Chip Bennett

Follow-up: please do not use query_posts(). Filter the query via pre_get_posts instead. For example (this goes in functions.php):

function breatheout_filter_pre_get_posts( $query ) {
    if ( $query->is_main_query ) {
        $query->set( 'ignore_sticky_posts', '1' );
    }
}
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'breatheout_filter_pre_get_posts' );

Then, remove any references to query_posts() in your template files.

Using this method will avoid stomping on the main query, and will preserve proper loop pagination.

I’ve been having a hard time finding a good tutorial to convert my current menu coding into a dynamic sidebar. Any recommendations?

I can point you to exactly what I use in my own Theme, as it should be analogous:
https://github.com/chipbennett/oenology/blob/master/sidebar-navigation.php

Refer to the inline documentation.

For the styling, refer to style.css:
https://github.com/chipbennett/oenology/blob/master/style.css

That’s a different approach, that doesn’t use a menu widget. It simply styles a custom nav menu, or a pages list.

If you want to go the dynamic sidebar route, that’s as easy as implementing a dynamic sidebar. The CSS styling would remain the same as with the former method.

The DoNotTrack Plugin should still be an effective way to block QuantCast, regardless of means of injection.

HTML/CSS validation is not strictly enforced, and has not been for some time. HTML validation is too ethereal, and not nearly important enough, to warrant strict enforcement.

HTML/CSS validation is only enforced so far as: don’t break anything with your markup, such as with improperly nested tags/unclosed containers/etc.

Christine’s approach is correct. You should convert that content to a dynamic_sidebar(), and then put a Menu Widget into that dynamic sidebar. Then, you can assign any custom menu to that location.

The benefit of that approach is that it doesn’t impact your layout/style at all. You just need to ensure that the Pages list output by the Menu widget is styled the same as the current output (by default, it should at least be pretty close).