I'm trying to decide which Heroclix pieces I will play at the From My Shelf/Woolverine Games Heroclix tournament Friday night 6 to 9 p.m. To that end, I divided up my pieces into eight 300-point teams and I'm playing them against each other in my free time. I'll post some pictures of the teams later in case people don't know what Heroclix look like.
Elimination Round 1 - Team Metropolis (rookie Bizarro and veteran Batman) beat The Darkseids (two rookies)
Elimination Round 2 - The Dark Knights (assorted Batmans and a Robin with two Blackfires) beat Team Gotham City (Batman enemies and a rebel Robin led by two Jokers)
For Semi-Final Round 1, The Dark Knights will take on Team Metropolis to determine who will proceed to Semi-Final Round 1.
There are four other teams I am assembling which include pieces I just bought (cheaply) on eBay. More on those later.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Reading list
I'm reading Wild At Heart, the book about how to become the adventurous man God apparently intends me to be. I thought the next step, because I'm pacing myself through the excellent but short book while I attend a monthly men's group, would be to get an instruction manual for adventure: The Dangerous Book for Boys. I hope to soon own both books, and judging by the reviews I'll want to move on to Eldredge's sequel, Way of the Wild Heart. I found a reading list which combines all of these, with a few things I want to read. I'm posting it here for my own memory as much as anything, but the list was posted by a Christian counselor here: http://www.hopeforyourfamily.com/recommended-reading/what-ive-read-recently/
The guy has good taste. His reading list started off with a writing how-to by Stephen King. I like King more than he does, and I want ot publish a novel about adventure. How can I go wrong?
There are a lot of selling points to the way of life proposed in Wild at Heart. Here's the most important part, and the truest to me: Every man spend his life thinking he is in over his head, and about to be outed by the big boys. That fear is unfounded, because all men share it even though all men are successful if they consider their most heartfelt definition of success. I don't feel adequate sometimes as a husband, father, worker, Christian, etc., yet I have stronger relationships and more to be thankful for in all those areas than many men.
I'm not too far into the book, but I know he's leading up to the idea that I, and all men, feel something is lacking in their lives. They want to fight for something worth fighting for, take risks, get bloodied, and win anyway. What would Jesus do? Exactly that. If you aren't out adventuring in life, whether it's on a dude ranch or in the office, something will always be missing because you aren't living up to the image God made you in. I don't believe all that religiously yet, but I'm starting to. I think I have a lot to gain, and then I will have a lot to pass on.
The guy has good taste. His reading list started off with a writing how-to by Stephen King. I like King more than he does, and I want ot publish a novel about adventure. How can I go wrong?
There are a lot of selling points to the way of life proposed in Wild at Heart. Here's the most important part, and the truest to me: Every man spend his life thinking he is in over his head, and about to be outed by the big boys. That fear is unfounded, because all men share it even though all men are successful if they consider their most heartfelt definition of success. I don't feel adequate sometimes as a husband, father, worker, Christian, etc., yet I have stronger relationships and more to be thankful for in all those areas than many men.
I'm not too far into the book, but I know he's leading up to the idea that I, and all men, feel something is lacking in their lives. They want to fight for something worth fighting for, take risks, get bloodied, and win anyway. What would Jesus do? Exactly that. If you aren't out adventuring in life, whether it's on a dude ranch or in the office, something will always be missing because you aren't living up to the image God made you in. I don't believe all that religiously yet, but I'm starting to. I think I have a lot to gain, and then I will have a lot to pass on.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
जोब्स फॉर the future
If unemployment is partly due to the fact that people aren't trained for the job market, meaning most people need more training rather than there just aren't enough jobs, then why don't we make sure everyone gets post-secondary training? Everyone gets to go to college. Then we don't have a bunch of unskilled, unemployed blue collar workers who can't handle a manufacturing slowdown. It seems like there are still plenty of jobs out there, if only our country cared enough to prepare people for them. The state and federal labor analysts have a pretty good idea what's going on with the economy, where workers are needed and what training they need.
Let the market take care of itself like it always has? Look, people don't know what jobs they need unless someone who knows can tell them. We have fully public education through high school which may not be preparing people for work, so why not have fully public education beyond that which guides people into career paths which are appropriate to them and the economy? Smart? Yes. Socialist? So what.
Let the market take care of itself like it always has? Look, people don't know what jobs they need unless someone who knows can tell them. We have fully public education through high school which may not be preparing people for work, so why not have fully public education beyond that which guides people into career paths which are appropriate to them and the economy? Smart? Yes. Socialist? So what.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
We need a better presidential candidate
The last NY Times article I forwarded to someone demonstrated quite well that they are not liberally biased. They counted money from some lobbyists, and said McCain is the only Senator who takes more money than Obama. Not exactly the "Captain Change" story, though I know they both spout changeisms now. "Mr. and Mrs. Maverick" have been taking all kinds of PAC money, and she campaigned on the Bridge to Nowhere initially in her first gubernatorial bid. I think Hillary, the "Woman Wonder," got out-shined in the primaries because of that word "change." It didn't stick to her, but now it's not sticking to either of the official candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10fannie.html
On the other hand, I have a friend, a registered Democrat, who is more impressed by McCain more than Obama, simply because Obama talks more about change than his actual plan to do anything once he gets in office. Obama is losing in the specific plans department with people like my friend, and can see why.
I support Mark McCracken for Congress, and president. He says we can't fix anything domestic until we stop spending so much money overseas, cancel the Bush tax cuts, and start balancing the checkbook. I still stand by Obama, but I wish he had the power to excite me like that. The only thing my Democrat McCain-supporting friend and I can agree on unconditionally is this: the next president must balance the budget at all costs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10fannie.html
On the other hand, I have a friend, a registered Democrat, who is more impressed by McCain more than Obama, simply because Obama talks more about change than his actual plan to do anything once he gets in office. Obama is losing in the specific plans department with people like my friend, and can see why.
I support Mark McCracken for Congress, and president. He says we can't fix anything domestic until we stop spending so much money overseas, cancel the Bush tax cuts, and start balancing the checkbook. I still stand by Obama, but I wish he had the power to excite me like that. The only thing my Democrat McCain-supporting friend and I can agree on unconditionally is this: the next president must balance the budget at all costs.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Republican convention comments
She came fom the pole north,
to help McCain poles headed south.
She'd polarized the election mayor,
and taken farms while running on prayer.
McCain elected and dead she'd be pharoah,
her good friends just call her Sarah.
If you don't know what I mean, read this NY Times article: Palin’s Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual
At the Republcan convention, Giuliani is recycling his "never run anything" lack of executive experience argument against McCain to use it against Obama and Biden. Palin is recycling the "guns and religion" argument from the primary against Obama.
A nonprofit with ties to McCain recycled the Weathermen argument against Obama. I think I've even heard a reference to Rev. Wright recently used against Obama. I hate Republicans. It's too bad they have such a solid, polarized platform and there are only two parties. Otherwise my hate would be spread out across a lot more people. I can hate you all the same if you're all the same. A diverse group moves around too much to aim at.
to help McCain poles headed south.
She'd polarized the election mayor,
and taken farms while running on prayer.
McCain elected and dead she'd be pharoah,
her good friends just call her Sarah.
If you don't know what I mean, read this NY Times article: Palin’s Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual
At the Republcan convention, Giuliani is recycling his "never run anything" lack of executive experience argument against McCain to use it against Obama and Biden. Palin is recycling the "guns and religion" argument from the primary against Obama.
A nonprofit with ties to McCain recycled the Weathermen argument against Obama. I think I've even heard a reference to Rev. Wright recently used against Obama. I hate Republicans. It's too bad they have such a solid, polarized platform and there are only two parties. Otherwise my hate would be spread out across a lot more people. I can hate you all the same if you're all the same. A diverse group moves around too much to aim at.
Monday, June 23, 2008
America is religiously tolerant
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/us/24religion.html?ex=1371960000&en=8eb65184ecce8ef8&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Great study by Pew. It looks like Bill Maher and Ben Stein may be wasting their time trying to uncover our conflicts. Americans don't want to fight each other over religion, much less condemn one another.
I say we are destroying destructive religion, one step at a time. One in five atheists believes in God. That's positive. 70% of people who have a denomination believe that theirs is not the only path to salvation. Most everybody wants everyone else to be saved. Doesn't that make them better people? American values are independent of our religions, deeper, and, I would say, better.
Great study by Pew. It looks like Bill Maher and Ben Stein may be wasting their time trying to uncover our conflicts. Americans don't want to fight each other over religion, much less condemn one another.
I say we are destroying destructive religion, one step at a time. One in five atheists believes in God. That's positive. 70% of people who have a denomination believe that theirs is not the only path to salvation. Most everybody wants everyone else to be saved. Doesn't that make them better people? American values are independent of our religions, deeper, and, I would say, better.
Monday, March 24, 2008
What inquisition?
Apparently, the Catholic church downplayed to death count due to inquisition while they asked to be forgiven for it. http://after-words.org/grim/mtarchives/2004/06/Jun161425.shtml
According to skeptics, religious violence has led to many millions of murders, not just through Christians or inquisition, in the past millennium. http://www.theskepticalreview.com/JAHPoliticsDeathToll.html
How then am I to reconcile the church's apology, the fact of the killings, Christians' destruction of sacrificial "pagan" beliefs around the world, skeptics' accusations about religion as a source of violence, and the assertions of other Christians I know personally that none of them would support such actions? How then, also, am I to handle the remains of my pagan heritage, destroyed as it were by evangelism? Should I claim the Catholic supplanters' faith, the older beliefs, both, or neither? Which path would gain me the richness of an established tradition which will live on for generations after me? Sometimes we cannot learn answers, only questions. The rest is up to us. I sure wish I had a narrative to guide me, but the clearest story in the Bible is actually composed of four viewpoints, and the ancient narratives of my culture appear to be lost.
I guess I should love each person, as Jesus would do. Then, I should judge their actions as closely as I can to how God would. It comes down to credibility, after all. We shall know them by their fruit, not what they say or what they believe. A Satanist who harms no one is a good person. A Christian who engineers the destruction of others is evil. My beliefs do not change. Like a skeptic, I say that I have a higher standard of morality than Christians. Knowing skeptics, I believe I am more truthful than they.
According to skeptics, religious violence has led to many millions of murders, not just through Christians or inquisition, in the past millennium. http://www.theskepticalreview.com/JAHPoliticsDeathToll.html
How then am I to reconcile the church's apology, the fact of the killings, Christians' destruction of sacrificial "pagan" beliefs around the world, skeptics' accusations about religion as a source of violence, and the assertions of other Christians I know personally that none of them would support such actions? How then, also, am I to handle the remains of my pagan heritage, destroyed as it were by evangelism? Should I claim the Catholic supplanters' faith, the older beliefs, both, or neither? Which path would gain me the richness of an established tradition which will live on for generations after me? Sometimes we cannot learn answers, only questions. The rest is up to us. I sure wish I had a narrative to guide me, but the clearest story in the Bible is actually composed of four viewpoints, and the ancient narratives of my culture appear to be lost.
I guess I should love each person, as Jesus would do. Then, I should judge their actions as closely as I can to how God would. It comes down to credibility, after all. We shall know them by their fruit, not what they say or what they believe. A Satanist who harms no one is a good person. A Christian who engineers the destruction of others is evil. My beliefs do not change. Like a skeptic, I say that I have a higher standard of morality than Christians. Knowing skeptics, I believe I am more truthful than they.
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