Merry Chrismas to all...

Yesterday I mentioned the Spanish conquest of the Incan civilization and the brutality through which the Spanish attempted to obliterate a culture even as they plundered its riches. Let us celebrate the good parts of the message of Christ, and fess up to the evil done in Christ's name, just as we recognize the good ideals put forth by our founding fathers as we fess up and try to improve the relationship between the US and the world and between ourselves and each other. Let us learn to give to each other, to trust each other and to build upon ideals. Those are: the fellowship of human kind, respect for all life, and the right worship as we see fit whether we do the bulk of it in the forest, the classroom, the wood shop or in the shopping mall. We each are born with the responsibility to care for each other.

In my home woodshop, I'm working on a new jig for drilling wheels that may be included in the book if it offers some hope of being an improvement, making wheel making easier for kids. The idea is simple even though it took a long time to arrive in my thoughts. The photo shows the start of the jig. It will fit over the drill press table, but I don't expect you to understand how it works until you see it in use.

Yesterday on the radio (NPR) they were talking about the need for human beings to be able to colonize other planets. Some of their planning is based on accepting an understanding that we've so badly screwed up own planet, that we need someplace to escape to. To those who would go to Mars, I have this wish. Get off your computer and take a walk into the real world. Then having witnessed the wonders of it,  get off your posteriors and apply yourselves to protecting what we have. Certainly we would learn a few things by attempting to live on another planet. But how about attempting to learn a few things from living on earth? And by taking better care of what we've been given?

Make, fix, and create...