Peter Jackson is a genius....
that is all
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Some notes from last night
Bearcats posted a 75-72 win last night over a very good, very large LSU team, the top rebounding team in the country.
Despite LSU out-rebounding the Bearcats and scoring twice as many points in the paint as Cincinnati, UC was able to capitilize on LSU's mistakes, scoring 25 points off turnovers.
Solid play from James White, scoring the last 8 points of the game. The 3-pointer to pull us within two, the go-ahead trey to put us up by 1 with a minute forty left on the clock, and then the two free throws with 17 seconds left to put us up by 3.
Eric Hicks scores 21 and holds his own against a much bigger LSU team
Devan Downey, not quite his usual self, but still made some heads up plays.
One of the things that made this game so awesome was the fact that the Bearcats were without Cedric McGowen for most of the game (left the game after only 8 minutes because his shoulder popped out) and were still able to pull out the win against a much larger, stronger, LSU team.
Jay Wright what? Skip Prosser who? Andy Kennedy is the man and deserves a chance.
Despite LSU out-rebounding the Bearcats and scoring twice as many points in the paint as Cincinnati, UC was able to capitilize on LSU's mistakes, scoring 25 points off turnovers.
Solid play from James White, scoring the last 8 points of the game. The 3-pointer to pull us within two, the go-ahead trey to put us up by 1 with a minute forty left on the clock, and then the two free throws with 17 seconds left to put us up by 3.
Eric Hicks scores 21 and holds his own against a much bigger LSU team
Devan Downey, not quite his usual self, but still made some heads up plays.
One of the things that made this game so awesome was the fact that the Bearcats were without Cedric McGowen for most of the game (left the game after only 8 minutes because his shoulder popped out) and were still able to pull out the win against a much larger, stronger, LSU team.
Jay Wright what? Skip Prosser who? Andy Kennedy is the man and deserves a chance.
Check this out
My friend Zach posted this cartoon on his blog on Friday December 23. I would post it on mine, but then I would feel like a copy cat.
Monday, December 19, 2005
And Discuss...
Well, this was originally written as a response to Tommy's blog, but I was 500 characters over the limit, so I decided to post it here and let people discuss it.
I respectively submit my perspective on the events of last Wednesday, and I hope that you will take the time to read and thoughtfully consider what I have to say.
The purpose of the press conference and prayer at the steps of the Canon House Office Building in Washington DC was (as I understand it) to speak about the proposed budget cuts, specifically:
1) Budgets are moral documents that reflect the values and priorities of a family, church, organization, city, state, or nation. They tell us what is most important and valued to those making the budget. President Bush says that his 2006 budget “is a budget that sets priorities.” Examining those priorities - who will benefit and who will suffer in President Bush’s budget - is a moral and religious concern.
Religious communities spoke clearly in the past years about the perils of a domestic policy based primarily on tax cuts for the rich, program cuts for low-income people, and an expectation of faith-based charity. When 14.4 million families have critical housing needs and 12.1 million households are food insecure, it is no time to reduce key supports that can meet these needs. Using deficit reduction as rationale for reducing supports when 47% of our deficit is due to tax cuts -- but only 15% is due to domestic spending -- is not legitimate. This situation calls for moral vision and political will in setting priorities
2) The cost of the deficit is increasingly borne by the poor. The budget projects a record $427 billion deficit, and a promise to make tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest permanent. Religious communities spoke clearly in the past years about the perils of a domestic policy based primarily on tax cuts for the rich, program cuts for low-income people, and an expectation of faith-based charity. We must speak clearly now about a budget lacking moral vision. A budget that scapegoats the poor and fattens the rich, that asks for sacrifice mostly from those who can least afford it, is a moral outrage.
3) Low-income people should not be punished for decisions that placed us in financial straits. Rather than moving toward a “living family income,” the budget stifles opportunities for low-income families, which are vital for national economic security. Our future is in serious jeopardy if one in three proposed program cuts are to education initiatives (after a highly touted “No Child Left Behind” effort), there will be less flexibility to include working poor families with children on Medicaid, and reductions in community and rural development, job training, food stamps, and housing are accepted as solutions for reducing the deficit. Cutting pro-work and pro-family supports for the less fortunate jeopardizes the common good. And this while defense spending rises again to $419 billion (not including any additional spending for war in Iraq).
My point is that these people did not have a political vendetta against the right, or the left, or whatever, but more simply, they were Christians trying to follow Jesus’ teachings, teachings such as Matthew 25 or any of the thousands of versus in the Bible that call us to take care of the poor.
Of course people of faith across the country will keep doing the work of feeding, clothing and housing our less fortunate neighbors, but there will always be systemic problems in any form of government. Therefore, caring for the poor without addressing the issues of the budget would be like treating symptoms but not the illness that causes them. It may appear to be the correct thing, but eventually, if not properly dealt with, the illness will become much worse and be harder to deal with.
This brings me to your point about Romans 13 and having “a bunch of Christians purposefully sinning in order to do something that will, in all likelihood, have zero effect on how things go.”
I understand where you are coming from when you speak about Romans 13, and I struggle with my own views on this issue. Personally, for me a conflict arises between my duties and obligations to Jesus’ teachings of loving my neighbor and caring for the poor, and Paul’s words on submitting to authority. It is my belief that in the event that the government refuses to listen to its citizens, being arrested for peaceful protest is acceptable. This use of peaceful, direct action, such as sit-ins, marches, and so forth, will bring about negotiation by creating a tension such that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate, is forced to confront the issue. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. talks about this in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”.
I hope that I have been able to communicate my thoughts clearly and if you are interested there is more information available at:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.display_c&item=051214_arrests
I respectively submit my perspective on the events of last Wednesday, and I hope that you will take the time to read and thoughtfully consider what I have to say.
The purpose of the press conference and prayer at the steps of the Canon House Office Building in Washington DC was (as I understand it) to speak about the proposed budget cuts, specifically:
1) Budgets are moral documents that reflect the values and priorities of a family, church, organization, city, state, or nation. They tell us what is most important and valued to those making the budget. President Bush says that his 2006 budget “is a budget that sets priorities.” Examining those priorities - who will benefit and who will suffer in President Bush’s budget - is a moral and religious concern.
Religious communities spoke clearly in the past years about the perils of a domestic policy based primarily on tax cuts for the rich, program cuts for low-income people, and an expectation of faith-based charity. When 14.4 million families have critical housing needs and 12.1 million households are food insecure, it is no time to reduce key supports that can meet these needs. Using deficit reduction as rationale for reducing supports when 47% of our deficit is due to tax cuts -- but only 15% is due to domestic spending -- is not legitimate. This situation calls for moral vision and political will in setting priorities
2) The cost of the deficit is increasingly borne by the poor. The budget projects a record $427 billion deficit, and a promise to make tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest permanent. Religious communities spoke clearly in the past years about the perils of a domestic policy based primarily on tax cuts for the rich, program cuts for low-income people, and an expectation of faith-based charity. We must speak clearly now about a budget lacking moral vision. A budget that scapegoats the poor and fattens the rich, that asks for sacrifice mostly from those who can least afford it, is a moral outrage.
3) Low-income people should not be punished for decisions that placed us in financial straits. Rather than moving toward a “living family income,” the budget stifles opportunities for low-income families, which are vital for national economic security. Our future is in serious jeopardy if one in three proposed program cuts are to education initiatives (after a highly touted “No Child Left Behind” effort), there will be less flexibility to include working poor families with children on Medicaid, and reductions in community and rural development, job training, food stamps, and housing are accepted as solutions for reducing the deficit. Cutting pro-work and pro-family supports for the less fortunate jeopardizes the common good. And this while defense spending rises again to $419 billion (not including any additional spending for war in Iraq).
My point is that these people did not have a political vendetta against the right, or the left, or whatever, but more simply, they were Christians trying to follow Jesus’ teachings, teachings such as Matthew 25 or any of the thousands of versus in the Bible that call us to take care of the poor.
Of course people of faith across the country will keep doing the work of feeding, clothing and housing our less fortunate neighbors, but there will always be systemic problems in any form of government. Therefore, caring for the poor without addressing the issues of the budget would be like treating symptoms but not the illness that causes them. It may appear to be the correct thing, but eventually, if not properly dealt with, the illness will become much worse and be harder to deal with.
This brings me to your point about Romans 13 and having “a bunch of Christians purposefully sinning in order to do something that will, in all likelihood, have zero effect on how things go.”
I understand where you are coming from when you speak about Romans 13, and I struggle with my own views on this issue. Personally, for me a conflict arises between my duties and obligations to Jesus’ teachings of loving my neighbor and caring for the poor, and Paul’s words on submitting to authority. It is my belief that in the event that the government refuses to listen to its citizens, being arrested for peaceful protest is acceptable. This use of peaceful, direct action, such as sit-ins, marches, and so forth, will bring about negotiation by creating a tension such that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate, is forced to confront the issue. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. talks about this in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”.
I hope that I have been able to communicate my thoughts clearly and if you are interested there is more information available at:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.display_c&item=051214_arrests
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Civil Disobediance for a Moral Budget*
On Wednesday December 14, 2005, 114 religious leaders were arrested in front of the Cannon House Office Building while kneeling in prayer to protest the immoral budget and tax agenda which slashes spending on the poor to finance tax breaks for the rich. Led by Jim Wallis of Call to Renewal, national faith leaders, clergy and faith-based providers of services to the poor held a press conference.
After the press conference, the leaders knelt and prayed, blocking the entrance to the Cannon House Office Building. The Capitol Police began arresting the participants after giving three warnings to move from the entrance.
There is a small article on Sojourner's website and a link to some other articles as well.
I have posted one of the articel below as well as some pictures (you can see Troy in a couple of them).
After the press conference, the leaders knelt and prayed, blocking the entrance to the Cannon House Office Building. The Capitol Police began arresting the participants after giving three warnings to move from the entrance.
There is a small article on Sojourner's website and a link to some other articles as well.
I have posted one of the articel below as well as some pictures (you can see Troy in a couple of them).
Civil Disobediance for a Moral Budget
'Christmas scandal' outcry
By Frank James
Chicago Tribune 12-15-2005
WASHINGTON -- Christian activist Rev. Jim Wallis told hundreds of religious protesters gathered near the Capitol on Wednesday that there is a scandal this December, but it isn't the conservative-stoked controversy about retailers and others using "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
"The Christmas scandal is the budget out of this House of Representatives, a budget which is an assault on low-income people, on poor families," said Wallis, who was arrested by Capitol Hill police along with 113 other protesters--as they knew they would--for blocking the building's entrance.
Budget legislation under consideration by House members and senators has angered many religious people who see caring for the poor as central to their faith, because of nearly $50 billion in spending cuts to programs such as food stamps and child care subsidies.
That anger has been heightened by nearly $60 billion in tax cuts under consideration that critics say would largely benefit the wealthy.
Wallis, leader of Sojourners, a Christian social justice group, invoked the Christmas story of Mary who, upon being told she would give birth to Jesus, thanked God for, among other things, humbling the mighty and exalting the lowly.
`Reversing Mary's priorities'
"They are reversing Mary's priorities," Wallis said. "This budget and the tax cuts fill the rich with good things and sends the poor away hungry. That's why we're here."
For Wallis, an author who has argued that progressives have been passive and allowed conservatives to exploit faith as a potent political issue, the event was another chance to gain momentum in reclaiming the religious high ground in national policy debates.
Wallis is the author of "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It."
In recent years, the moral ground has seemed to be held mainly by the religious right, whose members have placed issues of personal morality such as abortion and same-sex marriage in the spotlight and helped determine elections as a result.
Wallis and other progressive religious leaders who believe the poor have received short shrift hope that by emphasizing the religious obligation to help the poor they can reframe the debate.
At the same time, that might lift the fortunes of Democrats, who have suffered political defeats because their party is perceived as less hospitable to people of faith. In the last two presidential elections, Democrats lost--by significant margins--voters who considered themselves deeply religious.
"Arousing the nation's conscience is not an easy thing to do, but to the extent it does work I think it will help the Democrats because many of the people who would be influenced by that are likely to vote Democratic," said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Laura Olsen, a political science professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, said, "The more you're able to inject your rhetoric, your agenda and your approach with the language of `it's immoral to have people living in poverty in this great country of ours,' the more you're going to be able to fight the slippage that the Democratic Party's been having since the Clinton era in terms of reaching out to middle America. "
The appetite for such appeals seems to be growing. A Gallup poll conducted shortly after Hurricane Katrina indicated that 75 percent of Americans were dissatisfied with the federal government's anti-poverty efforts. And that dissatisfaction has held fairly steady. Four years earlier, 71 percent of those polled felt similarly.
70 such `vigils' across country
Wednesday's "vigil" in Washington was among more than 70 like it held around the country, according to Sojourners.
At times, Capitol Hill had the feel of a revival meeting in the frigid outdoors as the protesters gathered on the steps of the Cannon House Office Building.
"Don't tell us about being faith-based, don't tell us about compassionate conservativism," said Frederick Haynes, pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, a 10,000-member megachurch in Dallas.
"When our government stands before God Almighty, Jesus will say, I was hungry but you cut food stamps," Haynes said. "I was thirsty but you cut Pell grants. When I needed surgery I was not part of your social class so I was denied access."
Along with the Roman Catholic nuns and mainline Protestant ministers, the protesters arrested Wednesday included evangelicals such as Wallis and Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, and Mary Nelson, a founder and former president of Bethel New Life, a faith-based community group based in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Evangelicals, long considered insular and focused on issues of personal morality rather than social justice, recently have been broadening their list of concerns to include poverty. The National Association of Evangelicals, for instance, earlier this year adopted a document that cited as among God's concerns "justice for the poor."
"I would issue a challenge to the congresspersons in this building and across the way to say come walk with me in my neighborhood," Nelson said outside the House office building.
"Come talk to the folks in my neighborhood and they will tell you that they're working two jobs and falling farther behind. That they have kids who are sick and don't have health insurance. . . . Then see if you can with good conscience vote for this budget and these tax cuts that are going to make it even worse," Nelson said.
By Frank James
Chicago Tribune 12-15-2005
WASHINGTON -- Christian activist Rev. Jim Wallis told hundreds of religious protesters gathered near the Capitol on Wednesday that there is a scandal this December, but it isn't the conservative-stoked controversy about retailers and others using "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
"The Christmas scandal is the budget out of this House of Representatives, a budget which is an assault on low-income people, on poor families," said Wallis, who was arrested by Capitol Hill police along with 113 other protesters--as they knew they would--for blocking the building's entrance.
Budget legislation under consideration by House members and senators has angered many religious people who see caring for the poor as central to their faith, because of nearly $50 billion in spending cuts to programs such as food stamps and child care subsidies.
That anger has been heightened by nearly $60 billion in tax cuts under consideration that critics say would largely benefit the wealthy.
Wallis, leader of Sojourners, a Christian social justice group, invoked the Christmas story of Mary who, upon being told she would give birth to Jesus, thanked God for, among other things, humbling the mighty and exalting the lowly.
`Reversing Mary's priorities'
"They are reversing Mary's priorities," Wallis said. "This budget and the tax cuts fill the rich with good things and sends the poor away hungry. That's why we're here."
For Wallis, an author who has argued that progressives have been passive and allowed conservatives to exploit faith as a potent political issue, the event was another chance to gain momentum in reclaiming the religious high ground in national policy debates.
Wallis is the author of "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It."
In recent years, the moral ground has seemed to be held mainly by the religious right, whose members have placed issues of personal morality such as abortion and same-sex marriage in the spotlight and helped determine elections as a result.
Wallis and other progressive religious leaders who believe the poor have received short shrift hope that by emphasizing the religious obligation to help the poor they can reframe the debate.
At the same time, that might lift the fortunes of Democrats, who have suffered political defeats because their party is perceived as less hospitable to people of faith. In the last two presidential elections, Democrats lost--by significant margins--voters who considered themselves deeply religious.
"Arousing the nation's conscience is not an easy thing to do, but to the extent it does work I think it will help the Democrats because many of the people who would be influenced by that are likely to vote Democratic," said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Laura Olsen, a political science professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, said, "The more you're able to inject your rhetoric, your agenda and your approach with the language of `it's immoral to have people living in poverty in this great country of ours,' the more you're going to be able to fight the slippage that the Democratic Party's been having since the Clinton era in terms of reaching out to middle America. "
The appetite for such appeals seems to be growing. A Gallup poll conducted shortly after Hurricane Katrina indicated that 75 percent of Americans were dissatisfied with the federal government's anti-poverty efforts. And that dissatisfaction has held fairly steady. Four years earlier, 71 percent of those polled felt similarly.
70 such `vigils' across country
Wednesday's "vigil" in Washington was among more than 70 like it held around the country, according to Sojourners.
At times, Capitol Hill had the feel of a revival meeting in the frigid outdoors as the protesters gathered on the steps of the Cannon House Office Building.
"Don't tell us about being faith-based, don't tell us about compassionate conservativism," said Frederick Haynes, pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, a 10,000-member megachurch in Dallas.
"When our government stands before God Almighty, Jesus will say, I was hungry but you cut food stamps," Haynes said. "I was thirsty but you cut Pell grants. When I needed surgery I was not part of your social class so I was denied access."
Along with the Roman Catholic nuns and mainline Protestant ministers, the protesters arrested Wednesday included evangelicals such as Wallis and Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, and Mary Nelson, a founder and former president of Bethel New Life, a faith-based community group based in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Evangelicals, long considered insular and focused on issues of personal morality rather than social justice, recently have been broadening their list of concerns to include poverty. The National Association of Evangelicals, for instance, earlier this year adopted a document that cited as among God's concerns "justice for the poor."
"I would issue a challenge to the congresspersons in this building and across the way to say come walk with me in my neighborhood," Nelson said outside the House office building.
"Come talk to the folks in my neighborhood and they will tell you that they're working two jobs and falling farther behind. That they have kids who are sick and don't have health insurance. . . . Then see if you can with good conscience vote for this budget and these tax cuts that are going to make it even worse," Nelson said.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Something that is distracting me from studying
Seven Things to Do before I Die
(off the top of my head)
1) Travel the world
2) Run with the bulls in Pamplona
3) Write a book
4) Break 2:30 in a marathon
5) Learn a foreign language
6) Learn to play guitar........ so that I can......
7) Perform the full 14 minute version of Freebird in front of thousands
Seven Things I Cannot Do
1) Legitimately beat my brother at Risk
2) 110 hurdles (believe me I tried, it was ugly)
3) Do well on a test created by Dr. Bowers
4) say the word publicity correctly on the first try ( it turns into plubicity unless I think about it)
5) sit in a cubicle from 9-5
6) keep people from writing crude things on my door with magnetic letters
7) communicate effectively
Seven Things That Attract Me to a Girl
1) loves Jesus
2) loves people
3) intelligence
4) grounded
5) creative/artistic
6) compassionate
7) likes sports, specifically college basketball (shallow I know, but what can I say, it's hot)
Seven Books/Series I like
1) Mexico (or anything by James Michner)
2) Running with the Buffaloes
3) Once a runner
4) The Chronicles of Narnia
5) Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit
6) Don Quixote
7) Mere Christianity
Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again
1) Rudy
2) Breaking Away
3) Hoosiers
4) Chariots of Fire
5) Lawrence of Arabia
6) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7) Motorcycle Diaries
Seven people who have to do this quiz now:
(I don't know if seven people read this blog)
1) Sabrina
2) Danny
3) Jenny
4) Joe
5) Andrew
6) Steve
7) Jorge
(off the top of my head)
1) Travel the world
2) Run with the bulls in Pamplona
3) Write a book
4) Break 2:30 in a marathon
5) Learn a foreign language
6) Learn to play guitar........ so that I can......
7) Perform the full 14 minute version of Freebird in front of thousands
Seven Things I Cannot Do
1) Legitimately beat my brother at Risk
2) 110 hurdles (believe me I tried, it was ugly)
3) Do well on a test created by Dr. Bowers
4) say the word publicity correctly on the first try ( it turns into plubicity unless I think about it)
5) sit in a cubicle from 9-5
6) keep people from writing crude things on my door with magnetic letters
7) communicate effectively
Seven Things That Attract Me to a Girl
1) loves Jesus
2) loves people
3) intelligence
4) grounded
5) creative/artistic
6) compassionate
7) likes sports, specifically college basketball (shallow I know, but what can I say, it's hot)
Seven Books/Series I like
1) Mexico (or anything by James Michner)
2) Running with the Buffaloes
3) Once a runner
4) The Chronicles of Narnia
5) Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit
6) Don Quixote
7) Mere Christianity
Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again
1) Rudy
2) Breaking Away
3) Hoosiers
4) Chariots of Fire
5) Lawrence of Arabia
6) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7) Motorcycle Diaries
Seven people who have to do this quiz now:
(I don't know if seven people read this blog)
1) Sabrina
2) Danny
3) Jenny
4) Joe
5) Andrew
6) Steve
7) Jorge
Conversation from the back row
Actual quote from about a week ago:
Me: "Hey Justin how was your weekend"
Justin: "Pretty good, but the oddest thing happened on my way to school this morning"
Me: "What's that?"
Justin: "As I was driving I saw a deer, but then I realized it was a squirrel with a stick in its mouth"
Me: "Hey Justin how was your weekend"
Justin: "Pretty good, but the oddest thing happened on my way to school this morning"
Me: "What's that?"
Justin: "As I was driving I saw a deer, but then I realized it was a squirrel with a stick in its mouth"
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