What You Buy and Where You Buy Affects Your Credit?

According to this story, credit card companies are starting to use purchasing data to “weed out who may or may not be good credit risks.”

From the story –

Have you used your credit card at merchants specializing in secondhand clothing, retread tires, bail bond services, massages, casino gambling or betting? Your credit card issuer may be taking note -- and making decisions about your creditworthiness based on your purchasing behavior. The reason: Buying used clothing or retread tires may be an indication of financial distress and a preamble to missed credit card payments or defaults.

Now, Congress and federal regulators will be probing the extent to which credit card issuers have used information about where a person shops or what they buy as reasons to lower credit limits or increase interest rates. When credit limits are lowered, it can adversely affect utilization ratios, a measure of how much of cardholders' credit limits are used. Lowering the credit limit increases the utilization ratio and can lead to a lower credit score.

Call me crazy, but the only thing that should determine ones credit score or their “creditworthiness” is whether or not you pay your bill and not what you buy. That’s just a bit too draconian for my taste.

Let the Dead Rest

Last night on my way back to work from my lunch break I was listening to the Michael Savage show (lord only knows why) and he was ripping into Michael Jackson calling him the “king of the pill poppers.” Michael Jackson was a weird guy and he may or may not have done bad things with little boys but the man is dead. His soul will have to answer for whatever his has done and defaming him at this point is tasteless. I felt the same level of disgust during the aftermath of Jerry Fallwell’s passing. Once someone is dead, he/she is no longer able to defend him/herself. Let them rest.

Michael Jackson was an extremely talented and troubled individual. Attacking him now is tasteless, tactless, and beyond the pale. Michael Savage is yet again showing his lack of regard for his fellow man and his complete lack of decency and common courtesy.

Have some decency...let the dead rest.

Communist China Looking to Traditional Chinese Religions to Curb “Global Warming”

Setting aside the global warming/climate change debate for a minute, the fact is that China produces more pollutants and pollution than any other country on the planet. This is a problem that the Chinese government is realizing that they are going to have to deal with.

According to this story, “China's intellectuals are openly debating the role of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in promoting the Communist Party's vision of a harmonious society and ecologically sustainable economic development.”

From the story –

Nowhere is the question of what to do about the environment more vital than in China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases – especially because scientists agree that climate change disproportionately affects the poor and the disenfranchised and that climate change will affect future generations far more than the present.

Yet the general impression of China's role in issues relating to environment is one of foot-dragging because it hasn't bought into a Western model to address it.

But Pan Yue, China's vice minister for environmental protection, is calling for China to capitalize on traditional Chinese religions in promoting ecological sustainability.

He says, "One of the core principles of traditional Chinese culture is that of harmony between humans and nature. Different philosophies all emphasize the political wisdom of a balanced environment. Whether it is the Confucian idea of humans and nature becoming one, the Taoist view of the Tao reflecting nature, or the Buddhist belief that all living things are equal, Chinese philosophy has helped our culture to survive for thousands of years. It can be a powerful weapon in preventing an environmental crisis and building a harmonious society."

And this just might work.

[…]

When asked about his company's decision to invest in more expensive but cleaner technology he replied: "We shouldn't look at this project from a purely financial perspective. It represents the future."

The $64,000 question facing economists and politicians across the world is how to make decisions that take into account the big picture beyond the "purely financial perspective."

This is a hard question for Western economic and political theorists to answer, because their theories are based on the Enlightenment view of the self as an autonomous, rational individual.

But how are we to make decisions that take into account the interests of those who have not yet been born?

Being respectful to the interests of past and future generations is key to the Confucian view of the self and groups. To the question, "Who am I?" the Confucian answers, "I am the child of my parents and the parent of my children."

Confucianism begins from the proposition that human beings are defined by kinship networks that span the centuries. From this perspective the interests of the individual are bound up with the interests of the kinship group as it extends forward and backward across the generations.

This will be a key factor in the way China handles present and future environmental issues.

There are a few ways to look at this.

1) The Chinese government has decided to use traditional Chinese culture and values to promote their own vision and ideas. This is they cynical and probably fairly accurate way of looking at the situation.

2) The Chinese recognize the wisdom found in the teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism and have decided to work for the future of their people and the planet instead of the profit of the moment. I’m sure that there are those who hold this perspective, and I hope that they are the majority, but I suspect that this is what will be used as lip service.

The story ends on an interesting thought –

Consider the views of Jiang Qing, a leading Confucian intellectual. According to a recent report by Daniel Bell, a political theorist at China's Tsinghua Univeristy, Mr. Jiang proposes a political system that can take into account the interests of those who are typically ignored in modern democracies, such as foreigners, future generations, and ancestors.

"Is democracy really the best way to protect future victims of global warming?" he asks.

As China assumes a greater leadership role on the world stage, we can expect the emergence of a variety of models of sustainable development rooted in a plurality of cultural traditions, including Confucianism.

The time when Westernization was the only credible model of development is over.

James Miller is a professor of Chinese studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Queen's University, Kingston. He is currently researching the relationship between religion, nature, and modernization in China.

It’s easy to see why the Communists would want to use the ideology of traditional China to their advantage (just look at how the Republicans use the ideology of traditional Christianity to their advantage). These are ideas that speak to the core of the Chinese identity. They are also a bit collective in nature (and that in and of itself is not a bad thing). I’m just leery anytime any government decides that it is a good idea to us religion for any reason. In this case I think the agenda of cleaning up the planet, producing less pollution, and leaving the world better off for your kids is a good ad noble one, but my Spidey-sense is still a-tinglin’. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.

Religion and Children

Children can be very impressionable. They can also absorb information like a sponge. And they’re often a lot smarter then we adults realize. So taking all of that into consideration, when is it a good time to introduce children to religion?

This is something that I have wondered about for a while and wrote about once, but admittedly I’m still not sure what to do with my own kids. My wife grew up in the Lutheran Church and I grew up in the Episcopal Church but neither of us are religious in the traditional way (she’s an agnostic and I’m a deist with Buddhist/Hindu leanings). Our children were baptized in the Lutheran Church that my wife grew up in but we did that more out of tradition and for the family then for our kids or their salvation or anything like that. Occasionally our kids have gone back to that church when they’ve spent the night at their grandparents’ and my daughter has gone to church, a non-denominational one, with her best friend after having spent the night at her house. Beyond that we don’t go to church. From time to time our kids ask questions about God or Jesus and typically I answer in generalities saying things like “some people believe…” or “that’s what some folks think” but I always leave the answer open to interpretation (for lack of a better term).

I want my kids to have their own beliefs about God and faith and not just mirror what my wife and/or I believe. I want them to make informed and educated decisions when they are ready to do so. I do not want to indoctrinate them in mine or anyone else’s faith.

But what is the best way to accomplish this goal?

And to some degree, aren’t all organized religions guilty of indoctrination?

One of these days I would love to take my children to a variety of different religious services, but my choices in that regard in the Oklahoma City area are a bit limited (at least based on what I’ve been able to find through the yellow pages). On top on that, I work nights and on Sunday’s, so the thought of getting up early on a day that I don’t have to (especially during the school year) does not appeal at all to me. I want my kids to see and experience the beauty and wisdom of the world’s religions and then to make their decision based on those experiences and exposures.

I do not believe for a minute that my children will be damned to hell if they don’t pick the “right religion.” Their deeds in life will determine their fate and it is my job to help them to prepare to make the best decisions possible, to be good and moral people, to live ethically, and to treat others with kindness and respect. These are the values that we are instilling in our kids and honestly we don’t need a church or a religion to tell us to do it. We do it because it is the right thing to do.

So what to do? Well, I think that I’m going to find some Buddhist and Hindu artwork to put up in the office (we had a Buddha statue and a Hindu wheel of life painting in my house as a kid) and as my studies in Religious Studies continue, I’ll introduce my children to different concepts that I’m studying.

But I’d like to hear from other parents. How have you broached the subject of religion with your children? When do you think is the right time to introduce children to religion?

Currently Listening

1. “Renovating” by Buffalo Tom (from Three Easy Pieces)
2. “Been There All the Time” by Dinosaur Jr. (from Beyond)
3. “Thanks for Nothing” by The Heartdrops (from East Side Drive)
4. “My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg) by The Ramones (from Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: The Anthology Disc 2)
5. “I Need Feedback” by Swingin’ Utters (from Five Lessons Learned)
6. “Drive In” by The Donnas (from The Donnas)
7. “Porch” by Pearl Jam (from Ten)
8. “Palace of the Brine” by The Pixies (from Trompe Le Monde)
9. “Express Yourself” by N.W.A. (from Straight Outta Compton)
10. “Ever” by The Lemonheads (from Lick)

A Call from God

The following is a scene from the Bollywood movie Hello (see my latest Currently Watching).

Here’s the set up – there are six call center workers who have left work to go to a night club to blow off steam after learning that 35-40% of the employees are going to be laid off. The upcoming lay offs have added to the already enormous pressure and stress that each individual is under (one has discovered that her husband is keeping a mistress; another has agreed to an arranged marriage with a man that she doesn’t know; another, the previous agent’s ex-boyfriend, is devastated at the prospect of the upcoming arranged marriage; another is heartbroken because his son refuses to let him see his grandson; and the last two are caught up in a potential relationship that just never seems to transpire). After leaving the club, the six find themselves hanging off of the end on an incomplete bridge (after the driver dozed off and was unable to stop the car, or it might be a van…I’m not really sure, after the break peddle gets blocked by a water bottle). This is all occurring in the middle of the night / early hours of the morning so no one is around to help. Each tries their cell phones, only to realize that they have no signal (or “no network” as they call it). The main character, Shyam, throws his phone onto the dashboard causing it to break apart. A few moments later, Shyam’s phone begins to ring. The caller id says “God.”

Shyam: Hello! Hello! Hello!

God: Hello, Shyam! Varum, Esha, Priyanka, Radhika, military uncle!

Shyam: Do you know us?

God: I know much more than you know about yourself.

Varum: Are you really God?

God: I only know the truth. You human beings have started telling lies. Tell me how did life come till here?

Varum: Maybe you must have written this in our destiny?

God: No Varum; I do not write your destiny. But your deeds decide your fate. The fruits of which have brought all of you till here.

Shyam: But everything in this world happens according to your wish, isn’t it?

God: That is what the world says, not I.

Varum: But you have created this universe.

God: But you people stay in it. You decide what you have to do and what you don’t have to do. Not I. I just keep an account of your deeds. As your deeds so is the fruit.

Esha: But the deeds also depend upon the situation, isn’t it? And the situations are not in our hands.

God: Come on we will try and understand it in this way. How many calls do you hear in a day?

Esha: 100! 200?

God: And which is the most important call from this? My call!

Esha: But we are hearing you for the first time! We are meeting for the first time.

God: This is not the truth! I am always with you. I have given all of you a voice! The inner voice! The voice of your soul. That is my voice. That is to show you the right path before you start any job. But you do not like to hear that at all.

Radhika: Because that voice stops us from doing so many things. It frightens us!

God: But why does it stop you? How does it frighten you?

Radhika: Because…because do all that we do not wish to do. How can we live such a life?

God: So how good is this life on which you have tread ignoring my voice? Why do you fear from all that when I am with you? If you would listen to your inner voice and tread on that path then maybe you would have had a better life.

Priyanka: We accept what you say. But what was lacking in us that we stayed back in the race of life?

God: You will have to change that way of your thoughts. Four things are necessary for your success. You have have the first two with you. A little intelligence and a little imagination. The third thing is self confidence. Which you are losing gradually. You just accept anything that anyone says.

Shyam: And the fourth?

God: And the fourth thing is the most difficult one. To lose!

Priyanka: To lose?

God: Yes! It is very necessary to lose t owin. Because this is one fear that stops your progress. For you to make progress! To take your own decisions. It stops you from doing everything. All of you are running away from life from fear of losing. Till you fear falling down, you will never be able to fly.

Shyam: We will convey your thoughts to all. We will learn to win by losing. And we will teach that to others too.

God: You never ignore the voice of your soul. You just change your present. I promise you tomorrow.

Priyanka: Will we…will we be able to get out from here?

God: It is the rule of nature, the way you start that way you end.

The phone then goes dead. Varum takes it from Syam and examines the back and sees that the entire back of the phone, including the battery, is missing. Moments later the lights of the construction site come to life as workers rush to save the occupants of the car.

I found this scene to be extremely moving. The voice of God was one of a friendly older man/friend and not of a harsh judge. The message was also one of hope and it gave the sense that God is always with us, ready to give advice, but at the end of the day it’s our deeds that will decide our fate. Talk about personal responsibility! I also think the idea that we can never truly succeed until we no abandon our fear of losing is incredibly true. Too often people are held back because they fear failing. That fear cripples their ability to grow and learn and succeed and ultimately it fosters their failure and defeat.

We should all listen to the advice of God in this scene. There is great wisdom in his words.

Who’s to Blame; the Video Game, the Parents, or the Kid?

How about all of the above?

Check this out… A 16 year-old kid gunned down his parents after they tried to limit his time playing video games.

From the story –

Daniel Petric, the now 17-year-old in question, recently got 23 years to life for killing his mother (his father survived his wounds) and claimed insanity at his trial. An obsession with the sci-fi shooter game Halo 3 supposedly kept Daniel in his room playing the game for up to 18 hours a day -- and he began to confuse the land of Halo with that of reality.

Originally, Daniel said his father, Mark Petric, shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself. But his father survived and told police the truth. A local pastor in Wellington, Ohio, Mark has since forgiven his son and even testified on his behalf at his trial.

I once heard Kim Kamando reference a story that said that kids who play more than 30 minutes of video games a day do worse in school. Since that time I have limited the amount of time I let my kids play video games. Granted, my son was becoming obsessed with Super Mario 3 and not Halo 3, but I could see a difference in his behavior after he had become video game crazy. I have since seen his behavior revert back to normal once the video game time was limited.

These stories of kids and video game induced rage are sad on many levels. There are also many levels of blame for the situations to go around. The first layer of blame goes on the parents for not limiting their kids’ video game consumption at a younger age and not keeping better lines of communication open to help prevent this type of situation. Granted, this is often easier said than done. The second layer of blame goes on the video game manufacturers for creating such needlessly violent games and marketing them directly to kids. The constant influence of violence and virtual killing will have an effect on kids whether the game makers want to admit it or not. The third and most important layer of blame goes on the kids. At the end of the day, it was these kids who snapped and lost control of themselves and it is ultimately their responsibility to be accountable for their own actions. Yes the external influence of parents and video games plays a factor into the out come, but it was the kids who pulled the trigger.

Ultimately we all need to take a step back from this technology and unplug for a bit. These kids deserve better than the garbage that we feed them. The schools, the market, and the community are all failing our children. We must do a better job looking out for our kids. This is a collective thing in many ways, but the fix is an individual one. We must instill good values, morals, virtues, and common sense in our children and the best way to do that is to be good parents and to lead by example. I have faith in our potential and our future, despite stories like this.

Currently Listening

1. “I Called Out Your Name” by The Thermals (from Now We Can See)
2. “Last of the American Girls” by Green Day (from 21st Century Breakdown)
3. “This Isn’t You” by New Found Glory (from Not Without a Fight)
4. “Without Love” by Tinted Windows (from Tinted Windows)
5. “Ran That Scam” by Dead To Me (from Little Brother)
6. “Trying My Best to Love You” by Jenny Lewis (from Acid Tongue)
7. “The Dirt Whispered” by Rise Against (from Appeal to Reason)
8. “Two Angry Kids” by Street Dogs (from State of Grace)
9. “Automatic” by Weezer (from Weezer [Red Album])
10. “Where Are They Now?” by Swingin’ Utters (from Hatest Grits: B-Sides and Bullshit)

Christianity and the Martial Arts

Man of the West has put together a very interesting (and long) post on the martial arts and Christianity entitled Christianity and the Martial Arts: Sorting Through the Myths, Legends, Misunderstandings, Half-Truths, and Flat-Out Lies. There is much that I disagree with him on (just look at the comments section) but I think he has done a good job and put a lot of work into this post.

Currently Listening

All of today’s songs come from the Rhino Records’ 4 CD box set No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion.

1. “Heart of the City” by Nick Lowe (from Disc 1)
2. “Neat, Neat, Neat” by The Damned (from Disc 1)
3. “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways (from Disc 1)
4. “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones (from Disc 3)
5. “Lexicon Devil” by The Germs (from Disc 3)
6. “Top of the Pops” by The Rezillos (from Disc 4)
7. “Another Girl, Another Planet” by The Only Ones (from Disc 4)
8. “She is Beyond Good and Evil” by The Pop Group (from Disc 4)
9. “What Do I Get?” by Buzzcocks (from Disc 2)
10. “Saturday Night in the City” by Ultravox (from Disc 2)

Currently Watching

Title: Hello (Official, IMDB, Wikipedia)

Hello is a film from Bollywood that chronicles one night in the life of six call center workers and their amazing call from God. The film is based on the book One Night @ the Call Centre and seen through the eyes of Shyam, an ambitious young man who is trying to move up in the company while at the same time is mourning the end of his relationship with co-worker Priyanka.

The crux of the film centers around the mysterious call from God. The call occurs after the six have left work to go to a night club, after having gotten news from their American obsessed boss that the company was going to downsize resulting in a 35-40% cut in the workforce, and find themselves in a life or death situation when their van precariously hangs off the end of an incomplete bridge. The call itself (which I will do a separate post on once I’ve gotten a change to transcribe the scene) comes on Shyam’s broken cell phone and is God telling the six that they have ignored his voice, the “voice of your soul,” and that they need to seek a new path in life. They ask about the destiny that he had written and he tells them that their destiny is their own, that it is their deeds that determine their lives. The scene is very well done and I found it to be amazingly touching.

One of the other things that amazed me about this film was how the characters would jump from Hindi to English and back again in mid-sentence. The multi-language skills be these people is amazing and it also seems to be very common place. It makes me feel pretty stupid really.

Based on this film, it does seem that working in a call center is a much more prestigious (for lack of a better term) job in India than it is in the United States. The facilities in this film make my job look like a dump (not that making my place of employment look like a dirty pile of crap is hard mind you, but the place in this film put all three of the call centers that I have worked in to shame).

It is also interesting to get the perspective of those on the other side of the world who get paid (not near enough mind you) to deal with our complaints and to take the brunt of crap that we as Americans have to offer those in the customer service industry. In fact every time I talk to a customer who complains about having to talk to people in another country when calling a toll-free number for help, I defend those folks on the other end of the phone. I remind the customer that the communication barrier is a two way street and that there are extremely smart folks in places like India who are just as capable of helping them as I am.

I highly recommend Hello, especially to all of those who work in the call center industry.

RIP Farrah and Michael

Yesterday we saw two pop culture icons, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, pass on. My thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends.

Currently Listening

1. “Bleeder” by Alkaline Trio (from Alkaline Trio)
2. “Girl U Want” by Devo (from Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology Disc 1)
3. “Stuart and the Ave.” by Green Day (from Insomniac)
4. “Honey White” by Morphine (from Yes)
5. “47” by New Found Glory (from Not Without a Fight)
6. “It’s Quite Alright” by Rancid (from Rancid [2000])
7. “We Got Something” by Tinted Windows (from Tinted Windows)
8. “Love Comes in Spurts” by Richard Hell & the Voidoids (from No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion Disc 2)
9. “Ever Fallen in Love” by Buzzcocks (from No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion Disc 3)
10. “A Step to Go” by Swingin’ Utters (from A Juvenile Product of the Working Class)

Another Religious Quiz

This one is called the Spiritual Belief System Selector Quiz. One of the stipulations in the instructions was that you should choose the answer that most closely resembles your beliefs. There were a few questions that I agreed with a couple of the statements but I eventually selected one.

My Results:
1. Neo-Pagan (100%) Books, etc. Information link
2. Unitarian Universalism (96%) Books, etc. Information link
3. Liberal Quakers - Religious Society of Friends (90%) Books, etc. Information link
4. Mahayana Buddhism (90%) Books, etc. Information link
5. Reform Judaism (80%) Books, etc. Information link
6. New Age (80%) Books, etc. Information link
7. Jainism (76%) Books, etc. Information link
8. Hinduism (72%) Books, etc. Information link
9. Sikhism (70%) Books, etc. Information link
10. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (69%) Books, etc. Information link
11. Secular Humanism (64%) Books, etc. Information link
12. Theravada Buddhism (64%) Books, etc. Information link
13. Taoism (63%) Books, etc. Information link
14. New Thought (56%) Books, etc. Information link
15. Scientology (55%) Books, etc. Information link
16. Orthodox Quaker - Religious Society of Friends (53%) Books, etc. Information link
17. Orthodox Judaism (52%) Books, etc. Information link
18. Bahai (50%) Books, etc. Information link
19. Christian Science Church of Christ, Scientist (43%) Books, etc. Information link
20. Islam (43%) Books, etc. Information link
21. Non-theist (39%) Books, etc. Information link
22. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (30%) Books, etc. Information link
23. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (23%) Books, etc. Information link
24. Seventh Day Adventist (23%) Books, etc. Information link
25. Jehovahs Witness (18%) Books, etc. Information link
26. Eastern Orthodox (12%) Books, etc. Information link
27. Roman Catholic (12%) Books, etc. Information link

The only part that scares me in these results is that I am 55% in agreement with Scientology. What's up with that?

MoveOn, Iran, and the Fight for Freedom

It’s not often that I agree with something that MoveOn.org sends out, but I totally agree with this email –

Dear MoveOn member,

The Iranian people's courage in the face of brutal repression has been inspiring.

But the situation is getting worse. The Iranian regime has begun a violent crackdown against the protesters—including hundreds of arrests and a number of deaths.

Now, it's crucial that the Iranian regime knows that the world is watching and that they must stop their violent repression of peaceful dissent.

So our friends at Avaaz—a global MoveOn-type organization—have asked people all over the world to stand with the Iranian protesters. Avaaz is aiming for 1 million signatures worldwide and is going to deliver this message of solidarity to other governments, concentrating on the countries with the most influence over Iran's regime. Can you add your name?

http://civ.moveon.org/irancrackdown/?id=16437-6585967-djzlLAx&t=1

A clear message from people all over the world can help put pressure on the Iranian regime to stop the violence. Other Muslim countries in the region and key trading partners like China and Turkey have been mostly silent since the election, but a worldwide outpouring of support can convince them to take action.

Involvement by the American government could be used by the Iranian regime as an excuse to crack down further. But if we, as individuals, join with folks around the world, we can help create a global outcry. The petition will be delivered directly to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the Non-Aligned Movement, the E.U., and the U.N. to show them that the world wants them to act.

Iranians have shown that regular people, using new technologies like Twitter and Facebook, can have a profound impact on world affairs. As they face enormous danger to stand up for democracy and freedom of speech, we should stand with them. Can you add your voice to the chorus of people calling for an end to the violence?

http://civ.moveon.org/irancrackdown/?id=16437-6585967-djzlLAx&t=2

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Stephen, Laura, Daniel and the rest of the team

P.S. To show your support for the Iranian people, you can also print out this sign and put it in your window.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51527&id=16437-6585967-djzlLAx&t=3

P.P.S. If you're on Facebook, another great way to show your support is to change your profile picture. Here's a picture you can use to show that you stand with the protesters in Iran.
http://civ.moveon.org/irancrackdown/signs.html?id=16437-6585967-djzlLAx&t=4

I haven’t blogged on the crisis in Iran because I haven’t been following politics very closely lately. From what little I have seen though, the situation in Iran is horrible and the world needs to stand together with the Iranian people in support of their fight for freedom. We cannot let this become another Teanimin Square. Tyranny must NEVER be allowed to prosper!

The Most Underrated Albums by My Favorite Bands

Bands are often best known for one or two great albums (U2’s The Joshua Tree or The Replacements’ Let It Be for example) but a lot of times, those albums only scratch the surface of what said band can do. And more often than not, it is only the diehard fan that knows or appreciates a band’s lesser known and often under appreciated work. Here are some of the albums by some of my favorite bands that I think are underrated and under appreciated.

Band: Dag Nasty
Album: Four on the Floor

Four on the Floor was a pseudo-reunion record for the Can I Say lineup of Dag Nasty. The album came together because the members of the band all happened to be in the same town one summer and decided to get together and make some music. A lot of the complaints about this record, including from members of the band, is that much of the record feels rushed or like a bunch of throw away songs. While Four on the Floor is not the band’s best work, I think that the lyrics on songs like “Still Waiting” and “Mango” are more tan worth the price of admission. While the album does lack some cohesion, it presents a raw power of music made for the sack of making music and nothing more.


Band: R.E.M.
Album: Out of Time

While Out of Time was R.E.M.’s first album to reach the # 1 position on Billboard’s Album Chart, it has never been revered like Reckoning, Automatic for the People, or Fables of the Reconstruction. This record was the band’s second for Warner Bros. Records and also showed a departure from the standard electric guitar based routine, bringing in instead instruments like the mandolin. What I think makes Out of Time such a beautiful record is that it is almost entirely love songs, written by people who generally dislike love songs. There is such stark beauty to songs like “Country Feedback” and “Belong” that it makes it hard to believe that these guys don’t like love songs.


Band: Dropkick Murphys
Album: Blackout

Blackout is probably the Dropkick Murphys’ least Irish-y album (in stark contrast to its predecessor Sing Loud, Sing Proud which is probably their most Irish-y album). Subsequently it is also one of their poppy-est records. The songs are mostly traditional pop rock / punk rock tunes filled with hooks and choruses that make you want to sing along. And while this album has many fan favorites, it’s never spoken of with the same appreciation or reverence as the band’s debut Do or Die. What stands out to me are the incredibly touching songs “As One” and “World Full of Hate.”

Myths

I’m going to go out on a limb on this one. Below is a list of myths from various societies from all across the world. All of them are amazing stories and teach important lessons (mostly designed for the culture from which they came) but NONE of them actually happened. NONE of these myths are based on historical facts. Yes some of them mention actual historical locations but the people and events are fictional.

The Emuna elish (Babylonia)
The epic of Gilgamesh (Sumer/Babylonia)
Telepinu (Hittite)
Jason and the Golden Fleece (Greece)
The Labors and Death of Heracles (Greece)
The Ramayana (India/Hindu)
The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings (China)
Amaterasu (Japan/Shinto)
Sigurd the Volsung (Norse)
The Theft of Thor’s Hammer (Norse)
Dagda the Good (Irish)
The Children of the Sun (Inca)
Quetzalcoatl (Toltec/Aztec)
Adam ad Eve (Hebrew)
Noah and the Arc (Hebrew)

So what exactly is a myth?

According to the book World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics by Donna Rosenberg –

Myths symbolize human experience and embody the spiritual values of a culture. Every society preserves its myths, because the beliefs and worldview found within them are crucial to the survival of the culture. Myths usually originate in an ancient, oral tradition. Some explain origins, natural phenomena, and death; others describe the nature and functions of divinities; while still others provide models of virtuous behavior by relating the adventures of heroes or the misfortunes of arrogant humans. Myths often include elements from legend and folklore. They depict humans as an integral part of a larger universe, and they impart a feeling of awe for all that is mysterious and marvelous in life.

Dictornary.com defines myth as –

a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

[...]

a. A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society: the myth of Eros and Psyche; a creation myth.

b. Such stories considered as a group: the realm of myth.

The Wikipedia entry on mythology states –

The main characters in myths are usually gods or supernatural heroes.[14][15][16] As sacred stories, myths are often endorsed by rulers and priests and closely linked to religion.[14] In the society in which it is told, a myth is usually regarded as a true account of the remote past.[14][17][18][15] In fact, many societies have two categories of traditional narrative—(1) "true stories", or myths, and (2) "false stories", or fables.[19][20] Myths generally take place in a primordial age, when the world had not yet achieved its current form.[14] They explain how the world gained its current form[21][22][8][23] and how customs, institutions, and taboos were established.[14][23]

[…]

Closely related to myth are legend and folktale. Myths, legends, and folktales are different types of traditional story.[24] Unlike myths, folktales can take place at any time and any place, and they are not considered true or sacred even by the societies that tell them.[14] Like myths, legends are stories that are traditionally considered true; however, they are set in a more recent time, when the world was much as it is today.[14] Also, legends generally feature humans as their main characters, whereas myths generally focus on superhuman characters.[14]

The distinction between myth, legend, and folktale is meant simply as a useful tool for grouping traditional stories.[25] In many cultures, it is hard to draw a sharp line between myths and legends.[26][27] Instead of dividing their traditional stories into myths, legends, and folktales, some cultures divide them into two categories — one that roughly corresponds to folktales, and one that combines myths and legends.[28] Even myths and folktales are not completely distinct: a story may be considered true — and therefore a myth — in one society, but considered fictional — and therefore a folktale — in another society.[29][30] In fact, when a myth loses its status as part of a religious system, it often takes on traits more typical of folktales, with its formerly divine characters reinterpreted as human heroes, giants, or fairies.[15]

[…]

One theory claims that myths are distorted accounts of real historical events.[31][32] According to this theory, storytellers repeatedly elaborated upon historical accounts until the figures in those accounts gained the status of gods.[31][32] For example, one might argue that the myth of the wind-god Aeolus evolved from a historical account of a king who taught his people to use sails and interpret the winds.[31] Herodotus and Prodicus made claims of this kind.[32] This theory is named "euhemerism" after the novelist Euhemerus (c.320 BC), who suggested that the Greek gods developed from legends about human beings.[33][32]

[…]

Some theories propose that myths began as allegories. According to one theory, myths began as allegories for natural phenomena: Apollo represents fire, Poseidon represents water, and so on.[32] According to another theory, myths began as allegories for philosophical or spiritual concepts: Athena represents wise judgment, Aphrodite represents desire, etc.[32] The 19th century Sanskritist Max Muller supported an allegorical theory of myth. He believed that myths began as allegorical descriptions of nature, but gradually came to be interpreted literally: for example, a poetic description of the sea as "raging" was eventually taken literally, and the sea was then thought of as a raging god.[34]

[…]

Some thinkers believe that myths resulted from the personification of inanimate objects and forces. According to these thinkers, the ancients worshipped natural phenomena such as fire and air, gradually coming to describe them as gods.[35] For example, according to the theory of mythopoeic thought, the ancients tended to view things as persons, not as mere objects;[36] thus, they described natural events as acts of personal gods, thus giving rise to myths.[37]

[…]

One of the foremost functions of myth is to establish models for behavior.[43][44] The figures described in myth are sacred and are therefore worthy role models for human beings.[44] Thus, myths often function to uphold current social structures and institutions: they justify these customs by claiming that they were established by sacred beings.[45][46]

Another function is to provide people with a religious experience. By retelling myths, human beings detach themselves from the present and return to the mythical age, thereby bringing themselves closer to the divine.[17][47][44] In fact, in some cases, a society will reenact a myth in an attempt to reproduce the conditions of the mythical age: for example, it will reenact the healing performed by a god at the beginning of time in order to heal someone in the present.[48]

So what’s it all mean?

Essentially what this is saying is that myths are stories that help teach a society about itself by providing examples of the morals, norms, and virtues of said society and by providing a thematic story of the society’s origin and explanations of the functions of nature. The key here is that these are stories.

A very large portion of religious sacred texts are myths, if not the vast majority. Some texts include a mixture of myth and history (or stories involving historical figures). The Bible is an excellent example of such a text. While Jesus was a historical figure, it is pretty safe to say that the entire book of Genesis is a myth. The Koran is another example. While Mohammed was a historical figure, the parts of the Koran dealing with his trips to heaven (for lack of a better term) are myths. This is not an attack or slight on or against Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. It is simply an accurate description of each religion’s sacred texts and the functions that they hold. In fact there are other religions that are based on / centered around historical figures and their sacred texts are no different (Buddhism and Confucianism for example).

Again, what’s my point?

My point is that people should understand the difference between myth and history. And knowing this difference does not in any way diminish the significance of the meaning or the message of the myth. In fact I propose that taking a myth literally actually degrades and diminishes the point and purpose of the myth. It also takes away from the beauty of the story because people get so wrapped up in thinking that the story is fact and thus miss the story’s message. And that is a shame.

RIP Ed McMahon

Former Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon passed away early this morning. Rest wel Ed and give Johnny our best.

Stonehenge and the Solstice

According to this story, 35,000 people ventured to Stonehenge to ring in the summer solstice.

From the story –

The prehistoric monument in southern England is the site of an annual night-long party — or religious ceremony, depending on perspective — marking the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

Warm weather and the fact that this year's solstice fell on a weekend helped draw a record crowd.

"There has been a great atmosphere and where else would you want to be on midsummer's day?" said Peter Carson of English Heritage, the body in charge of Stonehenge.

Camera flashes bounced off the stones through the night until patchy rays of sunlight peeked through the clouds at 4:58 a.m. BST (0358GMT). A weak cheer went up as dawn broke over the Heel Stone, a pockmarked pillar at the edge of the stone circle that is aligned with the rising sun.

"You can feel the energy from your feet climb up your body," said Diane Manuel, 50, a supply company director from Middlesbrough in northern England. "It's like having heart palpitations."

Stonehenge, which sits on Salisbury Plain about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, visited by more than 750,000 people a year. It was built in three phases between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C.

Mystery surrounds the monument's original purpose. Some theories hold that the stone circle was a grave site because 350 burial mounds surround the structure.

In May, archaeologists found evidence indicating that pilgrims perceived the stones to have healing powers. Some other experts assert that the structure was part of an ancient astronomical calendar.

But because it was built so long ago, there is no record of why the monument was erected, said archaeologist Dave Batchelor of English Heritage.

"All of that sort of stuff we don't have, so when it comes to ascribing a modern-day reason depends on the viewpoint ... that's the fascination," Batchelor said.

Solstice celebrations were a highlight of the pre-Christian calendar, and in many countries bonfires, maypole dances and courtship rituals linger on as holdovers from Europe's pagan past.

It still amazes me that monuments like Stonehenge, the Coliseum, and the pyramids were built thousands of years ago, without the aide of anything close to modern technology. I doubt that anything we have built in modern times could survive the ages like these wonders.

Someday I hope to see Stonehenge in person.

The Wikipedia entry on Stonehenge has a ton of information for those who want to know more about the monument.

Volcano from Space

Ever wonder what a volcano exploding looks like from space? Check this out.

Currently Listening

1. “El Scorcho” by Weezer (from Pinkerton)
2. “Misconstrued” by Wakeland (from To See the Sun)
3. “Prove My Love” by Violent Femmes (from Violent Femmes)
4. “Casemaker” by Sinkhole (from Punk USA)
5. “Jane Says” by Jane’s Addiction (from Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80s Underground Disc 4)
6. “Fast Lane” by Urban Dance Squad (from Mental Floss for the Globe)
7. “My Umbrella” by Tripping Daisy (from Bill)
8. “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones (from Gold Disc 1)
9. “Twenty Flight Rock” by Tiger Army (from The Early Years)
10. “’39” by Swingin’ Utters (from BYO Split Series, Vol. 2)

The Myths of Marriage

The blog Classically Liberal has an excellent and historically enlightening post entitled Three major myths about marriage.

The simple fact is that those who support “traditional marriage” are not supporting anything that has existed as a solid tradition throughout history. Throughout history marriages have been between members of the same sex, have had nothing to do with religion or the state, and have been between multiple partners. Now before anyone goes off the handle, let me be clear that I am not endorsing polygamy. I am just pointing out, as CLS has done in a much better way in his post, that much of what people claim is part of tradition marriage is just factually incorrect.

This is an issue that could easily go away if the government would just get out of the marriage business and provide civil unions for any two adult individuals (18+, homosexual or heterosexual) and let religious institutions perform marriages. This would be a win-win scenario, but sadly neither side is willing to give an inch and thus the wasteful battle drags on.

Video of the Day: Unplugged

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.

Video of the Day

"Hyper Enough" by Superchunk

More Questions with Steve Alten

Steve Alten has released the fourth book in his best selling MEG series, Hell’s Aquarium. The book is a fun and hair raising adventure that is sure to please fans of the series (my personal favorite of the series is the third book Primal Waters, but this is one is quite good as well). This interview was conducted via email in June 2009.

Dave: How has the response been to Hell’s Aquarium?

Steve Alten: The response from readers has been great. Most agree it is easily the best MEG book in the series. Now we just need to get the word out to more book lovers.

Dave: Do you ever feel trapped in or by the MEG series?

Steve: Not trapped, but pigeonholed by publishers.

Dave: I loved the idea of the Panthalassa sea (the prehistoric sea trapped beneath a false bottom in the ocean). How much of that idea is real? Are there any known sections of trapped ocean beneath a false bottom on the sea floor?

Steve: It's unknown how real the scenario is. It's too deep to check.

Dave: How many more MEG books do you think you have in you?

Steve: Probably only one more.

Dave: What’s the current status of the MEG movie? Are any of your other books being looked at for potential film adaptations? (Personally I think The LOCH, which is probably my favorite of your books, would make a great movie.)

Steve: Both MEG and The LOCH are being privately financed. Hopefully we'll have an announcement soon.

Dave: How are your Adopt-An-Author and Writing Coach programs going?

Steve: Great. Writing Coach is filled right now, and AAA is off for the summer. I need the break.

Dave: Your last novel, The Shell Game, was very political in nature and I know that you follow politics personally. What are your thoughts on the performance of President Obama and his administration up to this point?

Steve: Too early to tell, but he's worlds above Bush.

Dave: What’s next for you?

Steve: GRIM REAPER.

Video of the Day: Live

"Honey White" by Morphine

Dying Girl Gets Her Final Wish

In a sad and touching story, 10-year-old Colby Curtin got her final wish, to see the film Up.

From the story –

Thanks to a family friend who got in touch with the movie studio Pixar, an employee of the Emeryville-based company arrived at Colby's home with a DVD copy of the movie, The Orange County Register reported Friday. The girl died later that night.

Colby's mother, Lisa, said she had asked her daughter if she could hang on until the movie arrived.

"I'm ready (to die), but I'm going to wait for the movie," she said her daughter replied.

"Up" is the animated tale of a grumpy old man who, after his wife's death, tries to fulfill their joint dream of visiting South America by tying thousands of balloons to his house and floating away.

"When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie," Colby's mother told the Register. "I just know that word 'Up' and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven."

Colby, who was diagnosed with vascular cancer in 2005, saw previews for the film in April.

"It was from then on, she said, 'I have to see that movie. It is so cool,'" family friend Carole Lynch said.

But the girl's health began to deteriorate. On June 4, Curtin asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair so that her daughter could go to a movie theater but the chair was not delivered over the weekend, Curtin said.

By June 9, Colby was too sick to go anywhere.

Another family friend, Terrell Orum, called both Pixar and Disney, which owns the animation studio. The message was received by Pixar officials, who agreed to send someone to Colby's house the next day with a copy of "Up" for a private screening, Orum said.

The employee arrived with the DVD, stuffed animals of characters and other movie memorabilia.

Colby was unable to open her eyes to see the movie so her mother described the scenes. When her mother asked if she enjoyed it, the girl nodded, Curtin said.

The Pixar employee left after the movie, taking the DVD, which has not been released. Lynch, who was with the family during the screening, said the employee's "eyes were just welled up."

For those who haven’t seen up, it is extremely heart warming story that is quite possibly the best thing that Pixar has ever done. I went to see it again for the second time yesterday with my wife and son and I think I cried more than I did the first time around. This film really is a must see for everyone.

I really can’t think of a better way for little Colby to leave this world then with her family by her side and a heart warming story in her mind. Rest well Colby. May the grace of God and all that is holy be with you.

Blogs That I Have Bookmarked on My Phone

I do a fair amount of web browsing on my cell phone. For one thing, I’ve got a really slow connection at home, plus a limited amount of time on the computer anyway, and for another thing there is no internet access at work, so that leaves my in a bit of a bind. Luckily for me, my cell phone (a dinosaur by modern technology standards seeing as it is at least three years old and only a 3G phone) has an internet connection, but it’s built in browser is a bit wack so I’ve had to resort to using the Opera Mini Browser (which is not a bad thing at all really since this browser allows you to visit regular websites that would normally not work at all on a cell phone).

So here is a list of all of the blogs that I have bookmarked on my cell phone (in no particular order).

Local / formerly local blogs –
Fired Green Onions
The Otter Limits
Red Stater
Dave Town
Brad Neese at Large
BlogNetNew Oklahoma
Maistream Baptist
Fear an Iarthair
Okiedoke
Oklahoma Opinion
OklahomaRock.com Newsblog

Non-local blogs –
PunkNews.org
Leslie Simon is Awesome
Classically Liberal
Andrew Sullivan

Which is Worse, Being Duped or Getting Dumped?

Leslie Simon wants to know.

More Examples of the System Failing

Example # 1: A homeless man gets 15 years for stealing $100 from a bank. After the robbery the man, feeling guilty returned the money to the bank and then turned himself in to the authorities.

From the story –

The teller handed Brown three stacks of bill but he only took a single $100 bill and returned the remaining money back to her. He said that he was homeless and hungry and left the bank.

The next day he surrendered to the police voluntarily and told them that his mother didn’t raise him that way.

Brown told the police he needed the money to stay at the detox center and had no other place to stay and was hungry.

In Caddo District Court, he pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison for first degree.

Example # 2: AIG executive sentenced to 4 years in prison for $500 billion in fraud.

From the story –

Milton, 61, AIG's vice president of reinsurance from 1982 to 2005, was convicted last year of conspiracy, securities fraud, mail fraud and making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Authorities expect Milton to be deported to his native England after he serves his sentence.

The investigation also led to the convictions of four General Re Corp. executives last year for their roles in manipulating AIG's financial statements.

Prosecutors said New York-based AIG paid Gen Re in a secret side agreement to take out reinsurance policies with AIG in 2000 and 2001, propping up AIG's stock price and inflating reserves by $500 million.

Reinsurance policies are backups purchased by insurance companies to completely or partly insure the risk they have assumed for their customers.

Milton's lawyer, Frederick Hafetz, told the judge before the sentence was announced that Milton is a good person who was known for helping AIG employees with their problems, including two workers who died from AIDS in the 1980s.

Hafetz also said Milton didn't benefit personally from the fraud, which he called an aberration in Milton's life.

"He has lived a life that our society would prize in its most pious ways," Hafetz said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Patricco countered that Milton has shown no remorse for his actions and hasn't taken responsibility. He also claimed Milton has done little charitable work.

"He knew exactly what was at stake in this endeavor," Patricco said.

The judge agreed with the prosecutor.

"He surely knew this was a scam from the very start," Droney said. "This was no momentary lapse in judgment."

Example # 3: A convicted child rapist is sentenced to one year in prison.

From the story –

Under the deal, David Harold Earls, 64, of the southeastern Oklahoma town of McAlester, pleaded no contest last month to first-degree rape and forcible sodomy. Normally, the rape charge carries a sentence of between five years to life in prison, but the deal he struck with prosecutors called for 19 years of his 20-year sentence to be suspended.

[…]

Prosecutors said they only agreed to the plea bargain because the case rested largely on the testimony of the girl, now 5, who made contradictory statements during pretrial hearings. After initially testifying about the assault, she later said she couldn't remember the rape. At one point, the girl ran out of the room and down the hallway.

The case has generated more outrage as new accusations have surfaced. After Earls entered his plea, an estranged relative came forward to make a new allegation of a past rape. Although the statute of limitations likely has expired, it's possible the allegations could be used in another case against Earls if another victim comes forward, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said.

Makes ya proud doesn't it? (Yeah, that was sarcasm if you couldn't tell.)

Currently Listening

And today the computer’s shuffle has given us…

1. “Two and Two Made Five” by Ned’s Atomic Dustbin (from Are You Normal?)
2. “All’s Fair” by ALL (from Guilty)
3. “Losing My Touch” by The Rolling Stones (from Forty Licks Disc 2)
4. “That’s What My Heart Needs” by Otis Redding (from The Definitive Soul Collection Disc 1)
5. “We Don’t Go” by The Donnas (from The Donnas)
6. “Gangster” by Electronic (from Electronic)
7. “Everybody’s Been Burned” by Sebadoh (from Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock)
8. “Trouble Is” by Dag Nasty (from Field Day)
9. “Revelations” by Superchunk (from Foolish)
10. “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” by Tina Turner (from Simply the Best)

Can't put a price on family?

Well it looks like you can, or at least you can trade 3.3 deceased relatives for one illegal mp3 download. (Thanks to my friend Ricky for the picture.)

Currently Listening

1. “Breathe” by ALL (from Percolator)
2. “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure (from MTV Unplugged)
3. “When I Move” by Dag Nasty (from Wig Out at Denko’s)
4. “Global Probing” by Descendents (from Bonus Fat)
5. “Goodnight Song” by Down By Law (from Punkrockacademyfightsong)
6. “Boys on the Docks [Murphys’ Pub Version]” by Dropkick Murphys (from Do or Die)
7. “Name” by The Goo Goo Dolls (from A Boy Named Goo)
8. “Closer to Fine” by Indigo Girls (from Indigo Girls)
9. “Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves” by Paul Westerberg (from Suicaine Gratification)
10. “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. (from MTV Unplugged)

Asian Man Records Releasing Smoking Popes Re-issues

PunkNews.org is reporting that Asian Man Records will be releasing re-issues of Chicago, IL pop-punk band Smoking Popes.

From the story –

First, the label will be compiling the Innoculator, Break Up and other 7-inches on a single CD/vinyl release. The label is also planning a remastered reissue of the band's 1993 Johann's Face album, Get Fired and finally, the band's major label debut Born To Quit will also get the remaster treatment.

The first release will come out in the fall of this year. The band will accompany
each release with a record release show in Chicago.

I’d love to get to go to those shows.

Asian Man Records has also released re-issues for Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, and The Queers.

And Who Says “Justice” Can’t Be Bought and Paid For?

Or sometimes the system just fails.

(CNN) -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the National Football League, days after he pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol, the NFL said.

Stallworth, 28, pleaded guilty in a Florida court Tuesday to DUI manslaughter charges in the March death of construction worker Mario Reyes. Under terms of a plea agreement, he will serve 30 days. Prosecutors said he began serving his sentence immediately.

Video of the Day: Live Part 3

Day Nasty live at the 9:30 Club in 1987


and

Dag Nasty live at Fender's Ballroom March 27, 1987

Video of the Day: Acoustic

"Dot" by Scott Reynolds (doing an ALL cover)

Video of the Day: Live Part 2

"Coolidge" by ALL

Video of the Day: Homemade

"Going Underground" by Down By Law (doing a Jam cover)

Video of the Day: Live

"Values Here" by Down By Law (doing a Dag Nasty cover)

Good Lord

Some people are just really, really, really messed up. How do these people think that they are following the message of Christ? Wow…just…wow.

The Coming Ism?

Red S Tater has an interesting post entitled The March To…”ism” (pick one). The post essentially takes the goals of the Communist Party in 1963 and compares them to stories in the news about either the Obama administration or leftists in general. While much of the post does come off as right wing hysteria (no offense my friend), there are some things that are pretty frightening as well.

Granted a lot of these claims are old hat that have been thrown at the Democratic Party for years, but they are having an easier time sticking now because the current administration is so far to the left. How much of that lean to the left is real and how much is not, I’m not sure. I trust nothing at this point so I tend to doubt any news story dealing with politics.

If nothing else the post does make one go “hmmm.”

Currently Listening

Here’s the results of today’s computer shuffle.

1. “Twisting” by They Might Be Giants (from Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants Disc 1)
2. “Janie and Johnny” by Roger Miret & the Disasters (from My Riot)
3. “Serenity” by The Bouncing Souls (from The Bouncing Souls)
4. “I’m a Midnight Mover” by Wilson Pickett (from The Definitive Soul Collection Disc 2)
5. “It’s Me” by Dinosaur Jr. (from Beyond)
6. “Burn Away” by Foo Fighters (from One by One)
7. “Coda” by Sarah Michelle Gellar and James Marsters (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling [Musical Episode Soundtrack])
8. “Waitress in the Sky” by The Replacements (from Tim [Expanded Edition])
9. “I Stay Away” by Alice in Chains (from Jar of Flies)
10. “Post-Post Modern Man” by Devo (from Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology Disc 2)

A Piece of Antiquity Retrieved from Treasure Thieves

According to this story, authorities in Italy have “recovered an illegally excavated marble bas-relief depicting one ancient Rome's most popular gods, worshipped mainly by the empire's soldiers.”

From the story –

Police said Tuesday the relief was recovered in March at a private country house near Rome. Investigators believe the artwork, depicting the ancient god Mithra slaying a bull, was about to be sold to a Japanese art collector.

Four people were arrested in the case. In Italy, archaeological finds must be reported to authorities.

Experts called the 2nd-century A.D. work a rare and exceptional find. It is now undergoing restoration.

Italy is aggressively combating the pillage of its ancient treasures, demanding the return of allegedly looted antiquities sold to museums worldwide.

People that steal and sell artifacts like this make me sick. These are things that belong in museums and need to be studied, not bought and sold for the jollies of some rich collector.

John Calvin Turns 500

The Great Reformer John Calvin will turn 500 next month. According to this story, the “quincentenary is being observed around the globe with the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches acting as a central organizer of "Calvin 09."”

Money Quote –

John Calvin, the Great Reformer, used dictatorial means in making Geneva a "Protestant Rome," but he also planted the seeds of modern democracy.

He enforced rigid morality and stressed the importance of helping others, while he also had a share in developing capitalism. He supported the destruction of religious statues and other images, but described the arts as gifts from God.

I admittedly know very little about Calvin, but I did find this section of the story very interesting –

Calvin broke with his Catholic past. His great rhetorical talents earned him quick prominence as an evangelical teacher, but religious turmoil forced him to go into exile in Basel, Switzerland.

He was 26 when he began writing the "Institutes of the Christian Religion," the first compendium of Reformed doctrines, much more profound than Luther's theses of 1517. They won him an invitation from newly Protestant Geneva. But Calvin was soon banished again because authorities found his ideas were too radical.

He returned in 1541 after receiving assurances of official support for his plans to complete a Reformation based on his teachings. He introduced a revolutionary church constitution based on the democratic principles of division of powers. But he
retained the ultimate say.

Calvin drew up an extensive catalog of austere rules of morality. These ranged from bans on swearing, gambling and fornication to a strict no to dancing, even at weddings. Unexcused absence from worship service was penalized.

Adultery and homosexuality could draw severe sentences, even death.

But it took more than 10 years before the Reformation consolidated its position against native discontent. Calvin also had to cope with social conflicts between the Genevans and the thousands of French and other refugees seeking exile in the city.

Karl Barth, one of the most influential Reformed 20th century theologians, once criticized Calvin's rigor in controlling Geneva as being near to tyranny and Pharisaism and said, "None of us would have liked to live there".

[…]

According to Dutch church historian Herman J. Selderhuis, a negative image of Calvin has remained prevalent at least in Western Europe. That image is based on the execution of Michael Servetus, a Spanish theologian whose non-orthodox views were judged by Calvin as heretical.

When he sought refuge in Geneva, Servetus was imprisoned and burned at the stake. Selderhuis says Calvin thus "acted against his own conviction that an opinion cannot be forcefully imposed on anyone."

This part also struck me –

To Calvin, patient labor and diligence through the six-day work week was equal to worship service and the wealth thus obtained was justified. But he stood for social solidarity with the poor, refugees and others and rigid morality in economic affairs.

No matter what one thinks about Calvin or his beliefs, his influence on western culture is undeniable.

New York’s Drivers are the Most Aggressive

According to this story, “New York has overtaken Miami to be voted the U.S. city with the angriest and most aggressive drivers, according to a survey on road rage released on Tuesday.”

Does this really surprise anyone?

Money Quote --

"New Yorkers were most likely to wave their fists or arms. They were most likely to lay on the horn and they were most likely to make some sort of obscene gesture," said Michael Bush, of the marketing and consulting company Affinion Group, which commissioned the survey.

Here’s another interesting bit…

"The real surprise to me is that there is no geographic way to break down road rage," Bush told Reuters. "It is very much on a city-by-city basis, as opposed to geographic area."

It makes me wonder how drivers in OKC compare.

Another Case of Overreacting

According to this story, a “high school senior in Standish, Maine, was denied his diploma at his commencement ceremony Friday night after the teenager took a bow on stage and blew a kiss to his mother.” The graduate was told to return to his seat, sans diploma, because he was “fooling around.”

Money Quote –

"There was no misbehavior. Showboating is not misbehavior," said the teen's mother, Mary Denney. "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior. There was no need of my son not getting his diploma."

I’m with the mother on this one. Granted the story isn’t that detailed and I know nothing about this school district or its history, but this seems like a case of the school district’s superintendent overrating. Call me crazy, but I don’t see anything wrong with what this kid did.

My advice to the superintendent…lighten up.

Currently Listening

Today we’re got more songs as selected by the computer.

1. “Heartless at Best” by New Found Glory (from Not Without a Fight)
2. “Give Up” by 8-Bark (from Punk USA)
3. “I Can See Clearly” by Screeching Weasel (from My Brain Hurts)
4. “Pretty Noose” by Soundgarden (from A-Sides)
5. “17 @ 17” by UP-BEAT (from Give ‘Em the Boot)
6. “Ringfinger” by Nine Inch Nail (from Pretty Hate Machine)
7. “Machines Aren’t Music/I Got My Mojo Working” by Mojo Nixon & The Toadliquors (from The Real Sock Ray Blue)
8. “I Believe” by The Methadones (from This Won’t Hurt)
9. “Come To Me” by Otis Redding (from The Definitive Soul Collection Disc 1)
10. “Uptight” by Green Day (from Nimrod)

Back to Life

This is a cool story. Scientists have revived a microbe that has been in hibernation for more than 120,000 years in the Greenland ice sheet.

From the story --

The bacterium, which was found under nearly two miles of ice, began producing fresh colonies when it was reawakened.

Dubbed Herminiimonas glaciei, the bug is ten to 50 times smaller than E. coli and is not harmful to humans, one researcher told the Daily Mail.

Scientists say the discovery suggests that dormant life could be revived from ice particles taken from Mars sometime in the future.

"These extremely cold environments are the best analogues of possible extraterrestrial habitats," a scientist told the Daily Mail.

Oh the possibilities.

It’s Not That Serious

Recently a “controversy” has been brewing over this week’s ranking of the Most Influential Blogs in Oklahoma as ranked by BlogNetNews.com. One local blogger is upset that a former local blogger is still listed in the BNN rankings and, gasp, out ranked her blog. The former local blogger in question even offered to have his blog removed from the OK BNN blogroll if the presence of his blog really offended those in Oklahoma.

I honestly think this is really silly. Who cares if a blog that has very close ties in multiple states is listed in said multiple states on BNN? What’s the harm in that? How is that hurting anyone or interfering with anyone else? In my opinion, it’s not. This is something that really comes off as petty to me. The blogger starting the “controversy” comes off in her post as whinny (no offense) and seems to be mad mostly because the formerly local blog out ranked her blog. And all I can wonder is, who cares?

It seems to me that some people take this blogging a bit too seriously. I mean seriously…does anyone out there think that any of us are doing anything groundbreaking that hasn’t been done before? Yes there are some very talented writers out there writing on blogs that bring their own voice to the issues, so please don’t think that I am somehow anti-blogger or anything. I’m just realistic about what I’m doing here. I write this blog for fun and because I enjoy writing. Sure I’d love to get paid to do this, but I’m not trying to use this blog as a spring board to some gig as a political commentator. Speaking of which…

One of the other complaints brought against the formerly local blogger was that his blog is not all about politics. Color me crazy, but I think that is a good thing. There is nothing more boring than a blog that just goes on and on the same political diatribes. Just how many times do we need to have posts about Muslim terrorists, baby killing liberals, or women hating conservatives? We get it already! You all hate each other. Can we talk about something else? PLEASE? Personally I have avoided doing posts on politics lately (even though some still creep up from time to time) yet this blog is ranked # 3 on the BNN list. I wonder if the same blogger is offended by that?

At the end of the day I really think that there are some out there that need to step back and realize that this blogging thing really isn’t that serious.

Albums That Helped Me Get Through High School

After watching the movie Definitely, Maybe I’ve been thinking a lot about the music that I listened to in the early 1990s, especially the music that helped get my through high school. The following is a list of albums, well at the time they were tapes (hence the Minor Threat listing), that played a big part in my life during high school. In no particular order --

Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub
Doubt by Jesus Jones
Minor Threat by Minor Threat
Document by R.E.M.
School of Fish by School of Fish
Blue Sky Mining by Midnight Oil
Fossils by Dinosaur Jr.
Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet
Vivid by Living Colour
Mental Jewelry by Live
Pump Up the Volume by Various Artists
Say Anything by Various Artists
Singles by Various Artists
Pretty in Pink by Various Artists
It’s a Shame About Ray by The Lemonheads
Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr.
Electronic by Electronic
Doolittle by The Pixies
Schubert Dip by EMF
Liveage by Descendents
Ten by Pearl Jam
Naïve by KMFDM
The Unforgettable Fire by U2
Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails
Achtung Baby by U2
Live: One Plus One by 7 Seconds
The Smiths by The Smiths
Rattle & Hum by U2
Nevermind by Nirvana
Trompe Le Monde by The Pixies
Never Mind the Mainstream: The Best of MTV’s 120 Minutes Vol. 1 by Various Artists
Never Mind the Mainstream: The Best of MTV’s 120 Minutes Vol. 2 by Various Artists
Lovegod by The Soup Dragons
God Fodder by Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
Out of Time by R.E.M.
Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde
Walk Together, Rock Together by 7 Seconds
Rank by The Smiths
Ramones by The Ramones
Disintegration by The Cure
Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes
Mental Floss for the Globe by Urban Dance Squad