Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Shuffle
Article #1:
A clip in which the Surgeon General of New York, Dr. Daines, explains why he thinks there should be an obesity tax.
Article #2:
"Your mailbox has probably already been cluttered with the panic messages. Giving is drastically down! Our needs are dramatically up! Please dig deep! Whatever you gave last time, would you please consider doubling it this time around?
I have an alternative suggestion: When you get the next request like that, trash it. "
Joel Beltz, writing in World Magazine, gives helpful advice on how to deal with the onslaught of mail from charitable organizations.
HT:Glenn Penner
Article #3:
Blogger Arduous wrote last year about her culinary attempts in joining the Slow Food Movement. No one I know can see the humor in their own situation like Arduous can. I laughed 'til I cried.
Article #4:
Article 5:
What does the number 50,000,000 mean to you? Justin Taylor posts a visual for you.
A clip in which the Surgeon General of New York, Dr. Daines, explains why he thinks there should be an obesity tax.
Article #2:
"Your mailbox has probably already been cluttered with the panic messages. Giving is drastically down! Our needs are dramatically up! Please dig deep! Whatever you gave last time, would you please consider doubling it this time around?
I have an alternative suggestion: When you get the next request like that, trash it. "
Joel Beltz, writing in World Magazine, gives helpful advice on how to deal with the onslaught of mail from charitable organizations.
HT:Glenn Penner
Article #3:
Blogger Arduous wrote last year about her culinary attempts in joining the Slow Food Movement. No one I know can see the humor in their own situation like Arduous can. I laughed 'til I cried.
Article #4:
Article 5:
What does the number 50,000,000 mean to you? Justin Taylor posts a visual for you.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The 2009 Science Book Challenge
Over on The Blogging Bookworm today there was information on how to participate in the 2009 Science Book Challenge. I'm going to do this one, because I realized I already have several books on my reading list that will qualify, and this might help me to prioritize reading them. Besides, I really liked the button!
I've been reading "Team of Rivals", and was reminded that Abe Lincoln, with less than one year's worth of formal schooling, wound up being a lawyer, state and federal legislator, and one of our greatest presidents. It's made me realize once again the value of reading for self-education. I also know that my artsy-fartsy mind could stand to dwell on some factual information. This will be a good challenge for me!
Here are the rules:
The 2009 Science-Book Challenge:
1. Read at least three nonfiction books in 2009 related somehow to the theme "Nature's Wonders". Your books should have something to do with science, scientists, how science operates, or science's relationship with its surrounding culture. Your books might be popularizations of science, they might be histories, they might be biographies, they might be anthologies; they can be recent titles or older books. We take a very broad view of what makes for interesting and informative science reading.
2. After you've read a book, write a short note about it, giving your opinion of the book. What goes in the note? The things you would tell a friend if you wanted to convince your friend to read it--or avoid it. Naturally, you can read some of the existing Book Notes for ideas. You might like to read our Book-note ratings for ideas about how to evaluate your books.
3. Don't worry if you find that you've read a book someone else has also read; we welcome multiple notes on one title.
4. Get your book note to us and we'll post it with the other notes in our Book Note section. Use the book-note form or the comment form to get in touch with us.
Tell other people about the Science-Book Challenge: http://ArsHermeneutica.org/besieged/Science-Book_Challenge_2009.
I've been reading "Team of Rivals", and was reminded that Abe Lincoln, with less than one year's worth of formal schooling, wound up being a lawyer, state and federal legislator, and one of our greatest presidents. It's made me realize once again the value of reading for self-education. I also know that my artsy-fartsy mind could stand to dwell on some factual information. This will be a good challenge for me!
Here are the rules:
The 2009 Science-Book Challenge:
1. Read at least three nonfiction books in 2009 related somehow to the theme "Nature's Wonders". Your books should have something to do with science, scientists, how science operates, or science's relationship with its surrounding culture. Your books might be popularizations of science, they might be histories, they might be biographies, they might be anthologies; they can be recent titles or older books. We take a very broad view of what makes for interesting and informative science reading.
2. After you've read a book, write a short note about it, giving your opinion of the book. What goes in the note? The things you would tell a friend if you wanted to convince your friend to read it--or avoid it. Naturally, you can read some of the existing Book Notes for ideas. You might like to read our Book-note ratings for ideas about how to evaluate your books.
3. Don't worry if you find that you've read a book someone else has also read; we welcome multiple notes on one title.
4. Get your book note to us and we'll post it with the other notes in our Book Note section. Use the book-note form or the comment form to get in touch with us.
Tell other people about the Science-Book Challenge: http://ArsHermeneutica.org/besieged/Science-Book_Challenge_2009.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Illiteracy, Both Biblical and Cultural
"Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. . . .
"According to 82 percent of Americans, 'God helps those who help themselves,' is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better--by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one's family. . . .
"A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. We are in big trouble."
HT-Ray Ortlund
I don't necessarily expect everyone to know the Bible inside out, especially in a pluralistic society. But knowing at least a little about Joan of Arc and Ben Franklin doesn't seem to be too much to ask of the average high school graduate. Or does it? Am I a complete nerd, or should this be common knowledge? How about knowing the Judeo-Christian foundation of our legal system? What do you think?
"According to 82 percent of Americans, 'God helps those who help themselves,' is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better--by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one's family. . . .
"A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. We are in big trouble."
HT-Ray Ortlund
I don't necessarily expect everyone to know the Bible inside out, especially in a pluralistic society. But knowing at least a little about Joan of Arc and Ben Franklin doesn't seem to be too much to ask of the average high school graduate. Or does it? Am I a complete nerd, or should this be common knowledge? How about knowing the Judeo-Christian foundation of our legal system? What do you think?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Book Review-"Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Over the past year, several friends have highly recommended "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time". I finally finished it this week, and I agree with them; it's a very inspiring read.
Greg Mortenson is a son of missionaries who spent a good part of his childhood in Africa. After a tour of duty in the military, he was pursuing his hobby of mountaineering in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan in 1993 when an aborted climb landed him in an extremely remote mountain village. The relationships he developed there, and his recognition of the deep desire the villagers had for an educated future for their children, ignited a passion in him for building a school for the village. Single-handedly, and against tremendous odds, he raised the funds, located the materials, and oversaw the labor of the villagers themselves to bring the first educational opportunity to their children. When word of this accomplishment got out in the surrounding area, other village leaders came to him to beg that he would help them do the same.
Eventually he formed the Central Asia Institute, a foundation set up to continue building schools in the most remote and politically fragile areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the Taliban attempts to deny access to education for girls, and where radical madrassas train boys in the most extreme form of Islam. Mortenson's schools are open to girls as well as boys, and offer a standard secular education. Many who have followed the progress of the Central Asia Institute recognize it as the best hope for opening the area to peaceful relations with the West, as well as offering opportunities for these remote villagers to raise up teachers, medical workers, and leaders from their own ranks.
Mortenson's work in a region of the world that is currently in conflict with the U.S. has drawn the attention of Congressional leaders. He has been asked to brief Congress on conditions in the Afghan-Pakistan border area. He has put a human face on the people of Central Asia, and championed their desire to find ways to raise themselves up and interact peacefully with the West.
Reading the book is a terrific way to gain an understanding of a part of the world that may be daily in the news, but remains a mystery to most Americans. The ruggedness of the terrain, the misunderstandings of culture, the differences between the various strains of Islam, and the challenges the West faces in dealing with the emergence of radical Islam are all explored in "Three Cups of Tea". Mortenson was in that part of the world when 9-11 occurred. He was captured and held by the Taliban at one point, and feared for his life. Yet, his love for the ordinary villagers caught in the maelstrom of war shines through in his work for them.
I came way with two thoughts: first, that the fruit of his efforts is only now beginning to ripen, as the first students of his schools reach adulthood and go on to higher education, leaving their villages for further training, and having interaction with the wider world. We will see the snowball effect of this as we move into the future. Secondly, as horrifying as 9-11 was, and perpetrated by those bent on evil, this one good has come from it: the attention on Mortenson's work that resulted has brought his organization the recognition and funding it deserves, and has lead to a burst of school building that will be, in my opinion, impossible to be erased by the Taliban, no matter how much they may try to eliminate the CAI schools. It is possible that the ultimate effect of binLaden's attack on the U.S. will be the cultural and political opening of Central Asia to the rest of the world. It will be fascinating to watch.
I highly recommend this book, giving it five stars.
If you'd like to learn more about CAI and it's work, you can go to http://www.threecupsoftea.com/. If you order the book through that site, or through Amazon, a portion of the cost will go toward Mortenson's work.
For more great book reviews, head over to The Blogging Bookworm.
Greg Mortenson is a son of missionaries who spent a good part of his childhood in Africa. After a tour of duty in the military, he was pursuing his hobby of mountaineering in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan in 1993 when an aborted climb landed him in an extremely remote mountain village. The relationships he developed there, and his recognition of the deep desire the villagers had for an educated future for their children, ignited a passion in him for building a school for the village. Single-handedly, and against tremendous odds, he raised the funds, located the materials, and oversaw the labor of the villagers themselves to bring the first educational opportunity to their children. When word of this accomplishment got out in the surrounding area, other village leaders came to him to beg that he would help them do the same.
Eventually he formed the Central Asia Institute, a foundation set up to continue building schools in the most remote and politically fragile areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the Taliban attempts to deny access to education for girls, and where radical madrassas train boys in the most extreme form of Islam. Mortenson's schools are open to girls as well as boys, and offer a standard secular education. Many who have followed the progress of the Central Asia Institute recognize it as the best hope for opening the area to peaceful relations with the West, as well as offering opportunities for these remote villagers to raise up teachers, medical workers, and leaders from their own ranks.
Mortenson's work in a region of the world that is currently in conflict with the U.S. has drawn the attention of Congressional leaders. He has been asked to brief Congress on conditions in the Afghan-Pakistan border area. He has put a human face on the people of Central Asia, and championed their desire to find ways to raise themselves up and interact peacefully with the West.
Reading the book is a terrific way to gain an understanding of a part of the world that may be daily in the news, but remains a mystery to most Americans. The ruggedness of the terrain, the misunderstandings of culture, the differences between the various strains of Islam, and the challenges the West faces in dealing with the emergence of radical Islam are all explored in "Three Cups of Tea". Mortenson was in that part of the world when 9-11 occurred. He was captured and held by the Taliban at one point, and feared for his life. Yet, his love for the ordinary villagers caught in the maelstrom of war shines through in his work for them.
I came way with two thoughts: first, that the fruit of his efforts is only now beginning to ripen, as the first students of his schools reach adulthood and go on to higher education, leaving their villages for further training, and having interaction with the wider world. We will see the snowball effect of this as we move into the future. Secondly, as horrifying as 9-11 was, and perpetrated by those bent on evil, this one good has come from it: the attention on Mortenson's work that resulted has brought his organization the recognition and funding it deserves, and has lead to a burst of school building that will be, in my opinion, impossible to be erased by the Taliban, no matter how much they may try to eliminate the CAI schools. It is possible that the ultimate effect of binLaden's attack on the U.S. will be the cultural and political opening of Central Asia to the rest of the world. It will be fascinating to watch.
I highly recommend this book, giving it five stars.
If you'd like to learn more about CAI and it's work, you can go to http://www.threecupsoftea.com/. If you order the book through that site, or through Amazon, a portion of the cost will go toward Mortenson's work.
For more great book reviews, head over to The Blogging Bookworm.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
German Potato Soup
I mentioned on Facebook that I was making potato soup for dinner, thinking, "Wow, what a boring status report.". Then two friends wanted to know the recipe! So here it is:
Combine in a sauce pan:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (I use redskins, and I don't peel them)
1 onion, diced
1 t. salt
dash pepper
3 1/2 c. water (I don't really measure that, just put enough in to cover everything)
Cook until the potatoes are tender
Heat in a smaller sauce pan:
1T butter
1T flour
Allow butter and flour to brown, stirring constantly
Add:
3 c. liquid from the potatoes (I just use 3 ladles full)
Cook and stir until smooth. Add into the potatoes and onions and heat through.
Very easy. This makes 4-5 big bowls full, but it's easy to double if you want more, which I did for years (actually, I think I tripled it for a while!). It really only takes about a 1/2 hour altogether.
Mel, you can do this. Really.
Combine in a sauce pan:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (I use redskins, and I don't peel them)
1 onion, diced
1 t. salt
dash pepper
3 1/2 c. water (I don't really measure that, just put enough in to cover everything)
Cook until the potatoes are tender
Heat in a smaller sauce pan:
1T butter
1T flour
Allow butter and flour to brown, stirring constantly
Add:
3 c. liquid from the potatoes (I just use 3 ladles full)
Cook and stir until smooth. Add into the potatoes and onions and heat through.
Very easy. This makes 4-5 big bowls full, but it's easy to double if you want more, which I did for years (actually, I think I tripled it for a while!). It really only takes about a 1/2 hour altogether.
Mel, you can do this. Really.
Shuffle
I'm going to start a new label category called "shuffle". When I find interesting articles that I think might get people thinking, I'll collect the links and post a list of them from time to time. They will be a real mixture of subjects, so the term "shuffle" reminds me of the setting on an i-pod where you don't know what might come up next, Vivaldi or the Bare Naked Ladies.
I'm not going to avoid controversy either. These will be articles that made me think, and I hope they will make you think, too. That doesn't mean that I agree with the writers, only that I thought the discussion was worthwhile.
Article #1:
"Gracious, self-forgetful humility should be one of the primary things that distinguishes Christian believers from the many other types of moral, decent people in the world. But I think it is fair to say that humility, which is a key differentiating mark of the Christian, is largely missing in the church. Nonbelievers, detecting the stench of sanctimony, turn away."
Tim Keller gives one of the clearest definitions of humility I've read, and discusses why we struggle to attain humility, and how important it is for the church to re-emphasize it if we are to have a voice in the culture we live in.
The Advent of Humility by Tim Keller
Article #2:
"Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do."
As An Atheist, I Truly Believe Africa Needs God, by Matthew Parris
HT-Rob
Article #3:
"If you are anything like me, you are about to embark on a post-holiday, welcome the New Year, pre-spring cleaning purge. My key to surviving it without a bulging garbage can is to be organized. If you give everything a place, you are more likely to reuse instead of lose it."
A seasonally timely article on how to deal with clutter in a way that doesn't just fill the landfill.
Reuse It or Lose It, by Green Bean
Article #4:
"The pastor giving the reflection, not a homily, began by saying, "We are gathered here to honor tradition." I bit my lip, hard. "We are gathered here to sing beloved songs and hear well-known stories." Bit it harder. We were not there to celebrate and contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity...evidently."
Interesting reflections of an Orthodox Christian blogger who had an opportunity to visit another church on Christmas Eve, and discusses the difference between worshipping and attending a concert. Whispers On Earth
Article #5:
"Both Iran and its Hamas proxy in Gaza have been busy this Christmas week showing Christendom just what they think of it. But no one seems to have noticed. "
Scary, scary article on the Israeli-Hamas showdown, and the Palestinian Christians that are caught in the middle, along with insights into the West's bungling in regards to Iran. Believe it or not, crucifixion is now back as a form of punishment. If this doesn't promt you to pray for wisdom for our new president, I don't know what would. Caroline Glick's column in the Jerusalem Post
HT:Jared
Article #6:
Here's a video I saw on the blog of a friend who is in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. If children are our future, this is worth looking at.
HT: Kathy
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A Quick Explanation
You may have noticed that for the last week I have dabbled with putting ads on this blog. Several people had suggested this to me. I felt uncomfortable about it, not because I think it's wrong to make a little income off of blogging, but because I felt it subverted the philosophy of the blog, which was that I would be writing what was on my heart, and directing readers to the writing of others that I thought was of value. It would not have changed the way I wrote, but it might not have been obvious to new readers that that was the case.
Anyway, I gave it a try, briefly, and found that I still felt uncomfortable. So I took them off, with the exception of the widget for Amazon.com. I kept that. I figured that if I read, liked, and reviewed on this blog, books that you might like to read, that would be an easy way for you to access them. That's why it's located under the reading list, instead of in a more obvious place on the layout.
Anyway, I gave it a try, briefly, and found that I still felt uncomfortable. So I took them off, with the exception of the widget for Amazon.com. I kept that. I figured that if I read, liked, and reviewed on this blog, books that you might like to read, that would be an easy way for you to access them. That's why it's located under the reading list, instead of in a more obvious place on the layout.
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