Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Rainy day here in Sarajevo
The mud at the construction site out the window is probably knee deep, hardly any of the big crows around. I woke up a little late because I was up late watching 'The Motorcycle Diaries'. It's on the cold side. I don't think I want to go anywhere unless the rain lets up a little.
here you can see the workmen at work despite rain, got some decent footage of one of the cranes in use.
Today's News Links:
Kosovo P.M. vows independence if talks fail
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20071010\ACQRTT200710100140RTTRADERUSEQUITY_0045.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.nasd
This story received heavy local coverage.
This is from the New York Times, you may need to register, but it's worth reading, even though it's only peripherally Balkans related. This sort of thing should not be happening in the United States of America, not if Americans want to hold the country up as a good example of how things should be done. On the one hand, teachers who aren't good, who are abusive need to be removed from the system somehow, on the other hand, guilty until proven innocent FUNDAMENTALLY violates the American way of life.
Where Teachers Sit Awaiting Their Fates
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/education/10education.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
European Migration Policy Map
http://www.transitmigration.org/migmap/index.html
Thanks Metafilter.com!
and last, but not as trivial as it seems:
Proposed regulation of door to door selling practices for E.U.
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n124036
I personally have not experienced door to door selling practices, what I have experienced instead in BiH have been door to door begging practices. People will go door to door and ask for money. This is harder to do now that a lot of buildings have Interphone service, but it's still possible. Door to door begging is also a reason for real fear, because it's not unusual for a door to door begging situation to turn into a really nasty home invasion robbery.
Door to door sales mostly has died out in the U.S. The last situation of a door to door salesman I encountered personally was 20 years ago in the Yakima Gulag, some poor guy was out trying to sell Bibles door to door, in the rain of an early Gulag winter. I ran him off, for one thing he did look a bit dodgey, for another, I had a perfectly good Bible, and didn't really need another, a kid's Bible for example. I figured,kids should read the REAL thing, when they are old enough to read the words, as I did.I am not against illustrated Bibles, some of those can be quite lovely. This man had nothing with him, and I was not about to let him in even if he was an old guy. One just never knows.
here you can see the workmen at work despite rain, got some decent footage of one of the cranes in use.
Today's News Links:
Kosovo P.M. vows independence if talks fail
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20071010\ACQRTT200710100140RTTRADERUSEQUITY_0045.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.nasd
This story received heavy local coverage.
This is from the New York Times, you may need to register, but it's worth reading, even though it's only peripherally Balkans related. This sort of thing should not be happening in the United States of America, not if Americans want to hold the country up as a good example of how things should be done. On the one hand, teachers who aren't good, who are abusive need to be removed from the system somehow, on the other hand, guilty until proven innocent FUNDAMENTALLY violates the American way of life.
Where Teachers Sit Awaiting Their Fates
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/education/10education.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
European Migration Policy Map
http://www.transitmigration.org/migmap/index.html
Thanks Metafilter.com!
and last, but not as trivial as it seems:
Proposed regulation of door to door selling practices for E.U.
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n124036
I personally have not experienced door to door selling practices, what I have experienced instead in BiH have been door to door begging practices. People will go door to door and ask for money. This is harder to do now that a lot of buildings have Interphone service, but it's still possible. Door to door begging is also a reason for real fear, because it's not unusual for a door to door begging situation to turn into a really nasty home invasion robbery.
Door to door sales mostly has died out in the U.S. The last situation of a door to door salesman I encountered personally was 20 years ago in the Yakima Gulag, some poor guy was out trying to sell Bibles door to door, in the rain of an early Gulag winter. I ran him off, for one thing he did look a bit dodgey, for another, I had a perfectly good Bible, and didn't really need another, a kid's Bible for example. I figured,kids should read the REAL thing, when they are old enough to read the words, as I did.I am not against illustrated Bibles, some of those can be quite lovely. This man had nothing with him, and I was not about to let him in even if he was an old guy. One just never knows.
# posted by Katja R. @ 10:58 PM 
Comments:
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Just as an aside--I also dislike children's Bibles because they tend to heavily sugarcoat the stories. It's more than a little deceiving to indoctrinate children into religion while selling them sanitized versions of the main text.
Full disclosure--I'm an atheist, so take my comments for what they're worth. But I do believe that many ostensible beleivers are only vaguely aware of what the "Good Book" really says.
Full disclosure--I'm an atheist, so take my comments for what they're worth. But I do believe that many ostensible beleivers are only vaguely aware of what the "Good Book" really says.
@ Kirk, your reasons for disliking children's Bibles are reasons I share, I am not an atheist, but I believe in teaching children a reality based approach to faith, life and all that. If you give children a sugar coated, censored view of Life, the Universe and All That, I think it is FAR likelier that your children will wind up being atheists. For one thing, you have avoided telling them that the world is a complicated place, and have given them a craving for easy answers. There ARE no Easy Answers!
If an elephant dies for example, how many other creatures have just received food, and life from that event?
Life gives way to life, that is nature. A HEALTHY religion or philosophy will help people understand how to behave well and do the least wrong in a very mixed up life. A HEALTHY philosophy or religion will help people to do good things in the middle of evil times.
You don't get a healthy religion or philosophy without real discussion and real discussion cannot come from sugar coated, censored children's Bibles.
It however CAN come from reading the real thing at the right age.
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If an elephant dies for example, how many other creatures have just received food, and life from that event?
Life gives way to life, that is nature. A HEALTHY religion or philosophy will help people understand how to behave well and do the least wrong in a very mixed up life. A HEALTHY philosophy or religion will help people to do good things in the middle of evil times.
You don't get a healthy religion or philosophy without real discussion and real discussion cannot come from sugar coated, censored children's Bibles.
It however CAN come from reading the real thing at the right age.
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