I have found my way into a discussion of faith on Christian's blog.
I acknowledge that I am not Catholic, so I cannot say that I am providing any insight or knowledge into the Papal discussion that started the comment thread there, but it seems that the thread has turned a corner toward issue of the faith.
That is something I feel I can hop into...
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
The Man Nobody Knows
On February 24, 2004, an op-ed entitled "The Unnoticed Genocide" appeared in the pages of the Washington Post warning that without humanitarian intervention in Darfur "tens of thousands of civilians [would] die in the weeks and months ahead in what will be continuing genocidal
destruction."
Written by Eric Reeves, a literature professor from Smith College, this op-ed was the catalyst that compelled many of us to start learning more about crisis in Darfur which, in turn, led directly to the creation of the Coalition for Darfur.
For over two years, Eric Reeves has been the driving force behind efforts to call attention to the genocide in Darfur by writing weekly updates and providing on-going analysis of the situation on the ground. As early as 2003, Reeves was calling the situation in Darfur a genocide, nine months before former Secretary of State Colin Powell made a similar declaration. In January of 2005, Reeves lashed out against "shamefully irresponsible" journalists who "contented themselves with a shockingly distorting mortality figure for Darfur's ongoing genocide." Reeves' analysis led to a series of news articles highlighting the limitations of the widely cited figure of 70,000 deaths and culminated in a recent Coalition for International Justice survey that concluded that death toll was nearly 400,000; an figure nearly identical to the one Reeves had calculated on his own.
Perhaps most presciently, on March 21st, Reeves warned that "Khartoum has ambitious plans for accelerating the obstruction of humanitarian access by means of orchestrated violence and insecurity, including the use of targeted violence against humanitarian aid workers." The following day it was reported that Marian Spivey-Estrada, a USAID worker in Sudan, had been shot in the face during an ambush while "traveling in a clearly marked humanitarian vehicle." The lack of security for aid workers has led some agencies to declare certain areas "No Go" zones or withdraw all together, leaving the internally displaced residents of Darfur without access to food, water or medical care.
And as the Boston Globe reported on Sunday, he has done it all while fighting his own battle with leukemia.
Were it not for Eric Reeves, it is quite possible that the genocide in Darfur would have gone largely unnoticed. We at the Coalition for Darfur offer him our prayers and support and express our heartfelt thanks for all that he has done to prick the nation's conscience on this vitally important issue. We hope that his courage and conviction will be an inspiration to others and that Darfur will soon begin to get the attention that it deserves.
destruction."
Written by Eric Reeves, a literature professor from Smith College, this op-ed was the catalyst that compelled many of us to start learning more about crisis in Darfur which, in turn, led directly to the creation of the Coalition for Darfur.
For over two years, Eric Reeves has been the driving force behind efforts to call attention to the genocide in Darfur by writing weekly updates and providing on-going analysis of the situation on the ground. As early as 2003, Reeves was calling the situation in Darfur a genocide, nine months before former Secretary of State Colin Powell made a similar declaration. In January of 2005, Reeves lashed out against "shamefully irresponsible" journalists who "contented themselves with a shockingly distorting mortality figure for Darfur's ongoing genocide." Reeves' analysis led to a series of news articles highlighting the limitations of the widely cited figure of 70,000 deaths and culminated in a recent Coalition for International Justice survey that concluded that death toll was nearly 400,000; an figure nearly identical to the one Reeves had calculated on his own.
Perhaps most presciently, on March 21st, Reeves warned that "Khartoum has ambitious plans for accelerating the obstruction of humanitarian access by means of orchestrated violence and insecurity, including the use of targeted violence against humanitarian aid workers." The following day it was reported that Marian Spivey-Estrada, a USAID worker in Sudan, had been shot in the face during an ambush while "traveling in a clearly marked humanitarian vehicle." The lack of security for aid workers has led some agencies to declare certain areas "No Go" zones or withdraw all together, leaving the internally displaced residents of Darfur without access to food, water or medical care.
And as the Boston Globe reported on Sunday, he has done it all while fighting his own battle with leukemia.
Were it not for Eric Reeves, it is quite possible that the genocide in Darfur would have gone largely unnoticed. We at the Coalition for Darfur offer him our prayers and support and express our heartfelt thanks for all that he has done to prick the nation's conscience on this vitally important issue. We hope that his courage and conviction will be an inspiration to others and that Darfur will soon begin to get the attention that it deserves.
American Idol Review
I have watched every episode except one this year, but I have not really commented on the show thus far.
Here are my thoughts on this years show:
Paula Abdul needs to go away. Quickly.
Paula Abdul needs a hearing aid. Yikes.
Paula Abdul needs to learn how to just tell people that they were terrible.
Paula Abdul might need some counseling or treatment. Nothing else can explain some of her behavior during and after some of the performances this year.
Randy Jackson needs to eliminate the whole "Dogpound" routine. It's lame.
Randy Jackson needs to speak after Paula sometimes.
Randy Jackson needs to speak after Simon sometimes.
Simon Cowell needs to be more forthcoming when he actually has a compliment to give.
Ryan Seacrest needs to never again say "Seacrest, out!"
Ryan Seacrest needs to not try and comfort the competitors onstage. Let them leave to cry about it.
The competition has been less exciting this year.
The competitors are not as talented as they were made out to be.
The competitors sing to the camera way too much. There is a live audience there as well.
Thoughts about last night's show:
Vonzelle was great.
Bo was excellent. The sunglasses were killing me. I love that he does what he wants and doesn't care what anyone thinks.
As much as I hate to admit it, Anthony Federov probably did sing his best performance of the competition. He should stay one more round, even though I want him to go so badly. Overall, his week-to-week performances have been terrible and he should have been eliminated weeks ago.
Constantine followed with Nickelback's "This Is How You Remind Me", which is not my favorite song, but I was giving him a chance to rock with it. He didn't. First off, the pace of the song was a bit slow. So Constantine couldn't rock to it and he couldn't croon to it. That in between place is where a vocalist gets screwed. But let's not place the blame on the musicians just yet. Constantine sounded terribly off from the start. He never found any sort of groove. He kept repeatedly doing that kick toward the camera motion and the jerk the mic stand back and forth. His performance was less than memorable and his vocals were terrible. This was quite possible the worst performance in recent memory. Constantine should pack his bags and hit the road tonight.
Scott sings "Dance With My Father" which came across as a little bit weird. He did an okay job, but I still can't stand to look at him when he sings. He never looks too comfortable and he always seems about ready to pull a gun out of his pants and shoot someone. This wasn't his worst performance to date, but it definitely wasn't his best (does he have one good one?). Thanks to Constantine, it wasn't the worst of the night so I guess he might stay.
If America would take into account all the other terrible performances we have endured this year, they would quickly realize that the majority of them have been courtesy of Anthony and Scott. If they voted the way I think they should, here's the bottom three: Constantine, Anthony and Scott. Scott should go home, but I think Constantine might tonight.
Here are my thoughts on this years show:
Paula Abdul needs to go away. Quickly.
Paula Abdul needs a hearing aid. Yikes.
Paula Abdul needs to learn how to just tell people that they were terrible.
Paula Abdul might need some counseling or treatment. Nothing else can explain some of her behavior during and after some of the performances this year.
Randy Jackson needs to eliminate the whole "Dogpound" routine. It's lame.
Randy Jackson needs to speak after Paula sometimes.
Randy Jackson needs to speak after Simon sometimes.
Simon Cowell needs to be more forthcoming when he actually has a compliment to give.
Ryan Seacrest needs to never again say "Seacrest, out!"
Ryan Seacrest needs to not try and comfort the competitors onstage. Let them leave to cry about it.
The competition has been less exciting this year.
The competitors are not as talented as they were made out to be.
The competitors sing to the camera way too much. There is a live audience there as well.
Thoughts about last night's show:
Vonzelle was great.
Bo was excellent. The sunglasses were killing me. I love that he does what he wants and doesn't care what anyone thinks.
As much as I hate to admit it, Anthony Federov probably did sing his best performance of the competition. He should stay one more round, even though I want him to go so badly. Overall, his week-to-week performances have been terrible and he should have been eliminated weeks ago.
Constantine followed with Nickelback's "This Is How You Remind Me", which is not my favorite song, but I was giving him a chance to rock with it. He didn't. First off, the pace of the song was a bit slow. So Constantine couldn't rock to it and he couldn't croon to it. That in between place is where a vocalist gets screwed. But let's not place the blame on the musicians just yet. Constantine sounded terribly off from the start. He never found any sort of groove. He kept repeatedly doing that kick toward the camera motion and the jerk the mic stand back and forth. His performance was less than memorable and his vocals were terrible. This was quite possible the worst performance in recent memory. Constantine should pack his bags and hit the road tonight.
Scott sings "Dance With My Father" which came across as a little bit weird. He did an okay job, but I still can't stand to look at him when he sings. He never looks too comfortable and he always seems about ready to pull a gun out of his pants and shoot someone. This wasn't his worst performance to date, but it definitely wasn't his best (does he have one good one?). Thanks to Constantine, it wasn't the worst of the night so I guess he might stay.
If America would take into account all the other terrible performances we have endured this year, they would quickly realize that the majority of them have been courtesy of Anthony and Scott. If they voted the way I think they should, here's the bottom three: Constantine, Anthony and Scott. Scott should go home, but I think Constantine might tonight.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Depressed? You Are Not Alone
Evidently, St. Louis is either a depressing place or a place where a lot of depressed people move to. According to a recent study of American cities by Men's Health magazine, St. Louis ranks as the fourth most depressed city in the nation. Philadelphia, Detroit and St. Petersburg took first through third in the most depressed category.
Everywhere You Don't Want to Be
I read this article this morning, which has just resulted in the following ramble:
As a society, America is totally driven by it's desire to own stuff.
Okay, let's clarify that - not really own stuff but possess it.
Americans live their day to day lives borrowing money for everything from cars to clothes to cookies at McDonalds. We flash credit cards around like the expense we have just incurred is somehow magically deflected or eliminated by these plastic shields. We spend recklessly today, without ever giving much thought to how we are going to pay for it tomorrow or in years to come. We live so caught up in the moment that we fail to see how our present spending is dramatically affecting our future lifestyle, or lack thereof.
When did common sense vanish into thin air?
Is it no longer culturally acceptable for a person to actually have a budget and actually live within it?
If you take a look around you, it becomes readily apparent that our society is geared for instant gratification and delayed payment. No down payment, no payments for 90 days, no interest for a year... The list of such promotions is seemingly endless. However, at some point the spending spree must come to an end. There will come a time when we will no longer be allowed to sign on the credit line and we will be forced to sign our check over to the credit companies.
Do Americans think of debt as something that should be avoided or as something that they are entitled to? My experience leads me to believe that a lot of Americans feel that they have earned the right to charge whatever they want to their credit accounts. Culturally, it appears that having large amounts of debt is now the rule rather than the exception and it seems as if the amount of debt that is considered normal continues to increase year by year.
How long can we finance our present lifestyles with the extremely high cost of our future survival? We want to own the newest cars, gadgets and clothes right now, without ever attempting to fit them into any sort of basic budget. We never wonder where the money will come from to pay for all of this stuff because we have the ability to swipe the payment to next month. And that is where the danger grows into a life-threatening monster. People will "purchase" many times more than what they need or could ever afford to pay for in one month because they see a little line on their credit statement that says minimum payment due.
So that's what a lot of people do. They pay the minimum payment every month, thinking that they are paying off their debt. In all actuality, they are merely paying off the interest of that debt. If you never pay more than the minimum, you will never be free of the debt. For instance, if I buy my wife and I lunch at McDonalds and swipe my credit card to pay for it, I have just incurred a debt. I didn't have cash and we were hungry and Mickey Dees is so customer friendly that they are willing to allow me to pay with my card, so we happily took on that debt in return for some beef and fries. Let's say the total cost of our meal was $10. No big deal right? That depends.
If we immediately pay the full balance off, then we have essentially not acrued or had to pay any interest on that meal. So basically, we have had thirty days to pay for our $10 meal, which is nice since we didn't have any cash at the time. However, say things were a bit tight financially or we just always pay the minimum payment every month, and this month that equals $2. We pay that amount and continue to live our Happy Meal lives thinking that we will have the balance payed off in 5 months. But we won't. Oh no, not by any means.
A lot of credit cards have interest rates of between 20 and 25% or more on balances remaining at the end of the month. For our case, we'll say the rate is 20%.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a very simple scenario of how people find themselves drowning in debt. They don't set out to go deep into debt. They figure "We can pay that off really quickly". The major mistake in their reasoning is that they do not take into account the interest rates and amount that they will pay in interest if they do not pay the amount off in full every month.
My example was very simply in nature but it helps illustrate a huge problem in our culture. What if we paid for McDonalds using our card one time a week, incurring $50 a month in debt? What if we used our card to eat out at fine restaraunts twice a week? What if we bought groceries and purchased gas using the card? Suddenly, we are not talking about simply $10, we are talking the possibility of hundreds of dollars of debt every month.
As you can see, month to month we are incurring more debt that we are not paying off. In doing so, we are allowing the interest to accumulate rapidly. In essence, if we do not pay off our first month's balance by the end of the second month, we are charging ourselves even more for the meal. Over time, anything we charge to our credit cards has the potential of costing us over three times what it originally cost us - if we only pay the minimum amount. That is a lesson that a ton of Americans would be better off to learn sooner rather than later.
Is it possible to live happily in such a possession based society without incurring such debt? You bet. It takes disciplined spending, an operating budget and a little touch of common sense. It also takes the willingness and the willpower to not buy that new gizmo you want or hear all the raving reviews about. It takes parents who can tell their children "No, we cannot afford that." and stick to their guns. It takes children who are brought up to appreciate and understand the value of money, how it is earned and most importantly how to spend it wisely.
Would it be possible for an American to live a full and happy life without having such huge amounts of credit card debt? My premise is that there would be more genuinely happy Americans if they weren't ever allowed to swipe their cards in the first place.
As a society, America is totally driven by it's desire to own stuff.
Okay, let's clarify that - not really own stuff but possess it.
Americans live their day to day lives borrowing money for everything from cars to clothes to cookies at McDonalds. We flash credit cards around like the expense we have just incurred is somehow magically deflected or eliminated by these plastic shields. We spend recklessly today, without ever giving much thought to how we are going to pay for it tomorrow or in years to come. We live so caught up in the moment that we fail to see how our present spending is dramatically affecting our future lifestyle, or lack thereof.
When did common sense vanish into thin air?
Is it no longer culturally acceptable for a person to actually have a budget and actually live within it?
If you take a look around you, it becomes readily apparent that our society is geared for instant gratification and delayed payment. No down payment, no payments for 90 days, no interest for a year... The list of such promotions is seemingly endless. However, at some point the spending spree must come to an end. There will come a time when we will no longer be allowed to sign on the credit line and we will be forced to sign our check over to the credit companies.
Do Americans think of debt as something that should be avoided or as something that they are entitled to? My experience leads me to believe that a lot of Americans feel that they have earned the right to charge whatever they want to their credit accounts. Culturally, it appears that having large amounts of debt is now the rule rather than the exception and it seems as if the amount of debt that is considered normal continues to increase year by year.
How long can we finance our present lifestyles with the extremely high cost of our future survival? We want to own the newest cars, gadgets and clothes right now, without ever attempting to fit them into any sort of basic budget. We never wonder where the money will come from to pay for all of this stuff because we have the ability to swipe the payment to next month. And that is where the danger grows into a life-threatening monster. People will "purchase" many times more than what they need or could ever afford to pay for in one month because they see a little line on their credit statement that says minimum payment due.
So that's what a lot of people do. They pay the minimum payment every month, thinking that they are paying off their debt. In all actuality, they are merely paying off the interest of that debt. If you never pay more than the minimum, you will never be free of the debt. For instance, if I buy my wife and I lunch at McDonalds and swipe my credit card to pay for it, I have just incurred a debt. I didn't have cash and we were hungry and Mickey Dees is so customer friendly that they are willing to allow me to pay with my card, so we happily took on that debt in return for some beef and fries. Let's say the total cost of our meal was $10. No big deal right? That depends.
If we immediately pay the full balance off, then we have essentially not acrued or had to pay any interest on that meal. So basically, we have had thirty days to pay for our $10 meal, which is nice since we didn't have any cash at the time. However, say things were a bit tight financially or we just always pay the minimum payment every month, and this month that equals $2. We pay that amount and continue to live our Happy Meal lives thinking that we will have the balance payed off in 5 months. But we won't. Oh no, not by any means.
A lot of credit cards have interest rates of between 20 and 25% or more on balances remaining at the end of the month. For our case, we'll say the rate is 20%.
We pay the minimum, which leaves our balance at $8. The interest on that balance is $1.60, which brings our new balance to $9.60. We pay the $2 minimum again, leaving our balance at $7.60. After the $1.52 in interest is added to that, we have a balance of $9.12 remaining. For the third time we pay the $2 minimum, leaving us with a balance of $7.12, which is charged $1.42 in interest, resulting in a balance of $8.50. In three months of paying the minimum payment, we have reduced our initial $10 in debt a full $1.46 to $8.54. In that time, we have already payed $4.54 in interest alone. We have almost payed half of what our original meal cost us in interest alone.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a very simple scenario of how people find themselves drowning in debt. They don't set out to go deep into debt. They figure "We can pay that off really quickly". The major mistake in their reasoning is that they do not take into account the interest rates and amount that they will pay in interest if they do not pay the amount off in full every month.
My example was very simply in nature but it helps illustrate a huge problem in our culture. What if we paid for McDonalds using our card one time a week, incurring $50 a month in debt? What if we used our card to eat out at fine restaraunts twice a week? What if we bought groceries and purchased gas using the card? Suddenly, we are not talking about simply $10, we are talking the possibility of hundreds of dollars of debt every month.
In my example, I did not figure in if we ate at McDonalds once a month every month on the card and paid the minimum. After paying the minimum the first month, we would have a balance of $9.60 (interest included). Add $10 more to it the next month and we have a balance of $19.60. We pay the new minimum of $3, temporarily reducing our balance to $16.60. After adding back the $3.32 in interest, our balance is $19.32.
As you can see, month to month we are incurring more debt that we are not paying off. In doing so, we are allowing the interest to accumulate rapidly. In essence, if we do not pay off our first month's balance by the end of the second month, we are charging ourselves even more for the meal. Over time, anything we charge to our credit cards has the potential of costing us over three times what it originally cost us - if we only pay the minimum amount. That is a lesson that a ton of Americans would be better off to learn sooner rather than later.
Is it possible to live happily in such a possession based society without incurring such debt? You bet. It takes disciplined spending, an operating budget and a little touch of common sense. It also takes the willingness and the willpower to not buy that new gizmo you want or hear all the raving reviews about. It takes parents who can tell their children "No, we cannot afford that." and stick to their guns. It takes children who are brought up to appreciate and understand the value of money, how it is earned and most importantly how to spend it wisely.
Would it be possible for an American to live a full and happy life without having such huge amounts of credit card debt? My premise is that there would be more genuinely happy Americans if they weren't ever allowed to swipe their cards in the first place.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Weekend Woes
This weekend blew by almost at the same pace as the wind was howling.
It seemed like regardless of how much I accmoplished, there was still more to do.
There was always another errand to be run.
Last night I sat back and thought about all that had been accomplished and was quite amazed by it all.
It is somewhat bewildering to think of all that can be done in just two days time.
Somewhere within this past weekend I lost the weekend.
Somewhere amongst all the chores to do I lost time to myself.
Somewhere wrapped between the hustle and bustle I lost relaxation.
Somewhere surrounded by exhaustion, fatigue and muscle soreness I let the weekend slip away from me.
I wish I could take today to recover from the weekend.
I will not complain about my upcoming workweek though.
It will be shorter and much easier than most.
It seemed like regardless of how much I accmoplished, there was still more to do.
There was always another errand to be run.
Last night I sat back and thought about all that had been accomplished and was quite amazed by it all.
It is somewhat bewildering to think of all that can be done in just two days time.
Somewhere within this past weekend I lost the weekend.
Somewhere amongst all the chores to do I lost time to myself.
Somewhere wrapped between the hustle and bustle I lost relaxation.
Somewhere surrounded by exhaustion, fatigue and muscle soreness I let the weekend slip away from me.
I wish I could take today to recover from the weekend.
I will not complain about my upcoming workweek though.
It will be shorter and much easier than most.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Held - Natalie Grant
I heard this song for the first time last week and the chorus has been rolling around my head all week. Odds are that most people might never hear this song, but a lot of people can probably relate to its message of loss, heartache and finding peace. You can hear a clip of the song at Natalie Grant's website.
Updated: 28APR05
Due to the volume of traffic of people coming here to find the lyrics, I have posted the entire song below.
Updated: 28APR05
Due to the volume of traffic of people coming here to find the lyrics, I have posted the entire song below.
"Held" - Natalie Grant
From the album - Awaken
Label - Curb Records (2005)
Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we’d be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We’re asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it’s unfair
chorus:
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We’d be held
This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow
chorus
If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our Savior
chorus
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Near-Sighted Cardinals?
From this article:
So the man elected to be the next Pope basically admitted ahead of time that he didn't feel like he had much time left to live. Which again leads me to the question of "Why did the Cardinals choose this man?" Was there nobody else deemed qualified?
It is interesting to realize that the man who will be chosen as the next Pope after Pope Benedict XVI was in the Sistene Chapel yesterday placing his vote. I wonder how close the voting was? Was there someone who failed to win the Papacy by only a handful of votes? If so, will he still be alive when the time comes again to choose a Pope. If so, will he garner enough votes next time to achieve the role of leader of the Catholic church?
It seems the Cardinals were content to pick a man that they knew would not have control of the reigns of the Catholic church for very long. It seems that although there has been a great amount of talk regarding consistency of beliefs and ideas between Pope John Paul II and his predecessor, perhaps there wasn't much importance placed upon consistency with regard to the person who is representing the Catholic church and being able to lead them for quite a long time.
When Ratzinger told cardinals in the conclave why he wanted to take on the name Benedict XVI, "one of the things he alluded to was the fact that Benedict XV, the last pope to have that name, had one of the shortest pontificates of the 20th century," Allen said.
"So I think he has a very keen sense that this may not be a very long pontificate and there's an awful lot to do."
So the man elected to be the next Pope basically admitted ahead of time that he didn't feel like he had much time left to live. Which again leads me to the question of "Why did the Cardinals choose this man?" Was there nobody else deemed qualified?
It is interesting to realize that the man who will be chosen as the next Pope after Pope Benedict XVI was in the Sistene Chapel yesterday placing his vote. I wonder how close the voting was? Was there someone who failed to win the Papacy by only a handful of votes? If so, will he still be alive when the time comes again to choose a Pope. If so, will he garner enough votes next time to achieve the role of leader of the Catholic church?
It seems the Cardinals were content to pick a man that they knew would not have control of the reigns of the Catholic church for very long. It seems that although there has been a great amount of talk regarding consistency of beliefs and ideas between Pope John Paul II and his predecessor, perhaps there wasn't much importance placed upon consistency with regard to the person who is representing the Catholic church and being able to lead them for quite a long time.
While We Were Distracted
In 1994, a genocide took place in Rwanda and it is probably safe to say that few of us remember hearing much about it. How was it possible, we now ask ourselves, that we could have so easily ignored the brutal slaughter of nearly one million people.
A look back to those 100 days in 1994 reveals that while we may not have heard much about Rwanda, we most certainly heard a great deal about many other things.
April to July 1994: A Timeline
September 2004 to March 2005: A Timeline
And the same thing is happening today.
One has to wonder if, ten years from now, we'll be saying to one another "I vaguely remember hearing about the genocide in Sudan. It took place about the time of the Michael Jackson trial, right?"
We at the Coalition for Darfur ask you to join us in raising awareness of the genocide and to consider making a small donation to any of the organizations providing life saving assistance to the neglected people of Darfur.
A look back to those 100 days in 1994 reveals that while we may not have heard much about Rwanda, we most certainly heard a great deal about many other things.
April to July 1994: A Timeline
On April 7, 1994 Rwandan soldiers and trained militias armed with machetes unleashed a murderous campaign to destroy the minority Tutsi population.It is widely acknowledged that the world largely ignored the genocide in 1994 and failed the people of Rwanda. A decade later, it is worth asking if our priorities have changed.
On April 8, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
On April 15, an estimated 20,000 Rwandans who had sought shelter at Nyarubuye Church were slaughtered by government forces and members of the Interahamwe militia.
On April 22, former President Richard Nixon died and his funeral was held five days later.
On May 5, Michael Fay, an 18 year-old US citizen, was caned in Singapore as punishment for vandalism.
In mid May, the International Red Cross estimated that 500,000 Rwandans had been killed.
On June 17, OJ Simpson led police on a slow speed chase in a White Ford Bronco.
On July 4, the rebel army took control of the Rwandan capitol of Kigali and the genocide came to an end in a country littered with nearly one million corpses.
September 2004 to March 2005: A Timeline
On September 8, 2004 "60 Minutes" ran a controversial story regarding President Bush's service in the Air National Guard that relied, in part, on forged memos.Ten years ago, a genocide unfolded right in front of our eyes, but the media was more focused on the legal problems of various celebrities than it was on the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Africa.
On September 9, former Secretary of State Colin Powell officially declared that genocide was taking place in Darfur, Sudan.
On October 4, Romeo Dallaire, the head of the UN mission in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide warned that the world was responding to the crisis in Darfur much in the same way it responded to the genocide in Rwanda – with complete indifference.
On October 6, comedian Rodney Dangerfield died.
On January 24, 2005, Johnny Carson died.
On January 25, the UN released a report chronicling "serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law amounting to crimes under international law"; among them the "killing of civilians, torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence."
On March 11, Brian Nichols overpowered a deputy, stole her gun and killed three people in an Atlanta courthouse before escaping.
On March 14, the United Nation's estimated that at least 180,000 people have died in Darfur in the last year and a half.
And the same thing is happening today.
One has to wonder if, ten years from now, we'll be saying to one another "I vaguely remember hearing about the genocide in Sudan. It took place about the time of the Michael Jackson trial, right?"
We at the Coalition for Darfur ask you to join us in raising awareness of the genocide and to consider making a small donation to any of the organizations providing life saving assistance to the neglected people of Darfur.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Pope Picked
Through this article that I found via John, I find the choice of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) to be a bit puzzling. The final sentence of the biography is intriguing to say the least:
The man is 78 years old! I do not understand why you would choose someone in admittedly poor health and quite old to be the next Pope? Now, I didn't expect the Cardinals to pick a guy in his 50s, but this man has already led a full life (by average statistical standards). How long will he be the leader of the Catholic church? Ten years? Fifteen? And if he does stay alive for a length of time, how useful will he be? How visible will he be?
In my opinion, it doesn't appear that Pope Benedict XVI will travel anywhere near as much as Pope John Paul II did, nor does it appear that the Cardinals expect him to. When a man openly admits to looking forward to retiring and then states what he would do with his "free time", it makes me think that he has already considered the option and was planning to pursue it at some point. Will Pope Benedict XVI retire from the Papacy while still alive if he feels so led? (It's not against the doctrine of the Papacy, but there's a lot of consecutive history behind the Pope remianing in the position until his death.) This begs the question of why would the man accept the position if he was wanting to retire?
It all seems a little off to me...
Cardinal Ratzinger, who suffers from ill-health, has said in recent interviews that he was looking forward to retiring in order to write more books.
The man is 78 years old! I do not understand why you would choose someone in admittedly poor health and quite old to be the next Pope? Now, I didn't expect the Cardinals to pick a guy in his 50s, but this man has already led a full life (by average statistical standards). How long will he be the leader of the Catholic church? Ten years? Fifteen? And if he does stay alive for a length of time, how useful will he be? How visible will he be?
In my opinion, it doesn't appear that Pope Benedict XVI will travel anywhere near as much as Pope John Paul II did, nor does it appear that the Cardinals expect him to. When a man openly admits to looking forward to retiring and then states what he would do with his "free time", it makes me think that he has already considered the option and was planning to pursue it at some point. Will Pope Benedict XVI retire from the Papacy while still alive if he feels so led? (It's not against the doctrine of the Papacy, but there's a lot of consecutive history behind the Pope remianing in the position until his death.) This begs the question of why would the man accept the position if he was wanting to retire?
It all seems a little off to me...
Monday, April 18, 2005
Lacking the Political Will
In the last few days, international donors have pledged $4.5 billion in reconstruction aid to Sudan as part of the north/south peace process. And though much if this aid is nominally contingent on Khartoum's ability and willingness to end the violence in Darfur, it remains to be seen if the international community is truly willing to risk undermining the long sought peace agreement by demanding an end to the genocide.
For a year and a half, the UN and others have tread carefully, fearful that too much pressure on Khartoum would derail the north/south peace process. And Khartoum has relentlessly exploited that fear by, for instance, warning that the recent Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court "threatens Sudan's stability."
And while the world focuses on protecting the peace agreement, Darfur continues to deteriorate.
Yesterday, the World Food Program warned that, due to lack of funding, nearly 200,000 refugees who have fled into Chad risk going hungry in the coming months. And just last week, the WFP warned that it will be forced to cut food rations for more than one million people living in the western region of Darfur, again for lack of funds.
Last Friday, UNICEF warned that an estimated four million people in Darfur will face significant food insecurity over the next 18 months because the agricultural economy has collapsed. One million children under five year-olds are already suffering from, or will suffer from, severe malnutrition.
And one day after an United Nations human rights investigator for Sudan warned that Darfur was a "time bomb" that could explode at any time, Janjaweed militia attacked and completely destroyed the village of Khor Abeche (the attack on Khor Abeche is the focus of Eric Reeves' latest analysis.)
It seems clear that the referral to the ICC was not the remedy that many in the human rights community had hoped. At the same time, calls for an increased AU force has problems of its own, judging by Charles Snyder's recent comment that "Nobody that wants to be on the ground is not on the ground."
Stopping the genocide in Darfur is going to require a dedicated and well-coordinated effort by the UN and the international community. As of yet, the political will to engage in such an effort does not exist.
We at the Coalition for Darfur ask you to join us in raising awareness of the genocide in an attempt to force policy makers to seriously address this issue to consider making a small donation to any of the organizations providing life saving assistance to the neglected people of Darfur.
For a year and a half, the UN and others have tread carefully, fearful that too much pressure on Khartoum would derail the north/south peace process. And Khartoum has relentlessly exploited that fear by, for instance, warning that the recent Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court "threatens Sudan's stability."
And while the world focuses on protecting the peace agreement, Darfur continues to deteriorate.
Yesterday, the World Food Program warned that, due to lack of funding, nearly 200,000 refugees who have fled into Chad risk going hungry in the coming months. And just last week, the WFP warned that it will be forced to cut food rations for more than one million people living in the western region of Darfur, again for lack of funds.
Last Friday, UNICEF warned that an estimated four million people in Darfur will face significant food insecurity over the next 18 months because the agricultural economy has collapsed. One million children under five year-olds are already suffering from, or will suffer from, severe malnutrition.
And one day after an United Nations human rights investigator for Sudan warned that Darfur was a "time bomb" that could explode at any time, Janjaweed militia attacked and completely destroyed the village of Khor Abeche (the attack on Khor Abeche is the focus of Eric Reeves' latest analysis.)
It seems clear that the referral to the ICC was not the remedy that many in the human rights community had hoped. At the same time, calls for an increased AU force has problems of its own, judging by Charles Snyder's recent comment that "Nobody that wants to be on the ground is not on the ground."
Stopping the genocide in Darfur is going to require a dedicated and well-coordinated effort by the UN and the international community. As of yet, the political will to engage in such an effort does not exist.
We at the Coalition for Darfur ask you to join us in raising awareness of the genocide in an attempt to force policy makers to seriously address this issue to consider making a small donation to any of the organizations providing life saving assistance to the neglected people of Darfur.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Last Five
The last five songs to appear on my playlist:
House of Tom Babadil - Nickelcreek
Fat - Weird Al Yankovic
Girl You Know It's True - Milli Vanilli
I'll Never Get Over You - Expose
Pianoman - Billy Joel
Quite an odd mix for the computer to automatically generate.
It's kind of a reflection of my day so far.
Bizarre, depressing at points and humorous all the same.
House of Tom Babadil - Nickelcreek
Fat - Weird Al Yankovic
Girl You Know It's True - Milli Vanilli
I'll Never Get Over You - Expose
Pianoman - Billy Joel
Quite an odd mix for the computer to automatically generate.
It's kind of a reflection of my day so far.
Bizarre, depressing at points and humorous all the same.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Plans in the Trash
Sometimes life doesn't exactly go the way you plan it.
I know mine hasn't.
Throughout my childhood, I knew what I wanted to be.
It was going to be the coolest job ever.
I was going to be the garbage man.
He was the coolest.
He got to drive that huge truck all around town.
He got to ride on the back and hang off the side.
He got to throw stuff.
He got to see a bunch of cool stuff that some people throw away.
I knew that he probably kept some of the cooler stuff - for free.
I couldn't imagine anything better.
I would run to the window and watch him as he came to our house every time.
I know I was mad and sad when I missed him.
That's what I was going to do everyday when I grew up.
But something happened along the way.
I no longer thought driving that huge truck up and down the same streets everyday would be fun. The traffic jams and angry residents would get on my nerves pretty quickly. It doesn't seem like they hang off the back anymore. They are always in such a hurry. There's always more trash to pick up. I guess that's some form of job security, but I wouldn't ever feel like I accomplished anything that day. All the crap that people buy, keep for years and then suddenly realize they can live without and just pitch to the curb doesn't look as appealing as it once did. I don't see much out by the street that I would want to touch, let alone keep.
Where did the glory of the job go?
Where did the appeal disappear to?
Has the job changed that much?
I think the magic of the trash man still exists.
In fact, I am certain of it.
Little boys (and some girls) grow up watching the garbage man with pure fascination.
They grow up, lose the wonder of the job and do other things.
However, every year there are new noses pressed to the window to cheer the arrival of the trash man. Everyday, all across the United States, there are children who reap huge amounts of enjoyment out of watching these men do their jobs. I hope that there are also parents like mine, who loudly announce the arrival of these men to their children without judgement or condemnation in their voices. I hope that there will always be parents who participate in the things that excite and thrill their children, like mine did with the arrival of the huge garbage truck.
I grew up. My dream of driving the garbage truck faded. My fascination for the job ebbed. My respect for those trash men never did. I am thankful that they do what they do. I'm glad they show up for work everyday, regardless of the weather. I appreciate who they are and what they do.
And someday, I will shout to my child "Here comes the garbage man!" and run with them to the window or outside to watch. In doing so, I hope to teach them that they can be whatever they want to be and I will still love them and respect them. And if they ever do become the garbage man, I hope that they will let me ride on the back for a moment...
I know mine hasn't.
Throughout my childhood, I knew what I wanted to be.
It was going to be the coolest job ever.
I was going to be the garbage man.
He was the coolest.
He got to drive that huge truck all around town.
He got to ride on the back and hang off the side.
He got to throw stuff.
He got to see a bunch of cool stuff that some people throw away.
I knew that he probably kept some of the cooler stuff - for free.
I couldn't imagine anything better.
I would run to the window and watch him as he came to our house every time.
I know I was mad and sad when I missed him.
That's what I was going to do everyday when I grew up.
But something happened along the way.
I no longer thought driving that huge truck up and down the same streets everyday would be fun. The traffic jams and angry residents would get on my nerves pretty quickly. It doesn't seem like they hang off the back anymore. They are always in such a hurry. There's always more trash to pick up. I guess that's some form of job security, but I wouldn't ever feel like I accomplished anything that day. All the crap that people buy, keep for years and then suddenly realize they can live without and just pitch to the curb doesn't look as appealing as it once did. I don't see much out by the street that I would want to touch, let alone keep.
Where did the glory of the job go?
Where did the appeal disappear to?
Has the job changed that much?
I think the magic of the trash man still exists.
In fact, I am certain of it.
Little boys (and some girls) grow up watching the garbage man with pure fascination.
They grow up, lose the wonder of the job and do other things.
However, every year there are new noses pressed to the window to cheer the arrival of the trash man. Everyday, all across the United States, there are children who reap huge amounts of enjoyment out of watching these men do their jobs. I hope that there are also parents like mine, who loudly announce the arrival of these men to their children without judgement or condemnation in their voices. I hope that there will always be parents who participate in the things that excite and thrill their children, like mine did with the arrival of the huge garbage truck.
I grew up. My dream of driving the garbage truck faded. My fascination for the job ebbed. My respect for those trash men never did. I am thankful that they do what they do. I'm glad they show up for work everyday, regardless of the weather. I appreciate who they are and what they do.
And someday, I will shout to my child "Here comes the garbage man!" and run with them to the window or outside to watch. In doing so, I hope to teach them that they can be whatever they want to be and I will still love them and respect them. And if they ever do become the garbage man, I hope that they will let me ride on the back for a moment...
Monday, April 11, 2005
Fox Theatre Schedule for 2005-2006
The new season line-up for the Fox Theatre has been announced:
I wouldn't mind seeing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Blast! or Rent.
I have seen several decent productions of Joseph at different schools (high school and university level) and at the Muny, but never an actual touring production.
I would like to see Wicked at some point, but I kind of doubt that it will happen this time around. If I have to choose between 3 shows it's in, otherwise it's out.
Phantom of the Opera is my all time favorite. I have seen several touring productions of this and have enjoyed every performance that I have seen. The music is great and the staging/backgrounds/costumes are truly breathtaking. I've heard some people rave about the imagery of the film, but I will say that the reality of seeing it all live far outweighs anything conveyed in the film. (Not to mention that the vocal abilities of the actors/actresses in the film were limited at best and absolutely terrible at worst - especially when compared to those of the actual productions. Exception: Emmy Rossum has had vocal training, which is evident, and she has a nice voice.) This is one that I am pretty sure I will see this time around.
I've seen Blast! twice before. It fascinates me. If the performance has changed much I will go see it again. If it hasn't, I will skip it. There's only so many times I will pay to see an amazing marching band on crack routine.
The music of Rent beckons me. The storyline bores me and I find myself just wanting to listen to the soundtrack instead of sitting through the scenes. I've seen it once and I don't know if I will ever see it again.
I have no desire to pay to see Little Women, Bombay Dreams, Doctor Dolittle, Riverdance, A Christmas Carol, Annie or Hairspray. No thank you.
2005-06 Broadway Series at the Fox Theatre
Sept. 20-Oct. 2: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
Nov. 15-Dec. 4: "Wicked"
Feb. 21-March 5: "Little Women: The Musical"
April 4-16: "Bombay Dreams"
May 16-28: "Doctor Dolittle"
June 7-July 1: "The Phantom of the Opera"
Off-Series specials
Dec. 6-11: "Riverdance" (presented by Dance St. Louis)
Dec. 13-17: "A Christmas Carol"
Dec. 27-Jan. 1: "Annie"
Jan. 13-15: "Blast!" (presented by Dance St. Louis)
March 17-19: "Rent"
May 2-7: "Hairspray"
I wouldn't mind seeing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Blast! or Rent.
I have seen several decent productions of Joseph at different schools (high school and university level) and at the Muny, but never an actual touring production.
I would like to see Wicked at some point, but I kind of doubt that it will happen this time around. If I have to choose between 3 shows it's in, otherwise it's out.
Phantom of the Opera is my all time favorite. I have seen several touring productions of this and have enjoyed every performance that I have seen. The music is great and the staging/backgrounds/costumes are truly breathtaking. I've heard some people rave about the imagery of the film, but I will say that the reality of seeing it all live far outweighs anything conveyed in the film. (Not to mention that the vocal abilities of the actors/actresses in the film were limited at best and absolutely terrible at worst - especially when compared to those of the actual productions. Exception: Emmy Rossum has had vocal training, which is evident, and she has a nice voice.) This is one that I am pretty sure I will see this time around.
I've seen Blast! twice before. It fascinates me. If the performance has changed much I will go see it again. If it hasn't, I will skip it. There's only so many times I will pay to see an amazing marching band on crack routine.
The music of Rent beckons me. The storyline bores me and I find myself just wanting to listen to the soundtrack instead of sitting through the scenes. I've seen it once and I don't know if I will ever see it again.
I have no desire to pay to see Little Women, Bombay Dreams, Doctor Dolittle, Riverdance, A Christmas Carol, Annie or Hairspray. No thank you.
No Store Here
For those of you searching to buy sudoephedrine, items of the Catholic church, Rams tickets and a list of many other things:
I don't sell anything online or in person.
I'm sorry if this prevents you from making methamphetamines, erecting a shrine to the former Pope or getting the chance to go watch football but that's just the truth of it all.
Thanks for stopping by though...
I don't sell anything online or in person.
I'm sorry if this prevents you from making methamphetamines, erecting a shrine to the former Pope or getting the chance to go watch football but that's just the truth of it all.
Thanks for stopping by though...
Friday, April 08, 2005
Spammer in the Slammer?
Well, it appears that round one of People of Virginia versus Jeremy Jaynes(aka Gaven Stubberfield) goes to the people. A jury has ruled that Janyes should spend 9 years behind bars for sending over 10 million e-mails a day. While the ruling is appealed, Jaynes will remain free on bond.
Even if the length of time is reduced, I think this is a significant precedent. It allows people to "go after" the companies and individuals that clog e-mail accounts with hundreds of junk messages a week. The cost associated with stopping, eliminating and removing spam from mailboxes has grown quite large and someone needs to start paying for it. I'd love to see some of these crappy companies come under fire for using such "marketing" techniques and be forced to pay huge sums.
Until that time, I am thrilled that there is one less spammer shooting me crap every day...
Even if the length of time is reduced, I think this is a significant precedent. It allows people to "go after" the companies and individuals that clog e-mail accounts with hundreds of junk messages a week. The cost associated with stopping, eliminating and removing spam from mailboxes has grown quite large and someone needs to start paying for it. I'd love to see some of these crappy companies come under fire for using such "marketing" techniques and be forced to pay huge sums.
Until that time, I am thrilled that there is one less spammer shooting me crap every day...
Lost Cause
I had something somewhat witty that I wanted to post earlier, but Blogger wouldn't let me in. And now that I can finally get into the system I can't remember what I wanted to say.
I guess that's how it goes sometimes.
Plus, it probably wasn't really witty or even comical.
It probably sucked.
I should be glad that Blogger kept me from posting whatever it was.
It would have been really lame.
I'm sure of it.
Thanks Blogger for saving me on this beautiful Friday!
I guess that's how it goes sometimes.
Plus, it probably wasn't really witty or even comical.
It probably sucked.
I should be glad that Blogger kept me from posting whatever it was.
It would have been really lame.
I'm sure of it.
Thanks Blogger for saving me on this beautiful Friday!
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Sick People
Michael Jackson
Charles and Camilla
There's not much to say about them, other than I can't stand them.
Just thought I would share...
Charles and Camilla
There's not much to say about them, other than I can't stand them.
Just thought I would share...
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Darfur vs. Martha Stewart
Eleven years ago today, the president of Rwanda was killed when his plane was shot down over Kigali. His death served as a catalyst to a genocide that quickly engulfed the country - within one month, an estimated 500,000 people had been killed and by the time the genocide ended 100 days later, nearly one million Rwandans had lost their lives.
The authors of the essay "Rwanda: US Policy and Television Coverage" calculated that during the three months of genocide, Rwanda received a total of 278 minutes of news coverage from the likes of ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, meaning that each of these news organization spent less than 1 minute per day reporting on a genocide that was taking lives at the rate of 1 every 11 seconds.
Today, another genocide is unfolding in African and, as this recent article in the American Journalism Review makes clear, very little has changed
For those who are unfamiliar with what is taking place in Darfur, we encourage you to read this piece by Brian Steidle, a former Marine who spent six months working as cease-fire monitor with the African Union force in Darfur.
The bottom line is that nearly 400,000 people have died of disease, starvation and violence at the hands of the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias, yet the crisis has receives barely a fraction of the coverage garnered by the legal problems faced by Michael Jackson or Martha Stewart.
We are all aware of the central role that blogs played in the "60 Minutes" and "Jeff Gannon" stories and we know that blogs have to power to propel forgotten stories into the mainstream media. The Coalition for Darfur is an effort to unite blogs of all political ideologies in an attempt to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur and raise money for organizations doing life-saving work there.
Though the country is deeply polarized, we think that the effort to stop this genocide is something that can unite people of varying political and religious beliefs.
It is a cliché in American newsrooms that "If it bleeds, it leads." Sadly, despite the amount of blood shed in Darfur, the genocide has received very little coverage. Our challenge is to force this issue onto the television screens and the front page. We ask you to join us in this effort.
The authors of the essay "Rwanda: US Policy and Television Coverage" calculated that during the three months of genocide, Rwanda received a total of 278 minutes of news coverage from the likes of ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, meaning that each of these news organization spent less than 1 minute per day reporting on a genocide that was taking lives at the rate of 1 every 11 seconds.
Today, another genocide is unfolding in African and, as this recent article in the American Journalism Review makes clear, very little has changed
Serious reporting on [Darfur] largely has been absent on the networks and on cable. Last year the three network nightly newscasts aired a meager total of 26 minutes on the bloodshed, according to the Tyndall Report, which monitors network news. ABC devoted just 18 minutes to Darfur, NBC five and CBS three. By contrast, Martha Stewart's woes received 130 minutes, five times as much.
For those who are unfamiliar with what is taking place in Darfur, we encourage you to read this piece by Brian Steidle, a former Marine who spent six months working as cease-fire monitor with the African Union force in Darfur.
The bottom line is that nearly 400,000 people have died of disease, starvation and violence at the hands of the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias, yet the crisis has receives barely a fraction of the coverage garnered by the legal problems faced by Michael Jackson or Martha Stewart.
We are all aware of the central role that blogs played in the "60 Minutes" and "Jeff Gannon" stories and we know that blogs have to power to propel forgotten stories into the mainstream media. The Coalition for Darfur is an effort to unite blogs of all political ideologies in an attempt to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur and raise money for organizations doing life-saving work there.
Though the country is deeply polarized, we think that the effort to stop this genocide is something that can unite people of varying political and religious beliefs.
It is a cliché in American newsrooms that "If it bleeds, it leads." Sadly, despite the amount of blood shed in Darfur, the genocide has received very little coverage. Our challenge is to force this issue onto the television screens and the front page. We ask you to join us in this effort.
Who's the Head?
When the white smoke rises, who will emerge from the building as the next Pope?
What name will he choose?
What will his background be?
Where will he be from?
How long will this process take?
When will we know who is the head of the Catholic Church again?
So many questions...
I'm glad God is still on the throne.
I'm glad HE will always be present and accounted for.
I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things.
HE reigns.
What name will he choose?
What will his background be?
Where will he be from?
How long will this process take?
When will we know who is the head of the Catholic Church again?
So many questions...
I'm glad God is still on the throne.
I'm glad HE will always be present and accounted for.
I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things.
HE reigns.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Unmotivated
It's hard to even pretend to be motivated at your job when every day you wish you were somewhere else, doing something entirely different. My job pays the bills and allows me the ability to do other things that I enjoy, but it isn't by any means a career position. In fact, I haven't done anything in my career field in years. It's not that I wouldn't like to be doing what I am educated to do, it's just that right now doesn't seem to be the time for it. With every day that passes I find myself thinking more about that field though and I am beginning to have a longing to be back in it again. I'm not sure what to do at this point, so I guess I will stay where I am at and think through the options.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Pope John Paul II
As many of you know, I am not a Catholic. In fact, there are many things that I disagree with the Catholic faith upon. This post has nothing to do with the Church.
Pope John Paul II finally passed away this weekend and it makes me quite happy.
I'm not happy that he has died, but rather that he has finally gone on to be with the Lord. The passing of such a man of faith and love is truly a loss for the world, but his life should be celebrated and his passing should be seen as the culmination of everything he lived his life for. This man, who had lived a full life, fought the good fight, kept the faith and loved without exception has finally found rest in the bosom of Christ.
And that's where we all should long to end up.
Pope John Paul II finally passed away this weekend and it makes me quite happy.
I'm not happy that he has died, but rather that he has finally gone on to be with the Lord. The passing of such a man of faith and love is truly a loss for the world, but his life should be celebrated and his passing should be seen as the culmination of everything he lived his life for. This man, who had lived a full life, fought the good fight, kept the faith and loved without exception has finally found rest in the bosom of Christ.
And that's where we all should long to end up.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Breathe (2am) - Anna Nalick
This song has haunted me since I first heard it and since I just heard it on the radio I thought I would post the portion that circles around in my head.
2Am and I'm still awake writing this song
If I get it all down on paper it's no longer inside of me threatening the life it belongs to.
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary screaming out aloud
And I know that you'll use them however you want to.
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