Tag Archives: wisconsin

Capacity for evil

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The capacity for evil in this world continually astounds me. The violence against innocent girls in an Amish country school yesterday haunts me, as does the killing of a girl in a school in Colorado and the murder of a school principal in rural Wisconsin. Another incident that I can’t get out of my mind is the gruesome slaughter of a woman and her unborn child, along with her three older children, in East St. Louis. Early last month several little kids died here in the Chicago area in an apartment fire while neighbors and family watched helplessly. When I read about killings day after day in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East, I am numbed by the sheer volume of violence.

I haven’t felt this way — highly concerned and anxious about the state of affairs around me — since September 11, 2001. I know who is the author and promoter of evil: Satan. I know that his power is great and that his weapons include fear, doubt, and destruction. But I also know that his power is in no way comparable to God’s; that his efforts are ultimately fruitless; that the only sure thing I have in this world is the promise that God will never leave me or forsake me. Jesus said to his followers: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Some beautiful weather

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Yesterday we had some beautiful weather, and today looks to be the same. We decided to explore the area around where we hope to live. There is a lot of open countryside, most of it wooded. Mature oak trees are everywhere. (Oaks are my favorite trees.) There are lakes everywhere, too, and it was fun to drive by several of them and see all of the people out in their boats enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the things we did was to drive by the elementary school that, hopefully, Tristan will attend in the fall. It is a nice place and looks like it was built recently. Tristan is quite excited about going to school but I am not sure that his parents are prepared for this major life change :-)

On Wednesday last week, I attended Keegan’s 8th grade graduation ceremony. It was great to be there except that it was held in a gym without any air conditioning. Sitting two plus hours on a bench among a couple thousand hot, sweaty people is a challenge. Keegan is pretty sad to leave behind the friends he has made and we feel sorry for him. But he is a pretty gregarious person and we are certain he will make new friends at his new school. His Uncle Bryan picked him up after the graduation ceremony and Keegan stayed with him that night and Thursday, and then they left for fishing camp this weekend at Honey Rock in northern Wisconsin.

This year’s crop of award winners from NASIG

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I was pleased to get an email today announcing the winners of various annual awards from NASIG. NASIG generously gives out several different awards, but the highlight for me has always been the award for current Master’s level library and information science students. NASIG gives out several of these each year, and I was fortunate enough to be selected for one of them way back in 1991. Another highlight for me is the Mexico Student Grant Award, which I helped establish. This year’s crop of award winners includes a woman in the LEEP curriculum at my alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Congratulations to all the winners!

NASIG Conference Student Grant Award

Gregory Schmidt – University of Alabama
Sarah Morris – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Lisa Harrington – Simmons College
Laura Baker – Simmons College

Mexico Student Grant

Martha Alejandra Alatorre Betancourt – Universidad Autonoma De San Luis Potosi Escuela De Bibliotecologia E Informacion

Fritz Schwartz Serials Education Scholarship

Claire Rasmussen – University of Wisconsin at Madison

Horizon Award

Jennifer Arnold – Central Piedmont Community College

Serials Specialist Award Winner

Wendy Lichte – Arizona State University

A good weekend

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Thanks to having yesterday off (it was Columbus Day here in the U.S.), we enjoyed a longer-than-usual weekend. Rather than try to finish unpacking boxes from the move and clean up the general mess, we decided to try to do some fun things. Saturday we visited a Japanese market called Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights and enjoyed the sense that we were visiting that country. We picked up some red bean cakes and miso soup mix as well as some other things. It was quite stressful to shop there with four children in a very crowded store. Still, it was fascinating and worth the trip. Michele and I agreed that next time we go, we should pick a day that is less busy and preferably, sans kids. Sunday I went to church and then afterward, we drove up to Lake Geneva, just across the border in Wisconsin. Yesterday we decided to visit the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Much to their surprise, the kids really enjoyed it. The weather was nearly perfect for the trip, sunny but cool. I’ll add photos from the gardens to my Flickr account soon but in the meantime, I loaded some new photos of the kids taken over the weekend by Michele and me with our new digital camera.

Keegan goes fishing

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Yesterday my brother-in-law, Bryan, came to visit for a short while and then drove back home with Keegan. Today they are leaving for Honey Rock Camp, Wheaton College’s Northwoods Campus in northern Wisconsin, for a weekend of fishing and fun. My parents-in-law are already there and they will all share an apartment. Keegan was very excited about the trip. I’m glad he was able to go.

Can’t wait to go to NASIG

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In a few short days I depart for the NASIG annual conference in Milwaukee, WI. I can’t wait. The upside: I get to spend lots of time with many of my closest friends and professional colleagues in a wonderfully relaxed, yet stimulating, conference environment. The downside: My family won’t be there with me :-(

NASIG is simply the best library organization there is, and it puts on the best conference you’ll ever experience! If you want to know more about NASIG, including how to become a member, click here.

From ER to Green Bay

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We spent part of this weekend travelling to a wedding in Green Bay, Wisconsin. On our way there we stopped at my in-law’s in Illinois. We shopped briefly at a local Target to get some things for the trip, and Brinley fell against the edge of the shopping cart and split open her head. She was bleeding all over the place and we rushed her to the nearest emergency room. The wound in her head required five stitches. It was pretty rough to watch her going through this whole thing but she actually seems none the worse for it all. The wound is healing nicely and she should have her stitches out later this week. Michele and I hope she doesn’t have much of a scar.

The wedding was for one of my wife’s cousins. It was a great time, I really admired the bride and groom for the emphasis on Christ throughout the ceremony as well as the reception. E.g. in lieu of the traditional clanging on glasses to get the bride and groom to kiss during the reception, they asked that people come up to a microphone and share their testimonies. It was good to see quite a few of Michele’s father’s side of the family.