What does Arlen Specter's switch from Republican to Democrat mean?
Myriad commentators have gone over what it means for the fillabuster-proof senate, for the death of the Republican part, etc. But I have a different take on it.
Arlen Specter's switch is the prime example of what politics has become: a career. If someone switches parties JUST to win an election, it shows that "job security" is more important than principles. The sad truth is, most of our "representatives" are that way. They're more concerned about staying in office than doing what they believe is right.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
I'm Back!
So, after a brief week in Greensboro, North Carolina, the capitol of, well, who knows what, I returned home, dutifully plugged in my laptop to write a blog post, and started a fire. My laptop cord has been finicky for the last couple of years, and recently displayed that attitude by deciding that where the cord plugs into the laptop would slowly separate from the rest of the cord. Sadly, my best efforts of coaxing it to behave, which included electrical tape, fell short of the goal and it decided to start sparking whenever it felt like it, which was ALL the time. I thought about calling HP tech support, but realized the phone conversation would go something like this:
Hello, this is HP tech support, how may I help you?
Hi, I have a quick question for you about my zv6000 laptop
zv6000? [awkward silence] Ahh, here it is! Had to look it up in the archives. Funny, I didn't know we made laptops back then! So what was your question specifically?
Well, it's about the power cord.
Yes?
Uhh, I'm not sure how to say this, but, uhh, is it SUPPOSED to set my desk on fire when I use it?
On FIRE?
Yes.
[Awkward silence #2]
So what am I supposed to do?
Have you tried unplugging it?
Uh, yeah. That was my first reaction? Is there some kind of warranty or something?
On the zv6000? When did you purchase it?
6. Years. Ago?
You're using a six-year-old laptop?
Yeah?
Ok, well, I do have one suggestion for you.
What would that be?
Get a new one. Have a nice day
[Dial Tone]
Well, I did the next best thing: I got a new power cord. It will tide me over until I get a new laptop over the summer for college. I promise to post more frequently now that I'm home.
Hello, this is HP tech support, how may I help you?
Hi, I have a quick question for you about my zv6000 laptop
zv6000? [awkward silence] Ahh, here it is! Had to look it up in the archives. Funny, I didn't know we made laptops back then! So what was your question specifically?
Well, it's about the power cord.
Yes?
Uhh, I'm not sure how to say this, but, uhh, is it SUPPOSED to set my desk on fire when I use it?
On FIRE?
Yes.
[Awkward silence #2]
So what am I supposed to do?
Have you tried unplugging it?
Uh, yeah. That was my first reaction? Is there some kind of warranty or something?
On the zv6000? When did you purchase it?
6. Years. Ago?
You're using a six-year-old laptop?
Yeah?
Ok, well, I do have one suggestion for you.
What would that be?
Get a new one. Have a nice day
[Dial Tone]
Well, I did the next best thing: I got a new power cord. It will tide me over until I get a new laptop over the summer for college. I promise to post more frequently now that I'm home.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Art: In the Eyes of the Beholder?
I have always been mildly entertained by modern, and now postmodern (the era we are now in), art. Since I enjoy analyzing everything to discover what the worldview behind it is, art is no exception. In fact, art is probably one of my favorites.
Modern and postmodern art both stem from the same foundation: the rejection of an objective, absolute standard. Modernist art makes the artist and the viewer, man, the standard. The definition of what is art and what is not is up to whoever is viewing or creating the art, as long as at least one critic defined the work as art. Abstract, Cubist, and the like became prevalent forms of art, because art wasn't dependent on reality, it was dependent on man. One of my favorite examples of modern art is sculptures. Take a walk through D.C., and you'll see some of the strangest things ever, all of them considered by critics to be "art." Sculptures that look like a piece of pipe twisted up, or like giant iron rocking chairs, or cubes stacked on top of each other. And you stand there, looking at it, chuckling to yourself, until you realize that this was commissioned by the U.S. Government and they paid several million dollars of taxpayer money for a "work of art" that could have been created by a monkey.
Postmodern art takes this one step further. Instead of the objective standard being man, there IS no standard at all. Everyday objects, such as drinking fountains, can be art if the artist says it is, because it may be art to one person, but not to another. Critics no longer can be considered the litmus test of whether an object is art or not, because anything and everything can be art to someone. Thus, art today does one of two things: it either pokes fun at the viewer, artist, critic, or the conventions of modern art; or it takes on the form of deconstructionism, tearing apart what modernists said makes art art. Increasingly, postmodern art takes on an offensive, shock-and-awe tone, where it confronts the viewer head-on.
What Christians need to realize today is that in the world of art, both modernists and postmodernists are wrong. Art is not defined as whatever is popular, shocking, new, or trendy. There is an objective, unchanging, authoritative standard by which to judge art, and that standard is the Word of God. Beauty is NOT in the eyes of the beholder. Beauty is defined by God, and is a reflection of His holiness. God was the original artist. He is the Creator of the universe, the most beautiful work of art. We, when we create art, are mirroring the Father. Armed with this understanding, we can actually determine what is art and what is not.
Modern and postmodern art both stem from the same foundation: the rejection of an objective, absolute standard. Modernist art makes the artist and the viewer, man, the standard. The definition of what is art and what is not is up to whoever is viewing or creating the art, as long as at least one critic defined the work as art. Abstract, Cubist, and the like became prevalent forms of art, because art wasn't dependent on reality, it was dependent on man. One of my favorite examples of modern art is sculptures. Take a walk through D.C., and you'll see some of the strangest things ever, all of them considered by critics to be "art." Sculptures that look like a piece of pipe twisted up, or like giant iron rocking chairs, or cubes stacked on top of each other. And you stand there, looking at it, chuckling to yourself, until you realize that this was commissioned by the U.S. Government and they paid several million dollars of taxpayer money for a "work of art" that could have been created by a monkey.
Postmodern art takes this one step further. Instead of the objective standard being man, there IS no standard at all. Everyday objects, such as drinking fountains, can be art if the artist says it is, because it may be art to one person, but not to another. Critics no longer can be considered the litmus test of whether an object is art or not, because anything and everything can be art to someone. Thus, art today does one of two things: it either pokes fun at the viewer, artist, critic, or the conventions of modern art; or it takes on the form of deconstructionism, tearing apart what modernists said makes art art. Increasingly, postmodern art takes on an offensive, shock-and-awe tone, where it confronts the viewer head-on.
What Christians need to realize today is that in the world of art, both modernists and postmodernists are wrong. Art is not defined as whatever is popular, shocking, new, or trendy. There is an objective, unchanging, authoritative standard by which to judge art, and that standard is the Word of God. Beauty is NOT in the eyes of the beholder. Beauty is defined by God, and is a reflection of His holiness. God was the original artist. He is the Creator of the universe, the most beautiful work of art. We, when we create art, are mirroring the Father. Armed with this understanding, we can actually determine what is art and what is not.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Book Reports
As a confessed bibliophile, here's an incomplete list of what I'm currently reading, or have recently completed.
Postmodern Times- Not yet completed, but the world is slowly making more sense. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (Provost of my favorite college in the whole world!) examines the prevalent worldview of our time, known as postmodernism, and shows how it affects all of life and how Christians can take advantage of it. Things are starting to become clearer as I make my way through the book, which can be heady at times. Make sure you know the definitions of basic worldview analysis terms, and be prepared to confront tough words with the dictionary. Well worth the read.
Mein Kampf-Started as a school assignment, continued for pure enjoyment and entertainment, Adolf weaves a tome that is equal parts ideological rant, daydreaming, autobiography, manifesto, and anti-Semitic propaganda. Coupled with a visit to the Museum of Tolerance, the two brings the horrors of the Holocaust to life. Kampf provides a mental examination of the mind of the madman, and the Museum provides the history, making it real and horrifying.
John Adams-David McCullough weaves a 600-page masterpiece of a biography of one of the greatest statesmen in our country's history. For the first time in my life, I began to understand the seriousness of the struggle the fledgling nation endured. Something that really stood out was the disunity of many of the Founding Fathers, each with their own worldview. How they were able to work together to accomplish what they did is a miracle. Well worth the time it takes.
Carry A Big Stick- Dr. George Grant, my mentor, authors an amazing biography/character analysis of Theodore Roosevelt, one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century. Teddy is shown for who he really was: a brilliant, energetic gentleman who was passionate about life and everything in it. He taught Sunday School, stumped Nobel Prize winners, boxed with champion prize fighters, won reelection by the largest election margin ever, and played football in the corridor of the presidential mansion. All during his tenure in the White House. Oh, and after his term in office, he went on an African safari, a South American expedition where to this day four rivers are named after him, and almost won reelection as a third-party candidate. He might have, too, if he hadn't been shot, point-blank, in the chest at a campaign stop. After which he gave a two-hour speech with no sound system to an enormous crowd before going to the hospital. Oh, and I forgot to mention he wasn't expected to live long as a child because of his weak and sickly constitution. The man is pure genius, and worth learning more about.
Postmodern Times- Not yet completed, but the world is slowly making more sense. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (Provost of my favorite college in the whole world!) examines the prevalent worldview of our time, known as postmodernism, and shows how it affects all of life and how Christians can take advantage of it. Things are starting to become clearer as I make my way through the book, which can be heady at times. Make sure you know the definitions of basic worldview analysis terms, and be prepared to confront tough words with the dictionary. Well worth the read.
Mein Kampf-Started as a school assignment, continued for pure enjoyment and entertainment, Adolf weaves a tome that is equal parts ideological rant, daydreaming, autobiography, manifesto, and anti-Semitic propaganda. Coupled with a visit to the Museum of Tolerance, the two brings the horrors of the Holocaust to life. Kampf provides a mental examination of the mind of the madman, and the Museum provides the history, making it real and horrifying.
John Adams-David McCullough weaves a 600-page masterpiece of a biography of one of the greatest statesmen in our country's history. For the first time in my life, I began to understand the seriousness of the struggle the fledgling nation endured. Something that really stood out was the disunity of many of the Founding Fathers, each with their own worldview. How they were able to work together to accomplish what they did is a miracle. Well worth the time it takes.
Carry A Big Stick- Dr. George Grant, my mentor, authors an amazing biography/character analysis of Theodore Roosevelt, one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century. Teddy is shown for who he really was: a brilliant, energetic gentleman who was passionate about life and everything in it. He taught Sunday School, stumped Nobel Prize winners, boxed with champion prize fighters, won reelection by the largest election margin ever, and played football in the corridor of the presidential mansion. All during his tenure in the White House. Oh, and after his term in office, he went on an African safari, a South American expedition where to this day four rivers are named after him, and almost won reelection as a third-party candidate. He might have, too, if he hadn't been shot, point-blank, in the chest at a campaign stop. After which he gave a two-hour speech with no sound system to an enormous crowd before going to the hospital. Oh, and I forgot to mention he wasn't expected to live long as a child because of his weak and sickly constitution. The man is pure genius, and worth learning more about.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Red Envelope Day
Over 1 million empty red envelopes, all empty, all bearing this note on the back, were sent to the White House:
"This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."
Two news outlets, the Brigham Young NewsNet and WorldNetDaily, featured articles about the event. Two outlets.
More envelopes are expected over the next couple of days, and are estimated to number over 2 million at final count.
2 million envelopes. 2 news outlets.
"This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."
Two news outlets, the Brigham Young NewsNet and WorldNetDaily, featured articles about the event. Two outlets.
More envelopes are expected over the next couple of days, and are estimated to number over 2 million at final count.
2 million envelopes. 2 news outlets.
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