I love Christmas trees, but...

Everyone's favorite Speaker of the House is currently engaged in a courageous fight to call the heretofore known Capitol "Holiday" Tree a "Christmas" Tree instead. Now, while I applaud this highly principled effort to defend liberty and uphold the constitutional principles upon which our nation was founded, couldn't he find something worthwhile to do with his time in office? Come on! A number one, I really don't care that much what it's called (or really whether they have one at all), and B number two, the people who do are the ones who will tie up our already overloaded federal court system with lawsuits about the Capitol Tree endorsing Christianity. So let's just save everyone a bunch of time and money and let it be called the Holiday Tree, and maybe Congress could focus on some actual governing. Because what the tree is called is just not important. But that's just me.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/29/D8E6H4V82.html

Because we're not all as talented as Dustin

I found this sweet site where we can make virtual snowflakes. Seeing as how we're scattered to the four winds, so to speak, I thought it would be a nice way to start an eChristmas party. Here's my first snowflake. So click on over and show off your own mad scissoring skillz.

Gather Round for a Bible Story, Kids

Here, Heather proudly presents her adaptation of this best-loved Bible classic. Enjoy :)

In the land of Huntington, there lived a man whose name was Adam Davis. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had a beautiful fiancee and many friends. He was the greatest man among all the fifth year senior business majors.

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Huntington University Education Department also came with them. The Lord said to the Education Department, "Where have you come from?"

The Education Department answered the Lord, "From mass-producing kindergarten teachers and grading bulletin boards."

The Lord said to the Education Department, "Have you considered my servant Adam? There is no man at this university like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

"Does Adam fear God for nothing?" the Education Department replied. "Have you not put a hedge around all that he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that he has earned a business management degree and two minors. But stretch out your hand and strike at the education degree that he has worked so hard for, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The Lord said to the Education Department, "Very well, then, his future is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then the Education Department went out from the presence of the Lord.

One day when Adam was minding his own business, a messenger came to Adam and said, "Lo, we have reason to believe that you have caused trouble during your student teaching at Snider High School, so you are being kicked out although your cooperating teacher, some students, and the teachers' union are willing to testify in your defense."

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "Lo, we have heard about the trouble at Snider High School. You are being removed from the Education Department. You will not be allowed to finish student teaching anywhere. You will not graduate with a degree in Education as you had planned. All of your hard work has been for nothing. Bwhahahaha!!!"

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said unto him, "Lo, the academic dean of the university will not hear your pleas to share your story. You may appeal to the Academic Concerns Committee, but only because they've decided that someone owes you due process. If you are lucky, you will get a free semester. They won't guarantee you readmission to the Teacher Education Program, though. "

At this, Adam became very angry and confused. He fell to the ground in worship and said:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked will I depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised."

In all this, Adam did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Education Department also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to the Education Department, "Where have you come from?"

The Education Department answered, "From the Kappa Delta Pi conference in Orlando where we learned the latest finger-painting techniques and from writing a report to keep our department accredited."

Then the Lord said to the Education Department, "Have you considered my servant Adam? There is no man at this university like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any good reason."

"Skin for skin!" the Education Department replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The Lord said to the Education Department, "Very well, then, he is in your hands, but you must spare his life."

So the Education Department went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Adam with worry about his future career and worry about how he was going to support Tara, his beautiful fiancee. Adam could not eat; his appetite was taken from him. Neither could he sleep and he was beginning to lose his hair. He sat on the ashes of four years of wasted time and money and pondered the course he should take.

An emissary of the Education Department said unto him, "Are you still holding onto your integrity? Curse God and go home without this degree or admit that you have done all the things that we have falsely accused you of, pay $300, undergo six weeks of anger management classes with Dave Kiningham, and pay another $75+ for possible readmission to the Education Department if they decide that you are not, in fact, dangerous to children."

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Adam asked.
In all this, Adam did not sin in what he said.

To make a long story short, Adam has two friends who come to visit him. For our purposes, their names shall be called Jehosa and Rehobok. These friends console with Adam for seven days and seven nights. Adam finally curses the day of his arrival at Huntington University. Then, the two friends argue for nearly the next 30 chapters that Adam must have somehow brought his troubles upon himself. They try to convince him to accept the false charges and continue the sessions with Dave Kiningham. In the meantime, Adam's friends who have graduated already come to him in a vision and urge him to maintain his integrity. They suggest that Adam plead his case before the Lord and in a court of law.

Stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion of Adam's woeful story.

Citizenship for Children of Immigrants

Apparently there's a movement in congress right now toward abolishing automatic citizenship for children of immigrants (it's not entirely clear from the article I read whether this is directed at all immigrants or just illegal immigrants). Read the piece in the opinion journal here. The author, Ms. Tamar Jacoby, seems to be of the opinion that it is a knee jerk reaction to increased cost for social services. I wonder if the real reasons aren't somewhat deeper and if perhaps there isn't a bit of protectionism involved. Illegal immigrants make an easy target to point out as the demonized "other." Much easier at any rate than terrorists/general unsavory characters who get in legally. Plus, it shifts blame from the government for letting in undesirables squarely into the lap of the "other."

America has a long history as a nation of immigrants, with particular groups marginalized before being accepted into general society. Is this move a continuation of that history, or a sign that we are no longer a nation that is willing to accept "huddled masses?"

Ms. Jacoby also brings up the point that nations in Europe (particularly France) have more trouble integrating immigrants into society than the US apparently does and speculates that this is due to the lack of automatic citizenship for children of immigrants. Could this move lead to French problems in the US?

The strong history of immigrants in the US makes me very nervous about the idea of abolishing birth citizenship. Would this even have any affect other than declaring more people illegal?

Of Congressmen and Things

This just in: the best way to reduce budget deficits is to give people raises and cut taxes. I knew I should've taken accounting...

If you haven't yet heard of the latest round of Congressional antics, I'll give you a brief rundown. First, there was harmonious passage of the roughly $3,000 cost of living increase for members of Congress, raising their income to about $165,200/year. I hope they'll be able to get by on that. The cost of living increase happens automatically every year, unless Congress votes to block it. They didn't. Go figure.

But like I mentioned earlier, it's ESSENTIAL that we cut the deficit. To make this work, the Senate cleared a measure (at 1:30 in the morning) to cut $60 billion in taxes over the next 5 years. Wait...it gets better.

Here's where the reductions in spending finally come in. After midnight last night, the House cleared legislation to reduce deficits by $50 billion over 5 years. The vote was 217-215 (all the Democrats and 14 Republicans voted against it).

Why would so many oppose reductions in spending? Don't they want the deficit to shrink? Check out what most of the Republicans voted to cut: "The House-passed measure attacks deficits by limiting spending for the first time in a decade on Medicaid, food stamps, student loans and other benefit programs that normally rise with inflation and eligibility." http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051118/D8DV66EG1.html

Umm...I think I'll let you guys take it from here.

Columnist Ticks off Victoria

I know that I just posted, but when I picked up a copy of the student newspaper this morning I was so incensed that I had to share. The columnist comes off as believing that women should not be president. Admittedly, it may be a piece of satire, but in that case it certainly does not go far enough. I expect this sort of thing from places like HBC, but to find it in Purdue's student newspaper horrifies me. Maybe I should just get my priorities in line, drop out of grad school and find myself a nice man to take care of me. (cue screams of anguish)

Click here to read said atrocity.

Girls Riot at Mall!

Lately I've really been bringing down the intelligence level of this blog. So, to continue in that direction, I'd like to share this. It seems that at a free concert at mall in Minnesota girls who were so eager to get their hands on members of the Hansonesque "band" B5, that a riot broke out. I suddenly feel a whole lot less smug about the French riots, I mean, at least they've got something to riot about. *sigh*

You might be from HC if . . .

Posted becuase Joni requested it. :-)


. . . you think diversity is having a Pentecostal and a Catholic sit at the same table.
. . . you know what bib hit lit and UCF stand for.
. . . you know what a Forester is.
. . . you call the pond out back a lake.
. . . PERC is a place and not what coffee does.
. . . you know how to pronounce Loew.
. . . you regard the name Merillatt with awe and reverence.
. . . you think that all graduate students will be pastors.
. . . you think that the Olympics involve sub eating, arm wrestling and raft racing.
. . . more than three of your friends have gotten engaged in the last month.
. . . you think that American Idol has nothing on Davis Hall Follies.
. . . you think powderpuff football has its own season.
. . . you know that the average age of people at Sunday dinner in the DC is higher than at Bob Evans.
. . . you know what a BR major is.
. . . all of your introductory classes are 111 instead of 101.
. . . the closest story your school paper has to tabloid news is a feature on John Sanders.
. . . you actually have an opinion on open theism.
. . . the smell coming from Wright Hall reminds of your 5th grade field trip to a sewage treatment plant.
. . . saying "he’s from Baker 2nd" or "he’s from Wright 3rd" explains certain deviant behavioral tendencies. Not that we don't all love our Baker and Wright boys. :-)
. . . you’re dating someone you met less than two weeks ago, and people are starting to ask when you’re getting engaged.
. . . you think that the United Brethren Church is directly responsible for the advent of modern aeronautics.
. . . your floor activities have ever included a visit to the Dan Quayle museum.
. . . your homecoming game was soccer match, not football.
. . . as an alumni you’d pay $7 for leftover, warmed-up, DC hotdogs.
. . . your book bills are equal to a quarter of your college tuition, can anyone say "competitive bookstore prices"?
. . . getting seven chicken nuggets or an extra ticket on steak and shrimp night is a big deal.
. . . "mainstream student" is really code for above average.
. . . "Hardy girl" is synonymous with "fresh meat."
. . . your definition of a big class is almost forty students.
. . . offering chapel credit for an event is more attractive than offering free food.

Striking Similarity

Was anybody else struck by the similarity between comments made by Bill O'Reilly and Pat Robertson in the last couple of days? The subject matter is different, but it seems to me that the general (disturbing) sentiment is the same:

"O'Reilly reacted to San Franciscans' approval of Proposition I, which discourages military recruiters on public high school and college campuses.
He advised President George W. Bush to react by withdrawing any military protection for the city. "...If al-Qaida comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead," O'Reilly said." http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4107018&nav=5D7l

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club."
"And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/10/religion.robertson.reut/index.html

Maybe FOX News should hire Pat Robertson. Or Bill O'Reilly could be on the 700 Club. Either way...

France in Flames

Anybody want to talk about France?

I can sympathize with the way the Algerian and Sub-Saharan immigrants around our age could be feeling, but I find their destructive behavior totally senseless. Yes, French unemployment is atrocious [Jesse said that it really is about 40% for people our age in many places], but I don't understand why that leads to kindergarten classrooms or school buses being burned.

That is just stupid.

Why not march on government offices or, if they feel like they absolutely have to be violent, burn government buildings? Resorting to such senseless violence only alienates any native French who would have been sympathetic to their situation. Surely there is a more reasonable way they could express their displeasure with the treatment that they have received.

Bush: "We do not torture"

...but we should have the option. At least, that seems to be the message the White House is sending out. Vice President Cheney wants Congress to exempt the CIA from the proposed torture ban, added as an amendment to a bill currently before Congress. Great. As is often the case with our current president, his words and actions immediately reminded me of a great passage of literature, which I will share with all of you now:

[Anne:]"Oh, no. I wouldn't want to marry anybody who was wicked, but I think I'd like it if he could be wicked and wouldn't...."
"You'll have more sense some day, I hope," said Marilla.
-Anne of the Island

And here is the real-life parallel:

"Cheney's camp says the United States does not torture captives, but believes the president needs nearly unfettered power to deal with terrorists to protect Americans." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9952038/


"Cheney told his audience the United States doesn’t engage in torture, these participants added, even though he said the administration needed an exemption from any legislation banning “cruel, inhuman or degrading” treatment in case the president decided one was necessary to prevent a terrorist attack." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9929724/

President Bush apparently wants the U.S. to be able to torture victims, but claims that we won't actually do it. Maybe. Is this supposed to be morally praiseworthy?

He'll have more sense some day, I hope.

In the meantime, I hope that approximately zero members of Congress are persuaded by this "the president needs unlimited power" bit. I never have been fond of the imperial presidency. It's been around for too long, and the Framers would be horrified. As would the first greatest George W. What self-respecting citizen of a democracy (or republic) thinks that giving ANY one person unlimited power for ANY reason is a good idea? Answer: one. The one who will get the power. This is true pretty much regardless of who this individual is. [Hang on to your hats, kids. I'm going to quote Lord Acton now.] "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I'll have more to say later (predictably), but for now I'll stop and wait to hear from the rest of you. What do you think about torture, the Administration, the war on terror, and this amendment?

Which of Shakespeare's Characters Are You?

I found this dandy little quiz on the BBC while avoiding studying for 620. Take it and tell me which character you are. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell there are only four possibilities, so that is a bit disappointing, but other than than, bit seems to be at least mildly entertaining.
Click Here!

Apparently, I'm Beatrice. I probably could have figured that out without the quiz to tell me though.

Bow to my amazingness at BS

Ok, so this post is the sum total of my highly developed talent for BS. You guessed it, it's my personal essay for the grant proposal. Feel free to bestow praise on my creation. If you're a grant reader, then just pretend you didn't see this. Actually, it's true. I just picked out the bits and pieces of my life that sound the best. Enjoy!

Fifth grade was an interesting year for me. It was a year of new things; new friends, new teachers and new subjects. That was the year I learned about atoms. Each of us was assigned an atom to model. Reading basic information from the periodic table I discovered how many protons, electrons and neutrons gold has and made my model from coat hangers and clay. Taking my model up for grading, I asked a question, “Mrs. G, how does everything in the atom stay together?” I was initially disappointed, my teacher had no idea. But instead of forgetting about it, like any reasonable 5th grader, I asked my mother to take me to the library. The book I checked out answered my question, but it left me with more questions. What are protons made of? How do atoms know to bond? My fifth grade teacher could not answer those questions either, and library books only got me so far.
It was not until my junior year in high school that my chemistry teacher began to answer what I wanted to know. I got answers, but they created more questions. What’s a wave function and how does it work? What determines what happens in a reaction? If I am made up of chemicals and reactions, what makes those work? Once again I got some answers, but many more questions for my trouble. I was hooked. Chemistry became the axis around which my academic world spun. Every class I took, every paper I wrote, every book I read became part of my search for answers.
Naturally I decided to major in chemistry and once more there were answers, but this time the answers were different. They were qualified and less certain, and sometimes they were, “I don’t know if anyone’s ever tried that, why don’t you look it up?” and once in a while the answer is, “Lots of people have tried to figure that out, but no one knows.”
I was drawn to instrumentation, taking extra classes on the topic, because of the fantastic power it gives to observe the unseen. The classes I took afforded me the opportunity to see the inner workings of common instruments. There were four of us that day we took the cover off of an UV-Vis for the first time. Benji and I lifted our ancient Bruker model spectrophotometer off the narrow counter and onto the floor where we silently kneeled around it. Dr. Nalliah passed around a screw driver and each of us took a turn loosening the screws. My hand shook as I removed the last one from the case. Reverently, the four of us lifted the cover off that outdated relic. We each examined the simple assemblage of mirrors and electronics, marveling at the power of analysis in such an elegant design. In those few minutes I discovered what I wanted to do with my life. When I applied to graduate school, I picked only schools that had top-notch instrumentation programs.
Finally, I am on the brink of the point in my life where I can look for the answers myself. It isn’t as simple as just finding the right book in the library. I am in charge of finding the answer to a question no one else knows. Even more exciting than that, I am going to be part of developing instrumentation methods that will answer questions other than my own. The awe inspired by that first experience is still there and a thrill runs from my head to my toe when I consider the precipice on which I now stand.
In the future, I look forward to the chance to share my joy in questions and answers through teaching at a large research institution. As a motivation behind basic scientific research, nothing can be stronger than a strong sense to curiosity coupled with intelligence and perseverance. The chance to see these scientific values at work, first with my own mentor, and then passing them on as a mentor myself, is a goal I long to pursue.
This grant will enable me to focus large portions of my time on pursuing my scientific passions and goals, working with my coworkers and mentor to find a solution, and accumulating knowledge to pass on to my own future students.

Yeah, I know, I've got something on my nose. And I have a feeling it's not going away any time soon; it seems I'm going to be using this talent often in graduate school. Wish me luck!

Christians, Due Process, and the Davis Debacle

Since Victoria briefly mentioned the strife that has engulfed our friend, I feel like it's okay for me to post a thought about it now.

Adam recently informed me that in a conversation with the Academic Dean [and we all know who that is], he was told that since HC/U is a private institution they are not obligated to give students due process in matters of discipline or dismissal. In other words, it is okay for the Education Department to hold closed meetings concerning a student's dismissal. The student need not be given a chance to explain the situation to anyone, including the people who get to vote on whether or not that student is disciplined or dismissed. How these people are able to vote impartially on the matter without having heard a complete account of the situation is beyond me.

When our friend approached the Dean of Student Development about his predicament, that person felt that although HC/U did not have to give him due process, it seemed like something that they ought to do. Props to this person for that realization.

It is mind-boggling to me that Christians should have to think about whether or not a person deserves due process, regardless of the laws that may regulate them as an institution. To deny people the chance to defend themselves is hardly civilized, much less Christian.

Higher Education *sigh*

I am officially horrified at the state of higher education in this country. In addition to Adam's oh so interesting debacle and the happenings of last year, I found this today. It seems that there's some sort of trend (if you can believe cnn) toward hiring fundraisers rather than academics as college presidents. Now, I'm not knocking the benefit of having a good fundraiser on staff, but shouldn't the leader of an educational institution be highly educated himself (or herself if you prefer)? Seriously, what gives? Maybe I'm just a starry eyed idealist, but I really kind of think that there's a goal in education above raising money. Not so according to this:

'The Chronicle survey found 53 percent of presidents worked on fundraising every day, more than any other activity. Asked how they defined success, the most common reply was "having a balanced budget," beating out "excellent quality of educational programs."'

That's terrifying! So, students and parents of America, the world of higher education has something to say to you, "we don't care how good your education is, or what your qualifications are, is our budget balanced? and can you pay for it?" Pardon me while I run screaming.

Christian groups at secular schools

Here are my latest questions concerning Christian fundamentalism:

Are Christian groups [IV, Campus Crusade] that form at secular colleges or universities inherently fundamentalist in nature? If not inherently fundamentalist, are students who join these groups generally more attracted to fundamentalism? Do they show signs of becoming fundamentalists after having joined said groups?

on education

In the interest of proving that I'm capable of posting something interesting, here's a provocative little quote for all of you in Readerland.

"There is only one Education, and it has only one goal: the freedom of the mind. Anything that needs an adjective, be it civics education, or socialist education, or Christian education, or whatever-you-like education, is not education, and it has some different goal. The very existence of modified "educations" is testimony to the fact that their proponents cannot bring about what they want in a mind that is free. An "education" that cannot do its work in a free mind, and so must "teach" by homily and precept in the service of these feelings and attitudes and beliefs rather than those, is pure and unmistakable tyranny."

~Richard Mitchell, The Underground Grammarian, September 1982

In light of the fact that the three of us have recently graduated from a Christian college, I wondered if anyone would have any thoughts on this.