The mainstream media seems to lump all Christians into the "Fundamentalist" Red-State Conservative mode.
I suppose it just makes for simpler story telling on their part and there are enough people who fit that mold that it is true to some limited extent.
But in my years of experience of talking with people of religious faith there is quite a bit of diversity of views on politics.
Just a few examples:
One person I knew was a fiscal conservative and socially liberal with the view that the government isn't in the business of morality.
Another friend is pro-life but doesn't have any strong feelings about economic matters.
A third example is a pro-lifer who is against the death penalty and usually votes democrat.
Then there is good friend who is pro-life but libertarian in economics and most other social issues.
And indeed, I have friends who are down the line conservative: pro-life, fiscal conservatives, in favor of the death penalty and will vote Republican no matter what.
In the end, I think they all have more or less the same views on personal morality; they differ on whether the government should impose or encourage those views. There clearly is a diversity of opinion on the role of government in economic matters that range from libertarian to government should redistribute the wealth.
So just as there isn't really "one voice" for the black community or the Asian-Pacific Islanders, there isn't a monolithic Christian political mindset.
Corporations step up
This CNN.com item tallies up how corporate America is stepping up to help.
The news stories often focus on direct government aid. Money and aid is going to SE Asia also through personal donations to non-profit groups like Americares, World Vision and many more and from corporations partnering with government agencies and NGOs.
Click here for a list of agencies and contribute what you can.
The news stories often focus on direct government aid. Money and aid is going to SE Asia also through personal donations to non-profit groups like Americares, World Vision and many more and from corporations partnering with government agencies and NGOs.
Click here for a list of agencies and contribute what you can.
Relief agencies at work
Here is a larger list of agencies at work on relief to South East Asia. Hat tip to DP.
Amazon.com is collecting money for American Red Cross. As of this post, Wednesday 11:47AM PST, 39397 people have donated $2,211,086.53 to the ARC.
Amazon.com is collecting money for American Red Cross. As of this post, Wednesday 11:47AM PST, 39397 people have donated $2,211,086.53 to the ARC.
Return of the King - Extended Edition
During the Christmas holiday, I had the chance to watch for the 2nd time the newly released DVD for Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King.
My favorite new scenes - I hope I'm not spoiling it for people! - are: (1) Merry's conversation with Eowyn on the eve of the Riders of Rohan charge on the Orcs at Pelennor Fields. It was a little moment that shows the bond that forms between the two characters. Paraphrasing Merry: My lady you are fair and brave with much to live for and many who love you. I'm just a Hobbit and can't save Middle Earth. But I want to help my friends. How I wish I could see them again. (2) Pippin's conversation with Faramir. Pippen was wondering why in the world he offered his service to Denathor saying what could a Hobbit offer to great Lords of Men. Faramir overheard his remark and encouraged him by saying that a good act shouldn't be questioned by cold calculation. Pippen realized that the armor he was given to wear was Faramir's. Faramir admited that Boromir was always the strong one and the one meant to be a soldier. Pippen says, you have a strength of your own which your father will see. Again another little moment that understandably got lost to keep the pace of the movie going in the movie house. But in the DVD it fills out the characters admirably. (3) The additional footage of Eowyn and Merry fighting the Orcs!
There is one new scene that just eludes me: Gandalf's encounter with the Witch King of Angmar just prior to the charge of the Rohan Riders. I just don't get it. It doesn't add much to the story. I suppose it adds to other scenes that shows Gandalf is far from "all powerful." Or perhaps it is to show the Witch King's overconfidence. Dunno.
Anyway, I just love all three movies. The visual effects are great. The sound effects are amazing. The music score is super.
But in the end, what made it work for me was the characters. You really want to know what happens to them. You want to see them wrestle with their doubts and stand up against evil. I would like to believe that I would fight my personal demons as well as the evil that is outside that needs to be confronted.
Lastly, I love the bond the characters have with each other.
I sincerely hope that I would have that kind of loyalty and commitment to my friends. I'd like to believe that if it came down to it, I could be Sam going with Frodo all the way to the fires of Mt. Doom. I want to be like Merry and Pippin who despite their own doubts put their lives on the line for those they love. I hope I could be like Gimli and Legolas who would go into the darkest tunnel with a friend. And on and on... every character we admire stands up for those they love.
My favorite new scenes - I hope I'm not spoiling it for people! - are: (1) Merry's conversation with Eowyn on the eve of the Riders of Rohan charge on the Orcs at Pelennor Fields. It was a little moment that shows the bond that forms between the two characters. Paraphrasing Merry: My lady you are fair and brave with much to live for and many who love you. I'm just a Hobbit and can't save Middle Earth. But I want to help my friends. How I wish I could see them again. (2) Pippin's conversation with Faramir. Pippen was wondering why in the world he offered his service to Denathor saying what could a Hobbit offer to great Lords of Men. Faramir overheard his remark and encouraged him by saying that a good act shouldn't be questioned by cold calculation. Pippen realized that the armor he was given to wear was Faramir's. Faramir admited that Boromir was always the strong one and the one meant to be a soldier. Pippen says, you have a strength of your own which your father will see. Again another little moment that understandably got lost to keep the pace of the movie going in the movie house. But in the DVD it fills out the characters admirably. (3) The additional footage of Eowyn and Merry fighting the Orcs!
There is one new scene that just eludes me: Gandalf's encounter with the Witch King of Angmar just prior to the charge of the Rohan Riders. I just don't get it. It doesn't add much to the story. I suppose it adds to other scenes that shows Gandalf is far from "all powerful." Or perhaps it is to show the Witch King's overconfidence. Dunno.
Anyway, I just love all three movies. The visual effects are great. The sound effects are amazing. The music score is super.
But in the end, what made it work for me was the characters. You really want to know what happens to them. You want to see them wrestle with their doubts and stand up against evil. I would like to believe that I would fight my personal demons as well as the evil that is outside that needs to be confronted.
Lastly, I love the bond the characters have with each other.
I sincerely hope that I would have that kind of loyalty and commitment to my friends. I'd like to believe that if it came down to it, I could be Sam going with Frodo all the way to the fires of Mt. Doom. I want to be like Merry and Pippin who despite their own doubts put their lives on the line for those they love. I hope I could be like Gimli and Legolas who would go into the darkest tunnel with a friend. And on and on... every character we admire stands up for those they love.
Strengthen the good
This little outpost in cyberspace has joined the Strengthen the Good network.
STG is the nexus of a network of bloggers committed to raising awareness for small charities around the world. Every three weeks this space highlights a new “micro-charity”—a small, inspiring charity, one with a real face and where $1 makes a difference—and the bloggers in the network link to that post, sending traffic, and awareness, the charity’s way.
Check out what charities they have profiled supporting by clicking on the button below.
STG is the nexus of a network of bloggers committed to raising awareness for small charities around the world. Every three weeks this space highlights a new “micro-charity”—a small, inspiring charity, one with a real face and where $1 makes a difference—and the bloggers in the network link to that post, sending traffic, and awareness, the charity’s way.
Check out what charities they have profiled supporting by clicking on the button below.
People trying to do good in times of trouble
One cannot but feel horrible about the massive loss of life due to the tsunami in South East Asia. The death toll is 22,000 and climbing and more is likely because of the terrible conditions that now exist in those devestated areas.
If you want to help with a donation, go here for a round-up of agencies with the global reach and resources to make a significant difference right away.
I urge, request, beg, plead with you that if you have found this post because you are a regular visitor or are an accidental visitor go here and pick an organization to support. I know this sounds like an NPR pledge break but I make the challenge because it will make a difference.
Meanwhile, I want to point you to this heart warming story of some kids with a simply idea to help and made it happen. Excerpt:
If you want to help with a donation, go here for a round-up of agencies with the global reach and resources to make a significant difference right away.
I urge, request, beg, plead with you that if you have found this post because you are a regular visitor or are an accidental visitor go here and pick an organization to support. I know this sounds like an NPR pledge break but I make the challenge because it will make a difference.
Meanwhile, I want to point you to this heart warming story of some kids with a simply idea to help and made it happen. Excerpt:
For all the billions of dollars being spent on the war in Iraq, 14-year-old Brittany Bergquist is surprised that the U.S. military doesn't do what she and her little brother are doing: helping soldiers phone home free.If you want to help, check out their web page.
..............
With $14 from their piggy banks, she and 12-year-old brother Robbie started Cell Phones for Soldiers. In less than nine months, the organization has provided $250,000 worth of prepaid calling cards to American soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.
They raise money by collecting old cellular phones and selling them to companies that refurbish them for resale.
It all started in April, when the family heard about a Massachusetts soldier who ran up $7,600 in cell phone charges calling home from Iraq. T-Mobile forgave much of the bill. But Brittany and Robbie figured there must be other soldiers — including a cousin of theirs — who are stationed in Iraq and want to call home more often but cannot afford it.
The Bergquist kids pooled their money and got friends to kick in $7 more. They opened a bank account at South Shore Savings Bank, which was so impressed it contributed $500. Yard sales followed, along with newspaper articles and TV interviews. Hundreds of schools and organizations, from Hawaii to Georgia, have started local chapters and become drop-off centers for used cell phones.
Larry King Show: Who Was Jesus?
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the conversation on Larry King's show tonight about "Who Was Jesus?"
I have to give props to all the guests and to the Larry King booking people as they chose people who have a point of view but who make them without acrimony. So often these kind of panels descend into shouting matches.
As a Christian, I accept the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John about the life of Jesus. I acknowledge there is an element of faith in believing the Gospel books of the Christian Scriptures.
However, it is a belief not without some basis in reason.
Why would one believe something written nearly 2000 years ago?
On what rational basis would confidence in something written so long ago not be foolish?
We can have confidence in these ancient texts because:
(1) they were written relatively close to the time of the actual events. Mark is generally believed to have been written soon after Jesus' resurrection and is the "bare bones" account of the life, deeds and words of Jesus as it is the shortest of the four Gospels. Matthew and Luke was written after Mark and analysts say they emphasize certain aspects of Jesus life. Matthew highlights the very Jewish aspects of Jesus while Luke's account is regarded at the more straightforward logical historical account to appeal to the Greek mind set. John is generally said to be the last of the Gospels to be written and the most different of the four because it probably was written to address questions about the divinity of Jesus.
(2) numerous copies that are consistent with each other exist. I have heard the number of old manuscripts of the gospels is in the thousands which indicates a serious effort was made by early Christians to preserve the words and deeds of Jesus.
(3) the lives of early Christians were transformed by these writings. Today, we think of Christianity as a mainstream religion. However, at the very beginning is was just a small group of people and persecuted at that. Yet, their faith persevered and grew. These ordinary disciples became people who preached the message of Jesus dying for our sin and raising from the dead to give life. The disciples of the disciples kept living it and preaching it and that message turned the world upside down.
So on this Christmas Eve and Christmas holiday time. Dust off that old Bible and read the Christmas story as described in Matthew and Luke. Read from all four Gospels about the amazing life, deeds and works of one called Jesus. I hope you will choose to believe him like the disciples of old and the disciples of today. But even if not, I think you will nonetheless find inspiration for life in His life described in that good old book.
Merry Christmas!
I have to give props to all the guests and to the Larry King booking people as they chose people who have a point of view but who make them without acrimony. So often these kind of panels descend into shouting matches.
As a Christian, I accept the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John about the life of Jesus. I acknowledge there is an element of faith in believing the Gospel books of the Christian Scriptures.
However, it is a belief not without some basis in reason.
Why would one believe something written nearly 2000 years ago?
On what rational basis would confidence in something written so long ago not be foolish?
We can have confidence in these ancient texts because:
(1) they were written relatively close to the time of the actual events. Mark is generally believed to have been written soon after Jesus' resurrection and is the "bare bones" account of the life, deeds and words of Jesus as it is the shortest of the four Gospels. Matthew and Luke was written after Mark and analysts say they emphasize certain aspects of Jesus life. Matthew highlights the very Jewish aspects of Jesus while Luke's account is regarded at the more straightforward logical historical account to appeal to the Greek mind set. John is generally said to be the last of the Gospels to be written and the most different of the four because it probably was written to address questions about the divinity of Jesus.
(2) numerous copies that are consistent with each other exist. I have heard the number of old manuscripts of the gospels is in the thousands which indicates a serious effort was made by early Christians to preserve the words and deeds of Jesus.
(3) the lives of early Christians were transformed by these writings. Today, we think of Christianity as a mainstream religion. However, at the very beginning is was just a small group of people and persecuted at that. Yet, their faith persevered and grew. These ordinary disciples became people who preached the message of Jesus dying for our sin and raising from the dead to give life. The disciples of the disciples kept living it and preaching it and that message turned the world upside down.
So on this Christmas Eve and Christmas holiday time. Dust off that old Bible and read the Christmas story as described in Matthew and Luke. Read from all four Gospels about the amazing life, deeds and works of one called Jesus. I hope you will choose to believe him like the disciples of old and the disciples of today. But even if not, I think you will nonetheless find inspiration for life in His life described in that good old book.
Merry Christmas!
Blogging the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl
No, I'm not in Las Vegas. I'm not in a sports bar watching ESPN. I'm listening to the radio in Los Angeles, AM 1150.
I've been listening to the game on and off this evening as I ran some errands and baked some cookies. For the record, I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with walnuts!
Anyway, to reset the game. The Bruins came out flat and promptly fell behind 10-0.
Eventually, UCLA got its act together and cut the lead 10-7.
I didn't hear what happened but all of a sudden, I hear the announcer say the UCLA QB was David Koral. I would later find out that starter Drew Olsen got injured and the backup had to take over. Koral got a TD pass to make it a Bruin lead of 14-10.
In the second half, the Bruins under Koral got it to 21-10 and things were looking good.
However, it seems the Bruins are trying real hard to LOSE this thing. If I read the stat sheet right as of the late fourth quarter, the Bruins have had FOUR fumbles.
The Cowboys scored to make it 21-17.
The Bruins just missed a field goal that would have pushed the lead to seven. Wyoming now has the ball in good field position to drive down the field to get the winning TD.
It is now up to the defense to turn them aside with a three and out or an INT.
Bramlett has been lighting up the Bruin defense with nearly 300 yards.
3:12 left, completed pass for a first down at the UCLA 37...
2:53 left, completed pass to the UCLA 29 ...
Wyoming rush but didn't get the first down ...
1:52 left, 3rd and 1, timeout Wyoming ...
Wyoming run ... 1:25 left ... chains coming out to see if they got the first down ...
It is 4th down, QB sneak ... officials are bringing out the chains ...
First down by a nose of a football ...
Bramlett throws pass incomplete but flags thrown ...
Ball spotted at the 12, 1st and 10, 1:01 left ...
TD, Wyoming has taken the lead, 24-21 and only 57 seconds left.
Now, it is up to the backup QB to try to pull off a miracle with 3 timeouts left.
Wyoming kicks off ... low line kick and stopped at the 22 and only 53 seconds left.
Short pass to sideline ... 47 seconds left ...
Koral scrambles for first down at the 37 and stops the clock with 39 seconds ...
Koral sacked ... timeout 33 seconds left back at the 28 ...
Koral incomplete pass ... 3rd down and long ... short completion ...
18 seconds left ... 4th and 16, time out called ...
Incomplete and that is it ... Bruins manage to snatch defeat from the jaw of victory ...
After the dramatic battle against USC where UCLA showed they can play, they come out to this bowl game and play awful.
Karl Dorrell and the Bruins are going to be torn limb from limb in the newspapers tomorrow and on sport talk radio tonight.
But then again... the sad reality is that maybe nobody cares anymore.
I've been listening to the game on and off this evening as I ran some errands and baked some cookies. For the record, I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with walnuts!
Anyway, to reset the game. The Bruins came out flat and promptly fell behind 10-0.
Eventually, UCLA got its act together and cut the lead 10-7.
I didn't hear what happened but all of a sudden, I hear the announcer say the UCLA QB was David Koral. I would later find out that starter Drew Olsen got injured and the backup had to take over. Koral got a TD pass to make it a Bruin lead of 14-10.
In the second half, the Bruins under Koral got it to 21-10 and things were looking good.
However, it seems the Bruins are trying real hard to LOSE this thing. If I read the stat sheet right as of the late fourth quarter, the Bruins have had FOUR fumbles.
The Cowboys scored to make it 21-17.
The Bruins just missed a field goal that would have pushed the lead to seven. Wyoming now has the ball in good field position to drive down the field to get the winning TD.
It is now up to the defense to turn them aside with a three and out or an INT.
Bramlett has been lighting up the Bruin defense with nearly 300 yards.
3:12 left, completed pass for a first down at the UCLA 37...
2:53 left, completed pass to the UCLA 29 ...
Wyoming rush but didn't get the first down ...
1:52 left, 3rd and 1, timeout Wyoming ...
Wyoming run ... 1:25 left ... chains coming out to see if they got the first down ...
It is 4th down, QB sneak ... officials are bringing out the chains ...
First down by a nose of a football ...
Bramlett throws pass incomplete but flags thrown ...
Ball spotted at the 12, 1st and 10, 1:01 left ...
TD, Wyoming has taken the lead, 24-21 and only 57 seconds left.
Now, it is up to the backup QB to try to pull off a miracle with 3 timeouts left.
Wyoming kicks off ... low line kick and stopped at the 22 and only 53 seconds left.
Short pass to sideline ... 47 seconds left ...
Koral scrambles for first down at the 37 and stops the clock with 39 seconds ...
Koral sacked ... timeout 33 seconds left back at the 28 ...
Koral incomplete pass ... 3rd down and long ... short completion ...
18 seconds left ... 4th and 16, time out called ...
Incomplete and that is it ... Bruins manage to snatch defeat from the jaw of victory ...
After the dramatic battle against USC where UCLA showed they can play, they come out to this bowl game and play awful.
Karl Dorrell and the Bruins are going to be torn limb from limb in the newspapers tomorrow and on sport talk radio tonight.
But then again... the sad reality is that maybe nobody cares anymore.
politics and Christian faith
A serious or even casual reader of this blog will detect that I'm a Christian and that I have center-right political inclinations.
So at one level, I fit the "stereotypical" religious voter that the media says was a part of why Bush won.
Stereotypes persist because there is probably some truth to it. However, stereotypes rarely give the full picture of a person or even the group being stereotyped.
Here is an item that caught my eye in my nearly daily visits at AS's Daily Dish which is currently under guest blog management. Excerpt:
In the end, if we take Christianity seriously, we are probably not going to feel too at home in either party. Christians who are part of the left will feel uneasy at the secularism of the left. Christians who are part of the right will feel uneasy at the cold calculations of the business friendliness of the right.
So, as in much of life, we try to make do the best we can.
So at one level, I fit the "stereotypical" religious voter that the media says was a part of why Bush won.
Stereotypes persist because there is probably some truth to it. However, stereotypes rarely give the full picture of a person or even the group being stereotyped.
Here is an item that caught my eye in my nearly daily visits at AS's Daily Dish which is currently under guest blog management. Excerpt:
Wednesday, December 22, 2004I have friends who are both on the left and on the right politically. Some on the left indeed are secular and don't think well of religion. But some on the left are religious folks and I can see what it is in the left the appeals to them. However, I have found the left to hold far too many views I disagree with.
AN EVANGELICAL LEFT: About a month ago, William Stuntz wrote this piece about political common ground between red-state evangelicals and blue-state liberals: "Helping the poor is supposed to be the left's central commitment, going back to the days of FDR and the New Deal. In practice, the commitment has all but disappeared from national politics... I can't prove it, but I think there is a large, latent pro-redistribution evangelical vote, ready to get behind the first politician to tap into it."
In the end, if we take Christianity seriously, we are probably not going to feel too at home in either party. Christians who are part of the left will feel uneasy at the secularism of the left. Christians who are part of the right will feel uneasy at the cold calculations of the business friendliness of the right.
So, as in much of life, we try to make do the best we can.
Flew, leading atheist, thinks there might be a god afterall
Got email from a couple of people about the news that Anthony Flew, a renown atheist is reconsidering his views. Excerpt:
As I see it, there are four philosophical positions one can take on god: (1) atheism = there is no god (2) agnosticism = can't know if there is or isn't god (3) deism = god exists but doesn't do anything except kick start the universe (4) theism = god exists and is active.
We can have these four positions intellectually but ethically, we only have two views since positions 1-3 collapse into a view that there is no moral authority beyond self and society while position 4 leads to ethical monotheism where god cares about how we live our lives.
I'm not sure why people like to be atheists. I suppose in some cases an individual may have experienced a terrible event personally or to someone they love and they can't believe in god anymore. Some will cite science and evolution as proof that god is not necessary. Thus, in one case, it is an intellectual-emotional issue and in the latter case, an intellectual one.
Indeed, the problem of evil is probably the toughest problem for theism. The traditional formulation is (1) if god is good (2) if god is powerful (3) if evil exists then all three can't be true. Theoretically, one can say evil is an illusion but I don't know if one can really live out in that belief. If anything, the reality of evil is one of the few "certainties" around if you ask me. With evil accepted then the conclusion is that god isn't good or very powerful or both and such an entity can't be called god.
The traditional response to the problem of evil is the Free Will Defense where evil is a function of human free will which god is unwilling to tamper with. This leads to the following construction: (1) god is good (2) god is powerful (3) god grants humanity free will thus evil can co-exist with a god.
Atheists counter by attacking the existance of free will. The recent usage ideas from evolutionary psychology and neurochemistry are brought to bear in an attempt to eliminate free will.
The other attack is to cite that some evil is non-volitional like natural calamities.
The theist is forced to give ground by saying that evil not only had consequences on the "soul" of humans but also the physical world leading to death and destruction by accidents and other forces of nature or to assign disasters to non-human evil entities. Neither is entirely satisfactory to me.
Science and evolution is cited by some atheists as the reason for their atheism. However, I suspect that that path to atheism is not as well traveled as the problem of evil. And despite the claim of atheists, there are many thinking people, like Flew, who concede that a naturalistic mechanism might not be enough to account for life and that science is not the end all and be all of knowledge.
Agnosticism is perhaps more intellectually honest than atheism as it acknowledges the finitude of human reason. In the end, one may claim to not know about god one way or another but one lives life as if there is one or isn't. An agnostic is often a functional atheist. I suppose an agnostic could take up Pascal's Wager and say: well, I don't know if there is a god but I might as well live like there is one just in case there actually is!
Deism, according to one of my friends, is an unstable position. My friend says this because the deist acknowledges that god acted at least once in our world: bringing the universe into existence. The deist god may have also had a role in bringing life into existence on the earth. Thus, if god can act in these ways, what is to prevent god from acting again?
The question of the intervention of god into human affairs is a tricky one because it gets into the nature of god and the nature of god's relationship to humanity. If god is some cosmic engineer then god could conceivably make the universe and then let it run on its own without intervention after flipping the on switch.
However, engineers are always tinkering with their machines.
Or one could make the metaphor to god the artist in which case there is tinkering with the art work as it is being produced.
These metaphors are interesting but do have their limits if you sit and think about them.
I am a theist. I believe god exists and can occasionally act in human history. If one believes in the full meaning of Christmas then one has to be a theist because Christmas is about God entering history in Jesus.
I freely acknowledge that theism is not without intellectual and emotional difficulities.
But that is true of the other positions as well.
However, I believe the worldview of Christian theism seems to best fit the reality we experience in the day-to-day. At a personal level, Christian theism provides hope in life. And finally, I think Christian theism provides an ethical framework and a theological basis for the existence of morality.
The first hint of Flew’s turn was a letter in the August-September issue of Britain’s Philosophy Now magazine. “It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism,” he wrote.It will be interesting to see how the atheistic community reacts to Flew's re-evaluation. The journey to belief in god is not an irrational process as some atheists would claim. There are plenty of smart people who believe in god despite the common notion that religion is the opiate of the masses and anti-intellectual.
The letter commended arguments in Schroeder’s “The Hidden Face of God” and “The Wonder of the World” by Varghese, an Eastern Rite Catholic layman.
This week, Flew finished writing the first formal account of his new outlook for the introduction to a new edition of his “God and Philosophy,” scheduled for release next year by Prometheus Books.
Prometheus specializes in skeptical thought, but if his belief upsets people, well, “that’s too bad,” Flew said. “My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato’s Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads.”
As I see it, there are four philosophical positions one can take on god: (1) atheism = there is no god (2) agnosticism = can't know if there is or isn't god (3) deism = god exists but doesn't do anything except kick start the universe (4) theism = god exists and is active.
We can have these four positions intellectually but ethically, we only have two views since positions 1-3 collapse into a view that there is no moral authority beyond self and society while position 4 leads to ethical monotheism where god cares about how we live our lives.
I'm not sure why people like to be atheists. I suppose in some cases an individual may have experienced a terrible event personally or to someone they love and they can't believe in god anymore. Some will cite science and evolution as proof that god is not necessary. Thus, in one case, it is an intellectual-emotional issue and in the latter case, an intellectual one.
Indeed, the problem of evil is probably the toughest problem for theism. The traditional formulation is (1) if god is good (2) if god is powerful (3) if evil exists then all three can't be true. Theoretically, one can say evil is an illusion but I don't know if one can really live out in that belief. If anything, the reality of evil is one of the few "certainties" around if you ask me. With evil accepted then the conclusion is that god isn't good or very powerful or both and such an entity can't be called god.
The traditional response to the problem of evil is the Free Will Defense where evil is a function of human free will which god is unwilling to tamper with. This leads to the following construction: (1) god is good (2) god is powerful (3) god grants humanity free will thus evil can co-exist with a god.
Atheists counter by attacking the existance of free will. The recent usage ideas from evolutionary psychology and neurochemistry are brought to bear in an attempt to eliminate free will.
The other attack is to cite that some evil is non-volitional like natural calamities.
The theist is forced to give ground by saying that evil not only had consequences on the "soul" of humans but also the physical world leading to death and destruction by accidents and other forces of nature or to assign disasters to non-human evil entities. Neither is entirely satisfactory to me.
Science and evolution is cited by some atheists as the reason for their atheism. However, I suspect that that path to atheism is not as well traveled as the problem of evil. And despite the claim of atheists, there are many thinking people, like Flew, who concede that a naturalistic mechanism might not be enough to account for life and that science is not the end all and be all of knowledge.
Agnosticism is perhaps more intellectually honest than atheism as it acknowledges the finitude of human reason. In the end, one may claim to not know about god one way or another but one lives life as if there is one or isn't. An agnostic is often a functional atheist. I suppose an agnostic could take up Pascal's Wager and say: well, I don't know if there is a god but I might as well live like there is one just in case there actually is!
Deism, according to one of my friends, is an unstable position. My friend says this because the deist acknowledges that god acted at least once in our world: bringing the universe into existence. The deist god may have also had a role in bringing life into existence on the earth. Thus, if god can act in these ways, what is to prevent god from acting again?
The question of the intervention of god into human affairs is a tricky one because it gets into the nature of god and the nature of god's relationship to humanity. If god is some cosmic engineer then god could conceivably make the universe and then let it run on its own without intervention after flipping the on switch.
However, engineers are always tinkering with their machines.
Or one could make the metaphor to god the artist in which case there is tinkering with the art work as it is being produced.
These metaphors are interesting but do have their limits if you sit and think about them.
I am a theist. I believe god exists and can occasionally act in human history. If one believes in the full meaning of Christmas then one has to be a theist because Christmas is about God entering history in Jesus.
I freely acknowledge that theism is not without intellectual and emotional difficulities.
But that is true of the other positions as well.
However, I believe the worldview of Christian theism seems to best fit the reality we experience in the day-to-day. At a personal level, Christian theism provides hope in life. And finally, I think Christian theism provides an ethical framework and a theological basis for the existence of morality.
big trade for big unit collapses
Just turned on the radio to get ready for the UCLA basketball game and the top news item was from Newsday.
The report says the Dodgers opted out of the massive deal that would have moved 4 Dodgers out to Arizona and the Yankees and Johnson to the Yankees.
Fans in LA may just shrug their shoulders as they have seen Finely, Beltre, Cora, Lima, LoDuca, Roberts all let go during the season and in the post-season. Fans are thinking the new ownership is just cutting payroll.
It is going to take a lot for McCourt to regain the fans in LA.
DePodesta is just doing the job McCourt has set the dollar amounts at.
The report says the Dodgers opted out of the massive deal that would have moved 4 Dodgers out to Arizona and the Yankees and Johnson to the Yankees.
Fans in LA may just shrug their shoulders as they have seen Finely, Beltre, Cora, Lima, LoDuca, Roberts all let go during the season and in the post-season. Fans are thinking the new ownership is just cutting payroll.
It is going to take a lot for McCourt to regain the fans in LA.
DePodesta is just doing the job McCourt has set the dollar amounts at.
Dodgers fans on a ledge
What is going on?
Dodgers give up Green, Penny and Brazoban to Arizona while Arizona sends Randy Johnson to the Yankees and the Yankees send to the Dodgers one pitcher, catcher, third baseman and two minor leagers.
Dodgers do not re-sign Beltre giving him up to Seattle who paid $64 million over 5 years for the 3rd base slugger.
Dodgers lose the bidding battle for pitcher Tim Hudson.
The new management is continuing to cut payroll. They didn't re-sign Steve Finley who hit the grand slam to clinch the division. They didn't re-sign Jose Lima who was the most consistent pitcher down the stretch and who shut out the Cards in the NLDS for the first playoff win for the Dodgers in a very long time.
Will fans turn out next season to see a team that looks very different than last year's West division champs? Will this team even play .500 ball?
Dodgers give up Green, Penny and Brazoban to Arizona while Arizona sends Randy Johnson to the Yankees and the Yankees send to the Dodgers one pitcher, catcher, third baseman and two minor leagers.
Dodgers do not re-sign Beltre giving him up to Seattle who paid $64 million over 5 years for the 3rd base slugger.
Dodgers lose the bidding battle for pitcher Tim Hudson.
The new management is continuing to cut payroll. They didn't re-sign Steve Finley who hit the grand slam to clinch the division. They didn't re-sign Jose Lima who was the most consistent pitcher down the stretch and who shut out the Cards in the NLDS for the first playoff win for the Dodgers in a very long time.
Will fans turn out next season to see a team that looks very different than last year's West division champs? Will this team even play .500 ball?
LA Scene: The Los Angeles Master Chorale
People in Los Angeles know that the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the hot cultural ticket in town. When people think of the building, they think of Frank Gehry because he is the architect. When people think of the music, they think of the Los Angeles Philharmonic because they play there. When people think of the LA Phil, they think of Esa-Pekka Salonen because he is the music director.
What people might not know is that Disney Hall is the home of the Los Angeles Master Chorale which is under the leadership of LAMC music director Grant Gershon.
If one wants to see an event inside the Disney Hall with the LA Phil or organized by the LA Phil Association, check this page out for events with tickets remaining.
My impression is that this list is longer than last year's. Last year being the first year of the Disney Hall, everything was pretty much sold out; even the obscure modern works. The novelty maybe wearing off now that the Hall is a year old and so perhaps ticket sales aren't as brisk. I wonder what will happen in year three, five and beyond?
Will the splash of attention garnered by the glam building wear off? We shall see. Ironically, the building may literally lose some of its luster because of complaints of glare from its neighbors which will be resolved by sandblasting some portions of the building.
In any case, if one can't find a ticket to an LA Phil event or none of what is available strikes your fancy, be sure to check out the Master Chorale as their events don't always sell out or don't sell out as quickly.
Recently went with five friends to my first Chorale event when they hosted the Messiah Sing Along. It was also the first time I got to hear the brand new organ.
One of my friends is an excellent singer and has performed solos with the Angel City Chorale and had her own score of the Messiah. Another friend sings bass in my church choir and he bought a score at the Disney Hall. Another friend is studying music in college; thus, I was in the company of some good voices who know music!
I looked over to the score my bass friend had ... and ... umm ... attempted to sing? My goodness there are a LOT OF NOTES!
Since the event, I've been playing my CD of the Messiah at home and have copied it over onto my iPOD.
However, I must say there is nothing quite like hearing nearly 2000 voices sing the Hallelujah Chorus in person. Simply amazing. Simply heavenly.
What people might not know is that Disney Hall is the home of the Los Angeles Master Chorale which is under the leadership of LAMC music director Grant Gershon.
If one wants to see an event inside the Disney Hall with the LA Phil or organized by the LA Phil Association, check this page out for events with tickets remaining.
My impression is that this list is longer than last year's. Last year being the first year of the Disney Hall, everything was pretty much sold out; even the obscure modern works. The novelty maybe wearing off now that the Hall is a year old and so perhaps ticket sales aren't as brisk. I wonder what will happen in year three, five and beyond?
Will the splash of attention garnered by the glam building wear off? We shall see. Ironically, the building may literally lose some of its luster because of complaints of glare from its neighbors which will be resolved by sandblasting some portions of the building.
In any case, if one can't find a ticket to an LA Phil event or none of what is available strikes your fancy, be sure to check out the Master Chorale as their events don't always sell out or don't sell out as quickly.
Recently went with five friends to my first Chorale event when they hosted the Messiah Sing Along. It was also the first time I got to hear the brand new organ.
One of my friends is an excellent singer and has performed solos with the Angel City Chorale and had her own score of the Messiah. Another friend sings bass in my church choir and he bought a score at the Disney Hall. Another friend is studying music in college; thus, I was in the company of some good voices who know music!
I looked over to the score my bass friend had ... and ... umm ... attempted to sing? My goodness there are a LOT OF NOTES!
Since the event, I've been playing my CD of the Messiah at home and have copied it over onto my iPOD.
However, I must say there is nothing quite like hearing nearly 2000 voices sing the Hallelujah Chorus in person. Simply amazing. Simply heavenly.
LA Dining: Tesoro Trattoria
Had dinner with four friends at Tesoro Trattoria.
Food:
Terrific Italian food. I had the Sorano ($13.95) which is farfalle with eggplant, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, pine nuts with extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Delicious and well presented.
Service:
Friendly and timely service with a smile.
Atmosphere:
Very nice setting. Located walking distance to MOCA, WDCH and the other Music Center venues. Definitely a good option for the business meal, celebration dinner and the more serious date.
Price:
Entrees are around $20 with some in mid-teens. Our party of five with tips got out paying $100 because we all ate pretty lightly. The menu is a la carte so the bill would be higher if we opted in for salads, appetizers, desserts and drinks.
Location:
300 South Grand Avenue
Downtown Los Angeles
Telephone: 213-680-0000
One nice feature is that one can park in the California Plaza parking lot, get a validation from the restaurant and show the attendant your concert ticket as you exit and parking is FREE!
Food:
Terrific Italian food. I had the Sorano ($13.95) which is farfalle with eggplant, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, pine nuts with extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Delicious and well presented.
Service:
Friendly and timely service with a smile.
Atmosphere:
Very nice setting. Located walking distance to MOCA, WDCH and the other Music Center venues. Definitely a good option for the business meal, celebration dinner and the more serious date.
Price:
Entrees are around $20 with some in mid-teens. Our party of five with tips got out paying $100 because we all ate pretty lightly. The menu is a la carte so the bill would be higher if we opted in for salads, appetizers, desserts and drinks.
Location:
300 South Grand Avenue
Downtown Los Angeles
Telephone: 213-680-0000
One nice feature is that one can park in the California Plaza parking lot, get a validation from the restaurant and show the attendant your concert ticket as you exit and parking is FREE!
Another organization I'm supporting...
Christmas is a time to count our blessings and to give to others who have needs.
I've been blogging about different groups I'm sending contributions to. So here is another one for you to consider.
There aren't many things more difficult than being a woman who is pregnant and without support. Some would counsel abortion to "solve" the problem. But for some, abortion is not the solution. I'll leave the abortion debate for another blog post.
As a pro-lifer who wants to give support to people who are offering real alternatives, I've been supporting organizations that support women who decide to bring their child into this world.
One such group is The Harvest Home in Santa Monica.
What is their mission?
It is right on their web page:
I've been blogging about different groups I'm sending contributions to. So here is another one for you to consider.
There aren't many things more difficult than being a woman who is pregnant and without support. Some would counsel abortion to "solve" the problem. But for some, abortion is not the solution. I'll leave the abortion debate for another blog post.
As a pro-lifer who wants to give support to people who are offering real alternatives, I've been supporting organizations that support women who decide to bring their child into this world.
One such group is The Harvest Home in Santa Monica.
What is their mission?
It is right on their web page:
The purpose of the Harvest Home is to provide love and care to each woman, offering a stable environment where her physical, emotional and spiritual needs can be met. The ultimate goal is to have each woman leave the Home spiritually stronger, with a greater sense of self-worth and better prepared to support and care for herself and her child.My friend recently participated in the 2005 Christmas Run/Walk on behalf of Harvest Home and asked for a pledge which I gladly gave. You can still support their work by going to their web donation page.
Join us in supporting Iraq through Spirit of America
I participated with the Bear Flag League.
Team Statement:
California Bloggers uniting to make a difference across the world.
Team members
Calblog
DeoDuce
MasterOfNone
Miller's Time
Moxie
Patterico's Pontifications
Pearly Gates
Rene's Ramblings
Selected Pete
SoCal Law Blog
The Education Wonks
The Window Manager
Tired of Liberal BS
Tonecluster
Xrlq
irishlass
the Pirate
Heisman should go to Reggie Bush
I haven't seen enough of Oklahoma to know their potential candidates. But among U$C players... you got to say Reggie Bush is the #1 guy.
No Bush, no victory over UCLA last Saturday.
U$C would have had success even without Leinart. I'm not so sure how good they would be if they didn't have Bush.
Bush, the big play threat, and Bush, the guy who catches, runs and returns helps them win. Leinart and the receiving corp helps run up the scores.
That's this Bruin analysis!
Meanwhile, GO BRUINS in the Las Vegas Bowl!!
No Bush, no victory over UCLA last Saturday.
U$C would have had success even without Leinart. I'm not so sure how good they would be if they didn't have Bush.
Bush, the big play threat, and Bush, the guy who catches, runs and returns helps them win. Leinart and the receiving corp helps run up the scores.
That's this Bruin analysis!
Meanwhile, GO BRUINS in the Las Vegas Bowl!!
The Christmas Season: a time for giving
With Christmas just around the corner, I want to encourage readers of this humble blog both regular and accidental to find ways to give to those who need help.
So below, I'll mention two groups I've just donated to.
Spirit of America: Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge
Check out the Spirit of America: Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge.
They are raising money to support various projects in Iraq. That country has been under decades of oppression and now that it is on the verge of breathing free it is being hit by violence from the old forces that used to be in power. It is an indication of their evil that they would rather burn 1/2 a house down than allow the long suffering people to rebuild.
I decided to donate with the Bear Flag League which is a California blog team.
I was tempted to join Hugh Hewitt's team, Northern Alliance of Blogs, because I occasionally listen to his show. But I am not a Minnesota person and have only been to Minn-e-so-cold just once.
The TTLB Eco Team was a possibility as I do occasionally check my standing in the TTLB Blog Ecosystem. This blog is in the "Flippery Fish" status.
Hope you consider donating to this cause or to some other one.
Young Life
Another cause I gave to is Young Life.
Specifically, I gave to Young Life Hollywood.
There are few things more important than helping kids grow into good people. Yet, we all know how much tougher it is these days especially in the mean streets of a big city. Go to the web page and see if there is one in your community that you can support.
So below, I'll mention two groups I've just donated to.
Spirit of America: Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge
Check out the Spirit of America: Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge.
They are raising money to support various projects in Iraq. That country has been under decades of oppression and now that it is on the verge of breathing free it is being hit by violence from the old forces that used to be in power. It is an indication of their evil that they would rather burn 1/2 a house down than allow the long suffering people to rebuild.
I decided to donate with the Bear Flag League which is a California blog team.
I was tempted to join Hugh Hewitt's team, Northern Alliance of Blogs, because I occasionally listen to his show. But I am not a Minnesota person and have only been to Minn-e-so-cold just once.
The TTLB Eco Team was a possibility as I do occasionally check my standing in the TTLB Blog Ecosystem. This blog is in the "Flippery Fish" status.
Hope you consider donating to this cause or to some other one.
Young Life
Another cause I gave to is Young Life.
Specifically, I gave to Young Life Hollywood.
There are few things more important than helping kids grow into good people. Yet, we all know how much tougher it is these days especially in the mean streets of a big city. Go to the web page and see if there is one in your community that you can support.
Author Iris Chang, 1968-2004
I was shocked to hear the news that author, Iris Chang was found dead of an apparent suicide. She was 36.
I had the chance to hear her speak at the 2004 UCLA-Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I wrote these two blog posts about the sessions she was involved with.
She was passionate about bringing to the light aspects of Chinese history that were little in the public consciousness. As I watched her speak, she was so full of life.
Yet, as I read the news item about her death, it was reported that she was recently hospitalized for depression and one would guess was probably still being treated for it after being released.
If you or you think a loved one is suffering from depression, please check this web page from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Additional information can be found at the Prozac web page.
After reading those pages, if necessary, get help for yourself or your loved one.
I had the chance to hear her speak at the 2004 UCLA-Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I wrote these two blog posts about the sessions she was involved with.
She was passionate about bringing to the light aspects of Chinese history that were little in the public consciousness. As I watched her speak, she was so full of life.
Yet, as I read the news item about her death, it was reported that she was recently hospitalized for depression and one would guess was probably still being treated for it after being released.
If you or you think a loved one is suffering from depression, please check this web page from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Additional information can be found at the Prozac web page.
After reading those pages, if necessary, get help for yourself or your loved one.
Culture: Wineblogging - Weinrieder 2001 Eiswein Riesling
Wow! I bought this wine many months ago from Blue Danube Wines. I had emailed the owner of this wine importer for suggestions and he raved about this wine and recommended it highly.
Well, I'm glad I finally got around to trying it.
By eye a deep gold color, pleasant aroma is intoxicating already even before you taste it and then you taste it ... it is like nectar with a consistency somewhere between juice and syrup.
Read more about Weinrieder and below is an excerpt about this wine.
Well, I'm glad I finally got around to trying it.
By eye a deep gold color, pleasant aroma is intoxicating already even before you taste it and then you taste it ... it is like nectar with a consistency somewhere between juice and syrup.
Read more about Weinrieder and below is an excerpt about this wine.
This wine was chosen to be the crowning soloist at the Masters of Wine gala dinner in Vienna, July 2002. Recently it tied for first place with Canada’s Pilletteri Vidal 2001 ice wine at the Hamburg Wine Salon. Peter Moser writes in the Falstaff 2002 guide, "Enticing nose, redolent of canned yellow peaches; tastes like peach nectar, shows an brilliant acid structure; a racy and classy wine, yet with so much elegance that it is already drinkable. Great." 94-96 points. We should add this beauty has an everlasting crisp finish!"This intense and dense white wine is a perfect dessert wine all by itself. Just enjoy slowly savoring every sip!
LA Dining: Ngoma Restaurant
Shared dinner with some friends at Ngoma Restaurant.
Food:
African restaurant with a menu divided into West African and East African sections. Tonight, 4 of us went to the East side and 1 of us went to the West side. 2 of us had chicken stew and 2 of us had beef stew while one had a fried fish. There is lamb mafe on the menu that I hope to try next time I'm there. Good straightforward food. The menu provides descriptions of the items and some do sound more exotic than others! I confess I went with something that sounded familar and what could be more familiar than stew!
Service:
I have eaten here a few times before but it has been awhile. Previously service was a bit slow but this outing the service was quite attentive. One neat ritual is the handwashing. The host brings a bowl of water and a bowl as a catch basin. She poured the water over our hands so we can wash. The water was nice and warm!
Atmosphere:
It is a cute little place on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile area. Probably okay for kids when it isn't crowded. Good date place for those looking for something atypical as it is different. The atmosphere is generally good for conversation. One time I went they had African music going so it was a little louder than usual but not overly so.
Price:
Entrees are mostly less than $15. Our party of five with tips got out paying $105.
Location:
5358 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.
Cross Street: Detroit Avenue
Telephone: 323-934-1595
Fax: 323 934-1565
Opening Hours:
Tue.-Thu., 11AM.-10 PM
Fri. 11:00 am-11:00 PM
Sat. 12 Noon AM.-11 PM
Sun.12:00 Noon- 7:00 PM
Food:
African restaurant with a menu divided into West African and East African sections. Tonight, 4 of us went to the East side and 1 of us went to the West side. 2 of us had chicken stew and 2 of us had beef stew while one had a fried fish. There is lamb mafe on the menu that I hope to try next time I'm there. Good straightforward food. The menu provides descriptions of the items and some do sound more exotic than others! I confess I went with something that sounded familar and what could be more familiar than stew!
Service:
I have eaten here a few times before but it has been awhile. Previously service was a bit slow but this outing the service was quite attentive. One neat ritual is the handwashing. The host brings a bowl of water and a bowl as a catch basin. She poured the water over our hands so we can wash. The water was nice and warm!
Atmosphere:
It is a cute little place on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile area. Probably okay for kids when it isn't crowded. Good date place for those looking for something atypical as it is different. The atmosphere is generally good for conversation. One time I went they had African music going so it was a little louder than usual but not overly so.
Price:
Entrees are mostly less than $15. Our party of five with tips got out paying $105.
Location:
5358 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.
Cross Street: Detroit Avenue
Telephone: 323-934-1595
Fax: 323 934-1565
Opening Hours:
Tue.-Thu., 11AM.-10 PM
Fri. 11:00 am-11:00 PM
Sat. 12 Noon AM.-11 PM
Sun.12:00 Noon- 7:00 PM
Seen on the web ...
What is a good and happy life?
Is a good life and a happy life inevitably linked?
One challenge (which the postmodern skeptic would agree) is that we are bound in this time and place and so a definition for either may be pointless.
However, can one come up with a definition that is applicable to us here in modern Western society and to poorer parts of the world and to someone who lived in the distant past?
Anyway, more questions than answers?
I think living in the USA does provide benefits (and how) but also lots of distractions!
The question of a "good life," I think, is hard for us because the postmodern skeptical view of the world is so prevalent here in the USA. If "truth" is unknowable or relativistic than the notion of some objective good is hard to find. So people default to finding a "happy life."
But do American's really know what a "happy life" is?
I think we confuse "excitement" for happiness. We are a nation of "adrenaline junkies." Extreme sports and TV shows like Fear Factor and the confusion of activity for significance is a part of life here in the USA. Does a series of experiences that are exciting constitute happiness?
I think we also confuse "pleasure" for happiness. "Happy Hour" on a Friday evening is a time for eating and drinking and flirting. All things well and good but if that is the end all and be all of life then that would seem a poor life indeed. And then there is the whole "do it if it feels good" ethic. This is problematic without an anchor for what is good. Yet, the basis for advertising on TV, magazines, etc. is our pleasure. But the pleasure from getting what we claim to want fades and we look for more.
As humans, we do enjoy the adrenaline high? And if god made us than isn't that a good thing? God made us with such powerful sensory capacity that pleasure is wired into us? So I'm not going to run in the other direction and say pleasure is sinful.
So what is the linkage between our notions of good and our experience of happiness?
Now, if one doesn't believe in god then these good feelings are an accident of evolution and doing good is irrelevant as survival is the prime directive of evolution.
Yet, Michael Shermer, an ardent evolutionist and evangelistic atheist argues that happiness is the evolutionary method to support "good societal ethics." His reasoning is that individual ethical choices which may diminish self-preservation enhances societal survival. Thus, how would such choices be encouraged? He argues evolution selects for "goodness" by linking it to happiness in doing good. Happy people do more good and even if that may reduce self-preservation it enhances the overall success of a population.
Thus, in his naturalistic world view, goodness and happiness are linked. In his view, of course, goodness is the collection of values that help a society survive in the evolutionary sense. In his analysis, isolated populations may not come up with identical ethical systems but it would appear that there are some ethical imperatives that all populations would eventually evolve.
As a theist, I believe goodness and happiness are linked as well but for different reasons.
I think the personal search for happiness should move us into the realm for the search for significance and to our search for the good because I think deep down God has wired us with a desire for the good?
How can one account for the exasperated feeling we get at seeing the triumph of evil?
We say, that isn't the way it is supposed to be! In our "soul" there is a faint echo of what is good and we still hear it and when we see evil we recoil against it because we still have a sense of what is good.
My personal experience tells me that when I do "good" or see "good" being done, the impact on my being is (1) emotional at that moment but (2) imprinted into my being and thus transformative. Experiencing the good leaves an impact and it is not as transient an experience as excitement and pleasure. Experiencing the good, if you will, leaves me happy, at a place I want to be.
I believe it is God's nature to do good and thus God is happy (does this sound strange?) when God does good. Hence, God's statement during the creation, and God saw that it was good. Is it too much to read into the text that God was happy with creation?
And then, of course, God is happy when creatures of free will (us) also do good. I think of some of the parables of Jesus and in particular I wonder, is there happiness within God when God confers the blessing, well done good and faithful servant? Thus, for God, goodness and happiness are linked. And to the extent we are made in God's image it is true for us as well.
For now, as a Christian, I define a good life as one that is in concert with what Jesus taught. I see "the good life" as putting into action the collective wisdom found in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. I see "the happy life" as having a relationship with Jesus and the sense of satisfaction and serenity that comes from doing the good God desires and knowing the grace of forgiveness when I fall short of doing the good God desires.
I know a postmodern skeptic would find my view too absolutist and exclusive.
The key thing I would point out is that this ethical system places a high regard for doing good to all and so I may disagree with those of other belief systems, I am nonetheless to love them and treat them with respect.
The Christian worldview also places a high regard on liberty and that includes respecting the freedom of others to reject the claims of Christianity. Christianity's emphasis on free will means coercion to belief is not condoned.
One challenge (which the postmodern skeptic would agree) is that we are bound in this time and place and so a definition for either may be pointless.
However, can one come up with a definition that is applicable to us here in modern Western society and to poorer parts of the world and to someone who lived in the distant past?
Anyway, more questions than answers?
I think living in the USA does provide benefits (and how) but also lots of distractions!
The question of a "good life," I think, is hard for us because the postmodern skeptical view of the world is so prevalent here in the USA. If "truth" is unknowable or relativistic than the notion of some objective good is hard to find. So people default to finding a "happy life."
But do American's really know what a "happy life" is?
I think we confuse "excitement" for happiness. We are a nation of "adrenaline junkies." Extreme sports and TV shows like Fear Factor and the confusion of activity for significance is a part of life here in the USA. Does a series of experiences that are exciting constitute happiness?
I think we also confuse "pleasure" for happiness. "Happy Hour" on a Friday evening is a time for eating and drinking and flirting. All things well and good but if that is the end all and be all of life then that would seem a poor life indeed. And then there is the whole "do it if it feels good" ethic. This is problematic without an anchor for what is good. Yet, the basis for advertising on TV, magazines, etc. is our pleasure. But the pleasure from getting what we claim to want fades and we look for more.
As humans, we do enjoy the adrenaline high? And if god made us than isn't that a good thing? God made us with such powerful sensory capacity that pleasure is wired into us? So I'm not going to run in the other direction and say pleasure is sinful.
So what is the linkage between our notions of good and our experience of happiness?
Now, if one doesn't believe in god then these good feelings are an accident of evolution and doing good is irrelevant as survival is the prime directive of evolution.
Yet, Michael Shermer, an ardent evolutionist and evangelistic atheist argues that happiness is the evolutionary method to support "good societal ethics." His reasoning is that individual ethical choices which may diminish self-preservation enhances societal survival. Thus, how would such choices be encouraged? He argues evolution selects for "goodness" by linking it to happiness in doing good. Happy people do more good and even if that may reduce self-preservation it enhances the overall success of a population.
Thus, in his naturalistic world view, goodness and happiness are linked. In his view, of course, goodness is the collection of values that help a society survive in the evolutionary sense. In his analysis, isolated populations may not come up with identical ethical systems but it would appear that there are some ethical imperatives that all populations would eventually evolve.
As a theist, I believe goodness and happiness are linked as well but for different reasons.
I think the personal search for happiness should move us into the realm for the search for significance and to our search for the good because I think deep down God has wired us with a desire for the good?
How can one account for the exasperated feeling we get at seeing the triumph of evil?
We say, that isn't the way it is supposed to be! In our "soul" there is a faint echo of what is good and we still hear it and when we see evil we recoil against it because we still have a sense of what is good.
My personal experience tells me that when I do "good" or see "good" being done, the impact on my being is (1) emotional at that moment but (2) imprinted into my being and thus transformative. Experiencing the good leaves an impact and it is not as transient an experience as excitement and pleasure. Experiencing the good, if you will, leaves me happy, at a place I want to be.
I believe it is God's nature to do good and thus God is happy (does this sound strange?) when God does good. Hence, God's statement during the creation, and God saw that it was good. Is it too much to read into the text that God was happy with creation?
And then, of course, God is happy when creatures of free will (us) also do good. I think of some of the parables of Jesus and in particular I wonder, is there happiness within God when God confers the blessing, well done good and faithful servant? Thus, for God, goodness and happiness are linked. And to the extent we are made in God's image it is true for us as well.
For now, as a Christian, I define a good life as one that is in concert with what Jesus taught. I see "the good life" as putting into action the collective wisdom found in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. I see "the happy life" as having a relationship with Jesus and the sense of satisfaction and serenity that comes from doing the good God desires and knowing the grace of forgiveness when I fall short of doing the good God desires.
I know a postmodern skeptic would find my view too absolutist and exclusive.
The key thing I would point out is that this ethical system places a high regard for doing good to all and so I may disagree with those of other belief systems, I am nonetheless to love them and treat them with respect.
The Christian worldview also places a high regard on liberty and that includes respecting the freedom of others to reject the claims of Christianity. Christianity's emphasis on free will means coercion to belief is not condoned.
One difference between men and women
I was driving to work and listening to the radio the other day.
The guy on the radio had the audience laughing out loud. He was talking about one big difference between men and women. The "air" for women is love. The "air" for men is respect. He cited little stories of how that plays out in typical couples and the audience would laugh out loud because they could relate.
As a single guy, I don't have the context of marriage to observe those differences. But in observing couples and in my own opposite sex friendships, I can see some of those dynamics. He is on to something with what he is saying.
Anyway, I only caught part of the broadcast on 99.5 FM on the show Focus on the Family.
The guy on the radio had the audience laughing out loud. He was talking about one big difference between men and women. The "air" for women is love. The "air" for men is respect. He cited little stories of how that plays out in typical couples and the audience would laugh out loud because they could relate.
As a single guy, I don't have the context of marriage to observe those differences. But in observing couples and in my own opposite sex friendships, I can see some of those dynamics. He is on to something with what he is saying.
Anyway, I only caught part of the broadcast on 99.5 FM on the show Focus on the Family.
Seen on the web...
culture of shopping
I periodically visit Virginia Postrel's web site. Her big thing of is the economic value of asthetics. She recently wrote this item.
How much money is "okay" for us to spend on ourselves?
On one hand, it seems selfish to spend too much.
But think about this: when we spend money someone has a job. I heard Dennis Prager talking about this. We buy stuff like shoes and some poor man or woman in Southeast Asia has a job making them. What if all American's decided to become totally anti-materialistic and stopped buying things? Hmmm...
So is it better for us to buy the imported good that provides a job or to give the money to a charity that provides help overseas?
Likewise, Postrel talks about how some of the fashion magazines pushes women to buy more and more stuff and more and more fancy stuff to "keep up with the Jones." Hence, she praises magazines like Lucky that has a more realistic assessment of the discretionary spending women have -- you can be fashionable without breaking the credit card.
culture of red-state/blue-state
On a visit to Instapundit came across this item.
It is written by a Harvard Law professor who is also a Christian. He is a "red-stater" in a "blue-state" business in a "blue-state." He makes some interesting observations about where there might be common ground between the two worlds.
I work in academic research (blue-state business) in California (blue-state) and am a Christian (red-state) so I could relate to what he is saying.
I periodically visit Virginia Postrel's web site. Her big thing of is the economic value of asthetics. She recently wrote this item.
How much money is "okay" for us to spend on ourselves?
On one hand, it seems selfish to spend too much.
But think about this: when we spend money someone has a job. I heard Dennis Prager talking about this. We buy stuff like shoes and some poor man or woman in Southeast Asia has a job making them. What if all American's decided to become totally anti-materialistic and stopped buying things? Hmmm...
So is it better for us to buy the imported good that provides a job or to give the money to a charity that provides help overseas?
Likewise, Postrel talks about how some of the fashion magazines pushes women to buy more and more stuff and more and more fancy stuff to "keep up with the Jones." Hence, she praises magazines like Lucky that has a more realistic assessment of the discretionary spending women have -- you can be fashionable without breaking the credit card.
culture of red-state/blue-state
On a visit to Instapundit came across this item.
It is written by a Harvard Law professor who is also a Christian. He is a "red-stater" in a "blue-state" business in a "blue-state." He makes some interesting observations about where there might be common ground between the two worlds.
I work in academic research (blue-state business) in California (blue-state) and am a Christian (red-state) so I could relate to what he is saying.
Tom Hanks and the Da Vinci Code
I hear that Tom Hanks may star in the movie version of The Da Vinci Code, the Dan Brown bestseller.
The pedigree of the people involved in making the movie will insure the film will probably be a blockbuster. Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Beautiful Mind, Cacoon and many more) will direct. Akiva Goldsman who did the screenplay for Beautiful Mind is adapting the novel into a screenplay.
I think part of the appeal of Da Vinci Code is the whole conspiracy theory. People seem to like the idea that what we think we know is true isn't really true. And so what better story to tell than to call into question Christianity as most people understand it?
We live in an era when there is a lot of post-modern skepticism (people may not use those terms but they know what it is!) which says truth is either relative or unknowable or both. Oddly, this line of thinking leads to this two-edged irony in attitudes toward Christianity: (1) Christianity is based on a fabrication as described by Dan Brown and like-minded writers; (2) Christianity, even if a lie, is "good" because it comforts people and helps them try to be "good" people.
However, if one believes that truth actually exists and matters, then one must ask: are the claims of Christianity true? And if true, then its claims upon my life must be taken seriously.
A good place to go to read responses to Da Vinci Code is Belief.net. Run the search for "Da Vinci Code" in the search box to pull up a variety of articles.
Be sure to check out this interview with Darrell Bock who points out some of the historical and theological issues in the book as well as why he thinks the book garnered so much appeal.
In this article Bock gets to the root of the Da Vinci Code: was Jesus divine or not? He provides links to these interesting web pages that describe the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, Opus Dei, and the Merovingian Lineage.
Religion has a number of elements: ethics, ritual and theology.
I have no problem, as a Christian, in recognizing that the various religions of the world have a lot of common ground in the realm of ethics. Indeed, most religions want people to be good.
As for ritual, even within Christianity there is variation. In my mind, what type of music you use to celebrate God and life doesn't matter all that much as long as the substance is true. There is a place for diversity in how our worship to God is expressed. There is place for cultural elements and personality preferences.
The last component is theology. Intellectual honesty demands that we admit that not all religions are the same on this point. The nature of God, humanity and existence and the relationship of God to us and the world around us is part of theology. Dan Brown's book has one vision of what that looks like. Traditional Christianity has another description.
Which world view reflects reality more accurately?
The pedigree of the people involved in making the movie will insure the film will probably be a blockbuster. Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Beautiful Mind, Cacoon and many more) will direct. Akiva Goldsman who did the screenplay for Beautiful Mind is adapting the novel into a screenplay.
I think part of the appeal of Da Vinci Code is the whole conspiracy theory. People seem to like the idea that what we think we know is true isn't really true. And so what better story to tell than to call into question Christianity as most people understand it?
We live in an era when there is a lot of post-modern skepticism (people may not use those terms but they know what it is!) which says truth is either relative or unknowable or both. Oddly, this line of thinking leads to this two-edged irony in attitudes toward Christianity: (1) Christianity is based on a fabrication as described by Dan Brown and like-minded writers; (2) Christianity, even if a lie, is "good" because it comforts people and helps them try to be "good" people.
However, if one believes that truth actually exists and matters, then one must ask: are the claims of Christianity true? And if true, then its claims upon my life must be taken seriously.
A good place to go to read responses to Da Vinci Code is Belief.net. Run the search for "Da Vinci Code" in the search box to pull up a variety of articles.
Be sure to check out this interview with Darrell Bock who points out some of the historical and theological issues in the book as well as why he thinks the book garnered so much appeal.
In this article Bock gets to the root of the Da Vinci Code: was Jesus divine or not? He provides links to these interesting web pages that describe the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, Opus Dei, and the Merovingian Lineage.
Religion has a number of elements: ethics, ritual and theology.
I have no problem, as a Christian, in recognizing that the various religions of the world have a lot of common ground in the realm of ethics. Indeed, most religions want people to be good.
As for ritual, even within Christianity there is variation. In my mind, what type of music you use to celebrate God and life doesn't matter all that much as long as the substance is true. There is a place for diversity in how our worship to God is expressed. There is place for cultural elements and personality preferences.
The last component is theology. Intellectual honesty demands that we admit that not all religions are the same on this point. The nature of God, humanity and existence and the relationship of God to us and the world around us is part of theology. Dan Brown's book has one vision of what that looks like. Traditional Christianity has another description.
Which world view reflects reality more accurately?
2nd Annual Thanksgiving Taste Test
In this corner, Charles Shaw 2004 California Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joes for $1.99.
What is there to say?
There are legions of wine drinkers who claim the "Two Buck Chuck" is just as good as the more pricey bottles in the stores!
Competing for votes, the low-priced entry bought at Ralphs, the Meridian Vineyard's Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2002 for $6.99.
Here is what the web page says about it:
This is a wine that I have to be careful not to “over-make” – since I am starting with fruit that essentially tastes how I want the finished wine to taste. To end up with this fresh, lively flavor in the wine, I simply need to guide it gently through the winery and into the bottle. I do all I can to retain the original fruit flavors.
I barrel fermented half of this wine, mostly in French oak from several coopers and forests – Combined Woods, Never, and Center of France. I then let it rest in the barrel for five months. This short stint gives the wine subtle toasty aromas and flavors without masking the essence of the varietal.
And the last contestant, the mid-priced Matanzas Creek Winery 2002 Sauvignon Blanc for $16.99 at Cost Plus
Here is what the winery says about it:
Our 2002 Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc with a hint of both Semillon and Sauvignon Musque. Following the footsteps of the vibrant 2001 vintage, this 2002 wine is bright in both color and flavor, yet remarkably complex for a Sauvignon Blanc. This unique complexity is the result of precise selection and blending of fruit from five prestigious wine growing regions - Russian River, Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley and Mendocino Valley. Also adding to the complexity of the blend is our historical practice of fermenting up to fifteen-percent of the wine in French oak barrels.
Stay tuned for the results from the taste-off!
UPDATE:
The results are in!
With a sample size of eight taste testers and a scoring system of first place vote equals one, second place vote equals two and third place vote equals three points ... it was essentially a tie!!
Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck" got 15 points (3 first place, 3 second and 2 third)
Matanzas Creek ($16.99) entry got 16 points (2 first place, 4 second and 2 third)
Meridan's ($6.99) offering got 17 points (3 first place, 1 second and 4 third)
I conducted this taste test last year on some Merlot and got these results.
Got an explaination?
I suppose since red wines tend to have more flavor (they afterall get red because of the grape skins) variations might be greater?
All the people in the world ...
Did you know the US Census Bureau estimates the number of people in the world too?
Click here to see how many people they estimate are on planet earth right now!
As of this post, the number was: 6,402,456,716.
A little more clicking around and you get the world population and the US population side by side. The US population is estimated to be: 294,836,445.
The USA represents 4.6% of the world's population.
On this Thanksgiving Day, let's remember to be grateful for all the blessings we have here in the USA and find a way to help someone less well off today here and abroad.
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48
Click here to see how many people they estimate are on planet earth right now!
As of this post, the number was: 6,402,456,716.
A little more clicking around and you get the world population and the US population side by side. The US population is estimated to be: 294,836,445.
The USA represents 4.6% of the world's population.
On this Thanksgiving Day, let's remember to be grateful for all the blessings we have here in the USA and find a way to help someone less well off today here and abroad.
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48
Travel: Need to get away?
Happy thanksgiving where ever you are!
Click here if you want to visit my travelogue with photos from my Spring Break 2004 trip.
Nope, no beach resorts for me! Hah, instead I traveled to a places colder than Los Angeles!
It was great to travel with friends to see friends.
Enjoy!
Click here if you want to visit my travelogue with photos from my Spring Break 2004 trip.
Nope, no beach resorts for me! Hah, instead I traveled to a places colder than Los Angeles!
It was great to travel with friends to see friends.
Enjoy!
Falluja: they are soldiers now ... and young
This NY Times article by Dexter Filkins who is covering Bravo Company of the First Battalion of the Eight Marine Regiment is getting a lot of attention. I first came across it at AndrewSullivan.com then heard it discussed on Dennis Prager's radio show and then again on Hugh Hewitt's radio program.
Excerpts:
FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 18 - Eight days after the Americans entered the city on foot, a pair of marines wound their way up the darkened innards of a minaret, shot through with holes by an American tank.
As the marines inched upward, a burst of gunfire rang down, fired by an insurgent hiding in the top of the tower. The bullets hit the first marine in the face, his blood spattering the marine behind him. The marine in the rear tumbled backward down the stairwell, while Lance Cpl. William Miller, age 22, lay in silence halfway up, mortally wounded.
"Miller!" the marines called from below. "Miller!"
With that, the marines' near mystical commandment against leaving a comrade behind seized the group. One after another, the young marines dashed into the minaret, into darkness and into gunfire, and wound their way up the stairs.
After four attempts, Corporal Miller's lifeless body emerged from the tower, his comrades choking and covered with dust. With more insurgents closing in, the marines ran through volleys of machine-gun fire back to their base.
"I was trying to be careful, but I was trying to get him out, you know what I'm saying?" Lance Cpl. Michael Gogin, 19, said afterward.
So went eight days of combat for this Iraqi city, the most sustained period of street-to-street fighting that Americans have encountered since the Vietnam War. The proximity gave the fighting a hellish intensity, with soldiers often close enough to look their enemies in the eyes.
For a correspondent who has covered a half dozen armed conflicts, including the war in Iraq since its start in March 2003, the fighting seen while traveling with a frontline unit in Falluja was a qualitatively different experience, a leap into a different kind of battle.
.................
Despite their youth, the marines seemed to tower over their peers outside the military in maturity and guts. Many of Bravo Company's best marines, its most proficient killers, were 19 and 20 years old; some directed their comrades in maneuvers and assaults. Bravo Company's three lieutenants, each responsible for the lives of about 50 men, were 23 and 24 years old.
They are a strangely anonymous bunch. The men who fight America's wars seem invariably to come from little towns and medium-size cities far away from the nation's arteries along the coast. Line up a group of marines and ask them where they are from, and they will give you a list of places like Pearland, Tex.; Lodi, Ohio; Osawatomie, Kan.
Typical of the marines who fought in Falluja was Chad Ritchie, a 22-year-old corporal from Keezletown, Va. Corporal Ritchie, a soft-spoken, bespectacled intelligence officer, said he was happy to be out of the tiny place where he grew up, though he admitted that he sometimes missed the good times on Friday nights in the fields.
"We'd have a bonfire, and back the trucks up on it, and open up the backs, and someone would always have some speakers," Corporal Ritchie said. "We'd drink beer, tell stories."
Like many of the young men in Bravo Company, Corporal Ritchie said he had joined the Marines because he yearned for an adventure greater than his small town could offer.
"The guys who stayed, they're all living with their parents, making $7 an hour," Corporal Ritchie said. "I'm not going to be one of those people who gets old and says, 'I wish I had done this. I wish I had done that.' Every once in a while, you've got to do something hard, do something you're not comfortable with. A person needs a gut check."
..............
Time and again through the week, Captain Omohundro kept his men from folding, if not by his resolute manner then by his calmness under fire. In the first 16 hours of battle, when the combat was continuous and the threat of death ever present, Captain Omohundro never flinched, moving his men through the warrens and back alleys of Falluja with an uncanny sense of space and time, sensing the enemy, sensing the location of his men, even in the darkness, entirely self-possessed.
"Damn it, get moving," Captain Omohundro said, and his men, looking relieved that they had been given direction amid the anarchy, were only too happy to oblige.
A little later, Captain Omohundro, a 34-year-old Texan, allowed that the strain of the battle had weighed on him, but he said that he had long ago trained himself to keep any self-doubt hidden from view.
"It's not like I don't feel it," Captain Omohundro said. "But if I were to show it, the whole thing would come apart."
When the heavy fighting was finally over, a dog began to follow Bravo Company through Falluja's broken streets. First it lay down in the road outside one of the buildings the company had occupied, between troop carriers. Then, as the troops moved on, the mangy dog slinked behind them, first on a series of house searches, then on a foot patrol, always keeping its distance, but never letting the marines out of its sight.
Bravo Company, looking a bit ragged itself as it moved up through Falluja, momentarily fell out of its single-file line.
"Keep a sharp eye," Captain Omohundro told his men. "We ain't done with this war yet."
During this Thanksgiving season be sure to offer a prayer or two for these courageous soldiers. If you have a friend of family member in the service, please thank them for their service and sacrifice. They who serve and you who support them are true heroes of this generation.
Excerpts:
FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 18 - Eight days after the Americans entered the city on foot, a pair of marines wound their way up the darkened innards of a minaret, shot through with holes by an American tank.
As the marines inched upward, a burst of gunfire rang down, fired by an insurgent hiding in the top of the tower. The bullets hit the first marine in the face, his blood spattering the marine behind him. The marine in the rear tumbled backward down the stairwell, while Lance Cpl. William Miller, age 22, lay in silence halfway up, mortally wounded.
"Miller!" the marines called from below. "Miller!"
With that, the marines' near mystical commandment against leaving a comrade behind seized the group. One after another, the young marines dashed into the minaret, into darkness and into gunfire, and wound their way up the stairs.
After four attempts, Corporal Miller's lifeless body emerged from the tower, his comrades choking and covered with dust. With more insurgents closing in, the marines ran through volleys of machine-gun fire back to their base.
"I was trying to be careful, but I was trying to get him out, you know what I'm saying?" Lance Cpl. Michael Gogin, 19, said afterward.
So went eight days of combat for this Iraqi city, the most sustained period of street-to-street fighting that Americans have encountered since the Vietnam War. The proximity gave the fighting a hellish intensity, with soldiers often close enough to look their enemies in the eyes.
For a correspondent who has covered a half dozen armed conflicts, including the war in Iraq since its start in March 2003, the fighting seen while traveling with a frontline unit in Falluja was a qualitatively different experience, a leap into a different kind of battle.
.................
Despite their youth, the marines seemed to tower over their peers outside the military in maturity and guts. Many of Bravo Company's best marines, its most proficient killers, were 19 and 20 years old; some directed their comrades in maneuvers and assaults. Bravo Company's three lieutenants, each responsible for the lives of about 50 men, were 23 and 24 years old.
They are a strangely anonymous bunch. The men who fight America's wars seem invariably to come from little towns and medium-size cities far away from the nation's arteries along the coast. Line up a group of marines and ask them where they are from, and they will give you a list of places like Pearland, Tex.; Lodi, Ohio; Osawatomie, Kan.
Typical of the marines who fought in Falluja was Chad Ritchie, a 22-year-old corporal from Keezletown, Va. Corporal Ritchie, a soft-spoken, bespectacled intelligence officer, said he was happy to be out of the tiny place where he grew up, though he admitted that he sometimes missed the good times on Friday nights in the fields.
"We'd have a bonfire, and back the trucks up on it, and open up the backs, and someone would always have some speakers," Corporal Ritchie said. "We'd drink beer, tell stories."
Like many of the young men in Bravo Company, Corporal Ritchie said he had joined the Marines because he yearned for an adventure greater than his small town could offer.
"The guys who stayed, they're all living with their parents, making $7 an hour," Corporal Ritchie said. "I'm not going to be one of those people who gets old and says, 'I wish I had done this. I wish I had done that.' Every once in a while, you've got to do something hard, do something you're not comfortable with. A person needs a gut check."
..............
Time and again through the week, Captain Omohundro kept his men from folding, if not by his resolute manner then by his calmness under fire. In the first 16 hours of battle, when the combat was continuous and the threat of death ever present, Captain Omohundro never flinched, moving his men through the warrens and back alleys of Falluja with an uncanny sense of space and time, sensing the enemy, sensing the location of his men, even in the darkness, entirely self-possessed.
"Damn it, get moving," Captain Omohundro said, and his men, looking relieved that they had been given direction amid the anarchy, were only too happy to oblige.
A little later, Captain Omohundro, a 34-year-old Texan, allowed that the strain of the battle had weighed on him, but he said that he had long ago trained himself to keep any self-doubt hidden from view.
"It's not like I don't feel it," Captain Omohundro said. "But if I were to show it, the whole thing would come apart."
When the heavy fighting was finally over, a dog began to follow Bravo Company through Falluja's broken streets. First it lay down in the road outside one of the buildings the company had occupied, between troop carriers. Then, as the troops moved on, the mangy dog slinked behind them, first on a series of house searches, then on a foot patrol, always keeping its distance, but never letting the marines out of its sight.
Bravo Company, looking a bit ragged itself as it moved up through Falluja, momentarily fell out of its single-file line.
"Keep a sharp eye," Captain Omohundro told his men. "We ain't done with this war yet."
During this Thanksgiving season be sure to offer a prayer or two for these courageous soldiers. If you have a friend of family member in the service, please thank them for their service and sacrifice. They who serve and you who support them are true heroes of this generation.
Go Anteaters!
Anteaters win their opener against CSU Dominguez Hills. Excerpt from LAT:
Before making a foray into more dicey college basketball territory, UC Irvine broke a sweat Friday, routing Cal State Dominguez Hills, 106-69, in front of 1,487 at the Bren Events Center.I'll be rooting for the 'Eaters on Monday and the Bruins on Saturday!
The Anteaters play USC on Monday and UCLA next Saturday.
"Basically, we just want to have a presence on the court [in those games]," Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said.
"I don't know if we can upset them on their courts, but I want our players have confidence and believe in themselves."
Go Bruins!
Bruins win home opener, 64-53 over Chicago State. Excerpts from LAT:
There were smiles all around, plenty of back-slapping and hugging. If anybody wanted to nit-pick about bobbled passes or being turned around defensively by small, quick city guards and giving up too many layups or letting an undermanned opponent dictate the tempo, this wasn't the day.And here are some observations from a friend of mine who is a huge Bruin fan:
Because opening day should be about the positives.
UCLA beat Chicago State, 64-53, Saturday in Pauley Pavilion, and the Bruins didn't need any last-second heroics (remember the home opener against Vermont last year, one-point win, nail biter to the end?).
To say the least, Howland's got some players this year. Both Farmer and Affalo are the real thing! I enjoy watching guys who can play defense and finish. They are young and make some mistakes ... Nevertheless UCLA should be good to watch [this year].
LA Dining: Cafe Du Village
Being an LA based blog I should blog more about dining out. I eat out for dinner once to twice a week and so reviewing restaurants would be simple way to get blog posts and might actually be useful to my readership both regular and accidental!
So I recently ate at Cafe Du Village.
Food:
I had the Lake Michigan Whitefish. Yum! It came with broccoli, carrot, green beans and mashed potatoes. The fish was cooked just right (when eating out the most common mistake is overcooking fish!) and topped with bits of tomato, capers and thin slices of lemon to give it a hint of that flavor without being overwhelming. The salad that came with the dinner was good too!
Service:
I see in the Citysearch reviews there were some complaints about slow service. It was just fine the night I ate there.
Atmosphere:
It is a cute little place on Larchmont. Agree on the beautiful people watching comments in Citysearch as Larchmont is that kind of area. When I went to the bathroom, there is only one, I noticed the patio out back which a couple had to themselves that night. The main dining area was close to full with the sound of conversations bouncing everywhere so it isn't a quiet candle-lighted date type of place but still I'd give it the green-light for a romantic dinner. Probably not great for kids or large parties.
Price:
Entrees are in the $14-18 range. Our party of four (eating three entrees) paid $64 not including tips.
139 1/2 N Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004-3704
Phone: (323) 466-3996
So I recently ate at Cafe Du Village.
Food:
I had the Lake Michigan Whitefish. Yum! It came with broccoli, carrot, green beans and mashed potatoes. The fish was cooked just right (when eating out the most common mistake is overcooking fish!) and topped with bits of tomato, capers and thin slices of lemon to give it a hint of that flavor without being overwhelming. The salad that came with the dinner was good too!
Service:
I see in the Citysearch reviews there were some complaints about slow service. It was just fine the night I ate there.
Atmosphere:
It is a cute little place on Larchmont. Agree on the beautiful people watching comments in Citysearch as Larchmont is that kind of area. When I went to the bathroom, there is only one, I noticed the patio out back which a couple had to themselves that night. The main dining area was close to full with the sound of conversations bouncing everywhere so it isn't a quiet candle-lighted date type of place but still I'd give it the green-light for a romantic dinner. Probably not great for kids or large parties.
Price:
Entrees are in the $14-18 range. Our party of four (eating three entrees) paid $64 not including tips.
139 1/2 N Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004-3704
Phone: (323) 466-3996
UN problems
Here is an item reporting problems at the UN leading to a symbolic no confidence vote on UN administration.
Excerpt: Union officials said the final straw was Annan’s decision this week to clear a senior U.N. official on charges of favoritism and sexual harassment.
............
The vote was also in response to Annan's failure to accept the “honorable action” of the deputy secretary-general who tried to resign as a result of the bombing of the 2003 United Nations building in Baghdad that killed 22 staff members.
Additionally, U.N. workers are unhappy with leaders for failing to hold accountable the chef de cabinet, whose son was hired to work there in violation of staff rules.
Another concern is the ongoing internal investigation into the Oil-for-Food scandal. At issue is whether a senior U.N. official accepted bribes in exchange for diverting the Oil-for-Food program funds meant as aid for impoverished Iraqis directly to former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein.
I think I heard radio reports that says the Oil-for-Food scandal is in the billions of dollars.
And there is this item over at Instapundit quoting WSJ's Claudia Rosett who has been on the story for months and often appears as a guest on Hugh Hewitt's radio program. Rosett puts the number at $21 billion.
Excerpt: Union officials said the final straw was Annan’s decision this week to clear a senior U.N. official on charges of favoritism and sexual harassment.
............
The vote was also in response to Annan's failure to accept the “honorable action” of the deputy secretary-general who tried to resign as a result of the bombing of the 2003 United Nations building in Baghdad that killed 22 staff members.
Additionally, U.N. workers are unhappy with leaders for failing to hold accountable the chef de cabinet, whose son was hired to work there in violation of staff rules.
Another concern is the ongoing internal investigation into the Oil-for-Food scandal. At issue is whether a senior U.N. official accepted bribes in exchange for diverting the Oil-for-Food program funds meant as aid for impoverished Iraqis directly to former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein.
I think I heard radio reports that says the Oil-for-Food scandal is in the billions of dollars.
And there is this item over at Instapundit quoting WSJ's Claudia Rosett who has been on the story for months and often appears as a guest on Hugh Hewitt's radio program. Rosett puts the number at $21 billion.
Michele's Musings: Two Essays on Arafat's Legacy
The view from NYT's Tom Friedman. It also appeared in the International Herald Tribune (IHT).
A European view in the IHT from Daniel Barenboim.
A European view in the IHT from Daniel Barenboim.
Purpose Driven Life: thoughts from a hospital bed
I started reading the Purpose Driven Life (PDL) in early October. I even joined a small reading group to go through the book with. We met once. The following week on Tuesday (our scheduled meeting time) I called to say I wasn't feeling well and would miss the second meeting. That meeting was on October 12 which was when my stomach ache started which lead to the October 13 just after midnight ER visit and the afternoon surgery.
I had not gotten far in the book. But I had gotten far enough for Rick Warren to introduce what he believes to be the five purposes of our life from the Bible. (1) Worship God (2) Love People (3) Grow to be like Jesus (4) Serve Others (5) Tell Others about Jesus.
When I was in the hospital, I slept irregularly. About every 4 hours my vital signs were taken (temperature and blood pressure). Sometimes I would fall asleep quickly after the vitals check up but sometimes I would remain awake and stare at the ceiling wondering ... hmmm... what is the "big picture" to this experience of surgery and tubes and needles in and out of my body?
I thought about the PDL book and those five purposes.
Well... I guess talking to God constituted a form of worship! I thanked God for various things (especially people who are a part of my life) and expressed my worries about what was happening. One part of worshiping God is recognizing that God is God and I'm not.
As for love... I was at the receiving end of a lot of it. I was at a place where there was little I could give to others than to pray for them at 3am in the morning and thank them when they would talk to me. So in some way, for that moment, my purpose was to allow others to love me.
As for maturity... I hope I've grown as a human being as a result of this brush with mortality. I hope I am a little more like Jesus because of what I went through.
As for service... I was at the receiving end of a lot of it. There was little I could do for myself at the hospital. Outside of the hospital recovering at home for the first couple of weeks, I could do a bit more but still not a whole lot. I confess I alternated between frustration that I was so helpless and grateful that there were people who would help me.
I have to say I found myself thinking about what my life will be like when I'm old and everyone I have known and loved has since died and there would be no one to care for me when I am unable to care for myself. I really admire deacons in the church who serve the elderly because they simply want to fulfill God's command to love others!
As for sharing Christ... I hope people can see that Christians care for each other and pray for each other and I hope the way I reacted to my ailment was a testimony for Christ.
I recently saw part of the film Braveheart. At the end, William Wallace has to face a painful death. He does so with faith and courage that only confidence in God allows.
I didn't face death in what I went through but it was at times a bit scary. In the not too distant past one could die from a bowel obstruction. And in many parts of the world today where there are no hospitals my obstruction of the small intestine would have resulted in death. But here in the USA, it is quite treatable.
Death may come suddenly in our modern world (auto accidents or heart attacks) but it could also come in a lingering way (a stroke that doesn't kill but disables or a long struggle with cancer). I hope I will be able to face death well.
In the meantime, I hope live life well for God and those God places in my life.
I had not gotten far in the book. But I had gotten far enough for Rick Warren to introduce what he believes to be the five purposes of our life from the Bible. (1) Worship God (2) Love People (3) Grow to be like Jesus (4) Serve Others (5) Tell Others about Jesus.
When I was in the hospital, I slept irregularly. About every 4 hours my vital signs were taken (temperature and blood pressure). Sometimes I would fall asleep quickly after the vitals check up but sometimes I would remain awake and stare at the ceiling wondering ... hmmm... what is the "big picture" to this experience of surgery and tubes and needles in and out of my body?
I thought about the PDL book and those five purposes.
Well... I guess talking to God constituted a form of worship! I thanked God for various things (especially people who are a part of my life) and expressed my worries about what was happening. One part of worshiping God is recognizing that God is God and I'm not.
As for love... I was at the receiving end of a lot of it. I was at a place where there was little I could give to others than to pray for them at 3am in the morning and thank them when they would talk to me. So in some way, for that moment, my purpose was to allow others to love me.
As for maturity... I hope I've grown as a human being as a result of this brush with mortality. I hope I am a little more like Jesus because of what I went through.
As for service... I was at the receiving end of a lot of it. There was little I could do for myself at the hospital. Outside of the hospital recovering at home for the first couple of weeks, I could do a bit more but still not a whole lot. I confess I alternated between frustration that I was so helpless and grateful that there were people who would help me.
I have to say I found myself thinking about what my life will be like when I'm old and everyone I have known and loved has since died and there would be no one to care for me when I am unable to care for myself. I really admire deacons in the church who serve the elderly because they simply want to fulfill God's command to love others!
As for sharing Christ... I hope people can see that Christians care for each other and pray for each other and I hope the way I reacted to my ailment was a testimony for Christ.
I recently saw part of the film Braveheart. At the end, William Wallace has to face a painful death. He does so with faith and courage that only confidence in God allows.
I didn't face death in what I went through but it was at times a bit scary. In the not too distant past one could die from a bowel obstruction. And in many parts of the world today where there are no hospitals my obstruction of the small intestine would have resulted in death. But here in the USA, it is quite treatable.
Death may come suddenly in our modern world (auto accidents or heart attacks) but it could also come in a lingering way (a stroke that doesn't kill but disables or a long struggle with cancer). I hope I will be able to face death well.
In the meantime, I hope live life well for God and those God places in my life.
Survey of public opinion on Iraq
I have a friend who has a child in college. One of the classes has assigned a survey research project. Check it out and help this student increase the "N" in the survey! Thanks!!
This is a fight against evil
Margaret Hassan was probably killed on the latest videotape.
Can we call those who murdered her anything less than evil?
Hassan has devoted her life to helping Iraqis through CARE.
Will Al-Jazeera show the videotape of the Islamic fanatics killing her?
Meanwhile, you can be sure Al-Jazeera will be showing the videotape of a Marine shooting a wounded insurgent.
There will be an investigation and that marine may well receive some punishment.
However, having recently watched Saving Private Ryan, I am not sure what punishment would be appropriate. In the film, there was a scene where the US Army troops are storming the beaches and some of the German soldiers attempt to surrender and they get shot.
The fact of the matter is that terrible things happen in war.
In this blog post I put two deaths side-by-side but I want to make it absolutely clear that I make NO moral equivalence between the two cases. At the very minimum, you have to say that Hassan didn't deserve to die. At the very least, you have to ask why Al-Jazeera doesn't show that side of the conflict in Iraq.
Can we call those who murdered her anything less than evil?
Hassan has devoted her life to helping Iraqis through CARE.
Will Al-Jazeera show the videotape of the Islamic fanatics killing her?
Meanwhile, you can be sure Al-Jazeera will be showing the videotape of a Marine shooting a wounded insurgent.
There will be an investigation and that marine may well receive some punishment.
However, having recently watched Saving Private Ryan, I am not sure what punishment would be appropriate. In the film, there was a scene where the US Army troops are storming the beaches and some of the German soldiers attempt to surrender and they get shot.
The fact of the matter is that terrible things happen in war.
In this blog post I put two deaths side-by-side but I want to make it absolutely clear that I make NO moral equivalence between the two cases. At the very minimum, you have to say that Hassan didn't deserve to die. At the very least, you have to ask why Al-Jazeera doesn't show that side of the conflict in Iraq.
Patton: Prayer for Good Weather
Was channel surfing this morning and came acrossAMC's broadcast of Patton the biopic with George C. Scott.
Just a handful of minutes ago, saw the famous scene about the weather prayer.
Just a handful of minutes ago, saw the famous scene about the weather prayer.
Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.Wonder what kind of prayers are being offered in Fallujah?
Legal protections vs. national security
With the news that AG John Ashcroft has resigned, there is much chatter about whether in the interests of national security he trampled on legal protections.
I was watching Newshour the other night and they had two guests who were both law professors. They were selected because they had different views of Ashcroft's tenure. Both sides sounded authoritative and factual. Who is right?
I don't know.
All I can do is blog as ordinary Joe Citizen who has no legal background and can only apply some common sense.
There is no doubt that terrorism imposes incredible challenges to the legal system because it falls outside the realms of established law.
In the USA, we have firm principles for criminal law like (1) when you detain someone you have to soon afterward charge them with a specific crime (I don't know how much time you have... I guess I haven't been paying enough attention while watching Law and Order) (2) when you put someone on trial you have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In the international law, there appears to be some principles for the conduct of war. Soldiers wear the uniform of a specific government and if captured on the battlefield are held as prisoners of war where there are certain requirements. These POWs are held until the war is over and returned to the nation they fought for.
Now, we face the challenge of terrorism.
These people can be detained by law enforcement in the USA and in other nations or by military personnel on battlefields. So are they POWs or criminals?
They usually aren't wearing the uniform of any government.
How long do you hold them?
A traditional POW is held until the end of the war but when is the war against terrorists over?
Though they may hold some state's passport they really can't be returned to that nation because they can return to being a terrorist.
Do we treat them as criminals?
If we detain them, how quickly must they be charged with a crime?
How many "things" must a person do before they could be charged with "conspiracy to commit a terrorist act?"
Does talking about it to someone constitute a conspiracy?
Does surfing the internet for information constitute a conspiracy?
Does buying equipment that could be used constitute a conspiracy?
I'm not a lawyer but how about this hypothetical:
Mrs. Smith says she wants her lying cheating husband dead. Is that a crime?
Mrs. Smith surfs the internet for guns. Is that a crime?
Mrs. Smith buys a gun. Is that a crime?
As far as I can tell, Mrs. Smith hasn't yet committed a crime?
How about this hypothetical:
A group of people discusses a terrorist plan. Is that cause to detain?
A group of people surf the internet to get maps for their target. Is that cause to detain?
A group of people go to a school to be certified to drive 18-wheelers. Is that cause to detain?
The greatness about the US legal system is that we will work it out. Yes, the Bush administration clearly pushed the boundaries on what to do and I'm hoping as time passes we will find the right response to balance national security and legal protections.
Clearly the bar is lower than "beyond a reasonable doubt" because the cost of being wrong could be another World Trade Center attack or some other kind of nightmare scenario.
How quickly will our legal system figure out that maybe somebody got detained because their name sounds too close to a known terrorist?
Or the person didn't know that the people they were associating with were terrorists?
Its tough and I'm glad we live in a country where these things can be hashed out.
In totalitarian countries, they just detain and throw away the key or detain, torture and clear out space with a bullet.
I was watching Newshour the other night and they had two guests who were both law professors. They were selected because they had different views of Ashcroft's tenure. Both sides sounded authoritative and factual. Who is right?
I don't know.
All I can do is blog as ordinary Joe Citizen who has no legal background and can only apply some common sense.
There is no doubt that terrorism imposes incredible challenges to the legal system because it falls outside the realms of established law.
In the USA, we have firm principles for criminal law like (1) when you detain someone you have to soon afterward charge them with a specific crime (I don't know how much time you have... I guess I haven't been paying enough attention while watching Law and Order) (2) when you put someone on trial you have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In the international law, there appears to be some principles for the conduct of war. Soldiers wear the uniform of a specific government and if captured on the battlefield are held as prisoners of war where there are certain requirements. These POWs are held until the war is over and returned to the nation they fought for.
Now, we face the challenge of terrorism.
These people can be detained by law enforcement in the USA and in other nations or by military personnel on battlefields. So are they POWs or criminals?
They usually aren't wearing the uniform of any government.
How long do you hold them?
A traditional POW is held until the end of the war but when is the war against terrorists over?
Though they may hold some state's passport they really can't be returned to that nation because they can return to being a terrorist.
Do we treat them as criminals?
If we detain them, how quickly must they be charged with a crime?
How many "things" must a person do before they could be charged with "conspiracy to commit a terrorist act?"
Does talking about it to someone constitute a conspiracy?
Does surfing the internet for information constitute a conspiracy?
Does buying equipment that could be used constitute a conspiracy?
I'm not a lawyer but how about this hypothetical:
Mrs. Smith says she wants her lying cheating husband dead. Is that a crime?
Mrs. Smith surfs the internet for guns. Is that a crime?
Mrs. Smith buys a gun. Is that a crime?
As far as I can tell, Mrs. Smith hasn't yet committed a crime?
How about this hypothetical:
A group of people discusses a terrorist plan. Is that cause to detain?
A group of people surf the internet to get maps for their target. Is that cause to detain?
A group of people go to a school to be certified to drive 18-wheelers. Is that cause to detain?
The greatness about the US legal system is that we will work it out. Yes, the Bush administration clearly pushed the boundaries on what to do and I'm hoping as time passes we will find the right response to balance national security and legal protections.
Clearly the bar is lower than "beyond a reasonable doubt" because the cost of being wrong could be another World Trade Center attack or some other kind of nightmare scenario.
How quickly will our legal system figure out that maybe somebody got detained because their name sounds too close to a known terrorist?
Or the person didn't know that the people they were associating with were terrorists?
Its tough and I'm glad we live in a country where these things can be hashed out.
In totalitarian countries, they just detain and throw away the key or detain, torture and clear out space with a bullet.
The Charles Shaw Story a.k.a. "Two Buck Chuck"
It all the rage. In California, you can buy it for$1.99 a bottle and people are saying it is as good as more expensive wines.
Anyway, what is the story of how Trader Joes can sell it so cheap?
Here is the story as told on TJ's own site.
And here is the story from the Urban Legend's Reference Page (snopes.com).
Turns out it is simply Econ 101 at work...
Anyway, what is the story of how Trader Joes can sell it so cheap?
Here is the story as told on TJ's own site.
And here is the story from the Urban Legend's Reference Page (snopes.com).
Turns out it is simply Econ 101 at work...
We were soldiers once ... and young
On Nov. 5-7, TNT cable is showing We Were Soldiers.
The film came out in 2002 and I remember seeing some trailers for it but never got around to seeing the film.
I was channel surfing and came across it.
The film is based on the book by Col. Moore of the same title. Col. Moore commanded the troops of the 1st battalion of the 7th calvary regiment. Ironically, it was the same unit that Gen. Custer commanded and had massacred.
The following web pages describe the battle:
http://www.lzxray.com/index.htm detailed account)
http://www.ehistory.com/vietnam/maps/0008.cfm (battlefield map)
http://www.weweresoldiers.net/index.htm (photos by Joe Galloway who was at the battle)
On the eve of the battle of Fallujah, the film moved me as it powerfully shows the chaos of the battlefield, the fierce determination of soldiers in combat and the courage of those back home.
American and Iraqi soldiers will fight soon in Fallujah. It is my hope that their blood will not be lost in vain. Freedom is not free and the Iraqis will pay for it with their own and once again America has been called upon to pay the ultimate price.
The Korean War Memorial has an inscription that says: "OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET."
Lord, have mercy.
The film came out in 2002 and I remember seeing some trailers for it but never got around to seeing the film.
I was channel surfing and came across it.
The film is based on the book by Col. Moore of the same title. Col. Moore commanded the troops of the 1st battalion of the 7th calvary regiment. Ironically, it was the same unit that Gen. Custer commanded and had massacred.
The following web pages describe the battle:
http://www.lzxray.com/index.htm detailed account)
http://www.ehistory.com/vietnam/maps/0008.cfm (battlefield map)
http://www.weweresoldiers.net/index.htm (photos by Joe Galloway who was at the battle)
On the eve of the battle of Fallujah, the film moved me as it powerfully shows the chaos of the battlefield, the fierce determination of soldiers in combat and the courage of those back home.
American and Iraqi soldiers will fight soon in Fallujah. It is my hope that their blood will not be lost in vain. Freedom is not free and the Iraqis will pay for it with their own and once again America has been called upon to pay the ultimate price.
The Korean War Memorial has an inscription that says: "OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET."
Lord, have mercy.
MISUNDERESTIMATED
That pretty much sums up the re-election of George W. Bush. The polling going into the weekend looked bad, the exit-polls on election day looked bad and guess what, Bush won.
I suppose a lot of the early voting was for Bush and the exits and weekend polling didn't pick that up.
I suppose maybe Bush voters are less willing to talk to exit-pollsters or pollsters in general.
I suppose the GOP really did improve their "ground game" and got turnout in key battleground states.
I suppose the Kerry team played it too cautious counting on flipping either Florida or Ohio and thus leaving themselves with zero options if they didn't.
Anyway, glad the fears of multi-recounts and legal battles didn't turn up and we got a clear result.
UPDATE: Bush 286 Kerry 252. In the end, the Blue State-Red State distribution was almost like 2000. Only switches were New Hampshire which went to Kerry this time and Iowa and New Mexico which switched to Bush.
I suppose a lot of the early voting was for Bush and the exits and weekend polling didn't pick that up.
I suppose maybe Bush voters are less willing to talk to exit-pollsters or pollsters in general.
I suppose the GOP really did improve their "ground game" and got turnout in key battleground states.
I suppose the Kerry team played it too cautious counting on flipping either Florida or Ohio and thus leaving themselves with zero options if they didn't.
Anyway, glad the fears of multi-recounts and legal battles didn't turn up and we got a clear result.
UPDATE: Bush 286 Kerry 252. In the end, the Blue State-Red State distribution was almost like 2000. Only switches were New Hampshire which went to Kerry this time and Iowa and New Mexico which switched to Bush.
my voting experience today
Since I'm still recovering from surgery, I had to have help getting to the polling place. My parents were kind enough to drive me to it. I was walking to the location when I saw something really strange. I saw a car with Bush-Cheney bumper stickers on it! More than one sticker I might add. Remember, this is LA!
Anyway, I had to take a peek at the driver and to my delight she was a hot-looking twenty-something lady. Our eyes met and I gave her a smile and a friendly wave and she had a big smile too.
I got to the address listed on my voter booklet and found... the polling place was shuttered. There was a sign that said, polling place moved to such and such a location.
I got back into the car and we went to the new location about 6 blocks away. I went in and it was busy but not too crowded as it was mid-day. I got my ballot and waited for my chance at an available inka-vote gadget. No more chads to poke. Now you poke with a black felt pen to make dots on the ballot. As you might guess the mascot for the public service annoucements was a dalmation.
As I marked my ballot, I heard several voters say, how does this work?
Anyway, they were helped quickly and easily.
There was one guy who had to fill out forms for provisional ballot.
We shall see what happens today.
If the polling data over the weekend is correct, it shows that the late trend is going Kerry but the question is whether it is a big enough shift to erase the slim lead Bush seemed to have held entering the weekend.
A scenario pundits are tossing out there is that the polling this year is going to be off for various technical reasons as there are too many voters flying under the polling radar.
We shall see what happens today.
Anyway, I had to take a peek at the driver and to my delight she was a hot-looking twenty-something lady. Our eyes met and I gave her a smile and a friendly wave and she had a big smile too.
I got to the address listed on my voter booklet and found... the polling place was shuttered. There was a sign that said, polling place moved to such and such a location.
I got back into the car and we went to the new location about 6 blocks away. I went in and it was busy but not too crowded as it was mid-day. I got my ballot and waited for my chance at an available inka-vote gadget. No more chads to poke. Now you poke with a black felt pen to make dots on the ballot. As you might guess the mascot for the public service annoucements was a dalmation.
As I marked my ballot, I heard several voters say, how does this work?
Anyway, they were helped quickly and easily.
There was one guy who had to fill out forms for provisional ballot.
We shall see what happens today.
If the polling data over the weekend is correct, it shows that the late trend is going Kerry but the question is whether it is a big enough shift to erase the slim lead Bush seemed to have held entering the weekend.
A scenario pundits are tossing out there is that the polling this year is going to be off for various technical reasons as there are too many voters flying under the polling radar.
We shall see what happens today.
election prediction
Popular vote: 49-49 with either Bush or Kerry winning by 500,000 to 1,000,000 votes nationally.
Electoral votes: two scenarios -- (1) an early end to the evening where Bush pulls off the trifecta in PA, FL and OH and rolls to a win with around 300 electoral votes; (2) the night drags on and on which I think favors Kerry who would then win with a little over the minimum 270.
My wild guess Bush 309 Kerry 229.
Electoral votes: two scenarios -- (1) an early end to the evening where Bush pulls off the trifecta in PA, FL and OH and rolls to a win with around 300 electoral votes; (2) the night drags on and on which I think favors Kerry who would then win with a little over the minimum 270.
My wild guess Bush 309 Kerry 229.
Cal Ballot Issues
Having been the hospital, I haven't had much time to figure out the lengthy California ballot for this November. My approach is to vote NO unless given a pretty good reason to vote YES. Here are some links to help you decide: recommendations from LA Times, SF Chronicle and Frank Pastore (talkradio host).
As of this writing, Pastore has YES recommendations for 1A, 59, 60 and 60A. The Los Angeles Times is recommending YES on 1A, 59, 62, 64, 66 and 71. The SF Chronicle editors are recommending YES votes for 59, 62, 63, 64, 66 and 71.
Thus, all three (2 liberal big city papers and 1 conservative talk radio host) of these sources are either against or silent about: 61, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72.
So let's take a look at the ones they are saying yes to. Here is some information on 1A.
excerpt:
Proposition 1A is a historic bipartisan agreement among local governments, public safety leaders, the State Legislature, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is authored by Democratic State Senator Tom Torlakson.
Proposition 1A prevents the State from taking and using funding that local governments need to provide services like fire and paramedic response, law enforcement, health care, parks, and libraries.
Sounds good to me. RR recommends a YES.
What is 59 about?
Excerpt:
You have the right to decide how open your government should be. That's why Proposition 59 was unanimously passed by the Legislature and it is the reason widely diverse organizations support the Sunshine Amendment, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the League of California Cities.
Okay, I'm for more openness in government. RR recommends a YES.
Here is some information on prop 60 which seems to be a companion to 62.
Excerpt:
(about 60) SCA 18 (Resolution Chapter 103, 2004), Primary elections: surplus state property.
(about 62) Changes to Primary System. This measure amends both the State Constitution and state statutes to make changes to primary elections. For most state and federal elected offices, this measure allows voters-including those not affiliated with a political party-to vote for any candidate regardless of the candidate's political party. The measure applies to the election of state constitutional officers, members of the Legislature, and members of Congress. The measure, however, does not apply to the election of the U.S. President or political party committees. If approved, the new system would be used beginning with the March 2006 primary.
I don't get it? Why is prop 60 fusing 2 completely separate issues together? And I think 62 sounds crazy. As much as we may sometimes dislike political parties, they do represent points of view and to erase their roles in the primary process seems excessive.
RR is recommending NO votes on 60 and 62.
UPDATE: Looks like I mis-read 60 and it doesn't fuse two things. I must have been loopy when I was reading it. Nonetheless, 60 sounds like it really doesn't do much while 62 goes back to the previous "open primary" system we had briefly. The "open primary" idea is an interesting way to force more moderate candidates to the fore in all races except for presidential nominee and party committee positions. I can see why some folks support 62 though I remain a NO vote on that one.
60A sounds like the 2nd half of 60 standing alone?
Excerpt:
PROPOSITION 60A gives voters the chance to reduce the cost of the bonds they overwhelmingly approved in March as part of Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to help ease the state's budget crisis.
Unfortunately, those bonds carry a high price in the form of interest payments. There is a solution. Experts estimate California has more than $1,000,000,000 worth of surplus property. By requiring that proceeds from the sale of all such surplus property be used to help pay off the bonds early, PROPOSITION 60A COULD DRAMATICALLY LOWER COSTS TO TAXPAYERS.
Makes sense to me. RR kindly suggests a YES vote on 60A.
UPDATE: 61 sounds nice. I mean who could be against Children's Hospital Projects? But as usual, I'm concerned with how it is funded. For other good causes but with questionable funding methods see concerns about 63, 67 and 72. Reluctantly, I'm a NO vote on 61. Does this make me a cold-hearted conservative-libertarian?
UPDATE: For 62, see above comments on 60.
How about prop 63?
Excerpt:
This proposition establishes a state personal income tax surcharge of 1 percent on taxpayers with annual taxable incomes of more than $1 million. Funds resulting from the surcharge would be used to expand county mental health programs.
I don't make over $1 million a year. The cause is a good one. So I can sit here and say soak the rich for a good cause. But, RR has to recommend a NO vote on this. What if millionaires opt to take up residence in other states to avoid this additional tax? The revenue stream for this good cause will run dry. What happens in bad economic times when those millionaires income falls slightly below $1 million? Again the revenue dries up. Its a good cause but not a good way to fund it.
What is prop 64 all about?
Excerpt:
There's a LOOPHOLE IN CALIFORNIA LAW that allows private lawyers to file frivolous lawsuits against small businesses even though they have no client or evidence that anyone was damaged or misled. Shakedown lawyers "appoint" themselves to act like the Attorney General and file lawsuits on behalf of the people of the State of California, demanding thousands of dollars from small businesses that can't afford to fight in court.
Closing that loophole sounds reasonable to me. RR requests you consider a YES vote on this item.
UPDATE: I don't get 65? Can somebody clarify what is going on here? If I don't get it, it gets a NO vote.
66 looks to modify the current "Three Strikes" law.
Excerpt:
(pro side)Ten years ago, voters were asked to pass tougher sentences for repeat violent criminals. We approved the Three Strikes law because that's what we were told it would do.
We weren't told that Three Strikes would also lock up nonviolent, petty offenders for life.
VOTING YES ON PROPOSITION 66 WILL RESTORE THREE STRIKES TO ITS PROMISE AND THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF VOTERS.
(con side) Don't be fooled. Proposition 66 won't protect children or save tax money. It creates a new legal loophole for convicted criminals that will cost taxpayers millions of dollars and flood our streets with thousands of dangerous felons, including rapists, child molesters, and murderers. That's why Proposition 66 is strongly opposed by every major public safety, taxpayer, and child protection group in California...
Hmmm, this is a tough one. I'm open to being pursuaded on this one. I'm all for strong law enforcement but if we really are locking people up for minor things then the law needs tinkering. Whether this is the right tinkering I don't know. At this moment I'm leaning to a NO vote.
UPDATE: 67 is the phone tax for emergency medical services. Good cause, lousy funding mechanism. NO on this one. Is the cold-mean-conservative libertarian label sticking on me?
UPDATE: 68 and 70 are Indian gaming regulatory initiatives. Too confusing. The Arnold is against both. 'Nuff said, NO on both.
UPDATE: 69 is the DNA database for crime fighting. I'm a law-and-order type BUT this seems to go too far. I can't see how this is going to survive some kind of 4th Amendment challenge. I'm going with a NO vote here. Does this make me a liberal who supports criminals?
UPDATE: 70 - see comments above on 68.
71 is the controversial Stem Cell Research proposition.
Excerpt:
Establishes "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" to regulate stem cell research and provide funding, through grants and loans, for such research and research facilities. Establishes constitutional right to conduct stem cell research; prohibits Institute's funding of human reproductive cloning research. Establishes oversight committee to govern Institute. Provides General Fund loan up to $3 million for Institute's initial administration/implementation costs. Authorizes issuance of general obligation bonds to finance Institute activities up to $3 billion subject to annual limit of $350 million.
As a pro-life person, I have moral qualms about using embryo stem cells. There is a line in the sand somewhere about what we should and should not do for saving life and I'm not comfortable crossing this line. RR requests a NO vote on 71.
UDPATE: 72 is complicated. Mandates on businesses for health care might drive businesses out of California and make those that stay have a harder time. Good cause but I'm not sure this is the way to do it. NO on 72. The cold-mean-ruthless conservative-libertarian tag once again, eh?
Okay, that is my quick take on the ballot measures. Am open to persuasion.
As of this writing, Pastore has YES recommendations for 1A, 59, 60 and 60A. The Los Angeles Times is recommending YES on 1A, 59, 62, 64, 66 and 71. The SF Chronicle editors are recommending YES votes for 59, 62, 63, 64, 66 and 71.
Thus, all three (2 liberal big city papers and 1 conservative talk radio host) of these sources are either against or silent about: 61, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72.
So let's take a look at the ones they are saying yes to. Here is some information on 1A.
excerpt:
Proposition 1A is a historic bipartisan agreement among local governments, public safety leaders, the State Legislature, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is authored by Democratic State Senator Tom Torlakson.
Proposition 1A prevents the State from taking and using funding that local governments need to provide services like fire and paramedic response, law enforcement, health care, parks, and libraries.
Sounds good to me. RR recommends a YES.
What is 59 about?
Excerpt:
You have the right to decide how open your government should be. That's why Proposition 59 was unanimously passed by the Legislature and it is the reason widely diverse organizations support the Sunshine Amendment, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the League of California Cities.
Okay, I'm for more openness in government. RR recommends a YES.
Here is some information on prop 60 which seems to be a companion to 62.
Excerpt:
(about 60) SCA 18 (Resolution Chapter 103, 2004), Primary elections: surplus state property.
(about 62) Changes to Primary System. This measure amends both the State Constitution and state statutes to make changes to primary elections. For most state and federal elected offices, this measure allows voters-including those not affiliated with a political party-to vote for any candidate regardless of the candidate's political party. The measure applies to the election of state constitutional officers, members of the Legislature, and members of Congress. The measure, however, does not apply to the election of the U.S. President or political party committees. If approved, the new system would be used beginning with the March 2006 primary.
I don't get it? Why is prop 60 fusing 2 completely separate issues together? And I think 62 sounds crazy. As much as we may sometimes dislike political parties, they do represent points of view and to erase their roles in the primary process seems excessive.
RR is recommending NO votes on 60 and 62.
UPDATE: Looks like I mis-read 60 and it doesn't fuse two things. I must have been loopy when I was reading it. Nonetheless, 60 sounds like it really doesn't do much while 62 goes back to the previous "open primary" system we had briefly. The "open primary" idea is an interesting way to force more moderate candidates to the fore in all races except for presidential nominee and party committee positions. I can see why some folks support 62 though I remain a NO vote on that one.
60A sounds like the 2nd half of 60 standing alone?
Excerpt:
PROPOSITION 60A gives voters the chance to reduce the cost of the bonds they overwhelmingly approved in March as part of Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to help ease the state's budget crisis.
Unfortunately, those bonds carry a high price in the form of interest payments. There is a solution. Experts estimate California has more than $1,000,000,000 worth of surplus property. By requiring that proceeds from the sale of all such surplus property be used to help pay off the bonds early, PROPOSITION 60A COULD DRAMATICALLY LOWER COSTS TO TAXPAYERS.
Makes sense to me. RR kindly suggests a YES vote on 60A.
UPDATE: 61 sounds nice. I mean who could be against Children's Hospital Projects? But as usual, I'm concerned with how it is funded. For other good causes but with questionable funding methods see concerns about 63, 67 and 72. Reluctantly, I'm a NO vote on 61. Does this make me a cold-hearted conservative-libertarian?
UPDATE: For 62, see above comments on 60.
How about prop 63?
Excerpt:
This proposition establishes a state personal income tax surcharge of 1 percent on taxpayers with annual taxable incomes of more than $1 million. Funds resulting from the surcharge would be used to expand county mental health programs.
I don't make over $1 million a year. The cause is a good one. So I can sit here and say soak the rich for a good cause. But, RR has to recommend a NO vote on this. What if millionaires opt to take up residence in other states to avoid this additional tax? The revenue stream for this good cause will run dry. What happens in bad economic times when those millionaires income falls slightly below $1 million? Again the revenue dries up. Its a good cause but not a good way to fund it.
What is prop 64 all about?
Excerpt:
There's a LOOPHOLE IN CALIFORNIA LAW that allows private lawyers to file frivolous lawsuits against small businesses even though they have no client or evidence that anyone was damaged or misled. Shakedown lawyers "appoint" themselves to act like the Attorney General and file lawsuits on behalf of the people of the State of California, demanding thousands of dollars from small businesses that can't afford to fight in court.
Closing that loophole sounds reasonable to me. RR requests you consider a YES vote on this item.
UPDATE: I don't get 65? Can somebody clarify what is going on here? If I don't get it, it gets a NO vote.
66 looks to modify the current "Three Strikes" law.
Excerpt:
(pro side)Ten years ago, voters were asked to pass tougher sentences for repeat violent criminals. We approved the Three Strikes law because that's what we were told it would do.
We weren't told that Three Strikes would also lock up nonviolent, petty offenders for life.
VOTING YES ON PROPOSITION 66 WILL RESTORE THREE STRIKES TO ITS PROMISE AND THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF VOTERS.
(con side) Don't be fooled. Proposition 66 won't protect children or save tax money. It creates a new legal loophole for convicted criminals that will cost taxpayers millions of dollars and flood our streets with thousands of dangerous felons, including rapists, child molesters, and murderers. That's why Proposition 66 is strongly opposed by every major public safety, taxpayer, and child protection group in California...
Hmmm, this is a tough one. I'm open to being pursuaded on this one. I'm all for strong law enforcement but if we really are locking people up for minor things then the law needs tinkering. Whether this is the right tinkering I don't know. At this moment I'm leaning to a NO vote.
UPDATE: 67 is the phone tax for emergency medical services. Good cause, lousy funding mechanism. NO on this one. Is the cold-mean-conservative libertarian label sticking on me?
UPDATE: 68 and 70 are Indian gaming regulatory initiatives. Too confusing. The Arnold is against both. 'Nuff said, NO on both.
UPDATE: 69 is the DNA database for crime fighting. I'm a law-and-order type BUT this seems to go too far. I can't see how this is going to survive some kind of 4th Amendment challenge. I'm going with a NO vote here. Does this make me a liberal who supports criminals?
UPDATE: 70 - see comments above on 68.
71 is the controversial Stem Cell Research proposition.
Excerpt:
Establishes "California Institute for Regenerative Medicine" to regulate stem cell research and provide funding, through grants and loans, for such research and research facilities. Establishes constitutional right to conduct stem cell research; prohibits Institute's funding of human reproductive cloning research. Establishes oversight committee to govern Institute. Provides General Fund loan up to $3 million for Institute's initial administration/implementation costs. Authorizes issuance of general obligation bonds to finance Institute activities up to $3 billion subject to annual limit of $350 million.
As a pro-life person, I have moral qualms about using embryo stem cells. There is a line in the sand somewhere about what we should and should not do for saving life and I'm not comfortable crossing this line. RR requests a NO vote on 71.
UDPATE: 72 is complicated. Mandates on businesses for health care might drive businesses out of California and make those that stay have a harder time. Good cause but I'm not sure this is the way to do it. NO on 72. The cold-mean-ruthless conservative-libertarian tag once again, eh?
Okay, that is my quick take on the ballot measures. Am open to persuasion.
Life: and still more health blogging
She's an angel.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile. A soothing voice.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile. A soothing voice. I can't remember much of what she said.
I said, today is Wednesday, I had surgery. Everything went okay right?
She said, it went well. The slight smirk in her smile led me to believe this wasn't the first time we had this conversation.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile. A soothing voice. The gurney was rolling and she said something about you're doing great so we can move you to the next floor now.
Fade to black.
Post-surgery, I guess there is a holding area where the patient is under the very watchful eye of the post-op staff. At some point though, we come out of the haze and can get moved to the regular ward. The rest of Wednesday afternoon and evening would be in 8 South. My memories of that night are very sketchy. The TV was on and I heard familiar voices and I remembered that was the night of the third presidential debate. The debate or news coverage of it was playing on the TV, I can't remember which. I heard the sounds of baseball but I can't remember whether it was the ALCS or the NLCS.
Periodically, a nurse would come by to take my temperature, blood pressure, pulse, measure the urinary output in the Foley bag, check the nasal-gastric tube, check the IV and ask about nausea and pain.
One post-op complication is infection hence the temperature checks. Also, the other bag on the IV pole was antibiotics.
The blood pressure measurements are probably to check for internal bleeding. One's BP falls and pulse rises when there is internal bleeding.
Nausea can be a problem because stuff can sit in the stomach because my intestinal tract was asleep from all the trauma of the obstruction and the handling they received from the surgeon who had to correct the problem. The nasal-gastric tube that was aspirating stomach contents when working properly reduces the nausea problem but they ask to be sure.
And of course, there is pain. I could feel a dull but persistent pain in the area of the incision. The nurse can give 0.5 mg of pain medicine to help. I did opt for the shot on some occasions.
The other post-op complication is the possibility of blood clots. Surgical patients don't move around much so blood clots can form in areas of low circulation. Hence, I had pants hooked up to a pump. About once a minute, the pump activates and squeezes my legs to increase circulation.
There is also a device to exercise the lungs by inhaling to move round balls inside a container. The goal is to eventually be able to get all three balls moving. The first day I could just manage to get the first ball aloft.
On Thursday morning, the very first thing on the agenda was to get out of bed and walk. This effort helps the circulation, speeds the reawakening of the intestines and gets your lungs to work.
I never knew how often one uses abdominal muscles until this experience. Coughing, breathing deeply and rolling out of bed all hurt like crazy because I had a 4-6 inch wound in my abdomen. I did manage with assistance to get out of bed and leaning on the IV pole, I walked maybe 25 feet before turning back and falling asleep on the chair while the staff changed the linens on the bed.
As the day went on, I walked a few more times, each time going a little further.
As the days went on, the walks became easier and even something to look forward to as an excuse to get out of my hospital bed and room.
Being young and healthy meant that I should recover fairly normally. One nice thing the hospital provided was a handout on what to expect in the 7 days in the hospital which is the typical stay for my condition. As a patient, you often feel anxiety at not knowing what is going on and whether or not one is on track with recovery. The handout indicated what to expect each day which was re-assuring because what was happening with me was quite normal.
The Foley tube came out on the weekend. The Nasal-Gastric tube came out on Monday. The IV came out Tuesday morning and I was out of the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
A huge thank you goes out to family and friends who supported me and encouraged me through this experience. And a really huge thank you and SHOUT OUT goes to the doctors and nurses of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who took care of me in the Emergency Room, Operating Room, pre- and post-op and in recovery on 8 South. You all are the BEST!
As a person of faith in Jesus, I found hope and comfort in drawing near to God during this time. I found my heart thankful that God provides people of medical talent and compassion to care for people in hospitals. I found myself amazed at the human body. 99.999% of the time, the intestines work normally and we don’t have to even think about it. Even though I was in the hospital because it malfunctioned, in a week it was working again. And overall, without any conscious effort on my part, my body was repairing itself.
In some of the post-midnight hours as I stared at the ceiling, I would pray to God. Yes, there were some fears, I am only human. But most of the time there was gratitude.
When the fears would come, I found comfort in praying the familiar Lord's Prayer. Give us this day our daily bread as a phrase took on new meaning as I lay there. Keeping the perspective of one day at a time and recognizing God’s provision helped.
Oddly, at times, I found myself recollecting the Ten Commandments. I don't know why but it came to mind regularly. Can you name all ten? Anyway, I would go one-by-one and think about each one. I have to say I did dwell mostly on the first four which pertain to my attitude towards God. It is all familiar stuff but I found it soothing and re-assuring in my time of anxiety.
Well, that is my story. I am resting at home. I feel like a cat: I sleep, I drink water, I eat little meals here and there, I take little walks for exercise and I sleep.
Being a young person who likes an active life, it is hard. But I tell myself, my body is at work repairing itself. It is at work and active. It is just different and invisible. One friend said your body has just undergone a major trauma and it needs to recover, give yourself that time.
If you have stumbled onto this blog and have either undergone surgery or know someone who has, I hoped that these three entries have helped a little. I know going over it in writing helps me process the experience. Feel free to post questions or observations in the comments section.
Part I, Part II, Part III.
Disclaimer: The material above is a description of my health experience. Though I have attempted to be accurate I am not a medical professional. If you are in need of actual medical advice, please contact your physician.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile. A soothing voice.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile. A soothing voice. I can't remember much of what she said.
I said, today is Wednesday, I had surgery. Everything went okay right?
She said, it went well. The slight smirk in her smile led me to believe this wasn't the first time we had this conversation.
Fade to black.
She's an angel. A lovely face. A re-assuring smile. A soothing voice. The gurney was rolling and she said something about you're doing great so we can move you to the next floor now.
Fade to black.
Post-surgery, I guess there is a holding area where the patient is under the very watchful eye of the post-op staff. At some point though, we come out of the haze and can get moved to the regular ward. The rest of Wednesday afternoon and evening would be in 8 South. My memories of that night are very sketchy. The TV was on and I heard familiar voices and I remembered that was the night of the third presidential debate. The debate or news coverage of it was playing on the TV, I can't remember which. I heard the sounds of baseball but I can't remember whether it was the ALCS or the NLCS.
Periodically, a nurse would come by to take my temperature, blood pressure, pulse, measure the urinary output in the Foley bag, check the nasal-gastric tube, check the IV and ask about nausea and pain.
One post-op complication is infection hence the temperature checks. Also, the other bag on the IV pole was antibiotics.
The blood pressure measurements are probably to check for internal bleeding. One's BP falls and pulse rises when there is internal bleeding.
Nausea can be a problem because stuff can sit in the stomach because my intestinal tract was asleep from all the trauma of the obstruction and the handling they received from the surgeon who had to correct the problem. The nasal-gastric tube that was aspirating stomach contents when working properly reduces the nausea problem but they ask to be sure.
And of course, there is pain. I could feel a dull but persistent pain in the area of the incision. The nurse can give 0.5 mg of pain medicine to help. I did opt for the shot on some occasions.
The other post-op complication is the possibility of blood clots. Surgical patients don't move around much so blood clots can form in areas of low circulation. Hence, I had pants hooked up to a pump. About once a minute, the pump activates and squeezes my legs to increase circulation.
There is also a device to exercise the lungs by inhaling to move round balls inside a container. The goal is to eventually be able to get all three balls moving. The first day I could just manage to get the first ball aloft.
On Thursday morning, the very first thing on the agenda was to get out of bed and walk. This effort helps the circulation, speeds the reawakening of the intestines and gets your lungs to work.
I never knew how often one uses abdominal muscles until this experience. Coughing, breathing deeply and rolling out of bed all hurt like crazy because I had a 4-6 inch wound in my abdomen. I did manage with assistance to get out of bed and leaning on the IV pole, I walked maybe 25 feet before turning back and falling asleep on the chair while the staff changed the linens on the bed.
As the day went on, I walked a few more times, each time going a little further.
As the days went on, the walks became easier and even something to look forward to as an excuse to get out of my hospital bed and room.
Being young and healthy meant that I should recover fairly normally. One nice thing the hospital provided was a handout on what to expect in the 7 days in the hospital which is the typical stay for my condition. As a patient, you often feel anxiety at not knowing what is going on and whether or not one is on track with recovery. The handout indicated what to expect each day which was re-assuring because what was happening with me was quite normal.
The Foley tube came out on the weekend. The Nasal-Gastric tube came out on Monday. The IV came out Tuesday morning and I was out of the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
A huge thank you goes out to family and friends who supported me and encouraged me through this experience. And a really huge thank you and SHOUT OUT goes to the doctors and nurses of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who took care of me in the Emergency Room, Operating Room, pre- and post-op and in recovery on 8 South. You all are the BEST!
As a person of faith in Jesus, I found hope and comfort in drawing near to God during this time. I found my heart thankful that God provides people of medical talent and compassion to care for people in hospitals. I found myself amazed at the human body. 99.999% of the time, the intestines work normally and we don’t have to even think about it. Even though I was in the hospital because it malfunctioned, in a week it was working again. And overall, without any conscious effort on my part, my body was repairing itself.
In some of the post-midnight hours as I stared at the ceiling, I would pray to God. Yes, there were some fears, I am only human. But most of the time there was gratitude.
When the fears would come, I found comfort in praying the familiar Lord's Prayer. Give us this day our daily bread as a phrase took on new meaning as I lay there. Keeping the perspective of one day at a time and recognizing God’s provision helped.
Oddly, at times, I found myself recollecting the Ten Commandments. I don't know why but it came to mind regularly. Can you name all ten? Anyway, I would go one-by-one and think about each one. I have to say I did dwell mostly on the first four which pertain to my attitude towards God. It is all familiar stuff but I found it soothing and re-assuring in my time of anxiety.
Well, that is my story. I am resting at home. I feel like a cat: I sleep, I drink water, I eat little meals here and there, I take little walks for exercise and I sleep.
Being a young person who likes an active life, it is hard. But I tell myself, my body is at work repairing itself. It is at work and active. It is just different and invisible. One friend said your body has just undergone a major trauma and it needs to recover, give yourself that time.
If you have stumbled onto this blog and have either undergone surgery or know someone who has, I hoped that these three entries have helped a little. I know going over it in writing helps me process the experience. Feel free to post questions or observations in the comments section.
Part I, Part II, Part III.
Disclaimer: The material above is a description of my health experience. Though I have attempted to be accurate I am not a medical professional. If you are in need of actual medical advice, please contact your physician.
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