Did you see the site www.thethriftymerchant.com ? They sell masonic rings of all types.

Life without a rulebook...I have always been uncomfortable with a set of rules to follow that are inviolable. Inevitably a set of rules will be inadequate to deal with all the nuances and new situations which can arise. The Bible simply doesn't address cloning. Rather than create a set of moral imperatives, I strive to apply love, compassion and intelligence to each situation that produces a moral quandary. Each action is a stand-alone response to circumstances. This avoids hypocrisy when you claim one set of values, and then circumstances force you to act otherwise. Cannibalism? Normally a bad idea. But I'd insist my children eat me if I knew that would improve their survival potential in an extreme situation. Case by case you can sincerely seek the narrow path of optimization of a circumstance. In this framework, Right and Wrong exist within contexts, but not as absolutes. In the context of plenty of food for everyone, human cannibalism is a horrid evil. In the context of immediate starvation, it is a gift of love from one human to another. I don't feel that being a moral relativist in this manner weakens Right and Wrong, or creates justifications for selfish behavior. Instead, I feel this is the responsible usage of the mental faculties we've been given to spread love and compassion as best we can.

Back from Christmas and a College Graduate

So, after getting expelled in 10th grade, and then dropping out senior year, I have graduated a semester early, with a cumulative gpa of 3.98, Suma Cum Laude. I am a member of the presidential honour society and am debating whether or not I want to try for some SUNY Chamber of something award, my guess is no. I get a sweet medal for being in the club of high graders. If anyone wants to checkout one of my jobs go to kendoventures.com - that's the only thing I have in the oven other than what my dad and I are trying to get going. mom laura dave dad and I have been having a good time up in NY, although the weather is cold and we do miss our buddies Reid and John, and Gmama, Vivian, Emilie, Carlin, Dominique, Billy, Noah, Loic, not in that order of course but all equally :).

TTFN, Ta Ta For Now (no reference to the Indian company)

Hello all. I'm finally here again. It seems that some 'ones of us' were cold last week, and now more than 'one of us' will be snowed in tomorrow. Quite a winter we are enjoying. How beautiful our storm will be. I just wish we could stay here and enjoy the storm a little longer, but the sunny south is calling! I can't wait to see everyone, (Emilie, we will miss you!) and that is well worth leaving our winter wonderland. John, you told me you were part of an experiment, but you didn't tell me how horrible it was. I wish you had hand written in every answer just to protest the absurdity of their system. I don't know what they were trying to prove, but it just goes to show how worthless so many statistics we hear are. Well, I'm going to stop there after saying almost nothing. It's bedtime, and I just wanted to say hello. Annie

At Home for Christmas

Mother is downstairs practicing piano (and believe it or not, I have been too lately, working on some phantom of the opera pieces). Laura is off at school, Dad is off to work, and David is asleep somewhere. It's been so wonderful being at home, I'm very proud to say that my family has finally reached the point where apart from Laura and David, there really is no nonsensical fighting. Reid John and I will sometimes spar over whose job it is to do the dishes, but I predict that that will continue forever. We have such a good time together these days, even choosing to go on errands to keep each other company. Gmama, much thanks for the post, I certainly think graduate school could be in my future, but we'll have to see how everything pans out. The ring I received that signifies my "Buchanan" manhood finally fits...I don't know if anyone was aware, but my family is doing a ring at manhood policy, and when I received mine my fingers were too small, but I have fattened up and it now fits securely, and is even difficult to get off at times. Christmas fast approaches, as dose the time our wonderful family gets together and I can barely contain my excitement. I'm off to do some work that hopefully someday will pay off (assuming any of this Eastern Europe stuff ever becomes profitable), eat a healthy breakfast, and chill with Mom and Dave for the day.
-Ben

Hooray for our second college graduate!

Congratulations to Ben, who overcame boredom, poor teachers, misinformation about how many hours credit he had, and all other impediments, to graduate from the Univ. of Albany!!!! And with a wonderfully high GPA. If all his other plans for the future don't pan out, I would love to see him really challenged at a hard graduate school with other conscientious students so perhaps he could go back to breathing normally and not force the teachers to "finagle" the curve so other students can pass. Thank you, Ben, for keeping in touch, so we who have blogged with you could enjoy your activities and the feeling of being closer, even though distances keep us all apart. I, for one, have high hopes for your future endeavors and look forward to seeing all the good things I know you are capable of doing and becoming! I'm proud of you Ben, and love you and all the Importants very much. GMama

An Outlier??!?!?! ME!??!?!?!

So apparently that's what I am...nothing but a lowly outlier....whose grade will not even count towards the curve...can you all believe it?

I went to speak to my economics statistics professor before our exam, for no particular reason other than just keeping in touch as I do. While in his room chatting with him another student walked in who had lost his review guide for the final exam. The teacher was looking around trying to find some printer paper so he could print the student out another exam, I jutted in and offered the student my copy of the final review. I told him that I wasn't going to be studying anyway so he could have it. The teacher knew I was a good student, but still made a comment attacking my boldness. He said "let's see your grade, I know your one of the top students but not studying for the final?" He checked on his grade sheet which happened to be on his desk, sure enough I was the top grade in the class...with a 97% average....the next highest average in the class was 84%. He gave a little chuckle as he shared this information with the student and myself, at which point the student scoffed and made a comment about how I was going to ruin the curve for the class. Then the teacher calmed my nervous compatriot's nerves..."I don't count the outliers when I do the curve" he said..."I always have a few students who get 0's on exams they have skipped or who blow off the course but forget to drop it or something, and I do not count their grades when calculating the curve, so I figure I won't count Ben's grade either." I'm not really sure what method he uses to curve grades or if he really isn't going to count my grade, but funny situation eh?

In defense of my fellow students intelligence, I am a math minor and have taken multiple statistics classes...this is an entirely math based economics class, the teacher...while nice...is not very good. So, I'm sure there were some smart people in this class, but I'm pretty sure I was the only math minor.