my life » School http://blog.devonck.com and a few of the recipes that fuel it Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:40:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 David Simpson: “Running from Liberty Plaza and Running in Baghdad” http://blog.devonck.com/2009/03/18/david-simpson-running-from-liberty-plaza-and-running-in-baghdad/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/03/18/david-simpson-running-from-liberty-plaza-and-running-in-baghdad/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:36:12 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=366 I was able to attend the Kennedy Center Lecture this afternoon given by David Simpson from UC-Davis. He spoke mainly on how the American media hasn’t done well in confronting the brutal facts of the events of the last decade, particularly 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of human suffering and atrocities. While he noted that he … continue reading: David Simpson: “Running from Liberty Plaza and Running in Baghdad”]]> I was able to attend the Kennedy Center Lecture this afternoon given by David Simpson from UC-Davis. He spoke mainly on how the American media hasn’t done well in confronting the brutal facts of the events of the last decade, particularly 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of human suffering and atrocities. While he noted that he couldn’t provide a solution for the problem, he considers that by keeping the issue on the forefront of our minds, we will at least be more willing to question the bias in the information that we receive.

Interestingly, while speaking on the topic of literature covering the human suffering experienced on and after 9/11, Simpson quoted a passage from Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close where Oskar notes that he has to Google in other languages in order to find more graphic media pertaining to 9/11.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/03/18/david-simpson-running-from-liberty-plaza-and-running-in-baghdad/feed/ 0 Contemporary Jerusalem: Between Confrontation and Conciliation http://blog.devonck.com/2009/02/11/contemporary-jerusalem-between-confrontation-and-conciliation/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/02/11/contemporary-jerusalem-between-confrontation-and-conciliation/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:36:32 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=174  Daniel Seidemann, Founder and legal advisor, Ir Amim (Jerusalem)

Links: Flyer (PDF), Video

The lecture focused mainly on the geographical problems facing the two-state solution, principally Jewish settlements sprouting up on sites that are archaeologically and or religiously significant. A very interesting prospective on the need to quickly confront … continue reading: Contemporary Jerusalem: Between Confrontation and Conciliation]]>  Daniel Seidemann, Founder and legal advisor, Ir Amim (Jerusalem)

Links: Flyer (PDF), Video

The lecture focused mainly on the geographical problems facing the two-state solution, principally Jewish settlements sprouting up on sites that are archaeologically and or religiously significant. A very interesting prospective on the need to quickly confront the conflict before the facts on the ground make a two-state solution impossible.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/02/11/contemporary-jerusalem-between-confrontation-and-conciliation/feed/ 0 Is the United States a Declining Superpower? http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/21/is-the-united-states-a-declining-superpower/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/21/is-the-united-states-a-declining-superpower/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:49:18 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=140 Earl H. Fry, Professor of Political Science, Brigham Young University

Video, MP3, and PDF Flyer available here. Notes follow:  

“Gathering clouds and raging storms” We are declining, in relative terms Relatively low ranking in longevity and infant mortality 20th Century was undeniably the “American Century” WWII GDP, military force, nuclear weapons Cold War USSR was a military superpower, but not an economic … continue reading: Is the United States a Declining Superpower?]]> Earl H. Fry, Professor of Political Science, Brigham Young University

Video, MP3, and PDF Flyer available here. Notes follow:  

  • “Gathering clouds and raging storms”
  • We are declining, in relative terms
  • Relatively low ranking in longevity and infant mortality
  • 20th Century was undeniably the “American Century”
    • WWII
      • GDP, military force, nuclear weapons
    • Cold War
      • USSR was a military superpower, but not an economic one
    • Post-Cold War
      • United States as the sole superpower (“hyperpower”)
  • 2008
    • Approximately 25% world GDP
    • Population growth – projected to reach 420 million by 2050
    • Population will decline throughout many other parts of the world
  • A superpower in relative decline
    • By 2040, superpowers will no longer be relevant
    • 3 fundamental explanations
      • The demands of globalization
      • Rise of competing nations and groups of nations
      • Failure of the United States to adequately confront world problems
  • Globalization
    • Growing interconnectedness / interdependency
    • Many problems will be beyond the capability of individual nations to solve unilaterally
      • Environmental issues – increased use of fossil fuels in developing economies
    • Premium placed on multilateral cooperation
    • Technological accelerators
    • Creative destruction
      • 30 million jobs created, 29 million jobs lost
      • Auto industry vs. IT industry
    • Interconnectedness
      • Resources, Environment, Energy, Terrorism, Economics, Weapons Proliferation, Conflict, Sports and Entertainment, Internet, Immigration, Religion and Ideology, Culture, Crime, Disease
  • Rise of Global Competitors
    • China, India, European Union, ASEAN, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia
  • Problems at Home
    • Record levels of federal government debt
    • World’s largest external debtor country
      • More than $5 trillion deficit in goods between 2000 and 2008
    • Household debt has doubled over the past seven years, borrowed on equity
    • Entitlement explosion
      • Almost 1/4 of Americans will soon retire (fewer workers than retirees)
    • Out-of-control health-care spending
      • We spend more, but have a lower amount of coverage than other Western nations
      • We spend twice as much as other Western nations
    • Education deficit
      • Focus on K-12
    • Infrastructure deficiencies
      • Poor broadband penetration
    • Problems within the Beltway
      • Special interests vs. General interests
      • Campaign finance difficulties
      • Inability to tackle major problems in a non-partisan manner
    • Overextended international commitments
      • Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
      • Forward-deterrence strategy
      • Nation-building problems
  • Plight of the Average American
    • Jobs
      • Unemployment and underemployment
      • Negative wealth effect
    • Home Equity
      • Many home owners “under water”
    • Retirement Accounts
      • S&P fell 37% in 2008
  • The Future
    • Current problems are greater than most people realize; current recession the worst ever experienced by most Americans
    • American economy will continue to grow, but diminish in importance
    • Standard of living will be appreciably better
    • Prepare for a world where technological change and information creation will be more rapid than any other time in human history
    • Learn to cope with creative destruction
    • Prepare to change jobs several times during your working careers
    • Keep learning
    • Let the Gospel be an anchor and source of stability in a rapidly changing national and international environment
    • Prepare for very exciting times
    • Although military prowess will be important, our future importance will be based on the best features of democracy, capitalism, integrity, creativity, and Christian principles
    • George Bernard Shaw: “Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?”
    • Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley
    • Be a part of an active, informed, and engaged citizenry
    • Become leaders
]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/21/is-the-united-states-a-declining-superpower/feed/ 0 Another Monday http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/12/another-monday/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/12/another-monday/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:43:39 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=121 I can’t complain about the weekend. With new episodes of Monk and Psych on Friday evening and gaming and raquetball on Saturday, it was pretty fulfilling. And even if I don’t get to sleep in on Sundays, early Church meetings are never as bad as morning classes. Whether that’s due to the fact that there is usually food at early-morning Church … continue reading: Another Monday]]> I can’t complain about the weekend. With new episodes of Monk and Psych on Friday evening and gaming and raquetball on Saturday, it was pretty fulfilling. And even if I don’t get to sleep in on Sundays, early Church meetings are never as bad as morning classes. Whether that’s due to the fact that there is usually food at early-morning Church meetings, or because my morning classes are incredibly dry, I am unsure. (BYUSA — if you notice any cookies missing, that was us — thanks for sharing!)

There’s been a car parked partially blocking the entrance to our covered parking for over two weeks (it hasn’t moved since I got back in town a couple of weeks ago.) On Saturday, a parking officer came by and marked it to be towed tomorrow (Tuesday), so whoever parked there had better move his or her car. Not to mention get some license plates on the car.

Abandoned Car

Abandoned Car

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/12/another-monday/feed/ 0 BCS National Championship http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/08/bcs-national-championshi/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/08/bcs-national-championshi/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:18:21 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=108 Today, of course, Oklahoma will play in the BCS National Championship. OU has a history of choking horribly in BCS bowl games, and playing against Florida in Miami will not be easy. While Utah’s win against Alabama brings into question the strength of the SEC conference, Oklahoma has a lot to prove in the wake of the Big XII Championship controversy.

Our … continue reading: BCS National Championship]]> Today, of course, Oklahoma will play in the BCS National Championship. OU has a history of choking horribly in BCS bowl games, and playing against Florida in Miami will not be easy. While Utah’s win against Alabama brings into question the strength of the SEC conference, Oklahoma has a lot to prove in the wake of the Big XII Championship controversy.

Our stake has Institute on Thursdays, so I’ve asked my cousin to DVR the game for me. It hurts knowing that I won’t be able to watch all of the game live (and that my concentration at Institute will be minimal at best), but it is, after all, still just a football game.

It warmed up enough yesterday enough to melt a lot of the snow off of the sidewalks, which then refroze last night into a solid sheet of ice. Hence, I was not at all surprised when the first topic of discussion in class was winter footwear and traction aids. Weather like this really makes me wish I lived closer to campus.

The last piece of equipment needed to upgrade our home network is scheduled to arrive today. When it’s all setup, we will have wired gigabit and Draft-N access for the entire apartment, in addition to better off-site access to our home network. At the moment, we have three lines running up the staircase to the second floor – with the installation of an additional switch on the second floor, we’ll be able to cut that down to a single line.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/08/bcs-national-championshi/feed/ 0 More class and more snow http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/05/more-class-and-more-snow/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/05/more-class-and-more-snow/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:00:44 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=91 Classes started back up today, much to the chagrin of students everywhere. Obviously, classes weren’t too intensive today, but that didn’t make it any better. I don’t have any classes in the Talmage building this semester, but I do have two classes back-to-back on the south side of the library. Nothing like two straight hours of computer science to start the … continue reading: More class and more snow]]> Classes started back up today, much to the chagrin of students everywhere. Obviously, classes weren’t too intensive today, but that didn’t make it any better. I don’t have any classes in the Talmage building this semester, but I do have two classes back-to-back on the south side of the library. Nothing like two straight hours of computer science to start the day out right.

Just to make things more interesting, Mother Nature decided to dump a ton of snow on us. It’s actually still snowing as I write this, having just watched the end of the Texas – Ohio State game. Which was awesome, by the way. The first half was horrible, but the second half, just awesome. Go Longhorns. And I can say that because they’re in the Big XII.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/05/more-class-and-more-snow/feed/ 0 End of vacation http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/03/end-of-vacation/ http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/03/end-of-vacation/#comments Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:36:29 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=86 Well, the break is nearly over, and while I have been able to catch up on a lot of sleep and finished a number of books, two weeks simply isn’t enough to make up for a whole semester. To add to that, because BYU doesn’t factor a Spring Break into the calendar, there are only two days of vacation between now … continue reading: End of vacation]]> Well, the break is nearly over, and while I have been able to catch up on a lot of sleep and finished a number of books, two weeks simply isn’t enough to make up for a whole semester. To add to that, because BYU doesn’t factor a Spring Break into the calendar, there are only two days of vacation between now and the end of classes in April. I may just have to take a few impromptu days off just to keep my sanity intact.

With Utah’s win over Alabama last night, there remains the doubt is to whether Utah is really that good, or whether Bama (and possibly the rest of the SEC) is just that bad. Personally, I prefer the latter, as it gives OU a better chance on Thursday.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2009/01/03/end-of-vacation/feed/ 0 Vacation http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/23/vacation/ http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/23/vacation/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:28:18 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=79 Wow, hard to believe that it’s been a week since I last posted. Shame on me. In that short span, I finished with final exams and flew back home to Oklahoma. That may be an overgeneralization, but it’s accurate nonetheless.

I don’t have too many plans for the break. Having just finished reading Peace Like a River at the suggestion of my … continue reading: Vacation]]> Wow, hard to believe that it’s been a week since I last posted. Shame on me. In that short span, I finished with final exams and flew back home to Oklahoma. That may be an overgeneralization, but it’s accurate nonetheless.

I don’t have too many plans for the break. Having just finished reading Peace Like a River at the suggestion of my aunt, I’m currently working on Beyond the White House in between baking batches of cookies. I was able to meet up with one of my good friends from high school who’s just returned from studying international medicine in Israel and will be transferring to OU this fall, and it was nice to be able to touch base with him. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see a few more of my friends before I head back out to Provo on Monday, but that may prove difficult to schedule around Christmas activities.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/23/vacation/feed/ 0 More snow! And finals … http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/16/more-snow-and-finals-%e2%80%a6/ http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/16/more-snow-and-finals-%e2%80%a6/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:11:46 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=73 As you might have guessed from the post title, we received quite a bit of snow during the night.

0011

Snow on cars this morning

 I was able to meet up with some good friends for lunch up on campus (@ the MoA Cafe), and it was nice to catch up on … continue reading: More snow! And finals …]]> As you might have guessed from the post title, we received quite a bit of snow during the night.

0011

Snow on cars this morning

 I was able to meet up with some good friends for lunch up on campus (@ the MoA Cafe), and it was nice to catch up on news. I had my final for MFG 201 in the mid-afternoon, after which I did some Christmas shopping and made a ton of cookies for a group study session for American Christianity. We had less than a dozen people show up, so there were enough cookies left over for my roommate and me to take some to our home teachees later in the evening.

]]> http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/16/more-snow-and-finals-%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0 A lecture, a project, and two birthdays http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/10/a-lecture-a-project-and-two-birthday/ http://blog.devonck.com/2008/12/10/a-lecture-a-project-and-two-birthday/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:56:53 +0000 Devon http://blog.devonck.com/?p=52 Attended a nice lecture regarding current social and political movements in Europe, given by Prof. Raymond Taras of Tulane University. Video here.

Today was my last day of class this semester, and although I have an assignment due tomorrow, it’s still a great feeling to know that I no longer have … continue reading: A lecture, a project, and two birthdays]]> Attended a nice lecture regarding current social and political movements in Europe, given by Prof. Raymond Taras of Tulane University. Video here.

Today was my last day of class this semester, and although I have an assignment due tomorrow, it’s still a great feeling to know that I no longer have to sit through any more lectures for a few weeks. The last phase of my semester-long project in CS 340 was due this afternoon, and we managed to clear up all of the bugs in time to have a totally clean pass-off, which is fantastic considering one of the guys in the group dropped out.

Also today, two of my friends celebrated their 23rd birthdays, so I enjoyed a massive dinner at Tucano’s and then some fantastic dessert an hour later. Good times.

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