Quiet

1. The book I'm reading about introverts and extroverts is full of stories.  More stories than research.  Anecdotal evidence doesn't bother me.  I usually enjoy stories.


2.  But one of the stories is about Al Gore and his passionate work to save the world from global warming.  Or climate change.  Or whatever we're calling it these days.  The author makes the point that Mr Gore worked doggedly on this issue for decades.  Few people listened to him because he is an introvert and doesn't make his case in a splashy way that draws the attention of extroverts.  She pointed out that Gore's movie finally woke up people to the danger we're in, so we're finally taking seriously the necessity to save the planet.

Normally, I will read such things and shake my head in disbelief.  I may crab about it a bit.  (Or more.)  And then I'll go on, taking the good parts of the book and ignoring the bad.  But this kind of book?  If the author believes the global warming and climate change are real, can I believe other things she says? 


3.  To add to my skepticism, she characterized the "Western God" as an extrovert, as seen in Jesus Christ Superstar where God's "son Jesus is kind and tender, but also a charismatic, crowd-pleasing man of influence."

Okay, maybe the Lord is an extrovert.  (What He's all about is giving Himself to others, pouring Himself out for us.)    But the author's source for this insight?

For real?  Jesus Christ Superstar?


4.  I did like the section on sensitivity, conscience, and guilt.  Apparently, introverts tend to feel guilty even when they've done nothing wrong.  They tend to feel embarrassed themselves when friends are teased.  They may fail lie-detector tests even when they're telling the truth. 

Story:  One day my brother and I came home from grade school on our lunch-hour. David and I watched one kid walking on the other side of the street take off his jacket.  Then he swung it at another kid, whipping him again and again.  That day Dad was working nearby so he happened to be home for lunch too.  As we told the story of the mean boy, Dad got mad.  He was angry at the kid for hurting the other child.  He went on and on about how the jacket-zipper could have cut the other child or injured an eye.  As an adult, I realize that everything Dad said that day was reasonable.  But in the midst of the situation, I felt accused.  I remember spouting, "Why are you mad at us?  We didn't do anything wrong!  We didn't hit anybody!"  Poor Dad.  He probably wondered where I came up with such a statement. 

And thus, the section about introverts feeling excess guilt resonated with me.

Yo-Yos and Environmentalism

Wisconsin television stations were recently scammed. Or duped. Or made a less-than-wise programming decision. A guy named Kenny purportedly preaches a message of environmentalism, using yo-yos and humor to reach kids. Several stations invited him on-air. The segments got weird. (You can see the exposé here, but you probably want to close the window on the ads partially covering the screen.)

I honestly don't care diddly about the so-called scam or who Kenny really is. What should be surprising (but unfortunately isn't) was that more than one station invited this man to be on live tv. They didn't check into his background. They didn't verify facts. His claim that he spoke about environmental issues was enough for them to usher him right onto the stage and stick a microphone in front of him.

And the mainstream media wonder why the public is looking for alternative news sources on the internet?? The ratings on TV news is dropping?? Hello!

Climate Cycles

Some say that this frigid weather is proof of global warming. Others say this frigid weather is just part of climate patterns that fluctuate over the course of decades and centuries.

No.

I used to buy that. I don't anymore.

This is what God has to say about our belief in global warming. He is mocking our idolatry. This is a weather version of "Not even God could sink the Titanic."

Environmentally Friendly Lightbulbs

They're supposed to use less electricity. I suppose that's probably true.

They're supposed to be environmentally friendly. Except you have to dispose of them as hazardous waste because of the mercury that's toxic.

They're supposed to be frugal. They tell us the bulbs last 8-15 times as long as an incandescent. If they cost 10 times as much, but last 10 times as long, then the simple purchase of them is a wash financially, and the energy savings is where you can be frugal.

The problem is, they don't last 8-15 times as long. We installed several CFL bulbs this summer, and they're already burned out. They didn't last as long as an el-cheapo 20-cent incandescent bulb.

So it's costing me more. And now I have a toxic substance to dispose of. And I'm wondering where the up-side of this is.

Why do I suspect that the people who are lying about pushing these things must be the ones who own the patent ... or the factory that makes them?

Chilly

Furnace has been on for two weeks. Last year we didn't flip the switch until the last week of October or early November.

We've had frost nearly every night for a few weeks. We've only had a few days where the high temperature has gone above 50. It's normal now to look out the window at the thermometer in the morning and see a number between 30 and 35. Last year Gary was outdoors, working on finishing the deck, until mid October. This year we can't seem to kick ourselves outdoors to do that final lawn-mowing job of the year -- it's too cold.

Last year, on November 5, Katie and I were sitting outdoors, sunbathing ourselves and sunning newborn Alia to kill off spare bilirubin cells. I am highly skeptical as to whether there will be Indian summer this year showing up before the blankets of snow.

Would you please buy an SUV and drive it on all sorts of unnecessary errands so that we can get some global warming happenin' around here?

Flurries

Growing up, I expected some snow before Thanksgiving. When we moved north, it was not shocking if there were snow or flurries before my son Paul's birthday. Then we spent a long time living on the IL/WI border, and we were not surprised if we had a few flurries prior to Halloween.

But good grief: it's October 10! It's snowing outside. (Better than snowing inside, I always say....)

I think Al Gore owes us reparations.

Planting

Back in June, one of the Sunday Gospel readings was about the mustard seed. As we talked about it in Bible class, Ed mentioned that some of the older pastors would refer to funerals/burials as "planting" someone.

When Dad died, I was right in the midst of planting most of the garden. My chart to show what's planted where, and when I planted it, records most everything having been planted the day or two before I left to go to my folks'. Gary planted the asparagus while I was gone. I planted more when I came home after the funeral.

Ed also mentioned in Bible class that we plant the seed and go away and know it will come up. Boy, after my spring, I'm not so sure. None of my first planting of corn came up. Only one vine of my first planting of cucumbers came up, and none of the second planting. None of my first planting of cantaloupe came up. It was all looking pretty hopeless out in my garden.

So when we bought some fresh corn seed (the first planting had been 10-yr-old seed) and soaked some more old cantaloupe seed in water before replanting, I was surprised to see anything come up. Look! It works! Seeds in dirt actually DO something! How 'bout that!

When you're in the midst of planting your seeds in your garden, it makes you think about "planting" the bodies of your loved ones in the dirt too. If my raised beds today can look like nuthin' but a naked stretch of dirt, there is nothing to prove that in a week or so there will be tiny little lines of green poking through the soil. And nothing to make me understand that in a month I'll be wishing I had spread out the plants a little further apart because they got so big all of a sudden. (That's assuming, of course, that our coldest-summer-on-record releases its chilly grip for a few days here and there. Oh wait, I'm tending toward a rant on global warming again, aren't I? Okay, back to the analogy.) Not much to see when the loved one's body is planted. No proof of a resurrection. And not even the experience of what happened before, as in having seen last year's garden seeds grow. All we have is God's word on it. But the seed will come out of the ground and will bear fruit, and it will be far more exciting than when we see the little row of green in the garden (even though it's pretty thrilling when another plant pops up!).

Big Day

Philip signs the papers and takes possession of his condo today. He found a nice wood dining room table and a credenza at Goodwill this week. (I always wondered what a "credenza" was. And when he brought this thing home, I wasn't sure what it was. Then I saw the word stamped on the back. Ah ha!) He called last night from the store, asking for advice on saucepans and cookware. He'll be taking my spare 3-qt Reverware until he can get to central Illinois and raid my sister's and brother-in-law's pre-wedding stuff.

After taking on his mortgage, he will be spending the rest of the day cleaning cupboards and shampooing carpet and such. I guess tomorrow is the day to haul stuff back and forth in the van.

I bet Paul will be glad to move upstairs to the bedroom, out of the depths of the basement.

I should spend the day in the garden, but I keep wondering if putting seeds in that cold soil is going to rot them. Hey, at least the grass we planted on Monday should be doing well, with the persistent gentle rains and drizzles we've had for three days straight. It's nearly June and we're still running highs in the 50s and low 60s. Global warming, my foot.

Line versus Dryer

I put the clothes in the dryer today. Wasted electricity. Helped destroy the ozone layer. Contributed to global warming.

I would have preferred to hang the clothes on the clothesline. It would be greener for the earth. It would be cheaper on my electric bill. The clothes would smell nicer. But when it's too COLD outside for the clothes to dry before sundown (when the dew falls and they get wet again) it's hard to prevent global WARMING by using solar power.

I Believe!

My son-in-law sent me a link to an article that just makes your eyes pop out of your head. October was HOT! Global warming is coming to kill us all! Oh no! The proof is in the numbers! Look how hot it was!

Ooops. Small problem. For a large part of Russia (where it was unusually hot for the month of October) it turns out that the temperature data didn't come through properly. What to do? Hmmm. I know! We'll just take September's temperatures, and write 'em down for the days of October, and there ya go... data for the month of October.

And THAT is part of the "proof" that global warming is happening.

This is science??????

And yet, it fits perfectly with what's demonstrated in Expelled. There are certain things we believe: for some it's God's Word, and for others it's something else. Last week in Bible class, Pastor talked about how evolution is a belief system, not a portion of science. This is seen clearly in Expelled, too, especially in what the evolutionists themselves espouse.

What is most stunning in Expelled, though, is not the argument between evolution and intelligent design. What is most stunning is the fervent beliefs and the name-calling by those who deny Intelligent Design.

And here it pops up again, when we're talking about global warming, and inventing data for Russian temperatures.

And we're supposed to trust these scientists who are willing to use faked data, who are unwilling to present both sides of the issue, who are afraid to let the science and logic speak for themselves?

Temps

The weather has been awesome the last two weeks. (At least, it has for people! Not so much for tomatoes, corn, and green beans.) Highs have been in the high-70s, and lows during the night in the high-50s. That's mighty comfortable for sleeping. And the days have not been the hot, miserable, muggy days you expect from August. Maggie asked a few days ago if summer is done. I doubt it; I expect some days yet in the 90s. And my tomatoes need it. But I won't be surprised if they don't materialize. Even the Chicago Tribune, not exactly a right-leaning newspaper, reports how cool things have been this entire decade.

Tell me again about global warming?....

Global Warming

A friend posted a You-Tube video by Minnesotans for Global Warming. It's not only funny, but makes some good points. However, what is even better is their website which is full of pertinent information regarding what's going on with the weather and the politics surrounding it.

I love the quote from Congressman Bachmann regarding the refusal of the Democrats to open up more areas of the U.S. for drilling for oil: "It's like having a room full of hungry children and a pantry full of food with a lock on it." Go check out the M4GW website!

Flooding

[The Lord] said to the sea, "This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!" Job 39:11

Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. Genesis 9:11

Pretend for a moment with me. Pretend that there is actually some bit of science somewhere that is consistent with the claims of the global-warming crowd.

How can any Christian worry that the ice-caps are going to melt and flood the world? God said it can't happen. Even IF the pseudo-scientists had some evidence to back up their beliefs, we still know it would never be able to actually pan out. You hear about those poor kids getting scared to death from the propaganda at school, and having nightmares, but yet it ain't gonna happen.

Zoo

Saturday was the zoo-day for Gary's workplace. No, they weren't all supposed to act like monkeys that day. It was a day AT the zoo for employees and their families, with the company paying for tickets, parking, train rides, sea lion show, lunch, etc. It was a perfect day; you couldn't have ordered-up better weather. The lunch was great, with Asian, Mexican, Italian, and American buffets, fresh fruit, drinks (alcoholic and non), and loads of ice-cream treats.

We have been accustomed to enjoying the Madison zoo, and I love that place. The Milwaukee zoo is bigger and more spread out. (That leaves you tireder when you get home that night. LOL.) Because we attended some of the entertainment at the zoo rather than just watching animals, we were surprised to see how much environmental propaganda is interwoven with the scientific "facts" on the cage-labels and in the narration at the sea-lion show.

Andrew and Paul and I were keeping an eye on scientific names of animals and trying to make sense of them. One of the songs from our science CDs teaches us about "kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species make the name, you see." We were beginning to get confused, as the "panther" genus includes the species of lions and tigers and bears, oh my (NO) leopards and jaguars. But not cheetahs. And not (interestingly enough!) panthers. Panthers and cheetahs, though, join the others in the feline family. Wondering what the other scientific classifications were, we knew it was the animal kingdom, and Wikipedia showed us that the phylum is the group with spinal columns, while the class is mammals, and the order is carnivores. Other classes of vertebrates are groupings such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. It's been interesting trying to make sense of these categories, such as chamomile being in the plant kingdom, the division/phylum of plants that flower, the class of composite flowers, and the order of asters or ray-flowers. I think too many of the items in my "100 species" posts are actually a genus instead of a species. Oh well. At least we're narrowing down the items, so that we call it something more precise than just "a plant"!

Fetching Our Own Oil

From the Chicago Tribune: "Obama has said he opposes lifting the federal ban on offshore drilling. And on Friday he promised a moratorium on the practice. Now he will find out if the pain voters are feeling at the pump will be inflicted upon him for his position."


McCain still doesn't have the right position on drilling in Alaska or easing up restrictions on producing our own oil. But at least he's starting to talk about getting oil from the Gulf and temporarily reducing the enormous gasoline taxes. Now if only he could get 'em all to begin undoing the damaging demands for more and more ethanol.

Freeze-Drying

I know there are people who freeze-dry their clothes on the clothesline all winter. But I don't want to be one of them! Frugality only goes so far, y'know! It's 50 whoppin' degrees out there, and it's cold to be handling those wet clothes. (Good thing it's summer and we have global warming. Just think how cold it'd be otherwise!)

Maybe I'll look at the electric bill when I resume use of the clothes-dryer next fall and maybe I'll feel compelled to hang clothes on the line in spite of the frigid temps. But right now I'm wondering how long it's going to take those t-shirts to dry today, anyhow. And I'm justifying the use of the clothes-dryer in winter by thinking of colds and immune systems and arthritic hands and other things I want to avoid messing with.

I think maybe, in the ancient days before clothes-dryers, when people had to hang their clothes on the line ALWAYS, they probably didn't do as much laundry during the winter as we do now. Don't you suppose they postponed a lot of it for spring cleaning?

And WHY am I talking about this at the END of MAY??? Aren't we supposed to be reveling in the perfect weather of 70s and 80s -- not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.... Hmmm?

Polar Bears

Somebody brought a picture to Bible class this morning. Before prayers, it was passed around with the "explanation" that it was a scene deleted from Al Gore's movie. If you want a giggle, it's worth clicking on the link!

And do you remember the picture of the soldiers asking Sen Kerry for "help"? Well, check out a photo of needy polar bears (about 1/3 of the way down the page).