Today's Feature

Mastering American History.

News release

Arriving from all corners of the state, 24 history teachers will gather in Carthage and Joplin February 1-3 in the inaugural event of Mastering American History, a project to provide teachers from low income and underperforming school districts a Master’s degree in American History.

Mastering American History is a program of the Carthage R-IX School District in partnership with Missouri Southern State University and the University of Missouri - Saint Louis. The project is funded by a Teaching American History Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. At the heart of the grant is the opportunity for 24 teachers from across the state to earn a masters degree in history - online and free of charge. Mastering American History also provides History Day Workshops for teachers and a lecture series open to the public.

Each semester during the 3-year grant, the participating teachers will attend an Immersive Weekend involving scholarly lectures, teaching workshops, and visits to local historic sites. Teachers began their coursework in January via the distant learning technology at MSSU and will complete their degrees in 2009.

The inaugural weekend begins Thursday, February 1 at 6 p.m. at Historic Phelps House in Carthage when the teachers will come together as a group for the first time for a Welcome and Orientation Dinner. Grant activities will continue all-day Friday and Saturday on the MSSU Campus.

The capstone event is a lecture by former U.S. Ambassador Dr. Edward J. Perkins. Ambassador Perkins served as the U.S. representative to South Africa in the 1980s and had an important role in dismantling the apartheid regime there. He also served in many other posts in his long State Department career, including U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Ambassador Perkins will speak Friday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m. in the Webster Auditorium on MSSU campus in an event that is free and open to the public.

Stench Report:

Tuesday,
1/30/07

No Stench Detected Near the Carthage Square

At one point in time the most critical part of a "stereo" was gettin’ a good stylus for the turn table. Next was gettin’ the best speakers you could afford. What went in between was more a matter of brand loyalty or taste.

The systems available today contain so many options and configurations that it’s hard to determine what’s important or even necessary. Now add in the possibility of high definition tv, and the purchase of a "home entertainment" center has turned into a life altering experience.

At the current, I’m thinkin’ an am radio and an old record player may be all the entertainment I can handle.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "Use rubbing alcohol to erase permanent markers from countertops. Rubbing alcohol will dissolve the marker back to a liquid state, so you can wipe it off. Test all surfaces in an inconspicuous area first." -- B.D. in Virginia

• "If you start planning your vacation early, you can get a great deal. Look for early-bird specials on vacation condos. We got a super deal on a condo in Florida for the spring." -- Vacation Deal in Missouri

• "Need to mix that ground meat for meatloaf or meatballs? Slip each hand into a plastic baggie, quart size or larger works best. Then you can mush away without messing up your hands." -- R.K. in North Carolina

• Keep leftover rice or pasta moist by covering it with a damp (not wet) paper towel when microwaving.

• "To clean prints off of wallpaper, wad up a slice of white bread. Use it to rub the smudges right off. It works and does not harm the wallpaper at all." -- I.M.D. in Oregon

• Need some extra cash? Most of us have an ever-growing collection of movies on DVD or even VHS that are unlikely to see the light of the TV screen in our homes. Sell them on eBay or at a garage sale.