Journeys with Tim

a new drinking game.

Have you noticed how much philosophy and theology there is in the mass media? (And I'm not talking about religious stations, but the major media outlets). People everywhere are making philosophical and/or theological claims. It seems we need a new drinking game (I prefer non-alcoholic beverages myself, but whatever suits you): whenever someone makes an outrageous theological claim, you take a drink. Or we could make it so that we drink more often if we take a drink anytime any theological claim is made. I bet we'd be running to the bathroom in no time.

I hate blockbuster

but love their new online service. In response to Netflix, Blockbuster has started their own online rental plan. They'll still in the testing phase (the site isn't public), but you can join now. All you can rent for $20 bucks a month, no late fees, plus 2 in store rentals a month. I got my first DVD last week. It's just great. Check it out here.

forcing your beliefs down our throats

I often hear people saying that religious people shouldn't force their beliefs on other people. This morning I heard two guys on the radio talking about stem cell research and one (the guy who supports it) said that it's fine if someone has a religious belief about it, but they shouldn't force that belief on the rest of us. After all, he said, we don't live in a theocracy.

It dawned on me that he is confusing the origin of belief with the content of belief. Obviously he thought that if a belief's origin is religious, then either it's false, or it should not be a public issue. In other words, he seems to think that a belief's origin has something to do with its content.

But that is clearly false. What if he meet someone who supported stem cell research because their religion says that stem cell research must be done. What would he think then? That this person is wrong to force her beliefs on other people because they are religious? I doubt he would say that because he supports it.

Or what if someone supported stem cell research out of spite? Does that count as an acceptable origin of belief? My point is that a belief's origin has nothing to do with its content - it has nothing to do with whether it is true or false. We should debate the truth or falsity of the claim itself, and not get off the subject by talking about it's origin. So whether a belief is religious or not doesn't matter.

* and that business about "forcing" also needs comment, but another time :). Question: Is it really possible to force someone to believe something?

Aristotle knew it.

See. You're lucky to have me today :)

Make your own here.

shoot all spammers

That's it. I'm tried of getting spam comments on my blog, which are a hassle to delete. So I've decided to close comments on new entries for a few days. You can still reach me by the address on the right. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Looks like I'm not the only one. Even the makers of Movable Type (creators of this blog template) are concerned.

Maybe I should check into something like this.

hard at play

Another self-portrait. This shot was taken awhile back, sometime in May I think. After seeing it again I decided to post it. The shot is a window reflection from the Lied Center.

the venacular is the real test

From Christian Quotation of the Day

An essential part of the ordination exam ought to be a passage from some recognized theological work set for translation into vulgar English -- just like doing Latin prose. Failure on this part should mean failure on the whole exam. It is absolutely disgraceful that we expect missionaries to the Bantus to learn Bantu, but never ask whether our missionaries to the Americans or English can speak American or English. Any fool can write learned language: the vernacular is the real test. If you can't turn your faith into it, then either you don't understand it or you don't believe it.
... C. S. Lewis in "The Christian Century"

Absolutely right. In fact, CSL has inspired me: As of this moment, this blog will be devoid of any and all "Christianese" or "Christianspeak". (And yes, I know that the word Christianese is itself an example of Christianese). No more obscure vocabulary that only Christians understand, no more relying on tired clichés, and worn phrases. From here on, this blog will use the language of the masses - with some exceptions - after all, you can't really expect me to end sentences with prepositions! Hail to the vernacular!

haircut

The best thing about having short hair is the ability to cut it myself. The worst thing about having short hair is that I have to cut often. And cut it often I do. Thank goodness for good clippers. (I use the red shaving guide just to the right of the clippers).

Did this really happen?

Yesterday I saw something I had only seen on TV - a real neo-Nazi rally. Being from LA, I've never seen anything like this. I grabbed my camera and took some pics. The Lincoln Journal Star's account is here, but here's my report.

No one knew exactly how many National Socialist Movement (NSM) members would show, but it wasn't many - this picture shows about half of them. As you can see, they held their rally on the steps of the capital. The area in front of the capital was blocked off to keep distance from them and the rest of the community. At the bottom of the photo, you can see a man talking through a speaker. I think at this point he was introducing the two women speakers. The sound wasn't that good, so I had to really listen to catch what they were saying.

The community didn't let this go unnoticed...

Many made sure their voices were heard also. Here are some signs from those protesting the Nazis. My favorite is the "follow your leader" poster - which suggests Nazi's follow their leader to suicide.

Protesters also tried to make as much noise as possible to distrupt the speakers. There were a few guys doing similiar things.

The police were also out in force. Many in riot gear, and some on the rooftops. They did an excellent job of keeping things in order, mostly by standing between shouting parties.

What's a protest without the ACLU keeping an eye on things? I counted a handful of "observers" around. I don't know if they were involved in any real situations, but at least they got some sun.

Another protester. This guy dressed up as a clown to mock rally participants. He's giving the "heil hitler" salute. He was later lead away by police, I think for taking off his shirt and attempting to burn it, but I can't be certain.

Obviously many Nebraskans don't support neo-Nazis.

Although there was no violence, there were a few heated shouting matches. The man in the blue shirt and shorts in the center is part of the NSM and was arguing with the man on the far left. (The same Nazi supporter was later arrested - details are farther down). All this takes place under the watchful eye of the ACLU. Notice the cops standing in between the men.

There were two areas for people to voice their opinion. One was designated for supporters of the pro-National Socialist Movement, the other for the "anti" side. But some anti-Nazi people went over to the "pro" side to be closer to the NSM folks. I think police hoped to avoid close shouting matches like this, but in the end they just ended up standing in between groups.

More "anti" people get involved, including the happy guy in the white shirt. The press was there too.

A similiar scene right in front of me - the NSM guy on the right and a women protester on the left. She yelled all sorts of things I cannot repeat to the NSM guy and the crowd loved it.

Here's a closer look at the protesters...

and the NSM member. Behind him you can a news camerman (on the left) and a reporter (on the right).

After a few minutes the police moved in with force and told everyone to back up. That ended the shouting.

Here's the blue shirted man getting arrested for an outstanding warrant. I don't know how the cops identified him, but they caught him right in front of me. I guess he forgot that if you have a warrant for your arrest, you should try to avoid places were there is a heavy police presence!

These two NSM guys mingled with the general crowd until they started arguing with other people. Soon the crowd turned on them and they were forced to leave.

Here's the clown protester being forced to leave.

updated!

It's neat that more people are blogging. I've found a few sites that I really like so I've added them on the right. Also added is a new photo blogs section. Places I look for artistic inspiration.

I also became of member of Hello, a picture sharing program similiar to instant messaging. Become a member (it's free) and we can share photos!

...

The class I TA for has ended. Now the only thing left is for me to grade the finals. The students were allowed to use some notes during the exam, so I expect them to be pretty good.

Meanwhile, there are two more weekends left for the ethics class I teach. The next time we meet I'm discussing virtue ethics with the balance of the class time going to student presentations.

I like the idea of having students do oral presentations - I think it's vital to the learning process. Francis Bacon once wrote, "Reading makes a full man, writing makes an exact man, and speaking makes a quick man. He's on to something. Have you ever noticed that people who speak for a living are mentally quick also? (Reason #15 that I need a talk radio show!)

Seriously, I wish I were a better public speaker, I think the skill is vital for sucess.

More grading

I think what I hate about grading is the fact that students get their grades and my comments in print rather than in person. It would be so much better if I could meet with the students and talk about their paper/grade. That way they can hear more detailed comments in a friendly manner. I think I can better express my willingness to help and offer more suggestions in person than I can in print.

Imagine you're the student. Doesn't it seem that reading comments on your work is impersonal? I would happily trade class time for personal feedback on papers. I just need to figure out how to do it.

Best Song of the Year?

My nominee for best song of the year goes to Mindy Smith's Come to Jesus. I saw the video serendipitously this morning and was blown away. It's everything I like: haunting, soulful and moving. A beautiful song. Treat yourself to magic and see it here.

philosophers and fireworks

make for a great combo. We have no idea what we're doing, but it's fun to see people almost get injured. Fireworks are legal in the city, and we had loads of them. Plus some great BBQ. Fun stuff. I'll fill ya in more after I finish showering off the firework debris. The sulfur smell is another story.