We had even more fall fun up American Fork Canyon. We went up on Saturday and just hung out for a few hours. I was responsible for making the fire, which took me about an hour and half a box of matches, and even though I impressed my wife with a highly scientific explanation involving the 3 basic needs of a fire, I still have to admit I have kind of lost my fire making skills. I still blame this weekends incident on the design of the fire ring.
The kids loved roasting the chocolate swirl marshmallows, and the hot dogs.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Fall Harvest
This summer I didn't get to do as much with the garden as I would have liked. The new job reverses my old seasonal schedule. Now, I am really busy in the summer, and have time in the spring and the fall.
I did still get some time to be out in the yard with the kids though. What fun!
I did still get some time to be out in the yard with the kids though. What fun!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ok....So I can't help myself I love "As seen on TV" albums
I remember once back in the late 80's or 90's I saw an album offered on TV. It was an amateur Irish Singer that wanted to make a gift for his family. I loved the music, but didn't buy the album. Now I want it ... at least to hear it and see if I still want to buy it. But alas, can't find it on iTunes, can't find it at Walmart.com, can't finde it on Amazon.com, can't find it anywhere.....wait..... what about YouTube. Everything's on YouTube right! Yup... everything's on YouTube
Monday, September 22, 2008
Interesting stuff about how the online environment is evolving
I found this fascinating quote today:
World of Warcraft and other Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) sure do look exciting (see screen grab of Battle Ready Cat Thingy with Large Sword and Big Fangs at right). And WoW is exciting. I should know, as I've wasted a fair amount of my life parked in front of a computer, fighting off the Horde, etc.Discovery News: Etherized, Aug 2008
You should read the whole article.
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The Creation of the World
Monday Musings:
I have always found it conflicting trying to be a believing and practicing Latter-Day Saint and a Scientist. Now, technically, I am not a scientist since don't do any original research, but I do have a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and I have taken graduate level science courses and taught science for 5 years. Even now that I am a trainer, I still love reading and understanding science. I find that there are a lot of similarities between good science, good scientists and good religion and good believers. More on that in another blog, but the reason I bring it up is the major conflict between most religions and science is the Creation. The fundamentalist Christian, stated doctrine on the creation is in part that God created the world "ex nihilo" from nothing, and that it took place in seven 24 hour days. That is at odds with the stated doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, especially the first part. But what I really wanted to muse about was the interesting features of the sequence of the creation and the differences in 3 of the versions we have in the LDS Church. It has gotten me working on something I did once before when I was in college, but I am working on a comparison day by day of the Scriptural descriptions of the creation. When I get it done I'll post it. What I do know, despite the variations in the accounts, there is a distinct and definite plan. I am not a proponent of divine design as it is usually described, and I definitely don't believe it belongs in a science classroom. But I do like the term. It took me a long time to come to grips with my own conflict about my scientific beliefs and my religious beliefs and for a long time I felt they were in direct conflict, now I feel more like my views on science and and my views on religion are involved in a begrudgin alliance. They are both ways of getting at an ultimate truth that I am both limited in my ability to understand and to consolidate. I also think it is very significant that every belief system that I know of has it's own mythology of the creation of the world. It seems fundamental to human nature to create purpose for the world we live in and as creators ourselves we see in the world a creation with purpose.
I have always found it conflicting trying to be a believing and practicing Latter-Day Saint and a Scientist. Now, technically, I am not a scientist since don't do any original research, but I do have a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and I have taken graduate level science courses and taught science for 5 years. Even now that I am a trainer, I still love reading and understanding science. I find that there are a lot of similarities between good science, good scientists and good religion and good believers. More on that in another blog, but the reason I bring it up is the major conflict between most religions and science is the Creation. The fundamentalist Christian, stated doctrine on the creation is in part that God created the world "ex nihilo" from nothing, and that it took place in seven 24 hour days. That is at odds with the stated doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, especially the first part. But what I really wanted to muse about was the interesting features of the sequence of the creation and the differences in 3 of the versions we have in the LDS Church. It has gotten me working on something I did once before when I was in college, but I am working on a comparison day by day of the Scriptural descriptions of the creation. When I get it done I'll post it. What I do know, despite the variations in the accounts, there is a distinct and definite plan. I am not a proponent of divine design as it is usually described, and I definitely don't believe it belongs in a science classroom. But I do like the term. It took me a long time to come to grips with my own conflict about my scientific beliefs and my religious beliefs and for a long time I felt they were in direct conflict, now I feel more like my views on science and and my views on religion are involved in a begrudgin alliance. They are both ways of getting at an ultimate truth that I am both limited in my ability to understand and to consolidate. I also think it is very significant that every belief system that I know of has it's own mythology of the creation of the world. It seems fundamental to human nature to create purpose for the world we live in and as creators ourselves we see in the world a creation with purpose.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday Musings: The Rebellion becomes the Tyranny
Vanessa and I were reading up on her Spanish class yesterday. She is learning about the Inquisition which I have to admit brings up memories of "The History of the World: Part I" with Mel Brooks which is a terrible rated 'R' and no one should ever watch it even if it is hilarious.
Anyway since these Monday Musings are some of my thoughts about God, Religion and goodness I don't really want to focus on the movie with the vulgar humor.
What Vanessa and I were talking about was the fact that anytime there is a rebellion against tyranny that rebellion eventually becomes the tyranny. The pattern that you see is that a small group of people try to throw of the yoke of burdensome rules, regulations, customs, and traditions and what eventually happens is that rebellion gets more and more followers and in order to manage the organization rules, traditions, regulations, and customs develop and in order to maintain the traditions and beliefs of the rebellion they must become the tyrants who purge out the heretics. Interesting huh?
Anyway since these Monday Musings are some of my thoughts about God, Religion and goodness I don't really want to focus on the movie with the vulgar humor.
What Vanessa and I were talking about was the fact that anytime there is a rebellion against tyranny that rebellion eventually becomes the tyranny. The pattern that you see is that a small group of people try to throw of the yoke of burdensome rules, regulations, customs, and traditions and what eventually happens is that rebellion gets more and more followers and in order to manage the organization rules, traditions, regulations, and customs develop and in order to maintain the traditions and beliefs of the rebellion they must become the tyrants who purge out the heretics. Interesting huh?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Why Are School-Age Boys Struggling? | Newsweek Education | Newsweek.com
Why Are School-Age Boys Struggling? Newsweek Education Newsweek.com
I certainly don't want to or intend to offend, but I have an opinion on this and nobody reads my blog anyway. The struggle that is described in this article was very evident to me as a school teacher. I have thought about it for the last several years, and at the risk of being politically incorrect at best and labeled a macho pig at worst. I think that a big part of this problem is exacerbated by the unequal proportions of men to women educators especially in the early grades. People all the time argue that men and women are equal, and they are and both should be treated equitably, but to ignore that fact that men and women are fundamentally, biologically, and psychologically different is foolish.
There is a disproportionate number of women educators especially in the early grades. Even the best and most educated and experienced female teacher simply can't remember what it was like to be a 'boy'. Largely our current educational practice, I am not talking the theory or the stated philosophy, but the actual practice encourages compliance. For thousands of years, boys that strong, assertive, leaders were those that were encouraged. They became the Washingtons, the Martin Luther Kings Jr.s', the Lindbergh's, but now what is rewarded is compliance, submissiveness, obedience. "Sit down, and do you worksheet" We say on the surface we encourage innovation and leadership, but not when kids push back on the teachers decisions.
I know that in large part, at least in the state of Utah, part of the reason we have such a disproportionate number of male to female teachers has to do with salary. Your average Husband and Father simply can't provide effectively for his family as an educator. Salaries set by the State legislature are still based on the unspoken philosophy that teachers are: mostly housewives who want extra income for the family. Well, as long as that is true the kinds of men (and women, quite frankly) who are the most devoted spouses and best leaders are going to leave education creating a void for the boys who need a good example of how to be a good man without being disruptive to society.
I certainly don't want to or intend to offend, but I have an opinion on this and nobody reads my blog anyway. The struggle that is described in this article was very evident to me as a school teacher. I have thought about it for the last several years, and at the risk of being politically incorrect at best and labeled a macho pig at worst. I think that a big part of this problem is exacerbated by the unequal proportions of men to women educators especially in the early grades. People all the time argue that men and women are equal, and they are and both should be treated equitably, but to ignore that fact that men and women are fundamentally, biologically, and psychologically different is foolish.
There is a disproportionate number of women educators especially in the early grades. Even the best and most educated and experienced female teacher simply can't remember what it was like to be a 'boy'. Largely our current educational practice, I am not talking the theory or the stated philosophy, but the actual practice encourages compliance. For thousands of years, boys that strong, assertive, leaders were those that were encouraged. They became the Washingtons, the Martin Luther Kings Jr.s', the Lindbergh's, but now what is rewarded is compliance, submissiveness, obedience. "Sit down, and do you worksheet" We say on the surface we encourage innovation and leadership, but not when kids push back on the teachers decisions.
I know that in large part, at least in the state of Utah, part of the reason we have such a disproportionate number of male to female teachers has to do with salary. Your average Husband and Father simply can't provide effectively for his family as an educator. Salaries set by the State legislature are still based on the unspoken philosophy that teachers are: mostly housewives who want extra income for the family. Well, as long as that is true the kinds of men (and women, quite frankly) who are the most devoted spouses and best leaders are going to leave education creating a void for the boys who need a good example of how to be a good man without being disruptive to society.
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