September 26, 2009 by admin.

It was a clear, calm and cold Colorado sky under which Johnny and Susan decided to go for a hike. Near the top of Cottonwood Pass just west of Buena Vista, they had chosen a far back country trail that promised untouched wild scenery, waterfalls and a serene lake at the end.

Perhaps it was that they had started early in the morning, or it was still just late April and there were snowbanks littered here and there along the path, but there was no one else on the trail with them. This did not matter: Johnny and Susan had each other’s company and that was enough for them and their current viewpoint of life: young, in love, with the entire world at their feet. Who needed anyone else?

As they walked, they pointed out to one another this small cluster of Aspen trees, that group of lichen-stained rocks, an occasional deer track emblazoned in the trail’s mud. Once in a while a tiny side trail would shoot off here or there - clearly not maintained by the forest service, just some point of interest for hikers who knew something about the area.

Johnny had a deeply back of mind sense there was someone or something else on the trail. It was only vaguely troubling to him, so he didn’t say anything to Susan as he didn’t want to needlessly trouble her with something that probably didn’t even exist. Just his imagination.

Finally, the temptation to scamper up one of the mysterious side trails got the best of them. This particular trail was only as wide as the sole of a shoe, but contained the portent of something particularly beautiful beyond. The forest was thin enough at this point that they could see a pool of blue sky beckoning to them near the crest of the trail, some fifty or seventy-five feet above them. They might be able to command a view of the Cottonwood valley they knew was immediately below them, but not visible from their current vantage point.

The cold wet grass wiped their calfs as they made their way up the trail. The trail was steep enough that they needed to grasp an occasional thin Aspen trunk for balance.

As they neared the top of the hill, the trail opened up to the fulfilled promise of a gorgeous panorama - it was clear at this point that they were higher than anything else within view.

Johnny was no more than three or four feet from the top when something long sprang at him. A mountain lion! The cat was huge, seventy-five or a hundred pounds, and clearly hungry. The cat’s mouth was wide open, revealing long brilliant white teeth. The nails on his paws were equally long and sharp.

As Johnny turned around to find out what all the commotion was about the cat hit him squarely in the chest, causing him to awkwardly stumble backward up the remainder of the hill where he nearly instantaneously disappeared from view.

Susan screamed, running up the trail after Johnny, and screamed even louder when she saw that Johnny had fallen off of a two hundred foot cliff and was now laying lifeless at its base, near the promised end of trail lake, blood staining the rocks he had landed on when he hit bottom.

Her screams did not last long. She felt the rip of the lion’s talons into her ribcage and neck and she was dead. The lion, hungry for the protein of meat–human or otherwise–began to feast on a complete meal: one he had not enjoyed in a very, very long time.

In the book of the prophet Jeremiah, there is a very interesting scripture that God gives to the Jews:

This is what the Lord says:

Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths. Which is the way to what is good? Then take it, and find rest for yourselves. But they protested: We won’t! (Jeremiah 6:16 - Holman Illustrated Study Bible)

For those who need a second or third version of the Bible for comparison, here is how it is worded in the Thompson Chain Reference of the New International Version (NIV):

This is what the Lord says:

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, “We will not walk in it.”

I believe that in this age of supposedly “post-Christian” America (where we’re also supposedly “post-partisan” and “post-racist”) we are at exactly the crossroads Jeremiah is speaking of: a point in which the Lord is asking us to simply stand and look around at all we see. But there is an enemy on the road, silently, steathily watching us, waiting for the exact moment at which to strike.

And we’re tempted by this side-path or that, even though we don’t know what that path holds for us.

When we’re tempted by this little side-path or that one, we’re supposed to stop and look and ask “What are the ancient paths?” In other words, what are the good paths - where do I walk that I will stay safe?

But we will not do that. Instead, we are looking to man (side-path) for our answers: this scientist, that politician, this theologian, that psychologist, this actor, that TV star, this musician, that artist, this atheist, that “I am Jesus” evangelist.

Anyone but the Lord. We have almost lost contact with Him. Even if we believe in God, which many say they no longer do, He has been relegated to a back corner, a place where we go to connect with Him when we really need something. We no longer trust Him for the answers to our big problems.

Why? Because we’re afraid that if we do, and we let it be known that we do, people will think we’re some kind of nut, that we’re out of our mind. Never mind that people are wrapped up in every other kind of superstition there is, from astrology to 2012.

I believe that even though the Old Testament was essentially given as the treatise by which to live for the Jews, it is also relevant to modern-day Christians. God’s wisdom is transcendent. OK, we no longer live by the Law inscripted on the tablets by God and given to the Hebrews by Moses. There is a new dispensation–that of Grace (yeah!).

That said, we cannot say that God meant those words for only one group of people. My wife has this example: The Jews were forbidden from eating shellfish. Why? Just some rule that God laid down so that He could make sure people were obedient to Him? Not at all! It’s a very practical thing: Shellfish are bottom feeders, and as such are dirty, nasty creatures. They might be good eats, but they’re not good for you.

So when Jeremiah gives us this sage advice, we should be paying attention.

There are five things he says in this extremely important scripture:

1. You’re standing at a crossroads. Seldom before in America have we been at such a period of turmoil and disagreement as we are now. This must be what it was like during the civil war period.

2. You must simply stop and look. The thing you’re being asked to do is simply nothing. Just stop and look.

3. Once you’ve stopped, you’re to ask “Where are the ancient paths?” This is interesting because it is stated as paths, plural, not path, singular. I don’t think Jeremiah means there is more than one path to God - I think here he’s talking about ways in which God would have us to go given the circumstances we’re clearly in. The word ancient also implies that we should be paying far less attention to the current thinking and get back to something old, tried and true.

4. We don’t know where the ancient paths are at. We have to ask God to show them to us because we cannot see them.

5. But they did not. The Jews refused to listen, stubbornly saying “No! We will not!” In other words, the temptations of what was currently going on in their day looked so much better than the ancient paths, they simply refused to cooperate.

The outcome for them was not so good. God doesn’t send an “ask for the ancient paths” call just because He thinks you could somehow benefit from its wisdom. He sends that call because He has had enough and if people don’t obey, He is ready to show them exactly Who is in charge (and it isn’t any American politician!)

So, here’s my thinking: It’s time to get back to God. Get on our knees and ask “Where are the ancient paths? Show those paths to us again!” It’s time to put away the nonsense and filth in which we’ve been reviling ourselves; time to stop equivocating things we know are wrong (e.g. I know porn is wrong, but hey, everyone looks at it); and time to get back to prayer, reading the Bible, and worshiping God.

This lines up with another old Testament scripture:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heavena nd will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (Second Chronicles 7:14 - NIV)

So the question is this: Will we just walk right past the crossroads - going to the right or to the left, or will we stop and look and ask God “Where are the ancient paths?” It’s clear to me that neither of the crossroads paths are the correct ones. What do you think?

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September 16, 2009 by Bill.

I was a naive new teacher, anxious to help my high-school students learn more about computers. After all, they’d signed up for my Computer Technology course at a Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school just west of Denver called Warren Tech. My silly assumption was that they were in class because they wanted to learn something about the interesting (and OK, stressful, and OK, sometimes angry) world of Information Technology (IT).

I was naive in assuming they’d be happy to read technical materials, as I had when earning my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification years earlier. I assumed they were hungry for every jot and tittle of technical meat on which they could lay their hands.

I was wrong.

When the first shipment of Microsoft Certified System Developer (MCSD) books I’d ordered for my programming-centric students came in, one boy, who had pretended earlier to be anxious to have one, grabbed the book and threw it to the table saying “Yikes! That’s heavy!” Others followed suit.

Nowadays I go through a drill where I tell the students they chose to come to a technical school, and they’re receiving technical materials to read because that’s what we teach here. This isn’t your home high school where you have to take a history class, and you get this ponderous text book laden with way too many confusing graphics and sidebars and text, and even though you know you’re supposed to read it, you actually figure out ways around not reading as much of it–as long as you can pass the class that is. I tell them a technical school requires that you read, read, read technical materials all the live-long day. That the technology changes faster than some of them change their tee-shirts. That if you don’t stay ahead of this curve, you’ll likely fall way back behind it before you even know what hit you.

I cite examples: Windows Vista (ugh) is passe, now we look forward to Windows 7. In three years time, Windows 7 will have had millions of articles written about it, lots of which complain about how bad it is (though it’s really not) and how we yearn for a better Windows. Alas, if only Windows Mountain Lion (or whatever Windows 2013 will be called) would come out soon.

But none of it seems to sink in. To be sure, I have some students who hear what I say and really, actually read their books. But sadly, most books sit on the computer at school, waiting for their students to come read them. And when the students are there, even then the books go wanting.

The “new reading” is  a lot like a business topic I learned years ago when getting my Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration (BSBA) - it’s “just in time” (JIT) reading.

The phrase JIT is used in the business world to denote inventorying practices in which stock items are monitored closely. When an item is close to running out, it is ordered, preferably by some sort of computer interaction. The idea is to keep as much inventory out of the warehouse so that one doesn’t have to pay for excess stock. It takes a precise understanding of how much stuff people are buying, what’s available from suppliers, and how quickly, and so on. The Japanese have successfully used JIT for years, but then they have a penchant for fine-tuning and precise control.

But with JIT reading, it’s not so much about the fine-tuning and control as it is staying away from as much reading as possible, keeping the reading either interactive (i.e. Flash movie) or person to person.

With JIT reading, you don’t consult a book unless (God forbid) you don’t have internet connectivity. And even then you might forget about it until later on when you do have network access. Instead of plowing into “all those words,” (a term I hear all too often anymore–by adults no less–when talking about the printed word) you jump onto Google or Wikipedia or a handful of other sites that have proven to provide quick results and you do your reading there.

But not too much reading mind you…just enough to get your problem solved and get you moving forward again.

Sometimes in the throes of JIT reading, you get tempted by an attractive new game site, or a funny, cool movie site, and you lose your momentum. This is akin to the days when Sally or Bobby came over to visit you just as you were beginning to read your History and well, darn it, History would just have to wait wouldn’t it?

JIT math works similarly. Got a heavy math problem to solve? Just whip out your HP or TI calculator, and get that booger done! No need for pencil, paper, formula books, and the like. If we’ve got computers to manage our math for us, why use our heads?

And I’m afraid to say, JIT writing works the same way. If you have to write, which most students consider anathema, you make your prose as short and sweet as possible. Not all students write this way, of course. I’ve had some students who were incredibly good writers, and not afraid to put pen to paper (or to be more technologically accurate  - fingers to keyboard). But for the most part, writing has declined to the point where sentences are poorly formed, good spelling is nearly nonexistent, and even if you could follow the student’s train of thought, you couldn’t read it very well because you’re constantly stumbling over his/her poor writing and sentence constructs.

JIT inventorying–the business school concept that we order new inventory stock just before the last little bit is sold, thus saving storage and inventory costs–has worked very well for industry, hasn’t it? I mean, I can’t tell you the last time I was in Home Depot when they did not have something in stock that I desperately needed. You reach right in that sprinkler system bin, and–voila!–there’s the part you need. Right?

Yeah. Right. JIT inventorying is a good idea on paper, but maybe not so much when put into practice.

So, while I think JIT is here to stay, I’m working on ways to get kids to stop their JIT reading, writing and math, because it’s nonproductive, and  it’s not doing them any good. It’s a sloooooowwwwww uphill battle, I’ll tell you. You have to model things for the students, then drag them along with you. And even then, you’re not sure they’re there with you–lots of times it feels like it’s just me in the room.

But I persevere. Because I have this tiny little doubt in my mind that reading, writing and math will go away anytime soon. That we’ll all just use technology for everything, and that way we can be couch potatoes who rely on computers to do our thinking for us.

I know a lot of the students would like to have it that way. But that’s not how it works.

Not now, not ever.

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September 10, 2009 by Bill.

I like to watch TED videos on my iPod Touch. I think TED stands for Technology, Education and Design. What happens is that the TED folks assemble some of the greatest thinkers on the planet to come together on a routine basis to talk about stuff.

Sounds ordinary, right? Well, the “stuff” they talk about is truly extraordinary. You’ll just have to run out to the TED web site and watch one or two to get the drift of what I’m talking about.

So, last night I’m working out on the elliptical machine at Bally Fitness and I’m watching a TED video by Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs.”  This guy, dressed in ordinary workaday clothing, has no PowerPoint presentation, no props, no videos or music or gimmicks. He just stands up there and tells a story.

The story he tells is at once riveting and repulsive. He talks about castrating lambs on a ranch in Craig, Colorado–how it’s expected to be done, and how it’s actually done, and the difference between the two.

But the talk isn’t important because you learn something about castration. That part is fascinating and entertaining–Rowe is a very good story-teller.

What’s salient about Rowe’s 20 minutes is that he makes a very important American point: We’re losing the job battle.

While we have heartfelt and strong dialogs (diatribes?) about important things like health care reform and American soldiers overseas,  we have almost lost the notion of what it means to be an American worker. Rowe talks about the need for technical schools and colleges; not enough plumbers, carpenters, electricians and the like. Not enough mechanical engineers–heck, not enough engineers period.

Not enough people willing to a) dig into the math, physics, chemistry and other hard topics required to understand the deepness of engineering, and/or b) not enough people willing to bend over and get their hands dirty and backs aching in the process of carrying out good old fashioned American work.

Rowe’s point is that it’s job first, other things second. In one part of the video, he talks about “safety third,” meaning that despite the platitude of “safety first” and OSHA laws, and of course each person’s regard for their own well-being, nevertheless workers undertake things like mining, deep-sea fishing, logging and other dangerous occupations because they’re good jobs, they pay well and they feed families.

He doesn’t say it, but I think the point stands out: In many cases, we’ve let ideology get in the way of practicality. Case in point: so-called “green” jobs. Pundits and politicians bring platitudes that talk about the need to switch over from 20th century energy sources to renewable energy methodologies.

Fine. I have no argument with that–though I don’t think the economics bear out a short-term forklift switching over to renewables from conventional energy resources. The problem is that we’ve let strongly ideological environmental groups get in the way of progress toward renewable energy goals. Can’t build offshore wind turbines in the north Atlantic because the folks on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard will see them in the distance and their white blades spinning away will disturb the pristine view. It’s a beautiful site on Maui I can tell you. Don’t know why it’s anathema off the New England coast.

Can’t build transmission lines leading from a humongous concentrating solar array in the Desert Southwest to the nation’s cities because that would involve drilling holes in the ground for tower caissons and stringing unsightly wire across miles of American soil.

Can’t drill for natural gas–of which T. Boone Pickens claims there is enough for “100 years’ worth of clean-burning energy for Americans.” Why? Because drilling disrupts natural environments, and makes things unsightly and causes animals to have to rethink their living patterns or worse, kills them, and, well, there’s just something ideologically wrong about drilling for gas when there are other renewable energy sources we could be using instead. Never mind that the payback periods and inefficiencies of said renewables really aren’t sufficient enough for us to adopt them in a wholesale fashion…yet. Given enough time (decades) sure, we’re there. We’re all over that. But right now what we need is gas and coal and oil and power lines and power plants and refineries.

Which takes me back to jobs. It is ideologically unpleasant to watch Rowe’s Dirty Jobs TED talk because he talks about the politically correct (and wrong) method for castrating a lamb. And then he talks about an American worker who is, in the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy, able to “get ‘er done.” And the getting it done is actually better for the lamb, as it turns out. Oh, and it keeps ranchers employed.

So here’s the thing: Rowe is talking about something very basic and important. What he’s really saying is that we need to put America back to work. Which means that a lot of the students in our schools today really shouldn’t be planning on going to college to study things like history, and psychology, and social topics. The jobs just aren’t there in numbers large enough to support a lot of students in those majors.

Instead, students should be planning on going into technical schools to learn about jobs that are important to Americans. For example, Process Tech, a major students can take at many community colleges across the country, teaches young people how to properly operate industrial facilities such as power plants, factories, and such.

We need welders, carpenters, electricians, brick-layers, mechanics, linemen (OK, linepersons), cosmetologists, machine workers, miners, loggers, and other skilled tradepersons. We need to get back to building and farming. We need dental hygienists and nurses. We need engineers.

We’ve got plenty of psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists (and other ‘ists), cultural studies majors, historians, and English majors. Boat’s full. Don’t major there. No jobs there. Nothing to do or see there.

What we don’t need is one more guy or gal with a history degree working as a barista.

(As an aside, one thing I noticed on a recent trip to Europe this summer was that all of England, France and Italy was planted. Not with Kentucky blue grass, but with stuff people can eat and use. Corn, hops, wheat, sunflowers, lavender, and yes, tobacco. The land wasn’t allowed to lie fallow. It was used. While I recognize if you drive through eastern Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas you’re going to see lots of crops, I still wonder what the proportion of crops grown in America by acre of soil is to Europe. I bet there’s a drastic difference. It made me think: where are all the American farmers?)

Rowe’s point is that, of necessity, American jobs have to be dirty jobs. If we’re to maintain the status quo in this country, feed and educate our kids, house ourselves, maintain our health and make this country better–what I’m talking about is good old-fashioned improving our lot–we’ve got to get our hands dirty again. And our backs aching. And our bodies and minds working in harmony in the process of creating things that people need in order to live.

Turns out our ancestors had the right idea. It’s the dirty jobs that are the best jobs after all.

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