Opus 2013-400: The End Is Always Near

If the world is going to end it had better hurry.

Remember last year and the hoopla over the end of the world?  There were two big end of the world prophecies that year.  One was a “protestant” Christian variety with bill boards everywhere giving a specific date.  Those of us who are Bible reading Christians would have patted them on the head and got on with life but the signs were too far off the ground.

And the pagans got into the act.  They were worrying about the Mayan or Aztec calender.  It was supposed to predict that the end of the world would coincide with our 2012.  The kids at school were really worried about this one.  It is kind of like Cinco de Mayo, a big deal here but nothing where it came from.  I tried to explain it was the end in the same way that we get a new calendar every year.  The only difference is that their calendar went for a few thousand years.

It is now a year later and we are still here.  I could quote Jesus on no one knowing the date.  Be ready and you won’t have to worry about it.

Of course the debacle of Obamacare and the intrusion of the NSA might end the world as we know it but it can’t be any worse than when the Mongol hoards came streaming out of the west.  Life went on, it was just that everyone became slaves in the process.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-399: Firsts: Appleseed Project

What kind of things do your children drag you into?

For some people it is probably soccer practice or a dance recital.  My kids are too old for that so they need to work harder.  This year during the Christmas break my son took me to a workshop of the Appleseed Project.  After two days of hustle I am willing to admit I may be getting too old for some things. 

The goal of the workshop is to teach the basic fundamentals of rifle marksmanship.  They let you use any type of rifle in some of the sessions.  The one we attended was limited to .22 rifles.  The targets are placed 25 yards down range and sized to simulate firing at 100 yards.  The day begins, as all training with firearms begin, with safety.  They repeatedly go over the importance of safety.  It is priority number one. 

The shooting begins with thirteen rounds fired at a target with five targets of differing sizes.  This gives a benchmark to measure the skills learned over the two days.  From there it is two days of loading and firing from different positions.  My son and I had a good time.  He showed his skill.  I demonstrated my lack. 

At my age moving from a prone position to a standing position is hard on the bone and muscles.  I am really stiff but it was a good experience.

Check it out on line if you are interested.  They will work with you on equipment.  One family was a mother and her two children.  I was the oldest but there was quite a mix. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-398: Headlines: Or Not, Since It Involves Global Warming, or Not

A headline caught my eye on Drudge, entitled, “'Global warming' scientists trapped in expanding Antarctic ice...”  It might give you a few laughs.  It will also confirm the continued and obvious bias of the media. 

It seems that an entrepreneur who makes money on the global warming scam was on a trip to gain more “scientific” data about global warming.  If you read the article you will see that it points out that his ship got stuck in the growing ice cap of the Antarctic.  You may miss the fact that it is summer there.  That is the funny part.

The frustrating part is that the purpose of the voyage is completely covered up by the media. 

Welcome to modern journalism.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-397: The Continuing Debacle

The deliberate federal destruction of our health care system has not hit me hard yet, but I know the pain is coming.

The initial increase in cost is real but not crippling for me and mine.  Yet.  If you want a brief overview of the hidden costs that are already being passed on you can read this article I found linked from the Drudge Report entitled “New Obamacare Fees coming in 2014.” 

I cringe when I read about all the people losing their coverage.  I rage about people who were in the midst of treatment and were dropped because of Obamacare and the confusion it is creating.  I imagine the pain of dramatically increased costs that are being reported. 

And I know that it is coming to a health plan near me, soon.  Since I am a teacher the Progressives in government will hold off dragging me down because they consider the teachers’ unions to be their big supporters.  They, or we, are.  Most teachers are with the welfare classes who believe that someone else will pay the bill for the government largesse they receive.  I am not so naive, but then I don’t believe in global warming, that the government cares about me or that Obama is a Christian. 

What do we do?  We do the obvious:  Vote, write, speak out.  I am concerned that those may not be enough.  The damage has been done but there is more coming.

I am concerned about the insight that people get the government they deserve.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-396: Discernment Watch: Holiday, What Holiday?

We are still in that mysterious time period called the “Holiday Season.”  The radio has a never ending series of advertisers coming on and wishing people a wonderful “holiday season.”  The one that caught my attention was the Martinelli family, the bottlers of sparkling cider, wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a happy new year.  I am confused.  I ask, “If you separate New Years from the holiday season, what holiday could you possibly be celebrating?”  Hanukkah is past.  Ramadan was in July and August.  Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, was in November.  Groundhog day is in February. 

I finally went to Wikipedia and found quite a list.  It seems that there is much to celebrate if you are a pagan. 

So for the pagans of the world, Happy Holidays.  That is still a religious greeting.  For those who follow Jesus, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-395: Discernment Watch: New Is Not Always Better

It seems that apps and pads are part of the dumbing down processes.

The first article I saw referenced on Drudge yesterday had to do with the danger that electronic devices provide to children.  You can read it yourself if you have young children or are thinking of a gift to someone who has young children.  It discusses the pros and cons of toddlers being introduced to touch screen technology.  It discusses the dangers as well as the promises.

The concern that kept coming up was that the touch screens put them out of contact with real people.  It focused on how the devices limited the interaction with adults, which is an important part of education.  Historically, a major part of a child’s education came from the conversations they joined or listened to with adults.  The concept of being locked in a room with 30 other kids the same age, kept physically inactive and fed one subject at a time is the product of modern assembly line education, not our traditional culture.  This concern kept coming up in the article. 

One of the real problems with the new technology is that same problem that TV presented:  It becomes a baby sitter that allows parents to opt out of raising their children.

Read the article.  You might want to ask yourself, “Do I want my children to turn out like George Washington who had almost no formal education or the current heart throb of young teens who was raised on TV and cell phones?”

Shop accordingly.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-394: Benevolent Shiny

 Be thankful for the crass commercialism of the Christmas season.

My car was in the shop so I was driving my wife’s machine.  This confined me to listening to the radio instead of pod casts.  An advertisement caught my attention.  The item up for bid was a new TV with colors four times as clear or some such nonsense.  Since I am a bit color blind and can’t see very well at my age it doesn’t make any difference to me.  Their goal was to get people to rush out and buy the latest technology.  New.  Shiny.  It seems so sordid but I am not sure I have a problem with that.  Here is my reasoning.  The sooner everyone runs out and wastes their money on high priced technology the sooner it will come down in price and be in my price range. 

I don’t need it.  I won’t buy it until it gets cheap.  Even then I will wait for my old one to wear out.  But the day will come when I am ready so go for it.  Meanwhile you have my permission to buy, buy, buy.  Sell, sell, sell.  The more you spend the sooner it will get into my range.  By then I might be ready.

homo unius libri