A Nail In His Place

1. Pray often. ‘nuff said.

2. I’m seeing an increase in the use of the word “Meme” (pronounced “meem”). It is a word made out of whole cloth by Richard Dawkins to express the idea that cultural values, ideas and behaviors are passed from person to person, replicating as genes do or as viruses do. “Memes” are part of a belief system that says “cultural evolution” is analogous to “biological evolution.” Please understand what this word means and be very cautious about using it.

3. Recommended blog: http://www.michaeltotten.com

4. Good info:Grammar Tips

5. Laptop Computers: It is probably not the best time to buy a laptop, at least not a budget laptop. However, there are some good systems in the $500-$600 range if you know what to look for. Acer makes a good laptop… sometimes the big box stores put one of their models on sale pretty cheap.

6. Read this: American Christianity and the “Culture of Customization”

7. Digital cameras rock. They get better and cheaper all the time. I’m not fond of camera phones… I guess I’m old school, but I think serious cameras should be stand alone devices. NewEgg.com camera deals.

8. This is a very good book: Reinventing Jesus

9. I find this disturbing: Some Southern Baptist leaders embrace “global warming.” I certainly believe in good stewardship, but it sure is strange to join this bandwagon now just when we’re beginning to see the “global warming” hoax unravel.

10. Have “Nigerian” scam email letters seen their apex? I hope so. If you receive anything by email that sounds too good to be true, IT IS!

A good column by Mona Charen via Townhall.com
Friday, March 7, 2008

Barack Obama’s words are often attractive but oddly concealing. His speeches are all balm and mood. It’s all very well to seek, as Obama claims, to transcend old categories, to reject the “old politics.” But then what? This graceful rhetorician leaves you wondering: Who is he really? What does he want for himself and for his country?…

The rest of the story.

The Other Obama
by Lauren Collins
The New Yorker
5 March 2008

… Obama begins with a broad assessment of life in America in 2008, and life is not good: we’re a divided country, we’re a country that is “just downright mean,” we are “guided by fear,” we’re a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents. “We have become a nation of struggling folks who are barely making it every day,” she said, as heads bobbed in the pews. “Folks are just jammed up, and it’s gotten worse over my lifetime. And, doggone it, I’m young. Forty-four!”

From these bleak generalities, Obama moves into specific complaints. Used to be, she will say, that you could count on a decent education in the neighborhood. But now there are all these charter schools and magnet schools that you have to “finagle” to get into. (Obama herself attended a magnet school, but never mind.) Health care is out of reach (“Let me tell you, don’t get sick in America”), pensions are disappearing, college is too expensive, and even if you can figure out a way to go to college you won’t be able to recoup the cost of the degree in many of the professions for which you needed it in the first place. “You’re looking at a young couple that’s just a few years out of debt,” Obama said. “See, because, we went to those good schools, and we didn’t have trust funds. I’m still waiting for Barack’s trust fund. Especially after I heard that Dick Cheney was s’posed to be a relative or something. Give us something here!” …

The full article is here.

From John at powerlineblog.com
March 4, 2008

The 2008 International Conference on Global Climate Change, sponsored by the Heartland Institute, has been going on in New York for the last couple of days. …snip… A highlight of the conference is the release of the Summary for Policymakers of a report by the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). The document is, among other things, a rebuttal of the reports released by the United Nation’s heavily politicized Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

…snip…

The report is full of data and addresses such questions as, How much of modern warming is anthropogenic? How much is due to natural causes? How reliable are climate models? How much do we know about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Why is sea level rising? Will the economic effects of continued warming be positive or negative? The science is up to the minute–unlike the UN’s report, which deliberately disregarded the most recent studies and data. It’s an excellent place to learn the basics of the global warming controversy.

… snip …

Is the current warming mostly human-caused, or is it mainly a continuation of the natural recovery from the Little Ice Age? Your children’s economic future may depend on how carefully policy-makers study that question.

The full story is here.

Oh, gee, this is swell…

http://sandbox.blog-city.com/speaking_truth_to_power.htm