Things to Think On - August 2012

Things we've watched, things we've read...

• An Open Letter to the Scientific Community - really enjoyed reading this and the thought behind it. Science is overwhelmingly in favor of the Big Bang/Evolution (as it regards to new species development). The odd thing is, there are quite a few inconsistencies as well as unproven ideas that the entire theory hinges on. Science should be a continual quest for truth, even if it goes against the grain of what is universally accepted.

• College for All?  - Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs - a Matt and Jack favorite) is on a quest to bring awareness and respect to the very-much-needed blue collar job sector. Our relentless pursuit of college for everyone is creating a country where MBAs are a dime a dozen and plumbers are in short supply. I know that the prevalent view in our society is that college is absolute, regardless of what career a student desires. When I was in high school, everyone was 'college prep' - there was no question about it. The average college student changes majors 8 times, making me wonder if we aren't pushing something expensive and time-consuming on young people who don't really know what they want to do yet. As a society, we need to place equal importance on all careers, whether it's medicine/law/academia or trades like electricians and plumbing and stop blindly pushing every kid into college.

         

       "In high schools, the vocational arts have all but vanished. We've elevated the importance of "higher education" to such a lofty perch, that all other forms of knowledge are now labeled "alternative."  Millions of parents and kids see apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities as "vocational  consolation prizes," best suited for those not cut out for a four-year degree. And still, we talk about millions of "shovel ready" jobs for a society that doesn't encourage people to pick up a shovel." 

                                                                                   -Mike Rowe, 

                                                                                   speaking to Congress

                                                                                

• Einstein's Big Idea - Jack's favorite new video. It's in two parts so it's long but well done and quite interesting. No surprise, but I knew hardly anything about E=MC2.

• This Awesome Lecrae Cover - we love this guy's music but it's more suited for playing tag. This is a beautiful cover and you can just sip your tea while listening.