Tuesday, December 9, 2008

(Not) A Big Suprise.

Written by for The Washinton Times:

Turn up the heat, somebody. The globe is freezing. Even Al Gore is looking for an extra blanket. Winter has barely come to the northern latitudes and already we've got bigger goosebumps than usual. So far the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports 63 record snowfalls in the United States, 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month. Only 44 Octobers over the past 114 years have been cooler than this last one.

The polar ice is accumulating faster than usual, and some of the experts now concede that the globe hasn't warmed since 1995. You may have noticed, in fact, that Al and his pals, having given up on the sun, no longer even warn of global warming. Now it's "climate change." The marketing men enlisted by Al and the doom criers to come up with a flexible "brand" took a cue from the country philosopher who observed, correctly, that "if you've got one foot in the fire and the other in a bucket of ice, on average you're warm." On average, "climate change" covers every possibility.

This is similar to the science practiced by Dr. James Hansen at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the source of much of the voodoo that Al Gore has been peddling since the doctor showed up at a Senate hearing in 1988 and told ghost stories that Al swallowed whole. Only last month Dr. Hansen's institute announced that October was the hottest on record, and then said "uh, never mind." The London Daily Telegraph calls this "a surreal blunder [that] raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming."

In this account, the institute had to make the humiliating climb-down after two leading skeptics of the global-warming scam, Anthony Watts, an American meteorologist, and Steve McIntyre, a Canadian computer analyst, discovered that temperature readings from September had been carried over and repeated for October.

We should sigh, shrug and give the scientists at NASA the benefit of the doubt that this was a mistake and not a deliberate howl at the moon. A spokesman for the institute explains that readings borrowed from Russia, which had been described as 10 degrees higher than normal for October, distorted the figures but, after all, the data had been obtained from others. So we should blame someone else.

This is the science we're expected to take on faith. The false figures - we must be generous and not say "faked" - were supplied by the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change. These are the most widely quoted readings, and consistently show higher temperatures than other "data sets." Would the United Nations lie? (No giggling, please.)

This sets a new standard for hubris, arrogance and haughty self-importance. Skeptics of the global-warming scam, even those with unquestioned academic and real-world credentials, are treated as ignorant pariahs by pundits, presidential candidates and other politicians who know better, or ought to.

This is not the first time, writes Christopher Booker in the Daily Telegraph, that Dr. Hansen's methodology has been sharply questioned. Two years ago, Messrs. Watts and McIntyre, the bloggers who caught the October fiasco, forced him to withdraw his published findings on surface temperatures in the United States, to correct his claim that the hottest decade of the 20th century was the 1990s. It was the 1930s, when the much-maligned sport utility vehicle was still a truck and Detroit made economical cars everybody wanted.

Man's notion that his science can realign the stars, adjust the orbit of planets and reorganize the universe leads him to say silly things and assert goofy claims. Saying silly things and asserting goofy claims is usually harmless as entertainment, so long as the claims are subjected to rigorous analysis and debate. But contrarian arguments about global warming, climate change and freezing heat are not tolerated by the scientists with an uneasy grip on the research money.
It's clear now that the earth has been cooling for the past decade, to the sorrow of the special pleaders and despite everything Al can do about it. The solar cycle peaked, the sun is quieter, the sunspots have faded and everybody but Al is cooling off.

Even the United Nations says so. The director of the U.N.'s panel on climate change concedes that nature has overwhelmed everything man can do and it might even be another decade before man can rally and the warming resumes. Until then, like it or not, nature rules the cosmos.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Writing

Around ten o’clock the other night, I began mentally gearing myself up for the challenge that lay ahead of me. I was stuck on this one essay, that was already late, and I had several other essays I needed to get cracking on, but I was just so tired and brain-fried from being sick that I quailed at the prospect of writing again that night. I almost despaired at the challenge of slogging it out with that paper again for even the thought of returning to my computer and once again to forcing my brain to form the knowledge and ideas in my head into correctly spelled words that would make up make complete sentences, coherent paragraphs, and a cohesive essay was exhausting. Then whilst thinking about what hard work writing could be and how difficult and perhaps even begrudging it can be even for one like myself who loves to write, indeed cannot keep from writing a thought struck me that allowed me to set to work undaunted.
I was suddenly reminded again of one of the weird qualities of my craft, one of the strange aspects of writing, one of the paradoxes of art itself: it may be easiest to write when I am inspired, the words well up inside me like the tide and come pouring out through my fingers with an unstoppable energy, and that may well be some of my best work ever, yet some of my best work on my stories has come during the times were I felt like I was getting nowhere, when I felt like slamming my head against the computer screen, when I had to fight for every word. There is a certain sense of awe and wonder and joy that comes when the words and ink fly but without a doubt that there is nothing quite like the pride that comes from having wrangled your brain eight ways from Sunday, having twisted and stretched and slammed your brain against the mat hour after hour until you have forged the words into something beautiful, just as there is nothing like the satisfaction that comes from standing bone-tired tired looking upon all you have accomplished in a day’s work.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Obama Birth Certificate Scandal

A friend recently posted an article on Facebook about the recent court case brought by attorney Philip J. Berg (who is a life long Democrat and former Democratic Party County Chair) involving the court investigation of Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's American Citizenship. A debate ensued between a friend of hers and myself.

He posted this:

"Why hasn't Obama provided anything to the court? Probably because the case was dismissed for lack of subject matter on October 24. Meaning, Berg didn't have enough burden of proof to warrant the obvious damage the allegations would cause if they ended up being false.

http://news.justia.com/cases/featured/pennsylvania/paedce/2:2008cv04083/281573/

It's still pending appeal, so anything can happen I guess."

This was my answer:

"First: That the case was dropped "for lack of subject matter" is false. According the the
article you cited, but evidently didn't read, Judge Surrick dropped the case because he felt "that Berg lacked standing to bring the suit because he did not face direct harm even if the allegations were true."

That ridiculously sad excuse of a technicality doesn't even hold water! Anytime the Constitution is violated by anyone in a government office and it is ignored, or worse yet encouraged, every American suffers. The judge should have his license revoked for hindering the public outcry for reassurance that our Constitution is not being trampled with such a terrible distortion of justice!

On the other hand, if, as you and several other articles say, the judge dismissed the case because it was potentially too damaging to Sen. Obama that also is a terrible slap in the face of the law and the American people.

Sen. Obama, and anyone who has ever run for the Office of President, knew going in that every aspect of the life, from birth to present, is up for investigation by the media, individuals, and the law. He knowingly opened himself up to such questions and attacks and should be ready and willing to face them with hard facts and good answers, not avoid the searing light of truth by exploiting weak legal technicalities.

Second: The whole point is that it's potentially damaging! To say that the case is potentially too damaging, is to say that Sen. Obama's feelings and reputation are more important than upholding justice and the rights of the American people. We deserve to know the truth!

The only reason for Sen. Obabma to fight this investigation is if he truly has something to hide! If he is a true American citizen he as nothing to hide: all he has to do is release his certificate to the court and he gets exonerated, and Mr. Berg looks like an idiot. That's a win-win situation for him!

By hiding from the inquiries like a coward he has only further damaged his reputation by giving people just cause to be suspicious of him."

Am I the only one who finds it highly suspicious that there are two differing and equally sketching looking copies of Sen. Obama's birth certificate to be found on supposedly dependable websites (including his own official site) yet he refused to vindicate his name by simply showing the hard copy to a judge?

Am I the only one who feels indignant that some judge decided tha I and the rest of the decent, law abiding, tax paying citizen's of this nation don't deserve to know the truth? That some random judge decided it doesn't matter if Senator Obama may not be an eligible candidate for President because we might damage his reputation by even investigating that fact?

Am I the only one incredulous that the major media has completely ignored this issue? That all of the high and mighty journalist out there who pride themselves on bringing the people the truth don't give a flying fig that it's two days till Election Day and we still have reasonable doubt as to the popular candidates eligibility of the job?

Sometimes I wonder what this nation is coming to. If in a few weeks or months Mr. Berg's appeal does go through, I'm going to laugh in bitter irony and shame as America becomes the laughing stock of the world for having not made sure our President was even eligible before we elected him.

Of course this it investigation probably never will be reopened because if you begin to consider the two absurdly flimsy reasons for this law suit's dismissal one has to start wondering who paid off the judge...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Humbled Anew

I often wonder,
I so often muse,
After I blunder
And my way thus lose,
Or "My will!" thunder
And Thy love abuse,
How Thou doth show me
Exactly where and
How I so failed Thee:
A touch from Thy hand
Bends my stubborn knee,
Shows me chilish, and
Doth wholly suffice
To melt my hard heart
And make me realize
Just how great Thou art.

© Andrew J. Goggans 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Spring is Coming

I apologize to whatever readers I have for my dreadful lack of writing lately. Life circumstances have conspired against me to leave me with little time for writing and this means that though I have been writing there has been little visible fruit. I have been working on some of my stories (they aren’t ready for the light of day yet) and a rather lengthy blog entry on the course of my relationship with Melanie to share some of the lessons I have learned, blessings I have received, and to answer all of the questions people have had about our betrothal. So despite whatever craziness or daily drudgery I may face in the next few weeks I promise the new post, and perhaps eventually the stories, will be presented for you.

I must say though that my life has been quite good of late. I had a good summer, an amazing trip to spend time with my girl and her family in Slovakia, I have my money for school, I have a good job I can work half time during the semester, I have housemates, and I have good friends and family. God is good.

On the other hand my immediate and extended family could use a lot of prayer right now. I shan’t go into all the details now but your spiritual support will be felt and greatly appreciated because sometimes in life you have no idea what is going on, sometimes you have absolutely no clue what God is doing or why. At times like these I often fall back on one simple phrase.


“Aslan is On the Move!”


It is repeated amongst my family and friends as an encouragement, a rally cry, a prayer and a benediction, almost as if it were a magic spell. This simple set of five paltry words, never fails to inspire in my body and soul a profound effect, but rather than trying to explain it to you myself I shall give you the words of the one who coined the phrase.

‘Here the Beaver’s voice sank into silence and (…) it added in a low whisper- “They say Aslan is on the move (…) the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning—either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning to lovely to put into words, that makes the dream so beautiful you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now (…) At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feel you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.’

So when the world looks bleak, and hope seems dim, take up the cry “Aslan is on the move!” Remind yourself and all around not to lose heart because: “It’s no good, Son of Adam, (…) no good your trying, of all people. But now that Aslan is on the move (…) He’ll settle (things) all right (…)

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of His roar, sorrows will be no more,
When He bares His teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring
again!

“You’ll understand when you see Him.”

To the King!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

It's summer.

Bryan is a ghost town and my house, full of people noise and fun during the school year, is empty and quiet.
One would think that this quiet would give me more time to think and write but I haven't written anything in months. The last post on here was about three weeks ago and it only half-way counts as writing something. I keep telling myself I need to get back to writing, that it's good for me, that it will help me feel better, think clearer, and function better, but I have been unable to bring myself to thus far.
Part of it is that I am so tired when I get home from work that I don't feel like getting started on something. Half the time knowing I'm to tired to accomplish anything and part of me afraid that with all the stuff bouncing around in my head I'd mess up an existing story, or get started on something new and be up all night, which is the last thing I need when working ten hours days every day. Partly I'm too tired to put the work in wrestling through a story line or editing old stuff, I work on stuff in my head throughout he day, but I have just can't seem to actually put pen to paper. I'm not sure why.
I've done a fair bit of reading but not what I hoped too, I couldn't for the life of me find my family's copy of Pride and Prejudice and the other books i want I can't yet afford to buy. I hate being broke.
I need to just make myself get back to it.. I need to write out a lot of what I've thought up in the way of stories and essays this summer. I really do need to. I know I need to, I know it's good for me, I know I'll regret it if the whole stinking summer goes by and I wrote nothing before the insanity of school starts.
I need to get in the habit of writing on a regular basis and there is no reason why I can't start that this summer. So that's my goal for this next week, slowly and surely I'm pushing myself to be more self-disciplined A year ago I was far more so, it's a lot easier to be when things aren't so insane, This past year has required a lot of flexibility, something I'm very good at, but I know that forcing myself to be disciplined in my daily routine makes me more efficient and productive, I can always deviate when I need to but if there's no need to then, it's best to stick to the schedule so I don't wast time or leave things to the last minute.

And now I'm rambling so I'll stop.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Brokenness

Aslan spoke to me today.

"If you desire, oh Son of Adam, to see how true your lineage runs, and how aptly that name befits you, then find yourself a wife. Your wretched state will soon become painfully clear when you yourself bring her sorrow and pain, as you hurt the woman you love through your selfishness and pride."

I understand my dad so much better these days.

What's that quote from Lewis? It's either in Out of the Silent planet or Paralandra that Malacandra or Peralandra her self says something along the lines of: "If, oh little one, we thought even the highest and purest of your thoughts our lights would be extinguished."

I'm starting to see that we're all screwed up, far more than we like to admit. Or perhaps more accurately, far more that we even realize.

Thank you Dad, for always setting a good example, for doing so much right, and letting me see you learn and grow and make things right when you failed.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I AM DONE!!!

Having finished my last test about two hours ago I am officially done with this semester! Hooray!

I am so glad it all over, it's been a really hellacious semester, but y'know what's weird? I can sit here, and look back on it, and honestly say it was a good semester, hard as hades, but good. I've been pushed, and pulled, and broken eight ways from Sunday this semester, and I have failed to live up to the pressures and responsibilities like I should have. I have failed my professors, my friends and family, and my girlfriend.

But I've also learned so much. When I look back on my actions I can see where I chose wrong, or allowed exhaustion to breed confusion, apathy, and selfishness. I can see where I failed to help my girlfriend, where I was selfish or failed to lead and plan well enough in our relationship; to keep my actions, or inactions, from causing her extra stress, where I put unnecessary pressures on her because of my selfishness or laziness.

At the same time though I feel like I can honestly say I did my best, I fought so hard this semester, it just wasn't good enough. It never is, and never will be. It is by His grace and strength alone that we make it through this life. I cannot speak in words what He has done for me this semester. How He has forced me to rely on Him even more fully. How he has blessed me through friends and family, and through Melanie. So many times when I was completely a drained after sickness and/or ministering to family and friends she was there to minister to me. I don't think I would have survived this semester if it weren't for her. Not that I would have committed suicide, I would never do that, but I think I would have been such an emotional and physical wreck I would have had to drop out of college.

Perhaps I overstep my bounds. I will not say God could not have gotten me through it all, just Him and me, but I am inexpressibly thankful that He brought Melanie into my life. Even the extra stress of caring for her while she has been sick has been a blessing: to minister to her and meet her needs has been such a joy. Caring for her has become my greatest source of pleasure and satisfaction.

Y’know what else? I’ve learned a ton academically too. The combination of taking Western Civ II and Brit Lit II at the same time provided me an even deeper sense of the details of history and the gradual flow of it, of the story of the western man humanity, of his growth and development. My grasp of history was already deep enough that I never bought or read our textbook and I’ll have an A or B in the class, but I’ve immensely enjoyed seeing more clearly how the events affected the philosophers and writers, and how the philosophers and writers affected the events.

If it’s any sign of what I’ve learned in Advanced Grammar this semester, or any consolation to Dr. Impson, the moment I got on here to type this out I saw how atrociously written my last post was (that’s what I get for writing when exhausted), and became so OCD, I had to fix it right then.

(On a personal note: Dr. Impson, I was parsing sentences in my sleep last night!)

Now begins the summer. This week I will be clearing house, washing clothes, paying bills, seeing returning friends, and saying goodbye to those that are leaving. On Monday I leave for NJ for a week. First I’m taking Mel to meet my Aunt Debbie and my Mimi, and I get to meet her immediate and extended family at her sister’s wedding. On the 19th we return to Chattanooga long enough to repack and fly to Slovakia. I shall return by the 1st of June for family vacation, and some much needed sleep.

And then I shall spend the rest of the summer working my tail off because despite how hard I’ve worked this semester it still won’t fall off….maybe I should talk to a doctor about it…

Friday, April 11, 2008

A Poem

I've been working on this for a few weeks. Feeling it out--no, wrestling it down to paper, trying to make it work and express what I felt. I'm not sure if I'm going to add a third stanza or not, but here it is:

Deep to my soul it clings,
A wordless thought I cannot speak
A heavy tangle of feelings
which I've wrestled for many aweek.
As verbose as I can be,
Still my tongue fails me.

It's not quite depression
That eats and eats away in me:
A pent up frustration
Oh so slowly poisoning me.
It sickens to the bone
as I struggle alone.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Time Management

A friend asked: "Query: Are we, as Christians, required to do our best in everything we do?"

And this was my answer:

"I think that we ought to try to do "our best" but that "our best" doesn't mean our best in everything. We live in a world with responsibilities and consequences and we have to do our best to balance everything out. You can spend tons of time on any one thing, such one of several papers or HW assignments, and do really well on it but that means doing not as good on something else. One most apply the principle of diminishing returns because there is always a certain point where, because of lack of sleep or whatever other reason, that the amount or improvement gained is no longer worth the amount of work put into a project. When you reach that point, or because of time restraints before you even reach that point, you have to say 'I've done my best to put good work into this and balance everything out and I only had x amount of time to work on this so I'll trust God with whatever the consequences are.' and move on to whatever project is next."

What do you think?

Friday, February 29, 2008

Dreams

Dreams are funny things and for years I had no idea what to make of them. Are they are gifts from above? Are they the out workings of my inner thoughts and my subconscious? A pointless amalgamation of the random sensory data my body collects while I sleep? Or the newest theory in the scientific arena: my mind's attempt to process the data piled up in my short term memory and learn from the day's experiences; simply a method of sorting through everything so can my brain can log important stuff away in long term memory and forget the rest?

I have come to the conclusion over the years that sleep is all of the above. At times I have relived the events of the day before and seen them in a new light as I slept. I have dreamt events and conversations that, knowing myself and the people in the dream, never happened but very well could have. When I have been burdened greatly by some thought, prayer, or desire my dreams have given voice to that stress in one way or another. I know that just as my writing often reflects my subconscious and semi-conscious thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, so have my dreams. At times I have been able to label each of these occurrences, each of these uses and purposes for my dreams but several times in my life I have been left wondering, without ever really making up my mind fully, if certain dreams were gifts of spiritual insight that I should heed. I am always hesitant to assign such divine weight to my dreams but I sometimes wonder if I should be. If my dreams encompass and incorporate all of the physical, mental, emotional, and psychological elements of my life then why not the spiritual too? Though as human beings our need for physical rest is the most obvious reason and purpose for sleep Scripture promises that God will speak to His children in dreams and visions.

In Scripture God speaks in dreams that seem to be baffling riddles until explained by His chosen servant (Joseph, Daniel, Samuel...) to both kings and peasants alike. Throughout the history of Israel we are told that the men of one family or another, one tribe or another, had dreams and visions or were good at interpreting them. (I have often wondered if there is a distinction there or simply two names for the same thing.) On the other hand God seems to almost always speak to His servants directly. If He doesn't speak vocally to them in their waking hours He speaks to them with spoken clarity in a dream, or sends an angel to vocalize His message in waking or in sleeping. There have been times in my life where I have heard God speak to me with audible clarity. At times I have listened to Him and to my eternal shame at times I have ignored Him. As far as I know the only dream, given to a servant of God, that was allegorical and thus left open for interpretation was Joseph's dream about the twelve sheaves of wheat and sun, moon, and the twelve stars bowing before him. The only other time I can think of where the recipient of the message is confused as to its origin and meaning is when a very young Samuel hears God calling his name and thinks that it is Eli and Eli tells him, until the third time, he is dreaming.

These two events give me encouragement and frustration at the same time. They leave me wondering if God is speaking to me subtly and even directly but I am missing it. They encourage me that perhaps I am right when I think there is more to a dream, that I should take the spiritual hints, or obvious overtones, in it very seriously. And yet since I lack the overwhelming conviction that I have recieved a message from the Lord that is seen in almost all of the Biblical occurances I, perhaps like Eli, can't help but wonder if it really was "just a dream" and if I should "go back to sleep".

I wish I knew for sure whether there was more to a dream or not. I wish there was some authority I could turn to, but almost everyone I have ever heard talk about dreams and visions was either completely naturalistic about it, ended their discourse sounding as vague and undecided as I already felt, or sounded like a complete nut that based their beliefs off personal feeling and not scriptural evidence. Maybe I’ll ask some of the Bible professors here. I really respect several of them for how well they have thought through all the various ways to interpret things even if I disagree with them on exactly what they choose to believe. I guess aside from asking them, my parents, and pastor, the only thing to do is what I always end up having to do, wrestle it out for myself: search the scriptures and ask the Lord for answers.

Friday, February 22, 2008

I'm Taken

I want you all to meet my girlfriend Melanie!Melanie and I are now officially a couple since we talked to her parents earlier today/yesterday! I really can't tell you how excited I am 'cause she's pretty much amazing!