LP's LampPost

Election day is looming which means that about half the ads on TV are about what how horrible political opponents are and what each candidate will do to change what the "other side" has messed up so badly.  Usually, these come in pairs that oppose each other.  While I wouldn't trade our system of government for anywhere in the world, it sure makes me want to keep my finger on the mute button for the next few days.  Of course, the follow up will start next Wednesday or the day after inauguration, at the latest:  the near-constant game of pointing out what (insert elected official here) is doing to mess up the country/state/city and what they should do differently. Before, I devolve into complete cynicism or completely contradict the point of this post, I should point out that most groups are pretty good at this game regardless of political involvement.  We are all adept at figuring out what "they" need to change to make things better.  Poor people need to ...

"Membership has it's privileges."  So says American Express and such is usually the case.  Being a member carries a sense of belonging and acceptance into the group if nothing else.  In fact, some groups get members by way of the privileges.  AmEx, AAA, country clubs, and timeshares convince us to pay a fee just to receive the privileges that membership provides.  Other groups are composed of people who join up to support a cause and the benefits are just a consequence of that, they are not the reason people join.  Still others are more like fan groups, the group come together to extol the virtues of a particular person or thing.  For these, membership is about shared love.  Membership might lead to a shared cause if the object of adoration champions a particular effort but this is a secondary item; certain group members might take it up while others do not. Not so long ago in the U.S., church membership carried a certain amount of the first kin...

Have you been following Izaic Yorks?  Yeah, me neither.  Not being a big fan of NCAA track & field I had no idea who this young man was until I heard about him on the radio.  Seems Mr. Yorks ran the fastest mile ever by an American collegian in a recent meet.  At just under 3:54, Izaic ran a mile at about the speed I bike a mile.  The real surprise, however, is that he did not run the mile at the NCAA championships which he qualified for.  Why not, you ask?  You can read about it here , but the upshot is that he had already committed to running the Distance Medley Relay with three of his teammates.  The qualifying heat for the mile is right before the DMR so Izaic had to choose which one to run.  Running the mile would effectively ruin their chances to win the DMR.  Izaic had promised his teammates he would run the relay and he evidenced no hesitation in keeping his word. Now here's the thing, his teammates, his coach, and everyo...

"Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no  importance, and, if true, of infinite importance."  So says C.S. Lewis in the essay, "Christian Apologetics" in the collection God In The Dock .  In terms of western culture this is definitely arguable (as done by a Lewis critic here ), but this is not, I think, Lewis's point.  In terms of what Christianity says about ultimate reality, it is either true or false.  This is true of every religious and philosophical system.  The consequences are pretty dramatic in any of the major world religions.  This has caused many to reject the whole lot.  Others say that they are all basically true but not exclusive.  (I think this position is really saying that they are all equally false, but that's a different post!)  For the last couple of posts, I have illustrated Christian belief with the obvious-to-everyone force of gravity.  No doubt, to folks who do not share my convictions about Jes...

Imagine a child born on the international space station.  As much as gravity is a part of every second of our existence, it is completely alien to him.  Every day he floats through the space he inhabits.  Everything he lets go of continues in whatever direction it was going until acted on by some other force.  Among other effects, his hip joints (our familiar ball and socket) have formed very slowly because of the lack of pressure from crawling and walking as an infant and toddler.  He had to intentionally exercise with resistance bands from the time he could be taught or tricked into doing so.  This child is now of an age where the beginnings of physics can be explained and, of course, one of the fundamental forces governing our universe is gravity.  How would you explain it? That part is actually pretty easy.  One equation with a constant and 3 variables is all it takes.  The idea is reasonably easy, but then how would you convince him it...

Have you ever thought of the benefits of gravity?  When I set something down, it stays there.  As a parent, I love this.  I would never be justified in saying, "It's probably where you left it" if not for gravity.  Gravity makes staying in shape much easier.  Built in resistance is something we take for granted but most of us have heard of the muscle atrophy experienced by astronauts due to living in weightlessness.  Gravity keeps water in my glass at supper and holds the atmosphere around earth like a blanket.  Oh yeah, it also keeps the blankets on me while I sleep and keeps me on the bed without restraints.  Certainly, there are some frustrations with gravity.  I'm not crazy about falling when I'm clumsy or when winter brings icy conditions.  I have some older friends who suggest gravity is not always an aid to the physique.  On the whole, however, it's pretty hard to argue that gravity is anything other than an overwhelming posi...