Monday, February 25, 2008

Check These Out

Here are some headlines to check out and a little commentary. Don't worry, in an attempt to not be totally depressing, I added some headlines from CNN.com's entertainment page.

Sudan restarts Darfur Bombing. Even China is calling for Sudan to let peacekeeping forces do their job.

Britney Spears visits her sons
. Britney finally said, "'Ello love" to her sons after two months. Meanwhile the media does their best to make her the new Anna Nicole Smith.

Study on American Faith. What? People are growing up and leaving their home churches?

Fighting over Obama picture. I am completely depressed that a picture of Obama in traditional African garb and turban is an issue. He's a professing member of a mainline US church, but would it be so bad if he was Muslim? Newsflash people: not all Muslims are terrorists. Do all Christians bomb abortion clinics?

Huckabee on SNL. Mike Huckabee continues to prove that he is either crazy, or an elaborate hoax masterminded by Stephen Colbert.

Life for Afghan women. It sucks to be a woman in Afghanistan, and people are losing interest in helping to make things better. Helping women in Afghanistan is so 2002.

"B*tch is the new black!" Video of Tina Fey commenting on Hillary Clinton. Heck yes. I may not have voted for Hillary, but I still think a lot of the arguments against her are stupid.

Food shortages around the world. As the possible recession in America makes it difficult for middle class people to shop at Whole Foods, the poor in this country and others are going hungry.

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

More Friendly Clothing

I'm always on the lookout for socially and environmentally ethical companies, but it seems they are tracking me down now. I got a catalog in the mail from Horny Toad Activewear, and I'm not sure why. Anyway, its a clothing company that supports a lot of different charities and organizations, particularly a couple for people with developmental disabilities. They also have a guarantee that if you don't get a compliment on an item of clothing in three wearings, you can get a refund or replacement.

In looking at some of the clothing I did some looking into different fibers that they mentioned in some of the clothing. I noticed that some things were made of Supima Cotton, which is evidentially a kind of cotton produced by an association of American cotton-growers. I'm not really sure where they stand on organics and ethical production, and its not necessarily a safe assumption that things made in the US are made ethically. Also, cotton growers in developing countries are struggling to gain a fair share of international trade, that is one reason I support Gap Product(Red) even though Gap's labor history is bad (though improving); the shirts are made from African cotton in South Africa and Lesotho and half the price goes to the treatment and prevention of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

I also looked up Tencel, and got a pleasant surprise. I recently blogged about a sweater vest I bought that was made of merino wool and Tencel. Well, apparently Tencel is made from wood pulp cellulose, and although it is more expensive, its a fairly eco-friendly process, and has a lot of useful properties. It wicks naturally, and prevents bacteria from growing in the clothing, and is "soft as silk, strong as polyester, cool as linen, warm as wool and as absorbent as cotton." Granted, that's from the company that makes it. I read a blog that described the process, as well as the possible downside of this material. Its pretty amazing actually.

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Monday, February 18, 2008

Soon to be Unemployed

I announced today in church (and last Sunday in youth group) that I am resigning from my job. I'm going to work through December, though, so that I can help with the transition and make sure we find a good replacement. I have very mixed feelings about it, but now that I have assured everyone that I am still part of the church and will be part of the youth ministry, I am getting excited.

A few months ago, I had to decide if I am going to start my ministry internship for seminary next year. I have to do four semesters of internship, which would prevent me from taking a semester off to travel or jump at a mission opportunity. So, I went away to the National Youth Worker Convention, and by the end of the weekend God had convinced me that it was time to resign. Besides wanting to travel and do missions, I began to feel this summer that I am being called into outdoor ministry in some form. About the same time, Pam and I concluded that since we are both single and in our mid-20's, we should take advantage of the freedom we have. We can be settled and stable when we are married with kids!

So, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm definitely going to stay a part of my churches, and I've volunteered to oversee Confirmation for another year at least. I am kind of excited at the prospect of being in youth ministry as a volunteer, and having a little time to preach more and maybe join the worship band. As for what doors God will open, who knows. It is definitely a sign of God's grace in my life that I (who hates change and uncertainly) am going headfirst into both change and uncertainty.

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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Come back SNL, Come back!

NBC has been rerunning 2007 episodes of SNL since the writer's strike started, and I can't wait for new episodes. I really feel that the American political process needs the kind of commentary that Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler provide. Actually, I can't wait to see who will play Barak Obama (Maya Rudolf?).

Meanwhile, last year's episodes are hilarious, because they all talk about how Hillary Clinton is the presumptive winner of the Presidential election, and how the media has decided that they want her to win. That must make her current position all the more bitter.

I'm so glad the writier's strike is over. I can't wait to see SNL portray Huckabee....

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Friday, February 15, 2008

Valentine's Day Date(s)

Yesterday was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. It's hard to explain why it was so great; it wasn't even an out of the ordinary day.

I went to covenant group first thing and talked to Amy and Jen about the Maryland Primary results, and Jen told me about her family seeing Rent. After that I visited Bud and Marilyn. Bud is one of the pillars of our church, and he has cancer. He's been stuck at home for a couple weeks, so I stopped by to chat. I told him that I'm resigning my job (have I mentioned that on here yet?) and he was very supportive of my plans. I went to the office and did some work, and while I was there my dad dropped off my new phone. Then I taught confirmation (and noticed that there is lots of infatuation blooming in our class), and ate at our church's weekly fellowship dinner.

Maybe it was such a great Valentine's Day because I didn't hear about it being Valentine's Day until it was half over. More likely it was because I was busy doing things I like and seeing people I care about; it was full of all the things that make my life fulfilling.

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Monday, February 11, 2008

David Palmer for President

Jen asked me if I think Mike Huckabee looks at all like President Logan from 24. Why.... yes, yes he does. I knew there was a reason I didn't quite trust him. Of course, besides party affiliation, I'm not sure how similar they are. In fact, Logan was very unlikable (and I couldn't find any pictures of him smiling), whereas Mike Huckabee is very likeable (all smiling pictures online) and I'd vote for him if wasn't against just about everything I stand for. As it happens, apparently lots of people have noticed the resemblance.













President Logan Mike Huckabee

Now the more important question is: Does Barack Obama remind you at all of President Palmer? Of course, they don't really look anything alike, but I have to say there have been times during this campaign that Barack said things that reminded me of the very president who got me through a couple years of the Bush Administration. When he was assassinated, my hopes died with him. But now, my hopes have been resurrected by another friendly and inspiring African-American man. And this one is a real person!

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Big Fat Super Tuesday

Or, since today I was corrected when I said Fat Tuesday, we could call it Mardi Gras Super.

All through Church History tonight several of us were following the primary coverage online. During the break, one of my classmates actually read out the list of percentages in each state. It's cool to be around so many people who are excited - and hopeful - about the elections. At this point I'm excited that the Democratic race is so close.

That said, I'll throw out some more Obama support in the form of a sweet video.


Or, if you're looking for more substantial information, here's a cool piece I read in the Independent. The picture is from the rally I attended in Wilmington on Sunday (he won Delaware)! The rally was amazing because there was a truly diverse crowd - black, white, young, old. People you'd never expect to see at a political event mingled with people still dressed up from church. Teenagers were jumping and climbing on top of port-a-potties to see, and parents were lifting their children up to get a glimpse.

This is quite the exciting race!

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Monday, February 04, 2008

Cool Commercial

I missed this commercial last night, but its pretty cool.

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