Books I've Read - Molecules at an Exhibition

 Molecules at an Exhibition: Portraits of Intriguing Materials in Everyday Life

by John Emsley

This little book takes a delightful idea and executes it perfectly.  In this book John Emsley, a British Chemistry professor, puts on exhibit for us a series of molecules.  Each molecule has a few pages dedicated to it, which explain a few interesting facts about it and current uses for it.  This book stays away from the 'boring' parts of chemistry and isn't worried about chemical formulas or the mathematical details of chemical reactions, but rather looks at the real life uses and applications of the chemicals and 'stories' about its use.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it as a book worth picking up if you happen to have any interest in science  You need little to no science background to understand what he is talking about, and you will find out many fascinating facts that you never realized about everyday products that you use.


Random Quote:
The most notorious real-life thallium poisoner was the serial killer Graham Young, who in 1971 put thallium sulphate into his workmates' coffee at a photographic equipment factory at Bovingdon in Hertfordshire, England. He posed as a research chemist and bought the thallium from a chemical suppliers in London. Several workers were taken ill, and two died of the mysterious 'bug'. It was only when Young himself suggested to a visiting health expert that the cause might be thallium that the strange illness was correctly diagnosed... page 223

Books I've Read - Safely Home

Safely Home
By Randy Alcorn

We all hear about China in the news a lot.  A new superpower coming into force.  The next economic giant in this world.  This book brings a bit of the side of China we don't like to talk about.  The side the censors Google and persecutes those who won't walk the state declared line.  I think Alcorn got to the heart of a lot of what goes on.  We in the West adore our consumerist, materialistic idols and we are willing to overlook a lot of wrong in a those that can meet our idolatrous needs. China provides us with the goods that we desire and at prices that we can't turn down, so we turn a bit of a blind eye to the evils of this country. 

This book focuses in the story of one man and his family who are repressed and persecuted for believing something the Chinese government does not agree with, and also points to the fact that we do have the some of the same in our culture as well.  Although it may not be as obvious (and certainly isn't as extreme as the example is this story), there still is an element in which the governments of our countries do not allow for large deviations from the official 'story' of our culture. 

Although this book was largely about the persecution of Christians in China, it raised a lot of interesting questions for me in terms of the balance between governments keeping order and the freedom of individuals.  The example in the book was clearly an abuse of authority and hatred of Christian ideals, but there are certainly times when things are not so clearly cut.  Obviously the government needs to have power so that it can keep the peace and maintain order in society, but how far should those powers go?  In this book Alcorn has a story of how discrimination and harassment laws were used by one of the characters to fire someone for what he believed and said.  Is that within the realm of maintaining order?  Is there a moral difference (beside the 'magnitude of response') between someone being fired for what they believe and someone being jailed and abused for it?  When has the government crossed the line?  I found it interesting that a book about Christian persecution also brings up a lot of political and cultural theory. 

I enjoyed the story in this book and found it challenging to my own faith.  How strong is it?  Do I really desire God's word as eagerly as many in that book did? Would I maintain what I believe in the face of such strong opposition?  All in all I found that this book was a well done story that used story telling to leave me with a lot to chew on. It was a good read.

Random Quote:
'"Wife and husband must be more than lovers. Must be comrades, soldiers fighting side by side for same great cause. Ming's mother say, 'Wife and husband should not only lie down face-to-face, but stand up shoulder to shoulder.' They must face together the worst Mogui can do to them. And when they draw strength of Yesu, he bind them together"

Debt: The Ruin of us all?

There is nothing wrong with making mistakes. Just don’t respond with encores. – Unknown

It would appear that we are starting to reach the end of our financial ropes in The West. Greece has been in trouble for a quite a while along with several other European countries, while the rest of them are desperately trying to put out the financial fires.  The USA has just gone through a massive debate about their 'debt ceiling' and the American government's credit rating has been cut for the first time in modern history.  It seems that we have us a full blown debt crisis.

This Site's Calculation of the US debt situation does not paint a pretty picture.  If you add together all the debt held by all levels of government and then combine that with personal and corporate debt you end up with close to 55 trillion dollars in debt.  That's quite a bit of debt.  At least I think so.  Now, I'm not going to talk about what I think the solution is to this problem other than to say the obvious 'you need to spend less than you make,' and I'm not going to say that there should be no debt (I have a mortgage myself).  Instead, I want to talk about the cultural implications of this.

This kind of debt load shows us something about the culture we live in. It show us that we live in a culture of immediacy. After all what is debt besides getting something now that you (or maybe your grandkids) pay for later?  I want a new couch?  NO PAYMENTS FOR 18 MONTHS!!  well I better get one.  I want a new car?  0% down!!  Well I better get one.  We want a new road?  Hey look, this banker has money!!  We better build one.  Patience and contentment seem to be a long forgotten virtues. 

It can be hard to be content with what we have.  Others have so much more.  We keep getting bombarded with messages about all the things we 'need.' The bigger house, the nicer car, a newest electronic device, these things keep tempting us to buy, buy, buy. It makes one wonder if there is a way to find contentment and patience in this discontent and hectic world that we live in?  Well, the Apostle Paul claimed to have found it.  He said  that he had learned in whatever situation he was to be content.  I wonder what his secret was?

'I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.' (Phil 4)  So that's the secret.  A friend who strengthens us.  A friend who keeps us.  a friend who fulfills us.  I wonder what friend that might be?   Well let's keep reading and see what he says.

'And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.'

So that's where our needs are met!  That's where we find fulfillment and contentment and patience.  In God working through his Son, Jesus Christ.

I suppose that in the end I have proposed a solution to the debt crisis.  Find your satisfaction in Christ and not in the things that you have, and certainly not in the material things that you want!  Look to him and he will provide for your needs in a way that will make those wants and desires fall into their right place. Why overextend yourself to get what will not make you happy when you can get that which will make you happy as a free gift of God?

Books I've Read - The Millennials

The Millennials
By Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer

This was an interesting book.  It was full of statistics and information about the current generation of young people and was very informative.  I found I tended to skim it a bit as the authors sometimes spent a bit too much time in detailing things I didn't care about, but it was certainly interesting to see the main points of the book and see the overall trends of this generation pointed it.  I can see much of it in looking at myself and my contemporaries, but it is always nice to have it reviewed in a nice summary like this.

One of the main points brought out by the authors is that we are a connected generation.  We tend to be very connected to our families and parents and we tend to use technology to enhance this.  Another observation is that our generation has seen what divorce and separation have done to our friends or ourselves and have vowed not to do the same thing to our kids.  The authors found that most Millennials who were planning to have kids intended to never put their kids through the pain of divorce.  One other defining characteristic of our generation seems to be a lack of interest in religion.  There isn't usually animosity towards religion, but rather disinterest or little to no knowledge about it. We are a massive generation; as big or bigger than the baby boomers, so it will be interesting to see how our culture changes as we continue to grow up.