z

Cassian: /* Philosophy */ sp

[[Image:Jhyu65.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Ayn Rand. A great philosopher and writer who developed the [[Objectivism | Objectivist]] school of thought]]

'''Ayn Rand''' (1905-1982) was an [[atheist]]ic novelist, screenwriter, and [[philosopher]], who began her career in Hollywood. She used her novels to promote her philosophy, known as [[Objectivism]]. Her best-known novels are [[Atlas_Shrugged|''Atlas Shrugged'']] and ''[[The Fountainhead]]''.

She was a highly political author, with her novels often serving as political messages. She advocated minimal government interference (known by the name Minarchism) in business and strongly objected to socialism and nationalism. Combined, more than twelve million copies of her two best-known novels have been sold in the U.S. alone. Despite her anti-Christian and liberal views on social issues, her opposition to state economic intervention has made her works and philosophy popular with the [[TEA Party]] movement.<ref>''Ayn Rand stars at Denver stimulus ‘tea party’ protest'', Colorado Independent, Wendy Norris - 2/28/09 - [http://coloradoindependent.com/23026/ayn-rand-stars-at-denver-stimulus-tea-party-protest] </ref>

Her first name "Ayn" rhymes with "mine", and she was born in Russia as '''Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum.'''

==Philosophy==
{{Main|Objectivism}}

Ayn Rand attracted a following based on her opposition to [[collectivism]], as articulated in her novels, particularly ''Atlas Shrugged''. Her followers today tend to be [[libertarians]] and predominantly unmarried men, many of whom are drawn to a self-indulgent lifestyle consistent with Rand's philosophy. Rand often called herself a "radical for capitalism," by which she meant the pure, ''laissez-faire'' variety. Rand had very little in common with [[conservatives]] except for a mutual opposition to communism and socialism. Rand has also been accused of being a rape apologist for her rape scene in ''The Fountainhead''.

Rand's most famous and powerful follower was [[Alan Greenspan]] (b. 1926), long-time head of the Federal Researve System (1987-2006).

Rand's philosophy was anti-Christian to the point of even declaring that "faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason."<ref>http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_topic_religion%</ref> Such an anti-faith perspective [[atheism and morality|necessarily led]] to the [[moral relativism]] seen among her followers. For example, the movement she founded supports an "absolute right" to [[abortion]] at any time during pregnancy,<ref>http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5105</ref> including partial-birth abortion. Ayn Rand's philosophy and followers also support a "right" to have same-sex marriage, and opposed California's [[Proposition 8]] defining marriage as between one man and woman.<ref>http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=21821</ref>

Rand was an [[atheism|atheist]] and opponent of traditional family values, who personally adhered more to [[Hollywood Values]] than conservative ones.<ref>http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/bio/biofaq.html</ref> She was a strident opponent of altruism. As far back as 1957, [[Whittaker Chambers]] denounced the “wickedness” of ''Atlas Shrugged'' in ''National Review,'' and Dr. Gabe Vertin derided her "senseless self-aggrandizement."

== Psychological profile ==

The psychological underpinnings of Ayn Rand's socio-political and eco-political views are arguably related to her gender in the same way that [[Karl Marx]]’s views can be related to Marx’s gender. Namely, by the tendency of the genders to becoming overly sensitive in regard to their respective virtues. The male is most able in matters of [[individualism]], the female in matters of the collective. Ayn Rand’s disfavoring of the female virtues, and her consequent exclusivism in favor of the male virtues, may have been caused (in a modern world in which all good things are turned into more-or-less exclusives by some group or nation) by a particular sensitivity on her part to the female virtues. While it is good to feel things for others, it is not good to have that feeling used, in effect, to make one feel that one has no personal rights and needs. It can be argued that Rand typically felt so used, as do many women, but that Rand, unlike them, found herself with an opportunity to so 'right the wrong' that, unknown to her [[atheism]], she went much too far.

Like Marx, Rand's atheism saw only one way toward a global salvation, namely by the opposite of her natural virtues as a woman. Jesus never preached liberation of women from men, nor men from women, but most perfectly empathized with the plights of both in the face of the other. [[Adam]] was created without a penny to his name, but he owned the entire [[Earth]]. And, Adam never shrugged anything in order to possess it, which means it cannot be owned by a kind of individualism which denies a common [[culpability]] for a common plight of the suffering which results from the fact that differentiated individuals and genders cope differently to a given non-ideal situation.

Rand also grew up during the harshest years of communism in Russia which by her own admission had great effect on her personal beliefs. It is likely that the traumatizing effects of being a child at this time would have given her a great distaste for both the state and religion which was the object of intense propaganda under the Soviet regime. To a young and impressionable mind this may have had an effect on her thinking.

==Quotes==
"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: The stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission – which is the stage of the darkest periods of [[human]] history, the stage of rule by brute force."<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45735 WorldNetDaily.com Should Democratic Party merge with Communist Party?, August 12, 2005</ref>

==Works==
*''We the Living''
*''[[Anthem (book)|Anthem]]''
*''The Fountainhead''
*''Atlas Shrugged''
*''Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal''
*''The Romantic Manifesto''
*''The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution''
*''[[The Virtue of Selfishness]]''

==References==
* Burns, Jennifer. ''Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right'' (2009), standard scholarly history, by a conservative historian. [http://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Market-Rand-American-Right/dp/0195324870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256927458&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
*Doherthy, Brian. ''Radicals for Capitalism a Freewheeling History of the Modern Libertarian Movement.'' (2007), popular history.
* Gladstein, Mimi Reisel. ''The Ayn Rand Companion'' (1984) 130 pp. good starting point
* Heller, Ann C. ''Ayn Rand and the World She Made'' (2009)
* Kirsch, Adam. "Ayn Rand’s Revenge" [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/books/review/Kirsch-t.html?nl=books&emc=booksupdateema1 ''New York Times Sunday Book review'' Nov. 1, 2009]
* Uyl, Douglas J. Den, and Douglas B. Rasmussen, eds. ''The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand'' (1984) 235 pp.; dense essays by professional philosophers

====References====
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer Ayn Rand Institute]
*[http://www.ARIwatch.com ARI Watch] — argues that the above misrepresents Ayn Rand.
*[http://www.ios.org/ The Atlas Society — home of The Objectivist Center]
*[http://wiki.objectivismonline.net/wiki/Main_Page Objectivism Wiki]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rand, Ayn}}

[[Category:Women Authors]]
[[Category:Atheists]]
[[Category:Libertarianism]]
[[Category:Cold War]]

User talk:Cassian

2011-08-16T21:19:46Z

Cassian: check to see if you any words out ...

Is this the music [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLCcQixNvg] you speak of on your user page? Bach was a genius! [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 01:35, 12 August 2011 (EDT)

:Hi Karajou -- yes, that's from the same piece (and Andreas Scholl is one of the finest living interpreters of that part, in my opinion). Stunning. Thanks, I needed to hear that! Here's a link to a performance of the ''gratias agimus tibi'' (Karl Richter -- modern instruments): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-xz0UJ2BUQ] ("We give Thee thanks for thy great glory"). I can still remember the experience of my hair standing on end, as a teenager, listening for the first time to that sublime music by a man who loved God and meant it. The piece builds and builds; it's a perfect curve with a big entrance right at the [[Golden_Ratio|golden mean]]. Incredible. [[User:Cassian|Cassian]] 17:19, 16 August 2011 (EDT)

User talk:Cassian

2011-08-16T21:19:06Z

Cassian: resp

Is this the music [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLCcQixNvg] you speak of on your user page? Bach was a genius! [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 01:35, 12 August 2011 (EDT)

:Hi Karajou -- yes, that's from the same piece (and Andreas Scholl is one of the finest living interpreters of that part, in my opinion). Stunning. Thanks, I needed to hear that! Here's a link to a performance of the ''gratias agimus tibi'' (Karl Richter -- modern instruments): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-xz0UJ2BUQ] ("We give Thee thanks for thy great glory"). I can still remember the experience of my hair standing on end, as a teenager, listening for the first time to sublime music by a man who loved God and meant it. The piece builds and builds; it's a perfect curve with a big entrance right at the [[Golden_Ratio|golden mean]]. Incredible. [[User:Cassian|Cassian]] 17:19, 16 August 2011 (EDT)

Professor values

2011-08-12T04:50:10Z

Cassian: /* Are Professor Values a Crime Against Humanity? */ sps (doubt these are in the original)

'''Professor values''' refer to the common value system embraced by a large percentage of [[professor]]s, just as [[Hollywood values]] refers to the common value system of many in [[Hollywood]] and the entertainment industry.
Professor values are currently one of the most prevalent forms of [[liberal]] indoctrination.

An extremely high percentage of professors disagree with [[conservative]] principles, replacing them with the amoral, relativistic philosophy of [[postmodernism]].<ref>"90 percent of United States professors called themselves liberal or moderate.[http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol3/iss1/art2/]</ref> Professors' common value system typically includes [[atheism]], [[antichristian|antichristian politics]], [[censorship]], [[socialism]], unjustified claims of expertise and knowledge (for example, the dogmatic promotion of the theory of [[evolution]]<ref>For example, a $100,000 "environmental" prize was awarded for work on a [[politically correct]] "theory of convergent evolution." [http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/4/4/briefBiologyProfAwardedEnvironmentalAchievementPrize]</ref>), [[liberal]] beliefs, [[liberal grading]], [[liberal bias]],<ref>http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/08/26/johnson</ref> anti-patriotism, lack of productivity, [[bullying]] or discouraging [[conservative]] students (for example, homeschoolers),<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032101451.html</ref><ref>http://www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org/news/488/NCliberalbiasagnstcons060104.htm</ref> and promotion of sexual immorality.<ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2001/oct_2001_4.html</ref><ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/1998/october_1998_1.html</ref>
In a [[Zogby]] poll, 58% of [[Americans]] said that the bias of professors is a serious problem, while 39% said it is a "very serious" problem.<ref name="zogby">http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1334</ref> The survey demonstrated further that "an overwhelming majority also believe that job security for college professors leaves them less motivated to do a good job than those professors who do not enjoy a tenured status - 65% said they believe non-tenured professors are more motivated to do a good job in the classroom."<ref name="zogby" /> One study in 2008 found that "[[Texas]] university professors overwhelmingly favor
[[Democratic]] candidates in their campaign contributions."<ref>http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5753471.html</ref>

Professors sometimes engage in wrongdoing while completing research. "About 1,000 potential incidents of fabrication, falsification or plagiarism in scientific research go unreported every year, according to a survey that suggests such misconduct is far more prevalent than suspected. ... 22 percent was by a professor or senior scientist."<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aYFanemP24yM&refer=home</ref>

{{cquote| There is no place on earth so close-minded as the modern University. The lack of diversity of thought is unmatched anywhere on earth. <ref>[http://twitter.com/#!/THEAtheistAnti/status/68067486800678912 The Atheist Antidote]</ref>}}

==Politicizing Hiring==

Faculty boards have been known to (on multiple occasions) block the granting of a tenured professorship to candidates for tenure who:

* criticize the [[theory of evolution]]<ref>"As reported last week, two members of the department that denied tenure to astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez at Iowa State University (ISU) have publicly admitted that Gonzalez's work on intelligent design played a role in his denial of tenure." [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/05/iowa_state_avoids_key_question.html]</ref>
* criticize [[feminism]]
* criticize [[abortion]]
* oppose the [[homosexual agenda]]
* criticize the [[liberal bias]] in [[academia]] itself
* profess a [[Christian]] faith
* endorse the mere ''investigation'' of [[Intelligent Design]]

For example, professors at [[Washington University]] wore white armbands to protest an award of an honorary degree to [[Phyllis Schlafly]], a noted [[conservative]], in an act of political partisanship and utter unprofessionalism.<ref>http://publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1279565&sectionID=1</ref> At the [[University of Chicago]], more than one hundred professors signed a letter to protest a proposal to honor [[conservative]]-leaning [[Nobel Prize]]-winning colleague [[Milton Friedman]].<ref>http://bourdaghs.com/blog.html?p=484</ref>

Politicians are routinely given high-ranking academic positions. Examples include:

* [[Al Gore]]<ref>Beginning early in 2001, "Gore will be [at UCLA] to develop a new curriculum for family-centered community building, a multidisciplinary approach that brings together authorities from such fields as education, business and public policy to work on problems that ail our society and affect our children. ... He also will be teaching at three other universities - Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and Fisk University in Nashville - in addition to his teaching and research work at UCLA." [http://spotlight.ucla.edu/special-guests/al-gore_teach/]</ref>
*[[Alexander Downer]]<ref>Downer is so pro-[[abortion]] that, as Foreign Minister of Australia, he "asked for a review of the government's ban on funding for abortion services in other countries."[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51731.php]</ref>
*[[Michael Dukakis]]
*[[Gary Hart]]
*[[Bob Kerrey]]
*[[John Edwards]]<ref>UNC-Chapel Hill named him as director of a new "Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity." [http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb05/edwards020405.html]</ref>
*[[Tony Blair]]<ref>Blair was given a prestigious visiting lectureship.</ref>
*[[Tom Kean]]

==Crimes and Alleged Crimes by Professors and Former Professors==
*A University of Alabama [[biology]] professor, [[Amy Bishop]], was arrested for shooting three fellow faculty members after being denied tenure. <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585682,00.html</ref>Bishop has been described by her students as "a [[socialist]]".<ref>[http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=392617&page=1 ratemyprofessors.com]</reF>

*A Goucher College professor, Leopold Munyakaz, is "accused of genocide in his native Rwanda [and was] arrested on suspicion of being in the United States illegally, U.S. immigration authorities said."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020504117.html</ref>

*Brandon Millay, 41, a professor at Owensboro Community & Technical College, was indicted on Dec. 2, 2008, on steroid distribution charges.<ref>http://www.news25.us/dsp_story.cfm?storyid=10071?</ref>

*Retired Bucknell University professor Jack Harclerode pled guilty on Dec. 1, 2008, on 20 felony counts of child pornography for having 245 images of child pornography on his computer and a portable hard drive. He faced a maximum sentence of 140 years (life without parole) in state prison.<ref>http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_11119182</ref>

*The head of the Economics Department at Bard College, 54-year-old Professor Kristie Feder, was arrested on drug charges on November 14, 2008 "after State Police found 16 marijuana plants growing in her home ... ranging in size from eighteen inches to seven feet."<ref>http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/arrested_1258699___article.html/charges_professor.html</ref>

* Sociology professor Hassan Diab was arrested for his involvement in the 1980 bombing of a synagogue which killed four. <ref>http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081113/diab_arrest_081113/20081113?hub=TopStories</ref>

* A college professor accused of intercepting the e-mail of a student with whom he had an affair pleaded not guilty to the charges. Stephan Grzeskowiak, 34, entered the plea. A federal grand jury indicted the former assistant professor of marketing on five counts of intercepting electronic communications and one count of computer fraud. He is accused of intercepting e-mails and instant messages on a computer used by the woman in May 2007.<ref>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-professor-hacking,0,2077856.story</ref>

* "Vanderbilt University professor James J. Lang was arrested [on a] Friday evening in Fairview on a charge of receipt of child pornography."<ref>http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080913/NEWS03/809130338/1017/news01</ref>

* Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Jeffrey Hunker, 51, "was charged with drunken driving three times in eight days" in August 2008 and, as a result, prosecutors asked the judge to imprison him. He had worked in the Clinton Administration and was driving his new BMW when stopped for the third time.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,412801,00.html</ref>

* University of Iowa political science professor "Arthur H. Miller, 66, [was] accused of demanding sexual favors from students in exchange for better grades .... He was arrested on four counts of bribery, a class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison ...."<ref>http://iowaindependent.com/3876/ui-mired-in-another-sex-scandal</ref> After being released without bail, Miller then disappeared and police wasted thousands of dollars looking for him.<ref>http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080822/NEWS/27671323/0/FRONTPAGE</ref> Later his body was found in a park. "He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."<ref>http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/NEWS/80826009/-1/LIFE04</ref>

* Arkansas Tech University chemistry professor Albert Snow, 33 years old, was sentenced to 10 years in jail "on a charge he stalked a person he believed was a teenage girl on the Internet ... Snow was arrested in January 2007 after showing up at a Russellville apartment complex where police say he expected to meet a 15-year-old girl."<ref>http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=8803789</ref>

* At Northern Kentucky University, language and literature professor Sally Jacobsen incited some of her students to vandalize a pro-life display by Northern Right to Life, the campus pro-life group. Jacobsen herself also participated in the vandalism, which involved destroying rows of white crosses symbolizing the graves of aborted children. Jacobsen justified the vandalism as free speech, stating, "I did, outside of class during the break, invite students to express their freedom-of-speech rights to destroy the display if they wished to." Jacobsen was unrepentant until given the choice of facing criminal charges of theft, criminal mischief and criminal solicitation or apologizing. She chose the latter and also paid Northern Right to Life for damage to the display. Jacobsen was suspended by the university and subsequently retired.<ref>http://www.lifenews.com/state3207.html</ref>

* College of New Jersey adjunct professor of engineering Bruce R. McKenna, 43, "surrendered to authorities after allegedly having sexually explicit conversations with an undercover officer posing as a teenage girl." He was "charged with six counts of attempting to endanger the welfare of a child, six counts of attempted sexual contact, sexual assault and attempted luring. ... Before McKenna was arrested, the situation escalated to the point where the professor was allegedly trying to meet with a 13-year-old girl."<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/local/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1218698712309020.xml&coll=8</ref>

* A [[South Korea]]n court sentenced a former university art professor to 18 months in jail for forging her [[US]] degree certificates, officials said. The Seoul District Criminal Court found Shin Jeong-Ah guilty of forging undergraduate and master's degrees from the [[University of Kansas]] and [[Yale University]] to secure a job at Seoul's Dongguk university.<ref>http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCfPQ1_mqM2VaXzQUSy-mXwQIvXQ</ref>

* [[Villanova University]] professor Edward R. Ritter was arrested on March 21, 2008, and charged with selling marijuana to undercover police officers, and a subsequent search of his home uncovered 19 bags of marijuana.<ref>http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20080322_Villanova_professor_arrested_on_drug_charges.html</ref>

* Kansas State University English professor Thomas Murray was a popular teacher, but he was convicted of murdering his ex-wife with 17 stab wounds and blunt trauma to her head. She "was found dead in her bedroom atop a dresser."<ref name="ctv">http://www.courttv.com/trials/murray/backgrounder_ctv.html</ref> Professor Murray had written several books, including "The Language of Sadomasochism."<ref name="ctv" /> He did not testify in his defense and spoke only at sentencing, where he called the state's case a "fairy tale."<ref>http://www.kansaspublicradio.org/newsstory.php?itemID=5892</ref>

* Shortly after the end of the school year and his contract, Marshall University Psychiatry associate professor John M. Adams burglarized and murdered Bobby Burns on July 2, 2003, and then kidnapped two women and forced them to drive him across the Ohio River.<ref>http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/07/29/loc_ohprofessor29.html</ref>

* University of South Florida professor Sami al-Arian pled guilty to "aiding a terrorist group" and was "sentenced to 57 months in prison."<ref name="nysun">http://www.nysun.com/article/72228</ref><ref>http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=7961089&nav=menu577_2_1</ref> He then "spent more than a year in civil contempt after refusing to appear before two grand juries investigating Islamic charities in Northern Virginia."<ref name="nysun" />

* Claremont McKenna College visiting professor Kerri Dunn was sentenced to a year in state prison after she was found guilty of staging a phony [[hate crime]], in which she "spray-painted her car with racist and anti-Semitic slurs and then reported a hate crime on campus."<ref>http://www.knbc.com/education/3998600/detail.html</ref>

* University of Hawaii professor Marc Fossorier was arrested and later convicted and sentenced to one year in jail for attempting a sex crime with a girl apparently only 15 years old.<ref>http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/4582/40/</ref>

* A [[New Jersey]] Cumberland County College professor "was arrested on charges of harassment, trespassing and stalking."<ref>http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEWS01/80305019/1002</ref>

* University of Central Florida political science professor Michael Shawn Reichert was arrested for having "a stash of more than 100 child pornography pictures on his work computer, ... plus three pornographic movies."<ref>http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/07/ucf-professor-a.html</ref>

* [[University of Wisconsin]] adjunct professor Victor M. Zamudio-Taylor resigned after being charged with viewing child-pornography in a campus computer laboratory.<ref>http://badgerherald.com/news/2002/03/19/uwmilwaukee_professo.php</ref>

* Concordia University professor Valery Fabrikant shot and killed four other professors in 1992. <ref>http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/01/25/qc-valeryfabrikant0125.html</ref>

* A [[British]] university professor was jailed for ten months when convicted of plotting to defraud a hospital trust. <ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010626/ai_n14398964</ref>

* [[French]] [[Marxist]] [[structuralist]] [[philosopher]] Professor [[Louis Althusser]] (1918-1990) killed his wife in 1980 and was afterwards confined to a psychiatric hospital.

* Professor Daniel Storm, of the University of Washington, flushed 4 liters of the flammable solvent ethyl ether down the sink, rather than pay the safe disposal fees. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Oesterle said that his using an axe to open the containers was particularly dangerous because a spark could easily have ignited the ether. <ref>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003607035_uwprof08m0.html</ref>

* An Associate Professor at Youngstown State University was locked up and fined $50 after baring his buttocks in front of children at a county fair. <ref>http://www.thejambar.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=38283b71-1223-4e85-929f-ba0f932d5366</ref>

* Philosophy professor [[Abimael Guzman]] of the National University of San Cristobal de Huamanga in [[Peru]] founded the bloodthirsty [[Shining Path]] organization, one of the most violent terrorist groups of recent decades.

* A childcare lecturer at Athlone Institute of Technology, [[Ireland]], was convicted of sexual assault while on a trip to [[Amsterdam]]. Despite this, AIT let him keep his job - until the crime was exposed in the local media.<ref>http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/2008/0415/ireland/mhojqlidcwid/</ref>

* A lecturer in sexual health at the University College of Medicine, [[Cardiff]], [[United Kingdom]] was fined £3,000 for child pornography offenses. <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1497151.stm</ref>

* Professor Antonio Lasagna of the ultra-liberal [[Yale]] university was convicted of child pornography and of molesting a child. The crimes were committed on campus.<ref>http://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=359</ref>

* University of Tennessee Physics professor J. Reece Roth was found guilty of passing U.S. Air Force secrets to [[China]] and [[Iran]]. The jury concluded he was guilty on 18 counts of conspiracy, fraud, and violating the Arms Export Control Act. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/us/professor_secrets/2008/09/03/127312.html Tenn. Professor Guilty of Passing Military Secrets] AP, September 3, 2008</ref>

* University of Georgia professor George Zinkhan shot and killed his wife and two others at a community theatre in Athens, Georgia, then was found dead a few days later.<ref>http://www.theage.com.au/world/university-professor-kills-three-in-us-20090426-aj34.html</ref>

* A hundred German professors were investigated for accepting bribes in exchange for helping students get their doctoral degrees. One professor confessed to accepting more than 200,000 euros because he needed to renovate his mansion. <ref>http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1918153,00.html</ref>

==Immoral, Unethical, or Bizarre Behavior==

*April 2011, [[University of Iowa]] professor Ellen Lewin who studies same-sex relationships was upset by an email from a campus [[Republican]] group. She hit reply-all on her email with the comment "F--- you, Republicans." <ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-ia-collegerepublican,0,6593118.story Iowa professor's response to GOP prompts outrage, Chicago Tribune, April 20, 2011]</ref>

*In 2009, CCSU [Cen. Conn. State University] student John Wahlberg gave an in-class presentation on gun control, pointing out that if students were permitted to carry concealed weapons on campus, school shootings could be more easily stopped. Wahlberg's professor, Paula Anderson, complained to campus police, who interrogated him about the location of all his firearms. <ref>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2198172/posts</ref>

*Arthur Butz, professor of electrical engineering at [[Northwestern University]], is a prominent [[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]]. His most infamous book is ''The Hoax of the Twentieth Century'', one of the first major works of Holocaust denial written in [[English]].<ref>''[http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/butz.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=2&item=butz Arthur Butz]'' Extremism in America. [[ADL]]</ref>

*A Texas Southern University professor was investigated for allegedly plagiarizing his grant proposal. <ref>[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6085039.html]</ref>

*The President of the University of Texas-Pan American is under investigation after allegations that she [[Plagiarism|plagiarized]] her 1974 dissertation. <ref>http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jigNGLtg9PtFNelXVdVdNFVfb48wD943SDH03</ref>.

* An [[Iowa]] community college [[president]] resigned after publication of a photo that appeared to show him pouring beer into a young woman's [[mouth]]. But the [[school]]'s board of trustees approved a [[severance package]] that officials said was [[value]]d at about $400,000 plus benefits.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,413101,00.html</ref>

* A Kansas university professor, Fort Hays State University debate coach William Shanahan, came "under fire after a video showing him mooning a room full of students and faculty during a heated debate found its way onto YouTube." He "is shown on the video in a profane, in-your-face argument with his counterpart from the University of Pittsburgh ...."<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403781,00.html Kansas Professor in Trouble for Mooning Incident</ref>

*Emory University History Professor of History [[Michael Bellesiles]], a [[gun control]] advocate, wrote a book entitled ''Arming America, The Origins of a National Gun Culture'' (2000). Gary Wills gave it a glowing review in ''The New York Times'', but admitted later that "I was took. The book is a fraud."<ref>Jonah Goldberg, [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/guests/s_501644.html ''Reports of the 2nd Amendment's death have been greatly exaggerated ...''] Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Apr. 8, 2007.</ref> Bellesiles resigned from his position as Professor of History when an independent committee of scholars examined his work and concluded that "his scholarly integrity is seriously in question."<ref>http://hnn.us/articles/1069.html</ref>

*According to one columnist, 88 Duke professors -- more than 10 percent of the Duke professorial faculty -- endorsed and published an advertisement hurtful to the 3 students who had been wrongly accused of rape during a lacrosse team party, which "helped create the lynch-mob atmosphere."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/03232007/postopinion/opedcolumnists/duke__who_wont_pay_opedcolumnists_john_podhoretz.htm</ref>

* When student Rebecca Beach circulated an email at Warren Community College in New Jersey disclosing that decorated Iraq war hero Lt. Col. Scott Rutter would be visiting, English professor John Daly replied: "Real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors." Young America's Foundation later placed Beech on Fox News's "Hannity and Colmes" to expose this and other intolerant e-mail. The resulting outrage ultimately forced Daly to resign and for the president to issue an apology, stating that faculty would now be required to undergo free-speech sensitivity training from now on.<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47461</ref>

*[[Ward Churchill]] was fired from the University of Colorado for fabricating his research and for plagiarizing the work of others. He had falsely claimed to be of Native American descent in applying for the post. Previously, he had infamously insulted the victims of 9/11 as 'Little Eichmanns.'<ref>http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/s11/churchill.html</ref>

*[[Richard Lenski]] of Michigan State University was rude and demeaning when replying to a member of the public who asked about his research.

* When challenged to provide data, professors who push evolutionism on the public evade the question <ref>http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia_talk:Lenski_dialog#Lead_author_won.27t_answer_simple.2C__basic_questions</ref>

*Madonna Constantine, a Columbia University professor claimed she was the victim of racism in the fall of 2007 when a noose was found on her office door. She was later fired for plagiarizing the work of other professors and even her own students. <ref>http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/25/plagiarism.professor/</ref>

*Vulgar and viciously bigoted anti-religion (mainly Christianity) University of Minnesota Morris professor and blogger [[Paul Zachary Myers|PZ Myers]] infamously raised the hackles of Catholics by stating his desire to desecrate a Holy Communion wafer (viewed by Catholics as the Body of Christ).<ref>http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1459</ref> The resultant outcry from Catholics resulted in the university removing all links to Myers' blog from their website.<ref>http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1460</ref> Myers has also stated that he is looking forward to the death of George W. Bush so he can travel to Texas and urinate on Bush's grave.<ref>http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/nooooooo_1.php</ref>

*Thirty-two hundred educators, most of them [[professors]], signed a letter supporting unrepentant domestic [[terrorist]] and fellow professor [[William Ayers]]. They claimed Ayers' bombing of the [[Pentagon]] and other [[government]] buildings, his direct involvement in at least three [[deaths]], were just "[[history]]." Notable signers included Professor Rashid Khalidi (No. 5), known for his call to destroy Israel, and the above-mentioned Ward Churchill (No. 814). George Leef, director of research for the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, Raleigh, N.C., said, "History should be important to [[teachers]]." <ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/22/academics-sign-pro-ayers-petition/ More Than 3,000 Academics Sign Pro-Ayers Petition] Fox News, October 22, 2008</ref>

*Professors engage in [[grade inflation]], giving their students artificially high grades—whether they deserve them or not. In addition, classes have been dumbed down at most universities and require much less work than previously.

*On August 7, 2009, the above-mentioned PZ Myers visited Answers in Genesis' Creation Museum in Kentucky with a large group of students. During the visit, the 52-year-old eagerly climbed atop a saddled kiddie dinosaur meant for souvenir pictures of children 12 and under. To complete his buffoonery, PZ borrowed a cowboy hat.<ref>http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/aroundtheworld/2009/08/16/children-and-the-creation-museum/</ref><ref>http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/53237252.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQQl2TMrgbM</ref>

*A [[Boston University]] professor was dismissed after sexually harassing a colleague and several students. In his defense, he claimed his medication made him do it.<ref>http://www.ssristories.com/show.php?item=2793</ref>

==Are Professor Values a Crime Against Humanity?==
*[[Time magazine]]'s Atomic deacon [[William G. Pollard]] has pointed out how professors victimize students, robbing them from experiencing the supernatural and transcendent world (i.e., [[God]]):

<blockquote>
"Throughout the whole wide range and diversity of human experience, with the sole exception of the West in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the world of nature has been alive with, and immersed within, a supernatural world which everywhere made contact with it, although was transcendent to it. It is this whole dimension of reality which the scientific age has lost the capacity to experience or know. An age such as ours which has lost a genuine capacity for knowing and responding to some great segment of reality is actually, without knowing it, in a dark age.... We really have lost a genuine capacity which the rest of mankind has possessed and actively exercised, and we have become a people trapped and in bondage within the prison of space, time, and matter....'''It is primarily the business of the university...to maintain the imprisonment of our time. It saddens me to see a new generation being victimized by this all pervasive spirit of the epoch."<ref> [http://books.google.com/books?id=VpafCAIMCowC ''Faith and Knowledge''], Douglas Sloan, [[Westminster John Knox Press]], 1994, ISBN 0664228666, ISBN 9780664228668, 272 pages, page 194 </ref>
</blockquote>

== Atheist and evolutionist Professor PZ Myers fails his applied biology course - satire ==

Please see: [[Essay: Professor PZ Myers fails his applied biology course|Professor PZ Myers fails his applied biology course]]

{{Liberalism}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
* [http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_178.asp?referrer=list National Center for Educational Statistics, "Table 178, Historical Summary of faculty, students, degrees, and finances in degree-granting institutions: Selected years, 1869-70 through 2005-06"]

==Links==
[http://liberal-education.com Liberal-education.com] A user created list of professors with liberal bias, highlighting examples of liberal bias in the classroom.

[[Category:Academics]]
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

Ludwig von Beethoven

2007-03-11T16:52:27Z

Cassian: Ludwig von Beethoven moved to Ludwig van Beethoven: van, not von

#REDIRECT [[Ludwig van Beethoven]]

Ludwig van Beethoven

2007-03-11T16:52:27Z

Cassian: Ludwig von Beethoven moved to Ludwig van Beethoven: van, not von

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827) was a German composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras.

Widely considered to be among the greatest, if not the greatest composer of western art music, he was also an accomplished pianist. His compositions include some of the most famous and enduring music ever written.

The most remarkable thing about Beethoven is that he completely lost his hearing, yet continued to compose music despite the fact that he could not even hear himself play. In fact, some of his greatest works were composed after he had fallen deaf, including the famous Ninth Symphony.

His works include nine symphonies, sixteen string quartets, 32 piano sonatas, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, an opera (''Fidelio''), the ''Missa Solemnis'', and numerous other pieces, including chamber music, overtures, incidental music, and songs.

Some of his most popular compositions include the piano bagatelle "Fur Elise" and the ''Moonlight Sonata.'', opus 27 no. 2.

In 1801, around the time Beethoven began to lose his hearing, and during the period of his most intense personal crisis, he wrote, "No friend have I. I must live by myself alone; but I know well that God is nearer to me than others in my art, so I will walk fearlessly with Him."

Roe v. Wade

2007-03-10T20:22:10Z

Cassian: /* Parties */ comma

''Roe v. Wade'' (410 U.S. 113) was a landmark Supreme Court ruling legalizing [[abortion]] in limited circumstances in 1973.

==Parties==
Roe's real name was [[Norma McGarvey]], a carnival barker, who became pregnant.

Wade refers to [[Henry Wade]], the [[Texas]] [[Attorney General]] at the time.

==Opinion==
The opinion written by Justice [[Harry Blackmun]], and divided a pregnancy into sections. Up until the [[fetus]] was viable, at the "quickening," the State could not regulate [[abortion]].

Notable for its definition of [[fundamental rights]], the opinion is an expansion of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence under the [[Fourteenth Amendment]], which, along with [[Griswold v. Connecticut]], sets up spheres of personal activity which the state cannot regulate without good cause.<ref>See generally Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479</ref> Specifically, the Court held that the [[Fourteenth Amendment]] protects implicit rights enumerated in its [[penumbra]], if not the text itself, which includes the [[right to privacy]].<ref>See Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113</ref> The holding of the Court has become a foundation of fundamental rights jurisprudence, and has been heavily relied upon since it was decided, and underpins many other famous cases, such as [[Lawrence v. Texas]].<ref>See, e.g., Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558</ref>

==Controversy==
Several cases, up for decision at the Supreme Court in the 2007 term, may whittle away at the holding of the case. Specifically, a South Dakota law banning nearly all abortions is seen as a deliberate attempt to force a [[test case]], where "pro-life" activists will have a chance to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider ''Roe''.<ref>The Economist, http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_VVJRJTN</ref> However, while ''Roe'' may be highly distinguished in these cases, the fact that the central holding of ''Roe v. Wade'' is so important to modern [[civil rights]] jurisprudence suggests that the whole case is unlikely to be overturned in its entirety, based on the United States concept of [[stare decisis]], or respect for legal precedent. Under this outlook, losing ''Roe'''s holding would be fatal to an entire constitutional structure, which the Court disfavors.<ref>See Lawrence v. Texas, supra (relying strongly on Roe v. Wade)</ref>

Some commentators suggest that limitations of Roe may actually be good for the "pro-choice" movement, as it would allow "pro-life" activists to vent their animosity against [[judicial activism]], while forcing the public to create a more moderate legislative solution to the problem. These commentators perceive the American public as more moderate than either the "pro-life" or "pro-choice" movements.<ref>The Economist, http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_VNSRJQV</ref>

==References==
<references/>

Clarinet

2007-03-10T04:45:46Z

Cassian: expanding

[[Image:Clarinet_1.gif|thumb|A Standard Clarinet.]]The Clarinet is a woodwind instrument. It is consists of a long cylindrical tube which opens into a bell shape at the bottom. The mouthpiece holds a single reed made from cane from southern [[France]].

Clarinets are transposing instruments, and are made in several keys, some of which are quite rare. The most common key is B♭. The B♭ clarinet is about 60cm long and has a range of three octaves. A clarinet in the key of A, slightly longer than the B♭ clarinet and pitched a half-step lower, is often used in orchestral playing. Clarinets are also made in the key of B♭, pitched a fourth higher than the common B♭ clarinet, and even in D, although this instrument has become uncommon.

The bass clarinet, usually pitched in B♭, has a tube twice as long as that of a standard clarinet; because of its unwieldy length, it doubles back on itself with the bell pointing upwards at the bottom. The clarinet family even includes an enormous contrabass clarinet, pitched in either of two keys: B♭ or E♭. This instrument is most often found in large orchestras, wind ensembles, or concert bands.

The body of the clarinet is constructed from wood, traditionally ebony from [[Africa]], [[Asia]], or [[South America]]. This wood is very hard and holds a high polish well.

Reed instruments

2007-03-10T04:40:22Z

Cassian: adding a few, distinguishing between single and double reed

[[Clarinet]] (single reed)

[[Great Highland Bagpipe]]

[[Bassoon]] (double reed)

[[Oboe]] (double reed)

[[English horn]] (double reed)

[[Saxophone]] (single reed)

[[Uillean Pipes]]

Flutes

2007-03-10T04:37:18Z

Cassian: add a couple

[[Flageolet]]

[[Alto Flute]]

[[Flute]]

[[Pan Pipes]]

[[Piccolo]]

[[Recorder]]

[[Tin Whistle]]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

2007-03-10T04:15:53Z

Cassian: copyedit, sp, etc.

(1756-1791) Austrian composer. Christened Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus, Mozart was born in [[Salzburg]], [[Austria]], on January 27, 1756. Mozart was educated at home by his father, [[Leopold Mozart]], a well-known violinist.
[[Image:Wolfgang_mozart.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Wolfgang Mozart]]

Mozart had [[harpsichord]] lessons at three, composed at four, and by the time he was seven played the harpsichord, [[organ]], and the [[violin]]. He wrote two sets of sonatas for the harpsichord and the violin, which were published in [[France]] when he was seven. Mozart also composed two symphonies in [[England]] when he was eight, an ''opera buffa'' at eleven, ''la finta semplice'' for [[Joseph II]] of Austria, and ''opera seria'' at fourteen, ''Mitridate, re di Ponto''. During Mozart's short life he wrote more than forty symphonies, twenty-two operas, twenty-three string quartets, twenty-five concertos for the piano and orchestra, and thirty-five sonatas for violin and piano. There are over six hundred and twenty-six known works.

Mozart died in Vienna on December 5, 1791, at the age of 35.

[[Category:Biographies]]

User:Cassian

2007-03-10T04:12:48Z

Cassian: fix edit

Just some guy with too much time on his hands, who has studied classical music for close to forty years. I spend a lot of time on Wikipedia, but don't mind helping out here.

From Bach's B Minor Mass: "We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory." (''Gratias agimus tibi''.) Those words, and those words alone, run through four minutes of the grandest music ever conceived by the mind of Man.

User:Cassian

2007-03-10T04:12:20Z

Cassian: brief start

Just some guy with too much time on his hands, who has studied classical music for close to forty years. I spend a lot of time on Wikipedia, but don't mind helping out here.

From Bach's B Minor Mass: "We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory." (''Gratias agimus tibi''.) Those words, and those words alone, run through the four minutes of the grandest music ever conceived by the mind of Man.

Ludwig van Beethoven

2007-03-10T04:04:31Z

Cassian: expanding a bit: quote may be from the Heiligenstadt Testament (1802) but I don't have it in front of me