DID YOU LOOK IT UP?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Yeah, I was driven to Wikipedia to look up Hosni Mubarak like many of you have done.
Don't lie - you did too…
Let's be for real, until an area of the map on your Map-Of-The-World shower curtain erupts in the news, most of us are woefully non-cognizant - ignorant even - of that country's location, capital, and leader. And yes, we grit our teeth at going to Wikipedia, as we feel like we're short cutting to knowledge. Hey, our kids in school aren't even allowed to use it as a resource when doing a research paper.
First thing - Wiki will tell you where Egypt is on the map. There's plenty of folks who couldn't find it, indeed. Wikipedia isn't a bad primer for most anything, as it at least allows you to know that the thing you research actually exists.
You want a fairly in-depth study of Poland? Read "God's Playground" by Davies. How about Belgium's role in the Congo? Read "King Leopold's Ghost" by Hochschild. You want to know where these places are and what their borders looked like at the time in history you're interested in? Go to Wikipedia.
I know little about Egypt, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton aside. My next door neighbor is Egyptian. She's elderly, and I occasionally shovel her walk.
I know they flew Russian made aircraft for defense. I know they also fly F-16's. I know I love to say "Boutros Boutros Ghali". I know that there are those that wince at Mubarak's ouster because he is at the helm of one of the only working active peace treaties between an officially Muslim country and Israel. But then there's questionable human rights, elections, arms sales to the Hutus…the list goes on…
I figure any route that educates us as to what's up is a plus.
Irony Of The Day -
Many of you know that when I am not folk singing, I am an amateur yet avid aviation historian. And though I build model airplanes as part of this hobby/study, I don't tend to build warplanes. Part moral compunction, part my way of getting "air time" for frequently ignored civil aircraft, particularly between WW1 and WW2. I appreciate all modeling, whoever does it, of whatever subject, yet I have just chosen my niche. Power to all of us….
Well, I clicked through a link posted by modeler at one of the civil aviation sites I moderate, and it turned out to be a Christian modeling site, complete with scripture videos lessons on applying decals and paint. At most every turn on this site was some link, some thing, to bring the reader closer to being a Christian.
Well, the picture forum on that site's front page had 19 pictures of finished models. One was a fire truck, the other was a Ford Galaxie. Every other picture was of a warplane, each complete with guns, bombs, and national insignia including swastikas. At the top was a Psalm on hating evil.
I'm just saying...
Don't lie - you did too…
Let's be for real, until an area of the map on your Map-Of-The-World shower curtain erupts in the news, most of us are woefully non-cognizant - ignorant even - of that country's location, capital, and leader. And yes, we grit our teeth at going to Wikipedia, as we feel like we're short cutting to knowledge. Hey, our kids in school aren't even allowed to use it as a resource when doing a research paper.
First thing - Wiki will tell you where Egypt is on the map. There's plenty of folks who couldn't find it, indeed. Wikipedia isn't a bad primer for most anything, as it at least allows you to know that the thing you research actually exists.
You want a fairly in-depth study of Poland? Read "God's Playground" by Davies. How about Belgium's role in the Congo? Read "King Leopold's Ghost" by Hochschild. You want to know where these places are and what their borders looked like at the time in history you're interested in? Go to Wikipedia.
I know little about Egypt, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton aside. My next door neighbor is Egyptian. She's elderly, and I occasionally shovel her walk.
I know they flew Russian made aircraft for defense. I know they also fly F-16's. I know I love to say "Boutros Boutros Ghali". I know that there are those that wince at Mubarak's ouster because he is at the helm of one of the only working active peace treaties between an officially Muslim country and Israel. But then there's questionable human rights, elections, arms sales to the Hutus…the list goes on…
I figure any route that educates us as to what's up is a plus.
Irony Of The Day -
Many of you know that when I am not folk singing, I am an amateur yet avid aviation historian. And though I build model airplanes as part of this hobby/study, I don't tend to build warplanes. Part moral compunction, part my way of getting "air time" for frequently ignored civil aircraft, particularly between WW1 and WW2. I appreciate all modeling, whoever does it, of whatever subject, yet I have just chosen my niche. Power to all of us….
Well, I clicked through a link posted by modeler at one of the civil aviation sites I moderate, and it turned out to be a Christian modeling site, complete with scripture videos lessons on applying decals and paint. At most every turn on this site was some link, some thing, to bring the reader closer to being a Christian.
Well, the picture forum on that site's front page had 19 pictures of finished models. One was a fire truck, the other was a Ford Galaxie. Every other picture was of a warplane, each complete with guns, bombs, and national insignia including swastikas. At the top was a Psalm on hating evil.
I'm just saying...