Breaking down, not broken done, that’s me and I don’t like it.
I am 63½ years old. I remember when I used to look at people in their 60’s and think they were ancient, especially those who were broken down by life or health problems.
Now I am one of them, someone in his 60’s and breaking down, not broken down, not yet anyway. But I am concerned.
Let’s be clear, all is not bad. Not even close, my bride and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage on July 27, 2011. I completed a master’s program in Christian Studies in late April. Second granddaughter (Emily) was born in mid-March this year, what a wonderful blessing. Made a tandem skydive last October during a visit to Oshkosh, WI.
I lead a blessed life, no matter the sound of complaining herein. I know I am a future citizen of Heaven and have the promise of a new body as well. To tell you the truth, I am looking forward to the new body now. I can look forward to that body because I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Everything pales beside this knowledge.
Still, I have two new knees from just over two years ago and I love them. Prior to the new knees, I was like one of the walking wounded, always walking about in great pain. Reading glasses are a must, as my arms are way too short to read most printed material. And my hearing is going too with over a 33 percent loss in the past year alone. And of course I am diabetic, type 2, and 40-50 pounds overweight. The weight aggravates the diabetes, so I am working at dropping it down. Even though I have put on 10 pounds (it was 20) in the past 6 months.
I am very concerned about my current blood sugar levels. I used to be able to bring the level down to 70-100 with walking and eating the right foods. Now no matter what I do, the low numbers are 120-150. Not good. I am headed towards becoming a type 1 diabetic. Not happy about that.
My greatest concern though is something new. Nodding off. Falling asleep. Micro-napping. No idea what is going on or causing it. Have increased my sleep to an average of 7½ hours per night which helps, but only helps. The occurrences are fewer in number, but continue.
To attack the problem I have a sleep study scheduled for Thursday night next week. Do you have any idea how silly that sounds to me? Nonetheless, I will do it. This last problem has to be resolved. To not solve it places my job in jeopardy. Not good.
In spite of everything, I think God has use for me on this earth for another 10 or 20 or 30 or more years. To keep myself available I must, I shall, do my best to improve my health. However, to be clear, if I should pass tomorrow, there should be no sadness and no tears for I have had an incredibly blessed life in so many and varied ways. More on that at a later date.
Postscript: Sleep study complete, will discuss results next week with our family physician. Weight is down to 230 lbs. (40 to go) and blood sugar has dropped as well. Walking 4 to 10 miles a day has its benefits, especially if you are walking with your bride and discovering how much you enjoy each others company during an hour plus stroll … stopping to look at different things, taking a few pictures, and holding hands throughout. I said it before and I will say it again, “I am blessed.”
Friday, July 15, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Glimpse of God
Sometimes, without realizing it, we are given a glimpse of God. It may be a blade of grass, a new born baby, the look in your son’s or daughter’s eyes when they understand something for the first time, a baby who looks at you with total trust and love and then smiles, the soft touch of your wife’s hand when you need it most.
It can be anyone of those things or something entirely different. The problem arises when we see something so often we become calloused, used to it, and no longer see God in the blade of grass or the look and smile from a baby or the touch from a loved one.
Then God sometimes steps in to remind us of his presence everywhere. The Old Testament tells us God “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) and “then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15). I believe that, every word of it. No doubt at all, but I kind of take it for granted as well. It was a truth I was used to and had become somewhat calloused about.
No more, for recently I got to see the evidence the ancients, those of the Old Testament, the ancient saw everywhere, but especially in the sky. I think it must have been the same for the plains Indians of North America.
Randy Halverson put together a time lapse video of the Plains Milky Way in the plains of South Dakota and for the first time I saw the Milky Way and had a sense, a real sense of the incredible immensity of God and His creation. In a video of 3 minutes and 17 seconds I got to see the Milky Way sweep across the sky a number of times in the South Dakota night sky.
After watching the video a number of times, I went back to Genesis and reread the verses above and understood in the Milky Way I was only seeing a glimpse of God, just as if I were looking at a blade of grass. You see the estimate for the number of stars in the Milky Way is somewhere between 200 and 400 billion stars. Let’s ‘spell’ that out, between 200,000,000,000 and 400,000,000,000 stars in the Milky Way. We are on the outside edge of the Milky Way galaxy with our sun. And the Milky Way Galaxy is only one of the estimated hundreds of billions of galaxies.
The numbers overwhelm me. It’s like when I read (#20) According to the America's Foundation for Chess, there are 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000 ways to play the first 10 moves of a game of Chess I get overwhelmed too, after all that’s more than one times ten to the 30th power. That is likely one of the reasons I love the game of chess, but it is after all just a game.
The stars are not a game, they are clearly a creation of and by God. And if sometime, we ever get far enough out of the city to see them, we will clearly get a glimpse of God as we watch the Milky Way Galaxy sweep across the plains of South Dakota. Then we can be reminded (I can be reminded) we (I) serve “a great and awesome God” (Nehemiah 1:5), a God of great and “awesome majesty” (Job 37:22).
I think I will check out a blade of grass again as well.
It can be anyone of those things or something entirely different. The problem arises when we see something so often we become calloused, used to it, and no longer see God in the blade of grass or the look and smile from a baby or the touch from a loved one.
Then God sometimes steps in to remind us of his presence everywhere. The Old Testament tells us God “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) and “then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15). I believe that, every word of it. No doubt at all, but I kind of take it for granted as well. It was a truth I was used to and had become somewhat calloused about.
No more, for recently I got to see the evidence the ancients, those of the Old Testament, the ancient saw everywhere, but especially in the sky. I think it must have been the same for the plains Indians of North America.
Randy Halverson put together a time lapse video of the Plains Milky Way in the plains of South Dakota and for the first time I saw the Milky Way and had a sense, a real sense of the incredible immensity of God and His creation. In a video of 3 minutes and 17 seconds I got to see the Milky Way sweep across the sky a number of times in the South Dakota night sky.
After watching the video a number of times, I went back to Genesis and reread the verses above and understood in the Milky Way I was only seeing a glimpse of God, just as if I were looking at a blade of grass. You see the estimate for the number of stars in the Milky Way is somewhere between 200 and 400 billion stars. Let’s ‘spell’ that out, between 200,000,000,000 and 400,000,000,000 stars in the Milky Way. We are on the outside edge of the Milky Way galaxy with our sun. And the Milky Way Galaxy is only one of the estimated hundreds of billions of galaxies.
The numbers overwhelm me. It’s like when I read (#20) According to the America's Foundation for Chess, there are 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000 ways to play the first 10 moves of a game of Chess I get overwhelmed too, after all that’s more than one times ten to the 30th power. That is likely one of the reasons I love the game of chess, but it is after all just a game.
The stars are not a game, they are clearly a creation of and by God. And if sometime, we ever get far enough out of the city to see them, we will clearly get a glimpse of God as we watch the Milky Way Galaxy sweep across the plains of South Dakota. Then we can be reminded (I can be reminded) we (I) serve “a great and awesome God” (Nehemiah 1:5), a God of great and “awesome majesty” (Job 37:22).
I think I will check out a blade of grass again as well.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Facebook, Employment, and the Law
Just sent an email to a friend who is having a tough time getting his life turned around. The email suggested he may wish to change the photos he has on FaceBook. Most of them are of himself and / or friends who are "partying" - youthful parlance for drinking and having fun with their faculties impaired.
EMPLOYMENT
It was suggested he may want a new set of photos on his FaceBook page. After all future employers may very well (many do) take a look at the type of person they are hiring by doing a web search. FaceBook postings show up in most cases. Do a web search on "job lost due to facebook" and you will get 11,200,000 hits. Eleven MILLION plus Two Hundred Thousand hits.
Then I thought why not try a web search for "not hired due to FaceBook" and I got a shocker - 117,000,000 hits. That's One Hundred Seventeen Million hits. Ten times more than hits related to losing a job.
The web is telling all of us something and it is telling us that something loud and clear. What is it telling us? Look at your postings through the eyes of a future (or current) employer and ask yourself if you would hire this person based upon his or her FaceBook postings (or keep him or her when the time for cuts come).
Take a real hard look and then ask yourself with as much honesty as possible - will my posting help me or hurt me in the future when I need a job or a promotion or some more job security, when I am married and have children or simply want some security in life as you get older. Look to your future.
AND NOW THE LAW
If you ended up in court for any reason with the power of the state arrayed against you or not the state, but someone who is suing you for some reason, would your FaceBook posting help you, hurt you, or have no impact at all?
A web search of "do police look at FaceBook" got 241,000,000 hits. Two Hundred Forty-One Million hits. That bears repeating - Two Hundred Forty-One Million!
The number two hit? "Police increasingly use social networking websites for police work." If police are using it, you can bet any attorney hired to sue you would also be using it to research you.
WORD TO THE WISE
If you want to protect yourself and your job and your family and especially your future you will take a long hard look at what you are posting on FaceBook. Don't trust your eyes alone. Ask someone to take a look with. A trusted friend who is NOT a partying with you, instead someone who's opinion you respect when you need a strong dose of common sense.
POSTSCRIPT: INSURANCE
Decided at the last minute to take a look at "denied insurance because of facebook posting" and got over Eight Million Seven Hundred Thousand hits.
EMPLOYMENT
It was suggested he may want a new set of photos on his FaceBook page. After all future employers may very well (many do) take a look at the type of person they are hiring by doing a web search. FaceBook postings show up in most cases. Do a web search on "job lost due to facebook" and you will get 11,200,000 hits. Eleven MILLION plus Two Hundred Thousand hits.
Then I thought why not try a web search for "not hired due to FaceBook" and I got a shocker - 117,000,000 hits. That's One Hundred Seventeen Million hits. Ten times more than hits related to losing a job.
The web is telling all of us something and it is telling us that something loud and clear. What is it telling us? Look at your postings through the eyes of a future (or current) employer and ask yourself if you would hire this person based upon his or her FaceBook postings (or keep him or her when the time for cuts come).
Take a real hard look and then ask yourself with as much honesty as possible - will my posting help me or hurt me in the future when I need a job or a promotion or some more job security, when I am married and have children or simply want some security in life as you get older. Look to your future.
AND NOW THE LAW
If you ended up in court for any reason with the power of the state arrayed against you or not the state, but someone who is suing you for some reason, would your FaceBook posting help you, hurt you, or have no impact at all?
A web search of "do police look at FaceBook" got 241,000,000 hits. Two Hundred Forty-One Million hits. That bears repeating - Two Hundred Forty-One Million!
The number two hit? "Police increasingly use social networking websites for police work." If police are using it, you can bet any attorney hired to sue you would also be using it to research you.
WORD TO THE WISE
If you want to protect yourself and your job and your family and especially your future you will take a long hard look at what you are posting on FaceBook. Don't trust your eyes alone. Ask someone to take a look with. A trusted friend who is NOT a partying with you, instead someone who's opinion you respect when you need a strong dose of common sense.
POSTSCRIPT: INSURANCE
Decided at the last minute to take a look at "denied insurance because of facebook posting" and got over Eight Million Seven Hundred Thousand hits.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Choices: Young Rich Ruler vice Paul (Saul)
In Mark 10:21, Jesus looked at him (the young rich ruler) and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him, loved him so much He pointed the young ruler to where his earthly love conflicted directly with his love of God.
What did the young rich ruler do? Verse 22 gives us the answer, "At this [instruction] the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth."
Because he could not follow the direction as he loved his wealth too much.
Compare that to what Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) did.
Paul describes what he gave up to follow Jesus in Philippians 3 during an argument against requiring circumcision.
Making sure everyone knew circumcision was not required, he said, "If anyone could have confidence in things of the flesh" [circumcision] it was Paul, but he did not. Circumcision means nothing or as Paul put it, he had been "circumcised on the eighth day", was not only a member of the people of Israel, but also of the tribe of Benjamin and as he put it a "Hebrew of Hebrews" ... in other words no one was more Jewish than Paul when he was known as Saul of Tarsus. He also knew the law as a Pharisee and in zeal persecuted Christians. He had a righteousness based upon Jewish law that was considered faultless. He was not only a Hebrew of Hebrews, but also a Pharisee of Pharisees and a persecutor of Christians!
However, unlike the young rich ruler, Paul gave all of that up. Every bit of it.
Then he writes from a Roman jail saying he considered his loss of everything meaningless because of the "surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus" and in fact considers all that he had before garbage [worthless] and now he has a righteousness (v9) "through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith."
Paul made the choice the young rich man wanted to make and should have made. The young rich man went away with a sad face probably crying because he loved his riches so much. Paul gave up everything and had joy even while chained up in a prison dictating this epistle to the church of Philippi.
My advise, imitate Paul when your time comes to choose.
Jesus looked at him and loved him, loved him so much He pointed the young ruler to where his earthly love conflicted directly with his love of God.
What did the young rich ruler do? Verse 22 gives us the answer, "At this [instruction] the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth."
Because he could not follow the direction as he loved his wealth too much.
Compare that to what Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) did.
Paul describes what he gave up to follow Jesus in Philippians 3 during an argument against requiring circumcision.
Making sure everyone knew circumcision was not required, he said, "If anyone could have confidence in things of the flesh" [circumcision] it was Paul, but he did not. Circumcision means nothing or as Paul put it, he had been "circumcised on the eighth day", was not only a member of the people of Israel, but also of the tribe of Benjamin and as he put it a "Hebrew of Hebrews" ... in other words no one was more Jewish than Paul when he was known as Saul of Tarsus. He also knew the law as a Pharisee and in zeal persecuted Christians. He had a righteousness based upon Jewish law that was considered faultless. He was not only a Hebrew of Hebrews, but also a Pharisee of Pharisees and a persecutor of Christians!
However, unlike the young rich ruler, Paul gave all of that up. Every bit of it.
Then he writes from a Roman jail saying he considered his loss of everything meaningless because of the "surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus" and in fact considers all that he had before garbage [worthless] and now he has a righteousness (v9) "through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith."
Paul made the choice the young rich man wanted to make and should have made. The young rich man went away with a sad face probably crying because he loved his riches so much. Paul gave up everything and had joy even while chained up in a prison dictating this epistle to the church of Philippi.
My advise, imitate Paul when your time comes to choose.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
A Spark of Light in the Darkness
A personal testimony
It wasn’t the first time it had happened. I was prepared to go to work. Dressed, briefcase by my side, necktie neatly knotted, breakfast over, and it was time to leave.
I didn’t leave. In fact, other than breathing I didn’t move all day long. Not to get a drink of water, not to go to the bathroom, not to check mail – nothing. A black cloud was hanging over me. I was lost in the darkness and had given up all hope of finding my way out. It didn’t matter that the sun was shining outside or that the birds were singing, for me it was dark, completely and totally dark.
Dante wrote of finding himself in a dark forest.* I know that forest. It is not the forest of modern man, a place of beauty even in the dark with our flashlights and carbide lamps. No his forest and mine was a place of grave danger. At night the trees blocked all light from the moon and stars, so that the dark forest became a place where your life was at risk, especially if you dared to enter by yourself.
I had not planned on going there, but there I was in the middle of the darkness. In a forest not of my own making, I was lost and unable to figure a way out. In fact I had given up on trying to find a way out. Without meaning too, I was actually falling deeper and deeper into this dark forest.
It all started with a family crisis. Like many men, I was prepared mentally to deal with crisis. I was an engineer, a near expert at chess, a neophyte Christian, pretty fit at 5 feet 11 inches and 220 pounds. Respected on the job, happily married for close to 22 years.
I didn’t know darkness. I knew hard work and I knew success. I had become an engineer at age 41 and life was good, full of new challenges.
The family crisis changed all that. In 18 months my weight was approaching 300 pounds. I was working 50 to 70 hours a week just to fill the time. And I was failing in every attempt to solve or resolve our family crisis. For the most part my wonderful bride helped me through the worst days and I was able to help her through her worst days. At least until the darkness overwhelmed me.
Prayer didn’t help. Nothing helped. I gave up. The pain was almost unbearable. To go to work and act as if things were okay seemed virtually impossible. Somehow, I kept my job and remained employed.
Still, I was sinking further and further into a darkness that was like being in a dark frightening forest with no way out. I was becoming resigned to remaining there, considering never coming out. It was a dangerous time for me.
Finally God had me where he wanted me. I was helpless. I could not fix anything. I was entirely and completely lost. I was a broken man. I still prayed, but rarely. My last prayer was, “God, I can do nothing about this. I want you to fix this, but if you don’t you are still my God and I love you." There was no answer, none.
No answer until days later as once again I sat not moving. It was in the middle of the afternoon, the Holy Spirit spoke quietly to me, “You are too blessed to be depressed.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or argue. I decided to accept the message I had been given.
The next day, at work (!), someone asked me how I was doing – a concerned look on their face. My reply, “Okay I guess. After all, I am too blessed to be depressed.” He looked surprised and then he laughed and walked away chuckling. Before the day was over he had sent over two or three people to ask how I was doing. The answer remained the same, “Okay. After all, I am too blessed to be depressed.”
Being too blessed to be depressed was a bit of knowledge that lit a light that led me out of the pits of depression. God could have provided that light at any time, but he waited until I was completely and totally dependent upon Him to do so, until He had me where He wanted me.
Today, “I am too blessed to be depressed” sounds almost comical to me. Maybe it does to you as well. But then, in the darkness, it was a spark of light that led me out of a dark forest that without His help I could not and would not have found my way out. If I try, I can remember clearly the darkness and it can cause me to physically shudder.
This morning at church we sang a hymn “Breathe” and it also made me shudder, but with a choked up joy. You see two verses near the end tell my story. They go like this
And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm lost without you
To simply read the lyrics above doesn’t do them justice because as the song makes it clear when you hear it, they are intended as a call for help**. Tears came unbidden to my eyes this morning because I remembered. I know there are others who see no way out who are in the darkness, but I want to give them a message.
God may have you just where He wants you where you can do nothing to fix your crisis, but give it to God to fix. Accept your brokenness, and completely and totally give it all to God.
Epilogue
God did, in His time, deal with our family crisis and brought healing, but that is another story for another time. My weight is down to 230 with more to go and I trust God with everything today.
*Many thanks to One Comos and his article Middle Age Crazy for the references to the dark forest, you may find this at http://onecosmos.blogspot.com/2011/01/middle-age-crazy.html
**Go to youtube.com and type into the search “This is the air I breathe” and listen. They are all terrific, but I am partial to the one sung by Kathryn Scott.
It wasn’t the first time it had happened. I was prepared to go to work. Dressed, briefcase by my side, necktie neatly knotted, breakfast over, and it was time to leave.
I didn’t leave. In fact, other than breathing I didn’t move all day long. Not to get a drink of water, not to go to the bathroom, not to check mail – nothing. A black cloud was hanging over me. I was lost in the darkness and had given up all hope of finding my way out. It didn’t matter that the sun was shining outside or that the birds were singing, for me it was dark, completely and totally dark.
Dante wrote of finding himself in a dark forest.* I know that forest. It is not the forest of modern man, a place of beauty even in the dark with our flashlights and carbide lamps. No his forest and mine was a place of grave danger. At night the trees blocked all light from the moon and stars, so that the dark forest became a place where your life was at risk, especially if you dared to enter by yourself.
I had not planned on going there, but there I was in the middle of the darkness. In a forest not of my own making, I was lost and unable to figure a way out. In fact I had given up on trying to find a way out. Without meaning too, I was actually falling deeper and deeper into this dark forest.
It all started with a family crisis. Like many men, I was prepared mentally to deal with crisis. I was an engineer, a near expert at chess, a neophyte Christian, pretty fit at 5 feet 11 inches and 220 pounds. Respected on the job, happily married for close to 22 years.
I didn’t know darkness. I knew hard work and I knew success. I had become an engineer at age 41 and life was good, full of new challenges.
The family crisis changed all that. In 18 months my weight was approaching 300 pounds. I was working 50 to 70 hours a week just to fill the time. And I was failing in every attempt to solve or resolve our family crisis. For the most part my wonderful bride helped me through the worst days and I was able to help her through her worst days. At least until the darkness overwhelmed me.
Prayer didn’t help. Nothing helped. I gave up. The pain was almost unbearable. To go to work and act as if things were okay seemed virtually impossible. Somehow, I kept my job and remained employed.
Still, I was sinking further and further into a darkness that was like being in a dark frightening forest with no way out. I was becoming resigned to remaining there, considering never coming out. It was a dangerous time for me.
Finally God had me where he wanted me. I was helpless. I could not fix anything. I was entirely and completely lost. I was a broken man. I still prayed, but rarely. My last prayer was, “God, I can do nothing about this. I want you to fix this, but if you don’t you are still my God and I love you." There was no answer, none.
No answer until days later as once again I sat not moving. It was in the middle of the afternoon, the Holy Spirit spoke quietly to me, “You are too blessed to be depressed.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or argue. I decided to accept the message I had been given.
The next day, at work (!), someone asked me how I was doing – a concerned look on their face. My reply, “Okay I guess. After all, I am too blessed to be depressed.” He looked surprised and then he laughed and walked away chuckling. Before the day was over he had sent over two or three people to ask how I was doing. The answer remained the same, “Okay. After all, I am too blessed to be depressed.”
Being too blessed to be depressed was a bit of knowledge that lit a light that led me out of the pits of depression. God could have provided that light at any time, but he waited until I was completely and totally dependent upon Him to do so, until He had me where He wanted me.
Today, “I am too blessed to be depressed” sounds almost comical to me. Maybe it does to you as well. But then, in the darkness, it was a spark of light that led me out of a dark forest that without His help I could not and would not have found my way out. If I try, I can remember clearly the darkness and it can cause me to physically shudder.
This morning at church we sang a hymn “Breathe” and it also made me shudder, but with a choked up joy. You see two verses near the end tell my story. They go like this
And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm lost without you
To simply read the lyrics above doesn’t do them justice because as the song makes it clear when you hear it, they are intended as a call for help**. Tears came unbidden to my eyes this morning because I remembered. I know there are others who see no way out who are in the darkness, but I want to give them a message.
God may have you just where He wants you where you can do nothing to fix your crisis, but give it to God to fix. Accept your brokenness, and completely and totally give it all to God.
Epilogue
God did, in His time, deal with our family crisis and brought healing, but that is another story for another time. My weight is down to 230 with more to go and I trust God with everything today.
*Many thanks to One Comos and his article Middle Age Crazy for the references to the dark forest, you may find this at http://onecosmos.blogspot.com/2011/01/middle-age-crazy.html
**Go to youtube.com and type into the search “This is the air I breathe” and listen. They are all terrific, but I am partial to the one sung by Kathryn Scott.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Voyager I Joins Voyager II
The following owes much to Varifrank's article/essay Where were you on August 20, 1977 posted 23 May 2006.
Varifrank wrote, "Since August 20, 1977, the fastest craft ever launched from earth, The Voyager II Spacecraft has been flying outward away from earth and into the great unknown. Every single day since then, that little piece of metal and machinery has been rocketing towards the edge of the Solar System. Voyager II will finally reach the edge of our solar system this year."
Almost 29 years had elapsed since the launch of Voyager II from Cape Canaveral and it was preparing to leave our little solar system. Twenty-nine (!) years!
I was able to answer the question in Varifarnk's title, "Where were you on August 20, 1977?" You see I knew exactly where I was.
I was inside ARIA, tail number 329 at about 31,000' and feeling great relief when we heard Voyager II finally launched. Soon afterward as the antenna operator I got to track Voyager II from AOS (acquisition of signal) horizon to horizon until I handed off to a sister ARIA. And then we were part of history.
Prior to the launch, we had to sit and wait in Perth when the launch of Voyager I was canceled and Voyager II went through an accelerated preparation for launch.
Every other day we flew about 5 hours boring holes in the sky and confirming our equipment was up and ready for the launch.
So, yes, I knew where I was then.
Today Voyager I leaves our little solar system as well, joining Voyager II on its extra solar system explorations. Way to go II!
In my original reply to Varifarnk's post I added comments about how large and empty space is using our solar system as an example. It went something like this.
Space is empty. Really, really empty...
Almost everyone is unaware of just how empty space is. They are used to the elementary through high school displays of our solar system that makes it seem almost crowded.
There are a number of websites that help illustrate how empty the solar system is by building a solar system when starting with something of size most of us are familiar with to replace the sun. Then the surprises come.
I chose, at Build A Solar System, to make our sun 10 inches in diameter (roughly the size of a basketball), that then makes the earth is approximately 9/100ths of an inch in diameter and 89 feet away.
In between the earth and the sun (our basketball) are Mercury (3.5/100ths inch diameter and 34 feet away) and Venus - my favorite morning star - (8.7/100ths inch diameter and 64 feet away).
So picture it this way: Set a basketball on the goal line of a football field then 11 yards out place the roller-ball from a medium ink pen (0.7mm) followed by an 8.5 shot size pellet 21 yards out followed by an 8.0 shot size pellet (our very own earth) at just under 30 yards out!
Of course you would have the largest planet, Jupiter, 1 inch in diameter 155 yards out - 1.5 football fields. Then you have Pluto on the outer edge of our solar system (almost the size of a BB here) 1,280 (!) football fields out from the original goal line.
So what inhabits our hypothetical solar system that is 2,380 football fields in diameter?
SUN - Basketball - size/10" - center
Mercury - med ballpoint - size/0.035" - 34' to center/sun
Venus - 8.5 pellet shot - size/0.87" - 64' to center/sun
Earth - 8.0 pellet shot - size/0.92" - 89' to center/sun
Mars - med ballpoint - size/0.049" - 136' to center/sun
Jupiter - spinning quarter - size/1.00" - 465' to center/sun
Saturn - spinning U.S. nickel - size/0.84" - 854' to center/sun
Uranus - cooked green pea - size/0.034" - 1,718' to center/sun
Neptune - cooked green pea - size/0.033" - 2,694' to center/sun
Pluto - BB pellet - size/0.016" - 3,540' to center/sun
So if we think of our solar system not as the disc we usually consider, but a sphere we have a sphere 1.33 miles across with a basketball at the center, two medium ballpoint pen balls, two peas, 3 pellets of varying size, a spinning quarter, and a spinning nickel.
Two words describe the sphere of our solar system: Almost empty.
RileyD, nwJ
"Only the humble are sane."
Varifrank wrote, "Since August 20, 1977, the fastest craft ever launched from earth, The Voyager II Spacecraft has been flying outward away from earth and into the great unknown. Every single day since then, that little piece of metal and machinery has been rocketing towards the edge of the Solar System. Voyager II will finally reach the edge of our solar system this year."
Almost 29 years had elapsed since the launch of Voyager II from Cape Canaveral and it was preparing to leave our little solar system. Twenty-nine (!) years!
I was able to answer the question in Varifarnk's title, "Where were you on August 20, 1977?" You see I knew exactly where I was.
I was inside ARIA, tail number 329 at about 31,000' and feeling great relief when we heard Voyager II finally launched. Soon afterward as the antenna operator I got to track Voyager II from AOS (acquisition of signal) horizon to horizon until I handed off to a sister ARIA. And then we were part of history.
Prior to the launch, we had to sit and wait in Perth when the launch of Voyager I was canceled and Voyager II went through an accelerated preparation for launch.
Every other day we flew about 5 hours boring holes in the sky and confirming our equipment was up and ready for the launch.
So, yes, I knew where I was then.
Today Voyager I leaves our little solar system as well, joining Voyager II on its extra solar system explorations. Way to go II!
In my original reply to Varifarnk's post I added comments about how large and empty space is using our solar system as an example. It went something like this.
Space is empty. Really, really empty...
Almost everyone is unaware of just how empty space is. They are used to the elementary through high school displays of our solar system that makes it seem almost crowded.
There are a number of websites that help illustrate how empty the solar system is by building a solar system when starting with something of size most of us are familiar with to replace the sun. Then the surprises come.
I chose, at Build A Solar System, to make our sun 10 inches in diameter (roughly the size of a basketball), that then makes the earth is approximately 9/100ths of an inch in diameter and 89 feet away.
In between the earth and the sun (our basketball) are Mercury (3.5/100ths inch diameter and 34 feet away) and Venus - my favorite morning star - (8.7/100ths inch diameter and 64 feet away).
So picture it this way: Set a basketball on the goal line of a football field then 11 yards out place the roller-ball from a medium ink pen (0.7mm) followed by an 8.5 shot size pellet 21 yards out followed by an 8.0 shot size pellet (our very own earth) at just under 30 yards out!
Of course you would have the largest planet, Jupiter, 1 inch in diameter 155 yards out - 1.5 football fields. Then you have Pluto on the outer edge of our solar system (almost the size of a BB here) 1,280 (!) football fields out from the original goal line.
So what inhabits our hypothetical solar system that is 2,380 football fields in diameter?
SUN - Basketball - size/10" - center
Mercury - med ballpoint - size/0.035" - 34' to center/sun
Venus - 8.5 pellet shot - size/0.87" - 64' to center/sun
Earth - 8.0 pellet shot - size/0.92" - 89' to center/sun
Mars - med ballpoint - size/0.049" - 136' to center/sun
Jupiter - spinning quarter - size/1.00" - 465' to center/sun
Saturn - spinning U.S. nickel - size/0.84" - 854' to center/sun
Uranus - cooked green pea - size/0.034" - 1,718' to center/sun
Neptune - cooked green pea - size/0.033" - 2,694' to center/sun
Pluto - BB pellet - size/0.016" - 3,540' to center/sun
So if we think of our solar system not as the disc we usually consider, but a sphere we have a sphere 1.33 miles across with a basketball at the center, two medium ballpoint pen balls, two peas, 3 pellets of varying size, a spinning quarter, and a spinning nickel.
Two words describe the sphere of our solar system: Almost empty.
RileyD, nwJ
"Only the humble are sane."
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Review of ‘Voter Intent’ In Alaska’s Supreme Court 2006 Ruling
Why A Review
Alaska’s Lt Governor Campbell and the Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich continue to ask Senatorial candidate Joe Miller to withdraw his challenge to the use of ‘voter intent’ to determine the validity of thousands of the votes cast for Lisa Murkowski.
They argue Alaska’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of ‘voter intent’ in the past so it clearly should have been used in the current write-in effort of Lisa Murkowski. If that is true, and it was, Campbell and Ruedrich should be asking for an expedited ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court, but they are not. Instead, they continue to ask Joe Miller to throw in the towel.
Why? Why are they so adamant about this case not going to the Alaska Supreme Court? To find out, I took a look at a case where the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in favor of ‘voter intent’ and in the process discovered why they do not want this case to go forward.
The Election of 2006
In this case a candidate won by one (1) vote, whereupon the loser (the incumbent) requested a recount and won by one (1) vote. The challenger then appealed the recount results, alleging that the Division had improperly failed to count six ballots. Complete details may be found here.
The Six Ballots
A Division Director of the Department of Elections had determined six (6) ballots could not be counted. Both the challenger and the incumbent challenged the ruling of “overvotes” on three (3) ballots. Both also challenged the decision not to count two (2) special needs votes because the address of the voter was provided in on area of the ballot, but not in another.
The “Overvotes”
The “overvotes” were to be counted because voter intent could clearly be determined. This is where is gets really interesting.
The Alaska Supreme Court stated, “Proper disposition of the ballots requires that we carefully examine AS 15.15.360, which governs the counting of ballots.8 Subsection .360(a)(4) directs the Division not to count a ballot if the voter marks more names than there are open seats for that office. Whether the Division appropriately categorized the ballots as containing overvotes depends on whether the markings next to the second name constituted “marks” to designate a vote.9”
And further, “Subsection .360(a)(1) limits the ways a voter may “mark” a ballot to “ ‘X’ marks, diagonal, horizontal, or vertical marks, solid marks, stars, circles, asterisks, checks, or plus signs that are clearly spaced in the oval opposite the name of the candidate.” Subsection .360(a)(5) further clarifies which marks meeting the requirements of (a)(1) should be counted as votes, providing that “[t]he mark specified in (1) of this subsection shall be counted only if it is substantially inside the oval provided, or touching the oval so as to indicate clearly that the voter intended the particular oval to be designated.” 10”
The Smoking Gun
Continuing on, the second paragraph below contains the smoking gun the both Campbell and Ruedrich do not want out in the open.
“Reading these provisions together, an overvote occurs if the voter has voted for two candidates with “marks” as defined by subsection. 360(a)(1) that clearly indicate the voter's intent to vote for more than one candidate.11 Because a mark meeting the requirements of subsection. 360(a)(1) cannot be counted unless the voter's intent is clear, we begin by analyzing whether the second mark on each overvoted ballot clearly indicated the voter's intent to vote for a second candidate.”
“Moses argues in favor of a bright line rule that would consider the ballots overvoted without examining voters' intent. But the terms of the statute itself make voter intent paramount. The statute requires that before a mark is counted as a vote, it must comply with the requirements under subsection .360(a)(1) and clearly indicate voter intent as required by subsection .360(a)(5). These terms are mandatory and require strict compliance.12 Contrary to Moses's argument that judicial review of ballots would open a “Pandora's Box,” AS 15.20.510 specifically envisions such a review in a recount appeal, providing that “[t]he inquiry in the appeal shall extend to the questions whether or not the director has properly determined what ballots, parts of ballots, or marks for candidates on ballots are valid.” (boldface italics added for emphasis)
The Statute
In case you missed it, the only reason voter intent may be considered is because the statute’s terms as quoted “make voter intent paramount.” This is the smoking gun Campbell and Ruedrich want to keep out of the public eye.
The statute as written, is itself is responsible for considering voter intent. The write-in statutes have no corresponding language for the Alaska Supreme Court to consider for “voter intent.” None. Zero. In fact, the write-in statutes (Sec. 15.15.360. Rules for counting ballots.) very clearly go the other direction stating there are no exceptions for the requirement for the name to be written in as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy and the statute later says (12)(b) “The rules set out in this section are mandatory and there are no exceptions to them. A ballot may not be counted unless marked in compliance with these rules.”
That is dramatically different from the statutes considered where “voter intent” was considered in 2006. Lt. Governor Campbell and the DOE stand a very real chance of losing this case at the Alaska Supreme Court. It will only get worse when Murkowski’s advertising campaign, including TV commercials, is introduced into evidence where the correct spelling of her last name was emphasized over and over again.
The statutes and the Alaska Supreme Court’s past reliance upon them favor Joe Miller’s legal position. Now he and everyone else waits to see if the Alaska Supreme Court will once again apply the statutes as written.
Alaska’s Lt Governor Campbell and the Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich continue to ask Senatorial candidate Joe Miller to withdraw his challenge to the use of ‘voter intent’ to determine the validity of thousands of the votes cast for Lisa Murkowski.
They argue Alaska’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of ‘voter intent’ in the past so it clearly should have been used in the current write-in effort of Lisa Murkowski. If that is true, and it was, Campbell and Ruedrich should be asking for an expedited ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court, but they are not. Instead, they continue to ask Joe Miller to throw in the towel.
Why? Why are they so adamant about this case not going to the Alaska Supreme Court? To find out, I took a look at a case where the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in favor of ‘voter intent’ and in the process discovered why they do not want this case to go forward.
The Election of 2006
In this case a candidate won by one (1) vote, whereupon the loser (the incumbent) requested a recount and won by one (1) vote. The challenger then appealed the recount results, alleging that the Division had improperly failed to count six ballots. Complete details may be found here.
The Six Ballots
A Division Director of the Department of Elections had determined six (6) ballots could not be counted. Both the challenger and the incumbent challenged the ruling of “overvotes” on three (3) ballots. Both also challenged the decision not to count two (2) special needs votes because the address of the voter was provided in on area of the ballot, but not in another.
The “Overvotes”
The “overvotes” were to be counted because voter intent could clearly be determined. This is where is gets really interesting.
The Alaska Supreme Court stated, “Proper disposition of the ballots requires that we carefully examine AS 15.15.360, which governs the counting of ballots.8 Subsection .360(a)(4) directs the Division not to count a ballot if the voter marks more names than there are open seats for that office. Whether the Division appropriately categorized the ballots as containing overvotes depends on whether the markings next to the second name constituted “marks” to designate a vote.9”
And further, “Subsection .360(a)(1) limits the ways a voter may “mark” a ballot to “ ‘X’ marks, diagonal, horizontal, or vertical marks, solid marks, stars, circles, asterisks, checks, or plus signs that are clearly spaced in the oval opposite the name of the candidate.” Subsection .360(a)(5) further clarifies which marks meeting the requirements of (a)(1) should be counted as votes, providing that “[t]he mark specified in (1) of this subsection shall be counted only if it is substantially inside the oval provided, or touching the oval so as to indicate clearly that the voter intended the particular oval to be designated.” 10”
The Smoking Gun
Continuing on, the second paragraph below contains the smoking gun the both Campbell and Ruedrich do not want out in the open.
“Reading these provisions together, an overvote occurs if the voter has voted for two candidates with “marks” as defined by subsection. 360(a)(1) that clearly indicate the voter's intent to vote for more than one candidate.11 Because a mark meeting the requirements of subsection. 360(a)(1) cannot be counted unless the voter's intent is clear, we begin by analyzing whether the second mark on each overvoted ballot clearly indicated the voter's intent to vote for a second candidate.”
“Moses argues in favor of a bright line rule that would consider the ballots overvoted without examining voters' intent. But the terms of the statute itself make voter intent paramount. The statute requires that before a mark is counted as a vote, it must comply with the requirements under subsection .360(a)(1) and clearly indicate voter intent as required by subsection .360(a)(5). These terms are mandatory and require strict compliance.12 Contrary to Moses's argument that judicial review of ballots would open a “Pandora's Box,” AS 15.20.510 specifically envisions such a review in a recount appeal, providing that “[t]he inquiry in the appeal shall extend to the questions whether or not the director has properly determined what ballots, parts of ballots, or marks for candidates on ballots are valid.” (boldface italics added for emphasis)
The Statute
In case you missed it, the only reason voter intent may be considered is because the statute’s terms as quoted “make voter intent paramount.” This is the smoking gun Campbell and Ruedrich want to keep out of the public eye.
The statute as written, is itself is responsible for considering voter intent. The write-in statutes have no corresponding language for the Alaska Supreme Court to consider for “voter intent.” None. Zero. In fact, the write-in statutes (Sec. 15.15.360. Rules for counting ballots.) very clearly go the other direction stating there are no exceptions for the requirement for the name to be written in as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy and the statute later says (12)(b) “The rules set out in this section are mandatory and there are no exceptions to them. A ballot may not be counted unless marked in compliance with these rules.”
That is dramatically different from the statutes considered where “voter intent” was considered in 2006. Lt. Governor Campbell and the DOE stand a very real chance of losing this case at the Alaska Supreme Court. It will only get worse when Murkowski’s advertising campaign, including TV commercials, is introduced into evidence where the correct spelling of her last name was emphasized over and over again.
The statutes and the Alaska Supreme Court’s past reliance upon them favor Joe Miller’s legal position. Now he and everyone else waits to see if the Alaska Supreme Court will once again apply the statutes as written.
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