Geniuses in Charge

The Idaho state legislature loves making noise about "unfunded mandates" whether they come from the federal government or from ballot initiatives approved by voters.

It seems, though, they have no problem with such things if they create them.

Peep at this from the Idaho Capital Sun, regarding legislative mandates to cut budgets because in part the state cut taxes to make the rich folks happy:

Saving $210,000 but having to spend $3.5 million as a result of the savings? Genius move by the legislature.

Into the Abyss . . .

 

First policeman: Is he all right?

Second policeman: Says the Ty-d-Bol is irritating his buttocks.

First policeman: Hang up.

The little notes help me remember what I forget.

The humor helps me retain the tattered remains of my sanity.

"They're not the Lunatics, it's Us."

 

I hear a lot these days that if I agree with something, I must, naturally, completely disagree with the things that is diametrically opposite of what I agree with.

Maybe in some cases that's true.

But in the vast majority of cases, it's not.

I like to think I have an open mind. I'll listen to others and try to understand their point of view. Because while I may be certain of some things, I readily concede I'm ignorant of others. And there's a good chance on many things that the lunatic in the situation is me.

But of the many things I'm certain of, I do know this: It doesn't have to be us vs. them.

Because that's what Satan wants. Division. He doesn't really care what we're divided about, as long as we're divided. And the more things he can find that divide us, the happier he is because he wants us to be miserable like unto himself.

And while I'm coming into this from a Christian point of view, I refuse to believe that other religions and non-religions don't teach the same thing: That we as people on this planet have far more in common than what divides us, and if we can find common ground and agree to get along and understand the differences between ourselves and look at those differences as differences, not gulfs, we'd all be a lot better off.

So in the vast majority of the culture wars we see these days, I refuse to participate, because at the foundation of it all, I know who wants me to choose a side in arguments that don't really matter.

$65 Dollar Hole

 

That's a $65 hole in the tile and I only had to cut it twice, but I did it myself. And it was not as nerve-wracking as I expected it would be.

Now I just have to convince my wife that I can amortize the cost of that diamond bit set over several projects . . .

But as a friend pointed out on Facebook: Tool math.

Also: While Future Tiling Me understands why Past Tiling Me leaves the thinset bucket all gunked up because it's "easier" to clean up dry thinset than wet thinset, sometimes Future Tiling Me thinks Past Tiling Me is a bit of a jerk.

The Pink Pages

I'm watching a documentary on the Apollo 13 mission, focusing on the famous accident that nearly brought the mission to an end. There's little narration; they're just following along with the actual radio transmissions between Houston and Odyssey, with text. I'm loving it.

This part, about 45 minutes in, piqued my interest. They mention "Go[ing] to your GNC checklist, the pink pages," for one of their emergency power procedures.

In my early days at the RWMC, I was the writer in charge of the emergency alarm response procedures. When they were revised and placed in the Operations binders, they were indeed printed on pink paper. It's been a good decade since I was in Operations space out there, so I have no idea if that's still the practice there. But it would be interesting to know. Maybe I should put in for a transfer back out there.

Best Service by Friendly Staff

I love finding bookmarks people leave in the used books I buy. This has long been my favorite, from the New Merry Guest House in Bangkok, Thailand.

It came to me in a copy of Richard Adams' "Watership Down," clearly left there by a human who went on adventures or at least thought the business card would be a good bookmark.

Of course, back in the late '80s early '90s, discovering whether such a business still existed in a faraway country was nigh on impossible unless I wanted to make a phone call, but late '80s early '90s me was even less likely to make such a call than the me that exists currently.

So I turned to Google Maps.

The address itself, 18-20Phra Athit Rd, does indeed exist, and judging by the nearby river and the proximity of the Chana Songkram Temple, I do appear to have the right place.

And it looks like it's still a guest house, though under a different name:

The temple mentioned on the card if, of course, still there:

As is the bank, albeit under a different name:

So if I ever visit Thailand, I'll be strongly tempted to use this particular hotel to stay in, cause I feel like I already know it. All thanks to a guy who left the business card in a book he discarderd.

New Light. Big Difference.

We've had for a long time in the basement hallway a really ugly-looking light fixture attached to the wall.

Why the wall? Well, there are furnace ducts in the ceiling, so putting a light there would have meant the taller inhabitants of the house would have bumped their heads on a dangling fixture.

But we've wanted to get rid of it since we bought the house. This past weekend, with son-in-law Keaton's help, we got it done.

The new light is clearly functional, not a thing of beauty, but it does get the light where we want it and gets the old fixture off the wall.

Michelle isn't a fan of the plate covering the old fixture box, but that's what we had to do since there's an electric connection in the box, feeding power to the new light and linking to the light switches.

I still have a lot of holes to fill in from the cat6 cable project, but having the light there really took a worry out of the worry box for me. And filled in one of the ceiling holes.

Poelau Roebiah FOUND

Got to thinking about Dad this weekend, in particular the story he told of he and his brother Sjaak getting really excited when the merchant vessel their Dad was a sailor on was due back to port.

The story goes like this:

Their mother knew the ship, the Poelau Roebiah was due in port soon, but didn't know when. They didn't have a phone on their farm, so they had to walk to the post office to use the phone there. The phone was in a little booth.

She took her two boys with her to use the phone. Every time she mentioned the name of the ship, the boys would shout "Poelau Roebiah! Poelau Roebiah!" as loud as they could, often interrupting the phone call and making their mom a little cranky.

She finally got the information they needed and went home, not mindiing whether the boys followed since they were full of energy and she was a little weary of it.

A while later, the postmistress came to her house.

"Oh Frau Davidson, you have to come back to the post office and get your boys!" she said. They'd locked themselves in the phone booth and were shouting Poelau Roebiah! to anyone who'd listen.

"They have to get out of the booth because if the phone rings I'm responsible to answer it, and they've locked the booth so I can't get in!" the postmistress said.

So their tired mother went back to the post office, extracted her boys, and brought them home.

We assume they had a happy reunion when their father and the Poelau Roebia returned.

Today after church I got curious to see if I could find any information on the ship. I'd tried in the past, but as the story was told to us verbally, we had no idea how to spell the name of the ship. So I tried a few different searches today and came up with the name.

And some pictures!

There's a lot more out there I'm just digging into.

I did find that the ship was torpedoed by a German Uboat on July 6, 1942, in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Kingston, Jamaica.

The information here is from the site linked just below the picture:

In 1942, the “Poelau Roebiah” was part of Convoy HX-187 departing Halifax on April 26th 1942 and arriving Liverpool on May 8th 1942, though the ship may not have travelled with the convoy all the way.

The “Poelau Roebiah” sailed from the United Kingdom on June 1st 1942 as part of convoy WS-19P. Freetown was reached June 15th 1942 and departed on June 19th 1942. Cape Town was reached on July 1st 1942 and Durban on July 4th 1942. The convoy was split with the “Poelau Roebiah” being part of Convoy WS-19P (and later WS-19PA) which contained the slower vessels. Suez was reached on July 23rd 1942.

On June 7th 1943, “U 759” set sail from Lorient for patrol in the Atlantic. Almost a month later on July 5th, the U-boat found Convoy GTMO-134 and sank one ship. Two days later “U 759” found Convoy TAG-70 which included the “Poelau Roebiah” with a cargo of 8,100 tons of manganese ore and 100 tons of copper concentrate from Bombay to Cristobal, Guantanamo Bay and Baltimore. Also on board were 31 passengers, 24 armed guards and 68 crew members. The ship was torpedoed and sunk south of Jamaica at position 17°56′ N and 75°57′ W. Two crew were killed, everyone else successfully took to the lifeboats, who were later picked up by a US Coast Guard cutter and several escort vessels.

A week after the “Poelau Roebiah” was sunk, “U 759” was lost on July 15th 1943.

Interesting stuff, and a little more of the ol' family history.

Rhetorical Analysis is *Hard*

I'm sure there are some of you looking at this rhetorical analysis essay and thinking "What am I supposed to do with this? I've never done anything like this before!"

I hear you. I consider the rhetorical analysis essay to be the toughest assignment we tackle in this class, no question.

Why? It's not something we're used to doing.

So I've put together a list of pointers I think will help. And the text we will analyze is one you're probably familiar with, and is my favorite part of The Book of Mormon: The Book of Enos.

In 27 verses, Enos tells us a story that's remarkably like the change essay you've just finished writing.

Just as a refresher, we're going to talk about these rhetorical concepts, and how Enos uses (or doesn't use) them in his writing. We also have to remember that what we're reading was likely edited by Mormon or Moroni, so we'll see if we can spot any signs of that too and look at the rhetorical concepts they introduce.

Here are the concepts:

Ethos -- Appeals to credibility or character, meant to establish the speaker's authority on the subject.

Pathos -- Appeals to emotion, through either storytelling or emotional language.

Logos -- Appeals to logic, facts, and reason. This can include quotes from others knowledgeable on the subject.

My thoughts are in italics, sprinkled among the verses below:

1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

A little logos, a little pathos. He begins by bearing his testimony, in part, of God, and talks about what he learned from his father. That helps me as a reader reflect, "Yeah, I learned a lot from my Dad too." Maybe he's dropped this in here to help us remember the things our fathers (and mothers) have taught us, so as we read the rest of the story we can reflect on what we know, compare it to what he tells us, and maybe remind ourselves that we could work a little harder at being righteous ourselves.

2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

I have always loved the word "wrestle" here. It's vivid. We know what wrestling is. We've probably had our own wrestles, physical or intellectual. Setting us up for a story, clearly. Lots of pathos.

3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?

8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

The pathos floodgates have opened. We see Enos in a vulnerable moment, and we can feel both his anguish and his relief as he prays and receives his answer. I'm sure this is not the only time he prayed about his "wrestle:' we're getting hit with the time the answer comes through clearly.

Another thought hits me: Enos is a regular guy. Yes, he's a prophet of God. But he's also out there in the wilderness, hunting, trying to provide for his family. Sure, his mind probably isn't on the actual hunting, but on his wrestle. This reminds me of President Holland's recent admonition to pray more. than we've ever prayed before. If Enos can pray while he's hunting, trying to provide for his family, I ought to be doing that too as I face frustrations with my stupid, stupid desk job, which I have so I can provide for my family.

But there's a little logos there too. He says he "knew that God could not lie." He states it as a fact, probably from the things his father taught him. But we see the pathos that surrounds this fact, and that makes the fact even more powerful.

9 Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.

10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.

Pathos, yes, but more logos this time. God preaches a sermon we've all heard: Diligence in keeping the commandments is what invites God's presence with us, through the Holy Ghost. He reminds them that they live in a land of promise, and that it is not cursed unless those who possess it are wicked. This is all also stuff that Enos learned from his father, but to hear it from God himself is reaffirming, to Enos and to us as well.

11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

Enos' empathy expands. He employs more ethos in his appeal for the Lamanites. But there is logos there. This isn't just an idle prayer. He states he's worked as a missionary among the Lamanites. He knows what he's up against and is appealing for help. A great reminder to us when we're facing our own personal Lamanites, whether they're the human kind or the kind we've got in our heads.

13 And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—

14 For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers.

15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

Even more ethos. He's worked hard on preserving the records and recognizes their worth. And he obtains the promise that the records will be preserved. But he also receives another promise in Verse 15 that we've heard echoed again and again in the gospel: If we ask in faith, believing we will receive in the name of Christ, we shall receive. That's ethos and logos in a neat little package.

17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.

18 And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine.

19 And now it came to pass that I, Enos, went about among the people of Nephi, prophesying of things to come, and testifying of the things which I had heard and seen.

20 And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us.

21 And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.

22 And there were exceedingly many prophets among us. And the people were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand.

23 And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. And after this manner do I write concerning them.

24 And I saw wars between the Nephites and Lamanites in the course of my days.

The storytelling -- the ethos -- continues from a distance. There's some logos in there as well, as he delivers facts to us about how both peoples are living.

25 And it came to pass that I began to be old, and an hundred and seventy and nine years had passed away from the time that our father Lehi left Jerusalem.

26 And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.

27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.

He ends with ethos. I'm only 54 but experiencing some of the feelings of mortality he expresses. So maybe ethos here for different folks.

Also of note: Enos, I believe, relies on pathos almost exclusively here. He uses logos and ethos a little bit (and maybe you notice it more than I do, and that's fine) but he really wants to tell us a story and how it affected him. He uses gospel concepts he hopes his audience is familiar with. He demonstrates the importance of prayer, of missionary work, and of enduring to the end -- all likely things his father taught him -- without pausing at all to remind us what these concepts are. He knows what they are, and sincerely hopes his audience knows what they are as well. Had his audience been different -- maybe if he were telling his story of wrestling with God to the Lamanites -- he's pause more to define terms and help them understand the concepts of prayer, of faith, etc. But here he doesn't, because he believes he doesn't have to. He's recording his thoughts in scripture, which he implores God to protect, in the hopes that it will be preserved and function as an emotional story in part of a larger work that explains the concepts he mentions.

This is not, of course, a perfect analysis. I whipped it out in about fifteen minutes. Had I spent more time, there's probably more I would notice. So I recommend, as you work on your own analyses, to take the time to read your selected speech more than once. Take notes, whether digital or in pen and ink. Use whatever method works for you, but take lots of notes. Re-read the speech and your notes.

And pray more than you've ever prayed before. That's something I'm working on as well.

Remember, Tax Breaks for the Rich, Service Cuts for the Vulnerable!

Letter sent to Sen. Cook and reps Bingham and Mickelsen, state legislators:

I'm appalled the state of Idaho is attempting to balance its budget on the backs of some of the state's most vulnerable residents.

I do not understand why killing budgets for mental health care, physical therapy, and other vital health care is so high on the legislature's priorities, other than I suppose it's the easy way out of a budget shortfall.

While I understand passage of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill in Washington has had an impact locally, the governor and state legislature have added fuel to the budget fire by approving tax cuts that went to the state's wealthiest residents.

I've heard our representatives in Washington give weak lip service to fixing the problems the Big Beautiful Bill caused the states. I have little faith they will take any substantive action.

I recently attended a virtual town hall with Rep. Mike Simpson and heard him give very weak assurances of help to a mother in Franklin who is desperately worried how the proposed cuts will impact her ability to care for her disabled son. I'm sure her story is repeated in every corner of the state.

You are in a position to help rather than hurt.

I have higher hopes that our state representatives will be more willing to consider the disastrous impacts these health care cuts will have on Idaho citizens.

I recognize governance is not easy. Nor should it be. I encourage you to look for creative and sustainable action that will ease the state's budget shortfall without bringing direct harm to the state's most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

Brian Davidson