Sunday, April 29, 2007

Florida Update



Just an update on the Florida trip
We spent Friday night at my friends house in Tampa. It was the first time I saw his new condo. I am full of envy.










We met up with some friends and went to Lincoln Road and South Beach.











Last night we went out for Cuban food. It was by far the best dinner I have ever had. All the food was great. Cuban is the best food on the planet. It truly was a religious experience.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Picture


I'm sorry but this has to be the best picture that I have ever seen.

Bright & Sunny Skys

Well I'm off again. This time to Florida. Two friends of mine and I have gotten into the habit of taking a yearly vacation together. This time its Miami, the Keys and the Everglades. Should be fun. I'll post some pictures.

Monday, April 23, 2007

And we're back......

I got back last night from a quick trip to Pa to see my family. My grandmother isn't doing well so I went down to see her for possibly the last time. Her health has been getting worse for the past year. My mother and her siblings have to give her round the clock care now.

On a lighter note I got to go the the Farm, a plot of land the my family owns by a creek. I took my dog and she loved wondering around in the woods and getting into the water. By chance my Aunt and Uncle happened to be there too and I got to catch up with them. I also took my other gram out to breakfast on Sunday at Butlers Eatery.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Religious Smorgasbord

How do you choose a religion? David Plotz has some great incite about evangelism from the book of Ruth.

Naomi is heading back to Bethlehem, but before she leaves she gently tells her widowed daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to return to their Moabite homes and remarry. Naomi isn't trying to ditch them for selfish reasons. On the contrary, Naomi knows that she herself is too old to remarry, and she doesn't want to be a burden to the young women. They insist on going with her anyway. Naomi orders them not to follow her. Orpah finally leaves, but Ruth sticks to her like glue and delivers one of the most moving speeches in the Bible: "For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried." This speech is incredible in many ways but perhaps most because of its insight into how people choose a religion. Ruth does not come to the Lord because He is the Lord. She comes because she loves Naomi. If Naomi worshipped Baal, Ruth probably would have become a Baalite. Sometimes the theologians forget that religion is not a calculation: Almost always we come to God or Allah or the Buddha not because we have carefully analyzed the relevant laws, texts, and miracles but because someone we love and admire leads us to them. Relationships, not theories, make religions grow.


Thursday, April 19, 2007

Patriotism

Many people in the government today using patriotism for there own gain, but what does patriotism really mean. Howard Zinn gave this definition in a recent interview on Democracy Now.

"Patriotism to me means doing what you think you're country should be doing. Patriotism means supporting your government when you think it's doing right, opposing your government when you think it's doing wrong. Patriotism to me means really what the
Declaration of Independence suggests. And that is that government is an artificial entity.

Government is set up--and here's what a Declaration of Independence is about, government is set up by the people in order to fulfill certain responsibilities: equality, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. And according to the Declaration of Independence when the government violates those responsibilities, then, and these are the words of the Declaration of Independence it is the right of the people to alter or abolish the government.

In other’s words the government is not holy, the government is not to be obeyed when the government is wrong. So to me patriotism in it's best sense means thinking about the people in the country, the principals for which the country stands for, and it requires opposing the government when the government violates those principles."

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Sacred Cow's Go MOOOOO!!

I have been questioning some things recently. I was in a conversation with some friends the other day and we began to question if evangelism has the biblical importance that Evangelicals put on it. Last night I was watching a documentary on Howard Zinn, and I began to wonder why I believe in the Just War theory.

When I was questioning these things something in my gut didn't feel right. I had to ask myself can I question these things? Of course I knew what I already thought about these issues, that do Evangelicals place too much weight on evangelism and that all war is horrible.

But for some reason it felt wrong to question them. These things were engrained in me some how and I shouldn't question them. Good Christians and good Americans don't question these things.

To that I say mooooo!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

The nicest man I ever didn't want to like

John Stewart gave a great interview with Andy Card, the former White House Chief of Staff for Gorge W. Bush. He gives some great in site into the workings of the White House, and of course John makes it all funny.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Get out the vote?

There is a great debate taking place in the Boston City Council. Should immigrants have the right to vote in municipal elections, is being discussed with decedents of immigrants on both sides of the issue.

It is an increasing trend these days is for the issues debated on the national political scene, to creep into the state and local politics. But what is the place of state and local governments on these issues? When it comes to gay marriage, marriage has always been defended by the states, but climate change is not only a national issue it is an international issue. Do local governments have the right to step up and intervene?

Maybe Tip O'neal was right when he said. "All politics is local".

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

On Patrol with the Guardian Angles

I had my first interaction with the Guardian Angles tonight. The neighborhood watch group that I belong ask them to add our park to there patrol route, so set up a meeting to talk with them. The first thing that we noticed is that they sneaked up on us. Two of them came from opposite directions to the street corner that we were standing on. I later found out that this was intentional.

Joshua, one of the Boston Chapter leaders, filled us in on the history, and tactics of the Guardian Angles, as well as dispelling a few rumors too. It turns out that they spend 95% of their time just walking on the streets saying hello to people and being an all around positive presents in the neighborhood, a visual deterrent. The other 5% of their time is actually spend confronting people. They tend to roam around an area in small groups, never being in the same place at the same time. They have found it more effective to be random, without a pattern to there patrols, so you don't know when they will show up.

We walked through the park with them, chatting and pointing out trouble spots. Over all they are a great group of guys. All were very positive and want to make a difference in the community, to give back to the City they love. My only question of the night was how did the skinny white guy made in to the Guardian Angles?

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Money problems update

All the change has been sorted. I'll have to fins a way to get it counted for free. I would use coin star but they have a 8.9% fee.

I found some of coins from around the world. Euros, Pounds, and Canadian as you might expect. Some from Lebanon that I brought back from a trip in 2003. Although I have never been there I found some coins from Brazil and Nicaragua too. (I think my old roommate put them in there.) Also plenty of wheat pennies

I have a few things that I could do with my new found money too.

Coin Sculptures

Garden Globe
Virtual Panhandler
People to People Loans
Micro-loans

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Money problems

Tonight I was sitting around the house and I thought to myself, some Ben & Jerry's ice cream sounds good. So realizing that I didn't have any cash on hand I decided to raid my change jar, and walk down to the corner store. In the process of extracting a few dollar bills I had tucked away in there, it broke!

For most people this wouldn't be a problem. But my change jar is, or should I say was, a five gallon glass water jug, and it was 3/4 full of change. So now I have a heaping pile of coins in my living room and no ice cream.

I've started sifting through the change and I've found change from five different countries, several guitar picks, an old movie ticket stub for the movie "Signs", two black twist ties, and lots of tiny shards of glass.

So the big question on my mind is, "What do I do with all this money". That's where you come in. I'm taking suggestions on what to do with the money. I've decided that I'll keep the bills that were in the jar but I want to do something inventive with all the change. Please post your suggestions.

Also just for fun take a guess on how much money was in the jar. Note that I have already counted $150 in bills.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Youth Violence


"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:36-38

With the spike in youth violence that has happened in the past two years in Boston, many have stormed City Hall asking for more Police, and chastise parents for not keeping control of there children. But according to Harvard's Youth Violence Prevention Center, one on one, or small group interaction, with youth 6 to 8 can have a dramatic effect on curbing youth violence.

Perhaps instead of looking to the city to clean up our streets, we should look at ourselves and find a child to invest in.

NPR interview with Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, director of programs at Harvard's Youth Violence Prevention Center


For a theory on how the spike in violence in the early 1990's was stopped you should check out the book Freakonomics. I won't spoil the book for you.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

The Lumberjack Song

I can't think of a better way to start the work week.
Enjoy.