Mission to Trade

I have met several people from Australia in person and come to the conclusion that they are a people absolutely in love with life. In the on-line community there are a couple blogs I frequent written by one of those crazy Aussies. In his latest venture, mission to trade, he has taken on something that completely confirms he is nuts.

A wise dead guy once said that the line between genius and insanity is a thin one. As someone who wholeheartedly agrees with that statement, and straddles that line everyday I would venture to say mission to trade was thought up by someone who not only straddles, but crosses that line frequently... A genius most days, he is showing us just how far into insanity he can go.

I will be curious to see just what he gets for his diet coke. I almost wish that I were there in Australia so I could trade for something. Not only do I think that he will be writing a unique piece of history, but I can see how this will go on for years.

Kudos to the author of Secluded Habitat, Geeky Habitat and now Mission to Trade. I hope that this venture goes as well for you as the others, and know you have an interested fan watching here from Rocky Mountain Country USA.

Prayers,

Pisio

End of the Year

And it is only May. I get a little confused when it comes to this time of the year. It is only the middle of the year, but because I work around the school year for the most part it is the end of the year. The end of the year in the middle of the year... confusing? Yes I know.

This is a time when I should be starting to relax and clean up at the end of the year, yet instead I find myself wanting to ramp up and work even harder through the summer. This is the time of the year when the teenagers have the most time, yet for the most part youth ministers around here do the least... At least my Catholic peers... Yet despite wanting to work harder for the youth and the Church, I also find myself wanting to move on.

I have started to get my resume updated and I have already applied for a job working in electronics again. I really miss working with my hands and building things. Sure I am building lives, but this career choice has become dull... That means it is time to leave. As wonderful as the young people I work with are, I know that I can not serve them as well as someone who is in love with their work. I love the kids, and the Church, I just no longer love the work... at least I think.

This is the way that I feel at the end of every year. Burnt out and bedraggled. I need a break desperately, but have so much work to do. It is overwhelming, exhausting and well... it has gotten really old. I am tired of feeling this way after nine months of working my butt off. I guess we shall see what happens.... As always we shall see what happens.

Prayers,

Pisio

P.S.: I have been approved for blogvertise. In order to pick up a few extra dollars I may be advertising for a product on occasion.

Tests

What is it about tests that scares people, or freaks them out so bad? I teach Astronomy labs to non-science majors at a local University and it always blows my mind at what happens on the last night of class.

From day one of the labs I introduce them to star charts and how to read them. We start working immediately with them, learning how to read and locate things on them. Then comes the final and I ask them to identify things on star charts. Sometimes they have to tell me the name of an object located at a certain Right Ascension and Declination, others they have to tell me the Right Ascension and Declination of a given object.

It never fails that they freak because it is a test. Their little minds go to mush and they just freak out. They get angry at their lab partners, their faces get red and steam begins to shoot out of their ears. It is like they have never seen the things, even though they have been working with them for almost four months. Three objects a week they have to locate or draw on the star charts, but when it comes to identifying 5 out of a list of 15 on a final they can not do it.

It always disappoints me. The ones that have nothing to worry about freak out and look at me like I have three heads for asking them to display to me they understand the concepts and principles we talked about over the course of the semester. I think that in many ways I am just not cut out to be a teacher any more. I expect that when people come into my class they are there to learn the principles and techniques of observational astronomy... Especially since the lab class description tells them this is exactly what they will be doing.

Pretty bizarre then that I would expect at the end of a semester for them to know the principles and techniques of observational astronomy. My guess is that this is why more and more employers are expecting their prospective employees to be enrolled in a Masters degree program. Universities are giving out Bachelor's degrees like candy. More and more young people are coming away knowing little or nothing about the field that they are entering and employers need to see you are at least committed to life long learning of your trade.

Wow... how did I go from talking about test taking to rambling about Bachelor's degrees? I guess that is what keeps you coming back...

Prayers...

Pisio

Google Rank

I've been ranked... I am not sure what that means, but my wife was pretty excited about it. I have a google page rank of 3. Woo Hoo!

Thanks to all of you who have linked to my site.

Prayers,

Pisio

Rolaids

President Bush and Senator Obama have recently said that there is not a quick solution to solving the problem of high gasoline prices here in the United States... That may be but here is a radical idea...

First, open up the US oil reserves and flood the market with American oil for a few months. Increasing the amount of oil there is on the market will bring the cost per barrel down almost immediately. This will also increase competition and take a lot of the power OPEC countries have over price per barrel out of their hands.

Second, don't roll back the federal gas tax for three months, get rid of it all together and move to system where maintenance of highways and bridges is privatized rather than socialized. Allow local governments or private companies to raise funds to repair the infrastructure using money raised from tolls for highway use. The management of the toll roads would be contractual with the government and up for rebid every three years to insure against price gouging. Companies would be rewarded for finding innovative and cost effective ways to maintain infrastructure, and know that if they did not perform their chances of maintaining the contract would be limited.

Third, screw the nutjob environmentalists and use our nuclear technology to power our cities rather than fossil fuels. This leaves more of the fossil fuels for consumption in transportation while alternative technologies are being investigated. Nuclear is also cleaner and the relative risks are minimal despite what the China Syndrome leftists would like you to believe.

Finally, if you do not want to drill in ANWAR or off shore (which is just dumb since China and Cuba are essentially taking what could be ours), explore technologies that would allow us to turn our vast coal supplies (which can not be burned because of sulfur content) into oil. The Nazis were, for all their evils, on the verge of technology that at the time was just not cost effective to utilize. I am sure given the proper time and incentive that this technology could be perfected in the present day United States.

Does the environment need to be protected? Yes, it does and downright irresponsibility needs to be cracked down on. This goes both ways though. The current energy policies that subsidize ethanol and other inefficient fuels at the expense of efficient and cheaper fuels are crippling the US consumer. Even if man made global warming is real, temperatures today are much lower than they were in medieval times of prosperity, food surpluses and innovation. We have a ways to go temperature wise until we lose the polar bears... an inconvenient truth that alarmists do not want to face.

Common sense solutions are not in the play book of any of the current political crop. They are all out of touch and proclaiming to lead a world they know nothing about. I say get rid of the bums... All of them...

Prayers,

Pisio

Comments

Just a warning... All comments here are moderated. If you attempt to post anything that is just downright ignorant... like saying that the Catholic Church teaches people that condoms contain the AIDS virus, your comment will be rejected. Your comments, unlike some of my postings, must display some knowledge of what you are talking about.

The Catholic Church teaches that artificial birth control takes away God's Creative purpose from intercourse. My understanding is that condoms create a false sense of security in those who use them. The only 100% sure fire way to prevent the spread of infectious disease is chastity.

To say that we as humans are nothing but mammals and can not exercise self control is moronic and ignorant. First, some mammals eat their own young... Last time I checked humans, while mammals do not have that urge... Also, quite a few mammals eat their own feces and vomit... again.. last time I checked most humans do not...

So while we are mammals, it is ignorant to reduce us to our lowest common denominator... We can exercise self control, especially in sexual matters... by doing so, we not only contain, but prevent the spread of infectious disease, premarital pregnancies and many other unintended consequences of loose, promiscuous behavior...

As far as I know the only Church to be consistent in its teachings on these matters is the Catholic Church... for those of you who have a beef with the Church because it calls you to be your best as a human rather than telling you that you're no better than a dog in heat, your comments are not welcome here...

Prayers,

Pisio

Rant

I guess I am just beyond feeling the need be politically correct. I think aside from Liberalism (1) and then ignorance (2) that political correctness is the greatest evil facing our country (yes even above Isloamofacism). Some of the comments to my last posting have confirmed this. Just so you know, this is an opinion blog and as such I have no need or obligation to provide the opposing side of an argument. If I think your comment is well thought out, and you are not just spewing back to me the politically correct crowd's talking points I may post your comment. Otherwise thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read, but I have no need of your angry guilt ridden comment here.

The United States of America is the greatest force for freedom and justice the world has ever known. Is it perfect? By no means, yet is it the greatest country on earth... yes. Our citizens have more opportunity to advance and progress than in any other country in the world. I mean really when was the last time you heard about people risking their lives by the thousands to live in Canada, Mexico or Great Britain? Never? Yep... thats right... they may be good countries to live in, but opportunity is limited.

Islamofacists have hijacked a religion and use it to justify atrocious acts all around the world. They have committed horrible crimes against western society. This is not due to corrupt foreign policy of western nations. This is because we do not subscribe to their way of thinking, and therefore we are looked at as people who must be converted or are better off dead. Are there good, God-fearing Muslims out there? Yes... but they need to stop living in "submission" to the fanatics that have hijacked their religion and way of life and stand up to them.

Homosexuality is sinful, as is heterosexual sex out side of marriage. We were meant to participate in God's creation as Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. It is not natural to have two mommies, and if you are a woman trapped in a man's body seek professional help. Up until the sixties they had pills that could help you. Are you a bad person condemned to hell because you are attracted to the same sex? No, but you are called to the same chastity that non-married couples are (even married couples at times).

Abortion is murder. When a sperm joins with an egg, life is created. If that happens within the womb it is a human life... It will not develop into a dog, a cat or a toad... it is human. Secondly birth control is unnatural and intrinsically evil as it takes away the ability of God to create life as He chooses. If you were born after Roe v. Wade, thank your mother!

You are not poor because the government has not done enough for you, or your school system failed or as hard as it is to believe because of George W. Bush... Get off you butt and get a job at the local fast food restaurant or grocery store. You are not entitled to that check I give you every month. I find it hard to believe that you can not stand on your feet behind a cash register for eight hours because of a disability, but you can stand around for eight hours in a welfare office with your granddaughter on your arm to collect a disability check!

I am sorry, but if you are here illegally, you are a criminal. I know that all you want is a better life for your family, and I respect that. You however need to respect the laws of the country you live in. If your employer really needs you he can go through the proper process to get you a worker's visa. Please go back to your country of origin and petition the government to come here as has worked for generations and generations before you. If you do come here, bring the best of your country, but please leave all the reasons you left there.

Hmm... what else?

Liberals... grow a damn back bone, and socialism has failed each time it has been tried. You are no more special than anyone else in the past who has tried it and failed... The only thing that you will succeed in doing is bankrupting your federal government. It is hard to pay for social programs when you have no money to support them... You say you stand for the working class, but you are all elitist whores, pimped by big business and special interests... just like the republicans.

I am sure I missed something... If you are pissed off great... examine why you are, let me know and if there is something I can help you think through... e-mail me.

Prayers.

Pisio