Pictures I snagged off the Interweb

 Any guesses as to who is the fellow in the bottom photo?

Wednesday of the Last Week of Christmas

 The view from Tony’s room.

Wednesday of the Last Week of Christmas: 8:03 AM

 

Or the second day of the Octave of the Epiphany.

Sunrise seems to happen later on the clock then it did in China.

I am in the habit of thinking that thinking is doing

 I forgot to bring a book to my RCIA last night, which was disconcerting because I had thought to bring it.

I have been doing that a lot recently:  thinking of doing something and then somehow not doing it because it entered into my mind that I had done it because I had thought of doing it. 

I’ll have to stop doing that.  

But I probably carry on with this bad habit because I made this blog entry about it which is tantamount to my thinking that I have actually done it.

luddite reactionary diehard troll

 I wouldn’t quite label myself that, as David Warren did in his latest blog entry. But I agree with all the sentiments he expressed in that entry.  I would say I’m 80 percent of the label.

Wednesday of the Last Week of Christmas: Last Night’s RCIA

 Last night, Marriage and Holy Orders, both of which are sacraments, were discussed.  Much to my relief, I found out my marriage can be blessed.  And I learned I could in theory become a deacon.

The RCIA meeting was held in a different part of the basement.  I came upon a great collection of books.  I was thrilled to see they had a copy of Belloc’s Road to Rome.

Appeaing to their better natures is a waste of time

Also from my conversation with my partner in China, I learned that he was teaching in an international department of a public high school.  His descriptions of his experiences echoed mine.  The students were unmotivated, unqualified to be there, and refugees from the gaokao system.  His classes were generally a waste of time because most of the students weren't paying attention.  He wasn't allow to kick their asses.  Appealing to their better natures was a waste of time.  He had to accept the situation as it was and help the few who were motivated and forget about the rest.  The rest were stuck there and couldn't be expelled.  Ultimately, the whole thing was a racket because only children of rich parents could put their children in the international program, and the motivated students that you would have loved to interact with were stuck on the Chinese side.

I still remember a student from the Chinese side of the high school I was at telling me how much she loved reading German philosophers.  All I could do was feel woeful about the supposed elite students with whom I was stuck.

It seems that education by appealing to the better natures of students (or learners as they are incorrectly named) is an education model that needs to be smashed.   If the students will not learn anything, they should not be there.  And it is moronic to try to cater to them.

Between Two Worlds

 I talk to China every Tuesday morning for two hours.  This morning, my partner in this learning enterprise I have a small part in, was describing the atmosphere in China: the economy there is bad with real estate or apartment prices collapsing and a pervading feeling of tension with America.  With my wife being in China now, a ominous feeling came over me.

One of the motivations I heard for Trump's Venezuela operation was to deal with China's presence in the Western Hemisphere.  Whether this will increase the feeling of tension between the two countries or result in a quid pro quo simmering of tension by an acknowledgment of spheres of influence remains to be seen.

This puts me personally in between two or three worlds:  Trump Haters and Reactionaries; China and the USA, Canada and the USA.  My way to deal with these conflicts is to embrace Catholicism and ultimately to have to think what is best for my wife, my son, and me.

Of the three entities: Communist Party China, Liberal Party of Canada, and the Trump Administration; which do I support?  If Trump plays real politick, I will be on his side.  The other two parties are harder to pick from.  CCP China is at least adult and not frivilous.  The Liberal Party of Canada represents stupidity and wilful cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

Best to pray to God and hope for a miracle to get out of my gordian knot.

GKC on Science & DW on Venezuela

 Chesterton nails the Covid debacle perfectly with this observation.

David Warren gives a big thumbs up to Trump’s Venezuela action.

Tuesday of the Last Week of Christmas 5:50 AM

 The neighbor’s landlord has cleared snow off the roof,