dougs digs

World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T15:38:00.010-06:00

HIV/AIDS has killed over 25 million people with another 33 million currently trying to live with it.
Today bloggers unite for World AIDS Day
(http://tinyurl.com/5d9ypz) & (http://tinyurl.com/68x988)

As some of you may know, though many are probably unaware, World AIDS Day is December 1. This is a day for all of us around the world to recognize the impact of HIV/AIDS internationally, nationally, and locally.

Please join our friends at AIDS.gov for this very important day at their Facebook page - Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day 2008, you can also get info and resources for World AIDS Day at http://www.worldaidscampaign.org.

Worldwide, over 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. In 2006, over 4.9 million new infections were reported and the rate of infection in the US increased 40%. In Kansas City alone, over 5,700 people are living with HIV/AIDS - 700 of them young people between the ages 13 and 24. In light of recent reports that the US government has under-reported the infection rate by 40%, nearly 9,000 Kansas Citians may be living with the disease.

In Kansas City, the 2008 World AIDS Day Week of Observance will kick-off with a reception to be held on Monday, December 1st from 6 to 8 p.m. at Vanderslice Hall, located on the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute. On Tuesday, December 2nd, the AIDS Service Foundation will host a Community Luncheon at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. This year's Community Luncheon will feature Dr. Kevin Fenton of the Center for Disease Control. Dr. Kevin Fenton is Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention...(this is HUGE !!!)

WHAT IF...

2008-10-11T12:55:00.015-05:00

Please be honest with yourself when reading this and ponder how/if 'race' impacts 'the race':

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter (and her "baby daddy") ?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

What if their educational backgrounds were:

John McCain:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Sara Palin:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Barack Obama:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Joe Biden:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

BASED ON THIS THE 'RACES' AREN'T EVEN CLOSE.

* DISCLAIMER - I am not the original 'author', there are sevreal different versions floating around the 'inter-tubes' as well as in the hearts & minds of many...

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

2008-09-15T00:02:00.005-05:00

I was shaking like a junkie in withdrawl from the moment my eyes gazed upon this wonder from heaven until the moment we were finally together safe at home.

http://www.batterblaster.com/

Ich bin ein Berliner

2008-07-24T16:57:00.008-05:00

Barack Obama's Western Wall Prayer (which was stolen by a student): “Lord - Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will.”

Beantown Beatdown

2008-06-17T23:35:00.005-05:00

BIGGEST TURN-AROUND IN NBA HISTORY
06-07: 24 wins 58 loses
07-08: 66 wins 16 loses

BIGGEST BLOW OUT IN A NBA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING GAME
131-92 (39 points)

NBA LEADING 17th CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP WON IN BOSTON IN 22 YEARS (last time Celtics won the NBA championship)

As ecstatic as I am about 2 of 'my teams' winning national championships this year (Jayhawks + Celtics), I would trade them in a heartbeat for either the Chiefs or Royals to win one as well . . . a dreamer can dream can't he ???
(and yes Jason, I would trade ALL OF THAT for just one Cubs World Series Championship before I die, after I die I won't really care about that or much of anything else . . . 2008 Anno Catuli !!!)

Fare Thee Well

2008-06-14T11:51:00.004-05:00

I missed just a few Meet The Press shows in the past 10 years or so.

Stella has 'seen' almost every Meet The Press in her 11 months.

Along with CBS's 'Sunday Morning', this was our ritual.

Sunday mornings will not be the same.

Politics in America will not be same.

Timothy John Russert, Jr.

May 7, 1950 - June 13, 2008

I Knew I Didn't Trust That Rachel Ray

2008-05-28T17:43:00.011-05:00

In fact, I find her to be even more annoying than novelty ringtones . . . coming from those should be legal to beatdown or relentlessly ridicule to the point of permanent emotional scaring the d-bags wearing the even more annoying cellphone earpiece . . . and diarrhea . . . combined . . . at the same time.

The website Phat Phree did a fine job taking my exact thoughts on the subject just a step further (as they also seem to do. . .they complete me), "Rachel Ray is passionate about food. In fact, if you and her and some indeterminate meat wrapped in bacon were on a sinking ship and she could only save one, which do you think she'd pick? The answer is bacon, but bacon is the answer to so many of life’s questions. I don’t trust her smile."

So, yea, you get the point. Well, apparently someone else not only refuses to program her show in their DVR, but also thinks little Rachel is a puppy killing, apple pie hating, non-American flag lapel pin wearing . . . terrorist.

I knew it !!!

Rachael Ray ad pulled as pundit sees terror link
Malkin claimed scarf similar to those worn by murderous Islamic extremists
Dunkin' Donuts pulled a television spot featuring talk show host and Food Network personality Rachael Ray this weekend after a Fox news commentator associated it with terrorists.
In the ad, Ray is wearing a scarf that Michelle Malkin said in her nationally syndicated column resembled a kiffiyeh, Middle Eastern garb that is "popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos."

Dunkin's Senior Vice President for Communications Margie Myers issued a statement saying the scarf "was selected by a stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended. "However, as of this past weekend, we are no longer using the online ad because the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee."
In her column, Malkin also noted that it could appear at times that actor Colin Farrell, rapper Kanye West and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have been photographed in similar scarves that were "distinctive hate couture."

HT

St. Louis double(Radio)header

2008-05-17T22:13:00.016-05:00

I just spent an amazing two days in St. Louis with my boy Josh that included:

my first expereince on Amtrak (who knew they would allow us to order beer on a 7:30am train ?)
elderly women not locking the trains bathroom doors (Josh is just now regaining his vision)
a city with a rapid public transportation system that is rapid + public transportation + a system . . . what a novel idea (oh KC why do you hate me so ?)
my first Cardinals game at the new stadium and with club level tickets in the 'all you can eat & drink' Bank of America Club (unlimited hotdogs and the leftover water they were cooked in, aka - Budweiser, never tasted so good going in and tasted so bad going out)
and finally the impetus for this whole excursion, my second Radiohead concert (why do other bands even put out music, it's like other boxers fighting the pre-Buster Douglas Mike Tyson . . . what's the point?)

enjoy some tasty morsels from the show:

"Myxomatosis", "Idioteque", "Fake Plastic Trees", and my favorite point of the show "You and Whose Army?" (though you can't really tell, the video and lighting displays were mindblowing, especially during this song)

"Myxomatosis"

"Idioteque"

"Fake Plastic Trees"

"You and Whose Army?"

Hey, you guyyyyys !!!

2008-05-13T09:20:00.012-05:00

In another fit of nostalgia, PBS is bringing back The Electric Company, updated to fit today's audience. For those of you who remember The Electric Company, this signals a return to high-brow, genuinely funny educational entertainment that doesn't pander to its audience. For those who don't, it's something we all watched before the internet was invented ...

yea, thats Mark a.k.a. Easy Reader

a.k.a. Mel Mounds a.k.a. Count Dracula

a.k.a. Mad Scientist a.k.a. The Cop

a.k.a. Marcello a.k.a. Morgan Freeman

he's just a clown who's . . .

BREAKING NEWS: Democrat Presidential Nominee Finally Decided

2008-05-04T23:52:00.017-05:00

Reagrdless of your political preference, the 'irony' of this story is mindblowing !!!

Hillary Clinton's pick to win horse racing's Kentucky Derby, Eight Belles — the only female horse in the race — finished second, broke both front ankles, and subsequently was put to death on the track. The first place horse was "Big Brown."

link

Boss to Boss

2008-04-16T10:42:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends and Fans:

Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams of My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

Bruce Springsteen

Sweet Child O' Mine

2007-08-14T22:37:00.005-05:00

Stella Blu Antoinette

July 27, 2007

JESUS - "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you do not look down on one of these little ones...Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

CHRIS ROCK - "Fathers, your main job is to keep your daughter off the pole"

It's Only Rock and Roll But I Like It

2007-01-13T17:55:00.000-06:00

Hey there, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by for my semi-annual visit.

Hope you are doing well.

Me, oh, thanks for asking; I can't complain. Actually, I have a lot of new stuff going on, looks to be a very busy and monumental year for yours truly. Last year was pretty full and entertaining, with starting my second tour of grad school and all. Speaking of tours, check out the list of concerts I went to last year and some of the artists I even had the privilege to hang out with. I still can't believe it, I should be set for the next 10 years or so.

>Nine Inch Nails (2/18/06-kemper arena) = I blogged about this already, but one word-powerful.

>Wilco (3/21/06-uptown theater) = first show-pure sonic bliss-thanks E.

>Bob Dylan (4/22/06-shrine mosque-springfiled, mo.) = hot as hell, sweat in places I don't like to sweat-third time seeing Bobby D-hope it isn't the last

>Gomez (5/15/06-grand emporium) = one of my fav bands of all time and they are still very young-third show, second in KC, surprisingly saw one in Philadelphia while at a conference-my friend Bob, a music industry vet and local promoter, hooked me and my friend(s) with tickets-I stopped by in the afternoon before the show and walked right in and was able to meet the band-very, very, very cool.

>Radiohead (6/13/06-theater @ madison square garden-nyc) = uuummm . . . can you say life changing ? I blogged about this one as well-no words created to describe this-would have been happy for the good Lord to have taken me home after this.

>Rusted Root (7/14/06-beaumont club) = third, and best Root show yet-second time getting to meet and hang out with them-first time was @ granada, I won a private 'meet & greet' before the show-this time they just come out after the show and hung out with the fans.

>Phil Lesh + Friends (7/19/06-starlight) = AMAZING ! ! !

This was one the greatest days of my life (so far). You must understand, Phil Lesh is an idol of sorts to me, being the life-long bass player of the most influential musical establishment in my life - Greatful Dead. I have seen Phil and the rest of the band on several occasions (never got to see Jerry before he went to go play the 'Big Gig in the Sky'). What made this experience so unforgettable was that I got to eat lunch with him, hear a private sound check before the show, and sit in orchestra seating (10th row-dead middle) for the show.

This was all made possible through my aforementioned friend Bob. Besides being a cagey music vet and promoter, Bob also runs a charity for organ donation. Knowing that Phil is a organ donation recipient, like himself, Bob asked Phil and his people if he would be willing to do a 'q & a luncheon' before the show as a fundraiser for his charity. Knowing the Deadhead that I am, Bob knew this would be special to me; I still get chills when I think about this experience.

Additionally, something came over me that night I have never experienced. Right as the first note was struck up until the bow at the end of the show; my body could not stop moving, my feet never touched the ground, and I just could not stop smiling. The indescribable 'spirit' that is synonymous with Grateful Dead shows for nearly 40 years; making them the most followed and most toured band of all time, was strong that night. The newly remodeled Starlight was magical and the gorgeous fountains were the place to be considering the 100+ degree weather. One fellow Deadhead did a masterful job in putting into words what this night was like for her, "at one point . . . I WAS the music, Phil and the band moved through my core and the energy that we shared can't even be put into words".

You can read about here and actually listen to the show here.

>Ben Harper w/ Damien 'Jr Gong' Marley (8/25/06-starlight) = this was totally unexpected-I was having a very s****y week prepping for an audit which was that morning-the audit didn't go so well and I was sitting at my desk just stewing over it when my phone rings-it's a DJ from a local radio station saying I won 2 tickets to the Ben Harper show that night . . . two tickets ON STAGE-yep, that's right, on stage-bad week and bad audit, forgotten-this was my second time seeing Ben, it was Jenae's first-they didn't play very long because of a storm with severe lightening, but it was pretty freakin cool to share the stage with such a talented writer and artist.

>TOOL (9/15/06-kemper) = I had been waiting for this all of my life-my past attempt(s) at seeing TOOL just never came to fruition (i.e. - "just say no")-well worth the wait-this was one of those shows that was an onslaught on each and every one of the human senses-regardless if you 'agree' with their views, they are for sure one of the most talented, influential, and dare I say "needed" bands of our time.

All of that in just 7 months . . . not to mention all of the shows (Dave Matthews Band, Mötley Crüe, etc.) I saw all summer at Verizon while doing awareness for the organization I work for.

The Best Week Ever

2006-06-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

We just returned from a much needed and much anticipated vaca to New York to visit family, as well as to celebrate Jenae and her dad's birthdays (one day apart). In addition to a week in New York, we were able to spend a couple days in Boston and Connecticut. Since we happened to be in the relative neighborhood of the Northeast, Jenae partnered with Viridian Group and a local client of theirs to shoot the dedication ceremony for the 'Teddy Ebersol's Red Sox Fields' (read more about it here and here).

This was such an historical and emotional event (despite the freezing temperatures and Old Testament style flooding), I was honored just to be her assistant for the shoot and hang out (ok, stand near) with current and former Red Sox players and team executives; and legendary political leaders and legendary business leaders. A truly unforgettable experience.

En route back to New York we stopped off in Hartford, Connecticut to visit a dear friend and Jenae's former roommate. We actually spent the evening with her in New Haven, home of Yale University. New Haven was such a cool and beautifully scenic place. We were able to do a little IKEA-ing and hang out in downtown during their annual International Festival of Arts and Ideas with a "Concert on the Green" and ate a very good vegetarian restaurant, Cornercopia.

All of this was just in the first 48 hours . . . and the best was yet to come:

Radiohead : Madison Square Garden Theatre : 06-13-06
(The opening band, The Black Keys, absolutely rocked; read review's of the show here and here)

I will never be the same after this show. I can't begin to put in to words what this was like, so I'll let the pictures do the communicating for me instead . . .

this was The Best Week Ever.

Well, I'm back! Yes, I'm back!

2006-05-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

Back in black, I hit the sack,
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back
Yes I'm let loose from the noose, that's kept me hangin' about
I been lookin' at the sky 'cause it's gettin' me high,
Forget the hearse, 'cause I'll never die
I got nine lives, cat's eyes
Abusin' every one of them and running wild

'Cause I'm back! Yes, I'm back!
Well, I'm back! Yes, I'm back!
Well, I'm back! Yes, I'm back!
Well, I'm baaack, baaack...

The first of six semesters of my second masters degree is officially over and not a second too soon. I consumed more coffee and alcohol in the past five months, than I have in the past five years combined.

This summer should be one sweet release, like an explosive fart after holding it in all night long until the date is over or a finger down the throat after a merlot fueled chickenfinger binge at Tomfooleries . . . whichever.

"I've been too long, I'm glad to be back"

As The World Turns

2006-03-29T23:02:00.000-06:00

I can't seem to communicate here in a timely manner anymore.

Not that I haven't wanted to or haven't even sat in front of the screen 'til my eyes burn just trying to get 'something' intelligible out . . . I have. But everything impacting my life (globally, nationally, locally, personally, professionally, academically, relationally . . . ) has been happening at such a head spinning pace recently, I just haven’t been able to digest before another spoonful is shoved in.

Maybe I'll be able to slap up another note when I speed through here again. Until then, I'll leave you with a piece of invaluable advice I’ve picked up during this exhilarating ride, "nill illigitimi carborundum”.

the hills are alive with the sound of music

2006-03-18T17:59:00.000-06:00

Over the course of the next few months some of the worlds greatest musicians since the inception of sound itself will be releasing new albums . . . oh happy-happy-joy-joy.

Radiohead

Pearl Jam

Gomez

Tool

40 Days and 40 Nights

2006-03-01T20:43:00.000-06:00

A Lenten Prayer
by Walter Brueggemann

Loss is indeed our gain
The pushing and the shoving of the world is endless
We are pushed and shoved.
And we do our fair of pushing and shoving
in our great anxiety.
And in the middle of that
you have set down your beloved suffering son
who was like a sheep led to slaughter
who opened not his mouth.
We seem not able,
so we ask you to create spaces in our life
where we may ponder his suffering
and your summons for us to suffer with him,
suspecting that suffering is the only way

to come to newness
So we pray for your church in these Lenten days,
when we are driven to denial-not
to notice the suffering,
not to engage it,
not to acknowledge it.
So be that way of truth among us
that we should not deceive ourselves.
That we shall see that loss is indeed our gain.
We give you thanks for that mystery from which we live.
Amen.

Who Made Who

2006-02-27T23:06:00.000-06:00

"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."

- Anne Lamott

(ht)

I Hurt Myself Today

2006-02-20T18:58:00.000-06:00

I saw Nine Inch Nails Saturday night with Tim, despite having less than optimal seating and considering Kemper Arena is a "p.o.s.", the show was amazing ! ! ! They performed with unparalleled power and ingenuity; you knew you were witnessing true pioneers of modern music.

Trent sounded and looked especially strong, considering the internal battles he's been fighting recently. Mid-way through the show he made the comment regarding his battles, "thanks for being patient with me while I got my shit together" . . . I would say he did (notice his newly shaved head + huge biceps, son of a ! ! !).

For a sampling of what the show was about, check out Tim's take plus more of his pics and a brief video. A website dedicated to nothing but local music and concert reviews, has a much more in-depth review of the show.

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you

2006-02-16T22:40:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, I posted a poem on the (former) Jacobs Well discussion board under the (former) 'poetry thread' that I saw performed on one of my favorite programs, HBO's Def Poetry Jam. Today, Adam Cleaveland blogged about the same poem several years later. It reminded just how poignant and timeless this message is . . . like, you know ?

Totally like whatever, you know?
by Taylor Mali
In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

There Was Nothing 'Super' About It

2006-02-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

Despite Super Bowl XL (aka - 40) consisting of a sloppy game that was decidedly influenced by the officiating, expensive lackluster commercials, and a very forgettable halftime performance by the California Raisins; congratulations are still in order for my boys and the whole 'Burgh for the Steelers remarkable championship run.

(click here for the pics of the rowdy celebration)

Bono's Prayer

2006-02-03T14:58:00.000-06:00

I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sunday . . . and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God. For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land . . . and in this country, seeing God’s second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash . . . in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment. I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV. Even though I was a believer. Perhaps because I was a believer. I was cynical . . . not about God, but about God’s politics.

But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call the least of these. This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea. Nor it is unique to any one faith. "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Jesus says that.

DATA has more information about Bono's trip to D.C. and a transcript of his National Prayer Breakfast remarks. CNN has video. AmericanRhetoric.com has a complete transcript and audio.

Dead For The Day

2006-01-28T18:17:00.000-06:00

Once a year, I "tune in, turn on, and drop out" for (nearly) 16 hours straight from 11am - 3am (fyi - all without any 'help'). I look forward to this day starting the first minutes after it's over from the previous year. Here it is, now excuse while I "just keep truckin on" . . .

The Grateful Dead Hour to Celebrate Twenty-One Years On Air With KPFA Benefit Fund-Raiser Marathon

January 26, 2006 -- The Grateful Dead Hour radio program will celebrate its twenty-first anniversary of weekly, nationwide broadcasting on Saturday, January 28, 2006 with a radio marathon from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. PST consisting of sixteen hours of Grateful Dead and Dead-related music to raise money for the nation's first community radio station, the Bay Area's KPFA.

Hosted by David Gans, the show will be broadcast live on KPFA 94.1 FM in the Bay Area and KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno, CA. Additionally, the broadcast may be heard around the world via a webcast to any internet connection with an audio streaming program via nugs.net, kpfa.org and kfcf.org.

the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire

2006-01-24T23:27:00.000-06:00

OK so maybe not the roof exactly.

How about a disintegrating trash dumpster with 20-foot raging flames shooting from it, a large wooden deck inches above and a basement inches next to it both completely engulfed with flames ?

All of this happened within in feet of my co-workers and me this afternoon. The entire backside of our office building caught fire. The origin was the dumpster, the culprit is suspected to be a discarded cigarette still lit combined with high winds. It was so surreal and very disheartening to watch your office burn to the ground, it reminded me of this.

One of the most amazing aspects of the whole tragedy was the firefighters . . . hysterical ! ! !

Not only did the entire KCFD show up (seriously, 4 trucks and 16 fighters for an office dumpster/deck fire). Anyway, these guys obviously hadn't been called on in a while and had some serious pent up aggression and boredom. These dudes went total commando, axing up and demolishing everything in sight. Just knocking out and soaking everything, they were like kids let out for recess after being chained down at their desks all day. They did more damage than the fire did ! ! !

We’re in for an expensive and lengthy reconstruction process, not exactly what we needed. If you ever considered helping out our organization, there is not a better time to do so than now.

Iron City Delight

2006-01-22T21:17:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the city of Pittsburgh and the Steelers organization for their historical performance in the AFC Playoffs.

They are the first team in NFL history to have a 6th seed in playoffs to go to the Super Bowl and only the second team in NFL history to win 3 straight road games to go to the Super Bowl.

But I mostly want to congratulate three of my best friends; David, Mike, and Sam. You see, these three guys are truly life-long diehard Steelers fans. They ride an emotional roller coaster on every play of every game of every season with the Steelers. We have been running smack and placing bets with each other regarding the Chiefs and Steelers for nearly 12 years now ! ! !

David, who is from and still lives in Pittsburgh, has flown to Kansas City every time over the past 10 years the Steelers have played the Chiefs here. Mike and Sam, though lifelong locals, have been Steelers fans since their "Steel Curtain" glory day's back in the 70's. But claim their fondness of the Black and Gold intensified out of distain for being subjected to my "obnoxious" cheering for the Chiefs.

You should see the three of them screaming and waving their ridiculous bright yellow 'Terrible Towels' in an awesome red sea of 80,000 Chiefs fans. That takes a combination of some serious balls and/or serious intoxication. However, for the first time in many years, the Chiefs will play the Steelers in Pittsburgh this fall. The three of us will fly to David's "backyard" this time and I will be the one guy wearing red in a yellow sea of 80,000 Steelers fans. Have mercy on me.

Since the Chiefs can't seem to make it to the Super Bowl in my lifetime, I couldn't think of a better team and a better bunch of fans to root for. Congrats fellas, but don't expect for the honeymoon to last for very long ! ! !

*The Steelers even have their own Super Bowl song (though slightly outdated), but it is not near as cool as the infamous '85 Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle video.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal

2006-01-16T10:28:00.000-06:00

28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C

full length video - full length audio

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Family Reunion

2006-01-14T12:43:00.000-06:00

New Era of an Old Tradition

2006-01-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

"You Play to Win the Game" - Herman Edwards, 10th Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs

I know what the National Football League is about it’s about commitment. It’s the best game in the world and it’s played by the best players in the world. Talent alone does not win games. Talent alone does not win games, teams win games, teams with commitment. For one thing I do know and I promise you this the players that play for this football team and Coach Vermeil has instilled it already, they will play for the name on the side of the helmet and not for the name on the back of the jersey. That is very important and that is called team. I grew up with people that made me understand what team is about and it is a family.

This family is set. I am just a new addition to it, but I have been an addition to it a long time ago and I finally found my way back. It is a great opportunity for my wife, my son, my daughter and myself to come back home. I never planned on something like this but it happened.

As I always said I put faith in God’s hands. But if you believe in faith, one thing about faith you can’t see it you just got to trust it and I trust in faith and faith has brought me here back. It is a unique situation for me and my family and I am going to take an opportunity obviously to do the best thing I can do and follow Vermeil’s footsteps and win football games because that is what it is about. It’s about winning and winning championships. That is what it’s all about at the end of the day. You have to win games and the players understand that and the coaches understand that it’s about winning and that is what this team is going to do.

I promise you this, I will give all my heart and my energy to this organization any way I can. That is how I am built. I believe that and that is what I am going to do. I am excited about this football team and this organization and I am excited about being back in Kansas City.

lalalalala . . . I Can't Hear You . . . lalalalala

2006-01-09T12:09:00.000-06:00

Bill Moyer, 73, wears a "Bullshit Protector" flap over his ear while President George W. Bush, on screen at rear, addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars at their 106th convention Monday, Aug. 22, 2005, in Salt Lake City. Moyer served in Korea and Vietnam, and in the post-WWII occupation of Germany.

Back For More

2006-01-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

After putting it off for several years, I have made the decision to go back to school to get a second Master's degree. Starting this week, I will begin working towards a Masters of Public Administration from the Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at UMKC.

This is actually pretty darn amazing, considering I resorted to many unconscionable acts just to get my GPA high enough to even graduate from college, desperate times called for desperate measures folks.

The weirdest part for me about going back to graduate school aren't the three-hour classes, or the 100 page papers, or even the boring lectures; it's being registered as a often-mocked "non-traditional student". I guess anyone either seeking a postgraduate degree and/or is over the age of 30 is automtically registered as a "non-traditional student". But you know what, I will wear this label with pride out of honor and respect for the person that paved the way for equality and respect for all "non-traditional students", Mr. Frank 'The Tank' Ricard.

I'm more than ready and rather excited to begin this journey. Let's see if I'm still saying that next year . . . next month . . . or even next week. Wish me luck and I'll see you all when I re-emerge again sometime in 2008.

Missouri Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Cold Beer Sales

2006-01-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

A state senator wants to force Missouri stores to sell warm beer. Under a bill by Sen. Bill Alter, grocery and convenience stores would risk losing their liquor licenses if they sold beer colder than 60 degrees. The intent is to cut down on drunken driving by making it less tempting to pop open a beer after leaving the store.

"The only reason why beer would need to be cold is so that it can be consumed right away," Alter, who has been a police offer for more than 20 years, said Thursday.

He said the idea came from a fifth-grade student in Jefferson County who was participating in a program to teach elementary students about state government. He sought their suggestions for new laws and chose the cold beer ban from a list of the top three ideas.

link

Larry Johnson Wins 2005 OJ Award

2006-01-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

OJ Simpson introduced Larry Johnson today as the winner of the 2005 “Golden Stiletto” award, given each year by Simpson to the NFL running back that demonstrates the most talent on the field combined with the most insane and criminal behavior off it.

According to Simpson, the founder of the award:

“Larry Johnson showed tremendous promise this year: he ran for 1,750 yards and 20 touchdowns while starting less than a full season. He was also cited for domestic abuse assault after an incident with his girlfriend in a Kansas City bar. This, combined with a previous arrest in December 2003 in which he was charged with aggravated assault—a felony—and misdemeanor domestic battery for allegedly brandishing a gun during an argument with an ex-girlfriend at his home. Johnson also continued to have troubles with Chiefs management, prompting Coach Dick Vermeil to openly criticize LJ in the media, telling him to quote ‘take the diapers off.”

Past Golden Stiletto winners have included Ravens RB Jamal Lewis, former 49ers RB Lawrence Phillips, and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a special non-RB exempted winner in 2000 for behavior cited as “completely batshit crazy."

continue . . .

You're My Boy, Blue !

2006-01-05T14:05:00.000-06:00

R.I.P. Blue

Close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind.
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind
Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy.
Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind.

Meet Superman

2006-01-04T23:45:00.000-06:00

In my 31 years of being a "professional armchair quarterback", this was the greatest football game I have ever seen . . . or will probably ever see.

The Gospel According to St. Sufjan

2006-01-01T15:44:00.000-06:00

If someone asked, I would say that I was born again. I would look you right in the eye and say it.
I don't know anything about CCM. I'm not an evangelist. I'm a songwriter and a storyteller. If that story happens to be about Christ, then perhaps, in some odd semantic way, the song could be termed 'evangelical'. I gladly accept that. I also sing about divorce. And murder. And adultery. I sing about chickens and war and bathrooms. In my mind, the gospel is not something to pander and pawn off like a diet soda drink. There is no product. There is no selling point.
This is what it means to be born again: to fully and completely disengage with the preconceptions and preoccupations of the adult world and its religions, to dismantle all laws - of physics and society - and yield yourself to the birth canal, and what comes after, in which everything begins to shake and tremble with all senses fully turned to the center of the universe, the creator, God the Father, in whose cultivation we begin to know and understand our true selves, our real selves, as a reflection of God's image, his creation, like newborn babies,full, fresh, suckling, elated and laughing at everything. But honestly, I have no idea how this relates to my music. I hate talking about this stuff.
I'd like to spend less time talking about God and more time being in God's presence. I think that would put an end to this conversation, once and for all.
Plan B Magazine Oct/Nov 2005

Can I get an AMEN ?

(thanks for the info djg)

One Year Birthday

2005-12-25T00:34:00.000-06:00

Today (coincidently Christmas Day, though not all that symbolic) marks my first year of blogging.

Seems like I came out of the womb blogging, but it's just been 365 days / 52 weeks / 12 months. Hopefully somebody has gleaned something from my drivel over the past year, though the odds of that aren't good.

I have no idea if I've got another year of blogging left in me. In the next few weeks, life is potentially about to get a lot more full for me and probably will not allow for as much free time for possibly a couple years.

Thanks for stopping by and engaging with me over the past year. I'm looking forward to the insights and subsequent conversations the next year holds for us all.

Seriously, get this sweater off of me

2005-12-22T16:22:00.000-06:00

Sure we've bought our dog the occassional sweater, and ok so we buy posh 'homemade' dog food. I just hope we haven't crossed this line. If so, I will need the name of a good pet shrink to mend some fences between a certain dog and her owners.

I mean it, I feel ridiculous. Get it off.

Lady, just because your boyfriend doesn’t want to settle down, doesn’t mean you should pretend that I’m a real baby in hopes that he’ll play along in your twisted game of “house”. I promise you’re scaring him off, and it makes you look insane. Think about it, you dress me like a Gap employee and tote me around like a damned fashion accessory.

Say What ?

2005-12-17T20:22:00.000-06:00

President Bush acknowledged on Saturday that he had ordered the National Security Agency to conduct an electronic eavesdropping program on U.S. citizens without first obtaining warrants, and said he would continue the highly classified program because it was "a vital tool in our war against the terrorists."

He also lashed out at senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who voted on Friday to block the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act, which expanded the president's power to conduct surveillance, with warrants, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The revelation that Mr. Bush had secretly instructed the security agency to intercept the communications of Americans inside the United States, without first obtaining warrants from a secret court that oversees intelligence matters, was cited by several senators as a reason for their vote.

The program was first reported by the media in a New York Times report Friday and Bush said that information about the program had been improperly leaked to news organizations and warned that the unauthorized disclosure was illegal. Friday evening, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) promised to hold hearings to investigate the "inappropriate" granting of powers to the NSA to spy on Americans.

How To Dismantle A Gold Digger

2005-12-15T20:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I received a frantic call from Jenae explaining that she has just been offered four tickets to the U2 show in St. Louis . . . for that night ! ! ! Without hesitation we agreed to take the tickets and would figure out how to make it work along the way, we just could not turn down an offer as unbelievable as this.

We had only a few hours to round up two other people to join us and leave KC in order to make it to the show on time. So I called the few friends I knew that would be absolutely overwhelmed by the opportunity. I was right. They were all so overwhelmed that they couldn't move . . . seriously no one moved, no one went with us.

It was extremely such short notice, plus people "our age" just can't drop all of their life stuff and go to concerts. What does it say about us that we did (not necessarily could, but did) ? All in all, it was a 12-hour whirlwind (4:00pm - 4:00am . . . plus we had to wake up at 7:00am) and well worth it ! ! !

We made it just in time to catch the last two songs of their newly appointed opening act, Kanye West. The last two songs he performed were coincidently the only two songs of his I know, Jesus Walks and Gold Digger. He put on quite the performance, I love that guy.

About an hour later U2 took the stage and nothing was same after that. They started off a little flat (for U2 standards). However, as the show progressed they pick it up and ended with an arousing explosion of emotion, visuals, and sound. Overall the show was outstanding, however I felt the Elevation Tour was more intimate and powerful, or at least the show I saw was compared to this one. Perhaps since this was one of the last shows of this leg of the Vertigo Tour, the chaps were probably just plain spent. Regardless, they offered one unforgettable experience . . . as usual.

St.Louis Post-Dispatch review

The Jaded Driven Church

2005-12-11T21:18:00.000-06:00

Some churches are seeker-driven. A growing number are purpose-driven. But one church in Denver, Colorado has positioned itself as jaded-driven. Dave Terpstra, teaching pastor of The Next Level Church, shares how his own disillusionment with ministry made him question the wisdom of targeting the unchurched rather than pursuing the increasing number of church dropouts, like himself, filling our culture.

C.S. Lewis once said, “One courts a virgin differently than a divorcé,” (or something along these lines; I’ve had trouble tracking the exact quote). Even back in the mid 20th century, Lewis recognized that reaching people with a jaded perspective of the church (divorcés) would require a different strategy than reaching those without any church experience to begin with (virgins).

Certainly there are still some in our culture who are “church virgins,” but it seems increasingly more common to find people who have had some church experience or interaction with the Christian sub-culture that has left them jaded. The dominance of Christian media, marketing, and political influence in recent years has only increased this likelihood.

So, is it wise to continue wandering the countryside in search of the increasingly rare church virgin, or should we be finding strategies to reach the herds of church divorcés roaming our culture? At The Next Level Church we have chosen to go after those who are jaded, not only because of their number, but because most of us in leadership were in that place not too long ago.

One Bad Apple Spoiled the Whole Bunch

2005-12-08T15:16:00.000-06:00

There is an article in the latest version of the Pitch about the former local organic food co-op, Local Harvest.

I was a huge supporter of Local Harvest, even came real close to joining their monthly community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Some representatives from Local Harvest and other local CSA's came to Jacob's Well earlier this year for a mid-rash on the documentary, The Future of Food. Suddenly, this summer all three Local Harvest locations were closed with no rumor or warning; very mysterious and disconcerting.

The article fills in the blanks on the unfortunate demise of a great thing.

A Harvest of Debt
A decent idea to bring the metro organic veggies turns into a farm full of unpaid bills

In the two years since that night, Hands built a chain of three Local Harvest stores and then, in a matter of months, watched as they crumbled financially. She has left a trail of debts and, so far, mostly empty promises to pay them back. Worst of all, the family farms that she vowed to help say they're out thousands of dollars, and some have been forced to go to court to get their money.

The Fine Art of Small Talk

2005-12-07T10:19:00.000-06:00

I absolutely dread holiday parties, especially office holiday parties. The awkwardness, the hideous ‘holiday’ sweaters that look like a craft store threw-up all over them, the weird food, the weirder people, and most of all the painful small talk. I would rather be kicked in the crotch with steel-toed boots and get the pain over with than endure the slow torture of equally painful small talk with weird people in hideous ‘holiday’ sweaters that look like a craft store threw-up all over them.

This morning, NPR did a great story on how to turn these painfully awkard (and nearly unavoidable) experiences into less painful ones.

The prospect of holiday parties fill some with dread. Debra Fine, author of The Fine Art of Small Talk, shares her tips for getting through holiday parties unscathed.
Conversation Killers to Avoid
1. "Are you married?" or "Do you have any kids?" Where are you going with either one of these if the response is "No"?
2. "How's your job at Boeing, United Airlines, Martha Stewart Enterprises (fill in the blank)?" Unless you know a person well, assume nothing! Don't put them on the spot like that. Instead ask: "What's been going on with work?"
3. "How's your wife?" (She left, took all the money, the kids and got the house!)
4. "Merry Christmas!" "What are your Christmas plans?" Not all of us celebrate Christmas.
5. At all costs avoid "Is that real?" "Are those real?"

Deconstructing the Christmas Conspiracy

2005-12-06T11:23:00.000-06:00

Some say there is a battle brewing (between who?) over legislating what Christmas should and shouldn't consist of. Yet, some say there never has been a debate or battle, the notion of such is purely fictitious and nothing more than a desperate pull for air time.

I even received an email from an undisclosed family member urging all readers of the email to not shop at Target because they are using "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" for their 'seasonal marketing' (FYI - so is Wal-Mart); both sad and funny.

I'll leave you with some info and you decide for yourself if this is much ado about nothing or a real threat.

'Tis the season for the "War on Christmas" conspiracy theory to rear its head. The purported progressive plot to ban Christmas from the public square is now a daily staple of conservative talk radio and television, the focus of a popular new book (Fox News anchor John Gibson's "The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought"), and the battle cry for some 1,600 lawyer-volunteers working with Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty Counsel and the right-wing Alliance Defense Fund. In the latest teapot tempest, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) made much ado over his insisting that the decorated spruce tree on Capitol Hill be called a Christmas tree. But the truth is, there is no war on Christmas. As Salon.com's Michelle Goldbert points out, "What there is, rather, is a burgeoning myth of a war on Christmas, assembled out of old reactionary tropes, urban legends, exaggerated anecdotes and increasingly organized hostility to the American Civil Liberties Union."

In Bill O'Reilly's words, "There's a very secret plan...to diminish Christian philosophy in the U.S.A"; in Gibson's telling, "I began to connect the dots and discerned the outlines of the conspiracy."

In the latest incarnation, the war on Christmas is used to falsely portray progressives as anti-religious. According to O'Reilly, the self-described "leading general of the anti-secular forces in this country," it is just one arm of the "secular progressive agenda to get Christianity and spirituality and Judaism out of the public square." Comparing progressivism to Nazism and fascism, O'Reilly claimed, "In every secular progressive country, they've wiped out religion ... Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, all of them." Others on the right echo this line: Pat Buchanan writes, "What we are witnessing here are hate crimes against Christianity." Meanwhile, the Alliance Defense Fund says it pursues legal action over perceived attempts by "government officials to censor Christmas carols, eliminate all references to Christmas, or silence those who celebrate Christ's birth." The White House could be a potential target; no mention of "Christmas" is made anywhere in the White House Christmas card.

There is a strong progressive religious movement that honors Christmas and holds fast to Christian values that put the needs of the poor first.

Here are a few samplings of some recent posts from fellow bloggers both irritated and humored by all of the nonsense as well :

Jim Gillam - The War on Christmas Escalates
Mark D. Roberts - Christmas Tree Controversies: Introduction
Ashley Cleveland - I knew it was serious when…

Prince's Purple Reign

2005-12-05T13:16:00.000-06:00

As a "dyed in the wool" KU fan, and as a human being with both class and taste, I couldn't care less what happens at K-State. They are as significant as Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Wichita State, Junction City Community College, etc.

However, this is a great hire.

Decency Is Compatible With Profitability

2005-12-02T11:07:00.000-06:00

Jim Sinegal isn't your typical executive, and he's happy about that. What Sinegal has proven is that a company doesn't have to be ruthless. Being humane and ethical can also make you money.

Costco CEO Finds Decency Is Compatible With Profitability

. . . Costco has the lowest employee turnover rate in retailing. Its turnover is five times lower than its chief rival, Wal-Mart. And Costco pays higher than average wages — $17 an hour — 40 percent more than Sam's Club, the warehouse chain owned by Wal-Mart. And it offers better than average benefits, including health care coverage to more than 90 percent of its workforce.

Costco doesn't have a P.R. department and it doesn't spend a dime on advertising. There's a real business advantage to treating employees well, Sinegal said. "Imagine that you have 120,000 loyal ambassadors out there who are constantly saying good things about Costco. It has to be a significant advantage for you," he explained. Many Costco workers have been with the company since it was founded in 1983. Once hired, they rarely leave.

World AIDS Day

2005-12-01T11:35:00.000-06:00

Today—December 1, 2005—marks the 18th year of World AIDS Day.

This is a time to honor the strides made in combating HIV/AIDS, as well as the lives of those we have lost to HIV/AIDS since the onset of the epidemic. According to UNAIDS, there are 38 million adults and 2.3 million children living with HIV, and during 2005 some 4.9 million people became newly infected with the virus.

Started in 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, education and fighting prejudice. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done by supporting a local AIDS Organization with your time or resources.

This year, the theme of World AIDS Day is "Stop Aids: Keep the Promise" which reminds us that our government leaders need to be held accountable for their commitments to the fight against AIDS and act in order to delivered the promised results.

The red ribbon, the international symbol of AIDS awareness, is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day as a sign of support for people living with HIV and a symbol of hope for the future. Download a Virtual Red Ribbon or use the Virtual Red Ribbon in your e-mail signature from the World AIDS Day site to show your support for those living with and fighting HIV/AIDS.

World AIDS Day Multimedia Coverage
Read the new 2005 AIDSepidemic update
Fact Sheet
World AIDS Day Poster
ONE Declaration Signup Sheet

Which Is It ?

2005-11-22T09:24:00.000-06:00

I don't understand how this is not OK; but this, this, this, this, and this (I could go on forever) are OK.

The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election.

Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church's former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.

In his sermon, Regas, who from the pulpit opposed both the Vietnam War and 1991's Gulf War, imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. Regas said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support.

But he criticized the war in Iraq, saying that Jesus would have told Bush, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."

On June 9, the church received a letter from the IRS stating that "a reasonable belief exists that you may not be tax-exempt as a church … The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections."

LISTEN TO THE SERMON
Contrast that with this :
The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has sent a detailed plan of action to religious volunteers across the country asking them to turn over church directories to the campaign, distribute issue guides in their churches and persuade their pastors to hold voter registration drives.

Campaign officials said the instructions are part of an accelerating effort to mobilize President Bush's base of religious supporters. They said the suggested activities are intended to help churchgoers rally support for Bush without violating tax rules that prohibit churches from engaging in partisan activity.

The instruction sheet circulated by the Bush-Cheney campaign to religious volunteers lists 22 "duties" to be performed by specific dates.

By July 31, for example, volunteers are to "send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney '04 Headquarters or give [it] to a BC04 Field Rep" and "Talk to your Pastor about holding a Citizenship Sunday and Voter Registration Drive." By Aug. 15, they are to "talk to your Church's seniors or 20-30 something group about Bush/Cheney '04" and "recruit 5 more people in your church to volunteer for the Bush Cheney campaign."

By Sept. 17, they are to host at least two campaign-related potluck dinners with church members, and in October they are to "finish calling all Pro-Bush members of your church," "finish distributing Voter Guides in your church" and place notices on church bulletin boards or in Sunday programs "about all Christian citizens needing to vote."

For me this is not about ideology or political affiliation, this is about consistency in upholding the laws of our country. God help us if our laws are built on sand where the ever-changing political climate winds can seriously alter or permanently destroy them for immediate short-term power. Simply frightening.

Jesus, Meet Evolution

2005-11-21T17:10:00.000-06:00

Evolution.

Why is this topic always an 'either-or' debate ?

You either support and believe wholeheartedly in creation OR evolution . . . pick a side and fight like hell for it ! ! !

As a Christian (as is for any person of faith I would assume), I never really doubted God created all things that ever have been or will be. Now, I do have some reservations (ok, almost disbelief) in the literal interpretation of the Genesis account of creation, but that is an entirely separate topic that would take an enormous amount of time to sort through. Perhaps if you buy me coffee, we can sit and chat about it.

With that much said, my first recollection of experiencing the 'evolution vs. creation' topic (supporting or dissenting) was as an apathetic college student attending a "Liberal Arts" Christian college (trust me, there is NOTHING liberal about this place, i.e. - John Ashcroft's dad was the schools second President). I was sitting in a painfully boring Biology class; I probably attended this class (and most others) no more than 3-4 times a month, just painful. Anyway, you can guess from that description what stereotypical angle the faculty took in this debate.

Your guess would be incorrect.

The professor walks in and say's, "Today we WERE going to cover evolution, however I can not teach all of the information I want to, so if you want to talk to me after class I will make myself available".

A rebel professor, I was intrigued. So I waited for him after class, the discussion that ensued forever changed my view on the 'evolution vs. creation' debate. To boil down an hour long conversation into a nice talking point, would be this; (professor) "Evolution and creation are not an 'either-or' conversation, rather it is a 'both-and' conversation . . . as a Christian I can not deny that there is an amazing creator and as a scientist I can not deny evolution". Boiled down even further (my synopsis); "God created all things to evolve".

Debate over.

All of this was sparked by an article I received this morning, Jesus, Meet Evolution.

Joaquin The Line

2005-11-19T14:23:00.000-06:00

Walk The Line is by far the best movie of the year and one of the, if not 'the', best movies I have EVER seen. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon chillingly incapture the spirits John and June, definite locks for multiple Oscars.

The most amazing part of this masterpiece is that Joaquin performed all of the songs himself without being dubbed and learned to play guitar from scratch; and Reese did her own singing and also had to learn to play the auto-harp. Reportedly, both were even personally chosen by John and June to play them before they passed.

ps - check out Jason's and Eric's (identical?) takes on the experience.

I’ve Got Another Confession To Make

2005-11-14T00:01:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is Doug and I'm an addict.

With One Headlight

2005-11-13T23:09:00.000-06:00

While walking through Westport tonight, a cop in a patrol car cruised down the street toward us. I motioned to him to slow down and to roll down his window. After a brief second to try to figure out what I was doing, he complied. I told him he had a headlight out, he said thanks and he'll get it fixed. I let him off with just a warning, no ticket this time.

Iceland Meets the Heartland

2005-11-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

Sigur Rós

• feb 22 • kansas city (mo) •
• uptown theater •

• tickets on-sale nov 22 •

The Best Is Yet To Come

2005-11-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

As it prepares for its maiden tour of South America, which begins November 22 in Santiago, Chile, Pearl Jam is still working on its first studio album since 2002's "Riot Act."

The as-yet-untitled set is due next spring via Sony BMG's J Records label.

"It's been a difficult record and it's like sometimes the harder something is, then the more valuable it becomes," frontman Eddie Vedder said during a Brazilian radio interview earlier this week.

"It's easily the best stuff we've done but also some of the hardest stuff. It's very aggressive, because again, it's kind of a product of what it's like to be an American these days. It's pretty aggressive, especially when you turn it loud."

entire article

On a side note, one of the best tv shows in a long time get's cancelled by FOX. I have a feeling they'll bring back the Bluth's after overwhelming demand and record dvd sales, just like they did the Griffin's.

trūth (n.) : freedom from deceit or falseness

2005-11-04T16:16:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 59:14
Injustice is everywhere; justice seems far away.
Truth is chased out; honesty is shoved aside.

Jim Wallis and Sojourners have dispatched the following “action alert,” enabling readers to petition Congress for an independent investigation to determine if and how the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to justify war in Iraq.

(here is an abbreviated version of the “action alert”)

Nearly 60 years ago, President Harry Truman earned the slogan "Give 'Em Hell, Harry." During the 1948 presidential campaign, the story goes, he was giving a speech when someone shouted it from the crowd. Truman supposedly responded, "I don't give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell."

With the 2,000th American soldier's death last week, tens of thousands of Iraqis dead, and the criminal indictment of a top White House official for perjury and obstructing justice, it's time we are told the truth. It would be the best way to honor the dead and perhaps prevent the death of countless more lives than by simply staying the course. A bipartisan and independent commission, such as the 9/11 Commission, must be created and empowered to conduct a full investigation that can provide answers.

As of this morning, more than 20,000 of our readers have sent messages to Congress. It's time to keep the pressure on, and, indeed, to increase it. Help us reach--and exceed--our goal of 25,000 signers, and keep building momentum for the truth. For the first time, the Democrats are showing some courage on the war in Iraq, and that could be the first step in ending the tragic war. But this is not a partisan issue. We need Americans across the political spectrum to demand the truth about Iraq.

If you have not yet responded to our action alert, click here to ask Congress for an independent investigation to determine if and how the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to justify war in Iraq.

triple grande, decaf, vanilla, 2 percent, extra hot, with whip Corporate Zombie Halloween Costume

2005-10-31T17:58:00.000-06:00

The fine folks at Ritual Roasters were dressed as undead Starbucks employees today. They asked me if I wanted a grande pumpkin latte with a shot of vanilla in typical zombie fashion. You just gotta love Halloween in San Francisco.

link via link

ps - For the record, I think Starbucks is a great company with great coffee. With that said, I try to support "other" coffee places to leverage the competition as much as my occassional dollar or two a week spent on coffee can.

Uncomfortably Numb

2005-10-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

We were awakened this morning by the apparent sound of construction, as if a few pieces of sheet metal had fallen from a nearby construction site. Nothing out of the ordinary, we live in the middle of a lot of downtown redevelopment.

Strangely though, the noises were shortly followed by the rushing sound of sirens. Still at that point we hadn't put the connection together.

I got dressed for work and headed toward the elevator to our parking garage. As soon as I approached the elevator, a group of people were congregated with the look of shock and sadness on their faces. That is when I put it all together, the sounds we heard a few minutes earlier was the sound of murderous gunshots.

After talking with the group of my neighbors, all that was really known was that a woman shot a man in the back three times as he walked out of our building and then she shot him again two more times after he collapsed on the sidewalk across the street. Apparently she even stayed at the scene until the police arrived.

One especially poignant aspect of this is the timing. Our neighborhood is bustling in the morning with hundreds of pedestrians walking to their jobs. There are a few corporate headquarters (AMC, Commerce Bank, etc.) and several other businesses located within a couple of blocks; not to mention other lofts and the downtown Library. I'm sure there were many unexpecting eyewitnesses to this schocking crime that will not forget what they saw, but wish they could.

Sunday Morning Amens

2005-10-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

Amen #1 - Ryan Bolger’s blog on why not to start “relevant” churches.

Relevant churches are rarely even closely relevant. Most Christians don't even like them. They might be better than Mom and Dad's morning service, but they usually are quite irrelevant to the outsider. The church person cannot 'guess' what the seeker wants, undoubtedly getting it wrong. What Christians need to do is create meaningful worship through bringing their very own lives to God. Worship must reflect the culture of the community that is currently part of the church, not replicate current worship CDs, nor 1980s soft rock, nor 18th century hymns. Instead of mimicking other church cultures, the community collectively brings their own idiosyncratic ways of life to God, whatever they may be. Indeed, the church may have the stray outsider finding themselves in the worship service and joining the community. But if the focus is on them, simply to be relevant, their worship will satisfy neither the church members nor the outsider.

Amen #2 - Eddie Gibbs offers a balanced and fair review of Carson’s book, noting its strengths and its weaknesses.

A missional engagement requires immersion in culture, to listen and ask questions. A missionary then proposes responses from the gospel, rather than attempting to impose a message. Postmoderns, who are anti-absolutist, suspicious of truth claims, and wide open to relativism, will pose new and discomforting questions. Emerging leaders are immersed in these oceans, rather than occasionally visiting or examining them in the laboratories of evangelical academia.

However, in terms of the missional strategy of emerging churches, Carson is uneasy with their handling of the tension between "becoming" and "belonging." Many emergent practitioners don't draw lines between believers and unbelievers, or church members and nonmembers, arguing the lines are arbitrary and that we are all on a journey. But Carson notes that the New Testament does speak of insiders and outsiders; the Christian church represents a new and distinctive community. Furthermore, there is a legitimate distinction between those who seek to understand and obey the Scriptures and those who do not.
links via

"Think VH1 meets Norman Rockwell" (no thanks)

2005-10-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

After work I had to pick up my car from the auto shop. Come to find out the hooptie isn't as tore up as they once thought; just needs brake pads, not a total brake system replacement . . . thank God ! ! !

Anyway, afterwards I had to get the dog some food from our dealer in Brookside. Got the goods, hopped in the car, turned the corner and looky here . . . we got ourselves a new coffee shop.

I've seen this thing being built from day one, but they finished with the quickness over the past few weeks. I put the hooptie in park and mozzied on in to give it a look about. Come to find out, today was their first day in business, I was one of their first customers.

Not bad, very shiny, employees looked lost, pretentious business people on their laptops, flat screen tv (not joking), and the list goes on. This is how they describe it "Think VH1 meets Norman Rockwell. An old school, friendly Midwestern attitude with hip decor, engaging branding and a neighborhood hangout."

OK, whatever that means.

Not my "cup of tea (or coffee actually)", but you may like. It definitely fills a need, can't believe this is the first coffee shop (not including the delicious Bella Napoli) in the area. Long overdo.

sick and tired of being sick and tired

2005-10-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

In the past 8 day's, I have gone from this . . . to this . . . to this . . . to this . . . back to this . . . to this . . . and now to this.

ENOUGH ALREADY ! ! !

Wal-Mart photofinishing narcs out student

2005-10-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

Wal-Mart called the police on a high-school student who brought in a pic of a homemade anti-George Bush poster for photo-finishing. The Secret Service went to the kid's high-school and confiscated the poster.

Jarvis had assigned her senior civics and economics class "to take photographs to ilustrate their rights in the Bill of Rights," she says. One student "had taken a photo of George Bush out of a magazine and tacked the picture to a wall with a red thumb tack through his head. Then he made a thumb's-down sign with his own hand next to the President's picture, and he had a photo taken of that, and he pasted it on a poster..."

An employee in that Wal-Mart photo department called the Kitty Hawk police on the student. And the Kitty Hawk police turned the matter over to the Secret Service. On Tuesday, September 20, the Secret Service came to Currituck High.

"At 1:35, the student came to me and told me that the Secret Service had taken his poster," Jarvis says. "I didn't believe him at first. But they had come into my room when I wasn't there and had taken his poster, which was in a stack with all the others."

Link

check out :

No Direction Home

2005-10-01T12:47:00.000-05:00

Brilliant. Legendary. Original. (and Bob ain't bad either)

If you missed the two-night premier of No Direction Home on PBS this past Monday + Tuesday, you can (must) catch both part 1 + part 2 again tonight back-to-back on KCPT starting @ 7pm. If you have plans, cancel them. If you can't cancel, set your vcr or dvr or tivo. If you don't have one of those, but one . . . or I guess you could just buy the dvd.

The Hunt for Red October

2005-09-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

After 159 games, one game separates New York and Boston. And after wins by each Thursday night, the AL East has come down to the final three games in Fenway. This intense drama at the end of every season between the Red Sox and Yankees never get's old . . . wow ! ! !

Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box

2005-09-29T00:01:00.000-05:00

the boys are back in the studio . . .

We're back in the studio, and all is fun and well. Stanley's here too, or at least in the shed out back, painting again. The rats have got in and eaten all his blue paint, and there's blue rat shit everywhere: but at least he's got a good dub cd to listen to while he's working.

Jonny

satellite not working
rain rattling down the chimney. windows buffering.
not got th e words to PAY DAY yet.
but today i got the words to BURN THE (WHITE?) WITCH.. thats a good un. jonny has losts of orchestration tasks now including this..('oh good' says he exiting stage left)
blackboard filling up with ideas. lots of things happening all over the studio at once.. which i always like..although i keep having to remind myself to sit down occasionally.
night night
Thom

It's Only Rock-n-Roll, But I Like It

2005-09-28T00:02:00.000-05:00

Last week I had one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I am a huge music fan, and like any music aficionado, I absolutely dig a live show. Last week I experienced 3 great shows in a 4-night span. Now, a week later I am finally able to gather what's left of my blown mind and attempt to write about it all, it was pretty surreal to say the least.

It all kicked off with hanging with my friend Tim in my home away from home, Lawr ence. Tim and I were there to check out Jimmy Eat World. More specifically their drummer (and friend), Zach Lind. What a great guy, it was cool to finally meet up with him at the Free State Brewery before the show, where we got to know each other, shoot the shit, all the while waxing theologically and such. The show was outstanding. This was a rare night in which they could play an extended set. They are currently on tour opening up for Green Day, so a night they headline and can play more than 30 minutes (they played for over 90 minutes by the way) is a treat for them and their fans (which I am one now). Read Tim's take on the night here.

I was almost as equally impressed with a band originally from Lawrence that opened for them, The Appleseed Cast. These guys are the "real deal". I thought they were amazing. A heavy melodic sound that both rocks and soothes. Keep your ears and eyes open for these guys.

Following that was a show I have waited my entire adult life to experience. Mainly because their live show comes so highly acclaimed by the few people whose musical tastes I completely trust and respect. Plus they have been rockin out their own brand of what I call 'psychadelic blues' for nearly 40 years now. The one and only - Allman Brothers Band.

I haven't been the same since that night. Just thinking about it leaves me speechless. However, in an effort to communicate; if I had to come up with one word, one adjective to describe this show it would be . . . explosive. An explosion of sight and sound, a full-blown assault on the senses. This has to rank as one of my top 3 shows in the hundreds in my lifetime.

I will never forget that night, never.

To cap off the 3 shows in 4 nights experience was Coldplay.

I must interject this caveat; most people you talk to that were at the show seem to not have had a great experience. A lot of that had to do with the distraction of the typically annoying Verizon lawn crowd and standing so far in the lawn that the band looks like little ants. Plus, the band admittedly was not at full energy. Chris Martin, the lead singer, explained that they were just plain exhausted, some were playing with broken bones, others with colds, etc.

However, ask me, and I'll tell you the show kicked ass. We lucked out and got 4th row tickets (for free !!!) and were completly enraptured by their performance. Their sound was par to cd quality (which is either good or bad depending on preference), plus their stage design was amazing. They had a screen that seemed to cover the entire state of Kansas that showed live semi-animated images of the band (see above). That description doesn’t really do it justice, trust me, it was pretty amazing. I am not a Coldplay fan per se, however this was a great show (not to mention they did an acoustic Johnny Cash cover which was absolutely choice).

3 shows . . . 4 nights . . . I'll never be the same.

Lending a Helping Hand in Houston

2005-09-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

Since I began working for Good Samaritan Project in 2002, I have attended the annual United States Conference on AIDS each year.

This conference is the largest HIV/AIDS conference in the country and one of the largest in the world. It changes 'host cities' each year; 2002 it was in Anaheim, 2003 it was in New Orleans (I will cherish that one now more than ever), and 2004 it was in Philadelphia.

I have such an unbelievable time at this conference. The world’s top HIV/AIDS researchers, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, grassroots organizations, etc. offer extraordinary seminars and lectures. It is non-stop learning and networking.

Not to mention soaking up the city nightlife at night is a must.

However, this years conference (9/28-10/2) is going to be different, it's in Houston, the home away from home for thousands of displaced Hurricane Katrina victims.

I was wondering if the 'show would go on' even. If the city could handle such a major conference in addition to all that they are doing for the victims. I received an email this week from the USCA director. Looks like not only will the conference still go on, but the conference organizers will be providing shuttle service at night for conference attendees to go to the various sites around the city where the displaced victims are being temporarily housed to volunteer our time and resources. I am thankful I get the opportunity to at least spend some time with these victims and hopefully offer some support as well:

2005 USCA Responds to Hurricane Katrina

Our USCA partners would like to express their sincere sympathy to those impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

USCA will happen this year in Houston; however, given the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, we will be making adjustments to the conference program (see below). We struggled with this decision; however, we also knew that the fight against AIDS continues, and so must our work.We hope to use the meeting as a way for the AIDS community to support and learn from those AIDS service organizations and people with AIDS impacted by Katrina, and to discuss how HIV/AIDS organizations can continue to serve their communities after a disaster.

We also have been asked by leaders in the Houston area not to cancel the meeting. The economic impact of pulling USCA out of the city would hurt the local economy when it needs our support the most.

USCA participants will have an opportunity to make direct contributions to HIV/AIDS organizations impacted by this disaster in several ways.

Instead of serving food at the plenary, on Friday, September 30, we will take the $40,000 ear-marked for meals, and donate it to community-based organizations (CBOs) in areas affected by Katrina. Donations will be accepted on-site, and participants also will be able to sign-up for volunteer opportunities at shelters, food banks and other locations, throughout the Houston area. Come early or stay longer and help out those directly affected in this community. USCA attendees also will be able to participate in a forum with CBOs/ASOs in affected areas. We intend to bring CBOs from impacted areas to directly share their stories and to let us know how they can be supported.

A number of workshops addressing the preparedness of HIV/AIDS organizations to respond to a catastrophic event like Katrina will be held, including:
How to Prepare Your Organization for an Emergency. If we learned anything from this tragedy, we learned that we need to be prepared. We will discuss what your organization needs to do to be ready to respond to an emergency situation.
How to Prepare Your Organization for a Potential Increase in Clients. Organizations outside of the areas impacted by Katrina may see an influx of evacuees. Are you ready for more clients? Do you know how to transfer files, access emergency funding, transfer public assistance from one state to another, etc.
Candlelight Vigil
There will be a candlelight vigil on Thursday, September 29, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Hermann Square “Reflection Pond” to pay homage to lives lost to HIV/AIDS and in the recent tragedy. Shuttle service to and from the vigil will be provided.

Additional Information
Deciding whether to hold USCA was not an easy decision. We hope that you will join us and see this as a way to support those in need because of this disaster.

Presidential Potty Break

2005-09-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

"U.S. President George W. Bush writes a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit and 60th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York September 14, 2005."

Our favorite part, really? "Is this possible?" Does the UN have protocol on this? Does he need a hall pass? Hold hands with a buddy? What if it weren't possible? And how would Condi solve it? Hold out her hands?

Wonkette

Reuters

p.s. - I am often (deservidly) critical of the President. However, I would give him praise when it is ever do. The 5-year wait for that is now over. Along with most of the world, I was pleasantly surprised by his statements yesterday regarding the federal governments fatal failures involving Hurricane Katrina. His statements were nothing short of honorable and respectable. I felt proud to see a President sac up and take personal responsibility, especially for such a difficult situation. Well done Mr. President.

I Deserve To Be Fired Too

2005-09-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

Here is an excerpt of a take similar to mine regarding the hell on earth being experienced in New Orleans. Even though initially I kinda wish I hadn't read this, I'm glad I did.

" . . . I see the FEMA director expressing dismay that so many people stayed behind. He’s saying that he doesn’t understand why so many people would stay despite the warnings. If that’s not political spin, then this guy is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. The math is simple on this one. If you’re told to evacuate your home on short notice to get out of the path of a Category 5 hurricane, you can’t do it without one very important thing: money. You need money to stay in a hotel, perhaps for a very long time. You need money for food. You need a car. If you have a car, it had better be big enough for your family and their luggage. Then you need gas to run the car, and gas costs money. Nowadays, gas costs an obscene amount of money. Thus, the people left behind to suffer Katrina’s wrath fall mostly into one of two categories: people who are stupid or people who are poor. We can’t do much for the former, but we have no excuse for the plight of the latter. By “we,” I mean Christians. I mean me.

My temptation is to blame this on the government. It would be easy to make a list of ways I think our government dropped the ball on this one. I could rant for hours about how the richest country in the world can’t justify the existence of poverty so severe that thousands don’t have the resources to flee when nature throws an apocalyptic fit. I could quote Howard Zinn and wax liberal and self-righteous about how ethnic minorities have been forced into the lower economic classes through oppression. I could hold my own town meeting about all this except for something literally staring me in the face: I’m typing this on a Power Mac G5 with dual processors and a 20-inch flat-screen monitor. Six months ago, I thought I “needed” his computer, which costs as much as some used cars. As much as months of food. As much as plenty of gas, even at these ridiculous prices. Tonight, watching “the least of these” cry for help from rooftops, my definition of need is starting to change. And I’m ashamed that it took the flooding of the French Quarter for me to feel bad. Stuff like this is happening all the time, all over the world.

No, I can’t give our president a tongue-lashing over this. This is as much my fault as his, or anybody else in authority. I’m a Christian, and I hang out with a bunch of other Christians. Though we’re all middle class in America, we’re rich by international standards. And we have no excuse for permitting such poverty. Why? Because we all own Bibles. We even read them sometimes, though you don’t have to read very often to know that God commands us to help the poor. He doesn’t ask nicely. It’s not extra credit when I give change to a homeless guy. It comes with the job description of being a Christian. I deserve to be fired. "

enitire article . . .

Truth and Consequences

2005-09-04T17:15:00.000-05:00

I can't make sense of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, no one can or will ever be able to.

Right now emotions are too high and energy is too low to think or feel clearly. Initially, I really didn't want to watch the television coverage or read about the devastation. I don't want to be a voyeur, I don't want to stare, I don't want to be entertained by real life tragedy and chaos. Plus, I always felt that help was on the way any time now and the scene would change for the better.

A few days in to this thing, I began to hear criticisms of the President and the lack of adequate government reaction and protection. My thoughts and opinions about George Bush and his administration are no secret. I firmly believe history will prove that he was the most ineffectual, destructive, and incompetent President in US history. His pride and prejudice is disgusting. With that said, he has had a lot of shit go down on his watch. A lot. I felt that the criticisms thrown his way regarding the perceived inefficient response to the Hurricane Katrina victims were unwarranted and unfair. I felt no one could have possibly known this could have happened or how to respond to it perfectly. For once I found myself defending George Bush.

Not anymore.

I have started to watch the television coverage and read the reports for the first time. There seems to be a unanimous outrage and embarrassment regarding the Presidents and his administrations actions (or lack of) and comments regarding the tragedy and chaos in New Orleans. It is now understood that the majority of deaths (which could be in the tens of thousands) did not come during hurricane, but rather from the days spent waiting to be rescued while being exposed to fatal conditions. Here are some of the governments comments, they are definetly living in a far different reality:

FEMA chief Brown: "We learned about that (Thursday), so I have directed that we have all available resources to get that convention center to make sure that they have the food and water and medical care that they need." [Sept.1,2005]

Brown: "Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well." [Sept.1,2005]

Brown: "I've had no reports of unrest, if the connotation of the word unrest means that people are beginning to riot, or you know, they're banging on walls and screaming and hollering or burning tires or whatever. I've had no reports of that." [Sept.1,2005]

Brown: "I actually think the security is pretty darn good. There's some really bad people out there that are causing some problems, and it seems to me that every time a bad person wants to scream of cause a problem, there's somebody there with a camera to stick it in their face." [Sept.1,2005]

President George Bush: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." [Sept.2,2005]

I watch Meet the Press every Sunday morning, it's the only news programming (other than The Daily Show) that I can stomach. Tim Russert is a phenomenal journalist and interviewer. He is always right down the middle, never showing favoritism. This morning, he was not happy and it showed. His first guest was Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Chertoff is now in charge of FEMA after Bush dismantled the program, privatized most of their responsibilities to privately owned companies, and gave the shattered remains of the program to DHS to be used to "fight terrorism". Needless to say, FEMA was in no shape to handle any crisis in America.

Here are some of the questions and statements Russert threw at Chertoff [full transcript here]:

MR. RUSSERT: Now, let's turn to Hurricane Katrina. Joining us is the man in charge of the federal response to the disaster, the director of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff.
Mr. Secretary, this is yesterday's Daily News: "Shame Of A Nation." And I want to read it to you and our viewers very carefully. It says, "As for Chertoff, if this is the best his department can do, the homeland is not very secure at all. It is absolutely outrageous that the United States of America could not send help to tens of thousands of forlorn, frightened, sick and hungry human beings at least 24 hours before it did, arguably longer than that. Who is specifically at fault for what is nothing less than a national scandal... It will never be known exactly what a day could have meant to so many unfortunates whose lives came to an end in those hopelessly tortured hours--on scorching roadsides, for lack of a swallow of water, in sweltering hospital beds, for lack of insulin. But what is already more than clear is that the nation's disaster-preparedness mechanisms do not appear to be in the hands of officials who know how to run them."
Mr. Secretary, are you or anyone who reports to you contemplating resignation?
MR. RUSSERT: Well, many Americans believe now is the time for accountability. The Republican governor of Massachusetts said, "We are an embarrassment to the world." The Republican senator from Louisiana, David Vitter, said that you deserve a grade of F, flunk. How would you grade yourself?
MR. RUSSERT: Senator Vitter, the Republican from Louisiana, said the death toll could reach 10,000 because of the lack of response. Do you agree with that number?
MR. RUSSERT: People were stunned by a comment the president of the United States made on Wednesday, Mr. Secretary. He said, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." How could the president be so wrong, be so misinformed?
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Secretary, you say prestaged. People were sent to the Convention Center. There was no water, no food, no beds, no authorities there. There was no planning.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, Mr. Secretary, you said--hold on. Mr. Secretary, there was no food or water at the Superdome, either. And I want to stay on this because... I want to stay on this because this is very important. You said you were surprised by the levee being broken. In 2002, The Times-Picayune did story after story--and this is eerie; this is what they wrote and how they predicted what was going to happen. It said, and I'll read it very carefully: "...A major hurricane could decimate the region, but flooding from even a moderate storm could kill thousands. It's just a matter of time. ... The scene's been played out for years in computer models or emergency operations simulations... New Orleans has hurricane levees that create a bowl with the bottom dipping lower than the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain. ...the levees would trap any water that gets inside-- by breach, overtopping or torrential downpour--catastrophic storm. ... The estimated 200,000 or more people left behind in an evacuation will be struggling to survive. Some will be housed at the Superdome, the designated shelter for people too sick or inform to leave the city. ...But many will simply be on their own, in homes or looking for high ground. Thousands will drown while trapped in homes or cars by rising water. Other will be washed away or crushed by debris. Survivors will end up trapped on roofs, in buildings or on high ground surrounded by water, with no means of escape and little food or fresh water, perhaps for several days." That was four years ago. And last summer FEMA, who reports to you, and the LSU Hurricane Center, and local and state officials did a simulated Hurricane Pam in which the levees broke. The levees broke, Mr. Secretary, and people--thousands could die.
MR. RUSSERT: There's a CD which is in your department and the White House has it and the president, and you are saying, "We were surprised that the levees may not hold." How could this be?
MR. RUSSERT: But that's the point. Those who got out were people with SUVs and automobiles and airfares who could get out. Those who could not get out were the poor who rely on public buses to get out. Your Web site says that your department assumes primary responsibility for a national disaster. If you knew a hurricane 3 storm was coming, why weren't buses, trains, planes, cruise ships, trucks provided on Friday, Saturday, Sunday to evacuate people before the storm?

WOW.

Following Chertoff, Russert had on the president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, Aaron Broussard. By the end of this segment, he was completely broken down, sobbing uncontrollably [video] :

RUSSERT: You just heard the director of homeland security’s explanation of what has happened this last week. What is your reaction?
BROUSSARD: We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast. But the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history. … Whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that totem pole needs to be chainsawed off and we’ve got to start with some new leadership. It’s not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now.

Broussard then discussed the difficulties local authorities had with FEMA, including one case where they actually posted armed guards to keep FEMA from cutting their communications lines:

Three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn’t need them. This was a week ago. FEMA, we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. When we got there with our trucks, FEMA says don’t give you the fuel. Yesterday — yesterday — FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards and said no one is getting near these lines…

Finally, Broussard told the tragic personal story of a colleague, and broke down:

I want to give you one last story and I’ll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I’m in, Emergency Management, he’s responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, “Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?” and he said, “Yeah, Mama, somebody’s coming to get you.” Somebody’s coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody’s coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody’s coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody’s coming to get you on Friday… and she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night! [Sobbing] Nobody’s coming to get us. Nobody’s coming to get us. The Secretary has promised. Everybody’s promised. They’ve had press conferences. I’m sick of the press conferences. For god’s sakes, just shut up and send us somebody.

I nearly broke down in tears watching it.

I am now convinced beyond any doubt that our country has let it’s people down and is indirectly responsible for thousands of deaths on it’s own soil. Most of our protective programs have been eliminated in favor of less taxes, with the remains of those protective programs being consumed by a baseless war thousands of miles away in Iraq. The race card keeps being played in attempting to rationalize the ineffectivesness of our governments response. I do not believe the government was so embarrassingly ineffective in responding because the people were black. I can maybe believe the point could be made that since the majority of the victims were poor, they were therefor not an extremely high "priority" (i.e. - no/little income = no/little taxes = not a priority). Neither accusation mean much at this point, true or not.

As easy as it may be to point blame (and some of it is much deserved), it won’t help those in need and that is what is truly important. This mornings special Bruderhof Daily Dig echoed that very clearly and eloquently :

In the wake of Katrina, one could say plenty regarding our government’s response (or lack thereof), and about how many more lives could have been saved if those in power had been more on the ball. But this is not the time to point fingers: we have been struck, unprepared, by a mammoth refugee crisis, widespread lawlessness, martial law, and a degree of public panic that has never been associated with life in the United States.
Not surprisingly, the news media is obsessed with the economic consequences of Katrina: the skyrocketing cost of gas, the instability of the real estate market, and the weakening of the dollar, to name just a few. As usual, it seems that the financial and material aspects of the disaster are of paramount importance to us. For many people, the biggest question seems to be, “How long will it be before the price of gas goes down again, and I can return to life-as-usual?”
Very few people seem to be asking what sort of a spiritual impact this disaster will have, and whether we are going to let it affect our consciences and our collective soul. Shouldn’t we all be praying for a spiritual renewal, and for a new era of justice and love? To me, that is the sort of question we should be asking.

Renewed Sight

2005-09-01T03:08:00.000-05:00

My church community has a beautiful new website that clearly reflects the renown of common people.

Gracious Father, we pray for thy church, Jacobs Well.

Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace.

Where it is corrupt, purify it;

where it is in error, direct it;

where in any thing it is amiss, reform it.

Where it is right, strengthen it;

where it is in want, provide for it;

where it is divided, reunite it;

for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us sow love;

where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union;

where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Music Lovers, Hold On To Your Hats

2005-08-30T17:30:00.000-05:00

The evening of September 21, 2005 will be a musical feast of historical proportions for music lovers in the area. Check out this delicious buffet of musical treats on the menu for that one night. I know which one I'll be enjoying, how about you ?

Wilco 6 p.m., The Blue Note

Allman Brothers Band 7 p.m., Uptown Theater

Coldp lay / Rilo Kiley 7:30 p.m., Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Sufjan Stevens / Liz James 9 p.m., The Bottleneck

Meet My New Next Door Neighbor

2005-08-26T18:47:00.000-05:00

Architects have finished the design for the Sprint Center downtown arena. The pillow/contraceptive sponge design has been updated to something a little less poofy that Mayor Barnes calls a “crystal bowl.” The final design will feature 18,500 seats.

Kansas City Business Journal: Arena team unveils final design

More Sprint Center info and pictures

Kansas City Live! entertainment, retail, office and residential district

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor . . . Busy

2005-08-16T17:47:00.000-05:00

This is totally insane. Though I can't say I blame them . . . a $50 Apple iBook ! ! ! Come on, short of sending someone to the hospital, we all would do almost anything in this situation.

A Richmond, Virginia school district's sidewalk sale of used $50 laptops turned into pandemonium today. Would-be customers stampeded, crushing a baby stroller, throwing an elderly man to the pavement; one person tried to disburse his Mac-hungry competitors by driving his car through the crowd. When the dust settled, seventeen people were injured, and four hospitalized. One shopper, Blandine Alexander, reported that "one woman standing in front of her was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself."

And all that's nothing compared to what these people are going to do when they're on hold with the Apple Help line . . .

$50 Laptop Sale Sets Off Violent Stampede

The Pharisee and The Publican: Version 2.0

2005-08-12T00:16:00.000-05:00

A semi-representative sampling of religious Americans went to their respective place of worship to pray . . .

Evangelical Republican – “I thank you that I am not a homosexual, a pro-choicer, an evolutionist, or even like this welfare mom, an irresponsible drain on society. I voted for your servant, George W. Bush. I send my children to a private Christian school and I’m thinking about homeschooling next year. I give money to the American Family Association and Focus on the Family so that values will not disappear in the United States.”

Liberal Christian – “I thank you that I am not like this Fundamentalist: intolerant, judgmental, a bible-literalist, you know, an all-around jerk. I employ the latest in the critical apparatuses and scientific methodologies. I read the Jesus Seminar. I make sure people understand that you will not judge them but are there to help them actualize their reality, whatever reality they choose.”

Church Growth Expert – “Lord, I thank you that I am not bound by previous conventions of church polity like this small church pastor. I employ the best insights from the business world. I function as a CEO. I make Christianity as simple as possible. Your Gospel is a bit difficult for the average person to understand, you know. I use Power Point presentations. Our church looks like an office building. I remove any alien elements so that non-Christians will feel comfortable.”

Atheist – “I thank you that I am not like all these Christians, wasting their time praying to a non-existent deity. Wait a minute!”

Praise and Worship Leader – “I thank you, Lord (8X), that I am not (3X) singing hymns.”

Cultural Separatist (Pentecostal or Holiness variety) – “I thank you that I am not like any other person on the entire planet. I don’t watch TV, go to movies or listen to secular music. I don’t go to restaurants that serve alcohol. I certainly do not drink. In fact, I have purged my life of all fun. I believe in holiness, you know. It’s just me and you, Lord … Lord?”

Emergent Hipster – “I thank you. Lord, that I am not like this traditionalist: stiff, irrelevant, uncool, a real Gen-Xer, not. I practice authenticity by coordinating my fashion with my spirituality. I only act virtuous when I feel like it; there’s nothing worse than hypocrisy. I look, speak, act and think like the rest of society so that I can show them how relevant Christianity is. I’m not so sure it’s working. Amen.”

Christian Satirist – “Lord, I thank you that I am not like all these other morons, but I do thank you that they are around for me to make fun of. I take pen in hand and point out the faults of others in a humorous way. I think I’m pretty funny, don’t you? Amen”

Observant On-looker – “Lord, have mercy on me; I’m confused.”

* credit here via here

Fantasy Football: Bane or Boon of the Workplace?

2005-08-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

There is growing concern in corporate America that fantasy football is a cancer in the workplace. According to some estimates, the cost of fantasy football to American businesses exceeds the very considerable revenue generated by the hobby. One of the most widely cited estimates comes from the firm of Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc., whose CEO speculates that fantasy football costs the nation’s employers $36,000,000 in lost productivity. John A. Challenger points out that lost time isn’t only a product of workers surfing fantasy sites for the latest updates concerning their players, but of office socialization: “If it is not the Internet, it could be 10 minutes of chatting around the watercooler with other league aficionados. For every 10 minutes an employee chats at the watercooler about the tournament, the company is basically paying for unproductive worktime.”

Variously termed “cyberslacking” or “cyberloafing” by workplace efficiency experts, the unauthorized use of Internet access by employees at work supposedly costs companies $50,000,000,000 or more in lost productivity each year. I’m no efficiency expert, so I have no idea how that number was arrived at. I dare to suggest, however, that if all employees throughout the world with Internet access stopped cyberslacking from August 1, 2005 through August 1, 2006, it would be insane for us to expect fifty billion dollars in goods and services simply to manifest themselves as a direct result.

Cyberslacking happens, I suppose, because it can. If you have to hire a company such as Stellar Internet Monitoring to find out which of your employees are tinkering with their fantasy football lineups on company time, that is probably because the ones who are spending time on fantasy football at work are getting their work done just as efficiently as (perhaps even more efficiently than) those who aren’t.

continue . . .

Fare Thee Well

2005-08-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

As hard as it is to believe, today is the tenth anniversary of Jerry Garcia’s passing.

Over three decades with the Grateful Dead and as a solo artist, Jerry amassed a legacy paralleled by few in the rock era. But still to this day his music, life, and inspiration are more present with me than ever.

Lay down my dear brother, lay down and take your rest, Won't you lay your head upon your savior's chest, I love you all, but Jesus loves you the best And we bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

The Website Snowball Effect

2005-08-04T13:17:00.000-05:00

Have you ever read an article on a website or email or blog and at the end checked out the few sentences about the writer because you really enjoyed the piece ?

After reading the brief info about the writer that you just discovered and enjoyed, you find out they have written articles on other websites and perhaps might even have a few books published. Because you enjoyed one piece of informative work from this writer, you arrive at the rational conclusion that there might be more out there you don't know about and might enjoy. So you go to another website with an article from this person, then another, then another. . . then another . . . THEN ANOTHER.

You get my point, 'the Website Snowball Effect'.

This is quit an enjoyable experience, you're discovering stuff you didn't know about when you woke up this morning. If you're like me, at times I feel stagnant in the same websites I go to and the particular writers I enjoy. So, the discovery of a handful of new writers and websites all in the span of a morning is pretty darn cool.

This happened to me this morning.I was reading an article from an email newsletter I get every Thursday morning. The link to the article led me to a website I have never been to before (is that even possible?).

I was pleasantly surprised. This site is my kind of thing. A pragmatic and deconstruction approach to understanding culture and religion . . . with a humorous twist (a must). A keeper in my 'favorites' as well as an addition to 'My Yahoo' blog feed. I'm pumped.

Because I enjoyed the article and website so much, I wanted to know more about the author, Will Braun. Come to find out that Will is the editor of a new religion/culture magazine, Geez. This 'scavenger hunt' of new websites and info just keeps getting better. This magazine could be a keeper for me. I only subscribe and support one magazine and have for years, Adbusters. Those not familiar with Adbusters, let's just say you will never view our capitalistic society the same after diving in to it.

Anyway, I was not prepared for what I was about to discover after being led to the Geez magazine site. Their Publisher and managing editor is Aiden Enns, former managing editor of Adbusters magazine (2001-2003) and founder of Buy Nothing Christmas. Raised as an urban Anabaptist, he finds hope in struggling for justice.

Are you kidding me ! ! ! How freaking cool is that. Who knew ?

Then I discovered this little nugget about Will. Editor Will Braun, is a writer and aspiring farmer. His background includes advocacy and organizing around impacts of industrial development on indigenous people and lands in northern Canada. He finds inspiration cycling from one monastery to another. He has written for Sojomail, Znet, rabble.ca and Radical Grace magazine.

A writer for Sojourners . . . are you kidding me ! ! ! The snowball is now a 100ft boulder going 100mph.

I am elated at this point. I have discovered new websites, new blogs, a new magazine, and a few new writers to enjoy; all in an hours time. Not bad.

After the excitement subsided slightly, I headed back to my new favorite site, SoMA to check out other articles. One in particular stuck out to me. I won't go in to detail, but it is a great read. If you happen to be a friend or fan of Brian McLaren's you may not totally agree with this guy. If you are a casual observer of the Emergent stuff and don’t really know what to think of it all, it's a good and balanced observation (though not 100% factual). My friend Tim recently sent me a really good article looking at the Emergent/emerging thing. I can really get behind this article; it is well researched and comes from a loving place. I happen to agree with about 90% of the critique, check it out no matter your views of the movement, conversation, thing.

Anyway, again, good article and good writer. So let's see where this one goes. Come to find out the author, Patton Dodd, is a doctoral candidate in religion and literature at Boston University and the author of My Faith So Far and has his own website. The snowball just got bigger and faster.

His website is decent, more or less of a publicity tool for his book. After visiting the amazon.com page for his book, I discovered he is also a contributing writer for another website, killing the buddha. Of course, yet another pleasant find and a keeper. This is just getting ridiculous.

All in all, I think I discovered 3 or 4 (lost count) new websites, a new blog or two, and a few new writers that I really resonate with. Not bad for a mornings work. Speaking of, I guess I better actually start my 'real' work now. With all of these new discoveries, it's going to be hard to concentrate on anything else.

e-mail worse for the brain than marijuana

2005-08-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

What was once good for you is now bad, what was once bad for you is now good, or at least not as bad as other 'past-times'. So does this mean I no longer have to reply to emails all day at work ? I wonder if I can get by with smoking a joint for each email instead ? Hey, I'm only looking out for my health here. Work will be so much cooler now, sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

Smoking pot is so 1970s. If you want to kill your brain cells in true 21st-century style, just stay on your cell phone and check your e-mail multiple times over the course of an afternoon.

A study commissioned by Hewlett-Packard shows that today's dependency on daily technology, including e-mail and cell phones, can be slightly more detrimental to your IQ than smoking marijuana. Conducted by scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, the study found that continual e-mail use and text-messaging lowered the average worker's IQ by as much as ten points. Smoking marijuana regularly, on the other hand, causes only a four-point drop in intelligence.

Dubbed "Info-Mania" by the UK team of researchers, the condition is a real and present problem for workers in the corporate environment. According to the study, 62 percent of adults are addicted to checking their e-mail and text messages.

A follow-up report from HP gives tips on how employees can prevent Info-Mania that includes dedicating a specific e-mail time, increasing the opportunity for face-to-face conversations, and restricting the use of technology during meetings and important tasks. The computer company also advocates helping colleagues prioritize their e-mail messages by stating intent in the subject line, as well as avoiding unnecessary electronic messages such as "Thanks." In addition, don't be afraid to take yourself offline and use an "out of office" reply while in meetings or taking downtime. To read more about the study and download a guide to avoiding Info-Mania, visit the UK website for Hewlett-Packard.

The Politics of Weather

2005-08-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

The local weatherman has never been much of a political lightning rod. But these days -- with strong hurricanes striking the Atlantic seaboard earlier than at any time since records were first collected in 1851, and officials in the National Weather Service estimating that more than 200 heat records have been broken in the United States in the past two weeks alone -- the 10 o'clock forecast is turning into a nightly reminder of the heavy cost of letting polluting corporate special interests write our energy and environmental laws.

Extensive new research shows that the impact of climate change is being felt now, not only at the polar ice caps and the coral reefs, but in our hometowns, at our schools and workplaces, by our family and friends. Severe weather occurrences like hurricanes and heat waves already take hundreds of lives and cause millions in damages each year. Increasingly, data suggests that human-induced global warming is making these events more dangerous and extreme than ever.

President Bush and Washington conservatives are doing everything in their power to stop effective action on climate change -- it's time Americans realize the full extent of the damage their helping to cause. To defend its inaction, the White House likes to boast that it at least leads the world in funds spent on climate research. But this is an poor excuse. For all its supposed interest in new climate data, the Bush administration allowed a former Exxon lobbyist with no scientific background to doctor the findings of some of its premiere climate documents, then defended the practice when caught red-handed.

In any case, climate change research is already abundant enough to warrant action -- having taxpayers finance new studies instead of demanding corporate polluters clean up their acts is hardly a solution.

For more information, visit Center for American Progress.

All's Right With The World

2005-08-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

- The start of the NFL season has officially begun with the opening of Training Camp.

- The Chiefs are embarking on a historical season. It's the last run with their record setting offense in it's entirety and the last season for Hall of Fame Head Coach, Dick Vermeil. They finally added some great players to their defense to balance the attack and are reading to kick some serious ass. Do or Die.

- Fantasy Football is now a reality. Six leagues and of course the annual draft in just two weeks in West Palm Beach, Florida for the one league that matters with my boy Jay and the rest of the girls. All of I have to say is, watch out Pugh ! ! !

- This also means that I will be soon devoting 60 (mostly)consecutive hours from 11:00am Saturday's to 11:00pm Monday's to nothing but football. Except for a brief break for church, work, and to relieve myself. . . unless I purchase some 'Oops I Crapped My Pants'.

- "Football is not a game but a religion, a metaphysical island of fundamental truth in a highly verbalized, disguised society, a throwback of 30,000 generations of anthropological time." - Arnold Mandell

Thank You Happy Hour Heroes

2005-07-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

Here’s to those who observe strict cocktail hours, from 5 p.m. sharp until last call. Thank you, Happy Hour heroes.

The rest of us owe these marathon binge drinkers a great debt of gratitude. Sustaining themselves on nothing but tortilla chips and buffet chicken wings, these Friday Night knights in coats of sport have the courage to begin their evenings hours earlier than those who feel it necessary to go home after work and change, nap or shower.

Thanks to those who turn a few beers after work into a Grey Goose-fueled blackout, Happy Hour heroes test their limits every weekend. The rest of us should be ashamed to be content with simply "going out", as opposed to the biological feats these hardened heroes pull off week in and week out.

entire article . . .

Whitewashed Tombs

2005-07-25T17:27:00.000-05:00

The connectedness of humanity is an amazing thing.

For years, since the actions that followed 9/11 specifically, I have been in a fluxuating state of anger and embarrassment. Especially as a Christian, secondly as an American.

Along with the bleeding ears of my wife from my seemingly endless tirades, blogging has been very cathartic. In addition, the insights (via blogs) from others within the global community in which I operate have been incredibly helpful as well. I have come across many who share my anger and embarrassments concerning our current sociopolitical climate as it relates (or doesn't relate!) to truly following Christ and can articulate my thoughts and feelings better than I can.

Case in point, current publishing’s from Will and Zach. These guys are on the mark. I pray they continue to be true to their convictions and the 'still small voice' within their spirit; for God is at work there.

After reading their posts, the scene of Matthew 23 resonated deeply within me.

How true this stuff is today :

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Everything they do is done for men to see . . .

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Oompa Loompa Doompadee Don't

2005-07-16T12:17:00.000-05:00

part fairy-tale, part comdeic musical, part acid trip . . . mostly a disappointment.

WANTED : An Inexpensive Grease Monkey

2005-07-09T14:50:00.000-05:00

Both of our cars are making some seriously annoying grinding-squeaking-screaching sounds from the wheel area. My uneducated guess would say it has something to do with the brakes and/or wheels (yes, I am a genius).

Anyway, the mechanic I have always gone to, my parents always go to, etc. is nowhere close to me and is pretty darn expensive. Distance and cost are not my favorite friends. So do any of you (all 5 of you that read my blog) know of a good and inexpensive mechanic in the metro area (closer to downtown preferred) ?

Thanks for your help. For the time being my walking shoes are going to get a workout. Ah, who am I kidding, no they won't.

It's Time For A New Plan . . . And Quickly

2005-07-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

Just as the people of London stood with America after 9/11, the people of America – and the entire world – stand with London today. By most recent estimates, the attacks yesterday on three trains and a double-decker bus "left at least 50 dead and 700 people wounded." The atrocity reaffirmed the world's resolve to defeat international terrorism. America's commitment to defeating terrorists has led many to ask a legitimate question: are our policies making us safer?

By objective measures, the problem of international terrorism is worse now than it was in 2001. According to State Department data, the number of international terrorist attacks tripled to 650 in 2004. (The number of international terrorist attacks in 2003, 175, was a 20-year high.) This week, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) – which is a government agency – revealed that those numbers dramatically understate the scope of the problem. Broadening the definition to include attacks that "deliberately hit civilians or non-combatants" the NCTC found that 3,192 incidents of international terrorism occurred last year, resulting in the "deaths, injury or kidnapping of almost 28,500 people." For more information, check out the NCTC's new website, the Terrorism Knowledge Base.

In the face of an al Qaeda threat that is global, diverse and diffuse, President Bush defends sinking over $200 billion and 150,000 troops into Iraq because it is the "central front in the war on terror." That may be true, but only because the administration's mismanagement of the war made it so. After all, prior to the invasion, President Bush justified the war by claiming it was necessary to prevent Iraq from becoming a training ground for terrorists. In November 2004, Bush said, "imagine a terrorist network with Iraq as an arsenal and as a training ground." The failure to have a serious post-invasion strategy means we don't have to imagine anymore. The CIA now says, "Iraq may prove to be an even more effective training ground for Islamic extremists than Afghanistan was in Al Qaeda's early days." In other words, what's happening on the ground is not evidence that Bush's counterterrorism strategy is correct. Rather, it suggests we need a new course.

links :

London Calling

2005-07-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

O God of mercy, bless all who live in the face of acts of terrorism. Grant them courage to go about their daily living. Give them hope that one day the hostility will cease. Guard the defenseless, especially the children and the elderly, the infirm and the weak. Bring peace to their homes and faith in their hearts. Amen.

We pray to you, O God, the lover of all, for those whom we have named our enemies. Deliver us from the hardness of heart that keeps us locked in confrontation. Deliver us from the hatred that binds us in old ways. Grant unto all people the blessing of your love. And grant unto us such transformation of our lives that we may make peace with our enemies, and that together we might make this world a safer place for all. Amen.

The New Foe of the Evangelical Right

2005-07-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

Is it the guy on the right or the guy on the left ?

Apparently it is now both . . .

Rev. Graham's Dem ties irk the right
By John Nichols

Yes, of course, there is some dismay among religious right activists with regard to the U.S. Supreme Court's reinforcement of the wall of separation between church and state by placing tight constraints on the display of the Ten Commandments on or around official buildings.

But what's really got fundamentalist politicos up in arms is not a secularist Supreme Court.

It's the Rev. Billy Graham.

The nation's most popular and respected evangelist has earned the wrath of the religious right by associating with former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and - in what has to be the ultimate political sin among those who believe that the GOP is "God's Own Party" - for uttering kind words about the former first couple.

As it happens, Graham is not much of a Republican.

The pastor, a close confidant of every president since Dwight Eisenhower, announced last fall that "I've been a Democrat all my life."

At least some evangelicals thought he sounded like one over the weekend, on the second night of the three-day crusade in New York that was billed as the last round of public preaching in the U.S. by the 86-year-old pastor.

When the Clintons appeared with Graham on stage in front of more than 70,000 people gathered at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, N.Y., the preacher asked the former president to take the microphone.

Clinton, a Baptist who has often portrayed personal foibles that earned the ire of the religious right as falls from grace, praised Graham for refusing to appear before segregated audiences in Arkansas during the school desegregation fights that rocked that state in the 1950s."I was just a little boy, and I'll never forget it. I've loved him ever since," said Clinton, who turned to Graham and added, "God bless you, friend."

When Clinton finished speaking, Graham praised the former president's communication skills, going so far as to suggest that Clinton ought to become an evangelist in order to clear the way for "his wife to run the country."

links:
Why I walked out on Billy Graham

The Declaration of Independence

2005-07-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness . . .

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness . . .

full text

I can't complain, but sometimes I still do

2005-07-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

I've been told by a few people this week that I have been "whining" . . . a lot. One of these people I love dearly and respect their constructive criticism of me, the others, well not so much. But, apparently my "whining" has been annoying to them all. Well, to all the haters I say, "please stop whining about my whining, it's annoying". There, ha.

Deconstructing Emergent

2005-06-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/article.php?sid=6665

Yet another baseless critique, though disguised as neutrality, of the emerging church. Is there something that I am not understanding here ? Call me crazy, but I would find it absolutely essential to thoroughly research and perhaps experience the very thing I plan to publicly critique, and reading blogs doesn’t make one informed enough to do so. There seems to be more and more people taking jabs at something that technically isn’t really 'any-thing'. What a waste of precious time that could be used for, oh I don't know, how about embodying God's concern for the oppressed and being a voice of hope to our communities.

And The Best Album Of The Past 20 Years Is . . .

2005-06-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

I couldn't agree more.

Just think about the magnitude of such an honor. The past 20 years has unarguably brought more genres of music than any other span of history. Regardless of what can be argued (example), this honor is irrefutable.

Here is one of many articles about Spin's Top 100 Greatest Albums of the past 20 Years.

Spray-On Mud

2005-06-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

First, it's cool for the kids these days to dress like homeless people and truck drivers, now suburbia yuppies want their $40,000 toys to look they have an adventurous life outside of their cul-de-sac. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, I am now convinced of it.

Spray-On Mud Makes a Splash
Targeting self-conscious 4x4 owners whose rugged vehicles seldom see obstacles bigger than a speed bump, the enterprising British e-tailer behind Spray-On Mud sells the scent of the countryside in a squirt bottle.
For 8 pounds (about $14.50), buyers get 0.75 liters (.85 quarts) of genuine filthy water, bottled from hills near the company's premises on the rural England-Wales border. The aim, says the website, is "to give your neighbors the impression you've just come back from a day's shooting or fishing -- anything but driving around town all day or visiting the retail park."

Thou shalt not make any graven image

2005-06-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

This is a very compelling article exploring the notion that the American Flag has become a graven image of worship. This is something I have thought about from time to time, whether followers of Christ should be devoting our allegiance to a country/government and especially a flag. I am not 100% sure where I stand on this, I do know that it bothers me to see tempestuous and at times muderous fervor surrounding the American flag or any other national flag for that matter. Check out the article for yourself and let's see if we can get a constructive and beneficial conversation to develop.

The Blasphemy of Flag Worship

Devout Christians firmly believe that the Ten Commandments should be etched in stone in our courthouses and emblazoned on the walls of every classroom. The message of the Second Commandment is clear. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God..."

Can anyone deny that the American flag has achieved the status of a graven image?

The contention that flag worship is blasphemy was a key element before the Supreme Court in 1940. In that case it upheld the right of a Pennsylvania school district to expel two students who refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The two teenagers were members of the Jehovah's Witness denomination. Their church believed that pledging allegiance to the flag violated the Biblical admonition (Exodus 20) against worshipping or bowing down to any graven image of God. The court decided that the need for national security and national unity allowed Congress to force individuals to violate the Ten Commandments.

In 1943, the Supreme Court reversed its 1940 decision. That reversal probably had less to do with religion than with the Court's realization that, at the height of a war against totalitarian regimes, a central feature of which was a slavish devotion to national symbols, compelling us to worship the flag was inapt. (As a side note, that same year the Flag Code itself was changed. No longer were students required to salute the flag with one arm extended forward. The similarity to the Nazi salute was too embarrassing. From that time onwards, we were told to put our hands over our hearts.)
http://www.alternet.org/story/22268/

No Greater Connection

2005-06-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

There are some communities that tragically seem to miss something in their communing. A support group can be a place where a person can delve deeper into the behavior that isolates them. Websites are reportedly linking strangers together who are, in turn, simultaneously committing suicide. Moreover, the sheer number of online confessionals reveals the need for a community where one can be real about plaguing guilt, failures, and offenses. Members express a need for the fellow humanness of a flawed community, and at the same time a need to remain, in some ways, inhuman—unknown, nameless, faceless.

No Greater Connection

lights, camera, action . . .

2005-06-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

I was in a commercial last night with my boy Jason. It was shot in 4 different bars all in the same block ("Martini Corner") over a six-hour period. What a wild, wild, wild night it was. The owners poured thousands of dollars of top-shelf adult beverages down us, along with few dozen actor and model wannabe's. In return, the owners asked us to just "act" like we are having a good time. Needless to say, no acting was necessary.

The 'Ultimate Blogger'

2005-06-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

Blogs are giving in to one of the most loved and despised trends in mainstream culture . . . a reality TV-style competition. As ridiculous as this may be in my opinion, it was just a matter of time before our beloved medium fell into the evil abyss of reality-style "entertainment" and joined the company of such classics as 'Mr. Personality (the show where the guys wore the mexican-wrestler masks and were judged 'only' on their 'personality'), Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire ? (what a train wreck that was), and 'The Swan' (no comment needed).

The Ultimate Blogger is a reality TV-style competition that began in early May and concludes June 6. The game, on the surface, sounds familiar enough: 12 people compete to be the best blogger in order to win a $500 dollar prize package. Each week consists of two challenges and two eliminations.

The winner of the challenge is determined by the game hosts and guest judges, and the winner is granted immunity for that round, noted by the "Spiritual Beard and Third Eye of Immunity" or the "Not Depressing At All Immunity Orthodontic Headgear and Braces" photoshopped onto their headshots. Then players vote off one blogger, whose headshot is put through a shredder and is asked to "leave the Internet immediately."

Until just one Ultimate Blogger remains.

The 'New' New Testament

2005-06-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

The original version used salt and light, the new version uses a lethal combination of fuels and oxidizers.

the dysFUNctional family revisited

2005-05-31T17:31:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon quite a conversation brewing regarding, in my opinion, a distorted and hypersensitive article about my favorite show (until my real favorite show starts again).