Derpetology

Sunday, July 19, 2026

suggested homeschool schedule

I hope to have kids someday and ideally homeschool them with the help of a stay-at-home mom. It probably won't work out that way, but it's useful to consider the ideal case. Kids should help with cooking and cleaning. Actual school would last six hours with 30 minutes each for 12 periods:

1. copying dictionary (for handwriting, spelling, vocabulary, and reading comprehension)

2. reading the Bible (for moral instruction, cultural awareness, and reading comprehension)

3. math (emphasis on arithmetic up to algebra)

4. music (listening and playing/singing)

5. art (appreciation and drawing/painting)

6. walk outside

7. Spanish or another foreign language

8. science (alternate biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy)

9. geography

10. history

11. news

12. poetry

0700 to 0800 - hygiene and breakfast

0800 to 1200 - school

1200 to 1300 - lunch

1300 to 1500 - school

1500 to 1600 - chores

1600 to 1700 - sports/strength training/cardio

1700 to 1800 - dinner

1800 to 1900 - TV and video games

1900 to 2000 - hygiene

2000 to 2200 - movie

2200 to 0600 - sleep

weekend and summer schedule

0900 to 1000 - hygiene and breakfast

1700 to 1800 - dinner

2000 to 2200 - movie

Saturday, July 18, 2026

blue zones, longevity, and diversity

The so-called blue zones are locations where most people live long with good health.

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The Blue Zones are regions in the world where people live significantly longer and healthier lives. The five official Blue Zones are:

Okinawa, Japan: Known for its high number of centenarians and a diet rich in vegetables and tofu.

Sardinia, Italy: Features a strong community and a diet high in whole grains and healthy fats.

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: Residents have a strong sense of purpose and a diet rich in beans and corn.

Ikaria, Greece: Known for its Mediterranean diet and active lifestyle, leading to low rates of dementia.

Loma Linda, California, USA: Home to a community of Seventh-day Adventists who follow a plant-based diet and prioritize health

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A factor overlooked is that all these places are extremely homogenous. Being around people who are similarly to you lowers stress and fosters strong relationships.

Vegetables, seafood, swimming, moderate climate, exercise, no tobacco, moderate alcohol - yes, these are all important. Community and a sense of identity is also important.

This is Where Black Americans Live Longest - Blue Zones

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After scanning the entire United States, the researchers found that Manassas Park, Virginia, a city of roughly 17,000 located 30 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and Weld County, Colorado, a metropolitan area just north of Denver that’s home to 378,000 people, ranked highest with life expectancies of 96-years-old.

Black folks in those communities are living well past the national average of 74-years-old.

The same can be said for Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William, and Montgomery counties in Virginia — all located outside of Washington, D.C. — where Black residents are living up to 82-years-old, on average.

Coined as “Chocolate City,” D.C. has historically had a large Black population — making up 45% of the district’s population as of 2021.

“If there is a Wakanda in the United States, it’s the DMV,” or the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia corridor, Perry says.

“You have places in Maryland and Virginia, in particular, where Black people are thriving. They’re walking around with Air Jordans. They got the nice, fancy job. They own the homes. They’re living the life, and they’re living longer,” he says.

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The DC metro area is about twice black as the US average (24% vs 12%).

an amusing own goal

This poster makes whiteness look like a great thing, which is not what the creators intended. It was displayed in the Smithsonian, America's foremost museum.

Scientific method, work hard, plan for the future, steak and potatoes, be polite - that all sounds pretty good to me. It probably sounds good to many people who aren't white.

What the hell were the people who made this thinking?

It turns out the poster was based on the work of Ibram X. Kendi, who refers to himself as an antiracist. In practice, this means constantly complaining about white people. According to him, it is not enough to merely not be racist. To be truly virtuous, you must be antiracist.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi: Creating A More Equitable Society Is In White Americans' Self Interest

I respond to Kendi thusly:

"Punch a Nazi" ft Rucka Rucka Ali Social Justice The Musical

Come Be PC ! [Chris Ray Gun] Social Justice The Musical #4

warhammer cosmonaut

Our Dream - Sovietwave Mix

leave the monuments alone

And I mean all of them- ancient, Confederate, Communist, whatever. They're works of art. I strongly oppose communism, but even ex Eastern Bloc countries have left many standing for educational and artistic value.

The Genius Design of Communist Memorials

comment gold

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The philosophy behind these monuments is best described by one of their most famous architects Bogdan Bogdanović: "While I built them, I wished for a world without monuments. It seems that these people are created to suffer, and new generations complicate that suffering further. Monuments to suffering are dishonest, often stupid and comical. They explain nothing and call for nothing. Philosophical and metaphysical ideas don't need matter. Every monument is a little bit aggressive, and the memories it evokes are always dangerous. The world without history is truly impossible, but we should build a history of intelligence, ideas and sensations, not of overpowering. But it seems that is just my wishful thinking."

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