I’m not usually a big fan of editing photos. Sure, crop it down. Maybe filter it for black and white, but I’m not really a big supporter of recoloring photos.
I do, however, like this photo. I took it on April 1st, 2011, at Island Ford, VA. The train, I believe, is 16T (could be 38Q), headed north on the H-line.
“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.” — Albert Einstein
This also references my earlier Quotable Monday entry on blind faith. I always have trouble when I run into people who, when asked questions about things, just speak information they don’t understand.
I ran into this issue on IRC not too long ago, when talking to someone who was making the absolute federal minimum wage of $2.16 (or whatever it is) an hour while driving for a pizza company. When asked about what they made, they referenced Florida as being “under maritime law.” This didn’t make any sense to me, as I assumed that I would have known something along this line a long time ago, and so I went for a talk with my buddy Google.
I confess that in this talk I did learn things – mostly related to the exception to the $7.55/hr federal minimum wage (as it applies to people who normally receive tips in their line of work), but at no point did I find any reference to the State of Florida combined with Maritime Law.
So I challenged the individual, and asked plainly: Is that just what you’ve been told it is? And the answer came back with a resounding “Yes.”
My problem isn’t with people who conform by their own choice, my problem is those who fail to consider the options, or make their decisions without making so much as an attempt to think for themselves. Letting other people think for you is, in my mind, an assault to the freedom of choice that you were given. This also applies to the “non-conformists” who have chosen their path simply because it’s not what other people are doing. Believe it or not, you’ve let other people think for you by rebelling against them.
If you are in the military because you considered your options and it was what you decided to do, that’s awesome. If you are in the military because you were told to, or it was expected of you, and you just accepted it, not so cool. And the same applies to other fields too. It’s totally fine for a feminist to decide to stay home and be a housewife. It doesn’t go against the core principles of feminism which (as I understand them) are about giving women the right to choose. If you’re staying home and being a housewife because you wanted to, go right ahead. If it’s merely because it is the socially accepted thing to do, maybe you should reevaluate what it is you want from life.
I’m not going to apply this to every person in every religion or social setting, I’ll leave that to you to consider.
I love my car. I’ve owned it for a little more than a year now, and it’s just great. I expected it would be, since having Kelly’s Subaru for a year before that created a love for Subaru and a love for the Outback especially. It has a couple of minor issues that I am working to get resolved, but it’s just a great car in general.
It runs wonderfully in snow and ice, it’s great in summer, it offroads fairly well (although it’s pretty close to the ground, so by no means is it a 4×4 replacement), and gets decent gas mileage!
This photo was taken, once again, while waiting for a train. You can see the tracks in the background, I was waiting for the Shenandoah Valley Railroad to show up on their way from Staunton to Weyers Cave. I don’t know if they went any further north that day, because I stopped dawdling around them after a while and went to Waynesboro instead. Chances are good you’ll see more of the SVRR directly on Photo Friday in the future!
“What is a danger is that we stay stuck in a new normal where unemployment rates stay high, people who have jobs see their incomes go up, businesses make big profits. But they’re learned to do more with less, and so they don’t hire.” — Barack Obama
This has been one of my chief concerns with improvements in technology and efficiency over the last few years. It is probably basic economics, but if you have a group of 10 people, each of whom is responsible for producing something for those 10 people, then they have a small balanced economy.
Say you have someone whose job is to provide and maintain housing, and someone whose job is to provide food, and someone who oversees medical needs. You can introduce currency to allow them to pay each other in a standard manner, but if they each have a job then it is a fair system.
Now, introduce another 10 people. That means there are now 2 people who can perform each job, but an extra 10 people that require the service provided. It remains balanced and in ratio.
Introduce more people, and in theory the ratios will stay in check. Until two things happen. Firstly, too many people get educated to do one job, which leaves a gap in areas with untrained workers and creates a surplus in workers for other areas. This means people have to settle for a job they don’t want, or aren’t trained for. Secondly, and this is the bigger problem, is that technology is discovered or new methods of doing work are implemented which now allow the job that was done by 5 people to be done by just 2. What are the other 3 people going to do? Unless they can find a niche business opportunity (and let’s face it, how many of those survive for any period of time?) then they are doomed to unemployment, which is what I fear is our problem today.
And so I cannot help but agree with our President. Those who have jobs will likely keep them, those who own companies will probably succeed. Those who are on the street with no opportunities on the horizon will likely be left there.
One of the few benefits to working late in Harrisonburg is that I get to watch, or at least listen to, the late night workings of the Chesapeake Western. They don’t often work late, but when they do I’m usually around to know it’s happening.
“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”– Winston Churchill
What is your natural reaction to criticism? What do you do when someone comes to you and tells you that “you’re doing it wrong?”
When I am approached and told I need to get my act together, my natural reaction is one of bitterness and resentment. If I am in a position of power, such as a moderator of a forum or a chat room, my instinct is to remove the person who is offending me simply because I don’t like them. This, to me, is a selfish abuse of power.
Here is something to try. If you are in a position of power, chances are people will criticize you. Either because you did something they disapproved of, or you failed to act when they expected you to. We’re human, so we make mistakes like this a lot. Next time it happens, don’t make a snap decision. Don’t remove the problem, but consider their argument. Consider the possibility that they are right, and you are wrong. Humility can go a long way as a leader, and will go a long way for your followers who look up to you.
And if you are in a space where no criticism is ever directed at you or other staff members, maybe you should consider why – are people afraid to speak up? Are they afraid to voice their concerns? If this is the case, then perhaps it is time for change.
One of my first digital subjects was the streams of light out the back window of a car at night. A long exposure with moving car made the streetlights look awesome.
I still come back to it occasionally, either from a static position with a tripod, watching cars go by. I also occasionally do it like this: from the dashboard of the car while driving. Shortly afterwards I bought a window-mount for the camera so I can avoid losing half of the image. This was taken during heat lightning (which was what I was going for). I didn’t really get much, but some cool lightstreams were there nonetheless!
“In answer to your inquiry, I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.” — William Booth
This is something that has bothered me for a long time. I think it is one of the things that leaves me questioning my beliefs in “Common Christianity” and puts me outside my circle of friends a lot.
We like the idea that if we say a prayer and ask forgiveness, our sin doesn’t matter anymore. While in a sense this is true, it’s not that simple. It’s not OK to say “Yes, God, I know I did this bad thing, but I’m sorry and I ask you to forgive me,” as we get ready, walk out the door and do whatever it was all over again. It’s not OK to claim Christianity while ignoring the parts of the bible you don’t like, whether it is to love everyone equally, or to give to the poor, or other more controversial things.
It’s OK to accept anyone into the church, but it’s not OK to allow them to serve in ministry when they have sin they refuse to acknowledge or address. It’s OK to teach about the wonder of heaven, but it has to go hand in hand with the risks of the other option.
This looks like it should be on a campground somewhere, back in the woods maybe.
No, it’s Hillandale park in Harrisonburg, VA. It’s signposted off of VA-42, a little north of Walmart and Food Lion at the south end, and south of Downtown. They have a good walking track, and even some fixed exercise equipment that can be used on the way around.
“People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway.” — Mother Teresa
This one was on my Facebook a couple of weeks ago. Often I find that I don’t want to help people, and often for social reasons. Most commonly it is because I have a valid reason (not having money to give, etc), but I’ve also avoided helping out of selfishness, or because it was inconvenient. Mother Teresa said that despite the risks, we should do it anyway.