Here, read this:

The wealth paradox

2006-11-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Young people in developed countries unhappy, survey says

Seems like people are a lot happier when they are not so self-sufficient. If that's true, why do we so actively resist dependence, either on God or our neighbors?

a little somethin'-somethin' for the fans

2006-09-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

So, I appreciate the few of you who still come to visit my blog, even after months of neglect. So, in return for your allegiance, I pulled a few strings and arranged for you to get some free music. I hear the kids like the (Christian) rock-n-roll these days -- are there any Derek Webb fans in the audience?

it's August

2006-08-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

In celebration of my last blog entry's 3 1/2 month anniversary, I decided to pass along a link to some interesting reading (in case you haven't seen it already).

Come on in!

2006-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

everyone please join me in welcoming Emily on her first visit to our little blogosphere. And, congratulations are in order for a big promotion -- she's now just a couple steps under Senator Lamar Alexander's chief-of-staff (which means she's well-positioned for a run at the presidency in 2016, they'll have waived the age requirements by then). If you Fairfax CofC people don't know Emily, you should, 'cause she's cool and well-connected (both on the hill and internationally with arms dealers, etc.)

energizer issue

2006-04-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

yet another news item on freedom/democracy:
Lawmakers rush to blunt anti-gay church

Do you think these people should be allowed to hold such demonstrations?

Potential

2006-04-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

"the kid could be something"
intelligent and unambitious
an uncollectible prize;
they say ignorance is bliss
but happiness doesn't comply
and nothing often follows
a promising start.

"the kid could be something"
athletic and timid
an unequipped talent;
I say maturity takes hold
but squeezes too hard
and desire mimics the body
where it lives.

"the kid could be something"
resolute and pensive
an undecided saint;
God says they're welcome
but faith is a ticket
and face paint doesn't make
a true fan.

I'm here
behind bars that I made
with the tools I was given.
am I grown?
am I groaning? too much?
does it matter? to me?

y'all want a coke?

2006-03-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

What's your verbal profile? according to this test, I speak 69% Dixie. (that's "just under the Mason-Dixon Line," in case you were wondering.)

mobocracy?

2006-03-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

not to beat a dead horse, but these news items seem to pertain to the last post...
from the Washington Post (3/21/06)

WORLD IN BRIEF
MOSCOW -- Russia accused the United States of trying to enforce its vision of democracy on others, angrily rejecting President Bush's criticism last week in a National Security Strategy report that the Kremlin has rolled back freedoms. The Foreign Ministry criticized what it called an "increasing emphasis on ideology" in the U.S. security strategy and indicated that Moscow would not accept lectures from Washington. "No one has . . . a monopoly on interpreting what democracy is," it said.

ok, so there are fewer and fewer people that would argue that Russia is a functional democracy, but still, an interesting quote.

This article from from the Times of London (3/20/06) may be a better illustration

Afghan faces death penalty for Christian faith
By Tim Albone of The Times in Kabul

An Afghan who has renounced his Islamic faith for Christianity faces the death penalty under Afghan law in a throwback to the brutal Taleban regime.

Abdul Rahman, 41, is being prosecuted for an "attack on Islam", for which the punishment under Afghanistan's draft constitution, is death by hanging.

The charge comes as Britain prepares to send 3,300 nominally Christian paratroopers to stabilise the troubled south of the country.
Mr Rahman converted to Christianity over 14 years ago, but his situation was bought to the attention of the authorities after he tried to gain custody of his daughters who had been living with their grandparents. His parents then denounced him as a convert and on arrest he was found to be carrying a Bible.

"The Attorney General is emphasising he should be hung. It is a crime to convert to Christianity from Islam. He is teasing and insulating his family by converting," Judge Alhaj Ansarullah Mawlawy Zada, who will be trying his case, told The Times.

"He was a Muslim for 25 years more than he has been a Christian. We will request him to become a Muslim again. In your country two women can marry I think that is very strange. In this country we have the perfect constitution, it is Islamic law and it is illegal to be a Christian and it should be punished," said the judge.

If Judge Zada, who is head of the Primary Court, passes the death penalty under Afghan law, Mr Rahman still has two avenues of appeal, the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court. The death penalty then has to be ratified by President Hamid Karzai.

The first sitting of Mr Rahman’s case was recently held and Judge Zada said a verdict will be reached within two months. The case is being viewed as a test of religious freedom in post-Taleban Afghanistan.

"It’s a case of religious freedom. It’s a real challenge for the the judiciary system here and highlights the problems between Sharia (Islamic) and statutory law," said a western human rights expert in Kabul.

"The constitution says Islam is the the religion of Afghanistan, yet it also mentions the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 18 specifically forbids this kind of recourse. It really highlights the problem the judiciary system faces."

The prosecutor, Abdul Wasi, has said he would drop charges if Mr Rahman converted back to Islam but that he had so far refused to do so.

"He would be forgiven if he changed back, but he said he was a Christian and would always remain one. We are Muslims and becoming a Christian is against our laws. He must get the death penalty," said Mr Wasi.

Repeated request for an interview with Mr Rahman were rejected by prison officials who said the Justice Ministry had threatened to sack them if an interview was granted.

One of his cell mates Sayad Miakhel, 30, told The Times: "He is standing by his words he will not become a Muslim again, he has been a Christian for over 14 years. It is what he believes in."

"His father complained to authorities after he said he wanted to take his daughters abroad. He is an intelligent man and his faith belongs to him."

Mr Miakhel said the conditions in prison were basic with 50 men to a cell made for 15. "We can only shower once a month. The food here is very basic, every few days we will have some meat."

"Most prisoners have food bought to them by there families, none of Abdul’s family have been to visit, I am not sure how he is eating. He seems depressed, he keeps looking up to the sky, to God," said Mr Miakhel

Khalylullah Safi, 31, another cellmate, said: "We know in England you can choose your religion but in Afghanistan it is different. I have to be careful what I say as I am a prisoner."

In 2001 only months before US-led forces over threw the Taleban regime eight western aid workers were arrested for allegedly preaching Christianity, they were later released unharmed.

Let's Make Some Noise

2006-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm sure y'all have heard about the Mohammed cartoon controversy that has caused violence or mass protest around the Muslim world. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (man, I really want to change my middle name -- Michael is so un-onomatopoeic!) wrote a piece in the International Herald Tribune last Friday on the subject. ( full article here)

an excerpt:

Reprinting the cartoons in order to make a point about free speech is an act of senseless brinkmanship. It is also a disservice to democracy. It sends a conflicting message to the Muslim community: that in a democracy, it is permissible to offend Islam.

This message damages efforts to prove that democracy and Islam go together. The average Muslim who prays five times a day needs to be convinced that the democracy he is embracing, and is expected to defend, also protects and respects Islam's sacred symbols. Otherwise, democracy will not be of much interest to him.

My first thought when I read this was that the prez doesn't know what he's talking about. It is permissible in democracy to offend the Muslim community or anybody else -- that's one thing that "freedom of speech" allows. So, maybe this proves that Islam and democracy don't mix well....

Upon further review, however, I decided that maybe he's not so far off the mark. After all, we in the Western world, for good or bad, also have our unoffendable groups -- gays, blacks, fat people, etc., etc. Look at John Rocker, the baseball pitcher. He got fined, suspended and ordered into psychological testing for the comments made in this Sports Illustrated article. Even after he came back, the stigma placed on him helped turn a young All-star caliber pitcher into a washout.

More recently, there's the preacher in Sweden who got convicted of violating hate crime laws for calling homosexuality a "cancerous tumor" on society during a sermon at his church. He was sentenced to a month in prison. (the conviction was overturned on appeal, and the Swedish Supreme Court upheld the decision of the appeals court.)

Meanwhile, it seems like its perfectly fine or even expected to trash some groups --mainstream religions, "rednecks", people with "unacceptable" radical ideas, tall people :), etc. Last year, I went to a special exhibit at the International Spy Museum (which I highly recommend) about terrorism in the U.S. One section covered the Ku Klux Klan -- from its beginning through its heyday to its current state. These days it is pretty weak, but it still holds rallies and apparently uses non-violent means to promote its ideas. At the end of that section, a computer survey questioned people about their views of the KKK and freedom of speech. The survey results showed that almost everyone believed strongly in freedom of speech, but I was a little surprised to see that more than 80 percent of the survey-takers would outlaw white supremacist groups, even those that are non-violent. Now, I'm no fan of the KKK, but should they be criminalized for their ideas? Does everyone have a right to free speech and thought?

In Western democratic practice, it seems like the ones who are truly protected are the ones who scream the loudest (or get one of the "professionally offended" to scream for them). If that's the case, maybe these violent Muslim protesters have the right idea after all....

What do you think?

(Up to) Four Answers

2006-02-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

in case you were wondering (haha, not likely) or you're bored (there's a good chance of that if you're still reading this), I've decided to fill in the dreaded "4 things" questionnaire. Good luck staying awake!

Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. programs coordinator for the U.S. Rice Producers Association
2. Spanish teacher at ACU
3. snow-cone maker at Cajun Cones (the one, the only)
4. English teacher at CEDEI

Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. none that I can think of -- I'm not really a fan of watching movies over and over. they're just not as entertaining if you know what's gonna happen.

Four books I could read over & over:
(since I imagine the quantity necessary to gain "over and over" status is lower for reading books than watching movies, I do have a couple:)

1. The Hobbit + Lord of the Rings trilogy - I've read them three times, but with five years or more between readings.
2. Chronicles of Narnia series - done it twice since I was young, but considering going through them again before the new movies come out.
3. Bible (I aspire to be able to read it "over and over")
4. that's all I got

Four places you have lived:

1. Winters, TX
2. Abilene, TX
3. Antigua, Guatemala
4. Cuenca, Ecuador

Four TV shows you watch:

1. Lost
2. can Seinfeld still count?
3. uhhh.... I'm gonna need a minute...
4. oh yeah -- I plan to see a lot of World Cup soccer this summer

Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Guatemala
2. Colorado (skiing, mountain climbing)
3. Florida
4. Ushuaia

Four web sites I visit daily:

1. e-mail
2. Dallas Morning News (Texas Rangers section)
3. Google News
4. espn.com

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Mom's brisket dinner (includes baked beans and "company" potatoes)
2. frijoles volteados (black beans refried Guatemalan style - my friend Mark calls them turd beans :)
3. pizza
4. sushi

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. abroad
2. with my friends/family
3. with my future wife (it'd be nice to meet her!)
4. on a basketball court

From the Halls of Montezuma

2006-01-03T09:10:00.001-08:00

kudos to Anne for discovering this cool traveler's map. As for me -- well, looks like I've still got some work to do... Anybody up for a trip to Africa, the Middle East or South/Southeast Asia? I hear Ouagadougou is nice this time of year!

create your own visited countries map

create your own visited states map

quickie quiz

2005-12-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

apparently, I act like I'm 20. I know, I know, you'll say that's way to high. But hey -- this is the official quiz, so you can't argue with the results.

You Are 20 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

A little slice of Cuba

2005-11-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting article.

Has anybody seen footage like this recently? I can't remeber the last time I watched the news on TV...

Since Shayna Called Me Out

2005-11-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

ok, just in case anybody was actually waiting for a follow-up to my last blog (which I doubt), I apologize. Sorry for the delay, and sorry that this is not the follow-up. it'll come sometime. That said, somebody (who shall remain nameless in the body of this post) confronted me recently about my lack of postings. So, here's a little something off the top of my head pertaining to one of my classes at school. Oh, glad you asked -- it's Geographic Perspectives of Latin America.

So, we're talking about the rainforest, and the book we read doesn't really mention a link with global warming at all. I found that strange, since it seems like popular knowledge makes that correlation almost a given. Actually, according to my prof, the verdict is still out on how much the forest stores greenhouse gases, but scientists now believe that the ocean is a much bigger carbon sink than the hardwood forest.

anyway, what I wanted to mention was this: the book puts the loss of cultural diversity as one of the potential costly losses with the degradation of the rainforest. Some indigenous cultures have lived for centuries or millenia in the forest, and have in many cases developed a sustainable way of life -- one that doesn't tear up their rainforest habitat, which modern people can't seem to avoid doing.

Liberal activists (a generalization for sure, but it seems like they are the ones who are most concerned about this issue) are fighting hard to leave these peoples unmolested so that they can continue to live in harmony with the forest, in blissful ignorance of modern society. What I find interesting is that these activists don't seem to value educating the natives about the available choices so that they can decide for themselves how they want to live. (Doing that would likely change their lives drastically, since giving them metal axes or cooking pots has in many cases caused major societal changes.) In our own society, however, the liberals are fighting for change (by definition, right?) against the objections of the conservatives, who may wish to remain in blissful ignorance. So, why does one group get change forced on them, while others (rainforest dwellers) aren't even given the chance to change? Is that contradictory in principle?

P.S. If you're wondering, I came out a capitalist (socially moderate, economically conservative) on this political test.

uh, I believe you're wrong

2005-10-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

(for those uninterested in thinking right now, you may want to skip to the entertaining links below.)

My friend Carl had an interesting post on his blog a couple of days ago. It dealt with the concept of belief. Specifically, do you get to choose what you believe? I'd like to frame it a little differently: is believing an active, conscious process that you control? or is belief the product of the unknown clockworks inside our hearts and minds?

I submit that it's the latter. Carl offered an intriguing test: try to make yourself believe something that you don't believe. For example, believe now that you are in Mexico. Of course, you'll say that's impossible because you can prove to yourself by looking at your familiar surroundings that you're actually in Virginia (or wherever you really are).

A different, less concrete case: Do you believe that man landed on the moon? I do, but I don't remember choosing to. If you believe it too, try to believe it didn't happen. Any luck? me neither. You may think this is pretty cut and dried as well, but I know at least two people who don't Neil Armstrong ever touched a moonrock. Why don't they believe it? good question. What I want to know is, what caused them to seriously disbelieve it when they saw the same evidence as the rest of us? Furthermore, I don't think their disbelief is just an obstinate choice - I think it is complete and heartfelt.

Maybe its similar to the concept of understanding. As an example, I offer my Calculus studies from long ago. More than once, we covered an idea or technique that I just didn't understand. I could listen to the teacher, read and re-read the text, but it didn't matter -- it just didn't click. I wanted to understand, I was trying to understand, but I could not just choose to understand and thereby force myself to comprehend.

Do you agree or disagree?

and anyway, so what? Does any of this matter? well, Carl asked how that affects our ideas of Christian believers and unbelievers. I've got a few thoughts on that as well, which I plan to make the subject of my next post.

Here we are now, entertain us

2005-10-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

For the bored among us, here's a little respite:

Humor

WHAMMO! big problems
Blondestar - It's always on, 'cause you're always blonde
Here's to you, Mr. 80 SPF Sunblock Wearer - ok, this one and the really, really, really bad dancer one hit kinda close to home.
The Fruitcake Lady WARNING: this one outlived her filter.

More Timewasters

kinda freaky game - you win by playing the longest... :)
the Haggis Hurl - no offense, Jacque!

While I'm at it...

2005-09-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed TLAP day on Monday! (that's International Talk Like a Pirate Day for all you land lubbers.) My Latin American geography professor didn't quite know what to think of it, but I'm proud to say I was only called on once the entire class. :) Arrrgh!

www.talklikeapirate.com
www.talklikeapirateday.com

Here's to you, Ms. Banana

2005-09-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the kind words, Margie. Since you seem contrite, I guess I'll forgive you for stealing my roommate and kicking me out of the house. :) Well, on to the next strand in the "blog web of love" -- I'll keep it in the FXCC blogosphere since I'm guessing y'all probably prefer to keep reading about people you know. (sorry Cookie, I'll write something nice about you later.)

My subject is that pretty little bundle of coolness known to our blogging community as the Dixon Vixen. I remember talking to Hannah for the first time on the fabled corn maze trip and thinking that she was the coolest person I had met that day. She was smart (and knew how to pick a good grad school), funny (she had a good, sarcastic comeback for my snide Arkansas comment) and a good singer (although I wasn't sure why she knew all the words to Prince Ali :). I think she even refrained from calling me Chad! (but maybe that's just revisionist history -- if so, my apologies to Hannah and the other museum types.)

Since then, I've gotten to know Hannah a little better, and she's only reinforced my favorable perceptions. She's kind, thoughtful, dedicated to God, fun to be around, and she makes a mean taco soup (as some of you know, I consider cooking skills to be of considerable importance). She small, but she's full of moxie. I mean, come on, she's survived living with Daisha, Michelle and Margie! She has even made a noble effort to add a little culture to this Texan through outings to the symphony and to see the sport of good grace, aka tennis. If only I wasn't so incorrigible.... :)

So, here's to you, Hannah! Thanks for the memories, and many happy returns!

P.S.
Welcome to all the newcomers to my blog. For you nirastro neophytes, don't worry, you haven't missed much by not being here. I started out blogging with my usual gusto, posting once a week for, er, two weeks. (That's about the time I started having to do work while at work :). Anyway, I reckon I'll post something every now and then, so check back if you want.

Where, o [creature of] Death, is your sting? oh ... there it is.

2005-08-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

In my short life (no comments!), I've had a variety of experiences. I've been lots of places (Pigeon Forge, TN and Winters, TX spring to mind) and I've seen lots of stuff (coke in a bag, guinea pig on a stick - see picture). Heck, I even played "run around the pillow" with my siblings when I was young, which is a game only the most cultured people have encountered.

Despite this wealth of experience, I came in contact with something totally new to me last weekend -- jellyfish. I went to the beach near Annapolis with some friends and we were playing out in the water. Everything was peachy for about an hour, and then a small army of the little monsters came rolling in. I didn't notice them until one wrapped his tentacles into a virtual knot around my arm. I felt the stinging and lifted my arm out of the water only to see the crazed beast hanging from it. I had to use the other hand to remove it, and I've still got cuts on my fingers (can jellyfish really cut you? or did that come from my bumbling attempt to exit the water quickly...) At that point, I calmly decided that I had swum long enough. (Of course, before I could get out, the girls made me come pull their intertubes in -- they didn't want to get off and get stung! I shoulda just flipped 'em over!)

Luckily, I survived. It didn't even hurt bad enough to pee on (but, thanks for offering the "medicine," Margie). One day, I'm gonna ask God why he created jellyfish, 'cause really, what do they do?? I don't even think you can eat them, so I know I got no use for 'em!

Kings of the Road

2005-08-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

So I stumbled across this little gem today: the National Hobo Convention (some information available at http://www.hobo.com/convention.htm). It's going on right now in Britt, Iowa. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I think this event would be fascinating. For one, the people there are sure to be colorful (personalities, stories, smells, etc.). Also, just the idea of a hobo -- riding the rails across america with your bandana sack on a stick -- has its own romantic appeal. I'd love to be a hobo (or maybe a tramp) for a bit, if only I didn't have to account for that time on my job applications.

My aunt and uncle were carnies for a while, which I lump into the same family as hobos. (oops!) They had some great stories -- living with the common folk, eating funnel cakes and making $5,000 per month. (doesn't sound so bad anymore, does it?) Maybe I'll become a carnie for a while to pay for my hobo experience. Heck, the CIA turned me down for a job, so what other choice do I really have?

By the way, I learned the difference between a hobo, tramp and bum today, thanks to Merriam-Webster. A hobo is basically a travelling worker; a tramp is a traveler, but not much for working; and a bum doesn't do much of either, just sponges off people.