America meets the Fahrenheit 451 world

In the blink on an eye, any country in the world can be taken out with nuclear weapons. Technology has become life threatening; however, few seem to worry about its effects. People are blind to the direction the world is headed in. Omar N. Bradley once said, “If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner.” In the same way, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 alludes to the current modern-day world. American society believes it has met the peak of intelligence; however, Bradbury shows his readers how negligent American society has become through the chaos within the culture, which ensues when wisdom and youth are neglected.

Fahrenheit 451 was published in the early 50’s, despite the era it was written in, Bradbury makes many valid points reflecting modern culture. Bradbury predicts the obsession with technology and the problems it may cause; including, but not limited to, an enormous lack of human interaction. The characters do not care for others and have become very egocentric.  It is as if they never grew up. During times of stress, anxiety, etc. they resort to technology to comfort them, bringing to mind a parent comforting a child with a pacifier.

This book is a great read, especially for those who enjoying thinking. You can find Fahrenheit 451 on the shelves of the Masland Library here at Cairn University in our fiction section. Challenge yourself to prove this story wrong and get to know your fellow school mates. How will you stop America from reaching a dystopian nightmare?

~Ismael Santana

Book Review: The Stork is Dead

Throughout the library, there are many books. Most of which do not get checked out very often. The other day, I was straightening out some books in the back of the Mezzanine. Here, I saw a book that caught my eye. The book is titled, The Stork is Dead. Now as one can infer from the title, it is about something that has to do with babies, or, yes I’m going to go there, the conception of babies. Now if you don’t know how that process works, please go talk to Nurse Allison. I’m sure she would be happy to sit down and discuss it with you. When I started reading the book, I honestly could not put it down.

This book is aimed towards the audience of teenagers who are struggling with the temptation of sex. Even if you are not at a point in your life where this topic could apply to you, I highly recommend reading the book. Not only is the book very well written, but it also honest. For me, honesty is something that is very important. I would rather someone be blunt and honest with me than beat around the bush and approach a situation passive aggressively. Not only does this book openly discuss the forms of sexual temptation that teenagers go through, but it also uses real questions that have been asked and real situations to answer them. The author of the book is also Christian, so that’s always a plus! The way he approaches the answers about sex and sexual activities is honest and in a way that is glorifying to God. This book talks about what most churches tend to avoid, especially around teenagers. Sex is something that is enjoyable, but within the context of marriage. The Stork is Dead explains this in an open, honest, and actually helpful way. If you yourself are curious about this topic, or plan on having many interactions with teenagers in the near future, I highly recommend this book. But also remember, sex is natural. It’s something that we do need to talk about, but in an appropriate and helpful context. All of which this book does.

~Kara Williams

Live Gladly

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:14-15)

5 a.m. Jolted awake by yet another fire alarm. The Heritage Hall microwaves are at it again. As the residents of Heritage gathered outside the building in 30 degree air – some wrapped in blankets, some wearing shorts and t-shirts, some fully dressed and ready to take on the day – there were many conversations going on, but as I sat shivering on the curb, there was a theme that kept jumping out at me as I overheard snippets of conversations: complaining.

“I have to be up in two hours!” “I have to go to class!” “I just want to be back in bed.” “Who makes popcorn at 5 a.m?!” “I’m gonna hunt down whoever set it off this time.”

I’m tired.

I’m cold.

I’m this.

I’m that.

Fellow Cairn students, I have a newsflash for you: We’re all tired.

Throughout the past few weeks, conversations around campus have been marked with the consistent theme of complaints – about the food in the MAC, about professors, about due dates, papers, lack of sleep, friend drama, Student Life, you name it. The fact is that we’re all struggling. It’s November! It’s the time of the semester when huge papers start piling up, daunting reading assignments take forever to finish, and getting any amount of decent sleep seems impossible. It is so easy to begin to believe that you are the only person who is experiencing stress, exhaustion and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed. But the truth is, you’re not the only one.

This fact presents a point of encouragement and a challenge. Be encouraged that you are not alone. You are not the only one who is buried by life, and therefore, we are buried together. We can take this opportunity to walk alongside one another, to point each other back to Jesus, to remind each other that our strength and joy in each day comes only from HIM, not from ourselves. We are a community of believers. We have the amazing opportunity to live together, eat together, learn together, grow together, and experience 5 a.m. fire alarms together.

A couple weeks ago in chapel, Dr. Williams challenged us to practice encouraging one another. Giving each other courage, empowering one another. Can I ask you to do just that? Think twice about the words that you speak. There is value in being honest with each other concerning the condition of our hearts and in sharing our burdens, but there is equal value in building one another up. There needs to be a balance of the two.

Friends, we have this hope that Christ sustains us. He sustains us through each day, each moment, each assignment, each sleepless night. Because of this hope, we have the freedom to be filled with joy. But we have to choose it. Choose to be joyful rather than pessimistic. Choose to look on the bright side. Choose to notice the beautiful fall leaves. Choose to be thankful for the fact that we are here, doing life together. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s stressful. Sometimes it involves shivering outside at an ungodly hour rather than catching a few more hours of sleep. But this stressful and overwhelming college life is where God has called each of us. It is in this season of stress that He can best teach us to surrender our schedules to Him and to look to Him for strength to get everything done on time. Let’s choose to make the best of it, and to help each other to see this time as a blessing, instead of a burden.

As John Piper wisely stated: “If you live gladly to make other glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.”

~Emily Tielmann

*Image not owned by Masland Library, Creative Commons usage

Stories

That is what humanity has been so obsessed with for all of time. Whether it was oral tradition passed down generation to generation or some of the first ones written down like Gilgamesh, humanity has been so fascinated by stories. Think about even the boring epics you have to read in class, when you hear the condensed version suddenly a whole world in brought to life and it’s suddenly interesting. Even now one of the biggest industries in the world, Hollywood, does nothing but tell a tale that sucks us in and has us talking for weeks. Think about most of your conversations with friends, what are they? Often times we are telling each other stories about our experiences or even the experiences of others.

Tolkien picked up on this in his book the Twin Towers: “Still, I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We’re in one, of course, but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards.” Stories stick in our heads. I think this is why Jesus told stories. When we think about the words of Jesus it is so easy to bring back the prodigal son or the story of the seeds that grew and the ones that did not. Even the Bible as a whole tells us a story. When we share the gospel in essence what we are doing is telling people the greatest story ever. It’s amazing. The library is full of great biographies of people’s life stories. The amazing things they have done. Or even fiction novels that are some of the greatest stories ever written.  So I challenge you, find a story. Write one, read one, or maybe for the first time discover your own. If Lit and Arts has taught me anything it’s long after we are gone the stories will live on.

~Billy Holland

(This image is not owned by Masland Library.)

Should Scotland be an Independent Country?

As the vote on the Scottish referendum approaches, the vote to stay or go has drawn near to a 50/50 split. For decades, many of the Scottish people wished to be their own country, separated from England and the Queen. But becoming an independent country is no easy task; there are many details that must be considered in order for independence to be a wise choice. Although Scotland already has their own educational system, health care, and police force run independently of England, questions such as the economy and currency, energy, oil and gas, pensions and welfare, citizenship and immigration, military, and the possibility of obtaining EU membership, must be considered.

Scotts desire to have more control in what takes place within their own government. Currently, with the UK’s system of government and parliament there is devolution (the delegation of power to a lower level) this gives Scotland a certain amount of control within their country. Many Scots are currently arguing that they do not have enough power and that the only way to truly make the best decisions for Scotland they need to have their own government system in place. Others argue, that a No vote for the referendum is better, for with it, they are not giving up the possibility of gaining more control, but rather, from a no vote a greater devolution would take place. 

As of this point, the current polls are:

No – 47%

Yes – 46%

Don’t Know- 7%

                

There is much or the UK’s system of government that I still yet to fully understand, there are so many different approaches that countries can set in place to be run successfully. Although I may not understand all of what is taking place, it has been fascinating keeping up with this news through the use of The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Wall Street Journal that are both located within the library, along with the BBC’s website. Having both of these newspapers and many more at the library are a wonderful resource to expand out of the “bubble” of college and keep connected with all that is taking place in the world.

~Leia

A New Perspective of the Library (Part II)

In case you missed the first part of this blog series, I have set out to show Masland Library visitors that the library is a valuable resource for social entertainment. In Part I, I hit on some of the library’s top movies of various genres. While movies are great entertainment for large groups of people, they do not necessarily facilitate great social interaction. If there is much interaction, the movie has probably become background noise and everyone missed an important movie scene. So now I bring you to music, the perfect element to set the mood for your social events. Even you are the loner of the party Taylor Swift once eloquently stated, “People haven’t always been there for me but music always has.” Therefore, I encourage you to check out some of the library’s music and let it permeate the atmosphere of your social life.

Music

*The library’s CD collection can be found on the 2^ndfloor on your left before entering the computer lab. Although I will not expound upon them here, the Masland Library has some RECORDS available to borrow. If you are retro enough to own a record player, ask us more on how to get your hands on a record.

Romantics Sampler – CD M5 .R663 1995

Let me clarify first by saying this is not a compilation of songs for a passionate date. The word Romantics refers to a time period and genre of classical music from the 18^th century. This is music is called romantic because it explored the breadth of emotion in a way music had not before. Therefore, the modern music listener can find great refreshment in these pieces.

Scott Joplin Piano Rags – CD M25 .J81 P53 2004

Now these are some true American originals. Just imagine you and your friends in some small town establishment out west 100 years back, playing cards and listening to an old man tickling the ivories with some good old rag time.

Spanish Guitar – CD M126 .S62 2002

This CD is sure to bring that spice that was missing from your life. Do not forget about this one for all of your Cinco de Mayo parties.

Quartets – CD M450 – CD M457.4

While great majority of our CD’s consist of classical music, I wanted to highlight the quartet section of the collection. In Fall of 2013 the world renown Ying String Quartet came and played for our school. Some of the greatest classical music was written for such a group of players on these instruments: two violins, a viola, and a cello. Only four instruments! This music is not only for the sophisticated.

Jazz, Louis Armstrong – CD M1356 .A736 D445 2000

Jazz, Duke Ellington – CD M1366 .E461 D933 2000

Jazz, Coleman Hawkins – CD M1366 .H395 C654 2000

If you have not been sufficiently exposed to big band jazz, you are missing out on one of the greatest musical joys in life. This music may, dare I say it, make you want to dance. To give you a little more direction within these three artists, Louis Armstrong played some mean trumpet (and had a great voice!), Duke Ellington worked the piano, and Coleman Hawkins played some sweet tones on the tenor saxophone.

Star Wars Original Trilogy Soundtrack – CD M1527.2 .W721 S27 2004

                It is Star Wars. Need I say more?

International Music Mix – CD M1627 .I58 1999

A little bit of this. A little bit of that. Musical flavors from all around the globe. Now you can connect with all of your multicultural friends!

Simon and Garfunkel – CD M1630.18 .S55 S5 1972

I have always considered these guys to be the original indie band. They formed a new genre of folk-rock in the 1960’s. That may seem old but their music does not sound it. Simon and Garfunkel is great for the car or chilling at all times of the day.

Soulful Music by Leontyne Price – CD M1670 .P953 1996

I cannot say I have ever listened to this lady, but I do know she was famous. The nature of the music of this album is just as the title suggests.

Manheim Steamroller, Christmas in the Aire – CD M2065 .M354 C475 1995

If you have ever listened to Christmas music on the radio, you must have heard Manheim Steamroller. I would describe them as new age electric orchestra rock going wild on Christmas tunes. These songs could put you in the holiday mood in July.

Michael Card, The Hidden Face of God – CD M2198 .C37 2006

Michael Card is an older but well known Christian artist that came to our school in Fall of 2013. This is only one of several albums we have of his, but check them all out!

~Wayne Hailstone

The Joys of Independent Study

When homework continually piles up throughout the semester, it is hard to think of doing any independent study for one’s own benefit. But sometimes, some independent study is actually more refreshing than draining.

During this semester, I have had the opportunity to begin studying Islam. For one of the fastest growing religions in the world, it is upsetting how little I knew about it. Once I decided that I desired to know more, I began perusing a few different sections within our library that contained literature on the subject. I found many decent resources, but I must say that my favorite book that I stumbled upon is Unveiling Islam by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner. Although I am currently only 54 pages in, this book has taught me a substantial amount about this belief system.

The authors of Unveiling Islam, Ergun and Emir, are brothers who were raised as Sunni Muslims. Now, highly respected theology professors, Ergun and Emir wrote this book together in order to present the practices, ethics, and beliefs of Islam. Ergun and Emir helpfully present the Islamic beliefs by directly contrasting them to Christianity.

Some other books that were also helpful to me were Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith by Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa, and A New Anthropology of Islam by John Bowen.

As college students, there is so much to balance, and the idea of adding one more thing onto our plate doesn’t exactly sound like the most appetizing option, but amidst all of the stress of homework and extracurricular activities, it can be nice to set aside some time to invest in an area that is unrelated to your studies that interests you. Balancing time is key, but I encourage you to take a book, fiction or non-fiction, and set aside time during your semester to read for fun. With always reading for classes, the joy of reading tends to disappear. I challenge you to remember that reading can actually be quite an enjoyable endeavor.

~Leia Brunette

Perseverance

 
Are human actions actually free, are they determined by God to do what he wants, or is the answer somewhere in the middle? This question of freedom came to me during a difficult final I was taking. As I sat there in that final I felt that all of my studying was for not and I was most likely going to receive a low mark anyway so why keep trying. I considered just closing up the final, handing it in, and hoping that I would just pass the class. Be assured however that I did not do this I pressed on and finished that final. However it did make me think about freedom and why God chose to give us this freedom. I think that because I wrestled with the aforementioned dilemma it is obvious that we do have freedom in some form. 

With the freedom that we have what should we do? There is both good and bad that can come from having freedom. Most of the time there is many options that we choose on a daily basis but all of the options usually boil down to two main conclusion, good or bad. In my final the good outcome was to continue, and the bad decision was to give up. The majority of the time the good outcome will be a harder outcome to go after in decisions that are important. This is where perseverance comes in. Perseverance is defined as steadfastness in completing a task despite any difficulty or length of time in achieving success. To me this embodies the college life experience, because it is a great length of time and a very hard task to complete. As Christians we need to persevere also and not be lackadaisical in life. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” As men and women of Christ perseverance is a must because we are not ourselves but we are Christ. 

In closing, since we are free as Christians we must choose the life of perseverance daily not just a once in a while when it counts kind of thing, but a lifestyle of decisions that are hard and for the benefit of God. In college there is plenty of options to pick with good and bad consequences such as; to skip class just because I have skips to use, to not complete an assignment or not do it on time, to not study, to give up, to drop out, and many more that will lead to destruction of your college career. What you should do is when hard decisions come face them and pull through. Create a schedule to study and do homework so you don’t find yourself awake at four in the morning finishing a paper due at eight. Use your personal discernment and don’t bite off more than you can chew. All in all, use the freedom that God has placed upon you to do everything in a way which glorifies him, is beneficial to you, and causes something great in return.

~Jeff Simpson~

6 Ways to Make Your Semester less Stressful

This is a list of 6 helpful tips that, if I had cared more about them earlier, would have saved me from a lot of stress. As a Senior, I wish I had taken this advice much seriously much sooner. (Disclaimer: All of these are from my life. If they describe you it is merely coincidence)

1. Check and respond to your Cairn email. I’ve missed numerous deadlines (payments, book return dates, etc.)  because I either neglected to read my email or just chose not to care, expecting that things would go my way. Entitlement is not an appropriate Christian attitude.
Lesson Learned: Freshman Year

2. Take responsibility. I don’t know about you, but I have weaseled my way out of lots of problems, even at a Biblical university. I like to blame the cosmic forces that are (so, God I guess) for every problem that comes my way. “I’m sorry,” is a much better response than, “I can’t pay that $500 fine for this overdue book because I’m busy and never check my school email.”
Lesson Learned: Sophomore Year

3. Work now, play later. Prioritizing your life as a student means that assignments come first. If for some reason they can’t, then you need to re-prioritize so they can. Completing work on-time and completing work well can be an act of worship with the right motivation. Do all things to the glory of God.
Lesson Learned: Junior Year

4. Print assignments early. A lot of folks like to print out papers 10 minutes before their class starts. Waiting in line at the printer can be super frustrating especially if the printer malfunctions (which can happen), and puts you in a poor mood for class.
Lesson Learned: Sophomore Year

5. Accept help with grace. Cairn faculty, staff, and student workers are not out to get you. We want to help because we in fact do know that life is tough, stressful, and out-of-control at times. If you let go of pride and accept help (or let go of pride that things could ever dare go wrong for you) then we can help you more effectively.
Lesson Learned: Junior Year

6. Trust Jesus. Ultimately, a failing grade does not have eternal weight. It may bring shame or disappointment, but your righteousness and approval before God is found solely in Christ. If you truly grasp that, you have the power to go before a professor and admit your mistakes (not hiding them because you fear punishment) and even ask for help. Repentance plays just as important role in human relationships as it does with God and will prevent a lot of problems from getting as bad as you might let them. 
Lesson Re-learned: Every Year

~Ben Overbey

Utilizing Journals

What are they?

No, don’t worry, we don’t have people’s diaries on display in the library…so what are they? A journal is a collection of articles published by a particular reliable academic source by a specific magazine or group that addresses particular topics.

So for example, when searching for an article published in the TIME magazine several years ago, the way to find that would be to go to the TIME Journals, which are the bound TIME magazines all set in one location for you to use!  If you’re interested in the hard copy, you will find all the journals alphabetically organized on the first floor of the Masland library. Not only can you access them in hard copy at the Library, but some journals are also found online.

One way to access the electronic journal is through the databases. If you’ve searched for an article and find that the source is from TIME magazine but don’t like this article you found, you can easily look at other articles that TIME magazine has published.

In this sample picture of an article, you can see the Title, Author, and Source. Clicking on the Blue “TIME” by the Source, the database will take you straight to a page where you can access the journal articles from those in the early 90s up to the most recent ones.

 Then select your year, your issue, and scroll through the articles in this particular journal. Or if you’re interested in searching within the entirety of TIME magazine, click “Search within this publication” and find if there are any articles relating to your topic in TIME magazine.

 
It’s as easy as that! Start with the database; find your magazine, access your journal, search or browse within your publication and viola! You will have found the sources you need in no time. So next time you write a paper, remember that the first floor Journals may have more to help than you think!

~Grace