Faith that is sure of itself is not faith;
faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Pat Conroy's My Reading Life
I have had a book on hold for months, and it finally became available: Pat Conroy's My Reading Life. But, true to Pat Conroy, it is about so much more than what he has read. The first part of his book is devoted to his mother, who read to him daily when he was a young child, Gone With The Wind being her all time favorite. The next part of the book is devoted to the memory of Gene Norris, Pat's high school English teacher. What a fabulous man Norris must have been, inspiring hundreds of students to live life to the fullest.
Speaking of living life, Conroy talks about his near-suicide during and after writing Beach Music. It was Mr. Norris, along with a skilled therapist, who walked Pat out of taking that disastrous action. Norris saved Pat's life in so many ways, Pat having had an incredibly abusive father, then encountering this teacher who believed in him so mightily.
This is as far as I have gotten in the book, but I am sure I'll have more to say later.
Speaking of living life, Conroy talks about his near-suicide during and after writing Beach Music. It was Mr. Norris, along with a skilled therapist, who walked Pat out of taking that disastrous action. Norris saved Pat's life in so many ways, Pat having had an incredibly abusive father, then encountering this teacher who believed in him so mightily.
This is as far as I have gotten in the book, but I am sure I'll have more to say later.
Rare Full Lunar Eclipse on the Winter Solstice - Tonight!
Those of you who live in the North America* will be treated to a total lunar eclipse tomorrow night (Monday night/Tuesday morning)! The whole thing unfolds over about 3.5 hours, starting at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Lunar eclipses are cool, but slow. They’re not like solar eclipses which last a few minutes at most; the shadow of the Earth is quite large, and it takes the Moon a while to move through it (also unlike a solar eclipse, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to watch with your eyes, with binoculars, or through a telescope without protection). Not only that, there are two parts to the shadow: the outer penumbra, which is very difficult to see when it falls on the Moon, and the much darker umbra, which is what really casts the Moon into the dark. In other words, things really gets started when the Moon moves into the umbra.
Sky and Telescope’s website has an excellent description of the timeline. The Earth’s dark shadow takes its first bite starting around 1:32 a.m. Eastern time (all times will be Eastern from here on out). Over the next 45 minutes or so, the Moon will plunge deeper into shadow, and the entire disk will be covered starting at 2:41 a.m. It’ll stay this way for over an hour, and then at 3:53 a.m. will begin to leave the shadow. An hour or so later, at 5:00 a.m., it’s all over, and the Moon will be restored to being full. Note that the farther west you are, the earlier this happens in the evening. For me, in Mountain time, it starts at the much more palatable 11:32 p.m. Monday night.To someone viewing from the United States, you’ll see the eclipse start on the lower left part of the Moon. It really will look like a bite is taken out, and that dark bite will grow left to right. When the Moon begins to leave the shadow you’ll see the upper left part of the Moon becoming bright, with the illumination growing from left to right.
It’s hard to predict what you’ll see during that hour of totality. As weird as it is to believe, sometimes the Moon gets so faint it’s hard to see at all. I remember when I was in high school there was a lunar eclipse so deep I had to search the sky to find the Moon! It was that hard to spot, and really odd. But sometimes, atmospheric conditions on Earth will cast an eerie, blood-red shadow on the Moon. You can see that in the eclipse sequence picture above; during a 2007 eclipse Greek amateur astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitiscaptured the orange-red color of the Moon during totality. I’ve seen this many times myself, and it’s really quite stunning, and worth staying up (or getting up early) to see. Also, the Moon does not pass directly through the center of the Earth’s umbral shadow, so the top and bottom halves of the Moon may be dramatically different in appearance and color. There’s no way to predict this, so you’ll just have to go out and see for yourself.
If it’s cloudy where you are, or you’re on the wrong side of the planet, never fear: you can still get a look because NASA is hosting a live chat and video feed of the eclipse! JPL has set up a Flickr page for people to post their pictures of the eclipse, too.
If you Americans miss this eclipse, you’ll have to wait over three years before the next one, which occurs on April 14, 2014. Europe, Africa and Asia get the next lunar eclipse on June 15, 2011. Also, Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia are treated to a partial solar eclipse on January 5, 2011, in just two weeks! See Fred Espenak’s eclipse website for details.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The need for a strong America
Thomas Friedman writes a good post here. He chastises China for their absurd behavior regarding democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize. He further chastises these countries, persuaded by China to boycott the ceremonies: "Serbia, Morocco, Pakistan, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Colombia, Ukraine, Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Vietnam and the Philippines. A pathetic bunch."
But Friedman doesn't stop there. In addition to "pathetic" countries, he cites pathetic inividuals, such as "superempowered" individuals like the Wikileaks crew.
He finishes by pointing out that the best answer to these problems is a strong America, committed to its core values,"powerful enough to project them and successful enough that others want to follow our lead — voluntarily."
But Friedman doesn't stop there. In addition to "pathetic" countries, he cites pathetic inividuals, such as "superempowered" individuals like the Wikileaks crew.
He finishes by pointing out that the best answer to these problems is a strong America, committed to its core values,"powerful enough to project them and successful enough that others want to follow our lead — voluntarily."
Time on his hands
What do you do when you are on Christmas break from school? Well, Jon's idea is to make a tank. It actually fires weapons, in this case a scrunched up aluminum foil ball that you see lying on the table. I asked Jon to list the ingredients, and here is the list: duct tape, bailing wire, paper towel roll, aluminum foil, scotch tape, cans and lids, cardboard, hair tie cut in half, nails, screws, and a metal lamp cover.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Ghost of Christmas Last...
(With sincere apologies to the real poets out there)
Once upon a wintry night,
In a land not far away,
'Twas the eve of Christmas time
and all the bells had ceased to play
But with ever such an effort
The Democrats did win
Without as much a tiny bit of GOP support
The conniving Ms. Pelosi did grin
For while all the people slept and dreamed
The ones they swore to serve
Her power hungry avaricious smile
Had turned upward into an evil curve
She made them stay up into the night
To force America to do the right thing
Though there were not votes from the right
She deemed it passed and so began her spending fling
She said "They'll love me when they understand
The great thing that I have done"
Though the bill she deemed and schemed and planned
Actually did in fact weigh a ton.
The year was long and arduous
We heard much from Queen Nancy
But the voters came in by truckload and bus
It was a real Tea Party!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Be hip! See America as evil!
As I was scrunching up old newspapers to build a fire (fifteen degrees tonight), I came across this gem written by Shelby Steele in the Wall Street Journal on October 28. I had not read it, although I try to read Shelby Steele any time I see his work, because he is so often spot-on with his analysis. This article, entitled A Referendum on the Redeemer, is provocative, original, and, I believe, spot-on.
Steele points out that one of the results of the acknowledgement of America's most "flagrant hypocrisies" that took place in the sixties led to "the presumption that evil was America's natural default position." This became the "perfect formula for political and governmental power" (using the government to intervene against the evil tendencies of American life.) Thus, "Obama and the Democrats have put themselves in the position of forever redeeming a fallen nation, rather than leading a great nation." "They bet on America's characterological evil and not on her sense of fairness, generosity or ingenuity." And who is the child of the sixties that swallowed whole this bad faith in America? Barack H. Obama. As they say, read the whole thing!
Steele points out that one of the results of the acknowledgement of America's most "flagrant hypocrisies" that took place in the sixties led to "the presumption that evil was America's natural default position." This became the "perfect formula for political and governmental power" (using the government to intervene against the evil tendencies of American life.) Thus, "Obama and the Democrats have put themselves in the position of forever redeeming a fallen nation, rather than leading a great nation." "They bet on America's characterological evil and not on her sense of fairness, generosity or ingenuity." And who is the child of the sixties that swallowed whole this bad faith in America? Barack H. Obama. As they say, read the whole thing!
Telegraph Days
I finished my first book by Larry McMurty, author of Terms of Endearment, Lonesome Dove, and many other fine novels. This one was Telegraph Days. The central character is Nellie Courtright. Yes, another book read by Bob, in which the central character is a woman. Nellie was brave, beautiful, bold, blunt, and above all, organized! It was that last character trait that she believed led her to become chosen by Bill Cody as the manager of Buffalo Bill's far flung enterprises.
She gets her start as a young businesswoman running a telegraph service for the town of Rita Blanca in no-man's land, not yet part of any state, but later to become part of Oklahoma. She becomes a writer, her first big story being about a gunfight in Rita Blanca, in which her younger brother, soon after becoming a Sheriff's Deputy, shoots and kills all the members of a notorious outlaw gang. She has run-ins with Wyatt Earp in Dodge City, Kansas and in Tombstone, Arizona, where, as a new reporter for the Tombstone newspaper, she gets right in the middle of the Gunfight at O.K. Corral. We also meet Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holiday, and Billy the Kid. She finishes her career in Malibu, California, where in the early twentieth century, she meets all the biggest movie stars and moguls.
I shed a few tears at the end, when Bill Cody makes one last request of Nellie, while on his deathbed in Denver.
She gets her start as a young businesswoman running a telegraph service for the town of Rita Blanca in no-man's land, not yet part of any state, but later to become part of Oklahoma. She becomes a writer, her first big story being about a gunfight in Rita Blanca, in which her younger brother, soon after becoming a Sheriff's Deputy, shoots and kills all the members of a notorious outlaw gang. She has run-ins with Wyatt Earp in Dodge City, Kansas and in Tombstone, Arizona, where, as a new reporter for the Tombstone newspaper, she gets right in the middle of the Gunfight at O.K. Corral. We also meet Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holiday, and Billy the Kid. She finishes her career in Malibu, California, where in the early twentieth century, she meets all the biggest movie stars and moguls.
I shed a few tears at the end, when Bill Cody makes one last request of Nellie, while on his deathbed in Denver.
Sounds of the Season: Blue X-mas(to whom it may concern)
Blue Xmas
Merry Christmas
I hope you have a white one, but for me it's blue
Blue Christmas, that's the way you see it when you're feeling blue
Blue Xmas, when you're blue at Christmastime
you see right through,
All the waste, all the sham, all the haste
and plain old bad taste
Sidewalk Santy Clauses are much, much, much too thin
They're wearing fancy rented costumes, false beards and big fat phony grins
And nearly everybody's standing round holding out their empty hand or tin cup
Gimme gimme gimme gimme, gimme gimme gimme
Fill my stocking up
All the way up
It's a time when the greedy give a dime to the needy
Blue Christmas, all the paper, tinsel and the fal-de-ral
Blue Xmas, people trading gifts that matter not at all
What I call
Fal-de-ral
Bitter gall.......Fal-de-ral
Lots of hungry, homeless children in your own backyards
While you're very, very busy addressing
Twenty zillion Christmas cards
Now, Yuletide is the season to receive and oh, to give and ahh, to share
But all you December do-gooders rush around and rant and rave and loudly blare
Merry Christmas
I hope yours is a bright one, but for me it's blue...
Merry Christmas
I hope you have a white one, but for me it's blue
Blue Christmas, that's the way you see it when you're feeling blue
Blue Xmas, when you're blue at Christmastime
you see right through,
All the waste, all the sham, all the haste
and plain old bad taste
Sidewalk Santy Clauses are much, much, much too thin
They're wearing fancy rented costumes, false beards and big fat phony grins
And nearly everybody's standing round holding out their empty hand or tin cup
Gimme gimme gimme gimme, gimme gimme gimme
Fill my stocking up
All the way up
It's a time when the greedy give a dime to the needy
Blue Christmas, all the paper, tinsel and the fal-de-ral
Blue Xmas, people trading gifts that matter not at all
What I call
Fal-de-ral
Bitter gall.......Fal-de-ral
Lots of hungry, homeless children in your own backyards
While you're very, very busy addressing
Twenty zillion Christmas cards
Now, Yuletide is the season to receive and oh, to give and ahh, to share
But all you December do-gooders rush around and rant and rave and loudly blare
Merry Christmas
I hope yours is a bright one, but for me it's blue...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
How to stop the Tea Party people from partying: Arson
Here is a statement from the Chicago Tea Party people about how an arsonist disrupted their Christmas party at a pub in Chicago.
Via Moonbattery
Via Moonbattery
Sarah Palin hunting with her dad.
Via Primordial Slack, which is pushing a Palin/Nugent ticket for 2012, just to cause the GOP elites to "howl in pain."
A "Gentle Giant"
You've probably heard about this man who walked into a school board meeting (gun free zone) and shot at school board members (but did not hit any of them). How about the courage of the woman with the purse?
Prior to this action, he linked on Facebook to many "progressive" websites, including Media Matters and theprogressivemind.info. His wife had recently been fired by the school board. She referred to him in a t.v. interview as a "gentle giant." After he was shot by security officers, he killed himself.
Via Moonbattery
Prior to this action, he linked on Facebook to many "progressive" websites, including Media Matters and theprogressivemind.info. His wife had recently been fired by the school board. She referred to him in a t.v. interview as a "gentle giant." After he was shot by security officers, he killed himself.
Via Moonbattery
Euro-US Dollar Comments
Over the last several months there has been a raging debate about the future of the Euro as a currency. With several countries in the Eurozone in big financial trouble, and a trillion euro bailout, and people fleeing to the US dollar for "safety", what do you think it costs an American to buy one Euro?
It would cost you $1.3208 US dollars to buy 1 Euro!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To those whose IQ is greater than 100, what does this tell you about the state of the US dollar when a European empire on the verge of absolute collapse has a currency 32% stronger than the US dollar?
It would cost you $1.3208 US dollars to buy 1 Euro!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To those whose IQ is greater than 100, what does this tell you about the state of the US dollar when a European empire on the verge of absolute collapse has a currency 32% stronger than the US dollar?
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Ahead of the curve
I just read this incredible post at Moonbattery. Proctor and Gamble has quit putting phosphates in its dishwasher detergents. Seventeen states have banned the phosphates because they are believed to create algae. Unfortunately, they also clean food from dishes in the dishwasher. Now, people are going to have to wash and rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher!
At our house we feel we are way ahead of this curve. Our dishwasher died a couple of years ago. We hand wash all our dishes, then put them into the dishwasher to dry (we do not turn on the dishwasher; they just get dry in there)!
Setback for Iran's Nuclear Program?
The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Iran's nuclear program has been set back two years by the "Stuxnet" virus infecting their computers. Meanwhile, there is this Fox News commentary that one of Iran's nuclear scientists has been killed by a bomb, and another injured. So far I have not seen anything else on these stories, which should be huge news.
"We can't just leave it up to parents!"
President Obama signed the $4.5 billion dollar bill that will subsidize with money our government does not have, and regulate what children eat before school, at lunch, after school, and during summer at any school receiving federal funds.
Via Moonbattery
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Hugh Hewitt interviews President George W. Bush
Hugh Hewitt recently interviewed George W. Bush on Hugh's radio program. A transcript has been posted here. I was interested in reading about Mr. Bush's Christian faith. Here is one excerpt.
GWB: "You know, it’s interesting, and Tim Keller helped me understand this, that if you allow power to become your god, then it is corrupting. If you allow fame to become your god, it is corrupting. If you allow money to become your god, it is corrupting. And what religion helped me was to understand that that was those truths. And so power can be used effectively to help people, or it can be intoxicating, in which case it is difficult to have a proper relationship, if you’re a Christian, with Christ."
There is much more interesting stuff in the interview, including some background information about why he said he felt he could trust Putin. Another was his comment about people in the C.I.A. leaking to the New York Times in an effort to influence the 2004 election. I have put a hold on his book Decision Points at our library, and am anxious to read it.
GWB: "You know, it’s interesting, and Tim Keller helped me understand this, that if you allow power to become your god, then it is corrupting. If you allow fame to become your god, it is corrupting. If you allow money to become your god, it is corrupting. And what religion helped me was to understand that that was those truths. And so power can be used effectively to help people, or it can be intoxicating, in which case it is difficult to have a proper relationship, if you’re a Christian, with Christ."
There is much more interesting stuff in the interview, including some background information about why he said he felt he could trust Putin. Another was his comment about people in the C.I.A. leaking to the New York Times in an effort to influence the 2004 election. I have put a hold on his book Decision Points at our library, and am anxious to read it.
Monday, December 13, 2010
What's good for the goose...
What is the European Common Good? This brief blog post is well worth reading.
Two youths try to rob a police station
If you are going to rob somebody, your local police station is probably not the best place to do it. Just sayin.
Via Redneck Peril
Via Redneck Peril
Nighttime reading to the children
Along with Shel Siverstein's books, I am reading to Greg and Jon at night a book co-written by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson entitled Peter and the Starcatchers. It is a hoot! It takes place at sea. Peter is one of five orphans forced to be on a boat that, shall we say, has few comforts. It, along with a pirate ship appropriately named the Sea Devil are chasing a fast ship called The Wasp. There are two trunks believed to be filled with wonderful treasures. We shall see. Jon fidgets a lot during the reading, but he remembers all the characters, and gets all the humor. Harry Potter is still his favorite read. I try to get him and Greg to guess what is going to happen next.
Tonight Sara and I read The Bog Baby, which is exquisitely illustrated by Gwen Millward. We also read The Little Red Hen, which I am sure many of my blog readers remember. The hen tries to enlist the other animals in helping her at various stages of wheatgrowing and breadmaking. No one wants to help until it is time to eat the bread, but by then it is too late. Sara got the message: "When I don't clean my room, I don't get to watch t.v., right, Dad?" "That's right, Sara."
Before it was bedtime, Sara wanted me to see how fast she can run. We went out to a far pasture to collect firewood, and she ran and ran and ran. She really loves to run, and is getting stronger and stronger. I tried to help her with her motion ("elbows in, and move your arms back and forth to help you go faster.") That translated into a weird stroke that looked like a flailing, drowning swimmer, so I said to her, "Just forget that advice, and run naturally, like you were before."
Tonight Sara and I read The Bog Baby, which is exquisitely illustrated by Gwen Millward. We also read The Little Red Hen, which I am sure many of my blog readers remember. The hen tries to enlist the other animals in helping her at various stages of wheatgrowing and breadmaking. No one wants to help until it is time to eat the bread, but by then it is too late. Sara got the message: "When I don't clean my room, I don't get to watch t.v., right, Dad?" "That's right, Sara."
Before it was bedtime, Sara wanted me to see how fast she can run. We went out to a far pasture to collect firewood, and she ran and ran and ran. She really loves to run, and is getting stronger and stronger. I tried to help her with her motion ("elbows in, and move your arms back and forth to help you go faster.") That translated into a weird stroke that looked like a flailing, drowning swimmer, so I said to her, "Just forget that advice, and run naturally, like you were before."
A weight loss plan that works!
Want to lose weight? I have done it, and I am now going to share my secret with you. For most of this year my weight has been around 215. Recently I had gotten it down closer to 200. Then came the infected tooth ten days ago. Now I am down to 178 this morning with shoes and clothes on!
I actually don't recommend you go out and get your tooth infected, especially the molar where you had a root canal many years back. I got an antibiotic from a dentist. He wants me either to get the infected tooth extracted for $200.00 (with Christmas coming up, the timing could not be worse) or see if an oral surgeon can save the tooth and extract many more hundreds of dollars from our bank account. My plan is to see if the antibiotics will kill the infection, brush and floss diligently forever and ever, and keep the tooth. The dentist says the tooth is infected, and the antibiotics will only kill the infection in the bones and areas around the tooth, not in the tooth itself. Why not? We'll see.
I actually don't recommend you go out and get your tooth infected, especially the molar where you had a root canal many years back. I got an antibiotic from a dentist. He wants me either to get the infected tooth extracted for $200.00 (with Christmas coming up, the timing could not be worse) or see if an oral surgeon can save the tooth and extract many more hundreds of dollars from our bank account. My plan is to see if the antibiotics will kill the infection, brush and floss diligently forever and ever, and keep the tooth. The dentist says the tooth is infected, and the antibiotics will only kill the infection in the bones and areas around the tooth, not in the tooth itself. Why not? We'll see.
December is all about China?
Wednesday afternoon should be interesting. That is when Sara is going to make a presentation at school about China. For some reason her class is focusing on China this month. Sara is supposed to talk about 3-5 facts about China. She asked for my help this evening. So far this is what we have come up with.
1. China's government is communist. What does that mean? It means that the Chinese people are not free to criticize their government. If they do, they will be put in jail.
2. China loans money to the United States government. What is a loan? It is where they give us one dollar, but we have to give them one dollar and one dime back.
3. China makes cheap stuff. They sell it to Wal-Mart. (There is a Wal-Mart right next to Sara's school).
4. At Christmas time American children open up their toys made in China that their parents buy at Wal-Mart. Colleen scolded me on this one, because many of these first-graders believe (or pretend to believe) their toys come from Santa Claus, not Wal-Mart.
I guarantee you that Sara is going to mix and mangle these concepts so they will not be recognizable on Wednesday. Maybe I can persuade the teacher to let me ask Sara questions and prompt Sara, then she will explain the concepts more clearly. Stay tuned!
1. China's government is communist. What does that mean? It means that the Chinese people are not free to criticize their government. If they do, they will be put in jail.
2. China loans money to the United States government. What is a loan? It is where they give us one dollar, but we have to give them one dollar and one dime back.
3. China makes cheap stuff. They sell it to Wal-Mart. (There is a Wal-Mart right next to Sara's school).
4. At Christmas time American children open up their toys made in China that their parents buy at Wal-Mart. Colleen scolded me on this one, because many of these first-graders believe (or pretend to believe) their toys come from Santa Claus, not Wal-Mart.
I guarantee you that Sara is going to mix and mangle these concepts so they will not be recognizable on Wednesday. Maybe I can persuade the teacher to let me ask Sara questions and prompt Sara, then she will explain the concepts more clearly. Stay tuned!
Strike One
A federal judge in Virginia today struck down the provision in Obamacare that requires individuals to purchase health care in order to pay for others' health care. Pajamas Media already has this video of Robert Gibbs today changing the language of the bill.
"Wait a second. What?"
Condi Rice cuts through Katie Couric's attempts to manipulate the facts about Saddam Hussein's threat to the world. I wish Sarah Palin would have been able to smack down Katie as well as Condi does here.
Via Moonbattery
Via Moonbattery
Parents who raise victimizers
On December 11, I wrote about Victimizing. Today I want to write about a similar topic, parents who raise victimizers. Do you allow one of your children to victimize other people? If the parent sees her child victimizing other people, and just looks the other way, that parent is guilty of gross neglect of duty. That parent is creating a monster that other people will be victimized by throughout that child's life, both as a child and then as an adult. There are many possible "reasons" why a parent fails to confront her child who is victimizing others. None of these "reasons" are valid or acceptable. They are all excuses for the parent's cowardice. The bottom llne is the parent time and again chooses the easy way out, thereby allowing that child to develop into a monster for the rest of society to deal with.
Christmas and Xmas - a lost chapter from Herodotus, by C.S. Lewis
And beyond this there lies in the ocean, turned towards the west and north, the island of Niatirb which Hecataeus indeed declares to be the same size and shape as Sicily, but it is larger, though in calling it triangular a man would not miss the mark. It is densely inhabited by men who wear clothes not very different from the other barbarians who occupy the north western parts of Europe though they do not agree with them in language. These islanders, surpassing all the men of whom we know in patience and endurance, use the following customs.
In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card. But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival; guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the marketplace is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.
But having bought as many as they suppose to be sufficient, they return to their houses and find there the like cards which others have sent to them. And when they find cards from any to whom they also have sent cards, they throw them away and give thanks to the gods that this labour at least is over for another year. But when they find cards from any to whom they have not sent, then they beat their breasts and wail and utter curses against the sender; and, having sufficiently lamented their misfortune, they put on their boots again and go out into the fog and rain and buy a card for him also. And let this account suffice about Exmas-cards.
They also send gifts to one another, suffering the same things about the gifts as about the cards, or even worse. For every citizen has to guess the value of the gift which every friend will send to him so that he may send one of equal value, whether he can afford it or not. And they buy as gifts for one another such things as no man ever bought for himself. For the sellers, understanding the custom, put forth all kinds of trumpery, and whatever, being useless and ridiculous, they have been unable to sell throughout the year they now sell as an Exmas gift. And though the Niatirbians profess themselves to lack sufficient necessary things, such as metal, leather, wood and paper, yet an incredible quantity of these things is wasted every year, being made into the gifts.
But during these fifty days the oldest, poorest, and most miserable of the citizens put on false beards and red robes and walk about the market-place; being disguised (in my opinion) as Cronos. And the sellers of gifts no less than the purchaser’s become pale and weary, because of the crowds and the fog, so that any man who came into a Niatirbian city at this season would think some great public calamity had fallen on Niatirb. This fifty days of preparation is called in their barbarian speech the Exmas Rush.
But when the day of the festival comes, then most of the citizens, being exhausted with the Rush, lie in bed till noon. But in the evening they eat five times as much supper as on other days and, crowning themselves with crowns of paper, they become intoxicated. And on the day after Exmas they are very grave, being internally disordered by the supper and the drinking and reckoning how much they have spent on gifts and on the wine. For wine is so dear among the Niatirbians that a man must swallow the worth of a talent before he is well intoxicated.
Such, then, are their customs about the Exmas. But the few among the Niatirbians have also a festival, separate and to themselves, called Crissmas, which is on the same day as Exmas. And those who keep Crissmas, doing the opposite to the majority of the Niatirbians, rise early on that day with shining faces and go before sunrise to certain temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And in most of the temples they set out images of a fair woman with a new-born Child on her knees and certain animals and shepherds adoring the Child. (The reason of these images is given in a certain sacred story which I know but do not repeat.)
But I myself conversed with a priest in one of these temples and asked him why they kept Crissmas on the same day as Exmas; for it appeared to me inconvenient. But the priest replied, “It is not lawful, O stranger, for us to change the date of Chrissmas, but would that Zeus would put it into the minds of the Niatirbians to keep Exmas at some other time or not to keep it at all. For Exmas and the Rush distract the minds even of the few from sacred things. And we indeed are glad that men should make merry at Crissmas; but in Exmas there is no merriment left.” And when I asked him why they endured the Rush, he replied, “It is, O Stranger, a racket”; using (as I suppose) the words of some oracle and speaking unintelligibly to me (for a racket is an instrument which the barbarians use in a game called tennis).
But what Hecataeus says, that Exmas and Crissmas are the same, is not credible. For first, the pictures which are stamped on the Exmas-cards have nothing to do with the sacred story which the priests tell about Crissmas. And secondly, the most part of the Niatirbians, not believing the religion of the few, nevertheless send the gifts and cards and participate in the Rush and drink, wearing paper caps. But it is not likely that men, even being barbarians, should suffer so many and great things in honour of a god they do not believe in. And now, enough about Niatirb.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Michelle Obama's Bake Sale Reform
The Looking Spoon links to this Associated Press story about the child nutrition bill that is on its way to President Obama. Brownies and other school bake sales will fall under the purvue of this intrusive bill. This is another issue tailor made for Sarah Palin, who is already speaking out against it.
Shem Creek
What is there about the low country of South Carolina that attracts good novelists? First Pat Conroy, now I have discovered Dorothea Benton Frank. I just finished her fine novel Shem Creek. You might be amazed to learn that the villain is an environmental whacko high school teacher! It is a love story. Lots of people are loved, the way it should be in our world.
A mom, after her husband proves to be an unfaithful jerk, takes her two teenage daughters and, seeking healing, moves back to the low country from New Jersey. She had been raised in the low country, and her sister still lives there. And what a wonderful loving sister she proves to be to our main character, the mom.
The mom and her new employer eventually become lovers and marry, after each one gets betrayed by their unfaithful first spouses. Both slowly realized that they had found the character in each other that was missing in their first spouses.
The book has a very happy ending for all of the characters the reader comes to care about.
A mom, after her husband proves to be an unfaithful jerk, takes her two teenage daughters and, seeking healing, moves back to the low country from New Jersey. She had been raised in the low country, and her sister still lives there. And what a wonderful loving sister she proves to be to our main character, the mom.
The mom and her new employer eventually become lovers and marry, after each one gets betrayed by their unfaithful first spouses. Both slowly realized that they had found the character in each other that was missing in their first spouses.
The book has a very happy ending for all of the characters the reader comes to care about.
Victimizing
Feeling victimized? How do you respond when you feel victimized by someone close to you? Some people feel it gives them the green light to endlessly victimize the person whom they choose to identify as their abuser. That's a trap, especially in a spousal relationship. Once one lets evil get a foothold, it seems to become so enjoyable that the person who once may actually have suffered some injustice from her spouse, now gives herself permission to inflict as much misery as possible on the person who they believe wronged them. Each time they abuse that person, they remind the person of the horrendous flaws that person possesses, at least in the ever-flourishing and ever-darkening imagination of the person who daily bathes in the foamy suds of abuse.
And, what if that person can find an ally? If she is an attractive woman, finding allies among horny males is a piece of cake. She suddenly realizes she can find a man with more money, more property, less years in the aging process, more of whatever she believes is lacking in her current relationship.
Obviously, getting away from such overwhelming evil is recommended. But, if there are children involved, that alternative is not so easy. Children, both boys and girls, need fathers. If you are a man being victimized, you may decide to stay in the home soley because you want to stay actively involved in parenting your children. Seeing your children once or twice a week does not substitute for seeing them every day, even if you are miserably abused by your spouse. Also there is the common abuse known as Parental Alienation Syndrome. This is where one spouse does the most evil thing imaginable: alienating the child's affections from his father. If she is engaging in other evil behaviors, what makes you think she will not engage in parental alienation?
Our prisons are full of prisoners who decided to become victimizers after suffering victimization themselves. Unfortunately, over 90 percent of the people in prison for spousal abuse are men, though from my own experience as a social worker, it is my belief that the actual occurence of spousal abuse is closer to fifty percent by males and fifty percent by females. Women are more experienced in non-physical forms of abuse.
And, what if that person can find an ally? If she is an attractive woman, finding allies among horny males is a piece of cake. She suddenly realizes she can find a man with more money, more property, less years in the aging process, more of whatever she believes is lacking in her current relationship.
Obviously, getting away from such overwhelming evil is recommended. But, if there are children involved, that alternative is not so easy. Children, both boys and girls, need fathers. If you are a man being victimized, you may decide to stay in the home soley because you want to stay actively involved in parenting your children. Seeing your children once or twice a week does not substitute for seeing them every day, even if you are miserably abused by your spouse. Also there is the common abuse known as Parental Alienation Syndrome. This is where one spouse does the most evil thing imaginable: alienating the child's affections from his father. If she is engaging in other evil behaviors, what makes you think she will not engage in parental alienation?
Our prisons are full of prisoners who decided to become victimizers after suffering victimization themselves. Unfortunately, over 90 percent of the people in prison for spousal abuse are men, though from my own experience as a social worker, it is my belief that the actual occurence of spousal abuse is closer to fifty percent by males and fifty percent by females. Women are more experienced in non-physical forms of abuse.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Why Are Some Scientists Attacking NASA's New Life Discovery?
Some scientists are aggressively attacking NASA's new life discovery—GFAJ-1, the microbe capable of using arsenic instead of phosphorous to build itself. The reason, according to Dr. Rosie Redfield: She "was outraged at how bad the science was."
While some scientists have declared their enthusiasm about the discovery of this new type of life, Dr. Redfield's blog post attacked the paper fiercely, even suggesting that Science's editors may have influenced the peer review process in order "to score such a high-impact publication."
I don't know whether the authors are just bad scientists or whether they're unscrupulously pushing NASA's 'There's life in outer space!' agenda. I hesitate to blame the reviewers, as their objections are likely to have been overruled by Science's editors in their eagerness to score such a high-impact publication.
I wonder if other scientists would really risk their reputation just to give a positive review on a scientific paper, knowing that it was so obviously wrong as Redfield argues. Another boffin, University of Colorado's Shelley Copley, simply said: "This paper should not have been published."
One of the authors of the arsenic bacteria paper, Ronald Oremland of the U.S. Geological Survey, replied to these accusations talking to Carl Zimmer at Slate:
We cannot indiscriminately wade into a media forum for debate at this time. If we are wrong, then other scientists should be motivated to reproduce our findings. If we are right (and I am strongly convinced that we are) our competitors will agree and help to advance our understanding of this phenomenon. I am eager for them to do so.
Meanwhile, NASA's astrobiologist Felisa Wolfe-Simon declined to comment, arguing that these negative remarks to the press "do not represent the proper way to engage in a scientific discourse and we will not respond in this manner."
UC-Davis' Jonathan Eisen counterattacked, claiming that, since "they carried out science by press release and press conference [...] they are now hypocritical if they say that the only response should be in the scientific literature."
We will know soon who is right, as the authors of the paper have offered the microbe they found so critics can test their claims.
But until the results are in, I urgently beg to everyone involved in this debate to keep it cool and embrace the only other reasonable alternative to clear their differences: Tag team wrestling in the alkaline mud of Mono Lake.
The NorthPoint iPad Band Christmas Special!
Carol of the Bells, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, and Feliz Navidad, all performed on iPads and iPhones! Awesome!
Liberal outrage creates unfortunate creepy emotional undertow thing(NSFW)...
I was doing the rolling on the floor laughing thing when I saw this one. And then I really looked closely at the picture created here. Are you seeing what I'm seeing? A Democrat, obviously male, donkey coming home early to find Barak Obama(also obviously male, I think) in bed with an old lady, with tea bags on her hat. Notice also that a belt and coat are on the headboard. Was this a Freudian slip by a former admirer feeling jilted? Am I the only one seeing the obvious homo-erotic undertones here? Not that there's anything wrong with that... So the the questions persist. By looking at this cartoon, are we to understand that Democrats are gay? Or, are they just gay for Barak Obama? You know, in a Chris Matthews "tingle up my leg" kind of way? And is Barak Obama "going straight" by getting in bed with Tax-Cut-Tea-Bag-Lady? Let's hope so, metaphorically, of course. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that the tingle is long gone.
Obama does one right thing, and...(cartoons)
The cartoons are so awesome today, I'll let them say what I'm thinking...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Studying the President's body language
We are hearing that President Obama engaged in bipartisan compromise with Republicans. He said he enjoyed it, but does his body language say otherwise? Jay Leno suggests we study this video for body language clues.
Via Moonbattery
Via Moonbattery
Confused
I am confused. For years now we have been hearing from Democrats and their allies in the media that the Bush tax cuts were for the rich. Now, however, I read in today's paper that an accord has been reached that will preserve the Bush tax cuts "for families of all income levels." How could that be, if the Bush tax cuts were only for the rich?
Monday, December 6, 2010
What works with challenging children?
David Bardsley writes a wonderful column today here. Misdiagnosed by all of the "helping professions" from age six, when he was seen as a behavior problem in school, until age twenty-six, when he was correctly diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, his parents decided that they knew their child better than any of the experts. The parents decided to give him "unyielding support, relentless encouragement, uncompromising love, and vigorous physical activity." He is now a surgeon. Read the whole thing!
The reading list
I have been trying to read at least one book by famous authors I have not read or have not read in a long time. I just finished John Updike's The Terrorist. I enjoyed it. Updike has a lot of good insight into the way the world works. Pat Conroy he ain't, though!
The boys and I are reading all of Shel Silverstein's books. Both Greg and Jon can draw as well as Silverstein, but they can't yet match his silly poetry. With Sara I am reading all of the Arthur books, as well as any other book that catches my eye at the library. I finished Liz Gilbert's Committed, which did not hold my interest as well as her Eat, Pray, Love. I also got tired of her lame bashing of conservatives.
The boys and I are reading all of Shel Silverstein's books. Both Greg and Jon can draw as well as Silverstein, but they can't yet match his silly poetry. With Sara I am reading all of the Arthur books, as well as any other book that catches my eye at the library. I finished Liz Gilbert's Committed, which did not hold my interest as well as her Eat, Pray, Love. I also got tired of her lame bashing of conservatives.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Personality disorders
The people who are putting together the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disoders, Fifth Edition, are removing several popular diagnoses, including Narcissistic, Paranoid, Schizoid, Histrionic and Dependent Personality Disorders. Is that because these disorders are so common now that they almost seem normal?
Friday, December 3, 2010
Aliens are here!
Believers in aliens finally have some solid proof! NASA is announcing a new bacteria found in Mono Lake, California is made of arsenic! All the rest of are made up of six components: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. Every being, from the smallest amoeba to the largest whale, share the same life stream. Our DNA blocks are all the same. Except this new bacteria!
The President doing the right thing
When Barack Obama does something good, we should note it. He gave a speech to the troops at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan today, thanking them for their service and promising to stay in the fight.
Skeletons in closets
Ace believes he knows why the media mocks Bristol Palin: because she did not get an abortion!
Question
Why did it take an inquiry from Senator Joseph Lieberman before Amazon discovered that its servers were hosting WikiLeaks, and subsequently dumped WikiLeaks from its servers? Maybe Christmas buyers should shop elewhere until Amazon can clarify.
UN Climate Change Bureaucrat Prays to Ixchel
The U.N. Convention on climate Change opened in Cancun with a prayer to the goddess Ixchel by its Executive Director. Moonbattery gives us some history about Ixchel: "During this Mayan festival in the honor of Ixchel: the goddess of the Moon, beehives, fertility, medicine and weaving, a beautiful young woman was chosen by craftsmen and artisans to represent the goddess. This young woman was sacrificed by the priests and flayed.
Her skin was worn by a man who sat at a loom and pretended to weave, while the craftsmen danced around him in animal costumes. The ceremony was then completed when the worshippers engaged in bloodletting and then had a ritual bath."
The image above shows Ixchel.
You have to stay alert, even in the library!
A Canadian man used a crossbow to kill his father in a library in Toronto while shocked mothers and children watched.
We don't know whom he called.
Charles Manson is on a list compilied by the California State Prison system. The list is of inmates caught using cell phones last year. Manson made calls to British Columbia, California, New Jersey, and Florida. The punishment? A reprimand and confiscation of the cell phone! This split photo shows Charlie when he was first brought into prison and how he looks now at age 76.
No backbone
Do you bank with Chase? You might want to rethink that choice. Chase directed its bank in Southlake, Texas to remove a Christmas tree from its lobby, because someone was offended.
The Tax System explained in Simple Terms
Sometimes politicians, journalists and others exclaim; "It's just a tax cut for the rich!", and it is just accepted to be fact.
But what does that really mean?
Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help.
Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill
for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20."
Dinner for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected.
They would still eat for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers?
How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33.
But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal.
So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100 savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33 savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28 savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25 savings)
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22 savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16 savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison.
"We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Stolen from The Looking Spoon
But what does that really mean?
Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help.
Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill
for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20."
Dinner for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected.
They would still eat for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers?
How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33.
But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal.
So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100 savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33 savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28 savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25 savings)
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22 savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16 savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison.
"We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Stolen from The Looking Spoon
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Fight the power!
Have you ever been in a situation in which power was being misused, and you felt powerless to do anything about it? Ken Kesey wrote One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest to describe such a scenario, and what happens when someone decides to fight the power. His heroic character, McMurphy, is demonized by the all-powerful nurse Ratchet, but in the end he earns the love of all the men formerly under Nurse Ratchet's control. Could a novel be written today in which men are abused by a woman and her black henchmen, or have we become too immersed in political correctness? Oh, by the way, Nurse Ratchet wins in the end...or does she?
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