Portfolio/Bio update

I have updated my Bio-page on my portfolio page. the following is part of what is there now.

Employment Bio: 

Mark is able to do many things from industrial design, architectural pre-visualization, CAD drafting, to graphic design, and some basic cartography.

 Of late, Mark has been volunteering at the Salt Lake County Library two days a week, filing books on hold for customers, and doing whatever else he is asked.

 Also he has spent time writing, drawing, and playing with some 3D modeling. As yet only some of the writing is posted, at the Jots and Doodles, From My Keyboard, and Caspian and Karen blogs on the link page.

 In the Fall and Winder of 2011, Mark has worked irregular-part time for a local Irrigation Canal Company. Part of this time Mark is in the field working with the Water Master cleaning the easements around the canal, and conducting a Video Survey of the length of it. The rest of the time Mark is. Further plans are to map the individual laterals, but this has been put off for later in the off-season. In doing this, the Canal Company lists have been compared to the County Assessor records, establishing where discrepancies exist, and such have been reported to the Canal Company Board.

 Mark worked as an Election Judge/Poll Worker for the 2010 Election Early Voting, for Salt Lake County. He was posted at the University of Utah voting station.

 Mark wanted to learn more of writing and telling stories and get additional software skills, so while attending school for Media Arts and Animation Mark worked as a HVAC CAD Drafter and Designer working on both Commercial and Residential system designs. Mark also worked for a short time as an assistant to a Commercial Real Estate Agent, doing all manor of office work.

 Before returning to school for a second degree, Mark worked as a CAD Drafter and Designer for Cryogenic Liquid Cargo Pumps.

Formal Education:

BS in Media Arts and Animation - The Art Institute of Las Vegas, Henderson, Nevada

BAS in Industrial Design - ITT Technical Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah

AAS in Computer Aided Drafting - ITT Technical Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah

  

Software and Skills:

High Enthusiasm, Low Experience (few years to months)

3D Modeling                                                   Basic First Aid

 Hard Modeling (Make it functional)              CPR

3D Animation

                                                                         Rock Climbing/Rappelling

Script Writing                                                  Basic Animal Husbandry

Script Editing                                                   Basic Farming

Story Writing

Story Editing                                                    Read and Study (Academic)

                                                                          Article/Paper Writing

Drawing:                                                           Article/Paper Editing

 Story Boarding                                                 U.S. History

 Drawing Figures                                               Art, Design

 Prop Design                                                      Social Principles

                                                                           Metal Work (Academic)

General Photography                                          Foundry

                                                                            Forging

Physical Survey                                                  Blacksmithing

 Measure and record/draw structures and objects   Weapon-smithing

                                                                            O.O.D.A.

Motorcycle Riding                                              U.S. Infantry – Basic Theory

Pickup Truck with load                                       Light Weapon

Truck with Hitch Trailer

Load Organization

Heavy Furniture Movement

Medium Enthusiasm, High Experience (many years)

Computer Aided Drafting                                 Employee Training

 (multiple 2D platforms)                                    CAD Training/Related

 Some Advanced AutoCAD                              Presentation

CAD Drafting Discipline: Mechanical

 Design – Cryogenic Pump and System            Business Machine Maintenance

 Geometric Tolerancing                                      Plotter

CAD Drafting Discipline: HVAC                      Blue Line

 Design – Industrial                                            Copy Machine

 Design – Residential                                         Computer

                                                                             Trouble shooting

MS-Word                                                             Networking

Excel                                                                    Assembly

Adobe Reader/Writer                

                                                                           Automobile Driving – sedan/coupe

Project Management

 Minor Crisis Management

Read and Study

 History – General, World

Basic Civics

High Enthusiasm, High Experience (many years)

Reading                                                           General Horse Husbandry

Writing                                                             Horse Handling

Drawing: General sketching                            Horse Riding

Design Principles                                             Hay Stacking

Telling Stories                                                Cat/Dog care

Automobile Driving                                       Camping

Manual + Automatic                                      Hiking

                                                                       General Firearm Care/Safety

Read and Study

 Book of Mormon

 Holy Bible

 Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 Pearl of Great Price

 LDS Gospel/Theology, Church History, Ordinance Administration

Medium Enthusiasm, Low Experience (few years to months)

Genealogy                                                       Computer Paint

                                                                        Photoshop

CAD Drafting Discipline: Architecture          After Effects

Drawing:                                                         Plastic Model Building

 Traditional Animation

 Character Design                                           ‘Shade Tree’ Auto Mechanics

3D Modeling                                                  Single Color Silk Screen

 Basic Camera

 Lighting                                                         Basic Spanish

 Rigging                                                           Grammar/Vocabulary

Backpack / briefcase QC

Low Enthusiasm, High Experience (many years)

Data Processing                                              General Labor

Data Entry                                                       Dig, Cut, Stack, Burn

                                                                        Yard Tool, Yard Equipment use

Read and Study

 Math – up to Pre-Calculus, especially Geometry

News Paper delivery

Low Enthusiasm, Low Experience (few years to months)

Drawing:                                                         Book Keeping – 10 Key

 Still Life                                                         Account Reconciliation

 Rendering                                                       Order Desk

 Illustration

 Perspective                                                     Election Judge

 Life Drawing                                                  Voting Booth/Station management

Sculpture

                                                                        Commercial Driving

3D Modeling                                                   Up to 2-ton

 Textures (Make it look pretty)

Inventor                                                           Basic Commercial Real Estate Sales

Flash                                                                 Contracts

Illustrator                                                          Property Evaluation

Power Point                                                      County Assessor Websites

Final Cut

Pro Tools                                                         Janitorial

 Basic Sound Design                                        Vacuum/mopping

Quark                                                                Dusting

 Desk Top Publishing                                       Trash removal

Google Sketch UP                                            Floor Wax stripping/replacement

                                                                          Floor buffer

ArcGIS mapping Program                               Other general cleanup

                                                                        Fish Tank Care

CAD Drafting Discipline:

 Process Piping                                               Basic Concrete Cutting Theory

 Electrical

 Civil                                                               Basic Electronics

 Structural

                                                                        Proselytizing

Industrial / Product Design                             Door to Door Canvassing

                                                                        Public Speaking

This list comes from an exercise that I did from the "What Color is Your Parachute" book. Perhaps it is information overload, but it shows what I can do, and how enthusiastic about it I am.

I realize that my high enthusiasm is not for things that make me any money, yet, if at all. Not specifically.

I ordered a refurbished laptop online, for myself for Christmas. I hope to use it well.

I have been working on compiling a submission-draft of the first Caspian & Karen story the last few days. I am wondering how much of it to post, and how much other writing to post.

In my 3D modeling lately, I have been thinking of some space-ships lately. These are just bruit constructs, with no streamlining. They are not atmospheric craft, they don't need it, and the cube is the best general shape to use. I have two more ideas to toss together, and then see about where to take them from there.

Last week I attended a Naturalization Ceremony. I was very impressed by it, and wish that attending one was somehow required by every high school civics course.

I also had the wonder whether any of the OWS-useful idiots had any clue of what is truly required of a citizen, and whether they would be willing to comply.

On the other hand, building on the ideas of John Locke, and government deriving power from the consent of the governed, I suppose the OWS-useful idiots would say the government has no power as they do not consent to it.

In one way I agree with then: I think we should vote out every incumbent, fire every bureaucrat, and be rid of every appointed government official who is of a collectivist, or croniest, or corrupt stripe, irrespective of party. Throw them all out, and revoke their pensions.

I wonder, is the government-worker labor union (or any labor union) just a money laundering operation for the political parties?

What do I want?

What is wanted?

Satisfying employment; using the skills I have been trained in and enjoy using; that allows me to earn enough to pay my debts, to support myself, and have enough extra to do the things I enjoy doing; target shooting, camping, hiking and rock climbing, exploring about, horse riding, etc; and in doing these things to find a woman who also enjoys these activities, and who is willing to be with me and have me be with her, and together to start a family.

What do I want to do?
I want to help make the world a better place by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and encourage others to live it. I want to do this through the skills I have and by my personality. By making projects and doing things that teach the principles of the gospel and how to live it.

Political structures can be rebuilt. I am concerned with the maintenance of the principles that society is built on. I want to help maintain these principles, and counter those who are seeking to tear these true principles down.

Its Pearl Harbor Day, 70 years ago...

To all who sacrificed on this day, seventy years ago, thank you.

-

I have been working through the book What Color is Your Parachute.

Part of this is about really figuring out what you like to do, and then figuring out where you can get paid to do it.

Following is part of a skill list that I have compiled in doing this. My question I am mulling over is how to post it on my website/biography.

High Enthusiasm, High Experience (many years)

Reading

Writing

Drawing Things

Physical Survey - Measure and record/draw structures and objects

Automobile Driving - Manual & Automatic

Camping

Hiking

General Firearm Care/Safety

General Horse Husbandry

 Horse Riding/Handling

 Hay Stacking

Cat/Dog care

Read and Study

 Book of Mormon

 Bible

 Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 Pearl of Great Price

 LDS Gospel/Theology, Church History, Ordinance Administration

High Enthusiasm, Low Experience (few years to months)

3D Modeling

 Hard Modeling (Make it look functional)

3D Animation

Design Principles

Script Writing & Editing

Story Writing & Editing

Article/Paper Writing & Editing

Story Boarding

Drawing Figures

Prop Design

Library Book shelving and sorting

General Photography

Motorcycle Riding

Pickup Truck with load

Truck with Hitch Trailer

Load Organization

Heavy Furniture Movement

First Aid

CPR

Rock Climbing/Rappelling

Basic Animal Husbandry

Basic Farming

Read and Study

O.O.D.A.

U.S. Infantry – Basic Theory

 Light Weapon

Medium Enthusiasm, High Experience (many years)

Computer Aided Drafting (multiple 2D platforms)

Some Advanced AutoCAD

CAD Drafting Discipline: Mechanical

 Design – Cryogenic LNG/LPG Pumps and Systems

CAD Drafting Discipline: HVAC

 Design – Industrial

 Design – Residential

MS-Word (general)

Excel (general)

Adobe Reader/Writer

Project Management

 Minor Crisis Management

Employee Training

 CAD Training/Related

 Presentation

Business Machine Maintenance

 Plotter

 Blue Line

 Copy Machine

 Computer

  Trouble shooting

  Networking

  Assembly

Automobile Driving – sedan/coupe

Read and Study

 History – General, US, World, Art, Design

 Basic Civics

Medium Enthusiasm, Low Experience (few years to months)

CAD Drafting Discipline: Architecture

Drawing Traditional Animation

Character Design

3D Modeling

 Basic Camera

 Lighting

 Rigging

Computer Paint

Photoshop

After Effects

Single Color Silk Screen

Backpack / briefcase QC

Basic Spanish

 Grammar/Vocabulary

Genealogy

‘Shade Tree’ Auto Mechanics

One problem I have is that I am generally a stoic, and not 'enthusiastic' about very much. So this list has taken some time. Also some of it will not make sense unless you understand that it is an incomplete list of skills, and things I can and like to do.

Looking at it, the things I really like to do, I am not nearly good enough to get paid to do, at any kind of profitable level.

John Locke, the real one not the Lost one.

I have been listening to a book-on-disk that examines John Locke's Two Treatises on Government. It has been very interesting and enlightening. I had thought I was getting the actual treatises, but am satisfied with this examination, as it sets out the background for when Locke wrote them.
The first treatise is a refutation of a treatise written by another gentleman about how the right of kings to rule descended from the right and authority given to Adam to reign over the earth by God. Some other principles were also examined. This treatise is much more local in its scope (since most kings have passed to history, and the rest save a few are titled 'Dictator'), and rarely addressed today, save for its historical value. I still found much satisfaction in the use of the Bible as a source of principles by which to form a society.
The second treatise is the one people spend time with today. I will not spend much time going over it, as i still have not yet been over its whole scope myself, and am only drawing on the examination of others. Of the ideas that I did pick up on, I take space to only mention a few.

Life is existence, and granted by God.
Liberty is power to maintain existence, and is given from God.
'Property' is power to affect things: to use and dispose of them.
Estate is ones possessions.

Legislators do not have power to impoverish.
Legislators do not have power to be arbitrary.
Legislators do not have power to take property, without the consent of the possessor.
Taxes must be at the consent of the people.


When a government strays from its appointed job, from its defined bounds, they give up their legitimacy and are thereby effectively dissolved, the power returning to the people to create a new government.

An oppressive  government is at war with those it oppresses.

Five ways a king can dissolve a government:
1) set up his arbitrary will, in place of law
2) interfere with the proper functions of the legislative branch
3) manipulate elections to place his cronies into office
4) sell out his country to a foreign power
5) fail to execute the law of the land

I digress here, and ask, how many of these has the current administration accomplished:
1) set up a shadow government of advisers and czars without any congressional over site or input. Ruling through Executive Order, and simply putting bits and pieces of his agenda in motion in the agencies and bureaus of the government via regulation.
2) the latest budget super-committee is a good example, where he has not done his part
3) cronies in office: this has been the political spoils system since Martin Van Buren. Who was Van Jones, and when did you meet him?
4) George Soros, and the multi-year world apology tour.
5) It is the job of the Federal government to police and maintain the boarders. The Illegal Alien issue has the lack of enforcement as one of its corner stones.

Do any of these constitute high crimes, or misdemeanors, sufficient for impeachment?

I am less concerned with the rise and fall of political structures. I am concerned that the principles of the truth be taught, and these principles are not.
Time to go find the treatise and print and read it for myself.

To close:
What are the duties of citizenship?
Awareness of the government's activities
Acting to keep government officials in line, or punished accordingly
Payment of just taxes
Obedience to the just laws enacted by the government
Fealty to the government
Participation in the rites of citizenship
Participation in the Militia, defending the community from external threat
Participation in the Posse, defending the community from internal threat

What are the rites of citizenship?
Voting in election of officers
Voting in initiative/referendum issues
Participation in Jury Duty
Making an Oath of Allegiance: "I swear allegiance to the flag of..."
Birth to a Citizen


Any more that can be thought of?

Who Am I?

In a recent journal entry I got to writing about just who I am.Here is some of that:

I am disciple of Jesus Christ, trained in my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from scriptures consisting of the New Testament, the Old Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Pearl of Great Price.
I have been ordained to the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods by my father, and hold the office of Elder in the Melchizedek priesthood, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
I am the son of Andy and Lisa Robertson, still married, and the forth of seven children.
I am as yet unmarried, but hold out hope that I will eventually find a woman willing to marry and be married to me; together to raise a family.

As for employment: I am currently frustratingly unemployed.
In general I can do most anything I am asked to do. There are some things I cannot do, and some I will not do: I will not ask if "you want fries with that", and would rather not answer phones or work a cash register.

What kind of job do I want?
One that will allow me to provide for, support and raise a family.
One that does not demand all my time, energy or effort, so that I have something to give to my family and community.
One where I can use the skills I have to my satisfaction, and help others to do the same.
One where I can learn new skills and things, and help others to do the same.

I am skilled at some methods of image creation, and also skilled at some forms of information distribution.

I can use Maya, and have some past experience with SolidWorks, some self-taught time with Inventor, and some past training with 3dsMax. As with the 2d-platforms, I expect that I can probably figure out any 3d-platform given time, and someone to ask
II can use Autocad and ME-10, and expect I can generally figure out most any other CAD program. can put pencil to paper and create some passable drawings, as well as do the analog of the above digital skills. I have been trained in some life and still-life drawing methods. I am more of a technician than an artist.
I have been trained in many of the fundamentals of animation, 2d and 3d.
I am interested in learning more of script and story writing.
I can type within reason, as well as 10-key.
I can do some field surveying of places and constructs, and mapping.
I can handle inventory, and information, some data processing.
I can use tools, hand and power, and could even use some big machinery with sufficient space and time to figure it out.

I have held jobs (oldest to most recent) as a janitor, quality control checker, a single color silk screen printer, a Mig-welder for a short time, a go-for driver, a clerk, an assistant to a commercial real estate agent, a draftsman in the HVAC and Mechanical disciplines, and some temp work helping the water master for an irrigation canal manage the growth and right-of-ways around the canal.

I am interested in history, both political and family. I have done some genealogy, but most of my own has already been done by others, and I have not yet pursued the threads still open by their work.
I enjoy being outdoors, whether doing manual labor or some form of playing.
I enjoy horse back riding, hiking, camping, target shooting; I aspire to learn archery and rock climbing when I can get the spare money for equipment and instruction.
I despise participating in Team Sports, though I can generally chase a ball when I chose to.

I seek to learn why things work, not just how.
I enjoy reading, and asking questions of people whom I determine actually know something, to learn from them.

What is wanted?

I want to raise a righteous family in the faith and gospel of Jesus Christ.
- To find a righteous woman to marry and be married to
- To have and raise children

I want to help prepare the world for his return and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. By the way, this is the only political one-world government I feel willing to accept, as I perceive all others to be built on principles of men having power over other men.

I want to use the skills and abilities I have to support myself and my family in a job that is fulfilling, profitable, and of service to my fellow man and to God.
- To do my best at what ever I am given to do
- To not be hindered by my situation

I want to learn new things, and share what I learn. I want to encourage others to do likewise.
- To learn the truth of things, and behave accordingly
- To share good and wholesome activities, in work, in play...

I want to enjoy the world around me and help others do the same.
- by camping, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, target shooting...
- farming, hunting, ranching...
- in all other things, being respectful of the world and taking care of it according to the principles of God.

Where are we going, and who's hand basket is this?

I have been listening to book-on-disk The Road To Serfdom, written by Friedrich Hayek, and am concerned by the similarities between what he writes about the socialist thinkers and the ultimately totalitarian regimes of Russia, Germany, and Italy in pre-World War II, and what I see and hear going on today.
The people in charge of the US Government and economy, and European governments and economies, concern me. As does the extreme left-of-center thinking, and radical thinking in general, left or right. What I comprehend about the thinking of the extremes and radicals today is that it is similar to identical to what Hayek catalogs about the thinkers and governments of those then.

The scriptures document that people first are tempted by Pride, Lusts (for any gratification, not just sexual), Power, and Possession;

then they choose these and are disobedient to The Truth and Gospel and the Commandments of God;

they move into unbelief of the Truth and Gospel and Commandments to the point of rejection of the same, setting up other beliefs in their place;

they set up and engage in false traditions based on the replacement beliefs;

they turn to idolatry and other abominable practices, building up secret combinations that promote their pride, lusts, power, and possessions;

this leads to the destruction of their degraded civilization.


Today, the extremes and radicals are seeking for the 4-combo as ends, and cloak this under the shroud of 'social justice' and 'collective salvation'.

They reject the established '-ism's' that had previously done their best to teach the people the truth, gospel and commandments of God, and base this rejection on among other things, the idea that these '-ism's' are corrupted, incomplete, and stifling to the human spirit.

They teach this rejection to their children, and teach as many other people's children as they can, understanding the ideas about knowledge and perceptions and reality. Control the information a person receives, you control their perception of reality.

They set their own power structures up and work to bind all men to their structures, and to stamp out all competitors. Especially the competitor of other churches. For those who have not had the experience of the existence and love of God in their lives, this binding is comparatively easy and even embraced; for those who have, this binding is actively fought against, choosing the liberty of God over the bonds of men.

The power structure becomes a religion unto itself, in competition with the truth and church of God, and engages in a war against its competitor, to the destruction of society.

So who wants to destroy things and people, and who wants to build them up in righteousness?

troubling the troubled.

I have read a few things that have upset and amused me this last week.

One was another local article about the doings of various religious denominations. The comments section again contained posts from all the usual characters, from the fundamentalists anti-religionists to the fundamentalist religionists. If I get too emotionally involved, it stops being amusing.
One of the funny things I see here is that both sides express the same levels of faith, but on opposing viewpoints: the anti-'s expressing the same level of faith in their own beliefs as the pro-'s in their own.

The upsetting article was prompted by a segment that I heard on the Michael Medved Show late last week. He had the author of the article All The Single Ladies on. I went and printed the article and read it.
To forbear from over burdening the reader here, I will simply say that I was stirred up in frustration in comparison to my own unmarried situation; a little bit mystified by the comprehension of some of the hinted at reasoning of why a woman might be unwilling to marry at a given point in time/life; and dumbfounded by the reasoning and ideology that this article points out as existing within society.

Tanks for the memories

Lately I have had two things of particular annoyance on my mind.

First might be considered making a mash-up of the tanks from Halo and Starcraft, and using my own skills at adding some of the functionality that seems cool to me. Drawing from real-world ideas, include looking at the mobile artillery vehicles out there, and adding some of that to the tank.
All this without making it too unwieldy.

The other has been to get back to what I originally wanted to do with the sister blogs to this, and post my writing, in the vain hope of getting feedback.
So far, on all of these, I just seem to be talking to myself, not having then linked up or noticed, yet.

There are other things, as well, but those seem to occupy me the most right now, in my free time.

what's the big deal?

I have been busy and in no mood to post.

I wonder, supposing I could get myself called a bank, could I get a bailout to help pay my student loans?


As the seasons change, I always wonder at people complaining that 'it's cold' when they actually have to put on long sleeves and trousers, instead of a halter-top or wife-beater and shorts.
Personally, I don't think it's really beginning to get cold until I can go outside and see my breath.
Of course then I get to look forward to shoveling that accumulated global-warming off the walks.

If that's too cold for you, move to somewhere warmer.
If shoveling snow is too much work for you, get a snow-melt system, or get a work ethic.

Reading the Newspaper today

As I read the local newspaper today, I had a myriad of reactions.

I read about Parents arrested for sneaking kids into better schools. I am left to wonder at the turf war and power struggle over who gets to teach, and where the children are going to go. It seems to me that it is a stinging indictment of a school when people are willing to risk this sort of law-breaking to get their kids out of it.
I understand that here in SLC, for now, you may send your child to whatever school you choose, to get them to. But that the teachers union is seeking to change this.
-
There are several articles about whether 'mormons' are Christians. The most recent torch tossed on this fire coming from one pastors endorsement of one presidential candidate, and attack on another at that time.
I understand that according to most apologetic theory, there are three types of christian.
The doctrinal christian who believes in the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, and his ability to perform miracles, the most important of which being the atonement wherein he took upon him the punishment of our sins, died, and was resurrected: what congregation attended is secondary to this.
The historic christian who counts himself such because he is part of a congregation who can trace its organizational roots to the church formed by Jesus, and left with Peter in charge: this is regardless of what is believed doctrinally, and what is felt about the potential divinity of Jesus.
The third type of christian believes the principles taught by Jesus are sound and good: what congregation, and what is felt about the potential divinity of Jesus is of minor importance.


Some will carry this further to say that their pet doctrine or dogma must also be included to a person to be counted.


This as premise, I ask, which definition of christian is this particular pastor referring when he says that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not christian?
How does he know this?


For myself, I will do my best to not judge, and leave the decision of whether a person is a disciple of Jesus, to the individual and Jesus himself.
- 
Pot-shaped candy alarms parents I for one will not seek this candy out, nor will accept it if it is ever offered. Looking at the dope on the package label, he looks stoned. No thank you.
- 
Christians under siege in post-revolution Egypt One thing in this article that caught my attention was the comment that "Copts shared in the euphoria of the 18-day revolution that ousted Mubarak and like so many other Egyptians their hopes for change were high. Mainly, they wanted to be on equal footing with Muslims."
To the best of my knowledge, any nation that is ruled by Muslims, tends to treat any other religion as second class, at best. God's blessings to these people, but don't hold your breath for any recognition of equal footing from the radical Muslims in particular.
- 
Breaking the 10,000-hour rule is about learning, and how to learn. In reading this I am left to wonder at some topics that I have been able to learn quicker than others, and that I have learned quicker or slower than others. "...the dominant culture of teaching and coaching in our culture is too directive...There’s too much telling and advocacy, and not enough questioning and aided discovery....Result: We don’t learn how to learn. We look to (others) as the repository of answers, when instead we need to develop the ability to self-regulate and self-adjust and to become relentless problem-solvers."
Some things I have learned how to learn. I have self-taught myself several different computer programs.
Other things I have not. I have been taught much in college level math, to a per-calculus level, but could was not able to comprehend what the instructor was trying to instruct in calculus.
-
The last news item that keeps doing the rounds, and which I have commented already on are the 'Occupy' mobs protesting for the fun of it. I have yet to really comprehend what these people are trying to accomplish, and am dubious as to whether they really know themselves.
I have one idea of what they could protest that is a real important issue to the US today: occupy the NBA Arenas, and protest the cancellation of the start of the season and the deadlock between the rick players, and the wealthy team owners and organizations.

"Useful Idiot" has a point.

I see the various 'Occupy (fill in the blank)' protest going on, and at first feel to agree with Ann Coulter about them.
Then my left of libertarian sister gets after me for being narrow minded and insulting for calling these protesters 'useful idiots.'

I am not a real good talker. I can express myself better in writings, than conversation. So I could not get my sister to the point that I perceive that these protesters are being directed by others, thus making them 'useful idiots' to those others.

I heard one of these protesters talking to the host of one program about how they were going to be meeting in the protest to discuss just what they are wanting to do. Why assemble without first having a point?
I see others from the current progressive (read 'Marxist' or maybe 'Socialist' or just 'collectivist'?) cast of characters going to these protest to give speeches and rousing the rabble, ultimately seeking to incite to riot.

I recognize that these protesters want to protest the amorality, greed, and bad policy that has held increasing sway of the financial sector of the economy since the baby boomers first realized that they needed to get real jobs. BUT if they really want to accomplish something, I think the first characters to go after are the law-WRITERS and regulation-WRITERS and then The Congress-critters that passed said laws and then set about enacting them. Then go after the individuals in the corporations who complied with them and profited thereby. I might also go after those in the media, who's job was to report on what these regulations and policies and laws would do, for not doing their job. And also go after those other Congress-critters who saw this, knew what it would do, and then did not cry 'foul'; them I would give at least a dope-slap to.

Who compelled the banks to write all those toxic mortgages and other financial things? Hmm, could it be, The Government - both the Elected and the Bureaucrats; those who have a left-of-center ideology which tells them that people can't take care of themselves, so the state needs to do it for them?
If I were going to name names, I would start with Barney Frank, and all on his committee. Then go to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, on to Goldman Sachs, and continue through the rest of the whole intertwined web proverbially burning out all who have sought to prove the capitalist-free market system does not work, because it does not intrinsically provide for an equal outcome for everybody.

Here's a big clue about that: the capitalist-free market system allows you to choose what you will do and to work or not at it, and thereby to risk failure and gain greater success. All other systems that have some kind of compulsion to them, seek to remove the risk of failure, and thereby commensurately diminish the amount of success possible.

The next names I would name are those members of the Baby Boom Generation who rejected the classical morals of Good vs. Evil, and Right vs. Wrong, etc. which their parents tried to instill in them. Then carry on to the children who were not taught these classical morals, and subsequent generations.
Further I would go to those instructors and union thugs and media personalities who's ideology has been collectivism, and taught these kids to reject their parents instructions, and to reject individual merit for the collective bargaining of the group.

To my title, and to wrap this up: The protesters have a point. There is too much amorality, greed, bad policy, bad behavior and so forth going on.

But to leave the government out of the mix, and more so to try to say this is an ideologically right wing problem is to miss the mark. To allow these protests to be shaped by those whose stated and historic agenda's have been to collapse the American system and replace it, that spells bad news to me.

DO WE REALLY WANT TO RELIVE THE SUMMER OF 1968 AGAIN?

Science vs. Religion? Quit playing 'lets you and him fight.'

This Article struck a cord in me, as I read it.
More so, the usual cast of characters who show up in the comments section struck a nerve. There are the fundamentalist scientists who's religion is 'Science;' the fundamentalist religionists who's science is 'Religion;' and every stripe in between. The group I most agree with would be those who say that science is and should be looking for how God made the universe.

This leads me to a topic that has pestered me for a while: people who want to be spiritual, or religious depending on your vocabulary, without belonging to an organized religion.
I have met many people who have been trained by school, or by their parents or friends, or by their experience, or what have you, to reject organized religion in general and any of the prominent christian churches in particular. Some take this so far as rejecting anything they perceive as connected with these organizations. "Those organizations are corrupt and full of corrupt people." I could probably fill books with all the comments that go in that direction. My first thought, if i could get people to listen and be interested long enough would be to get people to understand the division between individual spirituality/religiosity and the organizations that have been set up to promote such in the world. Here is an article I found that discusses this idea from the perspective of one who has gone through that transformation process.

I applaud those who want to be spiritual and 'get religion' as it was once said. but I do not fully comprehend the rejection of organized religion.
As for Science: I see science as those disciplines set forth to discover and comprehend how and what God has done in creating the world; what laws and methods were used to put the stars and planets and life in motion.
Religion is to answer the harder questions: Why? What is my part? What is my value?

Several other threads come together in my mind about these ideas.
- Godel's Incompleteness says in so many words that no system can be completely known within itself.

- The second law of thermal dynamics says in so many words that every system must eventually break down into chaos, or entropy.

Other ideas can be brought to bare, but for this point, I simply ask, "If the universe cannot be comprehended within itself, and must eventually break down to entropy, what keeps it running?" Answer: something outside the limits of the universe as we know it. This something is god

Science shows that god, however god is defined, must exist. Thus the question leads to religion: how do I get to know about the nature of god, and god's reasoning? Why do I exist? What is my purpose? What happens when I die? And my ancestors and children?


God himself has answered these. But he is in a power struggle in spreading his message. Just as God exists, so also does the devil. This leads to the definitions of good and evil, but I will leave that tangent for another time.

For much of the next part, I presume that the reader has as a given a basic comprehension that Jesus of Nazareth set up a church with a body of ideas to be taught and adhered to by those associated with it, and appointed a group of men to lead it after his departure. That there were certain acts or 'ordinances' that were to be performed to enter into the society of this church, and then regularly performed by members of it. That means were put in place to see to the perpetuation of said organization.
That others have had churches or systems of philosophy set up that are followed, I also leave as given, and focus myself to the christian focus. There are more ideas that can be quibbled about, but for my purposes, this is sufficient.

To the question of organized religion: "But why does God have so many churches that claim to be his?"
Simple: the devil is the author of this confusion, and tempts men to drift away from and be confused about the truth of God. He tempts men with power, with doubt, with lusts, with pride, with any number of other tools in his arsenal.

- Second rule of bureaucracy: those who seek to maintain a bureaucracy will rise to power over those seeking to accomplish the bureaucracy's goals.
- Power corrupts
- Power attracts the corrupt

Without continual input from God, the bureaucracy of his church will drift to the goals of those who seek power for themselves.
Some call this Simony, after Simon Magus in the book of Acts. See also the Sons of Sceva. This leads to men creating churches to honor themselves, or whatever other noun they can set up to be worshiped. The biggest one I see forming today, is the church of the collectivist state: government is god.

So, how does God give continual input: through his duly authorized cadre - those holding the priesthood of god.
This leads to two questions, and I leave this for now.

1) Is priesthood authority necessary to perform ordinances?
If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, than the answer is that he did then, so he does now.
Those who say otherwise, are not in align with God.

2) Where is it/Who has it today?
Historically, most commonly understood, Jesus invested and left this authority in The Twelve and their duly appointed successors.

So if the secessionists are right that it is needed, and the reformists are right that the secessionists don't have it, where does the scripture say to look?

For a restoration of this authority, according to the pattern that God has used to communicate with man from the beginning. Angel's sent to the first man to open the channel of communication, and then continuing revelation once that channel is open.

I have an answer for myself which church to be in, taught me of the Holy Ghost, but without more investigation on your part, are you ready to receive it?

Hard Work

There has been a lot of hard work done lately.

First, my brother-in-law has been hard at work getting a large room progressed. He has put in some wood trim and sanded, and prepped it for finishing. Once this is done, he will work on getting the rest of the walls ready for painting. But there is still one door frame that needs to be installed, next week.
 
Yesterday I set to cleaning up a mess in the yard. I don't have any before pictures, but do have the after.

First I cleaned up a large pile of loose and decomposing hay. This amounted to two loads worth, one in a trailer, and one in a small truck bed, about 2 cubic yards or so each. Loose hay is troublesome as it does not shovel. But I got it all cleaned up and back to the pile at the west end of the yard and unloaded.
Once done, the brown horse trailer got moved back to the pictured position where the pile had been.

As for the pile it needed some sorting. I took a load of loose branches and loaded them into the truck and carted them to another part of the yard and unloaded them into a pile waiting to be chipped into another pile for composting.
 
Finally I got to the main project, moving a composting pile out of the middle of the yard and putting it on the edge. This took several hours, and four loads of compost and dirt. Most of it could be forked, but some of it had to be shoveled at the end. Some of this compost is looking pretty tasty, so far as compost goes.


In the end I moved several cubic yards of stuff. At some point my sister and her husband are going to spread this onto some part of the yard. in the mean time it may need to be turned, to get all the stuff decomposing and in a state ready for giving up its minerals to whatever is grown in it.

Today, I spent the morning helping a friend move. I helped he and a crew of ten or so people load the truck and clear out of their apartment. Then I went and helped another crew of over ten adults and as many children unload the truck.

I'm tired. I'm going home now.