Paris 1919

Some friends and I have a group where every winter we get together and read a Historical book/biography.  I’ve been trying to get them to pick Paris 1919 for a few years but they never do.  This year we read about Lincoln but I decided that when I finished Lincoln, I’d read this book.  Paris 1919 is all about how the great powers of Europe and America got together after World War 1 to put together a peace that would ensure that war would never happen again.  They totally redesigned Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and even parts of Asia based on what they thought would work.  20 years later, World War 2 started and it was even worse than World War 1.  The conference was and still is a total failure.  But its always fascinated me how the 1919 conference worked and why they made the choices that they made and how even though it failed, some of what they decided still has a major impact on the way things are today.  I hope its a good book.  I start it tomorrow.

3 Movies

 

Basically, a rich girl marries a super rich Duke.  He has an affair with her friend and they all have to live together.  She has an affair too with a guy who ends up becoming Prime Minister and having a tea named after him (Earl Grey).  This movie inspired me to: 1) try Earl Grey tea  2) decide once and for all that I will NOT marry a 17 year old girl.  Not that this was really up for discussion, but you know, it didn’t work in the 1780s and I doubt it would work in the 21st century either.

You should see this movie if you like big fluffy dresses and stories about how 200 years ago everybody wanted to have male babies.

What do you do when you want to make a movie with an actor from the Office?  You make “the Rocker”.  All you had to do was replace Rainn Wilson with Will Ferrell and this movie was like almost every other movie made by 40 year olds and marketed to teenagers.  There were some funny lines and the movie did have some redepmtion – the old guy eventually forgave his old band.  But overall it was just average and boring.  This movie inspired me to: 1) quickly return it to Redbox   2) I really can’t think of anything else it inspired me to do or think about.

You should see this movie if you have time to kill or want to see what Cleveland is like in the summer and fall.

The best part of this movie was the sense of self satisfaction that I had when the credits rolled and I had correctly guessed that yes, Rumer Willis had been one of the actresses.  The worst part of this movie wasn’t that it reinforced every stereotype of vain plastic fake college/playboy type beauty or that it combined Old School with Animal House and Legally Blonde.  The absolute worst part of the movie was that ESPN’s Dan Patrick had a cameo as a cop.  Why?  Nothing in the movie had anything to do with sports or with ESPN.  If you’re wondering why I watched this movie, its because Netflix puts pressue on me to have 6 movies in my queue and I ran out of options and in a moment of weakness, I added it.  So blame Netflix.  This movie inspired me to: 1) be glad I’m not in college anymore   2) drink something peach flavored in a large bright glass with a neon straw.

You should see this movie if you a woman struggling with low self-esteem and want to feel even worse about yourself.  You should also see this movie if you are a male and you’ve been

the past 8 days

8 days ago I lost power because of the worst ice storm in KY history.  Over 200,000 people in Louisville alone lost electricity.  Most people got it back last week by Thursday.  I just got it back today.  I stayed with 3 great families who opened their homes and let me stay in a warm place.  Thanks to the Halls, the Cherrys, and the Van Zants for their kindness and generosity.  While this hasn’t been an easy week, its been a week that has allowed me to have some good conversations I wouldn’t have had otherwise.  Its made me appreciate things like heat, personal space, and warm towels.  There may be no greater luxury than a warm towel.  And one of the most surprising things I’ve learned this week is that so many of the people in my life are generous, care for me, and are willing to help me.  I am thankful to be in a place with so many good friends.  

Now, in the next few days I’ve got to: clean the house, do lots of laundry, go to the grocery store, clean my car, get the oil changed, fix my garage door, get my cable fixed, and take care of the huge tree limbs and branches that are all over my backyard.  Hmm… maybe being homeless wasn’t so bad after all!

now I have a good reason to dislike Michael Phelps

I didn’t like him to begin with.  But I didn’t have a good reason other than jealousy.  But now, I have a nice and comfy sense of moral superiority over him.  http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/01/michael.phelps.marijuana/index.html

Five trends that encourage me in 2009

Its hard to have a good attitude on a day like today.  I don’t have electricity, its dangerous and difficult to get anywhere on the roads and I almost crashed into a telephone pole on my way to work.  An almost 12 hour ice storm has destroyed my backyard and every tree has collapsed due to the weight of the ice.  And almost every store is closed.

But nonetheless, overall in 2009, I see some very positive developments and I think this may be more of a year of opportunity than some may think.

1. America is a younger and more diverse nation today than is was when I was born.  Its not uncommon to have neighbors whose ethnicity is different that your own.  As our nation has grown younger, the strength of racial and ethnic stereotypes has weakened.  I think this will help us move forward in 2009 since race and ethnicity don’t cause as many arguments and divisions that they would have in 1969.  Having 1 less thing to argue about is never a bad thing.

2. Almost everybody knows and accepts that the future of energy has to be greener.  Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens is one of many leaders in the energy industry that saw that our energy policy needed to change and that in the long run, renewable energy would be better and eventually more profitable.  Even hard core conservatives who don’t believe in global warming are open to the idea of new energy because they agree with hard core leftists that being dependent on foreign oil isn’t good.  I don’t know if in my life I will ever drive a car that isn’t powered by gasoline, but I think my grandchildren might.

3. Globalization is forcing us to work together.  Seriously, while some parts of globalization have hurt Americans by taking their jobs away, it has also removed the barriers between national economies.  So if the US economy was suffering in 1975, nations like France and China could take advantage of that.  But now in 2009, the pain of one country is felt by all other countries because the companies and corporations are more multi-national than ever.  A German company may have a factory in China, a processing and distribution center in Ohio, a customer service call center in India, and its Human Resources division in Brazil.  Bad news in one nation affects the others.  So the good news is that nations are realizing that in order for our economies to improve, we’ve got to work together, not against each other.

4. Star Trek is coming back.  Every time Star Trek makes a comeback, so does America.

5. Peace between people is still very possible.  I remember being little and hearing about bombings in Ireland between Protestants and Catholics and it didn’t seem like it could get better.  But they reached an agreement and it has held and Northern Ireland is relatively peaceful.  It is far from perfect in the Balkans but in Bosnia, the biggest fight now was between Serbian and Croatian fans at a Tennis match in Australia.  I know that it may be a long time before there is peace in Palestine and other places, but there is peace in places where it looked hopeless before…

Why K-State fans are the closest thing the modern world has to being a 1st century Jew part 1.

I love K-State.  But unfortunately, for most of my life it hasn’t been easy to be one.  While I don’t HONESTLY believe that the small amount of suffering I and my fellow K-Staters experience is anywhere close to what it meant, and has meant to suffer as a Jew, I do think there are some interesting similarities…

Here is one of them: FALSE MESSIAHS

In the 1st Century, in Judea and around the Mediteranean world,  many Jews eagerly waited and hoped for a deliverer who would restore their nation and bring honor and respect to their nation and their heritage.  Yet, unfortuneatly, many times in their history, they were led astray by men who claimed to be saviors but were anything but.  Some notable False Messiahs were Judas of Galilee who led a failed revolt in 6 AD, Simon Bar Kokhba who tried to build a Jewish state but failed, and a man named Theudas.

Ultimately, they all failed and brought extra misery and dissapointment to the people.

Much the same is true with Kansas State University.  Over many years there have been false prophets and messiahs who claimed to be ones who could restore us to greatness but in the end, only betrayed us and left us bitter, dissapointed, and oppressed.  Some of the more recent false Messiahs have been:

Nobody would touch DUI-Huggins.  But K-State gave him a shot and he promised to save us and make us good.  He asked students and fans to fill the arenas and support the team.  They did and they began to believe in him.  He left after 1 season and went to West Virginia.

Ron Prince told K-State that he could buld a program.  He failed.

And so, like the Jews of the 1st Century, we wait in expectation for a savior.  One who will make us good again.

so what do you do?

It always happens when I travel.  Okay that sentence could descibe several things.  (by the way, I got my cell phone back – kinda)

Whenever I fly, I usually get asked by the person I sit next to on the plane, “So what do you do?”  I’ve always struggled how to answer that question.  Not because I don’t know how to describe what I do but because what I do carries with it some baggage.  Some people hear it and they instantly change the way they talk to and treat me, sometime for the better and sometimes not…  When it comes to church, everyone has an opinion, even the person who never goes to church has an opinion.  Sometimes I’m afraid if the person I’m sitting to finds out I work at a church, they’ll think that I’m there to convert them or make them feel guilty when maybe all I really want to do is read my book and get a coffee (sidenote: I don’t know why, but I’ve always though coffee tastes better on an airplane so I always get it)  So when I’m asked what I do, I normally reply, “I’m a consultant”.  Because technically, thats a lot of what I do.  I find that 9 times out of 10, it ends the discussion and I can go back to the thrilling article in American Way Magazine about where Tom Bergeron eats when he goes to Charlotte.

But last tuesday, I was on a flight from Phoenix to Dallas and I was seated next to a guy and a girl.  The guy came on first and we said hello to each other and had that sense “hey, lets be silent, we’re both okay with that”.  Then our third person came along, a very loud and talkative lady wearing all black.  Totally obnoxious.  She volunteered to tell us that she was an out-of-work sales executive for New Castle Beer and was flying to Houston to get some “away-time”.  So the next guy volunteers that he works for the Government but doesn’t say much about it.  And then it gets to me… I want to say consultant but I’m pretty sure Advertising people and Government employees use consultants so I know that line won’t end the discussion so in a moment of bravery, I say it.  “I’m a Pastor”.

A few short polite questions later and the 2 of then are chatting away by themselves and I am free to read and drink coffee. 

Okay, so maybe sometimes working at a church comes in handy.

Five trends that worry me in 2009

Yes, its been a while.  Christmas is over (finally) and last weekend was Best Weekend Ever.  Today I am flying to Phoenix to speak at a retreat for a few days.  While I have some time this morning, I want to write just a little bit about 5 trends I see in society/culture that worry me.

The end of the era of experts: its not important anymore for people who are trained or well educated to give advice and direction to others.  What seems to be happening more and more is that people who unskilled or uneducated are being placed on the same platform as the experts.  Wikipedia, CNN’s iReporters, all blogs except this one, etc… If everyone is an expert and everyone’s opinions are valid, then what how will we actually know the truth?  I’m not advocating arrogant intellectuals lording over people who don’t have as much education as them but I am saying that someone with a PhD in English Literature from Yale may be a better resource on Shakespeare than your Accountant.  And vice versa, you probably want your Accountant to prepare your taxes instead the the Yale PhD.

Pornography is quickly becoming mainstream: Yep.  While guys like Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynnt may be marketing and business geniuses, they and a lot of others have also managed to introduce a (in my opinion) dangerous element into world culture in the past 30 years.  CBS broadcasts the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in primetime, Playboy has a reality show in the E network, and one of the ways Barack Obama got some press (not intentionally) was the youtube video with Obama girl.  Under the guise of “entertainment”, we have slowly been lowering our standards as well as our view of women.

Music is being taken away from public education: I was never a good singer or a good Trombone player, but I was able to do both in school.  Learning music, being a part of the Marching Band, having a chance to perform, all of these experiences helped shape me even though I’m not a professional musician.  Its very sad and I think culturally dangerous that public schools are being forced to cut or scale back their music programs.

Medical Research seems to be stalled: People are still dying from Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Heart Attacks, and Alzheimers like they were when I was born in 1981.  It doesn’t seem like all the money we raise at Walks, Marathons, and benefit concerts is actually helping research.  My Grandmother is in the early stages of Alzheimers and I think she deserves better treatment and options than what she has.

Large Corporate Mergers: I don’t know much about business, but I know that when Delta and Northwest merge, I pay more to fly.  When Wells Fargo buys out Wachovia, its harder for me to get a loan.  When the WB and UPN merge, I get horrible television (although the WB and UPN were horrible too).  I’m afraid that the more large mergers occur, the harder it will be for the middle class.

Hancock, are you kidding me?

All last summer I wanted to see Hancock.  It looked good and it seemed like it had an interesting twist on the superhero movie formula.  I finally Netflixed it this week and it sucked.  But it sucked in a tragic way, not an angry way.

Hancock sucked because it forcibly blended two different stories into one that didn’t compliment each other.  In a sense, Hancock tried to tell me too much and ended up telling me very little.

Story #1 is a depressed and unpopular superhero who doesn’t get along with people.  But over time, and with the help of Michael Bluth, he learns to be kinder and more of a typical superhero who is loved and respected.  This story could have been really cool and could have had a few more twists and turns and it would have been up there with Spider Man and Superman Returns.

Story #2 is just as interesting.  Hancock is an immortal who is one of 2 surviving immortals who has been in and out of love for all of history with another immortal.  They have been out of touch for 80 years and mysteriously are reunited in Los Angeles where the female immortal recognizes him but he doesn’t recognize her.  Eventually he remembers his past and they make peace with each other.  This could have been a cool movie too.

The problem with Hancock is they decided to take 2 cool ideas and blended them.  It failed.  I think sometimes in life, when I’m trying to communicate with people, pull a Hancock.  I tell them too much and they hear too little.  I need to spend more time whittling down my thoughts into their clearest versions.  Its better to get something across than nothing.

December 26th

cannot come soon enough.  I just really don’t like Christmas and all of the pressure it puts on people to perform, be friendly, give gifts, and to be showy.  This time of year for both the CHRISTmas people and the Christmas people, and even the Seasons Greetings people, is more about show than anything else.  Yes, its a celebration of the birth of Jesus.  The religious celebration isn’t all that bad.  I even kinda like Christmas songs.  Its all the other socio-familial-junk that goes with it that I dread.

The beauty of December 26th is that it begins my favorite season, the Pre-New Year season.  Its the longest it will ever be until another Christmas, and we get to look forward to New Years where the only thing you have to do is “stay awake till midnight” – thats it.