Benedict XVI

Filed in ReligionTags: Christianity

Pope Benedict XVIGlad to see another conservative elected as the next Pope. And a fairly speedy election, as well:

With unusual speed and little surprise, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, a 78-year-old transitional leader who promises to enforce strictly conservative policies for the world's Roman Catholics.

I'm sure there's a lot of commentary out there, but I've been too busy researching for my upcoming mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, to scout it out...

(Hat tip:Drudge)

The 65th Christian Carnival

Filed in ReligionTags: Carnivals, Christianity

The 65th Christian Carnival is up today at AnotherThink. Interestingly, the carnival was posted from Oaxaca:

I am posting this week's Christian Carnival from Oaxaca, Mexico, a land of many languages and cultures. I'm using Paul's nine evidences of the transformed life as a way of forcing some structure on your entries.

You'll find a section for each "fruit of the Spirit" rendered in English, in Greek, and in one of the indigenous languages of Mexico—this last accompanied by a semi-literal translation.

I hope this serves as a reminder that we will stand before Jesus with men and women from every nation and tribe and people and language. (Rev. 7:9) Pray that the Word of Life may very soon reach into every dark corner of the earth.

Interesting for two reasons: 1) since Oaxaca is where I'll be going this summer on a mission trip, and 2) because it gives me hope that I'll be able to mission-blog live while I'm there.

Worship 101

Filed in ReligionTags: Christianity

On the cusp of my church's launch of Revolution School, my Wednesday-night Life Group (The Listening Lifestyle) was given an assignment to pray about and listen to God's direction concerning this nascent school of worship. I found myself unable to get past one specific passage:

Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Romans 12:1,2 (NIV)

Interestingly, today I came across a recent Mark D. Roberts sermon on the same topic.

The So-Called “Nuclear Option”

Filed in PoliticsTags: Judiciary

The Democrats, once again, are on the wrong side of a Civil Rights debate - and they are using the same old obstructionist tactic in the Senate. ProverbsDaily quotes [LA Times Editorial Page Editor Andres Martinez]* from an LA Times editorial on the history of the filibuster:

A "cornerstone of American democracy" is exactly what Democrats would have you believe the filibuster is. Fortunately for Times readers, Martinez reminds us of the not so bright history of the filibuster.

The Senate filibuster dates back to the early 19th century, but the obstructionist tactic will always be associated with the efforts of the Senate's Southern Dixiecrats to block civil rights legislation in the 20th century....The filibuster kept the federal government from combating racial lynchings, the poll tax and plenty of other outrages

And this time the Democrat-defended injustice is infanticide. The reason for the liberals' unprecedented animosity toward President Bush's judicial nominations is the same reason for conservatives' passionate support. And the fate of abortion hangs in the balance.

Why does this mostly Christian topic blog care so much about the filibuster? It's simple. Some of the reasons for filibustering judges is their pro-life position or their tendancy to base their morality on their religious traditions. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a director for the ACLU. A candidate with a similar conservative anti-abortion title would never get through a filibuster. As long as the filibuster is around, strong pro-life federal judges will not be.

However, I don't completely agree with ProverbsDaily. While abortion is certainly the hot topic, the underlying issue is the role of the judiciary. President Bush has nominated primarily those who are strict constructionists: subordinate law is interpreted against superceding law. In the Federal judiciary, law is interpreted against the US Constitution.

In the arena of ideas, liberalism has lost miserably. Liberalism is proving to be such an abject failure that those who espouse it no longer even claim the once-proud label (opting currently for the euphemism "Progressive"). Debate no longer exists; liberals now resort to physical attacks against conservative pundits. Having lost their stranglehold on the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal government, liberals have turned to their last recourse - an activist judiciary - to enact an agenda that America has resoundingly rejected, again and again.

I don't want a Federal judge making a ruling based on my theology any more than I want a Federal judge making a ruling based on liberalism; I want Federal judges who make rulings based on the US Constitution - the way our Founding Fathers intended the Judicial branch to participate in the check-and-balance system. I don't want Federal judges to rule abortion "unconstitutional" because the Bible says it is wrong; I want Federal judges to rule abortion unconstitutional because this country was founded on the principle that all men are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, and among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and because laws exist in the country prohibiting murder.

I must hand it to the long-term strategists in the liberal camp; they have carried out a successful, subversive takeover of two key American institutions over the course of the past 40 years: the educational system and the judiciary. Conservatives were entirely too slow and/or oblivious to recognize the threat and counter it. But now, Conservatives are making headway in both arenas, and liberalism is starting to act like the cornered beast that it has become.

Let the hysteria begin.

* (Ed: correction: quote originally mis-credited to US Senator Mel Martinez. Correct attribution of quote per original source.)

(Temporary: original Haloscan Comments - Comments)

On The Brink

Filed in SportsTags: Pacers

I didn't know The Agitator was a Pacer Fan:

If Rick Carlisle doesn't get some consideration for coach of the year, something's amiss. He's taken my Pacers to the brink of hosting the first round of the playoffs after losing his best player for about half the season, his second best player for the entire season, and his third best player for a quarter of the season.

I've not followed the Pacers since the fiasco in Detroit and its aftermath. The NBA is a joke. It has been for years, ever since streetball took over any appearance of actual basketball. But after what the league did to the Pacers, I pretty much completely gave up. Regardless, it's good to see Indiana sticking it to Herr Commissioner by bringing themselves to the brink of hosting the first round of the playoffs.

(Temporary: original Haloscan Comments - Comments)

Understanding Engineers (Engineers are Geeks: Part II)

Filed in MiscellaneousTags: College, Humor/Satire

Understanding Engineers - Take One

Two engineering students crossing the campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The first engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

Understanding Engineers - Take Two

To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Understanding Engineers - Take Three

A pastor, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with these guys? We must have been waiting for 15 minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude!" The pastor said, "Hey, here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him." "Hi, George! Say, what's with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?" The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."

The group was silent for a moment. Then pastor said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."
The doctor said, "Good idea. And I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist buddy and see if there's anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't these guys play at night?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Four

What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers?
Mechanical Engineers build weapons and Civil Engineers build targets.

Understanding Engineers - Take Five

The graduate with a Science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an Accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an Arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Six

Three engineering students were gathered together discussing the
possible designers of the human body.
One said, "It was a mechanical engineer." Just look at all the joints."
Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections."
The last one said, "Actually it was a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Seven

"Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Engineers believe that "if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet."

Understanding Engineers - Take Eight

An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The architect said he enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship.

The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because the passion and mystery he found there.

The engineer said, "I like both."
"Both?"
"Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman, and you can go to the lab and get some work done."

Understanding Engineers - Take Nine

An engineer was crossing a road one-day when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket.

The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket.

The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you and do ANYTHING you want." Again the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.

Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, and that I'll stay with you for a week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?"

The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."

This Just In: Engineers are Geeks (Part I)

Filed in MiscellaneousTags: College, Humor/Satire

Apparently ConservativeDialysis just discovered the Rube Goldberg contest:

I can only imagine what would have happened if they had asked the students to change a lightbulb.

In honor of this discovery, I offer the following Engineering tomfoolery:

Q: When does a person decide to become an engineer?
A: When he realizes he doesn't have the charisma to be an undertaker.

Q: What do engineers use for birth control?
A: Their personalities.

Q: How can you tell an extroverted engineer?A: When he talks to you, he looks at your shoes instead of his own.

Q: Why did the engineers cross the road?
A: Because they looked in the file, and that's what they did last year.

Q: How do you drive an engineer completely insane?
A: Tie him to a chair, stand in front of him, and fold up a road map the wrong way.

You might be an engineer if:

  • Choosing between buying flowers for your wife and upgrading your RAM is a problem.
  • You take a cruise so you can go on a personal tour of the engine room.
  • In college, you thought Spring Break was metal fatigue failure.
  • The salespeople at the local computer store can't answer any of your questions.
  • At an air show, you know how fast the skydivers are falling.
  • For your wife's birthday you gave her a new CD-ROM drive or a Palm Pilot.
  • You can quote scenes from any Monte Python movie.
  • You can type 70 words per minute but you can't read your own handwriting.
  • You comment to your wife that her straight hair is nice and parallel.
  • You sit backwards on Disney rides so you can see how they do the special effects.
  • You have saved every power cord from all your broken appliances.
  • You have more friends on the Internet than in real life.
  • You know what "http://" stands for.
  • You look forward to Christmas so you can put together the kids toys.
  • You see a good design, and have to change it.
  • You have spent more on a calculator than you did on your wedding ring.
  • You still own a slide rule and know how to use it.
  • You think that people yawning around you are sleep deprived.
  • You window shop at Radio Shack.
  • Your laptop computer cost more than your car.
  • Your wife hasn't the foggiest idea of what you do at work.
  • You've already calculated how much you make per second.
  • You've tried to repair a $5 radio.

(Temporary: original Haloscan Comments - Comments)

The Class of 2005

Filed in MiscellaneousTags: College

Each year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to try to give the Faculty a sense of the mindset of the year's incoming freshman. Here is the list for the Class of 2005:

  • The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1983. They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and probably did not know he had ever been shot.
  • They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged. There has been only one Pope in their lifetime. They were 10 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War.
  • They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up. Tianamen Square means nothing to them. Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic and there have always been ball point pens.
  • Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums. The expression "You sound like a broken record" means nothing to them. They have never owned a record player.
  • They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong. They may have never heard of an 8 track. The Compact Disc was introduced when they were one year old.
  • They have always had an answering machine. Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV. They have always had cable.
  • There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what BETA was. They cannot fathom not having a remote control. They don't know what a cloth baby diaper is, or know about the "Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up" commercial.

Feeling old Yet? There's more:

  • They were born the year that Walkmen were introduced by Sony. Roller skating has always meant inline for them. Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show. They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.
  • Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave. They have never seen Larry Bird play. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
  • The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII and the Civil War. They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran. They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
  • They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.(The correct answer, by the way, is Ork) They never heard: "Where's the beef?", "I'd walk a mile for a Camel," or "De plane, de plane!"
  • They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. was. Michael Jackson has always been white. Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not bands...
  • There has always been MTV. They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.

Congratulations Ish and Pritee

Filed in PersonalTags: Friends

This weekend I was in Kansas City for the marriage of Pritee Phool to Ishwinder Chattha. Both are Sikh, and this marriage was arranged between Ish, of Indian descent, and Pritee, native of Thailand.

BharaatPHOTO: Ish with his mother at the Bharaat.

The festivities began Friday evening with the Bharaat reception at the Doubletree hotel in downtown Kansas City. Ish was attired and prepared at his family's house (in a ceremony called the Sehra Bandi) before he, family, and friends arrived at the Bharaat, led by fanfare and music. The bride's family organizes the Bharaat as the formal greeting of the groom's family. The bride's family provides lots of food, singing, dancing, and other entertainment after greeting the groom with the traditional garlands.

The wedding ceremony itself - the Anand Karaj - took place at the Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) in Kansas City.

Anand KarajPHOTO:Ish and Pritee during Anand Karaj

Most of the ceremony - the name of which means "Ceremony of Bliss" - was conducted in Panjabi, and the celebrants and guests sat on the floor as is customary. Immediately following the ceremony, the traditional temple lunch took place. This meal - the Langar - is served in the temple Langar hall, and consists of vegetarian cuisine served to everyone sitting on the floor, as equals.

And the picture you've all been waiting to see:

TurbanPHOTO: Traditional Indian garb with Punjab turban

Ish provided me with a traditional Indian outfit to wear during the Anand Karaj. Also, Sikh tradition requires, along with the removal of shoes before entering the temple, that everyone cover the head during prayers or when entering the temple. So, Ish's brother-in-law was kind enough to provide me with a traditional Punjab-style turban.

Following Langar, the married couple greeted family and friends outside the Gurudwara.

Ish and PriteePHOTO:Ish and Pritee after the Anand Karaj

During the weekend, as my friend noted, we were impressed with just how much the Sikh wedding is not just the joining of a husband and wife, but the union of two families.

The wedding reception followed that evening at Club 1000 in downtown Kansas City. More traditional food, along with more entertainment, speeches, dancing, and a cake-cutting ceremony were all part of the celebration.

Congratulations, Ish and Pritee, and thank you for the opportunity to share this experience with you and your families.

(Temporary: original Haloscan Comments - Comments)

Clueless

Filed in Politics, Religion

Hello, Liberal Idiot, this is the Real World; have we met before?

As if the Krugman koolaid-drinking isn't evidence enough, we get this gem with respect to why liberals tend toward "academia" and conservatives tend toward "corporations":

To generalize: liberals like studying and discussing and learning; conservatives like making money, and sometimes stealing money.

So close, yet so far away. TO quote someone much wiser than either LeftCoastBlog or me:

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work withy your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

I Thessalonians 4:11,12 (NIV)

and again:

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

II Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV)

Perhaps it is that conservatives tend toward gainful vocations through which they can provide for themselves and their families, and contribute to the good of society. (Those evil "corporations" pay the majority of taxes, provide jobs for the majority of working Americans, and provide the grants that allow high-and-mighty liberals like LeftBankBlog to sit around on their duffs all day, consdescending the utterly inferior conservatives in their midst.) Liberals may like "studying and discussing and learning", but those alone, unless put into action, contribute nothing to society. Nice jab, by the way, with this statement:

Meanwhile, the conservative students are all eagerely working on their economics or business majors in preparation to go off and be the next Ken Lay's and Bernard Ebbers' of the world.

Yet another shining example of liberal tolerance and open-mindedness.

Next we come to this little gem (the one Conservative Dialysis referenced, which led me to the original:

Let's face it- Liberals are smarter and therefore more likely to have the PhD qualifications needed to teach at universities. I know it sounds arrogant, but there's some truth to it.

So, which is it? Is the fact that liberals are smarter than conservatives so ubiquitous that the statement needs not be defended with evidence, and we should just "face it", or is the generalization so incongruous as to have only "some truth to it", and to sound "arrogant"? Apparently, LeftBankBlog believes the latter, and uses the former - an incredibly pathetic logical fallacy to bolster such an indefensible claim.

He then goes on to quote from a recenk Krugman screed in which, among other things, Krugman states the folowing:

Mr. Baxley says that he is taking on "leftists" struggling against "mainstream society," professors who act as "dictators" and turn the classroom into a "totalitarian niche." His prime example of academic totalitarianism? When professors say that evolution is a fact.

Now, since our liberal friend admits his areas of study are "Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies [and] History" (which, should he ever decide to leave the Ivory Tower, will inevitably be followed by, "Would you like fries with that?"), I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he does not understand the basic concepts of the Scientific Method, which Wikipedia defines as follows:

The scientific method or process is considered fundamental to the scientific investigation and acquisition of new knowledge based upon physical evidence. Scientists propose new assertions about our world in the form of theories: observations, hypotheses, and deductions. Predictions from these theories are tested by experiment. If a prediction turns out to be correct, the theory survives. Any theory which is cogent enough to make predictions can then be tested reproducibly in this way. The method is commonly taken as the underlying logic of scientific practice. The scientific method is essentially an extremely cautious means of building a supportable, evidenced understanding of our world.

The Scientific Method is a process involving four basic steps: Characterization, Hypothesis, Prediction, Experiment. The problem with macro-evolution (that is, speciation) is that it has never been 1) observable, or 2) reproducible. These criteria are the burden of proof necessary to consider a hypothesis as scientific "fact." I have no problem at all with presenting evolutionary theory, as long as it is rightfully presented as theory. To the contrary of evolutionary theory, the more we learn about our universe and the intricacy of the physical laws that govern our existence, the more the application of Occam's Razor points to intelligent design as the explanation of Origin in preference to chance and random selection.

Of course, liberals, in their own tolerant and inclusive way, insist that such viewpoints merit no discussion, and instead stifle that discussion in the name of "tolerance."

But then, what would I know? I'm just another intolerant, religious-right, Republican scientist.