tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210949522024-02-20T21:52:02.684-05:00Wake the SleeperCloser to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-19589264876727476912010-03-11T20:31:00.003-05:002010-03-11T20:48:10.007-05:00My first appearance on Public Radio...I'm probably the only one who remembers this conversation, but years ago I was talking to Andy Buch and the Baumgartner boys about our mutual love of public radio. And yes, I do think that NPR is solid news reporting. And balanced. Really. In fact, I think I'll teach a Sunday School lesson about it next week...<br /><br />Anyway, we made a bet to see who could be the first to get an editorial on some Public Radio show. I don't remember what the winner would get, but probably the utter amazement of his peers about the sheer awesomeness of the feat would be enough. <br /><br />Around that time (2006) I was in Chicago for a tradeshow and took a walk through Millennium Park and was interviewed about the iPod for a show called Hello Beautiful that played Sundays on WBEZ. A link of the show is below. There's a great editorial around 7:00 about how depressing iPods are. Then, at 10:30 is a clip about when I first got my iPod. So it's not an editorial, but it's the first step towards fulfilling a dream...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=7087&sms_ss=blogger">Hello Beautiful! - Act Two</a>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-32430457925755713212010-03-11T19:07:00.006-05:002010-03-11T20:09:20.435-05:00Another unimaginative post...I'm sure that many (if not all) of you have seen these, but since I have given up trying to post only when I have something new to say (which obviously doesn't happen anymore) I think these are worth seeing again. This band, OK Go, was a band from Chicago that created a video that went viral on YouTube (and eventually won a Grammy). It's for their song "Here It Goes Again": <br /><br /><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/LlxX53OcWl4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/LlxX53OcWl4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object><br /><br />They just released another video with a huge Rube Goldberg machine for their song "This Too Shall Pass". <br /><br /><object width="660" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/FJeKFvyC1Hg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/FJeKFvyC1Hg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="405"></embed></object><br /><br />Another video for the same song is also worth a watch (although not quite as amazing). Here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY">link</a>.<br /><br />I can't embed this one because their ex-label didn't like people doing what I'm going here (hence the "ex" part of the title). I guess it makes sense. Let's stop what made this band famous. Good strategy BMI!<br /><br /><br />Oh, and I love this Feist video too...<br /><br /><object width="873" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ABYnqp-bxvg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ABYnqp-bxvg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="873" height="525"></embed></object>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-28441880252647619442010-03-04T19:57:00.003-05:002010-03-04T20:01:17.267-05:00Dedicated to Kory...<object width="873" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/owGykVbfgUE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/owGykVbfgUE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="873" height="525"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="873" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LpUrz9RvuPk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LpUrz9RvuPk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="873" height="525"></embed></object>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-77839779399856867412010-02-24T09:08:00.005-05:002010-02-24T12:06:42.156-05:00Worth breaking the silence for...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oJ8f5NXtgpk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oJ8f5NXtgpk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m9Et7UQh1tg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m9Et7UQh1tg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-17600059643125397622008-02-14T12:35:00.001-05:002008-02-14T12:37:56.704-05:00I hope these weren't my fault...<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.justsayhi.com/bb/death" style="display: block; width: 241px; height: 107px; background: url('http://assets.justsayhi.com/badges/395/418/death.y7pcrd7tya.jpg') no-repeat; padding-top: 75px; padding-left: 10px; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-family: Times New Roman, Arial, serif; font-size: 22px;">135,502 People</a><p></p></div>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-13648668487458796402008-01-20T14:37:00.001-05:002008-01-21T20:56:00.825-05:00Bigotry in the Master Bathroom…It all started so innocently. I'd been able to avoid the evil of the razor for two weeks and had a nice natural beard going. I decided I was going "clean myself up" for Sunday, but figured it a waste to rashly de-hair my face. I decided to try something I'd never considered before. So I did. No sooner had I emerged from the bathroom than I came face to face with a stark, shocking reality… <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >My wife is a Mustache Bigot.<br /></span><span xmlns=""><p><br /></p><p>I've rarely seen such disgust etched on my lovely wife's face (who, by the way, would look amazing in any style, dress, hairstyle, etc.). At least not when directed at me. And to my face. I rallied myself. Surely this is a simple misunderstanding. Surely I can explain <em>what</em> it is that she was glaring at, and once I explain this new and wonderful thing to her she'd understand, and even embrace my new look. No. No amount logic and explanation could dispel the horror she was now harboring towards my facial hair.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So I took my case to the kids. And to my growing dismay, they TOO showed themselves to be mustache bigots! Obviously, I had failed to properly educate my family in this delicate matter of tolerance and diversity. And so, with a heavy heart, I returned to the bathroom and after a few more strokes returned to the good graces of my entire family.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But I was not able to shake the sorrow from my soul. The next day in church, I pondered the cause and history of such bigotry. I began by making a simple list of mustachioed men who in my opinion should give cause to honor a hairy upper lip.<br /></p></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/MarkTwain.LOC.jpg/180px-MarkTwain.LOC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/MarkTwain.LOC.jpg/180px-MarkTwain.LOC.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Mark Twain<br />G.K. Chesterton<br />The Edge<br /></span><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/jwieland/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/jwieland/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Paget_holmes.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Paget_holmes.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>D<span style="font-size:100%;">r. Watson<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Magnum_P.I._Cast.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Magnum_P.I._Cast.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Tom Selleck (and Higgins)<br />Pedro/Kip<br />Teddy Roosevelt<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Sean_Connery_1980.jpg/220px-Sean_Connery_1980.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 211px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Sean_Connery_1980.jpg/220px-Sean_Connery_1980.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Sean Connery<br />John Cleese<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Gandhi_studio_1931.jpg/200px-Gandhi_studio_1931.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 222px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Gandhi_studio_1931.jpg/200px-Gandhi_studio_1931.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Gandhi<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr._and_Lyndon_Johnson.jpg/180px-Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr._and_Lyndon_Johnson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 229px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr._and_Lyndon_Johnson.jpg/180px-Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr._and_Lyndon_Johnson.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Martin Luther King, Jr.<br />Charlie Chapman<br />Groucho Marx<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Albert_Einstein_Head.jpg/220px-Albert_Einstein_Head.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 209px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Albert_Einstein_Head.jpg/220px-Albert_Einstein_Head.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Einstein<br />Churchhill<br />Bill B.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/C-flanders.png/222px-C-flanders.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 206px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/C-flanders.png/222px-C-flanders.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Ned Flanders<br />Stevie Wonder<br />Morgan Freeman<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.artsjournal.com/man/images/MonoMan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 184px;" src="http://www.artsjournal.com/man/images/MonoMan.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Uncle Pennybags<br />Sammy Davis, Jr.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8e/Godfather15.jpg/175px-Godfather15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 207px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8e/Godfather15.jpg/175px-Godfather15.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">The Godfather (from a guy's perspective)<br />Chuck Norris<br />Richard Pryor<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/celebdatabase/johnnydepp/johnny_depp1_300_400.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 227px;" src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/celebdatabase/johnnydepp/johnny_depp1_300_400.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Johnny Depp (OK, a "goatee" here, but still...)<br />Yosemite Sam<br />David Crosby<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/First_Folio.jpg/180px-First_Folio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 258px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/First_Folio.jpg/180px-First_Folio.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Shakespeare<br />Doc Holiday<br />Alex Trebek (he'll always have a mustache in my memory)<br />Sam Elliot<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/PrincessBride05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 129px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/PrincessBride05.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>C<span style="font-size:100%;">ary Elwes<br />Kris Kristopherson<br />Don Francisco<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/GABLE01.jpg/220px-GABLE01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 191px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/GABLE01.jpg/220px-GABLE01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Clark Gable<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Carl Weathers<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/images/c/c4/Boggswade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/images/c/c4/Boggswade.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Wade Boggs<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Hulk Hogan<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/joe/gungho-smt.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 291px;" src="http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/joe/gungho-smt.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Shipwreck/Bazooka/Sgt. Slaughter/Footloose/Gung Ho/Mutt</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the Killers<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Clapton.jpg/358px-Clapton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 260px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Clapton.jpg/358px-Clapton.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Eric Clapton<br /></span></div><span xmlns=""><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">I then proceeded to create a list of men that could have caused the abhorrence that I was briefly apart to.<br /></span></p></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7d/Adolf_Hitler_cph_3a48970.jpg/185px-Adolf_Hitler_cph_3a48970.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 189px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7d/Adolf_Hitler_cph_3a48970.jpg/185px-Adolf_Hitler_cph_3a48970.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Hitler</span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">Stalin</span></p></span><span xmlns=""><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Salvador_Dali_NYWTS.jpg/180px-Salvador_Dali_NYWTS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 205px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Salvador_Dali_NYWTS.jpg/180px-Salvador_Dali_NYWTS.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Dali (no dictator, but strange…)</span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Iraq%2C_Saddam_Hussein_%28222%29.jpg/150px-Iraq%2C_Saddam_Hussein_%28222%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 197px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Iraq%2C_Saddam_Hussein_%28222%29.jpg/150px-Iraq%2C_Saddam_Hussein_%28222%29.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Saddam Hussein</span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">The Godfather (from a girl's perspective)</span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Burt_Reynolds_1991_cropped.jpg/220px-Burt_Reynolds_1991_cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 185px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Burt_Reynolds_1991_cropped.jpg/220px-Burt_Reynolds_1991_cropped.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Burt Reynolds</span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">Craven the Hunter</span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.piece.nl/weblog/uncle_rico.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.piece.nl/weblog/uncle_rico.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Uncle Rico</span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://rebuildingyear.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/aahf152_16x20-no353ravishing-rick-rude-posters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 218px;" src="http://rebuildingyear.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/aahf152_16x20-no353ravishing-rick-rude-posters.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">"Ravishing" Rick Rude</span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">Geraldo</span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Ron_Jeremy_mod.jpg/200px-Ron_Jeremy_mod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 163px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Ron_Jeremy_mod.jpg/200px-Ron_Jeremy_mod.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Ron Jeremy<br /></span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/joe/mindbender.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 255px;" src="http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/joe/mindbender.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Dr. Mindbender</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Freddy Mercury (and this one's a toss up)</span></span></p></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span xmlns=""><br /><p>On the "Positive" side we have Presidents and Prime Ministers; geniuses; iconic authors, actors, musicians, and artists; Nobel Prize winners; beloved cartoon characters; and the entire spectrum of manliness (Sean Connery to Chuck Norris).<br /></p><br /><p>On the "Negative" side we have a few dictators; a pseudo-journalist; a crazed psychologist; and a porn star (OK, THE porn star). Even after I double spaced the "Negatives" list, the "Positives" clearly win out!<br /></p><br />And so I ask you, is it right to let a few bigoted men (and poor actors) ruin what is so obviously a wonderful and beautiful thing? Should we also let Hitler bias us against German beer? Or Stalin Italian food? Or Geraldo news reporting? I think not! Rise up enlightened ones! Rise up and challenge the biases that are holding good people hostage to limited facial hair options! Rise up and tear down the images of "dirty old men" and raise up the banner of respectability and honor! For without evidence, we have been duped into a belief that shouldn't exist. Resist and we shall overcome!<br /><br />Humbly Yours,<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopclCBwNR4IZ-GWC1dsAEB0BE2UGLtVviEfMAO8xcss4Qhw-jc1Z671OA87GDbv0m9tb2uoycXoByBraL1NbK4NfPYDuiqnhih-ob5Zu85CKkHcBwtgZVKhINWwMMXGIa1tOgmQ/s1600-h/Use+this+one.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopclCBwNR4IZ-GWC1dsAEB0BE2UGLtVviEfMAO8xcss4Qhw-jc1Z671OA87GDbv0m9tb2uoycXoByBraL1NbK4NfPYDuiqnhih-ob5Zu85CKkHcBwtgZVKhINWwMMXGIa1tOgmQ/s200/Use+this+one.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158113307077767026" border="0" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span xmlns=""><p></p></span><br /></div><br /></div>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-7397531078054551772007-10-16T08:37:00.001-05:002007-10-16T08:47:13.651-05:00I Can’t Escape…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7C1QJ5Eval_6q4d0xQAp103qSg6uGElqQdT2K_CExmbnEJFYtutQtdBr-3LmgctGwhFkMIoZwlLfIMZgqkv2qL2sM6caeau7AInL9PFw03aXq_Zmt6UVJhX1pZeKaKQsV2CVuIw/s1600-h/41EVDZNN52L._AA240_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7C1QJ5Eval_6q4d0xQAp103qSg6uGElqQdT2K_CExmbnEJFYtutQtdBr-3LmgctGwhFkMIoZwlLfIMZgqkv2qL2sM6caeau7AInL9PFw03aXq_Zmt6UVJhX1pZeKaKQsV2CVuIw/s200/41EVDZNN52L._AA240_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121930701430607250" border="0" /></a><br />I picked up this book from our library's "New Fiction" rack because I like the cover. Then I read that it was about an ordinary guy who suddenly finds himself with a "super power". Only it's not that super, and he has no idea what to do with it. I figured this is how any power I would develop would hit me, so I decided to pick it up.<br /><span xmlns=""><p>I'm often amazed how I "randomly" pick up books, movies, CD's that are overtly spiritual even when (maybe even especially when) I'm not trying. And lately (read, the last few years), I'm not often trying…<br /></p><p>This book was a good case in point. The characters are awkward (awkward's the new funny in case you haven't noticed, i.e. The Office, Ugly Betty, Arrested Development, any Judd Apthow work – which I am not endorsing). The plot's somewhat interesting (if not completely stilted). And the main character starts every day with 12 shots of espresso. So it was interesting. But what kept me reading was James belief that maybe God was behind this new "skill" and maybe there was a point to it.<br /></p><p>SPOILER ALERT! I'm going to take the risk that you're not going to read the book (and even if you do, this won't really <em>ruin </em>anything since it's not that plot driven) and let you read the last few pages of the book…<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From<span style="font-size:12;"><em> <span style="font-size:130%;">Leaper</span></em></span> by Geoffrey Wood<br /></p><p>"I came here to see you, James."<br /></p><p>"You should have called. I'd have put on some coffee."<br /></p><p>"Careful with yourself. This moment matters."<br /></p><p>"Oh, okay," I say and laugh. My dream guide, he's not laughing.<br /></p><p>The cathedral is so quiet. Creepy quiet. The old guy just smiles at me, sits and smiles, picks a little fluff off his sweater. My head is pounding, not with pain, but silence. In the pause I think I can hear the candles flickering. And something about it, this moment, this pause, his smile, something makes me want to slow down, stop fighting. Dream or no dream, I want to hear the quiet flicker of candles.<br /></p><p>"You come here to see me? Then answer this."<br /></p><p>"If I can," he says.<br /></p><p>"Tell me. Tonight, the past three days, this whole thing – is this reality or madness?"<br /></p><p>He stares at me, unsure. Not like he's unsure of his answer, but of whether or not I will believe his answer, no matter what. Finally he says, "Without God, reality is madness. Reason will tell you so. You either madly trust in God, or you trust in a world gone mad without Him."<br /></p><p>"Is there a third option?"<br /></p><p>"Time to go," he says.<br /></p><p>"Wait! Does God really do this? Does God get involved, really make people do the impossible?"<br /></p><p>"He always has."<br /></p><p>"But does he still?"<br /></p><p>"Don't rob God of being with you, James."<br /></p><p>"But I can't…," I start, but then say, "I'm afraid."<br /></p><p>"That's why you can't see it. That's what happens sometimes. And when it does, trust becomes the only road home, back to love."<br /></p><p>I have no answer.<br /></p><p>He pats my shoulder again like he did that day at Mass.<br /></p><p>"That's why I'm here, James. I came here to help you see – and to show you a few things. Come on." The old guy reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a shiny silver pocket watch. "My grandfather gave me this, last time I saw him. Get up. It's your time to see."<br /></p><p>"See what?"<br /></p><p>"You need to see moments without you in them, just as they are." He turns a bit, dangles the pocket watch by its long chain so it spins in the candlelight.<br /></p><p>"It's a beauty," he says, eyes reflecting the light like his watch. "You've been changed, James. You've been given a gift."<br /></p><p>"I don't want this gift."<br /></p><p>"The gift's not for you. It's for others. Everything we're given is for others. God has already changed you, and you can't do anything about that now."<br /></p><p>"But what if I don't want to be changed?"<br /></p><p>"Well, that's why I was sent, to show you the ropes. Show you a few moments, and you'll be back. You can make your choice then. It'll take no time at all."<br /></p><p>…<br /></p><p>I understand what I'm supposed to do now. I'm going.<br /></p><p>At first, God's gift was annoying, an interruption. When the interruption became surprising, then God was simply terrifying. But God was alive. Like Chapman kicking his legs, kidnapped and scared, somewhere deep down, I longed to tell God not to leave, to come surprise me and to do it again. God was, at least, interesting.<br /></p><p>Then suddenly, tonight, not only was God terrifying and interesting, but it occurred to me that God might also be up to good. Not that I owed God good, but that God himself might be up to good – that God might be truly, quietly, surprisingly, tirelessly good.<br /></p><p>God is beautiful. Why not trust myself headlong into that?<br /></p><p>The moon sparkling on the dark river below – that is beautiful.<br /></p><p>Even this reflection off my watch is as beautiful and blinding as talking to a stranger.<br /></p><p>God help me.<br /></p><p>I must be going…<br /></p><p>I must be…<br /></p><p>I must…<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>There are all kinds of great questions crammed into these last paragraphs, but my main question is much more "personal": How is it that I so regularly "stumble" unto such ponderings? Is it that I'm hardwired to subconsciously pick up on this stuff? Maybe. Or maybe God's fingerprints really are <em>everywhere</em> in His creation. Maybe there really are some universal questions that we all (sometime or another) ask and want to know – even if we're pretty sure the answers will scare us.<br /></p><p>I don't know, but either my psychic meanderings are getting more consistent, or our culture is leaning more towards the spiritual again. But that is another topic altogether…</p></span>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-68209915197869016152007-03-31T19:54:00.001-05:002007-03-31T19:55:47.282-05:00Philosophy, Morality, and Captain America, Part II<span xmlns=""><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Cap_america_v4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Cap_america_v4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p>(For the first part of this gripping tale, see PM&CA, Part I.)<br /></p><p>In college, I came to love Borders. It was across the street from Barnes & Noble's, and I quickly came to realize that Borders was the store for me (but that's another post). I would head there after – and often between classes – and get my coffee, sit in the Literature section, and do my studies.<br /></p><p>When I moved back to Fort Wayne and joined the "real world", I kept up the habit of visiting and studying at Borders (although the frequency has thinned out significantly). About a year or two ago, I entered our newly remodeled Borders to find that (listen for the angelic, "Aaaaaaawwwwwww!") Borders had decided to take up the oft neglected practice of selling comics. The selection consisted of 67% Marvel, 18% DC, 9% Archie and Gang, and 6% "Other" publishers. The purchaser was obviously trained in the X arts which showed in the vast number of X-Men titles that were present. There was also a large selection of Spiderman and, in the DC realm, various Justice League periodicals.<br /></p><p>I instantly resumed my interest in the tales of my childhood. Several things had changed. First, I identified several "pencil artists" that were doing incredible work. Amazing stuff. Also, I realized that the depth of several of the story lines had much more depth than most of the ones I had read during my younger days. Behind the standard "save the world from diabolical aliens, miscreants, and spiritual deviants", were deep, thought-provoking thoughts about power, loss, loneliness, pride, loyalty, death, spirituality, anger, revenge, and life. I was just shy of amazed. (I have since found out that several companies have begun to hire novelists to write the storylines.)<br /></p><p>As I began to catch up on the lives of Wolverine, Night Crawler, Spiderman, Marvel Girl, Iron Man, Professor X, and Captain America, I for the first time started to be more interested in the Logan, Kurt, Peter, Jean, Tony, Charles, and Steve behind the spandex and masks. I started to be more interested in why each chose the path they did. What motivated them to fight, resign, protect, fear. In short, I realized that I had something to learn from these people. Although there was much I didn't agree with, I realized that I was intrigued with what I could learn from these fictional action heros. What shaped the worlds they occupied and did it relate to the "real world" where I found myself… </p></span>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-75095818561725200602007-03-01T22:13:00.001-05:002007-03-01T22:39:18.641-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8AFKEnCIaQiEXOVTYli90QIV83tD8EEG60yU7yTeYGyBjhOikSDu_UbMsqrRNCaXBR8L9sIGlEhByFSLwZADy3QUo_yJyC2LRWyMDRAYSHZogGIABM7CVIKyYQQ7Bz2rcJ4Eog/s1600-h/Crash.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8AFKEnCIaQiEXOVTYli90QIV83tD8EEG60yU7yTeYGyBjhOikSDu_UbMsqrRNCaXBR8L9sIGlEhByFSLwZADy3QUo_yJyC2LRWyMDRAYSHZogGIABM7CVIKyYQQ7Bz2rcJ4Eog/s320/Crash.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037166208978995058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0375679/crash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0375679/crash.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span xmlns=""><p>Crash and Relational Truth</p></span></div><span xmlns=""><p>Another brief delay in the second (and last?) installment of the Comics post…<br /></p><p>I saw the movie "Crash" recently and liked its premise very much. I've heard the movie described as another "race movie" and while that is completely true (the theme of racial prejudice and profiling IS a blatant theme) I found its more "subtle" theme more intriguing. The movie follows a handful of characters through a period of two days and in the end we see how all these characters' lives are woven together to intimately effect each other – even though few are aware of this fact. I've always been attracted to this idea because I am often struck with how dependant we all are on so many people.<br /></p><p>(Homework: Tomorrow morning while you're eating your Lucky Charms, think how many people made this simple act possible: truck drivers, grocery store shelvers and checkers, the manufacturer and all its employees, the employees of the equipment the manufacturer uses, the farmer, the sales people who sold the farmer his seed and fertilizers, the ad agencies, the wholesalers, the company that bags and sells the grain, on and on… It's really amazing.)<br /></p><p>Anyway, besides the interesting "fact" of how interconnected all the characters were, the main point I was left pondering was how isolated each of them felt. They were all connected and yet very alone with their "own" problems and concerns. That, in turn, reminded me of a podcast I listened to this week.<br /></p><p>The podcast was from the Emergent Podcast (look it up in iTunes) and was by a guy named Jake Wobbrock. He was talking about "Relational Truth." His point was that we spend so much time talking about "propositional truths" that we forget that the Gospel is, at its heart, relational. God created us for relationship, and it's the one thing we all desire. On our deathbeds we care about each other. Weddings and funerals strike deep and true chords within us. All our songs and movies and books deal in relationship. We talk about how we're gaining, loosing, deepening, neglecting our relationships. We were created out of community – there are three in the Godhead after all – and created for community. Created for relationship(s).<br /></p><p>He also mentioned how we spend so much time concerning ourselves with do's and don'ts, and forget that relationships are what matter. And are what people are dying for. He made the point that Judaism is about law. Islam is about submission. But Christianity is about relationship. According to Christ, Truth is Love.<br /></p><p>Thinking about that and watching the characters in Crash made me wonder what we'd be like if we'd remember how connected we all are. How we really are, in so many ways, one. </p></span>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-18568746277626016762007-02-24T18:37:00.000-05:002007-03-02T11:59:09.284-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://store.fueledbyramen.com/prodpics/paniccut.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://store.fueledbyramen.com/prodpics/paniccut.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Best Band Names</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />A quick post before the electrifying conclusion to my last post...<br /></div><br />I was just checking what CDs where posted on www.swapacd.com and it got me thinking about how some bands have the coolest names. Here are some of my favorites...<br /><br />Dashboard Confessional - I just love the imagery of the lonely driver "emoting" to his dashboard as he drives down some lonely highway in the middle of the night...<br /><br />Toad the Wet Sprocket<br /><br />Jars of Clay - Probably the best scriptural-reference band name that I know of...<br /><br />10,000 Maniacs<br /><br />Stabbing Westward<br /><br />They May Be Giants - If a name ever matched a band...<br /><br />The Folk Implosion<br /><br />The Innocence Mission<br /><br />Counting Crows<br /><br />Fine Young Cannibals - Where did these guys go?<br /><br />Fountains of Wayne - Another fun band with a great name...<br /><br />Mutual Admiration Society - two good bands (Nickel Creek and Glen Phillips) who like each other and working together<br /><br />Panic! at the Disco - Can't forget the "!"<br /><br />The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band<br /><br />Soul Asylum<br /><br />Thievery Corporation<br /><br />Was (Not Was) - Once again, the "( )" make the name for me...Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-1172246369885228032007-02-23T10:59:00.000-05:002007-02-24T22:28:44.290-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.marveldirectory.com/pictures/individuals/w_1d/wolverine2.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.marveldirectory.com/pictures/individuals/w_1d/wolverine2.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Philosophy, Morality, and Captain America, Part I</span><br /></div><span xmlns=""><p>I have several distinct memories surrounding the world of comics (the monthly magazines, not the Sunday Funnies):<br /></p><ol><li>Before my dad's friend, Paul, had 8 kids of his own, he'd babysit for me and my sister. I don't remember much about the small apartment they lived in, but I do remember the stacks and bags of comics that he kept in a small closet under his stairs. I'd sit in there all the while I was being "sat" and read through all the comics (after organizing them a bit so that I could read them in order). Paul was more of a DC guy, so he had years of Batman, Firestar, JLA, and JSA.<br /></li><li>Remember when every small town had a pharmacy (before the overwhelming and dehumanizing hulking form of Wal-Mart dwarfed every freaking town)? Well, there was a little pharmacy in Leo that I used to ride my bike to during the summer when I was 8-ish. Not only did I get to browse through the walls of candy (does a pharmacy selling candy strike anyone else as slightly confusing?), they also had two whole racks of comics! I would buy a pop or candy bar, sit on the floor, and read through the latest adventures. I think I was reading Spiderman, Wolverine, X-men, and probably Daredevil at the time.<br /></li><li>Around this same time, my older Brother Jerry moved back in with us. He too was into comics. We'd sit in our shared room in the basement of our Cedarville home and read Wolverine, Spiderman, Daredevil, Iron Fist & Luke Cage, and X-men.<br /></li></ol><p>After Jerry got married and I hit high school, I had the misfortune of going to a Bill Gothard conference where he convinced me my comic collection came (free of charge) with actual demons attached. These comics could eventually lead me into all sorts of evil deeds. Essentially, if the rock music doesn't get me, the comics will. So, and I'm rather embarrassed of this, I burned the whole collection. This is not the first (although it was the last) collection that that man cost me.<br /></p><p>Well, the fear of demons pasted quickly, but my interest in comics did go dormant. Until…<br /></p></span>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-1170347183421948112007-02-01T11:26:00.000-05:002007-02-24T22:29:04.239-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Constant Vendetta</span></p></span><div style="text-align: left;">OK, I've been thinking about this blogging thing for months now and wondering how to do something that would be worth reading and realized… It ain't going to happen. So since I don't have anything profound or wonderful to publish, I'll just put down random thoughts from the various movies/books/shows/life experiences as they happen.<br /></div></div><span xmlns=""><p>And as a disclaimer, just because I mention a movie/album/book/show doesn't mean I'm suggesting it. If I suggest a source, I'll come right out and say it. Otherwise, be careful and listen to your own conscience (mine's busy enough as it is keeping up with me).<br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/img/desktop_background.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/img/desktop_background.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>V for Vendetta - Movie<br /></p><p>"Artists lie to expose the truth. Politicians lie to cover it."<br /></p><p>You've got to respect the opinion of anyone who reenacts 1950's sword fight routines while wearing a smiling, metal mask…<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Constant Gardener - Movie<br /></p><p>If you haven't read any John le Carre', you should. He writes espionage and spy novels (he was a British agent, you know - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9</a>) but his last few novels have been more than spy thrillers. They're more philosophical about the why's and how's of the spy trade.<br /></p><p>The Constant Gardener explores how the West uses the desperate need for its own greed (this time through a pharmaceutical firm that uses small clinics in Africa as test sites for experimental drugs). It reminded me again of a quote from another film where an African dictator remarks concerning his own abuses of his people, "This is Africa. Nobody cares about what happens here."<br /></p><p>I'm not sure what started the West caring about the desperate plight of most of Africa, but it is far overdue. The disparity of wealth, health, attention between the West and places like Africa is more than I can comprehend… I don't know what to do about it… </p></span>Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21094952.post-1163539923360602922006-11-14T16:24:00.000-05:002007-02-24T22:25:44.285-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dedicated to Megan</span><br /></div><br />I originally hoped that this site would be used as a customer service/relations site for the design company I hope to found someday. That IS still the plan, but in the meantime...<br /><br />I was conversing with one of my favorite people this weekend and we started talking about blogging. I don't, she did. Well, I don't very regularly. Anyway, we were also talking about the 40 or so albums I've purchased in the last few months and about the websites that I have been using to find the artists. She thought that I should log my music addiction and various other frivilous interests I follow.<br /><br />So, Megan, this blog is dedicated to you. Don't get too excited, I'm sure you're the only one who will ever read it...Closer to knowing...http://www.blogger.com/profile/16700521552299595077noreply@blogger.com1