Author Archives: scottsoapbox

Sen Majority Leader Reid: Smelly Tourists Stopped

Posted on by

DC Examiner covers Sen Harry Reid’s thoughts on the $600M upgrade:

The Capitol Visitors Center, which opened this morning, may have tripled its original budget and fallen years behind schedule, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found a silver lining for members of Congress: tourists won’t offend them with their B.O. anymore.

“My staff tells me not to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway,” said Reid in his remarks. “In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it’s true.”

But it’s no longer going to be true, noted Reid, thanks to the air conditioned, indoor space.

And that’s not all. “We have many bathrooms here, as you can see,” Reid continued. “Souvenirs are available.”

$621 million well spent.

Internet Monk Discussion Panel Reviewed

Posted on by

So the Internet Monk introduced a new discussion panel a few days ago.  The panel consists of spiritual leaders from most of the major Christian denominations allowing for comparative discussion of spiritual topics.  Which is a pretty cool idea for anyone that likes to contemplate such significant matters. The credentials of “The Liturgical Gangstas” panel are listed at the beginning of the I Monk post.

The first question for the panel was the following:  A person comes to you and says “I want to grow significantly as a Christian in the next year.” What kind of guidance would you give this person? Be as specific as possible. I have summarized the panel responses below:

Father Ernesto/Orthodox:

  • Read the Bible daily. (using a read the Bible in 2 years plan)
  • Pray daily using an Anglican prescribed morning and evening prayer.
  • Read about the lives of the saints.
  • Confession.
  • Church community.
  • Serve others outside the church.

Matthew Johnson/United Methodist:

  • Participate in a 32-36 week Methodist Discipleship Bible study.
  • Pray for each other in the study.
  • Church community.
  • Respond to bible readings.

Peter Vance Matthews/Anglican:

  • Worship every Sunday with preaching and communion
  • Read the Bible and pray daily using The Daily Office (Anglican/Episcopal/Catholic) prescribed prayers and verses.

Alan Creech/Roman Catholic:

  • Lower your expectations for growth. (I’m not making this up)
  • Place yourself inside the liturgical rhythm of the Church with the traditional Christian calendar.
  • Attend mass frequently.
  • Find a spiritual mentor.
  • Pray liturgically and often.
  • “Find a way to get a steady diet of Scripture.”
  • Take a yearly retreat.
  • Don’t try to measure your growth.

Wyman Richardson/Southern Baptist:

  • Make sure your expectations for growth aren’t too high.
  • Love your neighbor through acts of service and giving time.
  • Give away a possession you value each month.
  • Make the “I” in the question a “We” (as in Jesus and me)

William Cwirla/Lutheran:

  • Look towards Jesus not inside you for growth.
  • Attend church regularly in a disciplined way, hearing the Word preached – faith comes by hearing – and taking communion.
  • Pray daily from hymns, readings from Scripture and the church fathers, the Creed and the catechism.
  • Avoid Drunkenness, gluttony, and sexual sin.
  • Confession.
  • “Active use of the fruit of the Spirit.”

So I have a three comments after reading this panel discussion:

1) Should I be concerned that 2 of the 6 spiritual leaders want us to lower our expectations for spiritual growth?

How can one believe that Jesus was raised from the dead or that God parted the Red Sea but not think that God could produce “significant growth” in a person in as “short” a time as one year? Wasn’t Saul changed instantly on the road to Damascus? Didn’t the disciples quickly change from cowardly hiding in a house to boldly preaching on the streets? Isn’t the fact that God changes lives at the very CORE of the gospel? If God can’t help me grow in a significant way – why should I become a Christian?

2) Are Christians incapable of praying without a guide?

3) How understandable is this seemly foundational Bible?

Should you only hear it?  Or read proscribed excerpts from it?  Can you read it only with a study or another book to guide you?  Or can read it all alone with out help or guidance from another person or book or some other resource?

UPDATE:

Two of the panel responded to my comments (below), so I respond to them and (hopefully) reinforce my point.

I don’t think so, personally. Not if the two weren’t talking about “lowering expectations,” but were instead trying to caution against a naive idea that we become super-saints in a moment and encouraging people not to despair and abandon the whole enterprise if they struggle in their advancement.

Mustard seeds and all of that.

– Wyman Richardson

Amen and all that, Wyman. Exactly. Quick change in people is unusual, not because of God but because of us. It’s the nature of real spiritual growth that it takes a long time. Yeah, weeds and all that too. Peace.

– Alan Creech

Well the question wasn’t how do I become a spiritual superstar overnight – it was how do i achieve “significant” growth in a year.

Now personally I read “significant” as the opposite of “insignificant”.  IE measurable, real, growth or change.

Wherein, I became concerned when given any possible methods for a full year – spiritual leaders are hesitant to promise too much.

In defending my position, however, I decided to look at the actual definition and I found it illuminating:

– of a noticeably or measurably large amount (basically my earlier def)
– probably caused by something other than mere chance (as in statistically significant)

This second definition opens up what I consider the heart of the matter – is not significant spiritual growth evidence of the divine? Proof that Christianity works? If all we can promise is small growth – how are we sure that isn’t just chance or human efforts?

Without SIGNIFICANT growth – can Christianity claim to be more than a support group? Or a 12 step program?  Those both can do SOME good but they are really only man’s efforts and will at work.  Wherein is the God that changes people?  Are we afraid to set the bar too high lest God’s reputation be tarnished?  Is not God able to deliver on his promises to make someone a new creation?

While I understand the whole instant gratification culture, I feel that a year is a reasonable time frame.  Consider that the Human lifespan is 40-80 yrs depending on where in the world you live.  1/40th of your life is not a small commitment. Jesus only trained his disciples for 3 years.  Most grad schools consider 3 years enough time to significantly train students.  Are college professors better teachers than the Spirit?

Here are some more examples of quick significant growth/change:
– In the span of an hour a naked, possessed, crazy man living in the cemetery was sent as a clothed, sane, missionary alone to Decapolis (“ten cities”)
– In a few hours, an Ethiopian court official was converted, baptized, and left to go back to his country.
Slower change happens too: today Mission USA is working with Chicago gangs.  Over time, Gang members are putting down guns and taking up bibles.  Still “significant”

Quick changes are COMMON in the bible.  And in desperate parts of the world.  Here in comfy cultures and comfy churches – comfortable Christians struggle to standout from nonchristians.

As for mustard seeds: they start out the smallest of seeds but become large plants in a matter of months.
As for weedy soil: there is also GOOD soil that yields a 3,000-10,000% return.
I would say both of those are significant growth!

Mitt Romney: Let Detroit Go Bankrupt

Posted on by

Mitt Romney on why a bailout would hurt not help the Big 3:

If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course – the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

I love cars, American cars. I was born in Detroit, the son of an auto chief executive. In 1954, my dad, George Romney, was tapped to run American Motors when its president suddenly died. The company itself was on life support – banks were threatening to deal it a death blow. The stock collapsed. I watched Dad work to turn the company around – and years later at business school, they were still talking about it. From the lessons of that turnaround, and from my own experiences, I have several prescriptions for Detroit’s automakers…

Eee PC Super Battery

Posted on by

eeebat.jpgA quick review for our friends over at liliputing.com. I just received my 12000mAh battery from DealExtreme and I thought a few pics and comments were in order:

UPDATE: We do not recommend this battery at this time!

As you can see in the pics the battery does add some significant bulk and lift to my 1000HA (standard mouse included for size reference), but it almost doubles the capacity of the standard 6 cell battery – impressive since many netbooks come with only a 3 cell battery standard and 6 cells are the “extended life” batteries.  Also at $62 this battery is a deal considering that similar long life batteries can approach $200.

My fairly accurate scale supports the manufacturer’s weight claims as the new battery upped my Eee PC from 3.2 lbs to 3.75 lbs.  This is still lighter than most ultra portable notebooks but hefty for a netbook.  However, this combo will give you the most battery bang for your netbook buck as you can own the 1000HA (with 6 cell bat) and the super extended battery for under $500, which until recent holiday deals started dropping was cheaper than several netbooks with a 3 cell battery.

eeebat2.jpgMy initial thoughts on the supersized battery are as follows:  The increased typing incline is too much when the netbook is used on a table.  This is largely a personal preference but for me: while I can type with speed and accuracy at that tilt, I find it uncomfortable.  And wrist discomfort doesn’t jive well with “all day computing”. However, I tend to do most of my typing with my wireless keyboard/notebook/netbook in my lap.  Used this way the battery does not create an uncomfortable position as the battery (mostly) fits between my legs.

As for battery life, I will have to use the battery more to be able to determine the real life increase for the extended bat.

One other important note for would be DealExtreme shoppers: this battery is shipping from Hong Kong.  This was a detail that I didn’t realize until I went to check the package tracking as it’s not really mentioned (that I saw) on the site.  So realize that when you opt for the free shipping.  It took 13 calendar days for my new toy to arrive.

UPDATE 11/18: After getting less than expected results from Windows battery estimate for this super sized battery, I set about running some simple real world drainage tests. These tests confirmed XP’s estimates.  The “super” battery was at or below the capacity of the standard 6 cell battery.  Those results didn’t make any sense.  While I fully expected a real world result that was less than the manufacturer’s claimed 81% increase – I certainly expected a battery of twice the size and weight to have a significant level of added capacity.

Needing something else to prove or disprove these battery life numbers, I turned to Battery Eater Pro (which is a handy app, tho it could use a tad more documentation).  I ran their classic test (max power burn) as I was really more interested in a comparison of the two batteries than an artificial “real world use estimate”.  The classic test is also the fastest to run, since it is a worst case test. I then reran the tests in the hopes that perhaps cycling the big battery would help its capacity.  It did not.

The standard battery lasted 33% longer than the super extended battery in the stress tests.  This backs up the capacity estimates generated by Battery Eater’s battery “info” screen that had the standard bat at 10% more capacity than the extended bat:

Supersized Battery:
Manufacturer Claimed: 12000mAh
Battery Eater Estimate: 6946mAh

6 Cell Batt
Manufacturer Claimed: 6600mAh
Battery Eater Estimate: 7625mAh

Now it’s entirely possible our battery was defective and that these numbers are not generally true.  Once the the extended battery has been exchanged we’ll run more tests, but in the meantime: we can’t recommend anyone purchases this product.

UPDATE 11/22:  I am rapidly realizing my purchase from Deal Extreme was a mistake.  After asking for an exchange on their double capacity battery that doesn’t last as long as the standard battery, I got this response (four days later):

Sorry for the trouble.

Would you please login our website and scan the review and forum, which are written by our kind customers. Maybe you can find something useful for the defective item, maybe just the reason why it does not work.

Thanks a lot for your patience.

A) I did this (mainly for a “good faith effort” on my part) and found customer posts requesting verification that this or that battery fit this or that product.  Awesome. Truly helpful.

B) Exactly how could a forum post make my defective battery hold more of a charge?  If such a method exists – I should want to know to use it to increase the capacity of all my batteries.

UPDATE: 12/4/08

After much feet dragging DealExtreme gave me instructions to return the defective battery.  Sent out via UPS today.

UPDATE: 1/8/09

A month later, DealExtreme had neither shipped me a replacement battery nor refunded my money. $70 and several hours of my life: toast.

Do NOT do business with this company!

Has America Waved Goodbye?

Posted on by

Peter Hitchens has a great piece from a Brit’s perspective on the Obama frenzy and the most likely outcome of the the upcoming “change”. Excerpts below:

Anyone would think we had just elected a hip, skinny and youthful replacement for God, with a plan to modernise Heaven and Hell – or that at the very least John Lennon had come back from the dead.

The swooning frenzy over the choice of Barack Obama as President of the United States must be one of the most absurd waves of self-deception and swirling fantasy ever to sweep through an advanced civilisation. At least Mandela-worship – its nearest equivalent – is focused on a man who actually did something.

I really don’t see how the Obama devotees can ever in future mock the Moonies, the Scientologists or people who claim to have been abducted in flying saucers. This is a cult like the one which grew up around Princess Diana, bereft of reason and hostile to facts…

Just look at his sermon by the shores of Lake Michigan. He really did talk about a ‘new dawn’, and a ‘timeless creed’ (which was ‘yes, we can’). He proclaimed that ‘change has come’. He revealed that, despite having edited the Harvard Law Review, he doesn’t know what ‘enormity’ means. He reached depths of oratorical drivel never even plumbed by our own Mr Blair, burbling about putting our hands on the arc of history (or was it the ark of history?) and bending it once more toward the hope of a better day (Don’t try this at home).

I am not making this up. No wonder that awful old hack Jesse Jackson sobbed as he watched. How he must wish he, too, could get away with this sort of stuff.

And it was interesting how the President-elect failed to lift his admiring audience by repeated – but rather hesitant – invocations of the brainless slogan he was forced by his minders to adopt against his will – ‘Yes, we can’. They were supposed to thunder ‘Yes, we can!’ back at him, but they just wouldn’t join in.  No wonder. Yes we can what exactly? Go home and keep a close eye on the tax rate, is my advice. He’d have been better off bursting into ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony’ which contains roughly the same message and might have attracted some valuable commercial sponsorship…

The United States, having for the most part a deeply conservative people, had until now just about stood out against many of the mistakes which have ruined so much of the rest of the world.

Suspicious of welfare addiction, feeble justice and high taxes, totally committed to preserving its own national sovereignty, unabashedly Christian in a world part secular and part Muslim, suspicious of the Great Global Warming panic, it was unique.

These strengths had been fading for some time, mainly due to poorly controlled mass immigration and to the march of political correctness. They had also been weakened by the failure of America’s conservative party – the Republicans – to fight on the cultural and moral fronts.

They preferred to posture on the world stage. Scared of confronting Left-wing teachers and sexual revolutionaries at home, they could order soldiers to be brave on their behalf in far-off deserts. And now the US, like Britain before it, has begun the long slow descent into the Third World. How sad. Where now is our last best hope on Earth?