You can do anything on the Internet, I guess, but watch out for those cables
In this incredibly high-tech world, it's always good now and again to remember how vulnerable we are to "low-tech" glitches: Large sections of Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa were taken off the Internet by a speed-bump on the information super highway: Two undersea cables were cut or damaged.
I don't know how often such things happen, nor how catastrophic or long-lasting this problem will be. But it seems to me that such cables are pretty reliable. We don't often hear about Internet and/or telecommunications outages on such wide scales so we can assume the cables are generally pretty well protected and pretty reliable.
What we SHOULD do is be reminded that not everything is solved by high technology. Even the most cutting-edge, exciting high-tech developments are vulnerable to power outages, cut cables, weather interference, and out right sabotage. At some point, hopefully, we will find out what happened to the two trans-Atlantic cables. Most likely, it was a natural disaster or an accidental mishap.
But like it or not, our entire culture is built around high-technology which is at risk in many, many ways.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]Internet outage, undersea cables damaged, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Celebrities — who needs ‘em? Well, most of us think we need ‘em
I met a friend of mine at the coffee shop this morning whom I hadn't seen in a year or more. I congratulated her on the good news she shared: She just snagged a full professorship as a psychology prof. I could not resist kidding her about that -- something along the lines that we don't need her kind, because we have Tom Cruise and his friends to teach us all about the human psyche.
She has a good sense of humor and resisted the urge to smack me alongside my obnoxious balding head.
Our discussion took off on that, though, and she make some interesting points: If I need a mechanic, I'll find one -- I probably won't take my car to Tom Cruise or Paris Hilton to fix it. Likewise, if I need psychological advice, political advice, or whatever guidance, I probably would go to someone more qualified than Tom Cruise or Ms. Hilton.
If I want to know about being a celebrity, I would not go to the mechanic or the psychologist -- I would go to Tom Cruise or Paris Hilton. Celebrities know a great deal about being celebrities -- but no more than most of us about psychology, mechanics, or brain surgery.
Yet our society is built around a cult of celebrities which gives the rich and famous a nod on any topic they wish to proclaim. Often, thanks to the entertainment tabloids and late-night talk shows, the celebrities themselves seem perplexed at the questions they're given to pontificate on.
Come on, people, let's leave the Tom Cruises and Paris Hiltons alone and let them live their lives. Take your cars to the mechanics and your psyches to the psychologists and psychiatrists.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers
[tags]celebrities, Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton, psychology, psychiatry, celebrities, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Ah-HAH — here’s proof (?) that America is forsaking God, just look at the new dollar coins
Oh, my Lord, will the good religious folks out there never cease in their passion for persecution? A column in our local newspaper decries the way the newest U.S. dollar coins will have "In God We Trust" on the edge -- exactly where it will wear off the fastest, and in a position that indicated the way America is trying to forsake the Christian God Who founded her. More or less.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: America is not nor ever was a "Christian nation." It won't do any good to say that, because all the sincere folks who believe it will simply deny that. Those who want to score political or religious points with the issue will just scream more loudly.
I suspect the column I've referenced above is from a good Christian brother who simply wants America to be "Christian," and isn't fighting any battle. My PERSONAL opinion is that "true" Christians living out "true" Christianity would be perfectly good leaders.
Of course, the fellow who wrote the column, as well as any other of you reading this, would find room to disagree with me on the definition of "true" -- which is exactly why the Constitution rejects the idea of any religious "litmus" tests for those who govern our nation. I call your attention to Article VI of the Constitution:
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
At any rate, back to the new coin and "In God We Trust." At first I thought this might be simply an "urban legend" started by fundamentalist alarmists. I was wrong. The new coin is indeed being minted with "In God We Trust" on the edge of the coin. But what, really, is the issue there? The column writer -- and I might add a number of conservative blogs, too -- assumes this is somehow disrespectful to God and will somehow deteriorate or wear off the coin early in its use.
How bizarre is that, really? Actually, the edge-incised "In God We Trust" may just as well draw more attention to the phrase because it's so new and unique.
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers
[tags]Christians in America, religion and politics, fundamentalism, U.S. coins, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
Rude behavior by religious, business leaders? Who could imagine such a thing?
Here's a reader's opinion from our local newspaper: He says business leaders and religious leaders are becoming more unresponsive and more rude to those trying to contact them.
There's a shocker, isn't it? No, not really. If you include basic "incivility" in your understanding of rudeness (and the man's letter seems to do that), I think you're talking about something far more widespread than religion, business, and/or our part of the country. America has become about as polarized as I could imagine. From religion, to business, to politics, to sports and entertainment, there is a lack of tolerance (bipartisanship, if you will) in every area of our culture. And when you lack tolerance or understanding of those with whom you disagree, you have little basis for kindness, civility, or courtesy.
In simpler terms: If people who disagree with you are seen on some level as "the enemy" or "the bad guys," discourtesy and rude behavior become the norm for dealing with them.
So, what are we to do about it? I would suggest the letter writer I referred to above has the right idea for all of us, whether as individuals, business leaders, religious leaders, or in whatever role we find ourselves:
"It is bad manners, bad etiquette, and I hope and pray that these folks read this and glean something from it."
Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]incivility, rudeness, business leaders, religious leaders, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
How to spend our money — mental health care or prisons?
The now too-widely-covered horrors of yesterday's mall killings in Omaha, Nebraska, point to many flaws in our national health care system, among other things such as mall security, too many guns in society, etc.
But I want to focus very briefly on the health care problem, based on comments I just heard on CNN from a man whose 22-year-old son was suffering symptoms of schizophrenia. This father rushed to his son's side seeking to help him with the "voices" (specifically, as I recall from the interview, the "voice of God") telling him about a mission he must accomplish. This father discovered that, 1) since his son was 22, he couldn't be forced into care, unless, 2) he clearly demonstrated behavior that was a threat or immediate danger to himself or others.
The point the father was making, as I understood it was that 1) we need better standards for enforced treatment, and, 2) we -- including the wealthy county where the father lived -- are sadly lacking in the availability and quality of health care available for the mentally ill. This father said, I believe, that we spend $79 billion a year in health care, and that available for the mentally ill is woefully, dangerously inadequate.
So my question, based on that interview, and the mall incident by the mentally ill young man in Omaha, what are we going to do as a society? Are we going to keep building more and better prisons -- or are we going to build more and better mental health facilities and treatment?
Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]Omaha mall shootings, mental illness, schizophrenia, health care failures, violent crimes, hearing voices, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
The sky is falling! Atheistic film is out to destroy our nation — NOT
People of faith everywhere should start to quake and even quiver, because apparently the atheists are out to destroy America, starting with the evil movie “The Golden Compass,” which will destroy the faith of our children.
At least that’s the fear a well-meaning evangelical Christian recently expressed in our local newspaper. To read this gentleman’s comments is to return to those days of yore when demons were hiding under each bush and bed to grab unwary innocents and plunge them into eternal fire.
In the real world, good readers, it’s just a movie. It’s based on a book which has been around for a decade or more. And according to one recent BBC story, the movie has been criticized by some because it isn’t as anti-religious as it should be!
I’ve been around long enough to know at least two things about the outrage and controversy which surrounds anti-religious or anti-Christian films: 1) the films rarely change ANYONE’S faith or morals for good or bad, and, 2) earnest “believers” who protest or boycott such films generally make them a success at the box office. Back in the 1980s (1990s?) “The Last Temptation of Christ” hit the theaters amid dire warnings from religious folks that it was a blasphemy which would lead a generation away from God. Today, most people can’t even remember who played Jesus in the film. Big deal.
Please don’t base your faith on what a novelist or movie “teaches” you. Base your faith on thoughtful considerations and genuine, personal commitments.
[tags]Golden Compass movie, religious controversy, atheism, just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]
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