The Crazed by Ha Jin

The Crazed by Ha Jin is a masterful book. Engaging. Carefully detailed. Excellent characterization. Well plotted. The setting is China at the time of the Tiananmen Square movement in 1989.

Briefly, it is about a college professor, Mr. Yang, who after suffering a stroke, is cared for by his star student and soon-to-be son-in-law, Jian Wan. On his sickbed, Mr. Yang recalls things from his past in a rambling disjointed way. At times he is lucid and at times, not. As Yang reveals secrets from his past, Jian Wan, the narrator, begins to see Yang's life in a new and different light, realizing that this is not a life he wants to follow.

I loved how Jian Wan's growth is revealed. As he comes to new realizations, he seeks and discovers what is true and important and what is not. He discovers his true passions do not lie in academia; he learns of the "tricks of the academic game." As he questions his life to that point, the reader begins to see shifts in his ideology and a transformed purpose. Jian Wan's awakening is the story of his generation and his coming of age story parallels that of China's.

In a discussion with Mr. Yang, Jian Wan's true thoughts begin to unfold:

"Have you read Dante?" he asked me in a nasal voice...

"No, I haven't." Unable to say yes, I was somewhat embarrassed. "You should read The Divine Comedy. After you finish it, you will look at the world differently."

So I borrowed all three books of the poem from the library and went through them in two weeks, but I didn't enjoy the poem and felt the world remained the same." (p. 71)

I loved this quote:

Yang recalling his experience as a scholar in the West says this: "Oh, you should have seen the libraries at Berkeley, absolutely magnificent. You can go to the stacks directly, see what's on them, and can even check out some rare books. Frankly, I would die happy if I could work as a librarian in a place like that all my life." (p. 105)

The tension that Jian Wan feels is revealed when another professor asks Yang: "Why should we look down on ourselves so? We're both intellectuals, aren't we?" Yang replies, "No, we're not. Who is an intellectual in China? Ridiculous, anyone with a college education is called an intellectual. The truth is that all people in the humanities are clerks and all people in the sciences are technicians. Tell me, who is a really independent intellectual, has original ideas and speaks the truth? None that I know of. We're all dumb laborers kept by the state--a retrograde species." (p. 153) While this is a conversation between another professor and Yang, Jian Wan takes it to heart and acts on it.

The final quote from the book is this: "Ever since I boarded the train back, a terrible vision had tormented me. I saw China in the form of an old hag so decrepit and brainsick that she would devour her children to sustain herself. Insatiable, she had eaten many tender lives before, was gobbling new flesh and blood now, and would surely swallow more." (p. 315)

A worthy read. One of the best books I've read this year.

photos of Czech Republic

My

I promised I would include some photos of Czech Republic. So here are a few.

Top: Linda and Czech friends having tea.

Middle: Linda and Verka

Bottom: Joanie and Ondra. I love their smiles and laughter.

Destiny

I've been thinking of how miraculous it is that the God of the universe desires a relationship with his human creatures. That faith, my faith, is tied to destiny. My destiny is secure. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are promised this in Scripture. And God's love is for everyone. I really don't understand it. I don't understand the God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit relationship. But I believe it in faith. My little brain and my small human logic doesn't really get it.

It does have something to do with humility. Humility is from the Holy Spirit. He makes us who we are and gives us the mind of Christ, a true, right view of self. Our character is produced by the Holy Spirit. Our lives manifest the fruits of the Spirit. Christ bought us with a price and we can live in the moment of today resting in faith. Praise be to God for His unspeakable gifts.

I'm Inspired to write

The Festival of Faith and Writing has inspired me. On the trip home I was dreaming of plots for future writing. I envisioned a short story here and a novel there. The trouble is I never act on it. I think I have great ideas in my head, but those ideas never seem to get on paper. So I'm going to try to do a new thing. I'm going to blog some random thoughts. Just snippets of unfinished ideas. Fiction. Non-fiction. Truth and Error. Inspired or uninspired. So here's my first paragraph.

Why do Christians judge other people?

I was thinking of a time when I was younger (but still old enough to know better.) I once thought that making fun of people's idiosyncratic behaviors as fodder for my sad and pathetic humor; I thought it was funny. I did make fun of people. I did (and still do) judge people. I confess it, and it shames me.

Mostly I'm thinking of times when my sister and I spoke unkindly of our aunt (and some other relatives.) My memory has faded as to what specific quirky things she said or did that we felt were so amusing. But I'm left with feelings of remorse for making fun of her behind her back. She really was a hospitable and generous person, undeserving of those words. Although she is gone now, I find that I miss her quite a lot. I wish I could enjoy those idiosyncracies today that at one time I thought were so funny.

The reality is that we are all quirky people. We all have those characteristics or behaviors that, while they seem funny to other people, are really sometime endearing when we turn them a little bit, looking at them from another angle. Our quirkiness is what makes us who we are. But if we are authentic, if we are human, we need to embrace a love wide enough to accept others with their all of their quirks and flaws, just as we ourselves want to be accepted for our own.

The trouble with backbiting is we are far to pious and clever to mock people to their faces. Wouldn't speaking directly to them be more honest? But backbiters never do. By hiding behind spaces and distance, heartless comments can never be defended. How cowardly this backbiting is. And arrogant. How is it that we think we are better than another? How unbecoming is this kind of posturing and pride. This unkindness is not love. It isn't living out the Golden Rule. I am shamed by it.

I wonder sometimes if those behaviors come back to haunt us. For example, I've wondered if children exhibit the behaviors of their parents. So, for parents who speak unkindly, backbite or mock others, do their children model this? For example, do my nieces and nephew think of me, their aunt, in the same unkind terms that my sister and I spoke of ours? I don't know my nieces and nephews well enough to say. But I would want for them a deeper conviction to live their Christian faith with a wider, more generous view of others, and to be able to understand humility in the face of other people. None of us has anything to stand on based on our own actions or worth. How is humility and a gracious spirit learned if not from those mentors and models around us?

I was just thinking about a legacy I might live for them. I would like them to know me not for my behaviors but for my heart. A heart of compassion and humility. I hope I've learned something about enlarging my heart toward accepting other people and I hope to share this idea some how.

The message in church today was: "Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7: 1-2.

These are some of Jesus' words that I don't like very much. I don't like this passage in light of my past. And sometimes even my present. This passage seems to imply that if I continued to live a life of mockery, I might also be mocked. If I continue to backbite about others, others will talk badly about me. I have been thinking about opening my heart to a wider acceptance of people.

Oh, I know that God forgives us because Jesus' action on the cross on our behalf.

I just don't have it all resolved. This is a paragraph in the making just as my actions are.

Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos

I just returned from the 2010 Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin. Oh, it was wonderful. I am inspired to write more and read more. I'm reading Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos who was one of the presenters. I love the sense of place--Seattle and the lively characters. Without giving away the plot there is a lot of brokenness in ways I didn't expect.

So here's a brief entry. Keep looking for more.

How could God use peanut butter cookies to advance His Kingdom?*

The destination this January was Chotebor, Czech Republic for a team of 16 students and three sponsors where we shared our lives and Christian faith on a great God-assigned adventure. It is hard to describe these very busy 3 weeks or to convey in a few words the significance of our efforts there. But I'll try.

What we did.

We were invited into several schools to teach English and PE and to engage students in conversational English. We invited those students to a number of after-school activities for follow-up and intentional conversations over coffee or tea at the local coffee shop. We participated in youth group and invited kids there, spent time hanging out with kids of all ages: at a couple of state run children's homes, a nursing home and some local Gypsy kids (the boys are great at beat boxing). All of our efforts were to provide links for the local ministry and draw them into relationships with local Believers.

We hosted two bigger community events where the Americans provided desserts* (one of my roles was to bake about 9 dozen, mostly peanut butter, cookies as well as several dozen muffins. Since peanut butter is relatively unavailable the peanut butter cookies were quite popular! We also made a chicken enchilada meal to serve 70 people as part of an outreach. Relationships we made have continued through Facebook, Skype, and e-mail. And we heard that many new kids are attending the youth meetings. Since we've been back on campus a few girls on the team are meeting at my home weekly to pray for the ministry and people in Czech Republic, especially for the planting of a church in Chotebor where there is currently no Protestant church.

A few reflections

A few things I learned have to do with keeping my eyes and heart open for God's work, being a willing and obedient servant, and participationg fully in the moments I've been given. Perhaps these aren't very profound thoughts, but God has reminded me that it is the small things that matter. Frequently He reminds me that in my weakness He will do what I cannot, but that I need to do my best for Him even when I don't see the bigger picture or my role. Even though 3 weeks is a short time, I am reminded that time is in God's hands, and He alone chooses to do what He will with our moments, a minute or a lifetime. And His work goes beyond our vision or knowledge. The truth that reassures me is that our lives, even the mundane moments living in Indiana, have an impact to further His Kingdom.

In short, my attempt to write a reflection is a form of verifying and thanking God for His work. I am grateful for this awareness. It is a great day to be alive! And now whenever I make peanut butter cookies I will remember Chotebor, the friends I made, and the outstanding team of students who shared the experiences. God will build His church and save people using small things. I'm blessed to play a small part in it.

too many books so little time

I'm reading a book I've found is quite good so far. The Mercy Seller by Brenda Rickman Vantrease. I bought it because part of it takes place in the Czech Republic--where I will be headed for the month of January. Part of it takes place in Prague and England in the time period of Jan Hus--around 1400 or so. Hus was a martyr, and translator of the Bible. He was burned at the stake for his faith. So this book talks about the selling of indulgences, religious intolerance, church history and dogma. I am not half way through it and find it very well written, with rich and captivating characters, a sustainable plot. It seems well researched. I recommend it to those who like historical fiction that is grounded on real history. I can't wait to read her first book The Illuminator.

The First Day of The New School Year

I am energized. Refreshed. Ready to go. Summers are a wonderful time of easy living. This summer was fulfilling and restful in spite of the fact that I was in Upland for most of the time. We merged a library into our library. I traveled to Oregon, Washington, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I spent time with family. I had visitors. I read and did a little bit of knitting. Like I said in my previous post, I am going to try to post more often. So here's my attempt.

Summer 2009

Well, after quite a long hiatus I am back to blogging. I wish I had lots of pithy things to write, but I don't. My days consist of evaluating books for withdrawal and selection as we merge the Ft. Wayne campus library into our Upland campus library.

I'm going to try to write more faithfully. Probably not every day. But I will try to post more.

More India Photos

Indiana to India and Back Photos

From Indiana to India and Back

Since I returned from India a little over a month ago, I have been trying to distill and capture my impressions, emotions and experiences into a meaningful written snapshot. This has been a more difficult task than I expected as there has been so much to sort out in my own processing before I could write about it. Clearly this description won’t do justice to our three week experience, but I’ll try in the limits of a few paragraphs.

I didn’t expect to be overwhelmed by so many contrasts. The contrasts within India itself are great – not simply the cultural, economic and religious differences between East and West.

· The sights of women wearing bright jewel toned sarees and salwars walking on dusty, garbage laden streets.

· The aromas of fresh papaya one minute and cow manure/sewage the next. (well, the cow manure part isn't that much different than home--if you want to know the truth about it. It's just that we find that particular aroma in the countryside, not the city.)
· The hundreds of bright yellow “auto” rickshaws competing side by side on the streets with motorcycles, busses, cars and trucks, pedestrians, and cows (Oh and while riding in our bus, we were almost T-boned by a wayward cow coming from a side street at a gallop! He swerved and barely missed us.)

The biggest contrast was perhaps the overwhelming number of people. It was staggering beyond description. Over 7 million people live in metropolitan Chennai with over 2,200 people per square mile. It is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Bangalore has over 5 million people and is the third most populous city in India.

I didn’t expect to see a slum with 20+ children next door to the training center compound where we stayed. While we did invite the children over to play games in an attempt to reach them (in spite of a language barrier) I realized how much of the need for a Savior is bound to a complex system of oppression far beyond human intervention. Clearly the young girls between the ages of 11-14 appeared to be the mothers of the babies they carried on their hips. How does one begin to even think about the tangled intersection of spiritual darkness, poverty and overpopulation? What remedy is there but Jesus Christ alone who gives value and worth to every person.

I didn’t expect the generosity and hospitality of people I didn’t know. (One example is the perfectly formed small shell given to me by a poor man on the Chennai beach.) We easily made friends with out hosts, our home-stay family and several of the teachers at the schools where we went. I didn’t expect to have my heart deeply touched by the smile and hug of a Hindu orphan girl, at one of the schools we visited. I didn’t expect to see radiant smiles of the boys at the Boys Home as I showed them how to take photos of each other with my camera. I didn't expect to be served Indian coffee at every turn--and least of all -- I didn't expect to like it! (It's 40% chicory, 60% coffee, made with scalded milk and lots of sugar.)

As a team of 18 (16 students and one other co-sponsor) we prayed that people would see Jesus Christ in our performances and our lives. I asked myself “how much could we realistically accomplish in three weeks?” I have to be content with the answer that we may not know where the seeds that were planted will take root. We did meet young people who are spiritually hungry and are seeking to fill the God-shaped vacuum in their lives. And we trust that our ministry has provided an entrée for our hosts, Youth for Christ India, to begin Bible studies in the schools where young people are seeking to fill that void. Our schedule was a busy one: we presented 24 programs to about 13,000 young people. We also scraped, primed and painted the chapel at the YFC Training Center where we stayed.

So the story of our trip is still being written. I can report that we did witness God working in India. I am thankful to have been entrusted to a small role of a much bigger picture and to have been able to serve under and support YFC India. I read somewhere that Christians represent about 5% of Bangalore’s population. (Hindus 79%, Muslims 13%.) So now that I’m back at home, I have unanswered questions about all that being a global Christian means. Yet I can know and be confident that God is drawing Indian people to Himself in a myriad of different ways.

Do people return from short term mission trips changed people? I think they can be when they intentionally look for God to change and challenge them. I went to India with openness for God’s leading, wanting to be obedient to God’s direction, hoping that He would make a difference in someone's life through me. I didn’t go with a long list of personal expectations, although one of my main goals was to enable the students to have a bigger vision of God, his Kingdom and help them discover the necessity of and how they might live as global followers of Jesus Christ and to live for others more than self. (Yes, I know these are big goals!)

If there was a theme of the past 6 months--the preparations, the trip itself, as well as the culmination of thoughts about India, the ministry, the people, and resulting personal application -- it is the working out of the meanings of the words “compassion” and “gratitude.” Both have taken on new importance in my life. These two words: “compassion” and “gratitude” have come to the forefront of my life since I’ve been back because of what I have experienced and seen.

I think about and pray daily that I will have a heart of “compassion” and “gratitude” that overflows as a result of this trip. This plus the fact that my heart has been humbled even more as I understand the sacrifice Jesus Christ extended to me. It's because of Him that I’ve found I want to express a joyful life of compassion and gratitude.

This hasn't always been easy, quite honestly. There are people in our lives who are difficult to relate to and to love. But I recognize how I need to offer compassion and gratitude regardless of their response. People don't always respond in kind. They even reject our attempts in caring for them and offering what we have to give. And this trip reminded me of how I need to have Jesus' heart of compassion and humility. When people reject our attempts, when they pull away from a sympathetic touch on the arm, when the draw back emotionally, we have to keep offering compassion and gratitude in the face of that rejection. Because that is what Jesus did, too. He faced rejection by his best friends and the whole world and He loved them anyway. So, our scale is pretty limited in comparison.

My convictions for living in gratitude and compassion as central to daily life have fueled a passion for serving God in a fresh and renewed way. I don’t know where or how that will lead. I've just been taking it one day at a time. I don't want the India experience to be the sort of momentary spiritual "feel good moment" that evaporates a few weeks out. I don't know if or how people will see changes my life, but I pray that this heart change will extend to actions that will spur others to compassion and gratitude.

In case you can't tell, I've grown to love India! I've grown to love the lessons that God has taught me because He has shared more of Himself with me over the past months.

So that's my story. To God be the Glory!

India photos

Here are some more photos of India

India

Here are some photos of my trip to India.

Academic Social Networking Applications

Here is one of the YouTube tutorials we created: Google Scholar and JSTOR

Social Networking Sites To Explore:

Facebook
http://del.icio.us/readster
LibraryThing

Social Networking and Libraries: recent blogs, articles, sites and links

BLOGS of people to pay attention to:

Stephen Abram: Stephen's Lighthouse. Abram has his finger on the pulse of libraries and all manner of new technologies. This is one of the best blog's in the profession, hands down.

Gerry McKiernan: Friends: social networking sites for engaged library services "is devoted to application and use of online social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace) for all types of library-related programs and services."

David Lee King: www.davidleeking.com
recommends Twitter -- a global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing? Answer on your phone, IM, or right here on the web. David Lee King of Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library has a great blog discussing emerging new media from a librarian's perspective. His entry is Twtter Explained for Librarians, or 10 ways to use Twitter may give librarians some ideas for future applications.

Meredith Farkas. The Social Software in Libraries site is a companion to the book: Social Software in Libraries by Meredith Farkas (2007). The book covers many relevant topics including: Blogs, Blogs in Libraries, RSS Feeds, Wikis, Online Communities, Social Networking, Social Bookmarking, Synchronous Online Reference, Podcasting, and Future Trends in Social Software. The site includes links to other resources.

Meredith Farkas' blogs are Information Wants to be Free and TechEssence She has also created a wiki: Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki for librarians.


BOOKS AND ARTICLES:

Chad, Ken and Paul Miller. Do Libraries Matter? the rise of Library 2.0.
http://www.talis.com/applications/downloads/white_papers/DoLibrariesMatter.pdf

Coulter, Priscilla. "Blogging It into Them: weblogs in information literacy insstruction. " Journal of Library Administration; 2006, vol 45. issue 1/2. p 101-15. This article describes blogs as a means of supplementing face-to-face information literacy instruction and library outreach to graduate students and distance education.

Farkas, Meredith. "Going Where Patrons Are." American Libraries. April, 2007, p 27. See comments about Farkas above.

Gardner, Susan and Susanna Eng. "What Students Want: Generation Y and the changing function of the academic library." portal: Libraries and the Academy, 2005, vol. 5, no. 3, p. 405-420. This article presents the results of a 2003 user survey of library use among undergraduates.

Gordon, Rachel Singer. The NextGen Librarian's Survival Guide. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2006. (978-1-57387-256-0) This is a book designed primarily for librarians but would be good information for all of us. Singer-Gordon writes a regular column for American Libraries also.

Hewitt, Anne and Andrea Forte. "Crossing Boundaries: identity management and student/faculty relationships on the Facebook" This is a description of a poster based on a 2006 survey on perceptions of faculty who use facebook. Results indicated that 1/3 of students surveyed did not believe that faculty should be present on Facebook at all.

Huwe, Terence K. "Some Best Practices for Personalizing Outreach." Computers in Libraries. Feb. 2006, vol 26, no 2, p 36-38. Considers blogs, RSS and creating personalized outreach services. There are some interesting possibilities for libraries

Lackie, Robert J. "WEB 2.0 and Its Technologies for Collaborative Library Communication." MultiMedia and Internet @Schools. Nov/Dec. 2006. vol 13, no. 6, pp 9-12. Talks about blogs, RSS feeds, del.icio.us, wikis.

Lenhart, Amanda and Mary Madden. "Social Networking Websites and Teens: an overview" Pew Internet and American Life Project. Jan 7, 2007. The Pew Internet and American Life Project is a great resource for current data. I have found they keep the finger on the pulse of numerous aspects of our culture that directly relate to the internet as well as our spiritual lives.

Lorenzo, George; Diana Oblinger and Charles Dziuban. How Choice, Co-Creation, and Culture Are Changing What It Means To Be Net Savvy. Educause Learning Initiative. ELI Paper 4. October, 2006. Discusses current culture changes and how higher education can respond and adapt to Web 2.0.

McDonald, Robert H. and Chuck Thomas. "Disconnects between Library Culture and Millennial Generation Values." Educause Quarterly, 2006, p. 4-6. What are the gaps of services we provide? McDonald and Thomas discuss how libraries need to pay attention to "embedding themselves and their resources into the everyday tools, spaces and activities of today's learner."

see also: Chuck Thomas and Robert H. McDonald, "Millennial Net Value(s): Disconnects Between Libraries and the Information Age Mindset" (August 15, 2005) Florida State University D-Scholarship Repository, Article #4. http://dscholarship.lib.fsu.edu/general/4

Mathews, Brian S. "Do you Facebook?" C&RL News. May 2006. p 306-7. Matthews was one of the first librarians to write about library applications using Facebook among Georgia Tech students.

Peek, Robin. "Librarians on Second Life" Information Today. Feb. 2007, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 15-16
Pierce, Jennifer Burek. "Who's on Second?" American Libraries. Feb. 2007, p. 46. Two articles about Second Life, creating an avatar, and librarians who "play" and "live" an Info Island life.

Rosedale, Philip as told to Michael Fitzgerald. "Only the Money is Real." Inc. Magazine, Feb. 2007. p. 81-85. What is Second Life? This article explains the basics. It's more about the financial viability in the for profit world. Not directly about libraries.

Sauers, Michael P., Blogging and RSS: a librarian's guide. Medford, NJ: Information Today. 2006. (978-1-57387-268-3) Looks like a promising book for libraries who want to explore library applications of blogs and RSS.

Stone, Brad. "The Battle over YouTube." Newsweek. October 9, 2006. p. 48-49. This is one of thousands of articles on YouTube and their copyright issues.

Tapscott, Don. Wikinomics: how mass collaboration changes everything. 2006. This book looks promising. Don Smeeton recommended it in his presentation on Library Thing.

SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES

Wikipedia's List of Social Networking Websites

LINKS:

Facebook

Itunes

YouTube

LibraryThing

Second Life

MySpace

BookSwim

OTHER

ALA TechSource This is a good source for learning the latest: Drupal, Joomla, Moodle...This links to the TechSource blog but there are also reports, newsletters, and other info.

Academic Librarians: have laptop will travel. David Rothman has posted on his blog a nice video describing Macon State College Library's "Laptop Librarian" program. Rothman's blog is primarily related to medical librarianship but this video describes an innovative way for the librarian to meet students "on their turf."

Thomas, Deepak and Vineet Buch. YouTube Case Study: Widget marketing comes of age
Start-up Review: analyzing web success

Podcasting

Digital Campus. George Mason University. Center for History and New Media.

Episode 01 - Wikipedia: Friend or Foe?
Episode 02 - The Old and the YouTube
Episode 04 - Welcome to the Social

These are engaging discussion by knowledgeable people who think about the implications of new media applications in the academic classroom. Thanks, Peter, for suggesting this site.

Notable Book Challenge

I'm taking the challenge! I've started by reading these four books:

READING LIKE A WRITER: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. By Francine Prose.

THE LOOMING TOWER: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. By Lawrence Wright.

THE PLACES IN BETWEEN. By Rory Stewart.

IRAN AWAKENING: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope. By Shirin Ebadi with Azadeh Moaveni.

I am happy to say that I have completed the first three thus far this year.

Actually I am not quite finished with Iran Awakening, but should be done in the next day or so. It is engaging, and I am enjoying it. I know I will complete it.


The final non-fiction book on my list will be: THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA: A Natural History of Four Meals. By Michael Pollan. I have read The Botany of Desire so am eager to see what Pollan has to say. I am thinking about adding 5 books from the fiction list. I have one of them already. So, I think that will make a fine challenge: 5 non-fiction and 5 fiction.

What a lovely idea.

Wikiality, Truthiness, and Stephen Colbert

Wikiality: the idea that if you claim something to be true and enough people agree with you, it becomes true. --from Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report*. (*links to the clip from the Word part of the show where Colbert defines wikiality by checking Wikipedia for what he had said about Oregon as Washington's Mexico or California's Canada.)

Truthiness (noun)
1 : "truth that comes from the gut, not books" (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," October 2005)2 : "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true" (American Dialect Society, January 2006)
-- http://www.m-w.com/info/06words.htm (Merriam Webster dictionary)

How is it that I have missed Stephen Colbert's show until now? Well, it might be because I don't watch TV--hardly ever. But I found a link to this Word segment. We could have a long and healthy discussion about the meaning of truth based on its changing definition.

Yikes. There's more to come on this topic...