Common Core Is Just Common

There has been a lot of fuss lately over the relative merits (or lack) of Common Core.  When I first heard the discussions on the radio, I Googled a sample to see what all of the fuss was about.  At first, I couldn't see the issue.  So they were adding from left to right...  So what?  I do that some myself.  Then I realized: the concepts and techniques that they were using were basically similar to one of my favorite books from the 50s or early 60s: High Speed Math Self Taught.  I may not have read this book until I was in college.

Not only that, Common Core is about a year or two behind the standards that are already in place in Georgia.  Parents are actually being told, "Do not teach or allow your kids to do math the old way, they will get the wrong answer."  What the ____!  No, they won't!  This is math!  I don't care how different the method is, the answer had better be the same! 

To sum up Common Core in one sentence:
Common Core is teaching 3rd grade math to 4th graders using 7th grade concepts.

This is apparently just another phase in No Child Left Behind, more appropriately titled: No Child Allowed To Advance.  There is no 'core' to Common Core - it's just common (adjective: showing a lack of taste or refinement; rough; unsophisticated.)

  

Books I am Proud to Own

As a Design Engineer, I don't use MACHINERY"S HANDBOOK frequently, but it is a vital resource. I have at least 2 copies - one for work & one for home. I frequently use the AISC STEEL CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK for steel shapes, dimensions, and properties - I have a 1973 edition at home that falls open to all of the right pages, a newer edition at work, & a couple of older, more collectible editions.

I am particularly proud of my father's copy of AUDEL'S MACHINISTS AND TOOL MAKERS HANDY BOOK (1942) - a very comprehensive introduction to all types of machine work at a manual level that is skipped over by newer CNC oriented books.

When I was first getting started in house construction, I bought every how-to book I ran across - more because of interest than need. One that still stands out is HOW TO USE HAND AND POWER TOOLS (Popular Science, 1970) - a very good general introduction to hand tools. I got most of my helpful tips on all types of carpentry and machine work by reading straight through all of my father's 1940s POPULAR MECHANICS. But, if I had not had that resource, I would have loved SHOPWORK ON THE FARM (1945) and THE BOY MECHANIC (Popular Mechanics, 1952). THE BOY MECHANIC is actually reprints of the tips and projects from the 1940s & 1950s Popular Mechanics.

I was particularly delighted to actually need to use AUDEL'S SHEET METAL PATTERN LAYOUTS (1942). Before AutoCAD was even invented, I had two different jobs that required frequent design of sheet metal transitions from one unusual shape to another. Flat development of oblique transitions is not for the faint of heart. I still have 2 compasses that I made to hold a mechanical pencil using collars or tube clamps - a 3 foot wooden one & a 6 foot metal one. Let's see today's HVAC contractor make a 14” to 12” reducer with an 8” takeoff that reduces to 4” at a 30 degree wye!

The Real Battle

     Sometimes it seems like all of life is a battle.  The apostle Paul told Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith,” and to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  A Christian does not fight because he wants to, but because he has to.

     Everyone experiences different kinds of battles in life.  Each type of battle has a different purpose.  In spiritual battles we must learn to resist the devil.  In situational battles we must overcome circumstances beyond our control and learn to trust God on a deeper level.  In emotional battles we learn to handle personal tragedies, family crises, and emotional traumas.  In moral battles we face the temptations and confusion of the world around us.  In intellectual battles we face the skepticism of our day.  We see the world becoming invaded with cults and false religions – each one claiming to offer solutions for all of our problems.  We must learn to confront this falseness with the truth of God’s word.

     All of the various types of battles in life have an underlying spiritual conflict.  Therefore we must be spiritually prepared for battle.  Like the apostle Paul, we are ordinary, weak human beings, but we must not use human plans and methods to win our battles.  We must use God’s mighty weapons, rather than those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds (2 Cor. 10:3,4).

     The visible difficulties confronting us are not the real enemy.  The real enemy is the devil and the evil spirits under his control – stirring up the divisiveness and unrest in the whole world.  Only with God’s power and God’s armor can we stand against the overwhelming numbers of evil spirits who rule so much of this world.  If we fight our daily battles using our own strength and our own methods, we will lose.  If we use every piece of armor that God has given us, we will survive.  Our belt is God’s truth.  Our breastplate is our relationship with God.  Our shoes are the Good News that there is peace in God.  Our shield is our faith in God, which can deflect any assaults from those who accuse or revile us.  Our helmet is our salvation through Jesus Christ and our sword is the Sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:10-17).

     Three times, Satan tried to tempt Jesus to sin.  Each time, Jesus responded only with God’s word (Matt. 4:4-10).  After three unsuccessful tries, the devil left him.  When we are attacked, we must respond in truth, confidence, and compassion – knowing who we are and discerning the true enemy.  Very often, the true attack is not from the person in front of us, but from the larger spiritual conflict in the world around us.

     Our only defense against the invisible, spiritual attacks against us is our relationship with God, His word, and His Holy Spirit.  “So give yourselves completely to God.  Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you.  Come near to God, and God will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8a NCV)

Defend Yourself!

There is a common misunderstanding about the difference between defensiveness and defense.

Defensiveness is an excessive sensitivity to criticism.  It induces irrational and frantic behavior, fear, and an inability to respond appropriately to legitimate needs.  Defensiveness causes frustration, aggression, anger, and a feeling of helplessness.

Defense is an appropriate response to an attack.  Defense is any method which can be used to repel an aggressor and prevent injury or loss.

As an example of the difference between defensiveness and defense:  An American infantry squad is in battle in a third world country.  The enemy vastly outnumbers the American soldiers, but the Americans outclass the enemy in every way, in skill, in technology, and in knowledge.  The enemy knows this.  They know nothing about defense; their only strategy is to attack.  But they attack out of fear and defensiveness.  At every sound, at even the slightest glimpse of an American, the enemy soldier will empty an entire clip, spraying the jungle or desert in all directions with bullets from his machine gun.  The American, on the other hand, patiently waits, his automatic rifle set on single fire, confident in his ability to respond to the attack.  When the enemy comes into view...  Bang!  An enemy falls.  Bang!  An enemy falls.  No panic, no wasted resources, no frustration, no anger – and an ability to function normally in any other context or situation.

Right now, the Democrats are in full blown, frantic, insane, defensiveness.  They have no other strategy but attack.  Republicans have been hesitant to defend themselves from these irrational attacks for fear of appearing to act the same way.  This campaign started out with eight powerful candidates, any one of which would have probably made an acceptable president.  Every time one would appear to edge ahead, he would be attacked so violently that he would drop out.  None of them had an effective defense.

We are down to our last candidate.  Whether or not he is the best is irrelevant.  He is quite acceptable, and, based on his background, he might be exactly what the country needs at the moment. He must be defended – not with frantic defensiveness, but with calm, competent precision.

We must respond to panic with competence.

We must respond to ignorance with knowledge.

We must respond to lies with facts.

We must respond to hate and intolerance with love and tolerance.

We must respond to racist bigotry disguised as affirmative action.  Genuine racial equality is manifested by greater diversity in higher positions of leadership based on competence and acceptance rather than quotas and mandates.

Our country and all that we hold dear is under attack.  We must defend.

An Open Letter to Oppressed Americans

Vice Presidents are chosen primarily for their appeal to the people.  This means that the type of Vice President reflects the President’s perception of the average American voter.  Joe Biden is who Obama chose to represent his image of the average white American.  Obama sees white people as old, incompetent buffoons.  This means that Obama sees the majority of Americans as old, incompetent buffoons.  This means that Obama sees YOU as an old, incompetent buffoon!

Romney, on the other hand, has chosen a Vice President who reflects the values of the American Dream – a young, exciting, hard driving, hard rocking American superhero who can defeat the villain at the last minute, rescue the girl, and get the cat out of the tree.

War on women, my ass!

Ann Romney, Nikki Haley - Governor of South Carolina, Kelly Ayotte - Senator from New Hampshire, Susana Martinez - Governor of New Mexico, Condoleeza Rice - former Secretary of State.  Blacks, Hispanics, and women need to look at the speakers at the Republican Convention, open their eyes, and suddenly realize, “My God!  I’m a Republican!”

Democrats promise freedom and opportunity.  Republicans deliver freedom and opportunity.  Republicans protect freedom and opportunity.

The slaves will never be free as long as they are bound to the Democratic Party!

Rev. Harold Max Curtis

degreed engineer

licensed electrician

ordained minister

average (Republican) American

Rev. Jeanne Grace Curtis

degreed housewife

grandmother

business owner

ordained minister

average (Republican) American

What's Next?

I always dread the start of school season.  I was not looking forward to a 47 mile daily commute behind school buses almost half of the way.  So I was delighted to find this year that the bus routes or schedules had changed.  I didn’t get behind a school bus the whole way!

Then the next day I got behind a logging truck.  Oh, well...  That won’t happen every day.  Then two days in a row – I got behind tractors!  A couple of days ago, I got behind a fork lift!  His tires were practically bouncing off the ground as he cranked it all the way up to 18 miles per hour!  I thought, ‘OK, what could possibly be worse than this?”  Well, this morning I got behind a tracked shovel doing 4 miles per hour!

I think I have identified a definite trend here.  As I project the trend into the future, I am simultaneously intrigued and concerned.  What could possibly be next?  I can only imagine that next Monday I will get behind a sled pulled by an old man with a walker!

Carrying Burdens Lightly

Even though Jesus's burden was the sin and salvation of the whole world, He said "my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  We have a lot of heavy responsibilities in today's chaotic world, but we need to be able to carry them lightly.  (Much easier said than done.)

One aspect of carrying burdens lightly is the ability to find humor in the midst of difficulty.  In a painful, embarrassing, or stressful situation, I have always said, "you can laugh or you can cry," - meaning that you will do one or the other.  But I just realized that there is a third alternative...  You can bring an AK47 to work for show and tell and let everyone know how you really feel!