A Miracle Is

"A leap out of one’s seemingly determined fate (an act of charity) can come from any number of experiences as the novel, An Estate of Memory, labored to prove, and this message is offered to the twentieth century as something to be treasured. More than ever, now: to believe there is something that is not simply a norm.

In a sense, when this epiphany takes place, it is a miracle. A miracle is an event that changes the meaning of things. It is like a thought that floats free of the surrounding systems and conventions, and enters, uninvited, a sentence, a stanza, a conversation, a lab result, and sends it on another path. A miracle can be the appearance of another person rising out of an emptiness that we are beginning to accept as permanent.

As Paul Celan wrote, it is

A RUMBLING: it is
Truth itself
walked among
men,
amidst the
metaphor squall."

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/article.html?id=240252

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo

I came across this poem while perusing the books in the Religion section of the Samford University Bookstore...

http://www.panhala.net/Archive/Eagle_Poem.html


enjoy!

The new "Cold War" censorship

During the Cold War, people in Europe who lived behind the Iron Curtain had very limited access to news. The State controlled the media, controlled the content of the media, controlled the minds of the people. This was successful to a great extent as long as the News from the West was removed from access. Broadcasts from Western nations, including the US's Voice of America (the BBC, RFI, Radio Canada, Deutch Welle) tried to present the news from another perspective. Their broadcasts were jammed by the nations behind the Iron Curtain. Those oppressed behind the Iron Curtain hungered for News from different perspectives. Many radio signals made it past the jamming. The news of the rest of the world provided a clearer picture of what was happening.

When the Iron Curtain fell, those people were able to freely partake of the (unjammed) radio news from the rest of the world. They had been liberated from their prison!

Today, there are people who live freely in the West who have self imposed a censorship upon their media access. With access to the broadest scope of media in world history, they claim that only one source of news is correct, one source of news is true, and only one source of news is needed to discover how the world is.

It seems incredible that anyone could make such a mistake. In the past it was widely known that knowledge is gained by multiple perspectives. In the past it was widely known that being limited to one media outlet was tantamount to being in a dictatorship of the mind. In the past it was widely known that it was worth while to risk your freedom to hear other(even contrary) perspectives. That was defined as FREEDOM. In fact, there are hundreds of millions of people who believe that multiplicity in access to the media is the key to understanding and constructing a truthful knowledge of the world.

Today there are thousands (maybe more), who believe that FOX news is the only news worth watching. They believe that they are tapped into the only source of news worth watching. These people have (sadly) imposed censorship upon their view of the world. These people have put them selves behind a new Iron Curtain, and stripped themselves of Freedom.

What a sad sad tale...to see people I know who have placed themselves in bondage in this fashion is just almost unbelievable.

Cold Global Warming

I too joke with others about global warming, especially on record breaking cold days such as we have now. It's a clever play on language to explore oxymorons like "cold global warming".

But seriously folks, after enjoying the release of laughter...don't forget that global warming is as close to a fact as you can get.

Here is my one minute speech on Global Warming

1) Climate is not Weather and Weather is not Climate. What you see in your front yard today is Weather. When snow floats down from the sky you are seeing Weather. When the rain wets your upturned face that is Weather. That freezing wind from the North is Weather.

Climate is a 30 year average on conditions. You cannot see Climate. You cannot taste Climate. Climate cannot chill or warm your bones today.

2) Global Warming is not happening in your acre! Your acre is an infinitesimal spot on the immensity of the Earth. What you see in your neighboorhood is not what is happening on the Earth. Global warming is an average of the entire Globe, not your one acre lot. To think that the weather you see in your acre is representative of the Earth can be represented by this thought experiment.

The Earth's entire surface is equal to 126 billion acres. If you took 126 billion dollar bills and laid them end to end at the equator, the line of greenbacks would circle the earth 488 times. One of those 126 billion dollars has a specific serial number. The chance that the weather in your acre is representative of Global weather is the same as you picking the correct dollar bill out of that line of 126 billion bucks on the first choice.

You cannot decide whether Global Warming is true or false based on what you see out your front door.

Stay warm!

Keeping up with the temperature

Hard to Keep Up

The cool fountain in Linn Park, downtown Birmingham, AL. It was very refreshing on a hot summer day.

How do you measure the News ?

Many, many years ago I sat with a stopwatch in hand and timed the total amount of advertising that occured during "The Evening News". This is the 1/2 hour period of time that the original 3 networks devoted to all the news that could be fit into an half hour. Way back then, advertisers claimed about 7 minutes of the 30 minutes of news, leaving us with 23 minutes of real news stories.

A few years back it became apparent that the advertisers were gaining on the news and so I pulled out my digital watch with a timer and clocked 10 minutes of advertising. So, 1/3 of the entire news program was advertising. I vowed that when the ratio became 50/50 that I'd never tune in again.

I understand the economics of advertising and why networks need the income...but I challenge the relevance and scope of a 30 minute news program that is bookended by 10 minutes of advertising.

Two weeks ago it had become painfully apparent that the advertisers had claimed more time so I pulled out my I-Pod and used the timer to clock 13 minutes and 30 seconds of advertising. That leaves 16 minutes and 30 seconds of news in a 1/2 news program. This is absurd!

It is quite obvious to me that more and more of us will refuse to tune in to a "talking head" to hear the news when you can just look at Google News and find more news that you could read in 1/2 hour.

Good bye to the nightly news. Sure, I'll still catch a few minutes here and there, but I can state categorically that their preminence has been long gone, and now their relevance is about to go the same way as the dodo.

Gee

A creative approach to Church Communications

I'm not sure how long this link will remain available but this creative and thought provoking approach to defining The Episcopal Church is sure to open some eyes.

http://www.iamepiscopalian.org/

The gun is still smoking, the smoke is still visible

Well well well....now I know "the rest of the story".

This hour long program details the "secret history" behind the careers of the scientists who have driven a significant part of the "anti global warming" (AGW) movement. Follow their careers with Dr. Oreskes, scientist and historian as she shows how some of the movers and shakers got their start supporting "Star Wars" and then supporting R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company during the tobacco law suits of the last two decades of the 20th Century. Here you are introduced to scientists who will say anything for a pay check, even tell you that second hand smoke is totally safe. These are the same scientists who have lead the AGW movement and lent it their "credibility".

I never jumped to any conclusions during my year and a half research into the entre climate change controversy. The evidence, the science, the overwhelming weight of the truth lead me to my conclusions. The controversy is over (it has been over for over 15 years), the AGW people need to leave the building, while they can still hold on to their heads.

If you want the history and the truth check out the video:
http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.asp?showID=13459

And of course, to read more about it see my website, even though it is not particularly attractive, it is full of information: http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm

We are changing the weather

This was a surprise article and graphic. I was stunned to see the results of the National Lightning Detection Network analysis of lightning over the last 11 summers. It is obvious that lightning ( and thunderstorms ) are occurring primarily during the work week in the Southeastern United States. The predominant theory at this point in time is that the extra pollutants released during the work week creates enhanced conditions for thunderstorm development.

The graphic and article are located at http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/viewImage.php?id=254
The graphic alone is located here: http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/iotw/20090212144628.jpg

Pretty amazing huh? We do affect our environment!

Climate Part Two

The disingenousness of a local media celebrity, one of the "talent" at a local media outlet on the subject of Global Warming has been one of about 10 factors driving my research into this complex subject.

An earlier post on this blog ( Sunday, June 29, 2008) alluded to some of the issues involved, so they'll not be repeated here. However, I'll post a resource for those who want to understand how much science is behind the theory of Global Warming.

Checkout the links here http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm
to "read more about it".

Enjoy!

There are reflections around us, constantly shifting as we move, changing color, angle, tint, hue. Sometimes they can be captured...as this one was at a small country church.

Evening of Alabama Designer-Craftsmen Guild Art Show

The saturday evening of the ADC Guild annual art show at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is traditionally meal time for the artists. After wonderful fellowship around the table and super food I went for a walk. The sun was setting and I took some shots. This one was taken looking southwest on the upper walkway that leaves the Botanical Gardens building on the second floor and takes you to the Gardens themselves.

It was an enjoyable evening all around.

My wife's ( the artist ) blog:

http://debsthreads.blogspot.com/

The artistic technique of felting - 4 Pieces by my wife Debbie

Poster Child ?

Not me! But, when I mentioned that I owned and rode a bicycle in a meeting where volunteers were being solicited for a corporate wide health kick, the inevitable happened.

See picture :)

A potential tropical storm right off shore from Mobile

We'd better watch #1 - it's pretty close to home :)

CZC MIATWOAT ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM 
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACCOMPANIED BY CLOUDINESS AND
SHOWERS HAS MOVED INTO THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. LITTLE
MOTION IS ANTICIPATED TODAY OR SUNDAY...AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT
DAY OR TWO.  IF NECESSARY...A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WILL INVESTIGATE
THE AREA ON SUNDAY.

Its 107 degrees out side ( heat index )

When you step outside, you feel insulted: baked, broiled, fried, really well done. Yikes, it does not feel very comfortable. Blazing heat combined with suffocating humidity created heat index values that have been over 100 degrees for the last four hours.

A visitor to our tomato patch

This squirrel is standing on the deck railing looking around. He is standing by the tallest part of our tiny tomato patch. Fortunately he has no interest in the tomatos.

In this 100 degree heat all manner of critters have been seen on our deck checking out the water bowls, bird seed, and the like.

The climate is getting in my way

About 7 months ago a relative asked me what I believed about climate change and the assertion that the global climate was warming. This relative also asked me if I had come to terms with the possibility that anthropogenic processes were contributing to any climate change taking place.

Ok, let us back up a bit and define the term 'anthropogenic'; the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines it as "of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature" .

Now let us break up my relatives' query into some definitive questions that would need to be answered, and suggest an order in which they may be tackled.

• one, is the global climate undergoing change?
• two, is the global climate warming, cooling, or remaining statistically average?
• three, is mankind contributing to climate change in any way?
• four, if mankind is contributing to climate change in any way, is there a way to reduce, nullify, or reverse any anthropogenic changes?

Well, these four "small questions" have the potential to develop into an enormous research project. How does one even consider tackling issues like this? Where do you start? What pitfalls lie ahead? What standards do you apply to interpreting research? What part does philosophy play in this quest? Is anyone attempting to mislead me? What sources are trustworthy? Where will I encounter people with hidden agendas?

In face of the enormity of the questions and the potential for encountering intellectual quicksand at many turns, I answered my relative's question thusly: while I've kept in touch with some of these issues in a superficial manner for over two decades, to really deal with the competing viewpoints and information available I'm going to dedicate the next two years to finding out what I can to make an intelligent response to your question.

Yikes! What was I thinking of when I responded? Who on earth can add a two year long research project to their lives? Like many of you I work 40+ hours a week, have family commitments and do volunteer work. When will this research fit in to my life?

Well, the answer is: in bursts! Yet, during the last 7 months I've read several hundred pages of research papers put out by climatologists, physicists, chemists, and meteorologists. During this time frame it has been fruitful to delve into dozens of web sites, scores of blogs, and even engage in email discussions. I've "travelled the world" in this research reading articles from Canada, England, Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and another half dozen other countries.

I've also been surprised at some of the things discovered along the way: namely,

• some people with evidence of an education display an appalling lack of intellectual honesty,
• a lot of evidence of disingenuous arguementation,
• noted ignorance of the simple logical fallacies in their presentation of arguements,
• a willingness to ignore (and conceal) presuppositional paradigms in theory development.

Now, this above post does suggest a couple of things about me and my perspective that I've not revealed. Firstly, I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in Philosphy & Religion. My philosophical education trained me in deconstructing logical arguementation and illuminating logical fallacies. Secondly, I've been passionately engaged in the study of meteorology and weather for over 35 years. Finally, my passionate commitment to the "truth", drives all of my intellectual interests. My intellectual roadmap does not illustrate all of the waypoints on that map. I'm going to travel to where the search for truth leads.

Ok, this is all for now..... there will be more forthcoming.

Blessings,

Rod

Fast Trip to North Carolina

This picture was taken from the cabin where we stayed. What an incredible view. Had to scrape, melt, off the snow flakes and ice from the windshield this morning.