Papal Encyclicals

Pope Benedict XVI recently released his third encyclical, Charity in Truth. He commented on human development, fraternity, economic development, civil society, the financial crisis, business ethics, the environment, the cooperation of the human family, technology, social justice, the common good, and more – egad, the pope is getting into it: circular, circle, with the music, the flow, all good things.

The pope’s other encyclicals include God is Love and Saved by Hope.

The "Crisis of Confidence" Speech

Jimmy Carter delivered this televised speech on July 15, 1979. It is now known as the malaise speech and a symbol of Democratic defeatism.

Here are a few excerpts...

Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem?

It's clear that the true problems of our Nation are much deeper -- deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession.

The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence.

We've always believed in something called progress. We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own.

Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy.

In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to choose. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow interests ending in chaos and immobility. It is a certain route to failure.

All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all the promises of our future point to another path, the path of common purpose and the restoration of American values. That path leads to true freedom for our nation and ourselves. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem.

Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny.

In little more than two decades we've gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. This is the direct cause of the long lines which have made millions of you spend aggravating hours waiting for gasoline. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our nation. The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation. These are facts and we simply must face them.

Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense -- I tell you it is an act of patriotism.

Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control over our own lives.

ASICS

This is worth a post... I just found out what ASICS stands for. Anima sana in corpore sano, which means a sound mind in a sound body. Nice.

Defense

In general, a war must pass three tests to be justified. A country must first have exhausted all other means of defending itself. The attack should be proportionate to the objective. And it must stand a reasonable chance of achieving its goal.

New Year

We spent over a week at my parents' home in Nebraska during the Christmas holiday. It was good to see their newly constructed house, which replaced the one that I have known for the past 29 years. No work and no school meant a lot of time for eating, relaxing, and catching up on reading The Economist. Unfortunately, we were a sad bunch because everyone got sick. It was Levi's first illness. He was very congested and had trouble sleeping. A guy that little can't tell you what is wrong and he certainly can't do the farmer blow to rocket the snot out of his nose. We took Levi to the doctor to make sure the crud hadn't moved into his lungs. It hadn't, but the doctor discovered an ear infection in each ear. Anyway, he's better now.

We drove back to Minnesota in time to visit with Kofi & Kate and Soren & Emily on the eve of the new year. Kofi & Kate are moving to Accra, Ghana! Professor Anderson starts teaching econometrics at Michigan State and Emily is truly a chocolate connoisseur. Later that evening Marye & I made it to midnight in Bermuda. Happy new year old folks.

I am about to begin the spring semester at the Hamline University School of Business. The next two classes in my Master in Public Administration cohort program are Organizational Theory and Human Resource Management for Government. Cheers.

Sabbath

As the Economist said, blogging is no longer what it was, because it has entered the mainstream. This does not explain the dearth of contributions to my online oeuvre. I wonder if I have run out of vitriol. Have I become a safely dull professional with insipid opinions? I surely have not run out of curiosity. I have become a consumer – not a creator, not even a repeater. I am a gravitational singularity. What happened to posting a picture here and an article there? What happened to highlighting and synthesizing? What happened to descriptive observation?

More than neck roles

Did someone poop their pants?

Yup, over here, that was me.

The Art of Management

Staying at the top
Mao and the art of management
Dec 19th 2007
From The Economist print edition

... The disparity between Mao's performance and his reputation is instructive, for behind it are four key ingredients which all bad managers could profitably employ.

1. A powerful, mendacious slogan

2. Ruthless media manipulation

3. Sacrifice of friends and colleagues

4. Activity substituting for achievement

Sound Policy Criteria

It is a universal if dispiriting fact that most people vote with their guts, forming their views on policy on the basis of character judgments rather than vice versa.

The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

1. Beets
2. Cabbage
3. Swiss Chard
4. Cinnamon
5. Pomegranate Juice
6. Dried Plums (Prunes)
7. Pumpkin Seeds
8. Sardines
9. Turmeric
10. Frozen Blueberries
11. Canned Pumpkin

Way to Go Matt!

USA Olympic Trials
5k Finals

1 Bernard Lagat Nike 13:27.47
2 Matt Tegenkamp Nike 13:29.68
3 Ian Dobson adidas 13:29.76
4 Bolota Asmerom Oregon TC Elite 13:31.24
5 Chris Solinsky Nike 13:32.17
6 Robert Curtis Reebok 13:35.00
7 Stephen Pifer Colorado 13:37.46
8 Matthew Gabrielson Reebok 13:38.06
9 Brent Vaughn Nike 13:39.15
10 Thomas Morgan ZAP Fitness 13:47.76
11 Kyle King ZAP Fitness 13:51.03
12 Ryan Vail Oklahoma State 13:54.77
13 Jonathon Riley Nike 13:57.58
-- Adam Goucher Nike DNF
-- Galen Rupp unattached DNS
-- Josh Rohatinsky Nike DNS

Seven Dirty Words

"Shit, Piss, Cunt, Fuck, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits. "
— George Carlin

What's Obscene? Google Could Have an Answer

Judges and jurors who must decide whether sexually explicit material is obscene are asked to use a local yardstick: does the material violate community standards?

That is often a tricky question because there is no simple, concrete way to gauge a community’s tastes and values.

The Internet may be changing that. In a novel approach, the defense in an obscenity trial in Florida plans to use publicly accessible Google search data to try to persuade jurors that their neighbors have broader interests than they might have thought.

In the trial of a pornographic Web site operator, the defense plans to show that residents of Pensacola are more likely to use Google to search for terms like “orgy” than for “apple pie” or “watermelon.” The publicly accessible data is vague in that it does not specify how many people are searching for the terms, just their relative popularity over time. But the defense lawyer, Lawrence Walters, is arguing that the evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that interest in the sexual subjects exceeds that of more mainstream topics — and that by extension, the sexual material distributed by his client is not outside the norm.

Carbon Neutral Beer

East Green – the UK's first carbon neutral beer

High yielding barley, grown and malted in East Anglia
English Boadicea Hops are naturally aphid-resistant, reducing need for pesticides
Adnams energy efficient brewhouse
Adnams lightweight beer bottle
Tiny amount of remaining CO2 will be offset

Fair

"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal rather than religion-specific values," Obama said. "It requires their proposals be subject to argument and amenable to reason."

Delicate Sensibilities

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (a UN treaty that came into force in 1976) states that “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law. Is that justification for curtailing freedom of speech?

How, if at all, can freedom of speech be reconciled with the Muslim demand for a ban on public statements or cultural products that offend Islamic sensibilities.

Comparative Statements

I can never accept that freedom of speech is morally right when it offends my faith.

I can never accept that freedom of speech is morally right when it offends my atheism.

* * *

We need some formal, internationally agreed restriction on the defamation of religion.

We need some formal, internationally agreed restriction on the defamation of atheism.

* * *

There is a Muslim demand for a ban on public statements or cultural products that offend Islamic sensibilities.

There is a atheist demand for a ban on public statements or cultural products that offend atheism's sensibilities.

* * *

Imagine that. The example of atheism is a little extreme, but instructive. Or imagine the italics substituted with Christians, Hindus, Chinese Universalists, Buddhists, ethnoreligionists, neoreligionists, Sikhs, Jews, Spiritists, Baha'is, Confucianists, Jains, Shintoists, Taoists, or Zoroastrians.

Picture

Surly Open

Marye and I played in the 2nd Annual Surly Open at Hyland Park in Bloomington on the summer solstice. To begin the day we signed in and selected a Discraft Surly Open disc of our choice. I chose a red putter/approach disc. Then we played 18 baskets over a long course with significant elevation changes. Surly was on tap for $1. Mmmm. At the end of the round we ate lunch and stayed for the raffle. I won a gift certificate to the Muddy Pig and Marye was deemed the only participant worthy of receiving the Surly onesie. I look forward to next year.

Dyson Airblade

Has anyone used this to dry your hands?
Best. Dryer. Ever.