So Great is the regard of the law for private property; that it will not authorize the least violation of it; no, not even for the common good of the whole community.
-Blackstone’s Commentaries
The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.
-John Holt
Since I am neither eloquent or patient, I tend not to write anything provacative. Lately, however, I've been thinking a lot about kirk membership vs. adherants, biblical warrant, etc. Someday I'll get to responding to John's post (which is next on my 'to-think-about' list).
It's easy to get infected with the virulence of 'this church isn't meeting my needs' bug. Granted most everybody denies that there exists a perfect church. A perfect church in doctrine and unity is something to be aimed at. With all this talk of a perfect church, why isn't there much talk of becoming the perfect church-goer?
What qualities would the perfect church-goes possess? Maturity, prudence, wisdom, slow to anger, quick to forgive, submissive, and a good psalm singer are only a few. Just becuase I hate being taxed an ungodly amout doesn't mean that I'm un-American or that I should leave. Virtually everyone believes that, which only proves we value our citizenship more highly than our local church membership (when we leave on piddly personal issues).
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
It's a Gem
Table 1 and 2 below represent a study done by D.E. Kerr from the University of Vermont and others from the USDA in Beltsville, MA. This study was presented at the Regional NMC Meeting earlier this week. Basically transgenic science involves the duplication of one gene in an organism and the successful relocation into another animal. For instance, lysostaphin is an antibacterial enzyme normally found in Staphlococcus simulans that has been incorporated into a bovine.
The first table below list 13 cows that were inoculated with a Staphlococcus aureus in all four quarters with 80 colony forming units (cfu). The column to the far right represents the days in milk of the challenge.
Remarkably, regardless of your views on transgenic science, cow number 101 (table 2) successfully defeated S.aureus (the other two transgenic cows were S.aureus free soon after the time dictates of the study). Not only that,
The first table below list 13 cows that were inoculated with a Staphlococcus aureus in all four quarters with 80 colony forming units (cfu). The column to the far right represents the days in milk of the challenge.
Remarkably, regardless of your views on transgenic science, cow number 101 (table 2) successfully defeated S.aureus (the other two transgenic cows were S.aureus free soon after the time dictates of the study). Not only that,
“…the somatic cell response to the challenge was dramatically different between transgenic and control cows. Thus, in all of the non-transgenic cows, somatic cell counts rose to peak values of 30,000,000 cl/ml [4x the legal limit] within 24 to 30 hr post-challenge. In sharp contrast, the cell count was virtually unchanged in the challenged transgenic cows.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Outstanding in the Field
I'm off to NMC for the next 3 days. I'm trying to contain my excitement. I'll be involved in one of the pre-conference short courses.
While I was taking a shower this morning I though of these two things:
Being least in the kingdom of heaven doesn't equal having the least. This reductionism is unfortunately part of worship so it stands to reason that some adopt is as part of everyday life.
Attempting to separate 'thought's ' from 'the arrangement of words' is nothing less than gnosticism. Thought's don't live in some ethereal place whereas arrangement of words are tangible property. You can show me an arrangement of words but to divide that from the thoughts generated is an impossibility.
While I was taking a shower this morning I though of these two things:
Being least in the kingdom of heaven doesn't equal having the least. This reductionism is unfortunately part of worship so it stands to reason that some adopt is as part of everyday life.
Attempting to separate 'thought's ' from 'the arrangement of words' is nothing less than gnosticism. Thought's don't live in some ethereal place whereas arrangement of words are tangible property. You can show me an arrangement of words but to divide that from the thoughts generated is an impossibility.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Numero Uno
Baylyblog and this from Mablog land:
"Web loggers, or bloggers as they are called, set up nifty web sites, with cool graphics and interactive gee-whizzery, all of calculated to . . . let us read their diaries. This is occasionally interesting when an interesting or challenging person does it--but in many cases the only people who want to read the diaries are those who want to have their own diaries read. This is the same reason why Hollywood actors or Nashville recording artists, when talking about one another, always use the word "genius." What goes around comes around. Asinus asinum fricat. So chalk up another one to technological capacity driving what we do before we understand it.". D.Wilson
"Web loggers, or bloggers as they are called, set up nifty web sites, with cool graphics and interactive gee-whizzery, all of calculated to . . . let us read their diaries. This is occasionally interesting when an interesting or challenging person does it--but in many cases the only people who want to read the diaries are those who want to have their own diaries read. This is the same reason why Hollywood actors or Nashville recording artists, when talking about one another, always use the word "genius." What goes around comes around. Asinus asinum fricat. So chalk up another one to technological capacity driving what we do before we understand it.". D.Wilson
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Street Smartz
“Although sea fighting made complex demands on senior officers, the transmission of the professional knowledge and understanding that are the basis of war at sea, usually termed ‘doctrine’, was still on a personal basis. This reflected the fact that admirals had to be experienced seamen before they could be effective commanders. In the Royal Navy each generation learnt the art of command from their elders and the hard experience of war. In the absenc3 of formal naval education this practical teaching produced a succession of able commanders. In France a more scientific approach was adopted, and from the late seventeenth century naval tactics were analyzed and reduced to theory. However, theory was no substitute for development and transition of an effective, practical, naval doctrine.”
War at Sea in the Age of Sail, by Andrew Lambert
“How does medicine change behavior? It doesn’t. That’s right. Medicine doesn’t change behavior! Instead, a drug affects the biology of the body. If a behavior grows out of the body’s chemistry and the drug changes that chemistry, the behavior may change as a result. That’s a biological chain reaction, not a pill’s direct signal to the brain that changes one, and only one, behavior. If medicine could really change behavior, no one would be overweight, no one would have problems quitting smoking or overcoming substance abuse. We would all take drugs to improve our lives. If medicine would really change behavior, we would try ‘neat pills’ and ‘polite pills’ on typical children.”
A Parent’s Guide to Autism, by Charles A. Hart
War at Sea in the Age of Sail, by Andrew Lambert
“How does medicine change behavior? It doesn’t. That’s right. Medicine doesn’t change behavior! Instead, a drug affects the biology of the body. If a behavior grows out of the body’s chemistry and the drug changes that chemistry, the behavior may change as a result. That’s a biological chain reaction, not a pill’s direct signal to the brain that changes one, and only one, behavior. If medicine could really change behavior, no one would be overweight, no one would have problems quitting smoking or overcoming substance abuse. We would all take drugs to improve our lives. If medicine would really change behavior, we would try ‘neat pills’ and ‘polite pills’ on typical children.”
A Parent’s Guide to Autism, by Charles A. Hart
Friday, July 01, 2005
Mutiny in the Pews
I suppose if we were a seafaring culture we would better appreciate (read: loathe) mutiny. Even now while we are engaged in an unconstitutional 'war' we are mutinous about mutiny. For instance, when you join the miltary you have the option to fight via contientious objector status. To me that's an indescribable irony.
Historically all naval world powers treated mutiny equally. If convicted through a miltary court marital, you were hanged. As follows:
Mutiny is generally a nautical term. Order on a ship was paramount and heirarchy was intergral. Much was on the line: men's lives, the respective government's money or territory, etc. High were the emotions: at sea for years couped up with hundreds of men, isolated from everything concrete, the capt as the focal point for inevitable problems (usu beyond his control, eg weather, food, work load) etc. Becuase of the experience of naval officers there were safegaurds in place to prevent or squander such seditious attempts on the open seas. Death upon conviction being the most signifigant.
Mutiny is a two way street though. Petty officers and crews that aren't properly trained will inevitably grumble. They don't know what to expect, are unsure of their duties or don't understand the fluid dependance on each other to perform their respective tasks well, aren't prepared for the hard life of sailing, etc. A sailing vessel must be run in unity and a have a thorough understanding of the importance and function of leadership. The rudder can't say to the mainmast 'I have no need of you'.
If an officer dissagreed with the captain, the ship was not the place to dispute it. Said officer would duly log the greivance in his journal and take action once back on terra firma. This proper form doesn't deny the existing problem, rather it is delt with properly and in the best manner.
Mutiny is essentially a contempt for selected and schooled leadership regardless of our assesment. Governments are in power because they are ordained of God; for there is no power but of God. To despise Government as an authority is to despise God as the ultimate authority.
To look upon your local church membership as little more than a feather in your cap, is incredulous. I think it's time we start having serious trials for Christians who float around from church to church shopping for the best McChurch. Unfortunately we hold our American citizenship in higher regard that our Church membership.
Historically all naval world powers treated mutiny equally. If convicted through a miltary court marital, you were hanged. As follows:
The Royal Navy's Articles of War have changed slightly over the centuries they have been in force, but the 1757 version is representative – except that the death penalty no longer exists – and defines mutiny thus:So, then, mutiny could summarily be surmised as contempt of authourity. Heck, even talking about mutiny was chargeable. Obviously Americans are suspicous of authourity at best; it's bred into us. We prove that by saying our entire nation was founded on sedition. Well, that's another post.
Article 19: If any person in or belonging to the fleet shall make or endeavor to make any mutinous assembly upon any pretence whatsoever, every person offending herein, and being convicted thereof by the sentence of the court martial, shall suffer death: and if any person in or belonging to the fleet shall utter any words of sedition or mutiny, he shall suffer death, or such other punishment as a court martial shall deem him to deserve: and if any officer, mariner, or soldier on or belonging to the fleet, shall behave himself with contempt to his superior officer, being in the execution of his office, he shall be punished according to the nature of his offence by the judgment of a court martial.
Article 20: If any person in the fleet shall conceal any traitorous or mutinous practice or design, being convicted thereof by the sentence of a court martial, he shall suffer death, or any other punishment as a court martial shall think fit; and if any person, in or belonging to the fleet, shall conceal any traitorous or mutinous words spoken by any, to the prejudice of His Majesty or government, or any words, practice, or design, tending to the hindrance of the service, and shall not forthwith reveal the same to the commanding officer, or being present at any mutiny or sedition, shall not use his utmost endeavours to suppress the same, he shall be punished as a court martial shall think he deserves.
The United States's Uniform Code of Military Justice defines mutiny thus:
Article 94: Mutiny or Sedition. A member who, with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his or her duty or creates any violence or disturbance, is guilty of mutiny. A person who, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority, is guilty of sedition. Furthermore, a member who fails to do his or her utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his or her presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his or her superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he or she knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition. Violations of this article can be punished by death.
Mutiny is generally a nautical term. Order on a ship was paramount and heirarchy was intergral. Much was on the line: men's lives, the respective government's money or territory, etc. High were the emotions: at sea for years couped up with hundreds of men, isolated from everything concrete, the capt as the focal point for inevitable problems (usu beyond his control, eg weather, food, work load) etc. Becuase of the experience of naval officers there were safegaurds in place to prevent or squander such seditious attempts on the open seas. Death upon conviction being the most signifigant.
Mutiny is a two way street though. Petty officers and crews that aren't properly trained will inevitably grumble. They don't know what to expect, are unsure of their duties or don't understand the fluid dependance on each other to perform their respective tasks well, aren't prepared for the hard life of sailing, etc. A sailing vessel must be run in unity and a have a thorough understanding of the importance and function of leadership. The rudder can't say to the mainmast 'I have no need of you'.
If an officer dissagreed with the captain, the ship was not the place to dispute it. Said officer would duly log the greivance in his journal and take action once back on terra firma. This proper form doesn't deny the existing problem, rather it is delt with properly and in the best manner.
Mutiny is essentially a contempt for selected and schooled leadership regardless of our assesment. Governments are in power because they are ordained of God; for there is no power but of God. To despise Government as an authority is to despise God as the ultimate authority.
To look upon your local church membership as little more than a feather in your cap, is incredulous. I think it's time we start having serious trials for Christians who float around from church to church shopping for the best McChurch. Unfortunately we hold our American citizenship in higher regard that our Church membership.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
