I am currently sitting in a computer lab at our local training facility. I am supposed to be doing a lab, but, as usual, have swept past everyone and completed early. I am learning how to use some of the more advanced features of Crystal Reports, such as running totals, cross-tabs, sub-reports, drill-downs, and charting. However, the teacher is walking us through the book like we can't read. I can read the book myself and do the activities. I come to training to learn those things that aren't in the book. However, the trainer doesn't actually use the Crystal Reports...she just teaches it!
Oh well. Luckily, she doesn't have monitoring capabilities, so I can do other things online. So, for your reading pleasure: An Alternative to the National Sales Tax plan that I adore...a volunantary Flat Tax. I don't care which one gets picked, I just want something different than what we have now. Although, the voluntary flat tax still has the whole "morality of using force to take what someone has earned" issue.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Absurdity: National No-Name Calling Week
I saw a message displayed on the marquee of local school informing parents and students that the school is observing the "National No Name-Calling Week." This is one of those programs that sound good and makes you feel fuzzy inside, but is really detrimental propaganda. Campaigns such as these are the "Trojan Horses" of our time: pretty packages filled with destruction ideology. I find this kind of program absurd at best. I have two big problems with this particular program.
First, the origins of the this program were "developed by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which is seeking to ensure that schools safely accommodate students of all sexual orientations.(source)" Is it really proper for a Christian school to adopt a program where the main purpose is to promote sexual sin as normal and acceptable? I think not!
The whole concept is supposedly based on a fiction book called The Misfits by James Howe with the express purpose of "raising awareness" among children of how destructive name calling can be. When we investigate the issue, though, we find that the main character, Joe, is gay. According to author, he wanted The Misfits to put a more positive slant on being gay in middle school.
The second reason to drop this kind of program is that it promotes the idea that what a person thinks and says is something that can governed. This runs counter to the most basic right of a man to have liberty to think and say what he will. The freedom of speech and freedom of thought means that all speech and philosophies are protected, including name calling. While I have no problem with a private, Christian school setting behavior standards that include no name-calling provisions, it is wrong for a government run school to do so. The government has no right to tell people what they are allowed or not allowed to say.
"But Randy," you say, "Bullying is a big problem in schools and we need do something about it. Why just today I read a story about how two boys (ages 9 and 10) in Florida had to be dragged out of school in hand-cuffs for the horrendous act of drawing violent stick figures. The stick figures depicted two stickmen stabbing a third stickman, a classmate. Doesn't that child have the right to 'feel safe' while at school?"
I would like to deal with the ludicrousness of arresting 9 and 10 year olds, but will have to save that for another post. The argument that since bullying is a problem and needs to be dealt with is a red herring when it comes to this program. One can teach children that bullying is wrong without an official, government-ordained program.
I think that it is much better to teach children that they have a duty to wield their tongues in a responsible manner using a God-ordained program. The Bible spends a lot of time talking about how people should guard their speech and control their tongues. This kind of change requires more than a government/social program. Guidelines printed from the Internet will not change bullying in schools. Truly stopping bullying/name-calling requires the transformation that comes by the Spirit. A private, Christian school has a great opportunity to give children the moral foundations on how to treat people, that include no name-calling.
These principles extend beyond one week. These are principles that must be reinforced daily by the administration, faculty, parents, and other adults who encounter the undesirable behavior. A week-long program causes harm because it gives adults the illusion that they are doing something useful.
Finally, it is important to note that we live in a fallen world. Therefore, bullying and name-calling will never be eradicated from the schoolyard. Children, therefore, need to be taught how to stand up for themselves to bullies. Children also need to be taught that name calling is not as destructive as people make it out to be. As I was researching this topic, I was shocked when I saw that the classic rhyme about "sticks and stones...words will never hurt me" has mutated into "Sticks and Stones May Break Our Bones, but Names Will Break Our Spirit."
This is what we are teaching our children??? With mottos like that, it is no wonder that kids have no defense against bullies and are growing up to be wimps. Children must learn that they can not let their perceptions of themselves be modified by outside influences.
I know this will be a shock to everyone, but I was bullied in school, a lot. I was called all sorts of names in school. I remember one instance where I ran out of the gymnasium in tears after being harassed. Another time I was cornered on an elevator and terrorized by a peer. Name-calling, teasing, taunts, and other forms of ridicule were a daily part of my life as other kids tried to exercise dominance over me. Sure, some days I was humiliated. Yes, I would not want any child to face the trials that I did. But the fact is, those hardships formed me into a strong person. Today I am confident in who I am. I am sure of my ideas. Those values were molded in the furnace of teasing. I would not want any child to miss forming those same values. Adults must learn how to guide children through the fire of peer mistreatment, not shield them from it.
First, the origins of the this program were "developed by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which is seeking to ensure that schools safely accommodate students of all sexual orientations.(source)" Is it really proper for a Christian school to adopt a program where the main purpose is to promote sexual sin as normal and acceptable? I think not!
The whole concept is supposedly based on a fiction book called The Misfits by James Howe with the express purpose of "raising awareness" among children of how destructive name calling can be. When we investigate the issue, though, we find that the main character, Joe, is gay. According to author, he wanted The Misfits to put a more positive slant on being gay in middle school.
“I wanted him to be a kid who sees himself as cool, who sees nothing wrong with being attracted to the boy who sits next to him in art class as opposed to the girl on the other side of him. He understands, as do the other "misfits" in this story, that the problem isn't with himself, it's with the attitudes and ignorance of others.Since the origins are tainted, then it would be in everyone's best interest to drop this program from their calendars.
The second reason to drop this kind of program is that it promotes the idea that what a person thinks and says is something that can governed. This runs counter to the most basic right of a man to have liberty to think and say what he will. The freedom of speech and freedom of thought means that all speech and philosophies are protected, including name calling. While I have no problem with a private, Christian school setting behavior standards that include no name-calling provisions, it is wrong for a government run school to do so. The government has no right to tell people what they are allowed or not allowed to say.
"But Randy," you say, "Bullying is a big problem in schools and we need do something about it. Why just today I read a story about how two boys (ages 9 and 10) in Florida had to be dragged out of school in hand-cuffs for the horrendous act of drawing violent stick figures. The stick figures depicted two stickmen stabbing a third stickman, a classmate. Doesn't that child have the right to 'feel safe' while at school?"
I would like to deal with the ludicrousness of arresting 9 and 10 year olds, but will have to save that for another post. The argument that since bullying is a problem and needs to be dealt with is a red herring when it comes to this program. One can teach children that bullying is wrong without an official, government-ordained program.
I think that it is much better to teach children that they have a duty to wield their tongues in a responsible manner using a God-ordained program. The Bible spends a lot of time talking about how people should guard their speech and control their tongues. This kind of change requires more than a government/social program. Guidelines printed from the Internet will not change bullying in schools. Truly stopping bullying/name-calling requires the transformation that comes by the Spirit. A private, Christian school has a great opportunity to give children the moral foundations on how to treat people, that include no name-calling.
These principles extend beyond one week. These are principles that must be reinforced daily by the administration, faculty, parents, and other adults who encounter the undesirable behavior. A week-long program causes harm because it gives adults the illusion that they are doing something useful.
Finally, it is important to note that we live in a fallen world. Therefore, bullying and name-calling will never be eradicated from the schoolyard. Children, therefore, need to be taught how to stand up for themselves to bullies. Children also need to be taught that name calling is not as destructive as people make it out to be. As I was researching this topic, I was shocked when I saw that the classic rhyme about "sticks and stones...words will never hurt me" has mutated into "Sticks and Stones May Break Our Bones, but Names Will Break Our Spirit."
This is what we are teaching our children??? With mottos like that, it is no wonder that kids have no defense against bullies and are growing up to be wimps. Children must learn that they can not let their perceptions of themselves be modified by outside influences.
I know this will be a shock to everyone, but I was bullied in school, a lot. I was called all sorts of names in school. I remember one instance where I ran out of the gymnasium in tears after being harassed. Another time I was cornered on an elevator and terrorized by a peer. Name-calling, teasing, taunts, and other forms of ridicule were a daily part of my life as other kids tried to exercise dominance over me. Sure, some days I was humiliated. Yes, I would not want any child to face the trials that I did. But the fact is, those hardships formed me into a strong person. Today I am confident in who I am. I am sure of my ideas. Those values were molded in the furnace of teasing. I would not want any child to miss forming those same values. Adults must learn how to guide children through the fire of peer mistreatment, not shield them from it.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Aliens Cause Global Warming
I ran across this lecture Michael Crichton gave on the state of science and people's gullibility to science. While this speech is two years old, it is still relevant today and a great read for those who understand the importance of the purity of science. A quote to pique your interest:
"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.
Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.
There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period."
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Week 12: Small Group Materials
I have not forgotten that I want to upload my small group materials as I use them. I thought we would move pretty quickly now that we are finished with the letters to the seven churches. It took us 7 meetings over 12 weeks (due to the holidays) to get through two chapters. I expected to be able to a chapter a week from here on out (with a few exceptions). However, we only got through the first 2 verses of chapter 4 Sunday night.
So, I will not post the notes on chapter 4 until after we finish next week. Here, though, is Chapter 5's Study Guide for those who would like it.
So, I will not post the notes on chapter 4 until after we finish next week. Here, though, is Chapter 5's Study Guide for those who would like it.
Monday, January 24, 2005
So Busy
I have been so busy and will continue to busy for the next couple of months. Lets take a look at my weekly schedule:
Sunday
I go to church typically from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM. We then have play practice from 1:00 PM to 4:00 OM. Small group starts at 6:00, giving Erin and I just two hours to get home and prepare for our guests.
Monday - Friday
I, of course, work 8 AM to 5 PM everyday.
I am also trying to work 10 hours a week for Joe, by going into his office one evening a week and every Saturday. I am also try to get by PCA one evening a week. So that means my evenings are:
Saturday
I usually try to work 9:00 AM to 4:oo PM at MCS.
Sometime in there, I need to prepare for the small group that I lead weekly by getting a study sheet ready and planning the discussion. Roll into that my priority to spend time with the baby and my wife, and you can see I have very little time left to blog. I have been feeling guilty about not blogging enough for my loyal readers (I am up to an average of 12 a day), but now ya'll can see why I have been somewhat quiet.
Sunday
I go to church typically from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM. We then have play practice from 1:00 PM to 4:00 OM. Small group starts at 6:00, giving Erin and I just two hours to get home and prepare for our guests.
Monday - Friday
I, of course, work 8 AM to 5 PM everyday.
I am also trying to work 10 hours a week for Joe, by going into his office one evening a week and every Saturday. I am also try to get by PCA one evening a week. So that means my evenings are:
Evenings
Monday 7:45 PM - 10:15 PM - PCA work
Tuesday 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM - MCS work
Wed. 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM - Church/Play practice
Saturday
I usually try to work 9:00 AM to 4:oo PM at MCS.
Sometime in there, I need to prepare for the small group that I lead weekly by getting a study sheet ready and planning the discussion. Roll into that my priority to spend time with the baby and my wife, and you can see I have very little time left to blog. I have been feeling guilty about not blogging enough for my loyal readers (I am up to an average of 12 a day), but now ya'll can see why I have been somewhat quiet.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Memorizing Lines
After a close to a 10 year sabbatical, I am returning to the stage. Erin* and I have been asked to act in our churches Easter drama, "The Stone" (an original play by one of the members). The last time I remember being in a play was in 1984 or 1985 when I played Marley's Ghost in The Christmas Carol in sixth-grade. Since those days, my acting career has consisted only of VBS skits and sketches at camps, college club events, and mission trips. I can't remember the last time I was before an audience acting.
I have been part of productions in the intervening years on the technical staff. I have been the sound engineer for several other plays the church has done. I must say I am excited to step down from the sound booth and take on the role of the Apostle John. Erin will be playing Mary the sister of Lazarus. We were given our roles on Sunday and I have started memorizing my lines.
I have never been good at memorization (I failed many a spelling test in grade school due to my lack of ability to memorize). One of Randy's Rules of Life has been "Never memorize what you can look up." Even today I have to go reference books to remember programming syntax in a language I have been programming in over 5 years. I started memorizing my lines on Monday morning and have been taking the 20-30 minutes I have on the road going to work in the morning to work on my lines. I then use the drive back home to re-iterate my lines. Amazingly enough, I have been doing well. I have been a little shocked that I have been memorizing them so well and so fast, although I feel kind of weird talking to myself in the car.
* This is Erin's first time to be in a play. She did a very good job in the read-thru on Sunday but is very nervous that she will get stage fright and forget all of her lines. Please pray for her.
I have been part of productions in the intervening years on the technical staff. I have been the sound engineer for several other plays the church has done. I must say I am excited to step down from the sound booth and take on the role of the Apostle John. Erin will be playing Mary the sister of Lazarus. We were given our roles on Sunday and I have started memorizing my lines.
I have never been good at memorization (I failed many a spelling test in grade school due to my lack of ability to memorize). One of Randy's Rules of Life has been "Never memorize what you can look up." Even today I have to go reference books to remember programming syntax in a language I have been programming in over 5 years. I started memorizing my lines on Monday morning and have been taking the 20-30 minutes I have on the road going to work in the morning to work on my lines. I then use the drive back home to re-iterate my lines. Amazingly enough, I have been doing well. I have been a little shocked that I have been memorizing them so well and so fast, although I feel kind of weird talking to myself in the car.
* This is Erin's first time to be in a play. She did a very good job in the read-thru on Sunday but is very nervous that she will get stage fright and forget all of her lines. Please pray for her.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Revelation Small Group Materials
A post to bring all my small group materials up-to-date. Even though it has been like 6-weeks since the last post, we had Christmas, New Year, and church functions throughout the holiday season and have only met 3 times.
Week 9 - "The Dead Church: Sardis"
Week 9 - "The Dead Church: Sardis"
Week 10 - "The Faithful Church: Philadelphia"
Week 11 - "The Disgusting Church: Laodecia"
- Teacher Notes
- Homework: Chapter 4 Study Guide
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Well, I did a bad thing...
I normally refrain from commenting on other people's blogs (other than my brother's). If I do post a comment, then I like for it to be somewhat anonymous, because the internet is full of very bad people. However, today as was using the "Blogger NavBar" to randomly sample blogs, I ran across "A Blog of Rage" (be wary about perusing this site if you are easily offended by liberal ideas or foul language). The author had posted an entry about Social Security and for some strange reason I felt compelled to comment for no other reason than just drive a socialist looney, so I cut-and-pasted excerpts from an earlier post I wrote.
I am kind of regretting commenting now because I drew the attention to myself. See, it didn't take long for the author to find my blog. Morbid curisoity drew me back to the site this evening to see what kind of reaction I had ignited. I got two people commenting on my comments. One is a idealouge who thinks the best way to handle an opposing idea is to call someone a name, while the other person (and original author) appears to be a well-reasoned guy who respects various ideas, even when he disagrees with them.
Then, to top off my unpredicatable behaviour, I have replied to thier replies. What is wrong with me? Am I out of my mind? I know that I will not change anyone's mind. I am just in a cantankerous mood and want to get under the skin of some stranger out there in cyberspace. Lesson learned. I did a bad thing and must vow to never, ever comment with stuff I have previously written.
I am kind of regretting commenting now because I drew the attention to myself. See, it didn't take long for the author to find my blog. Morbid curisoity drew me back to the site this evening to see what kind of reaction I had ignited. I got two people commenting on my comments. One is a idealouge who thinks the best way to handle an opposing idea is to call someone a name, while the other person (and original author) appears to be a well-reasoned guy who respects various ideas, even when he disagrees with them.
Then, to top off my unpredicatable behaviour, I have replied to thier replies. What is wrong with me? Am I out of my mind? I know that I will not change anyone's mind. I am just in a cantankerous mood and want to get under the skin of some stranger out there in cyberspace. Lesson learned. I did a bad thing and must vow to never, ever comment with stuff I have previously written.
Friday, January 07, 2005
IRS Quote
Did you ever notice, when you put "The" and "IRS" together it spells "Theirs"?
~ Anonymous
~ Anonymous
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Back
We are back home from our vacation. We arrived home on Sunday and then I got sick Sunday night/Monday morning with the virus Mihaela had. I called in sick to work on Monday, which I hated to do. I felt bad calling in sick after a two week vacation; how does that look to my employeer?
Anyway, went back to work today and spent the day catching up. I had 73 e-mails requiring action, 13 voicemails demanding attention, and 6 notes that needed to be responded to. I got through all the voicemails, the notes, and about 30 of the emails. I will finish responding to the other 43 tomorrow and hopefully be caught up.
I will be extremely busy for the next two weeks though, because I have agreed to write a little app for my brother's company that they want by Jan. 15. Also, I have to write several small modules for one of my clients on my side business by the middle of the month. I sure hope I will be able to get everything done!
Anyway, went back to work today and spent the day catching up. I had 73 e-mails requiring action, 13 voicemails demanding attention, and 6 notes that needed to be responded to. I got through all the voicemails, the notes, and about 30 of the emails. I will finish responding to the other 43 tomorrow and hopefully be caught up.
I will be extremely busy for the next two weeks though, because I have agreed to write a little app for my brother's company that they want by Jan. 15. Also, I have to write several small modules for one of my clients on my side business by the middle of the month. I sure hope I will be able to get everything done!
Saturday, January 01, 2005
"Blog" not in Blogger dictionary
I typed the word 'blog' in my last post. When I spell-checked using Blogger's spell-check feature, it flagged the word 'blog' as misspelled. It also just flagged Blogger in this post. If I were in charge, I think I would make sure those words were in my dictionary.
Posting over the Holiday
Needless to say, I have been lax posting over the holiday. This is because in my haste to leave work on the 23rd, I inadvertently left the power cord to my laptop at the office. This has caused me great consternation as I have had very limited access to the internet and have not been able to check my email regularly, read the news sites, work on some projects, or blog. Erin has been quite pleased because it has caused me to spend more time with the family.
Mihaela has been a daddy's girl the past two weeks. This means that anytime I am in a room, I must be holding her or playing with her. No one else will do. As long as she doesn't see me, she will play and let others hold her. She has been sick the past two days.
When she woke up yesterday, I picked her up out of her bed and she vomited on me. I had to get Erin to help me and we cleaned her up. Then we fed her breakfast and she wouldn't eat. So Erin decided to give her a bottle. She ate a couple of ounces and then was done. Erin sat her up and Mihaela vomited all over Erin. We cleaned her up again. We didn't feed her again until dinner time, but gave her lots of water to drink. When we fed her dinner, she didn't throw up, so we thought she was better.
Then, this morning I got her out of bed and took her to play. About 20 minutes after waking up she exploded with diarrhea. I had to wake Erin up to help me clean her up. We bathed her and fed her. She had another episode when she awoke from her morning nap. She got another bath. Poor baby.
There is really good news though. Mihaela officially crawled for the first time today. She has been kind of scooting and wobbling her way to where she wants to go, but has not crawled. She has been very close by leaning forward and rocking back and forth, but not crawling. Well, today she just crawled. We are excited.
Anyway, our current plan is to leave from my parents home tomorrow morning and get back to real life on Monday.
Mihaela has been a daddy's girl the past two weeks. This means that anytime I am in a room, I must be holding her or playing with her. No one else will do. As long as she doesn't see me, she will play and let others hold her. She has been sick the past two days.
When she woke up yesterday, I picked her up out of her bed and she vomited on me. I had to get Erin to help me and we cleaned her up. Then we fed her breakfast and she wouldn't eat. So Erin decided to give her a bottle. She ate a couple of ounces and then was done. Erin sat her up and Mihaela vomited all over Erin. We cleaned her up again. We didn't feed her again until dinner time, but gave her lots of water to drink. When we fed her dinner, she didn't throw up, so we thought she was better.
Then, this morning I got her out of bed and took her to play. About 20 minutes after waking up she exploded with diarrhea. I had to wake Erin up to help me clean her up. We bathed her and fed her. She had another episode when she awoke from her morning nap. She got another bath. Poor baby.
There is really good news though. Mihaela officially crawled for the first time today. She has been kind of scooting and wobbling her way to where she wants to go, but has not crawled. She has been very close by leaning forward and rocking back and forth, but not crawling. Well, today she just crawled. We are excited.
Anyway, our current plan is to leave from my parents home tomorrow morning and get back to real life on Monday.
Happy New Year
Well, it is the new year. Last year was a great year for Erin and me since we adopted Mihaela this year. Things are going great for us. We have a baby, are both satisfied with our work, attend a great church, and participate in a wonderful small group. Our families are all healthy and doing well. God has truly blessed us this past year and we give Him thanks for His bounty.
I hope your 2005 is as much a blessing to you as our 2004 has been to us.
I hope your 2005 is as much a blessing to you as our 2004 has been to us.
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