I heard about it on the radio this morning - the keel will be laid tomorrow.
The ship will be about the same size as the Nimitz class that it replaces, but because of electronics the crew will be around 2,500 (the Nimitz class crew is around 4,000).
Instead of steam launchers, aircraft will be launched pneumatically. Nuclear powered, the thing will do 40 over 30 knots (46 34 MPH)
From the Assistant Village Idiot
Archie has occurred to me a lot recently. I saw very few episodes of the show, but discussion of Archie was always in the air in the 1970's. Perhaps I haven't given it due credit in my journey from left to right on the political spectrum. My politics aligned somewhat with Michael's, but I found him an unlikeable character. The show had clearly lined up to show Archie and his ideas in the worst possible light, buffoonishly so, and this struck me as artistic abuse. As it became clear who Norman Lear and Rob Reiner were in later years, the portrayal of Archie made more sense. They had no understanding of the ideas they were mocking - even I, who also mocked them, found the stereotype to be more worthy of agit-prop than comedy. The artificial setups to always show Michael as the intelligent, thoughtful one held a childish unfairness.
But that wasn't what stuck in my craw. Michael lived in Archie's house. In all the commentary about Archie I never heard that mentioned. I imagine it came up on the show, but it was conveniently overlooked when people absorbed the stereotypes. It seemed the most basic fact about the situation: Gloria had a poorly-paying job, Edith took care of everyone, Archie provided most of the support, yet it was Michael who was delivered the put-down lines.
(...)
The Tea Parties and town halls have brought my thoughts back to Archie. The participants in those events are not Archie Bunker buffoons, but they are portrayed that way. So it occurs to me - even if the stereotype of those Joe the Plumbers were true, isn't it their house? Aren't they the ones supporting the rest? Aren't their critics coming off a lot like Michael - self-righteous, condescending, sarcastic.
Although not very important.
The recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor winner that President Obama gave his "shout out" to...isn't.
I guess his teleprompter wasn't communicating very well - says it has a bit of a virus, maybe H1N1.
Charity of the week:
We'll be making a trip here over Christmas break (the vet wants to wait until Toby's skin as really cleared up before we have him "fixed". For an extra $10 I have have him micro-chipped and registered.
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This sounds like a good series that I may save up for.
(tag: Christianity, books)
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Interesting thought: "If you consent to it, it's not a crime."
(tag: politics)
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Should Christians Say That Their Aim Is to Convert Others to Faith in Christ?
(tag: Christianity, salvation)
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One way to fund the new "health care" bill - tax life saving and life enhancing equipment.
Speaking as a person who uses a C-pap, and with a parent with multiple joint replacements...yippee.
AND
Shutting Off the Miracle Drug Spigot
(tag: politics, health care)
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For those who claim the Gospel of John was written by a group of people - ummm...yes.
(tag: Christianity, Scripture)
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Brain Cramps for God: Free...and a Slave
(tag: Christianity, doctrine)
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Borrowed Light: Bare Minimum Required
(tag: Christianity, salvation)
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Resurgence: What is Scripture?
(tag: Christianity, Scripture)
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Denny Burk: Pro-life Conversion at Planned Parenthood (what a difference a picture makes)
(tag: abortion)
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Of First Importance: (I like this quote:)
“Spiritual experience that does not arise from God’s word is not Christian experience. . . . Not all that passes for Christian experience is genuine. An authentic experience of the Spirit is an experience in response to the gospel. Through the Spirit the truth touches our hearts, and that truth moves our emotions and effects our wills.”
- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2008), 31.
(tag: Christianity, Scripture)
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Zero Net-carb Bagels - might be worth a try
(tag: food, low-carb)
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White Horse Inn - The Virgin Mary and ECT, a Response from Michael Horton
(tag: Christianity, Evangelicals and Catholics Together)
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Another good quote:
"Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
- I like
(tags: Christianity, Reformed, Solas, clothing)
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Why Evangelicals Turn to the Church Fathers
(tag: Christianity, church fathers)
In the wake of the most recent shootings, I've been pondering a few things.
According to Scripture, we all sin. Does that make us evil? Or does it make us sinful?
Is there a difference, either according to definition, or functionally?
Are people evil? Or do sinful people do evil things?
My first real walk since getting sick.
Toby (he doesn't like getting his picture taken. He'll look you right in the eye until he sees a camera and then he'll look away. It took several tries to get this one)
This park is in the middle of the city - I love walking here. We saw three deer, but only got photos of two of them. Tom and I saw a red fox here last year and snakes, frogs and other critters are plentiful.
The photos are a bit fuzzy, but they were taken at dusk without a flash.
I have a good dog.
He's made a couple of "mistakes" in the house, but it was while I was sick and I had not learned to listen to his "language" yet.
He got off the leash in the yard one day and came and waited by the door instead of wandering off.
He's never jumped up on my lap, but today he did, over and over...until I showed him Henry's dish so he could make sure that the cat didn't have food (Toby only gets a prescribed amount because I bought really premium food until his coat comes back and it's pretty calorie rich)
His tail wags all the time. Well, except when I found his mistakes...or when he goes to his "room" for the night ( large dog crate). But now that he knows that I'll come back and let him out, he takes a treat and goes in by himself.
He stays right by me most of the time or wanders into the hall to lay on a blanket I put down for him.
Henry...doesn't like the dog - at least they're not "buddies" yet - but tolerates him very well. The cat does not mope around like he did before I got the dog - he's not as clingy with me.
The problem is that the cat is now spending more time on my computer than I am (literally). He's been sleeping on the keyboard. One morning, he was apparently sitting on the F9 key and when i got up there were 137 help windows open. He also opened outlook - my apologies to whoever he sent the email to.
(and I'm not mentioning food, because this is not the "what my cat had for breakfast" post - other than his insulin.)
Several things have happened...
In my attempt to be pound my "singleness" into my brain and in that hurt, I put way too many distractions on my plate for this semester.
I've been sick and not doing much of anything.
So...I've dropped classes (even the fun one, although I may revisit that one next semester) and now that I'm feeling "better" (which is a very relative thing)
I'm committing to getting back into blogging and being active in my "normal" haunts.
