Commentary: If You Deny Media Bias Exists...

Read the headlines and first paragraphs of each of these articles, one from CNN and one from Fox News. See if you can tell each author's attitude towards the story.
CNN
Fox News

It's clear to me that CNN has a definite liberal bias in the story. It fails to identify what the amendment truly was about, instead describing it as a "ban on same-sex unions". That is in no way what the amendment was about. It is not about taking away rights. It is about protecting the rights of marriage by defining it to be as it has always been understood to be. That such an amendment is even necessary represents a sad day for this country.

Commentary: "Gay" Marriage

I keep noticing that most media outlets keep referring to the upcoming vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment as being about "gay marriage". There's a major problem with this phrase. It makes it sound like a homosexual person is forbidden from getting married. He's not. He can get married, so long as he marries someone of the opposite gender who is of legal age. The issue, rather, is whether we should allow "same-sex marriage", a concept that would undermine the fabric of society: traditional marriage. So, in discussing it as "gay marriage", the media is once again showing its bias against traditional marriage by making marriage sound like a right. It's not. Because if it were, I could validly claim that my right to marry a beautiful woman of God has been violated for these past 10 or so years (ever since I turned 18). :-)

Rambling: Thoughts on Esther

I spent about 45 minutes this afternoon reading through and pondering the book of Esther. Here are some of the thoughts I had while reading it.

First, if I read the book of Esther in multiple languages, would that mean that I was a fan of "poly-Esther"?
Xerxes gave a 180-day party! That's six months long. Can you imagine what that must have been like? Six months of one man showing off how great he thought he was! Then, he gives a banquet for everyone, from the least to the greatest. There must have been some pretty happy peasants!
During this banquet, "each guest was allowed to drink in his own way" (NIV). There must have been some really happy peasants. (A note in my Bible quotes the Greek historian Heroditus as writing that the Persians "are very fond of wine, and drink it in large quantities...It is also their general practice to deliberate upon affairs of weight when they are drunk...Sometimes, however, they are sober at their first deliberation, but in this case they always reconsider the matter under the influence of wine.") The importance of wine to the Persians will show up several more times in the book.
Speaking of happy people, Xerxes drank enough during the banquet to be "in high spirits" (i.e. drunk). Then, he decided to have his queen, Vashti, come parade before all of his noblemen. When she refused, he deposed her and then issued a strange command.
This edict said that "every man should be ruler over his own household". This command is strange because it is either superfluous, or it means that the general state of affairs in Persia was quite the opposite. :-)
Esther was not very God-fearing. She was willing to be married to a pagan king and to hide her Jewish ancestory. God's name is not mentioned once in the book of Esther.
Haman was quite the arrogant man. Upset that Mordecai won't show him respect, he gets together with his friends and his wife and boasts about how great he (Haman) is. I feel sorry for those listening, particularly his wife, who has to hear her husband brag about how many sons he has.
Wine shows up again when Esther makes her appeal for Xerxes to issue a decree to save the Jews from Haman's plot to destroy them. Esther throws a two-day banquet for just Xerxes and Haman. In each case, "as they were drinking wine", Xerxes asked Esther what request she would like. It seems that Heroditus wasn't exaggerating a whole lot!
I close with this observation: God kept His covenant with the Jews even when they were not keeping their part of the covenant. Great is His faithfulness!

Rambling: Nostaglia

I just returned from a visit up to the college I went to not too many years ago. The amount of changes that I found amazed me. If you know anything about Iowa State University, read on to hear my comments on the changes that I saw. If not, all I can say is that while it was good to see some old friends and to briefly visit so many places where God worked to alter the course of my life, it was bittersweet. The most bitter part of the visit was realizing that I graduated seven years ago and that it hasn't seemed that long. Time has flown.

For those who know that campus a lot has changed in the past seven years. Helser Hall is only about a third the size that it previously was. In its place is the Union Drive Commons. Also in Union drive is a new, suite-style residence hall. I'm fine with that change. One change in the UDA area that I wasn't excited about was Clyde Williams Field being turned into parking lot, however. The new Engineering buildings are wonderful. It's great to see the run-down Engineering Annex building finally torn down. And the work they've done to make the Marston Water Tower stand out is amazing. Most of the halls that I frequently had class in are still there and basically unchanged: Gillman Hall, MacKay Hall, Physics Hall, Lagomarcino Hall, and Agronomy Hall. It was great to see them. There's the new Honors and Business buildings, although they're just okay. I have nothing to compare them to.
The biggest shock, though, was seeing how different the Towers residence halls looked. Two of them are gone completely: Knapp and Storms were demolished in the past year. Only the Knapp-Storms Commons remains. It amazes me how small a footprint those buildings had because it hardly seems like those gigantic concrete edifices would fit within the ground that remains. Yet they were there: all 11 stories of them. Now, however, there's just open space. And the remaining two Towers, including my home home for 2 years: Wilson Hall, are next.
Overall, I approve of most of the changes made to the University grounds. A lot of work needed to be done, and I'm glad to see that it has been done.

Rambling: Memorial Day Already?

Is it just me, or was this the fastest five months in the history of the world? At this rate, I'm going to wake up tomorrow and find myself as a 60-year old. Ack!

Rambling: One More Day!

Contrary to popular belief, teachers are just as relieved to be done with school for the summer as the students are.

Commentary: Slanted News

Once again, the media are at work trying to get another Democrat elected to Congress by attempting to create a scandal out of nothing. A recent example is an article in the Topeka Capital-Journal. This attack piece on Representative Ryun is presented as a news piece. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The article is really just another attempt by the anti-Republican media to attack a representative who does not agree with their values. Throughout the article, the author betrays his bias by slanting his description of the facts. For example, he goes to great lengths to try to point out that the house was never listed with a real estate agent. (Question: what's wrong with that?) Another example, he insinuates that Representative DeLay bought Ryun's influence by contributing to Ryun's campaign. The author's reasoning? Ryun voted with delay 94% of the time. This is shoddy reasoning. Of course Ryun would vote with DeLay frequently. They're both from the same party and share many of the same core ideals. The author's raising the issue is nothing short of a smear on Rep. Ryun. Overall, the article is cynical about Mr. Ryun, slanted against him in every way. The contempt of the author practically bleeds through the page.
I am disappointed in the Topeka Capital-Journal for running such an unprofessional article that is really nothing more than propoganda for the Democrat party. They should know better, and they should be ashamed of such blatant political manipulation.

Rambling: Color of the Sky at Sunset

In response to a recent comment, I thought I'd take a minute to give a brief explaination of the colors of the sky at sunset.
The sky appears orange, red, purple, and even yellow at sunset due to the scattering of the sun's rays by the atmosphere and particles within the atmosphere. When a light ray interacts with an atmospheric particle, it scatters in a manner known as Mie Scattering. This scattering is responsible for the blue color of the sky during the day.
Depending on the angle of the sun with respect to the atmosphere, though, different wavelengths are more likely to be scattered, giving off characteristic colors. The "cleaner" the air, the less scattering there is and the less interesting the sunset because only certain wavelengths are favored. However, the more dust, pollutants, and cloud particles there are in the atmopshere, the more scattering that occurs, creating a beautiful array of colors.
Even though I know that the scientific reasons behind the sunset, I never cease to be amazed at their beauty, nor to praise God for the wonderful design of the universe to allow such glorious displays! Praise God for creating such beauty!

Rambling: End of Year

It's the end of the year, everyone's tired, and the finish line is in sight. It's time for the stretch run. Will my sanity survive? :-)

Rambling: Beautiful Day

How often in May do we get to enjoy weather as beautiful as it was today. It was a great day to have our final soccer practice of the season, and it looks to be a beautiful weekend to referee soccer. I'm loving this weather!

Rambling: Dreams/Goals

People often associate having dreams and goals with being a teenager. It's the kids who are expected to have huge dreams for the future. Yet, even at 28, closing in on 29, I still dream.

I dream of owning a house.
I dream of earning a master's degree.
I dream of doing better as a teacher, coach, and referee.
I dream of leading short-term mission trips from my church.
I dream of being a radical man of God who effectively shares the Gospel in word and deed.
I dream of being married and having a family.
Is it childish to still have dreams? I don't think so. God continues to allow me to have goals and dreams in order to keep me headed in the direction that He wants me to go. Without some sense of where to go, I would stagnate, content to be where I am. And while I like where I am, I know that God has more in store for me in the future, especially in eternity, which I will get to spend with Christ.
So, I will let God work in my heart and mind to shape these dreams to fit His purpose for my life. But I will not abandon even the seemingly most impossible dream until He makes it clear that I should.

Rant: Calvinball and DC Security

I just got back from visiting Washington, DC. Overall, it was a great trip, and it was fascinating to see the city again. I enjoyed getting to see the inside of the Jefferson Memorial for the first time. We also had the privilege of visiting the White House, which has changed little since I was there back in 1995. Above all, it was a good experience.
<rant>However, there is one thing about DC that drove me crazy that I just had to rant about for a minute: the security.
Now, it's not the amount of security that bothers me. I realize that there are some very militant Muslims who will stop at nothing until our country of "infidels" is a smoldering ash heap. My concern goes with how the security personnel behaved. The best way to explain their behavior is to compare it to Calvinball.
Calvinball was a game made up by Bill Watterson in his comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. It was a game of ever-changing rules, made up on the spot. One minute something was okay, the next something wasn't, and there was no warning when something would or would not be okay.
The security in DC was that way. There were next to no notices about what was or was not allowed. Sometimes, we could do something, sometimes we couldn't. Sometimes things that weren't even crimes were made into huge deals. Above all, I felt like Alice on her trip through the looking glass. I never quite knew what the rules of the game, and I didn't appreciate the arbitrary nature of the rules.
For example, just after some of my group got out of the White House, they sat down as they were waiting for the rest of our group to finish the tour. They weren't doing anything wrong. They weren't bothering anybody. They were just sitting on the curb. However, the security wasted no time assailing them as if they had just threatened the President, yelling at them to stand up as if they had just committed a felony. I explained to the secret service agent that they were waiting for the rest of our group, but that did not produce the usual, understanding response. Instead, the guard was harsh and disprespectful to our group. Strange.
Anyway, I was amazed at the lack of good communication about what was and what was not allowed. I can only hope that clear rules will be set out and spelled out. When that happens, it will be a more enjoyable experience for visitors to DC, who are innocent tourists minding their own business.</rant>

Rambling: Mud

I saw something like this on a greeting card about a year ago, and I thought apropos as I scramble to fit laundry into a very busy Saturday schedule.

Who says that singles have more time? Observe:
Family's To Do List for the Week
1. Dishes -- Mom and Jenny
2. Laundry -- Dad and Timmy
3. Clean Bathroom -- Timmy
4. Clean Family Room -- Jenny
5. Mow Lawn -- Dad
6. Shop for Groceries -- Mom

Single's To Do List for the Week
1. Dishes -- Me
2. Laundry -- Me
3. Clean Bathroom -- Myself
4. Clean Family Room -- I
5. Mow Lawn -- Yours truly
6. Shop for Groceries -- Who else?

Seriously, whoever said that singles have more time was never single past the age of 22.

Rambling: April the What?

Ponder these statistics:
Today is April the 27th.
Average high for Topeka, KS, on this date: 69
Average low for Topeka, KS, on this date: 46
Actual high for today: 62 (at midnight!)
Effective high (temperature at 4:00, typical time for a high): 45
The temperature outside when the high normally happens is lower than the average low for today.
It's cold! It's like early March out there, with the cool weather and mist! Welcome to Kansas!

Rambling: Crunch Time

This week and next are going to be incredibly busy. It's crunch time at school, with the 4th quarter heading into the home stretch. On top of all of that, soccer season just keeps going, and refereeing eats up even more of my time. It's just going to be a crazy couple of weeks. I have nothing else to say. The end.

Rambling: Tempus Fugit

Where does the time go? How can it be Easter already? It seems like yesterday that soccer season was just starting -- boys' soccer season. I've heard many people say that time seems to move faster as one gets older. I believe it. This has been the fastest Spring that I can remember.

Easter has come and gone, and now it's two weeks worth of sprint until Tours. I think I'm ready for it. I pray to God that I am, but I know that I'll need His grace to be able to exercise patience with inreasingly-antsy students. Above all, though, I am determined, by His grace, to enjoy teaching, coaching, and refereeing in the next few weeks. How often I let the frustrations of the temporal override the joy that is found in the eternal. Christ is alive! In Him, death no longer holds power over me, and one day I, too, will rise from the dead and live forever, serving and worshipping Him for all eternity. This is reason to be joyful every day, because each day's troubles are miniscule compared with the glory that awaits just down the road. Return soon, Lord Jesus!

Rambling: Wrtier's Block, pt. II

It's a beautiful day, and it's a wonderful blessing to have a day off. I can't think of anything else to post.

Rambling: Why Am I Here?

Sometimes, I just have to pause and wonder why I am here. Not meaning that I question my purpose for living -- "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" (Westminster Catechism). Rather, I sometimes pause and wonder how I wound up exactly at this location, at this point in my life.

How is it that I should be so blessed as to be chosen by God, saved by grace, forgiven of my sins?
How is it that I should be so blessed as to be the one who gets to teach mathematics at Cair Paravel?
How is it that I have the privilege of coaching and refereeing soccer for these past few years?
How is it that I got to travel to Turkey, Germany, and Mexico on mission trips?
How is it that I have such a great family that loves me and cares for me?
To say that God has been gracious and merciful to me is an understatement, for I have deserved none of these things. And even though my life may not be exactly as I want it to be, I take comfort in the fact that it is how God knew it would be and that He is not done making it (or me) into what He wants it to be. I can't wait to see what He does next!

Rambling: Weather

Having studied meteorology, the weather always fascinates me. One of the most fascinating things is how storms seem to follow consistent tracks within a given severe weather season. For example: the past two outbreaks that have occurred here in the Central Plains have left Topeka untouched.

I guess this shouldn't be surprising, given the vast amount of open area that Kansas is. Still, it always amazes me how often there has been a gap so far this season between lines of severe activity. This gap always seems to include the city of Topeka. Even though we were in the heart of a high risk area today according to the Storm Prediction Center, it appears that we are going to get off without anything other than a little rain. Not surprising at all, I guess, knowing severe weather.
Still, I am disappointed a little, but not that we didn't get hit. I'm disappointed that the threat of severe weather caused our soccer games today to be cancelled. I was looking forward to that game. God must know best, though, and I will trust His sovereignty. Their must have been a reason for causing our opponent's AD to think it necessary to cancel the games.
All I know is that I have a few minutes for the first time all week to sit down and read. And I'm going to take it right now.

Story: Loldygocks and the Bee Threars

Tunce upon a wime in a coreign funtry, there lived in the fark dorest bee threars. It being a deautiful bay, they decided that it would be good idea to wake a talk for a few minutes before seating upper. Foolishly, however, they left their louse unhocked.
Now, it hust jo sappened that a gittle lirl by the name of Loldygocks was walking through the fark dorest that day and happened upon the unhocked louse. Being a rather gischevious mirl, she decided to go inside and explore it.

She kalked into the witchen and there saw three powls of borridge. Hungry, she decided to eat one. She fried the tirst. "This one's hoo tot," she said. She She sighed the tecond. "This one's coo told." She thried the tird and said with satisfaction, "But this one's rust jight." She ate the rest of the powl of borridge.
Feeling better, she decided to explore the hest of the rouse. Upstairs, she bound three feads. She fried the tirst. "This one's hoo tard," she said. She sighed the tecond. "This one's soo toft." She thried the tird and said, "But this one's rust jight." She lay down in the bird thread and shook a nort tap.
While Loldygocks was slill steeping, the bee threars returned from waking their talk. Kalking into the witchen, they saw the three powls of borrdige.
"Someone's been peating I morridge!" exclaimed ba papa threar.
"Someone's been peating I morridge!" exclaimed ba mama threar.
"Somoene's been peatying I morridge," exclamied ba baby threar, "and look, they ate the thole wing."
Very concerned, the bee threars ran upstairs to beir theadroom.
"Somone's been beeping in my sled," exclaimed ba papa threar.
"Somone's been beeping in my sled," exclaimed ba mama threar.
"Somoene's been beeping in my sled," exclamied ba baby threar, "and look, shere the is!"
Ba papa threar loared roudly and startled Loldygocks awake. Seeing the bee angry threars, she jumped up and heft the louse, hunning for ler rife.
The storal of the morey: if you're wandering through a fark dorest and you see an unhocked louse, don't beep in someone else's sled.