Collideoscope

Posted by: Denelle

Weird but true . . .

A German businessman is making plans to sue a hunter for damages after the hunter killed a bear along the Bavaria-Tyrol border. Mr. Nesselthaler (the businessman) isn't an animal lover but rather an entrepreneur looking out for his business interests. Seems he had created thousands of t-shirts depicting "Bruno the Bear" along with the slogan "You'll Never Catch Me" which are now useless.

Young Entrepreneurs

Yesterday while I was talking to my mom, my five year old "niece" (a friend's child that I've adopted) was sharing strawberry gummy snacks with her and my dad. She went on to tell them that they were made with strawberries and gooey stuff. When my dad exclaimed that they were delicious and asked for another she promptly informed him "yeah, and they're $6 each".

I see a bright future ahead for her.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

A lot of sportage has taken place since I last posted any news. Here's a roundup to keep you informed:

• The US had a chance to move on to the second round of the World Cup, but lost a 2-1 match against Ghana. No, Ghana is not a disease, it's a real country over in..um...overseas. Do not give up on the US yet, soccer fans! I plan on training diligently for the next four years and take over the starting point guard spot for Team USA in the next World Cup! And in keeping with the tradition of soccer stars known only by one name, I will henceforth be known as Bradle'.
  
• The Miami Heat are the 2005-2006 NBA Champions and Bill Simmons thinks that's a bad thing. I tend to agree. I enjoyed watching the Mavs offense much more than Wade's...errr...Miami's offense. As great as Dwyane Wade is, I like to see all five players involved, not just a pass-the-ball-to-the-star-and-stand-to-the-side offense. Call me old school. Anyway, Wade definitely proved he will be one of the great ones with his Finals performance.
• There was no Tiger/Phil battle at the US Open. Tiger didn't even make the cut and Phil flat out choked and gave the victory to relatively uknown Geoff Ogilvy.
• The American League has been dominating the National League in interleague play. Even the best team in the NL, the (ahem) St. Louis Cardinals, have lost seven in a row to the AL. And, yes, the Mighty Pujols is back. The 'Stros haven't fared much better, losing 7 our of 10 on the current interleague trip.

Did I miss anything? Oh, yeah...

• Oregon State won its first National Championship in baseball tonight, but does anyone care besides the folks in Oregon? I know I don't get into college baseball unless LSU is involved, even thought I'm a huge MLB fan. The difference in the talent level between college and the pros in baseball is probably the largest in all of sports. Rarely is there a college baseball game played without an error.
  

Posted by: David Bunch

The Writers Almanac notes that on this date back in 1974 the first piece of merchandise was scanned with a barcode scanner. The item? A Wrigley's Chewing Gum 10 pack.

It seems incredible that bar code scanning has been around that long, but I'm pleased to point out that it (just barely) pre-dates my existence on the planet.

Posted by: David Bunch

Though I'm not much of a fantasy genre person, I've seen and heard much about the Eragon Trilogy. From what I can tell, there are two books out with the final one on the way.

What I find interesting about it is that the author, Christopher Paolini, is only 22 years old and was only about 18 years old when the first book was published. It's a great story of determination and genius, and all aspiring authors should find inspiration from him.

The project began as a hobby; he never intended to be published. He took a month to plot out the entire trilogy, then sat on the sofa and began writing in a notebook. When he reached sixty pages, he gained enough confidence to transfer the work to his computer, where most of Eragon was written, although he sometimes found that the story flowed better when he wrote by hand.

The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book themselves. Beginning with talks at the local library and high school, they then traveled across the U.S. Christopher gave over 135 presentations at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. He did most of the events dressed in a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had bought and read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, who subsequently acquired the rights to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy.

And there's also a movie in the works! Though I really don't want to admit it, in today's entertainment-and-money driven world, that is probably the best indicator of this man's success as a writer.

Posted by: David Bunch

USA Today had an interesting story on Friday about an independent bookstore in Denver that is relocating (by now the move is probably complete). What is so fascinating is how Tattered Cover Book Store planned to move a hefty volume of books in the shortest amount of time possible.

After more than three decades, the landmark is moving out of the city's priciest retail zone, Cherry Creek. The flagship store, beloved locally and admired nationally as a haven for book hounds, will transfer all 125,000 volumes to a new home in time to reopen Monday morning.

No book will be boxed until after 6 p.m. Saturday, lest a customer need to thumb through it, curl up with it in one of the store's trademark easy chairs — or even buy it. "The books stay on the shelves until Saturday night. It's all about the books," Meskis says.

A side issue of independent bookstores' struggle for survival is also explored in Friday's article.

Teicher of the booksellers group acknowledges "significant decline" for independents from the early 1990s until about two years ago. The association once had 4,500 merchants with 7,000 locations. Today: 1,800 with 2,500 stores. He says a modest recovery is underway, though store closings still outnumber openings.

Local bookselling remains a challenge. Last week, San Francisco's landmark A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books announced it will close. Across the San Francisco Bay, Cody's Books, a Berkeley institution for 50 years, will shut its original Telegraph Avenue location, though it has two other successful branches.

Check author Paul Collins' blog, Weekend Stubble, for information about two more Bay Area bookstores' closings.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

What would you do if you were worth $40 billion? Warren Buffett plans on giving his away. (Most of it, anyway.) Buffett revealed his plan to give away 85% of his Berkshire Hathaway fortune in an interview with Fortune magazine editor Carol Loomis.

NEW YORK (FORTUNE Magazine) - We were sitting in a Manhattan living room on a spring afternoon, and Warren Buffett had a Cherry Coke in his hand as usual. But this unremarkable scene was about to take a surprising turn.

"Brace yourself," Buffett warned with a grin. He then described a momentous change in his thinking. Within months, he said, he would begin to give away his Berkshire Hathaway fortune, then and now worth well over $40 billion.

This news was indeed stunning. Buffett, 75, has for decades said his wealth would go to philanthropy but has just as steadily indicated the handoff would be made at his death. Now he was revising the timetable.

"I know what I want to do," he said, "and it makes sense to get going." On that spring day his plan was uncertain in some of its details; today it is essentially complete. And it is typical Buffett: rational, original, breaking the mold of how extremely rich people donate money.

Buffett has pledged to gradually give 85% of his Berkshire stock to five foundations. A dominant five-sixths of the shares will go to the world's largest philanthropic organization, the $30 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose principals are close friends of Buffett's (a connection that began in 1991, when a mutual friend introduced Buffett and Bill Gates).

The Gateses credit Buffett, says Bill, with having "inspired" their thinking about giving money back to society. Their foundation's activities, internationally famous, are focused on world health -- fighting such diseases as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis -- and on improving U.S. libraries and high schools.

And, of course, Bill Gates is planning on stepping into a lesser role at Microsoft to focus on his charitable foundation. Sounds like the foundation will need it with all the money coming in from Buffet.

At age 50, he's already revolutionized the computer industry, and now Bill Gates says he wants to change the world again -- in a different way.

"The change we're now seeing today is not a retirement, it's just a re-ordering of my priorities," said Mr. Gates at the announcement.

Speaking at Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, Gates said he was relinquishing his day-to-day management role at Microsoft in order to commit himself full-time to more charitable pursuits.

"Smart, committed people with the right support and vision can have a huge impact; it's about using technology, not just for the privileged few but for everyone."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said it was time for the 50-year-old billionaire to leave the company he founded to become, in his words, "the greatest philanthropist of all time."

Over the last decade, Gates has worked to improve health conditions in Third World countries. Eleven years ago, Gates and his wife Melinda created the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation to eradicate killer diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

It's good to see guys with money trying to make a difference in the world.

Posted by: David Bunch

Here's an interesting story on the 19,000 people who flocked to Stonhenge this year to ring in summer.

About 19,000 New Agers, present-day druids and partygoers gathered inside and around the ancient circle of towering stones to greet the longest day in the northern hemisphere as the sun struggled to peek out against a smoky gray sky.

"This is the nearest thing I've got to religion," said Ray Meadows, 34, of Bristol, England. The solstice "is a way of giving thanks to the earth and the universe." Meadows, wearing a wreath of pink carnations over long pink hair-wrapped braids, identified herself as a fairy of the Tribe of Frog.

Ooookay......

Posted by: Denelle

Since today is the first official day of summer I thought I'd discuss a topic that is close to the heart of women everywhere - shopping. With temperatures reaching into the high 80s here and the 90s elsewhere around the country (and let us not forget into the triple digits in the southwest) the amount of clothing people are wearing is significantly decreasing. However, some of us don't have the option of taking off our clothes in an effort to stay cool or rather we don't believe its the right option. And yet why should we sacrifice style/comfort for our convictions? There are plenty of ways to keep cool but keep your clothes on without ever having to leave the comfort of your airconditioned home.

Girls of Class is an on-line store which caters to young women who are looking for stylish yet modest clothing. Their selection of products include lots of lightweight flow-y skirts and even t-shirts that are perfect for the hot temperatures ahead.

Shade Clothing (also an on-line store) specializes in t-shirts/camisoles/tank tops that are higher cut in the neck and longer in the waist so that they are more modest. These items are perfect for layering. They have a great selection of colors and styles and also carry items for younger girls.

Other great options include:

Kate's Closet - original designs in both tops and skirts
On The Hip - more t-shirts/camis/etc but they also have hoodies
Wholesome Wear - offers a line of modest swimwear - I can only pray this will catch on and I'll no longer have to see women/girls swimming in a jean skirt
Tinuviel Designs - an interesting site that offers custom made clothing (for decent prices) for women (turn two pairs of old jeans into a jean skirt), a lot of her stuff is made from vintage patterns and gorgeous

Many of these sites are affiliated with the LDS or Orthodox Jewish community. The LDS sites also have great options for wedding dresses if any of you are planning a wedding. Just google "modest wedding dresses".

Good luck and stay cool!

Oh, and if you have any other suggestions or sites you'd like to see me post feel free to pass them along! Thanks!

Posted by: David Bunch

I picked up an article today on a cultural phenomenon called Flashpacking by way of Relevant Magazine.

And no, it has nothing to do with how fast you pack your bag. Nor is it a streaker or a weird dude in a raincoat. "Flashpacking is just backpacking, with an awful lot of tech gear going along for the ride," said Lee Gimpel, 29, a writer from Virginia who "flashpacked" around India for a few months. "I sometimes felt that half of what I was carrying was tech stuff: digital camera and memory cards, USB memory drive, a laptop, cell phone, three battery chargers, a dozen rechargeable batteries, a power adaptor, blank CD-RWs and a handful of cables and cords," he said.

Colm Hanratty, Dublin-based editor of Hostelworld.com, said the phrase "flashpacking" remains a novelty in the United Kingdom but the phenomenon is widespread. He noted that flashpackers seem to come in two distinct age groups — "the young type, still in college, who might have all the gadgets but not that much money, and someone in later life, late 20s and early 30s, who has more money to spend and carries an iPod and a digital camera."

Here's a link to a Relevant Magazine blogger's adventures in flashpacking across Europe.

This last week of our trip has been so very refreshing. It's odd because I spent about a month and a half by myself and around few to no believers. It was a really good season, but it made me understand a bit more why Jesus traveled in a group rather than alone.

Posted by: Denelle

The Presbyterian Church has voted to "receive" a policy paper on gender inclusive alternatives to the traditional Father, Son and Holy Ghost reference to the divine Trinity. According to the the church's council:

That means church officials can propose experimental liturgies with alternative
phrasings for the Trinity, but congregations won't be required to use them.

A panel that worked on the issue since 2000 said the classical
language for the Trinity should still be used, but added that Presbyterians also
should seek "fresh ways to speak of the mystery of the triune God" to "expand
the church's vocabulary of praise and wonder."

New terms that are acceptable include: "Mother, Child and Womb", "Rock, Redeemer, Friend", "Lover, Beloved, Love", "Creator, Savior, Sanctifier", "King of Glory, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love." (These all sound like attributes of the ONE God to me but I'm not a voting member of the Presbyterian Church council.)

Interestingly, the youth delegate to the council (a female Seminary student) was hesitant about the proposed changes, reminding the delegates:

that the Ten Commandments say "the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who
misuses his name."

This coupled with the Episcopalian Church's election of a female leader earlier this week is making for an interesting week in the religious world. Comments, questions, thoughts to weigh in?

Posted by: Denelle

I've been sitting here for an hour trying to decide what I want to post about. Typing and deleting over and over again. And I've finally decided that I'm going to post about me and the craziness in my life right now because maybe getting it all out will make it easier to think about other things.

Transition

So after a year in New Mexico my parents have decided that they miss Los Angeles and are moving back there. In fact, if my dad had his way, the truck should be packed and everyone on the road even as I type. It's kind of strange how 8 1/2 years ago when they moved to LA from St. Louis everybody (family included) expected them to eventually move back to the midwest. Well I can pretty much assure you that isn't going to happen. They've found their niche in CA and I can't wait for them to get home and get settled so I can visit. It certainly makes trying to figure out where to spend the vacation time much easier.

Adventure (but not for me)

My sister is currently packing her bags and headed to Spain (with a brief stop over in New York)
for a six week study abroad program. I've spent a large part of my free time this week looking up voltage converter and plug adaptor information for her (she's too busy taking finals, moving out of her dorm room, and trying to get packed for Spain to do the menial things) because she just has to take her hair dryer. The final solution? Buy the hair dryer there and leave it behind when you come home. Easier, cheaper and hopefully problem free. I can also tell you the current exchange rate US Dollar to Euro (roughly 1.35) because I've talked to multiple banks. So she gets into NY on Sunday and I'm taking a half a day off work on Tuesday to take her to the airport because even though she's brave enough to go half way around the world by herself she needs someone to take her to the airport. She's lucky I love her.

Know-It-Alls

My mom was in Louisiana over the weekend (yes, the same time as me) visiting my grandfather and other relatives in Leesville/Lake Charles. She returned with the news that everyone is in good health and the all want to know why I'm not married yet. See this is why I avoid family reunions. My cousins (13 and 7 years older than me) have probably given up hope that I'll ever get married. And my aunt suggested that I "be aggressive" in finding a man. Now what exactly does that mean? Brad/Dave you guys are from Louisiana, is that some special code that we Yankees don't know? Does it mean internet dating? Because that doesn't appeal to me. Does that mean that I should flirt with every man that comes along? Or does she have something even more aggressive in mind? Can't you just see me at General Conference as I corner and prospect and demand that he ask me out for dinner? We have names for people like that - desperate - and thankfully I am not (and hope to never be) there yet.

The Next Step?

Since turning down the job in Alexandria I have renewed my decision to go back to school. The biggest obstacle in my way? The GRE. I just can't bring myself to take the stupid thing. My brother took the leap and is heading back to Grad School in the fall. If he can do it certainly I can, right? I need some serious motivation. Any suggestions? Maybe I should photoshop my head onto the body of a McDonald's employee and make it my screensaver.

New Friends

I'm excited about next week. A couple of our readers here from Collideoscope (and 90&9) are coming to New York to do some missions work and I'm hoping to meet up with them for dinner one night. I'll shake a few hands, take a few pictures, kiss a few babies (are there any babies coming) and post it all back here for you to read and enjoy. Can't wait to meet you in person Kris, have a safe trip!

And now I think you are current on the world of Denelle.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Does anyone else find this story hilarious?

ANN ARBOR, Michigan (AP) -- A man who ran naked through his neighborhood to persuade his girlfriend to marry him got more than he bargained for when he was chased and shot at, police said.

The couple were discussing marriage early Wednesday when the woman said she wasn't sure if she was ready, according to Ann Arbor police reports.

The man responded that taking risks is an important part of life and, to prove his point, jumped out of a first-floor window and ran naked across the street.

Before he could return, he spotted a couple walking and hid in some bushes to avoid them. A 28-year-old man noticed the bushes rustling and bare feet underneath, then drew a .40-caliber handgun and ordered the naked man out, police said.

The naked suitor ran away, but the armed man gave chase and threatened to shoot, police said. The gunman fired a shot and the naked man fell to the ground, suffering minor injuries.

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm pretty sure there are better ways to prove a point than running across a street naked.

Posted by: David Bunch

I'm not sure how Bradley and I got overlooked for the job, but we have a new Poet Laureate, Donald Hall!

Donald Hall was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1928. He began writing as an adolescent and attended the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference at the age of sixteen--the same year he had his first work published. He earned a B.A. from Harvard in 1951 and a B. Litt. from Oxford in 1953. Donald Hall has published fifteen books of poetry, most recently The Painted Bed (Houghton Mifflin, 2002) and Without: Poems (1998), which was published on the third anniversary of his wife and fellow poet Jane Kenyon's death from leukemia. Other notable collections include The One Day (1988), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination; The Happy Man (1986), which won the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize; and Exiles and Marriages (1955), which was the Academy's Lamont Poetry Selection for 1956.

Here is a poem by Donald Hall.

Affirmation

To grow old is to lose everything.
Aging, everybody knows it.
Even when we are young,
we glimpse it sometimes, and nod our heads
when a grandfather dies.
Then we row for years on the midsummer
pond, ignorant and content. But a marriage,
that began without harm, scatters
into debris on the shore,
and a friend from school drops
cold on a rocky strand.
If a new love carries us
past middle age, our wife will die
at her strongest and most beautiful.
New women come and go. All go.
The pretty lover who announces
that she is temporary
is temporary. The bold woman,
middle-aged against our old age,
sinks under an anxiety she cannot withstand.
Another friend of decades estranges himself
in words that pollute thirty years.
Let us stifle under mud at the pond's edge
and affirm that it is fitting
and delicious to lose everything.

Posted by: David Bunch

Here is an excellent commentary on X Men 3. It is especially intriguing to see what Hollywood has done with the part of the Christ figure:

Jean Grey comes back after having given her life for her friends. But she comes back not better, but worse, murderous and kinda demonic. What is the film saying here? She ends up killing two of the very people she died saving in X2. This narrative choice really messes with the whole Christ-figure parallel.

I talked to a 12 year old kid from church who has seen the movie three times (I guess since it's X3 he thought he should see it three times!), and he went on about the great action in the film. I'm thinking he had no awareness of the issues raised in the above referenced link.

Posted by: Denelle

I know I haven't been around much in the past week (my apologies about that), things have been busy and I have been lazy.

I took a whirlwind trip to Louisiana over the weekend. My best friend lives there (in Alexandria) and so I went to see her and do a job interview (again in Alexandria). I know, I know, it is almost inconceivable that I would trade NYC for central Louisiana but my dad always taught me that when a door opens you walk towards it until the Lord either takes you through it or shuts the door. However, I am happy to report that this big city girl will be staying in the big city. I think Lee Ann is doing a smashing job of being the Louisiana gal in our little world and since I'll never be able to be as handy with duct tape as she is, I'll stick to what I know - being a NYC tour guide. Truthfully, I simply don't feel a release to go and so I've taken that to mean I should stay put. Hopefully I'm not wrong.

Brad and Dave, I did have the opportunity to see the Baton Rouge airport and I must say it has a very nice garden area in the middle of the terminal. So, don't let anybody tell you that Louisiana is (completely) backwards.

You Pay What???

It is no big secret that real estate prices in this great city are outrageous. The average price for an apartment in Manhattan is over $2800/month with the purchase price averaging around a cool $1-2 Million. And these are not spectacular show places, they're just your average one-two bedroom apartments which often need some elbow-grease and TLC. As a result those of us without the income of Donald Trump have moved into the other boroughs which are (somewhat) cheaper. For instance I pay a paltry $1250/month for my junior one bedroom in Brooklyn.

That's ok, take moment to recover. I know I have to every time I write the rent check.

And now Bruce Ratner is threatening (well planning actually) to move the N.J. Nets out of N.J. and into Brooklyn. Who cares if there is suddenly a professional sports team in my back yard? I do. Because it's more than just a sports team. Ratner is planning a whole development along a several block stretch of Atlantic Avenue (The Atlantic Yards). By invoking Eminent Domain, Ratner plans to force people from their homes and build tall, shiny, luxury apartments in their place, all the while claiming that the building and construction will be good for the neighborhood.

I wish someone could explain to me how taking people's homes away from them and pricing them out of their neighborhoods is a good thing.

But he's not alone. Today's NYPost reveals that Magic Johnson is part of a development group that has purchased the Williamsburgh Savings Bank (possibly the most recognizable building in Brooklyn - and just across the street from the Atlantic Yards) with plans to turn it into - yep you guessed it - luxury apartments.

The starting price for these apartments is $1200/square foot. That's $600,000 for a 500 square foot apartment. And Johnson has the audacity to say "It's a win-win situation for everyone - for us, for Ratner and more important, for the folks who live there," Johnson said. "All this development brings a lot of job opportunities, community-based retail and obviously, more housing for these folks." Excuse me? Nobody who lives there or who works on the project will be able to afford those prices. And what's more, the real estate prices in the surrounding areas will be driven up as a result and the people who live there (that would be me) won't be able to afford to stay either.

I suppose to these guys who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars it seems inconceivable that people couldn't afford to pay $1200/square foot for an apartment. Personally I think they should spend a month living in the real world, on a real world budget and then let us know if they still think this is a "great thing" for the people of Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Ratner is busy buying people's support by donating money to an area school, having the Nets' players reading to the children of the area and he's even forked out enough money to lure one of the top staffers from the opposition (Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn) over to his team. While money may not be able to buy you happiness, it certainly seems to be buying Bruce Ratner everything else.

Here are a couple of great links if you want to get a feel for what things look like now, what things will look like and what is being proposed on both sides.


Atlantic Yard Blog
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Any soccer fans out there?

The World Cup kicks off today and I'm sure there are plenty of Americans who don't even know it, but interest in soccer has grown in the States over the last 10 years. ESPN is devoting lots of coverage to the event, so if you're interested check it out here.

I've never played soccer, but always thought it would be fun to try. The footwork and moves that the world-class players have is amazing and it's quite entertaining to watch them score. I get bored watching a whole match, though, since there is rarely a game that has over 6 goals scored combined.

My recommendation: shorten the length of the field and subtract a couple of players. Of course, soccer purists wouldn't agree, but no one wants to watch two teams kicking the ball around midfield. We want to see shots around the goal! The more, the better. I'll see about taking this enhancement to the soccer king and try to get it changed before next World Cup.

We toured Yankee Stadium while we were in New York and there were some French guys on our tour. One guy was asking our tour guide where the visiting fans sit and he was surprised to find out that there was no designated section for the opposing teams' fans and that they were interspersed throughout the crowd. He was a soccer fan and he said at a soccer match in Europe there was no way that they could let the two sides sit in the same area, because it would result in too much violence. If you've ever seen a soccer game on TV, you know he was telling the truth. These people are passionate about their "football."

Posted by: David Bunch

Thanks to all of you who weighed in on the blog topic from Monday. I enjoyed reading what everyone had to say and combined with Bradley's comments, I decided to respond via another blog instead of by posting a comment.

This is one of those issues in which both sides have interesting and valid points that I can't necessarily disagree with. I do stick by my premise that there is a time, place, and method for sharing Christ in the workplace and in any other forum for that matter.

For example, very recently I had one of my direct reports come to me and ask if he could talk to me. We found a quiet place and he began to open up about personal issues he was having. I responded by telling him how my faith in God was the most important thing in my life and that God had helped me through obstacles in my path. I recommended that he consider placing his faith in God. He stated that he new I was "religious" and that was why he had come to me.

The conversation seemed to help him and he said that he was planning to start attending his church again.

I believe that a seed was planted and that if I continue to live my faith I will ultimately have a chance to share with him the plan of salvation, etc. I agree with Bradley on the importance of planting the seed, but I think there are different ways to do so.

Says the Apostle Paul:

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase
I Corinthians 3:6-7

So we never know if we are watering or planting...we just have to live large for Christ every day.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Rockefeller Center.


A shot of the Empire State Building from the top of Rockefeller Plaza.



The Burghers of Calais by Rodin, as seen in The Metropolitan Musuem of Art.


My first job was modeling for European sculptors.

My birthday dinner at a very good Brazilian restaurant.


On the dugout steps of Yankee Stadium. Put me in, coach, I'm ready to play!

Ain't she cute? The "bang" you'll hear soon is probably a large, blunt object my wife will throw at me when she realizes this pictures is on here. :)


Central Park - a peaceful haven amidst the controlled chaos of the city.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Well, I'm back from our little excurison to New York City and I'm happy to report that the trip was a dandy. I tried to blog from the middle of Times Square but I didn't even have my desk halfway assemebled before I was almost trampled. Turns out, Times Square is still a busy little intersection!

We were able to see a few sights we hadn't seen before and some we had, since my wife's parents had never been and we escorted them around. Tomorrow, I'll highlight some of the events and post some pictures.

Sports Recap
A lot has happened in the Sports World since I left, so here's a rundown of some of the highlights:

• Denelle touched on the injury to Albert Pujols in this post. Needless to say, that's a big blow to the Cardinals and it could impact the NL Central race. Contrary to popular belief, I was not happy to hear about the injury since I don't wish injuries upon anyone. The voodoo spell I had activated on Pujols while I was in New Orleans was done for pure fun. Really.
• The 'Stros are struggling even more. They finally pulled off a win against the Cubbies tonight but, before this game, Houston had lost five straight. Today brought more bad news as their best pitcher, Roy Oswalt, has been sent to the DL because of back spasms.
  
• Thankfully, Roger Clemens began steps toward joining the Astros, pitching three innings for a minor league team in Lexington tonight. In an interesting side story, Clemens' teammate at third base tonight was a familiar face. His son, Koby, was drafted by the Astros last year and currently plays for the team in Lexington.
• My "safe" prediction of the Pistons and the Spurs playing in the NBA Championship played out real well. The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks will play for the title with Game 1 scheduled for this Thursday. This should be one great series to watch. Can Dwyane Wade and Shaq play well enough to gether to overcome the now defensive minded Mavs? First year coach Avery Johnson, only one year removed from playing in the league, has the Mavs playing oustanding on both ends of the court.

Religion and Work
And lastly, I'll leave you with my thoughts on Dave's post titled Religion and Work Collide. There are some great comments left by readers on the post, so be sure to check it out.

On paper, finding a way to bring up Christ in an interview sounds like an excellent idea. As one reader commented, we are supposed to "be instant in season, out of season" and I think we'd all agree that a job interview is "out of season", so for this woman to be brave enough to bring up her beliefs in this unusual setting is very admirable to me.

I find it very courageous for her to bring up such a talk when she didn't know who would be present and what religion or denomination to which the attendees subscribed. She may not have cared whether it was the right place or not because of the burden on her heart and she probably believed that if she planted a seed in one person, whether she got the job or not didn't matter.

I asked myself what I would've thought of this situation had the woman been Muslim and talked about Allah instead of Jesus, but I still think that if the presentation is done in a non-confrontational manner without making anyone uncomfortable, then it's OK. Of course, that's easier said than done when religion brings about such strong opinions for everyone.

Anyway, I might have a different opinion if I would've been present for the interview and had caught the whole thing in person, but those are my thoughts.

It's an interesting discussion, either way...

Posted by: Denelle

Things I've found on the net today

Lee Ann over at Duct Tape, Dixie and Me, has an obsession with Duct Tape (obviously). I have found the perfect shirt for her. Whoohooo, Lee Ann . . . CLICK ME!

For all the women out there who are looking for stylish but modest clothing (can you hear the shouts from 'round the world), I suggest you check out Girls of Class. Great clothes, reasonable prices, what more could you want?

It seems the first pictures of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt have hit the net. They were purchased by Getty Images and then (supposedly) sold to People (US), Hello (UK) and Who (AU) for an undisclosed amount of money to be donated to an yet to be determined charity. TimeWarner owns all three of those mags and it is estimated that the images will bring a price of over $20M from their worldwide sales. Yesterday, Getty Images had said that the pictures would be available by Thursday (in time for People's Friday publication???). So this picture is either early or a fake. I'm going with early. Man she's cute and they do look happy.

For the sports fans among us

Albert Pujols has been placed on the DL by the Cards. Pardon me a moment while I weep openly (and somewhere in NY Brad is dancing for joy). He has said that he will stay out as long as it takes (2-6 weeks are the estimates) and I respect that because he's young and shouldn't mess up the rest of his career pushing too hard but it doesn't mean that I (and the Cards) won't miss him.

Yesterday, at age 16, Michelle Wei proved she is well on the road to becoming the first female golfer to play in the men's Open.

And the just plain weird

Talk about a learning experience. Florida kids involved in a mock CSI high school class stumbled across a real body last week. Wonder if that counts as extra credit?

Doctors have successfully removed a third arm from a two month old Chinese baby.

Are you a ticking toxic time bomb? You may have to stop and think twice about that once you read about what's turning up in our water sources - especially in CA (hey at least in NY is just dead bodies floating in our water).

Posted by: David Bunch

The Setting
I experienced quite a collision of faith and work Friday at the office. Over the last several weeks we have been interviewing job candidates for several open positions. These are group interviews in which the candidate is required to give a 3-5 minute presentation on something that they are passionate about.

The Topic
One particular candidate interviewed very well. She had the necessary skill sets and educational background to do the job, and she presented herself in a professional manner. Then, she got up to give her 3-5 minute speech which she titled Purpose.

Only it wasn't really on Purpose. It turned out that the speech was a brief, non-confrontational introduction to the Gospel. She talked about why ministry was important to her and how reading the Bible can make a difference in people's lives. Considering she walked in blindly and spoke to people she did not know, I have to say she did a pretty good job.

The Reality
But I was turned off!!! Yikes! I've admitted it right here, to everyone, in writing! But it is true. At first, I felt kind of bad, like maybe I should be pulling for her given the fact that I too view my relationship with Christ as the focal point of my life. But then I just kind of stepped back and viewed the scenario objectively.

The truth is, this was a business setting in which she was trying to convince us that she had the skill set to do the job. We were interested in what she would bring to the organization to help us accomplish our goals. Frankly, it wasn't the place for a Bible Study. A business topic would have been better fodder for the speech.

In fairness, the others in the room (of little religious persuasion) were very kind and seemingly impressed by the content of the speech. They were very attentive and respectful. But in a meeting we had today in which we reviewed the candidates, one manager mentioned that the woman's topic (religion) was on the "be very careful list" (along with politics, etc.).

The Conclusion
So what do you think? I have taught Bible Studies in Starbucks, I've witnessed to friends on the job, stood boldly for what I believe....but still found myself coming away from this encounter feeling like the Gospel could best be presented in the workplace in other ways (at a morning devotion, lunchtime Bible Study, by "living out loud")....just not during an interview!

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one!

Posted by: David Bunch

When we began our search for the perfect blog name, Bradley had the idea of opening it up for suggestions from you in the form of a little contest. Kent, Denelle, and I agreed and thus the contest rules were rolled out.

We received many great suggestions and we thank you all. As it turns out the winning blog name was coined and crowned by us, the bloggers.

But in the spirit of great competition, we still wanted to reward one lucky contest entrant. And so, after due deliberation and much conjecture, we decided that an award should be granted for The Most Original Suggestion. And the winner is.....

Chantell Smith for "The Third Triumvirate"!!!!!

Here's what Chantell said about her suggestion:

During the Roman Empire days the First Triumvirate was Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey. The second was Octavian, Lepidus, and Mark Antony. So the Third could be David, Bradley, and Denelle! And since you are doing this Western Culture commentary thing, think about it-what civilization is known for being the founders of Western Civ as we know it today? The Romans.

As it happens, Chantell was the May A Month In My Life blogger. You must know that her status as free lance contributor had nothing to do with her winning. She resides in Alabama, Denelle lives in NYC, and Brad and I live Louisiana. We have no close association with Chantell that would have swayed the judging in any way.

We just thought Third Triumvirate was quite creative.

So, way to go Chantell! Enjoy the 3 cds from Brad's Goth collection, the phone call from Denelle, the autographed poetry collection from me, and the Ninety and Nine t-shirt!!!!

Posted by: Denelle

I suddenly realized that we haven't done any entertainment news here on the blog since Suri Cruise's birth (waaaaaay back in April). It is time we correct that and since celebrities always provide lots to discuss, whether we're watching or not, there is plenty to report.

Baby-o-Baby

Everywhere you look celebrites are reproducing. Guess we have to ensure that the quota of beautiful/talented people in the world is maintained. Not sure how that explains why Britney Spears and Kevin Federline are reproducing again but there must be some logic in there somewhere. In a twist of fate paralled by the arrival of baby-Cruise and baby-Shields on the same day - Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal both welcomed their latest additions (daughters for both) on May 1st. Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and Penn Jillette (you know, the magician) are keeping the flames of bizarre baby names alive. Haliwell named her daughter, born May 14, Bluebelle Madonna (yes, after the flower and the singers) and Penn Jillette named his son, born May 23, Zolton Penn (the name of Dracula's dog - I.kid.you.not - but hey big sister is name Moxie CrimeFighter so what did we really expect). Gwen Steffani and Gavin Rossdale welcomed a baby boy on May 26, naming him (thankfully something lovely, if a bit long) Kingston James McGregor Rossdale.

And of course the most anticipated celebrity birth of the year (and maybe ever) Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt made her entrance into the world on May 27. As a gift celebrating Shiloh's birth the stars donated $315K to various organizations in Namibia. There is also talk of them selling the rights to the first pictures of their daughter for a $5M donation to UNICEF. Say what you will about the Jolie/Pitt/Aniston debacle, I still think that it's wonderful that these two people are trying to use their celebrity power to do a little good for the world.

The Namibian government has stepped in to ensure that the privacy of this famous family is maintained - going so far as to deport reporters who get too close and requiring a signed letter from Jolie/Pitt if reporters want to enter the country. The Namibian Ambassador to the US made a statment that Nambians are renown for thier fierce belief in personal privacy and that no time is more sacred than during childbirth. Looks like Angelina Jolie found the perfect place to have her first biological child.

And In Other News

X-Men 3 pretty much obliterated the competition at the box office this weekend (including the DaVinci Code). All the paranoia surrounding DaVinci seems to have been putting the cart infront of the horse. Sometimes it seems a movie is just so bad that it takes care of itself.

The Met

On this past Saturday my brother and I spent most of the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Ave. Since the museum will allow you to take pictures we had a hey-day.



This is part of the Egyptian Wing. The ruins of some city that I really don't remember (we were laughing too much to read all the plaques). Does anyone else think this looks like the room from "When Harry Met Sally" and the whole "pap-ri-kash" conversation?

This is me with Thutmose III.

And my brother doing his imitation of Egyptian art.

Then can my favorite part of the day. After much searching, I have found my knight in shining armor. He's handsome, strong, and makes me feel safe and protected.

Too bad he last walked this earth in 1564.



One of the Louis of France (again w/the plaque thing) and David's "The Death of Socrates".



The Personification of Winter and the facade of a house from the Hamptons (Rockefeller/Astor?) complete w/Tiffany stained glass windows. The rest of the house burned down but they were able to save this section and completely reconstruct it inside the Met.

I'll save the rest for tomorrow. But I'd be thrilled if you know anybody that you think would fit inside that suit of armor.