Government and Caspian Quiz 25

We're continuing the Truth Project in Sunday School at church, and today was an interesting day: the State. This examination of the role the Bible lays out for government got me thinking about two different aspects of government: its basic role and the idea of sphere sovereignty.
The basic role of government, of course, is social order, to condone good and punish evil. To do so, of course, the government has to know what good and evil are, something I fear is becoming lost in American society in general. Still, I think our government is still doing a decent job here. It's not perfect, of course. It couldn't be. Overall, though, this country is not lawless.
The other interesting aspect, sphere sovereignty, was popularized by Abraham Kuyper. Basically, the concept says that the different social institutions that God has created (government, family, church, education, community) have specific rights, responsibilities, and structures, and that no one sphere has the right to exercise authority over another. The American concept of Freedom of Religion derives in part from this idea: the government is one sphere and it should not be directly controlling the church. Still, if we examine this idea and then look at the state of governments around the world, we see to varying degrees that sphere sovereignty has been violated. In many places, the government has sovereignty over areas in which it has no business being involved (such as the family size limits of China or the attempts in the US to re-define marriage.
I like the concept of sphere sovereignty, but bringing it to a practical level is tricky. These institutions all involve the same groups of people, and the part that's hard for me to grasp is where the boundaries are. For instance, is it a violation of sphere sovereignty for the government to enact child labor laws? Is it a violation of sphere sovereignty for the government to enact minimum wage laws? I instinctively want to say no to the first and yes to the second, but I feel like I'm contradicting myself.
While we are blessed here in America to have a decent government and to be able to be involved in government, I am becoming increasingly concerned that as a country, we are looking to government to be for us what it cannot be: God, our source and our provider. But that is a discussion for another post.

Prince Caspian Quiz 25
(This one should be easy)
55. How does the Narnian army sneak into Miraz’s castle to attack?
A. They don’t sneak in; they launch a frontal assault
B. They ride in on gryphons
C. They scale the walls
D. They don’t attack Miraz’s castle. They know better.

56. When Caspian reaches Miraz’s bed chamber, what does he do?
A. He offers Miraz a chance to join him
B. He doesn’t ever reach Miraz’s chamber because they never attack the castle.
C. He puts a sword to Miraz’s throat and almost kills him.
D. He says, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father; prepare to die.”

57. How does Dr. Cornelius escape from the Miraz’s castle?
A. He is rescued by Caspian during the attack on the castle
B. He sneaks away before Miraz can do anything
C. He pretends to be going to gather herbs and never comes back
D. He rappels out using a bed sheet

500th Post! And Caspian Quiz 24

According to the official blog statistics, this is post 500, quite a milestone, I guess, for a blog that only publishes twice a week (usually). So, yay for 500. Now, on to the quiz...

52. Once Peter arrives at Aslan’s How, what course of action does he first suggest?
A. Challenge Miraz to single combat
B. Attack Miraz’s army by night
C. Attack Miraz’s castle
D. Attack Miraz’s army by day

53. What is Peter’s attitude toward Aslan once he arrives at Aslan’s How?
A. We don’t know
B. He thinks that Aslan won’t help them this time and that they will have to fight on their own
C. He trusts Aslan, but knows that Aslan has given him the task of dealing with Miraz
D. He wishes Aslan were there

54. Whose idea is it to attack Miraz’s Castle?
A. Peter’s
B. Reepicheep’s
C. Trufflehunter’s
D. Dr. Cornelius’s

Springs Begins, As Does the Weather & Caspian Quiz 23

Astronomically-speaking, Spring began on Friday. As far as the weather goes, I would say that Spring begins tomorrow, with our first real chance of significant severe weather in the region. Unfortunately, the factors all are forecast to be in place tomorrow for some sort of severe weather to occur throughout the Central Plains. From what the Storm Prediction Center has said over the past couple of days, it appears that they think the main threat for significant weather lies just to the south of Topeka (and by just, I mean about 10-15 miles) and then roughly along I-35 down to Oklahoma City. Still, that risk could shift slightly north or south as we draw nearer to Monday and as we see how the weather system evolves. The models have been wrong plenty of times before. Still, it appears that the late afternoon and early evening hours tomorrow could contain some active weather for many living nearby. Hopefully, nothing serious occurs. Severe weather would be a terrible way to start off Spring.

Prince Caspian Quiz 23
49. Which of the following enters Aslan’s How first?
A. Caspian
B. Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin
C. Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy
D. Peter and Edmund

50. How do the Pevensies find out what Aslan’s How is?
A. They discover the Stone Table on their own
B. Caspian shows them the Stone Table
C. Peter figures it out based on Trumpkin’s description of it
D. The tourist guide to Narnia that they picked up at Beruna tells them

51. How many of the Pevensies visit Aslan’s How?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

Flu, Spring Break, and Prince Caspian Quiz 22

It's been a beautiful week in terms of weather, so far. I had great plans to get some yard work done, to do some little errands around the house, maybe take a day trip out of town, etc. Unfortunately, those plans were thwarted by a nasty case of the flu. If you haven't had the flu virus that's floating around, let me tell you that it's one nasty bug. I get colds aplenty, about 1-2 times a year, but it's a rare thing for me to get the flu. This time, though, I got it in its fullest: high temperature, body ache, stuffiness, and nausea. By the grace of God, the high fever has vanished, but I'm still not 100% back, yet. It could be another day or two before I'm 100%, and I sure hope so. There's a lot coming down the pike over the next couple of weeks.
The only good thing about getting the flu is that I got it over Spring Break. Now, don't get me wrong. I would have loved to have had a week of rest and relaxation instead of a week of sickness. But if I have to be out for a week, it's far easier on me psychologically to be out on a week when I don't have to do anything than to be shut down on a normal week when I would have 6 classes for which I have responsibility. Still, I'm ready to be up and about, again. I'm sick of being trapped inside the house, and I'd like to get a little bit of real rest prior to the last leg of the marathon sprint that is 4th quarter.

Prince Caspian Quiz 22

46. How does Caspian’s army get weapons? (Choose all that apply)
A. Reepicheep leads a party to raid the Telmarine army at Beruna
B. They make them
C. They find them hidden in Aslan’s How
D. We don’t know

47. How does Caspian feel about Peter?
A. He never meets Peter
B. He both likes and dislikes Peter
C. He sees him as a challenge to his authority
D. He likes him and defers to his authority

48. Who decides that Aslan’s How will be where the Narnian army sets up camp?
A. Peter
B. Caspian
C. Dr. Cornelius
D. We don’t know

How I Read When in a Hurry and Prince Caspian Quiz 21

I find it quite interesting how I read when I'm in a hurry. I only read the first couple of sentences and then the last sentence or two in each paragraph, skipping that's all in between. As a result, I can say without disagreement that the proliferation of biscotti has led to an increase in tea consumption throughout the macro-economically under-performing sectors of the global economy. This fact in no way diminishes the fact that gerbils taste great when cooked on a grill after being marinated in a light orange sauce. Using an orange sauce, however, barely beats out the drilling of ice cores in the South Pacific as a way of determining historical temperature records. And we must never forget that baking soda and baking powder are two different substances. Have you ever read only the first and last couple of sentences in something? If so, then what's in the middle will be as meaningful to you as what I just wrote in the middle of this paragraph.
Too often, it seems, authors waste time on meaningless details in the middle of their paragraphs instead of just making their point. Admittedly, however, the meat of many arguments can be found in the middle. So, whether I skim or not depends on the era the author is from and how interested I am in the subject matter.

Prince Caspian Quiz 21
43. How do the Pevensies and Trumpkin meet Caspian and his army?
A. They encounter the army as it moves through the woods
B. Aslan leads the Pevensies and Trumpkin to Aslan’s How
C. Caspian meets them at Beruna
D. They never meet

44. What is the nature of the first encounter between Peter and Caspian?
A. Peter helps Caspian in a fight that breaks out in the war council under Aslan’s How
B. Aslan introduces them
C. They fight
D. They bump into each other at the grocery store

45. How many of the Pevensies meet Caspian?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

Prince Caspian Quiz 20

41. When does Lucy see the trees dancing/alive, and is she awake or dreaming?
A. Before they cross the river, awake
B. Before they cross the river, dreaming
C. After they cross the river, awake
D. After they cross the river, dreaming

42. How many of the Pevensies and Trumpkin see Aslan by the time they reach Aslan’s How?
A. 3
B. 2
C. 1
D. 5

On Ideas that Disappear and Prince Caspian Quiz 19

It seems like during the week, I have all sorts of good ideas about what to write about on this blog, but when the time comes for me to write something, all of them have vanished into the same hole that a portion of our country's economy has gone. I guess it's time for me to write down these ideas as they come to me. That way, I'll have something meaningful to post here. For now, I'll have to settle for posting this lament.

Prince Caspian Quiz 19
38. When the Pevensies and Trumpkin arrive at Beruna, why can they not cross the river?
A. They are attacked by sentries from Miraz’s outpost at Beruna
B. Miraz’s army is busy building a bridge
C. The river is flooded
D. They cross the river

39. How do the Pevensies and Trumpkin cross the River Rushing?
A. They swim
B. Lucy falls through a weak place on the edge of the upper bank, which leads them to safe path across
C. Aslan leads them up the gorge of the river and across far upstream
D. They ride gryphons

40. At what time of day do the Pevensies and Trumpkin cross the river?
A. At sunrise
B. Day
C. At sunset
D. Night

Prince Caspian Quiz 18

36. To where are the Pevensies and Trumpkin headed in order to meet Caspian?
A. The Shuddering Woods
B. Aslan’s How
C. The Fords of Beruna
D. The Pit of Despair

37. What is the response of Old Narnians to the thought of Caspian helping them?
A. They flatly reject him
B. They all recognize him as king and accept him with relative ease
C. They decide to let Roonwit the Centaur lead instead
D. They do not accept him until a centaur convinces them otherwise

Prince Caspian Quiz 17

33. When is Trumpkin first called “dear little friend” or “DLF?”
A. When the Pevensies bring him ashore at Cair Paravel
B. After Edmund beats him in a sword fight at Cair Paravel
C. While the Pevensies and Trumpkin are walking towards Aslan’s How
D. At the very end of the story

34. Who first refers to Trumpkin as “dear little friend” or “DLF?”
A. Peter
B. Susan
C. Edmund
D. Lucy

35. What is Trumpkin’s response to being called “DLF?”
A. “Oh, that’s not at all patronizing, is it?”
B. “Quite the nickname, eh? Why don’t I start called you PESL?”
C. “No more of that, your majesty, if you love me.”
D. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

Interesting Statement about Climate Change

I ran across an interesting statement given before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by Dr. William Happer on February 25, 2009. In it, Dr. Happer lays out some solid, scientific reasons why global warming is not the major cause for alarm. You can read the original statement, in PDF form, from the U.S. Senate Archives, or in HTML form from Captialist Magazine. The two are identical, so choose whichever will work in your browser. I'm partial to original sources, myself.
The debate about global warming is far from over, despite attempts by many to stifle it. Read Dr. Happer's statement for some fascinating scientific arguments.