I love this! Yeah it may seem to be a piece of unenforceable fluff legislation to some but I think that it may send a message to the folks in California.. and it just may help create a level of civility.. even if it is on a small level.The state Assembly passed a resolution Thursday calling for a statewide "Cuss Free Week," to occur annually during the first week of March. It next goes to the state Senate for a final vote on Monday.
The rest of next week will be officially swear-word free if both houses approve the resolution.
The resolution by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, was inspired by a South Pasadena teenager, McKay Hatch, who founded a No Cussing Club at his junior high school in 2007. His efforts to stamp out profanity have generated international attention, with 35,000 members joining the No Cussing Club's Web site.
Viktor Frankl's 1946 book Man's Search for Meaning chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding a reason to live. According to Frankl, the book intends to answer the question "How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?" Part One constitutes Frankl's analysis of his experiences in the concentration camps, while Part Two introduces his ideas of meaning and his theory of logotherapy.
According to a survey conducted by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Library of Congress, Man's Search For Meaning belongs to a list of "the ten most influential books in [the United States]." (New York Times, November 20, 1991). At the time of the author's death in 1997, the book had sold 10 million copies in twenty-four languages.The Wiki gives a synopsis of the book and a bit of depth into Frankl's experience.. they also list some quotes from the book.. here are a few:
Frankl also concludes that there are only two races of men, decent men and indecent. No society is free of either of them, and thus there were "decent" Nazi guards and "indecent" prisoners, most notably the kapo who would torture and abuse their fellow prisoners for personal gain.The piece concludes that "Frankl's meaning in life is to help others find theirs." The book seems to be one that might do just that. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the book (especially if you have read it) and if you recommend my reading it.
A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman sold Monday for $1 million, smashing the previous record price for a comic book.
A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold from a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom released their names. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.
"Can I be your friend?" might work as an ice-breaker among small children, but it's not a question you hear often between adults, at least not outside of Las Vegas.Looking back I think that I have had many Facebook Friends in my life.. work friends.. church friends.. neighborhood friends.. relationships built around situational proximity and common interests that never went deep.. never got past the Facebook stage.. but I have other friendships.. not many for sure.. that went past the Facebook stage.. went deep.. were vulnerable.. evidenced transparency.. embraced honesty.. so encouraging.
Friendship, it is generally understood, is a relationship that evolves through shared interests, common experiences and a primeval need to share your neighbor's power tools.
Yet for many people, Facebook permits a return to the simplicity of the schoolyard.
Rather than inviting someone to be our Facebook friend only after we've become friends in the real world, many of us are using Facebook as a short-cut around all that time-consuming relationship building.
Last week USA figure skater Evan Lysacek won the Olympic gold medal in men's figure skating. In an act of sour grapes his opponent, Russian Evgeni Plushenko, made this comment to the press:“Just doing nice transitions and being artistic is not enough because figure skating is a sport, not a show.”Alexei Mishin, Plushenko's coach, had this to add:
“This is nonsense,” Mishin told Yahoo! Sports. “It is wrong. It is criminal. How can it be like this? They are killing figure skating and taking it back 20 years. They have robbed him of his destiny.The idea of robbing somebody's destiny probably speaks to the real issue of his complaint. Anywho, all this hoopla seemed to center on the idea that a quadruple jump makes a guy a better skater than a guy that just does triple jumps.. and it begs the question of whether Olympians are athletes, artists or something else.
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I spent a few hours this weekend and watched this 1939 classic for the first time. My expectations were pretty high - after all the movie did get 11 Academy Awards nominations and won an Oscar for Best Original Story.. and I did get past my disdain for movies filmed in the Black and White genre. I thought the movie started well.. a senator died and a governor nominated a young idealistic man (played by Jimmy Stewart) to replace him thinking he would be a senator who would not makes waves.. reminded me a bit of last year's battle to replace Hillary Clinton's senate seat.
I think that this Haig quote is an indication of why he rose to the highest levels of leadership in our country - both in military and government service.Haig was a United States Army general who served as the United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1973 Haig served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, the number-two ranking officer in the Army. Haig served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, commanding all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe. A veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War, Haig was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, and the Purple Heart.
"Practice rather than preach. Make of your life an affirmation, defined by your ideals, not the negation of others. Dare to the level of your capability then go beyond to a higher level."I like the focus on doing rather than talking.. on affirming your ideals and going beyond your limitations. My prayers are with his friends and family.
My first thought is that this might be a part of the full-employment act for lawyers.. there might be a bunch of unemployed divorce lawyers out there.. I just don't know.. maybe they need this legislation.Kansas lawmakers have a plan to put the deadbolt back in wedlock: optional “covenant marriages” that could be ended for only specific reasons or after a trial separation.
To break these bonds of matrimony, couples would have to undergo marriage counseling and live apart for at least a year. Divorces also could be granted after an infidelity or when one spouse has committed domestic violence or has been convicted of a serious crime.
Couples would have to undergo premarital counseling to qualify and sign an affidavit affirming that their marriage is for life. Covenant marriages also would cost more — $25 on top of the existing $69 marriage license fee. Already married couples could upgrade to the covenant marriage.
Critics contend that the extra obstacles could trap abused spouses or prolong the agony of couples who were never meant to be.So I guess we have to talk about the ugly subject of spousal abuse. I guess that is a concern that I have but it does seem that marital separation is not prohibited by the new legislation.. battered spouses could still separate from their abusers.
“We need to be in touch with reality,” said House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat. “Some people who get married discover they shouldn’t have gotten married. … I don’t want to force those people to stay in a marriage that is hurting them.”
I thought it interesting that 48 other states had some form of legalized gambling.. did not realize that gambling had that kind of reach in America.. the stat must include state lotteries. I tend to agree with Tom Landry's message in the image above.. legalized gambling comes with a price tag that is paid by society as gambling ruins lives.Hawaii is one of the last two states with no legalized gambling, but lawmakers facing billion-dollar budget deficits and hunting for ways increase revenue are thinking about allowing casinos in tourist-filled Waikiki or on Native Hawaiian lands.
Proponents say casinos would draw much-needed new money and jobs into the long-troubled, tourism-dependent economy.
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Gambling supporters dispute claims that legalized gambling would spread crime. They're more focused on the potential for gambling to jump-start the economy, especially if a casino could get running within a year as they claim.
That last sentence caught my attention.. I once attended a congregation who embraced that idea.. in essence to go against Israel was to go against God. I recently received a viral email forward from a friend and responded by saying:Christian Zionism, most think, started with a man named John Nelson Darby, who created Christian Dispensationalism in the late 1800s. It was popularized by the Scofield Study Bible, which had a massive influence on the development of Christian Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.
Regarding Christian Zionism, it effectively points to verses that say that God can only bless people who bless Israel, which gets interpreted as "modern-day Jews living within the biblical boundaries of Israel." It can get pretty in-depth, pushing for the construction of a third temple, for instance. It can, in some strains, get pretty heavy: some strains argue that conversion of Jews to Jesus isn't necessary, since they're operating on a separate covenant. However, in the final battles of the last days, most Jews will be wiped out. (Again, this is only in some strains of dispensationalism.) The upshot is that Christians are absolutely commanded to support modern-day, political Israel down the line.
I support Israel because they are an ally and a free nation but not because I see them as God’s chosen people.I guess that is where I have a concern about Christian Zionism. I think that seeing a secular and culturally religious country as an embodiment of the spiritual seed of Abraham flies in the face of the messianic prophetic scriptures that were, in my opinion, filled in Jesus. I thought that John Kim had a good response to Dave's post.. here is an excerpt:
I find Christian Zionism incomplete and dangerous as it chooses sides in a battle where I struggle mightily to see the moral highground. If I were to summarize the conflict here in the brief context of a blog comment, I would cite a quote (I believe from Richard Rohr)- that "Pain that is not transformed is transmitted." There is no denying that both Jews and Muslims have suffered mightily in the hands of the other, and there is little to be gained in debating who has had the rougher go. Unless that pain is transformed, the transmittal back and forth will continue unabated. The question of how to resolve this goes to the heart of how one perceives the Gospel and what it means for God to be incarnate. Needless to say, I don't think Christian Zionism embodies this particularly well.Lastly I feel a need to issue a caveat.. I may be wrong in my perspective.. many of my friends hold a Zionist point of view.. and many of them have studied this issue more than I have.. I hope that they will read what I have written and respond to it in a helpful way. I am open to discussing the issue and would love to hear what you think.
I so agree with that last sentiment. A lot of my pastoral ministry was spent encouraging and loving people who were raised by parents who were masters at playing the shame games.When we feel guilt, it's about something we did.
When we feel shame, it's about who we are.
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Shame comes from being taught that we are worthless or bad or something similar.
It comes in childhood from adults who say things like:
"You'll never amount to anything!"...
"You are worthless!"
"I wish you were never born!"
"Shame on you!"
People who are shamed have to live in the same world as all the rest of us but they have to live in it with the deep-down conviction that they are worthless.
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People who've been deeply shamed need to be fully loved and accepted and valued!
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| Peggy Fleming |
Her unusual style led to five U.S. titles, three World titles and the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Her award in Grenoble was singularly important for the American athletes and the nation as a whole, for this was the only gold medal that the U.S. Olympic team won in the 1968 Winter Games. It signaled a return to American dominance in the sport of women's figure skating following the unprecedented tragedy of the 1961 plane crash.The crash they reference was the one that killed the entire United States Figure Skating team, who were en route to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Do you dream much? Do you usually remember your dreams the next morning? I usually don't.. either that or I just don't dream all that much. When I was a pastor people would occasionally speak to me about reoccurring dreams and ask for my opinion on them.. sometimes there seemed to be a message hidden in the dream.. other times the dream just seemed a bit absurd. 
Life doesn't run away from nobody. Life runs at people. 
Hmmm.. that makes me think about about the difference between my life in the heated and air-conditioned suburbs (where nobody really has to go outside and run into their neighbors) and the lives that these folks are living. Seems like America used to be like that.. before we had air conditioning my New York family used to spend summers outside having picnics and barbecues.. seems like we really knew our neighbors. But I am not so sure it was the same kind of community as the ones that Olly Steeds encounters in indigenous settings where people seem to really need each other.You’ve spent a lot of time living with tribes, including one that practices cannibalism. What have you learned?
Where do you start? On a personal level—its’ so easy to take things for granted in our world—to complain about this and that. The indigenous people have no place for moaning and complaining; they just get on with it. They have an incredible generosity of spirit, which makes sense in that world–you have to be kind to your neighbor in case you ever need him. So it’s the kindness, generosity, hospitality, the need to look after your neighbor, the notions of community–it’s easier to see in their world because in some capacity they have a simpler life, compared to our modern world and the great sort of complexity we like to surround ourselves with.
Here are some simple things that make me happy:Post your piece this weekend and include a link to my blog. Then pop in here to say you’ve posted your “Simple Things.” Post by midnight, Pacific time, Sunday and don’t forget to link with me and notify me that you’ve posted. You can borrow the “Simple Things” photo. If you don’t have a blog, a comment on my blog will count too if you tell me so.
This movie lingered on my Netflix queue for a long time.. I wish I had deleted it before it showed up in my mailbox. Yes.. I know that it was an acclaimed movie with all sorts of "Best Picture" nominations.. and possibly I just didn't "get it".. that said I'll try to opine a bit about it.I liked this list.. you can check out more of it here. I can see myself in several of those apology explanations.. I tend to be a show-me-you-really-mean-it kind of guy.. although I am a soft-touch for an emotional apology. How about you? Do you resonate with any of these?“Expressing Regret” is the Apology Language that zeroes in on emotional hurt. It is an admission of guilt and shame for causing pain to another person.
Accept Responsibility: It is very difficult for some people to admit that they’re wrong. It makes them doubt their self-worth, and no one likes to be portrayed as a failure. However, as adults, we must all admit that we are sinners and that we will make mistakes.
Make Restitution: In our society, many people believe that wrong acts demand justice. The one who commits the crime should pay for their wrongdoing.
Genuinely Repent: For some individuals, repentance is the convincing factor in an apology. Some mates will doubt the sincerity of an apology if it is not accompanied by their partner’s desire to modify their behavior to avoid the situation in the future.
Request Forgiveness: In some relationships, a mate wants to hear their partner physically ask for forgiveness. They want assurance that their mate recognizes the need for forgiveness.
South Carolina's first lady says her wedding was a "leap of faith" because Gov. Mark Sanford, who famously cheated on her with a woman he described as his soul mate, did not want to include a vow of fidelity in their marriage ceremony.The article also gives these insights from the governor's wife:
Not having a vow of faithfulness "bothered me to some extent, but ... we were very young, we were in love," Jenny Sanford tells Walters. "I questioned it, but I got past it."I am not sure what to make of this idea that what one says in the marriage vows are an indicator of things to come. I do think that the words "till death do us part" are difficult for some to say in this day of commitment-phobic individuals.
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"With the benefit of the knowledge I have about Mark now, I could point to this moment as a clear sign of things to come," she writes. But at the time, she found his honesty "brave and sweet" and thought he just had cold feet.
Ann and I viewed this movie the other night on DVD and found it to be very entertaining.. frankly I liked it better than she did. It is somewhat of a suspense thriller type with a flare for the dramatic. I thought that it was packed with great actors in pretty good roles.. I am a huge fan of Michael Caine.. I thought that Christian Bale did a good job of playing a creepy sort.. Hugh Jackman was okay in a role that reminded me of his character in Kate and Leopold. Overall I thought that the acting was pretty good and the characters were developed in a pretty good and believable fashion.
