Meet me on Facebook

Because I've been using Facebook so much lately, a lot of my newer stuff is there. I also don't feel so much of a need to write like I used to. So, I'm probably not going to keep this blog going much longer.

But, you can find me on Facebook. Do a search for uman (at) sunflower {dot} com and add me.

Cheers.

Addicts?

A realization I made a shared with a friend today:

This NPR Planet Money Podcast is great:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/02/get_tougher_please.html#more

 Their interviewees also argue for nationalization and explain why the government doesn’t want to.  It’s all variations of fear and denial. 

It’s starting to seem like the country is an addict and acting like addicts—unable to face reality, unable to tell the truth, unable to do what needs to be done, unable to comprehend what life would be like if they stopped living like addicts.

 

Put an end to stupid House Resolutions

One of the things I have been following lately is the Congressional legislative agenda. And I am absolutely amazed at how much time the House spends doing stupid things. In the midst of the worst recession in our history, here is the bulk of today's legislative agenda:

H.Res. 128­­ - Honoring Miami University for its 200 years of commitment to extraordinary higher education (Rep. Boehner – Education and Labor)

H.Res. 134 - Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to India, and the positive influence that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi had on Dr. King’s work during the Civil Rights Movement (Rep. Lewis (GA) – Judiciary)

H.Con.Res. 35 - Honoring and praising the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on the occasion of its 100th anniversary (Rep. Al Green (TX) – Judiciary)

H.Res. 71 - Acknowledging the lifelong service of Griffin Boyette Bell to the State of Georgia and the United States as a legal icon (Rep. Kingston – Judiciary)

H.Res. 129 - Recognizing the historical significance of the Merced Assembly Center to the Nation and the importance of establishing an appropriate memorial at that site to serve as a place for remembering the hardships endured by Japanese Americans, so that the United States remains vigilant in protecting our Nation's core values of equality, due process of law, justice, and fundamental fairness (Rep. Cardoza – Judiciary)

H.Res. 114 - Supporting the goals and ideals of "National Girls and Women in Sports Day" (Rep. Sires – Education and Labor)

H.Res. 60 - Recognizing and commending University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford for winning the 2008 Heisman Trophy and for his academic and athletic accomplishments (Rep. Fallin – Education and Labor)

H.Res. 71 - Acknowledging the lifelong service of Griffin Boyette Bell to the State of Georgia and the United States as a legal icon (Rep. Kingston – Judiciary)
H.Res. 117 - Supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week (Rep. Lipinski – Science and Technology)

H.Res. __ - Honoring John Dingell for holding the record as the longest serving Member of the House of Representatives (Rep. Kildee - House Administration)

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

From Barbara Crafton

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
John 1:46

Of course it can. Something good can come out of anywhere. Whatever else national origin or race or sexual orientation or religion or gender may confer on us, they seem not to carry automatic goodness or automatic evil. Those permate whole human family, and every segment has its share of both. I can't tell whether you are a good person or not just by looking at your passport. I will need to know more.

I wonder if bigotry is not the greatest of human evils, and the one at the root of all the others. The world would be such a different place if we didn't have it -- imagine what America would be like without racism, what marriage and families would be like if women had always been accorded equality with men, if the world had no memory of anything else. What if religion had never made exclusive claims on its believers, had never insisted that everyone outside the organization was doomed to an eternity in hell? Certainly, we would have had fewer wars.

Bigotry is the devil's perversion of love. He takes the natural love we feel for our own kind and refracts it into hatred and fear of the other. He makes us think we are being loyal to our own when we reject everyone else. Ugly and sad, this business, and it permeates everything we do.

But it can be cut off at the knees simply by a decision not to act in accordance with its dictates, and that decision can be made at any time by anybody. We do it ourselves, each of us. And sometimes we do it together, a wonder to behold. For, whatever has happened in the past, it is never too late to do a good thing.
+ 

110-year-old lizard is now a dad

110-year-old lizard is now a dad

By Doug Gross
CNN

(CNN) — It took about 110 years and some delicate surgery on his most private parts, but Henry — a lizard-like creature from New Zealand — is now a dad.

Henry, a tuatara who, as far as curators at Southland Museum in New Zealand know, had never mated before, hooked up with Mildred, a younger woman of about 80, in March.

In July she laid 11 healthy eggs and, this week, all 11 of them hatched — the last one on Wednesday.

Stimulus Package

So according to a CNN article, here is what is in the stimulus package:
$142 billion for education,
$111 billion for health care,
$90 billion for infrastructure,
$72 billion for aid and benefits,
$54 billion for energy,
$16 billion for science and technology and
$13 billion for housing.

This just doesn't seem right. Housing is what started all this mess--people who have houses they can't afford and now aren't worth what they paid. So why is housing the SMALLEST part of the stimulus package?

Education is important, but it surprises me that it is the highest on the list. I was under the impression that this was going to be an infrastructure-based package.

Sick & Australian Open

I've been really sick (again). Actually, I haven't really stopped being sick since Dec 28th. Both a cold and a UTI/kidney infection. The cold is down to a cough that still hasn't quite gone away. It seems like just as I get better, I get worse. The UTI got really bad a couple of days ago. Fever, shakes, fast breathing. I started my 3rd set of antibiotics this week. We'll see how it goes.

The only good thing is that I've had plenty of time to watch TV, which means watching a lot of the Australian Open. Lots of Rafa Nadal (w00t!). The final should be nice.

Billions in bonuses using our money

This just makes me so freaking mad that it makes my eyes cross. If it were up to me, Obama would not get one more penny of the bailout until this crap was not only stopped, but reversed. Every executive who took a bonus should not only be required to give it back, they should be fired.

After losing billions, taking billions from taxpayers and avoiding disaster only by selling itself to Bank of America, Merrill Lynch was still ready to give a multimillion-dollar “performance” bonus to its chief executive, John Thain. It refrained only after a storm of protest that reached from Main Street to Capitol Hill.

As it turns out, the outrage was not enough to stop the flow of money to other executives. According to a report in The Financial Times on Thursday, Merrill granted $3 billion to $4 billion in bonuses in December — part of a total compensation budget of $15 billion for the year that was just slightly less than that of 2007.

Full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/opinion/23fri2.html

White House in Technological Dark Ages

"It's like going from xbox to Atari."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012104249_2.html

Hopefully Obama can get that fixed.

Pres. Obama Day 1

• Freeze salaries of top WH employees
• Ban on lobbyists for 2 years
• Ban on gifts
• New transparency rules for Freedom of Information Act requests
• Farcical Guantanamo Bay "trials" put on hold
• Draft order to close Guantanamo Bay released
• Discussion with Sec Def to end the war in Iraq within 16 months held
• Calls to every Middle East head of state
• Nomination of George Mitchell as special Middle East Envoy
• Directing agencies to tap into knowledge of "ordinary Americans" to find answers (whatever that means)
  
• New White House web site (whitehouse.gov) with list of all presidential executive orders
• $800 billion fiscal stimulus plan sent to Congress

Not bad for a first day, I think.

Idiot Sightings

IDIOT SIGHTING:
We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since.

IDIOT SIGHTING
My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back$1 and 75 cents in change.

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'
From Kingman, KS.

IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.
From Kansas City

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, and “Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?” To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.'
Happened in Birmingham, Ala.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'
She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS

IDIOT SIGHTING:
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.
This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.
A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'it's open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'
This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, Mississippi

Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson's invocation

Here is a video of Bishop Gene Robinson's invocation on Saturday that HBO refused forgot to air.

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

My goodness I love this piece. I used to be able to play it on piano, but no longer.

Jesu, joy of man's desiring,
Holy Wisdom, Love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls, aspiring,
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashion'd,
With the fire of life impassion'd,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying, round Thy throne.

Literal German Translation:

Jesus remains my joy,
My heart's consolation and essence.
Jesus defends all sufferers.
He is my life force,
The desire of my eyes and my sun,
My soul's treasure and delight.
Therefore I will never leave Jesus
from my heart nor face

Memo to Christians

Memo to all Christians:

Being a Christian does not make you immune to getting blown up by rockets.

-- JC

Uncle Jay Explains the News 2008 Year in Review

Sick for a week

Today is day 7 of having a cold. This is the longest time I've had a cold in memory. I get sick often, but rarely do I get sick this long. I really hate it. It makes me want to just sleep all day (despite the mountains of work I have), poor appetite, and cranky to boot.

Two Words I Hate

There are two words I have really come to hate in the Christian "vocabulary" of common terms.

The first is "precept," as in "precept-upon-precept." This is the idea that the whole of Christian life breaks down to following a set of rules (precepts in a common Bible translation). Relationship with God is about whether or not I'm learning and following the precepts. Doing the things that God wants me to do and not doing the things God doesn't want me to do makes God happy. Bible study is almost entirely about gleaning from it what those rules are. I have to say that if the Bible is really all about a list of precepts, then God chose a pretty crappy format for doing it.

The second is "equip." This is the idea that Christian maturity is really all about "equipping" Christians with the knowledge and skills necessary to evangelize (or more generally for "ministry"). It includes things like how to pray in public, how to evangelize, how to defend the inerrancy of scripture (apologetics, etc.).

It just really urks me that Christian formation, spiritual transformation and a growing affective intimate relationship with God are constantly being reduced down to a rule book and a skill set primarily geared toward proselytizing.

2008 Year in Review

So, here's my first ever, "Year In Review"....Let's see how it goes.

January -- was mostly about the primaries for me. I was disliking Obama and preferring Edwards (oops!) or Dodd (oops again!). And I was looking for a way to be tolerant towards the people I disagree with. This battle with "tolerance" wasn't resolved until October or so.

February -- Dean and I and the rest of the family went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. And that's where I fell in love with Cabo San Lucas. It's also the month I first encountered the Celtic poet John O'Donohue and ranted and raved about immigration. We also moved into our new church building at the beginning of February and have the first of at least 3 "consecration" services.

March -- March is the month where I first started really listening to This American Life regularly, and it became my favorite radio show. Ginger got sick and was in the hospital for 2 days with a life-threatening disease. Thankfully she made it through and hasn't really been sick since. Dean quit his job at the law office and becomes the church secretary, which drastically cuts his commute at a time when gas prices are through the roof. Everybody is happy.

April -- I went on our annual oblate retreat, a powerful experience of the desert ammas and abbas. I also discovered Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and began discovering the interplay between Christian and Zen monasticism. I also find out that Great-West has been purchased by CIGNA. Much stress over whether or not I will have a job. My coworker and fellow tele-commuter gets laid off without notice.

May -- was the month that I started working as the church's Worship Chairman. And all my extra time went away. It's also the month that I really started getting really bad allergies. This year was by far the worst year for my allergies. I also deliver a 4-week class at our house on spiritual literacy that takes a lot of time to prepare, and is rather poorly attended. I get a bit bummed out about that. Dean and I attend the Kansas Sampler Festival in Concordia. It's an okay experience.

June -- I started my second year of Souljourners. Now our class is the "experienced" ones helping out the newbies. It certainly didn't feel that way.

July -- was the month I started taking pottery classes at the Lawrence Arts Center. It was a ton of fun! I didn't get as many things made as I had originally hoped (the instructor makes things look so easy), but it was still a great experience. I took another pottery class in the fall, but had to stop going because it didn't really fit into my schedule any more. I also preached a sermon at church in July called Friendship With God as a way to introduce people to the idea of spiritual direction. CIGNA completes the purchase of Great-West Healthcare and I become a CIGNA employee.

August -- this is the month we are introduced to Sarah Palin. Yikes! And I begin my fondness of Legos. Dean and I and Teri and Ellen have a long weekend at the Omaha Zoo and botanical garden. Our 3rd or 4th trip there. Still my favorite zoo.

September -- the economy goes straight to hell as fast as possible. I begin my pre-practicum for Souljourners and begin doing real Spiritual Direction. Our church begins The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations -- a 5-week series that completely sucks up every moment of my time to prepare and execute. I hated it. Every moment of it. We also have the last of our consecration services. Dean and I are totally stressed out as we feel we are spending every moment either at church or preparing for something at church. We need a break so bad. This is probably my least-favorite month of the year.

October -- work gets a bit stressful as we try to convert systems from Great-West to CIGNA, retire some systems, and in general work through what the plan is. Dean and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

November -- Dean and I go on a trip to Southern CA. We hit 5 major sites in 5 days -- SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, San Juan Capistrano Mission, Disney Land, and Universal Studios. It's a ton of fun and I get to see my brother and my 2 neices (whom I have not seen in 10+ years). We celebrate both our birthdays. Obama gets elected and I no longer have to buy one-way tickets to Canada. The church catches fire and we have to go back to worshipping at Warren-McElwain Chapel. Despite the fire, this is probably my favorite month of the year.

December -- work has lots of highs and lows as people scramble to get work done by the end of the year, and also go on vacation. I preach at church again on the 28th. I surprise Dean with an HDTV for Christmas. It goes over well.

Spiritually Literate New Year's Resolutions

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

1. I will live in the present moment. I will not obsess about the past or worry about the future.

2. I will cultivate the art of making connections. I will pay attention to how my life is intimately related to all life on the planet.

3. I will be thankful for all the blessings in my life. I will spell out my days with a grammar of gratitude.

4. I will practice hospitality in a world where too often strangers are feared, enemies are hated, and the "other" is shunned. I will welcome guests and alien ideas with graciousness.

5. I will seek liberty and justice for all. I will work for a free and a fair world.

6. I will add to the planet's fund of good will by practicing little acts of kindness, brief words of encouragement, and manifold expressions of courtesy.

7. I will cultivate the skill of deep listening. I will remember that all things in the world want to be heard, as do the many voices inside me.

8. I will practice reverence for life by seeing the sacred in, with, and under all things of the world.

9. I will give up trying to hide, deny, or escape from my imperfections. I will listen to what my shadow side has to say to me.

10. I will be willing to learn from the spiritual teachers all around me, however unlikely or unlike me they may be.

A year in 40 seconds

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.