A new poll has indicated that 15% of people worldwide believe the world will end during their lifetime.

Similarly, 10% believe that it will not only end but that it will happen on December 21st this year, the date on which the Mayan calendar stops. There's no mistaking that the amount of talk of a doomsday both in the media and in the movies is influencing people's perceptions of the likelihood that such an event might actually occur.

"Whether they think it will come to an end through the hands of God, or a natural disaster or a political event, whatever the reason, one in seven thinks the end of the world is coming," said research manager Keren Gottfried. "Perhaps it is because of the media attention coming from one interpretation of the Mayan prophecy that states the world 'ends' in our calendar year 2012."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/01/us-mayancalendar-poll-idUSBRE8400XH20120501

I remember when Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth" had many people stocking their shelves ....

and then, all the planets were going to be in a rare alignment ....

and then, Y2K was going to have planes falling out of the sky ...

and now, the Mayan Calendar is all the vogue.

Since New Testament times, many Christians have believed with absolute conviction that the end of the world is coming in their lifetime. 

I've always wondered why.

Wow. It's been a while.  

So let's start at the nuclear plant ....

I'm rounding the final bend in my marathon 18 month nuclear control room operator certification. ("Certification" means I don't take an NRC exam but will be able to teach reactor operators, "License" means I would take the NRC exam and would run the control room. None of us wants that.)

Here's where I am (I'll use a car illustration so it will make a little more sense than talking about reactivity, small break loss of coolant accidents, etc.):

Theory - complete (this is like learning how a car engine and transmission work)

Systems - complete (this is like learning about all the parts in your car and what they do)

Normal Operating Procedures - complete (how to drive the car under normal conditions)

Abnormal Operating Procedures - complete (how to deal with minor problems - like a dead battery, flat tire, low on oil)

Emergency Operating Procedures - 2/3 done - (how to deal with big problems - like driving in the snow, windshield wipers fail, defroster fails, one headlight fails, and a car is spinning out of control at you.)

Lather, Rinse, Repeat - homestretch (repeat everything we've learned over and over until becomes second nature)

Audit Exam and Simulator Evaluation (June 18) - This is the final test before the NRC exam. When I pass that, I'll be "certified."  And believe you me, I already feel like I should be institutionalized.  The rest of my peer will take their official license exam in July. 

We have had a little drama this past week. One of the students quit to start the course over at another nuclear plant in the southeast. (We'll call him "Ernest" to protect his identity.) Backstory is that his wife was an employee at our site, but quit last December because of some intra-office politics/drama. "Ernest" was performing about as well as I am - passing, but not a shining star. I had the sense, though, that he felt like the people at our site were out to do him in. Rather unexpectedly, he began looking for a new job - got three offers in two weeks and accepted one. He pretty much up and walked out of our site.

To me ... it seems a poor decision. Even if he and his wife were unhappy, I think I'd stick it out through July and get the license.  There is no obligation to remain at work, so conceivably he could get the license and quit. That would save going through the whole thing again and command a better salary at the next site. If he didn't pass, he'd still be able to get the job he landed, since he obviously doesn't have the license now. 

Anyway .... his life - not mine. 

****

MINISTRY

Donna, Chuck, and I continue to stay busy with our Lilac Ministry Hymn Sing services, Wed evening Bible Study, and visitation. 

Recently, we connected with a lady named Ilse who lived in Berlin during WWII.  Turns out she's the mom of Ted, a co-worker of mine. He brought me a photo album that survived an Allied bomb blast that completely destroyed her home. It had a chunk missing where shrapnel had blown through it. Inside was a treasure trove of beautiful family photos and period photographs. She had a ticket stub and some photographs of the famous 1936 Olympics.  I looked carefully through it and then returned the book back to Ted. Honestly, I knew what I was holding was a family treasure, but had no idea that the photos and memorabilia were of historic value. I only know Ted casually. I couldn't imagine that he'd entrusted me with that treasure. 

He also gave me an autobiography of Ilse. Her life story is an amazing one. She researched world events and blended them into her own story. The account is simple, but powerful. Here is a short excerpt:

****

Easter Sunday, April 1st 1945: I was home in Crawinkel, enjoying this beautiful spring day with uneasiness. In the distance we could hear the noise of approaching battle, evidenced also by German soldiers that were retreating in obvious disorder. The next days at work were total chaos as our Austrian people prepared to find a way home. The stream of fleeing troops intensified, but then my heart sank when I saw trucks carrying young men, boys really, perhaps 16 years old were heading toward the battle. What insane and criminal act to send those youngsters to their death for a cause that was long lost.

When the battle for the little village of Crawinkel intensified, I decided to leave. One morning, during a lull in the fighting, I took my bike and headed for the next village, Gossel, that was situated on a hill and completely open. At times I took shelter in a ditch because of the fighter planes overhead, but made it an moved in with some friends. After a week of fighting, the German soldiers surrendered but 75% of Crawinkel was destroyed needlessly. The Americans took Gossel (the village I had fled to) without firing a shot. After a few days of reinforcements rolling through the village, everything was quiet. There was no communication, no electricity, only rumors.

**** 

Ted said his boys have never read their grandmother's 48 page type-written autobiography. They said it was "too boring."  Go figure.

****

On Good Friday, Donna, Chuck and I went to Dearborn, MI to present a Hymn Sing Service at Henry Ford Village. It's a 1200 unit Assisted Living Community. Donna's Dad, Hali lives there. We were billed as "Lilac Ministries presents 'Two Hims and a Her.'  

The cute moniker comes from a conversation we were having about how some people know us as the group that plays "old hymns."  We actually do a variety of music, but that's what is remembered. Chuck quipped that we do have "two old hims and a her." 

The people at Dearbone loved it. One lady saw Chuck in the elevator and said "You're one of the Two Hims and a Her! I saw you from out in the hall." (The room was completely packed with about 50 people: residents, their family and friends, and staff.) 

****

Interestingly, Hali (Donna's dad) and his family fled Germany in 1939. They were teachers. Hitler sent teachers to "work camps" because were a threat because of their intelligence and social influence. Most people called these concentration camps. Most people on the inside of the fence died.

Curiously, teachers aren't so highly esteemed in America, today. Go figure.

While we were in Dearborn, we met a Japanese-American woman who spent much of WWII in a California "internment camp," living in tar-paper shacks. She refers to it a "concentration camp."  I imagine it all depends on what side of the fence one lives or dies.  She was appreciative of our coming to the east side of Michigan.  So was Hali, Donna's Dad.

****

BASEMENT

"The Hole" as we affectionately call our basement, has finally been relit. The cloth wiring gave out about two months ago. I've been using a lamp and candles to work and study at my desk. The resident spiders didn't seem to mind, as the darkness gave them more web room. 

Much appreciation to @SaintVi for dealing with the electricians. They did accomplish the task of installing fluorescent lights and extra outlets, but not without Vi's keen eye. Left to their own devices, we would've been without power to various outlets in the living room and kitchen. They also wouldn't have wired the on/off switch correctly. 

But - they did succeed. And they left a pile of sawdust on my computer and desk to show they'd been there.

Mercy. 

Most people leave a business card.

****

My garden is blooming. Daffodils have come and gone. Tulips, their first year in my yard, have bloomed and past their peak. That's a bit early in the season for us. I imagine Holland, MI, noted for the Tulip Time Festival is sweating daisies. I'm not sure the flowers will still be around during the first week of May.

I suppose silk flowers are still available.

****

I could write more, but it's always better to not tell everything all at one time.

Instead, it's time to turn the page.

(CAUTION - Be advised that the following is just the observation of a political junkie.)

Sometimes a really bad sports team will tank the last couple of games to ensure a first round draft pick for next season. 

Maybe it's just me ... but I feel like the Republican party is trying to do the same. 

Seems like every time I read something, they are making the extra effort to alienate a variety of people groups this year, including just about every woman in America on a variety of women's/human rights issues. (Maybe they plan on a first round draft pick for 2016.)

The latest, in brief: Rep. Terry England (R-GA) would support a bill that prohibited aborting a dead fetus, thereby forcing the woman to birth it stillborn. Here's the article and his statement:

Georgia state Rep. Terry England compared women to farm animals while discussing an abortion measure on the Georgia state house floor.

The republican lawmaker was commenting on HB 954 -- a measure which would prohibit a woman from having an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy -- when he made the curious comparison, according to The Raw Story.

“Life gives us many experiences,” England explained. “I’ve had the experience of delivering calves, dead and alive — delivering pigs, dead and alive. … It breaks our hearts to see those animals not make it.”

England went on to tell the story of a man who expressed his concern about abortion with his own animal metaphor.

"[The man] said, ‘Mr. Terry, I want to tell you something. You tell those folks down there when they quit killing babies, they can have every chicken I’ve got,'" England said.

The controversial bill would even apply in situations where the fetus was not expected to survive. England's response to such concerns is what sparked the bizarre comparison.

Opponents of the bill believe that it would force women to carry stillborn fetuses or to have Caesarian deliveries. Regardless of any complications surrounding the pregnancy, under HB 954 a woman is expected to carry the child until birth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/09/terry-england-farm-animals_n_1335976.html

Credit the quote to a featured Google+ post by Michelle Marie.  

Photo is from The Lorax.

My laptop is officially dead.

Like a bad heart, the hard drive hung in there for quite a while before finally giving up completely. I was rather disappointed, as it was much newer than my desktop where I do the bulk of my work. I'd hope to replace that this year, and probaby will - but didn't expect to need to replace my portable technology.

We are so spoiled.

I remember when having a portable 8-track player was a big deal. And before that, I remember when having a metal lunchbox with a The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a great portable storage device.

But, I digress.

Needing (wanting/desiring) a new portable technology, I opted to break away from the laptops I've grown to love and give a hand at the "tablet" technology. Today, I'm posting this using my Asus eepad Transformer Prime, complete with docking keyboard. The latter was essential for me - I'm still too old school for a virtul keyboard.

@SaintVi thinks this is cool. Jury is still out for me. I'll have to see if the smaller size is going to be okay. Lighter is a plus, in any event.

Other things - I'm about 1/3 of the way through the last phase of my nuclear operator certification course. I'm ready to be out of it (14 of 18 months behind me, now) and get on to doing what I love - designing and presenting training.

Ministry work continues to be a blessings. Our Lilac Ministries seems to be routinely affirmed in different ways. We've been holding a Quaker style silent worship on the second Sunday evening of the month. Looks like we're getting a core group started. Our guitarist/bass player, Chuck, is also trying to line us up for a couple of outside presentations in July or August. Still get a lot of positive support from our core ministry of nursing home residents and their families.

More to come ... but wanted to try out the keyboard on Xanga, so I'll stop here.