Jared over at Thinklings put together a Monday “Cool List,” so here’s mine:

10. Leftover ham from Thanksgiving, which is regrettably gone
9. Fried chicken
8. Banana cream pie, also gone
7. The heater
6. Walter Russell Mead’s Special Providence, which is sadly getting neglected thanks to my SG-1 marathon
5. 2143
4. Alicia Keys’s “Diary,” which is such a favorite on my playlist that I should probably be embarrassed
3. Folger’s Mocha Chocolate Cappuccino
2. Plain cheesecake
1. Stargate SG-1

This isn’t really a Halloween post, but I’m sure you can find plenty of those elsewhere.

Right now I’m thinking about clashing cultures. Hugo wrote a good post on this subject that prompted a little soul-searching for me; and then I stumbled across this article that served as an extension of Hugo’s post and my reverie. This lil post is only a result of combining the two.

On my mom’s side, I’m a second generation American; on my dad’s side, third generation. I don’t go along with the [ethnicity here]-American hyphen thing. I consider myself an American. End of story. (On earth, anyway. In heaven, I’m pretty sure things aren’t viewed the same way. Don’t worry, this isn’t a last-minute patriotic election rant, either.)

However, I can’t deny my ethnic roots, as much as I’ve tried to and would like to permanently bury them. Impossible, I know, because ethnic pride runs deep on both sides. My mom is a full-blooded Samoan (with a little Tongan and even German thrown in for good measure, or so she tells me); my dad is half-Filipino and half-Samoan. That makes for an interesting mix, which has unfortunately led to barely any acknowledgment of my Filipino heritage, and a dominance of my Samoan heritage, again on both sides.

I only know a few words in Samoan, and no Tagalong. I grew up going to a church that was Samoan-based in the language and in the church membership. My mom never taught me the language, and I do regret that because it’s a beautiful tongue and I love hearing all the women in both sides of the family employ it in casual conversation.

It’s my father who impressed upon me and my siblings the importance of attending college, getting our degrees and getting into fields that would generate large incomes. (All of us kids have bucked that last part and are either unsure about what career we want or we’ve entered fields where a good income isn’t necessarily assured. Disappointing, of course, for my parents, but my dad still urges us to find good paying jobs to support ourselves.) My mom, whether from her culture’s laidback attitude or because she didn’t really attend college herself, couldn’t care either way, so long as her daughters wait until after college before we find husbands. (Again, we’ve let our parents down on this part. One of my sisters just got married this past February and hasn’t graduated from JC yet.)

So the intersection point between expectations, assimilation and ethnic culture was lowered, you could say. That doesn’t mean our parents love us any less. They might not like the paths we’ve chosen for ourselves, but the only thing that separates any of us from each other is physical distance.

And me? Yes, I’ve had issues with my Samoan heritage. I disliked many of the things I saw take place in my childhood church, which my parents still attend. Cultural traditions and family business often came first before God, and the gossip circuit is still alive and well. All of these things disillusioned me about Samoan churches in particular. In a more general vein, I can see that ethnic-based churches serve a purpose here in America, but most of the members of my generation weren’t born in Samoa. We were born here. American traditions and culture have much stronger binds than Samoan ones. That’s just the way it is.

But do I hate my Samoan heritage? Nope. Does it drive me crazy sometimes? Oh, yes, especially when my mom invokes her island childhood to point out to her stubborn children that her word is law under her roof.*

It’s taken me several years to come to terms with my ethnic roots. I haven’t even started exploring the Filipino side of my family yet. Yeah, I am a liberated woman, in more ways than one. I identify myself as Samoan to those who ask about my nationality, but I’m still American first. The olive skin and islander attitude are just parts of the proverbial icing on the cake.

*(My dad sometimes talks about the “Samoan way” of doing things when he’s trying to get us to do things as he likes them done. For instance, about a year ago a couple from church dropped me off at home after the Sunday evening service. My dad was waiting for me at the door. “You should stand in the doorway and see them off,” he told me, getting annoyed when I seemed to pay him no heed. “C’mon, it’s the Samoan way.” My reply: “Sorry, I’m only three-quarters Samoan.” He, of course, was not very happy with me after that.)

Some noteworthy links for you to check out –

• Bene: Putting things in perspective. Am I obtuse, or do these moments pass blissfully by without me ever realizing it?
• Phisch: “Things I’ll miss about summer.” That sounds like a good prompt to start my own list. (Wait, you don’t do lists! -Ed. Shhhh!)
• Doug: What Are Real Christian Values? No permalinks, so scroll down to the 090604 entry. Excellent post.
• Rev. Mike: Recalling Walter Brueggemann. Brian McLaren’s got nothin’ on you, Rev.
• Hugo: A House, Cleaned By Others. The ongoing discussion in the comments of both posts are worth reading.
• Zarina: “I Want to Meet Stephen King.” Right behind ya on that one!
• David M.: What? Befriend Those People?! This post underscores a particular truth about “hating the sin and loving the sinner” that I once struggled with. Another excellent read.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Wil Wheaton passed along a great idea for those of you with Gmail invites: give them to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(Via Felis Legio)

Bene Diction asked me to link to this survey, which is interesting in its range of questions for a Christian like me. Please take a little time to fill it out.

This isn’t a linktrain, but I’d like to point to several foodblogs I discovered awhile ago that you might like to check out, as well.

The Radical Chef features Filipino recipes and food commentary straight from Antipolo in the Philippines. I haven’t really tried delving into my Filipino roots, and I’m not even familiar with a lot of Filipino dishes, with the exception of lumpia, adobo and pancit. Reading this blog has begun to change that.

The Daily Bread serves up anecdotes, linky, reviews and recipes. Fun readin’. (But of course!)

The Veg Blog - featuring mucho commentary on all things vegetarian.

And Chocolate & Zucchini. The author lives in Paris and I love her philosophy when it comes to food.

Check these blogs out, but don’t blame me if you start getting hungry. Enjoy!

Maybe I’ve been reading Lileks too much, and maybe it’s ‘cause a lot of bloggers have been using them as graphics lately, but I wanted to see if those WWII posters still linger somewhere online. With a tool like the Internet, I’d say it’s hard to keep a lid on history any longer, even sixty-plus year-old history. Even thousand-year-old history.

So. Here is a collection of over 300 WWII posters at the Northwestern University Library. Here are more posters at Duke University - this collection focuses more on the United States’s WWII ad campaign. I’m sure there are more sites out there, but these are the first two I stumbled across and I’ve been going through them all morning. Enjoy.

David from Ripples was very kind in linking to me (and saying a lot of nice things about this blog, too), so I wanted to return the favor. I value his blog and his words because he usually posts about many interesting topics. And his pictures are fantastic!

I like to check out other people’s blogrolls, so I started at Ripples and found Denny at Book of Life. This recipe for pumpkin soup made my mouth water. The pictures he’s posted are also varied and beautiful. (What can I say? The photography bug has been buzzing by lately…) And I dig the fortune at the bottom of each post.

From there, I jumped to Crawford Kilian’s Writing Fiction, which is like candy for the writer in me. There’s no doubt that Mr. Kilian knows about the professional writer’s life, and his posts are insightful. He doesn’t always talk about writing, either.

Then there’s Likha, by Zarina N. Docken, another writer whose posts are just as knowledgable and fun to read. Last night I finished reading Damia by Anne McCaffrey, and my favorite supporting character (as opposed to the protagonist herself) is Afra Lyon.

This is my linktrain. I may add more cars or start a new train later, but I encourage you to check out these blogs. At one time I thought there wouldn’t be enough good blogs out there for me to discover and feature for the Noteworthy Site section on the left, but that was before terms like “blogosphere,” “blogroll” and “fisking” had been invented. As it turns out, the blogosphere is a universe that’s constantly expanding.

Blogger Scott Elliott’s parents were killed on Monday during a drive-by shooting in Mosul, Iraq. You can leave any notes at his blog, Election Projection.

Scott put it eloquently enough, in my opinion: “Jesus Christ was glorified in their lives. He will be glorified in their deaths.”

Amen.

Today is Eat An Animal For PETA Day.

I added to the fun by getting a cheeseburger from In N Out (for once, the fries weren’t limp), and I must say that it’s really gleeful to tick off a bunch of radical vegans, purely for the heck of it. Eat yer heart out, PETA.

: The other side of the coin. I can’t tell if this is a parody site or something, but it’s not like I’m making it up, either. I’m craving a strawberry banana smoothie now. Those poor strawberries and bananas - willing to sacrifice themselves to satisfy my taste buds…

Sort of.

DYL is back, yo.

And this geography lesson is for Californians. The ones with a sense of humor, anyway. (Via Jay and Ipse Dixit)

Seth at Nowheresville has a request:

…What I want is for someone to show me (and my eager audience) acceptable evidence that this is the case - that God truly intends the father to rule over his daughter until she marries. I’ve heard many people speak of this as if it were biblical and I want proof! Or at least evidence. I’m tired of Christians taking a presupposed ideology and forcing it as an interpretive framework upon Scripture.

Read someone else’s.

Check out the updated BlogRoll and the Noteworthy Site. You’ll be glad you did.

California weather at its best is a mixed bag of water, temperature and light. I don’t mind, I mean, I’ve experienced the weather myriad for as long as I could remember, but I hope to feel the snow again sometime.

I’m not quite in a Christmas-y mood, yet, but I do think this is a really kool present to get, eleven days before Christmas. In the meantime, celebrate the Advent with Leslie - you won’t regret it.

The one lesson that’s hit home for me today is this: I can’t hold on to my worries. Take that, Scratch.

I’ve read a few books on prayer, and I’ve always had a heart for intercessory prayer especially, but I find that I’m pretty guilty of keeping my prayers limited to selfish personal needs because I’m too “busy.”

I need to change this arrangement because frankly it’s become burdensome, tiresome and petty.

Prayer is basically defined as talking to God, but limiting it to my own needs makes it a one-sided conversation. Time to start over and open things up so my prayers can actually get responses that are aligned with God’s will.

I don’t remember who said it exactly, but I heard this quote from somewhere and it’s spot on: “If we focus our prayers on others’ needs, God will take care of our own.”

Lileks says it well enough:

Please, please, please Corporate America: do not put the Cat in the Hat on any more products. The sight of that thing gives me nightmares. It should not be. If in olden tymes such a beast sauntered into town, the menfolk would pick up shovels and beat it to death.

I parodied one of his poems once, but otherwise, I wasn’t a big fan of his work.

And I certainly didn’t like that cat.

Rev. Donald Sensing has been posting a lot of goodies lately. Here are two of them: “War and reconciliation: only in America?” and “Beware the compassion police.”

And here are some kool links about a remarkable historical figure. (This may be indirectly related to the topic, but it sounded very familiar.)

No, really. These new twenties look rather funky. I thought the one my mom just handed me had gotten bleached by accident in the laundry.

Here’s a nice way to kick off the weekend.

Jay pointed me to a post by Steven Den Beste on Osama bin Laden’s strategy plan, which, strangely enough, led to a thought-provoking conversation on fundamentalism and grace. I don’t think I can add much more to what Jay’s said, so go give his follow-up post a read.

Yes, I’m pulling another half-nighter.

It sucks being poor when this gets dangled in front of a big LOTR fan’s eyes. Oy.

It’s even crazier to realize that I’m putting off a two-page paper because I can’t concentrate on the freakin’ material. Oy. Again.

Let me get my mind around that first, mkay?

Orlando Bloom I can definitely see as Paris. (Pretty elf, pretty soldier, pretty pirate’s son, now a pretty prince. Uh huh.) And I wonder who Sean Bean is gonna play.

But Brad Pitt as Achilles?

Oy.

Here’s some background info on the position of the United States Poet Laureate.

I sooo want to visit the Library of Congress someday.

And John Tranter is visiting my Transfer Lit Mag class today. Woot!

UPDATE: Some of the managing editors from McSweeney’s also dropped by to talk to us and showcase some of their work. I had no idea these guys were based in the Mission District, but their stuff is fantabulous. Also check out 826 Valencia.

And John Tranter was koo-el, too. He talked about his online lit mag, Jacket, and fielded questions about his work both online and offline.

Rus is driving the bus that is the Holiday Swap. You’re encouraged to drop by at his blog and see what it’s all about and, well, participate.

Yes, YOU! Git moving!

Janice: Hey, you doin’ that novel thing next month?

Mick: What novel thing?

Janice: You write a 50,000-word novel during November.

Mick: Ohh, that. Yeah, I already started.

Janice: Uh, you’re not supposed to start till November 1. It’s only October 3.

Mick: Well, I figured I needed a head start, you know? I can’t write that fast.

Janice: I predict you’ll still be stuck with only 35k by the time November ends.

Mick: Oh, shut up. You’re disrupting my writing karma.

(via John Scalzi)

I’ve only fallen asleep on the BART once, and it was when I was a little tyke. These people, however…these people need to take Ginseng or something.

(link via Pathetic Earthlings)

I shamelessly stole this idea from Jay, don’tcha know.

Here are some linky loves you might be interested in:

- categorized random links
- a true random number service
- a random personal picture finder
- random webcams
- random acts of kindness
- random access memory
…and random chickens!

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen – welcome aboard the Intrepid. I am Cadet Rhesa Alexandros and I’ve been tasked by the Captain to show you around the ship. Please follow me.

The “Big Eye,” as we like to call her, has 46 decks and a crew complement of at least 2,400 people – a mix of human and non-human, sentient species alike. You might run into some of the crewmembers during the tour; we will be meeting the captain and the executive officer near the end of the tour, because the Bridge is our last stop. In the meantime, let’s start at the bottom and work our way up, shall we? Since you arrived via shuttle, we’ll start at…

The Flight Decks

Andrés Gentry shares his thoughts on Hong Kong’s Article 23.

John Ray explains the Australian term “wowser” and its American roots. Visit his PC Watch blog as well and check out his report on insanity in the Australian courts.

Mamamontezz says hate is becoming fashionable.

Graham Lester posts his own thoughts on the bomb that ended slavery.

Sarah Fitz-Claridge explains the basics of conspiracy theories.

James Joyner digs into a recent piece by Madeleine Albright in Foreign Affairs and adds his own two cents.

Mess Hall

Andrew Ian Dodge explains why he ain’t a sports fan.

Sarah Fitz-Claridge, who is also the founder of Taking Children Seriously (TCS), urges parents to avoid objectifying their children’s learning in “Beware The Curriculum Mentality.”

Tiger discusses social necessities, capitalism, and rule of law, as well as the decline of the traditional family.

Chablis shows how 24-hour colds really suck. I should know, I’ve gotten them too, before – and they’re never good excuses to use to miss a class.

Kevin Baker says gun violence and ethnicity are linked and sets out to prove it. He also provides an example of political incorrectness where racism is concerned.

Bussorah posts his wicked thoughts on how hip-hop music is linked to black culture.

Catherine King and Jerome du Bois say Beverly McIver is egocentric about her art and show how.

Ocean Guy expresses frustration with today’s youth sports and how it affects his son.

Next week’s Carnival host, Andrew Cline, knows what’s wrong with journalism today. Check out the buzz at his blog.

Lawrence Kestenbaum replies to a rather pompous e-mail chain letter and describes how the baby boomers have contributed to changes during the past 50 years.

Zombyboy backs legalizing prostitution, but says other supporters should be honest about the costs involved.

Helen Noggle talks about nutrition: fat, dieting, Atkins, and exercise. Can’t beat that.

Chris Genovese thinks deep cleaning government budgets will have positive effects on the citizens.

One Fine Jay disagrees with Alabama Judge Roy Moore on the Ten Commandments display case and explains why.

LittleA is always looking for ways to cut costs, but watch out for those sacred cows.

Brig and Holding Cells

J. Fielek explains the Terrorist Vector and how we should deal with it.

Jim Peacock’s recently eavesdropped on a conversation between George Bush and Ariel Sharon on the Roadmap.

Allen Brill looks at the way George Bush’s faith has impacted his Presidency since 9/11 and finds him wanting.

Moe Freedman asks a rhetorical question about Iraq and the Palestinians.

Engineering

Richard Baker says we’ll get further in our space exploration program if we focus on industrializing space rather than romanticizing it.

Serona points to an important lawsuit filed against the RIAA regarding due process. Check out the post on the Distributed Library Project, too.

Dave Worley thinks bloggers should preserve their words in books for future generations.

Chuck Simmons writes an open letter to Meryl Yourish to share his philosophy on blogging.

Brian Kelley recalls his own experience with NASA in the wake of the Columbia crash investigation report released yesterday.

The Poliblogger introduces the Parade of Trolls. Steven says there is still time yet to submit your best example of trollishness.

Kevin at Wizbang exposes the real culprits of e-mail viruses.

“Bonny’s,” The Ship’s Bar

Alex Dunn recounts a trip to the mall with his kin. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed!

Paul Carter continues to add to The Parson’s List. Hmm – I don’t recall ever sticking anything up my nose as a kid…

Norbizness has some fun with puns – at Arnold’s expense.

The Scarlet Pimpernel gives us a primer on real doctor speak.

Crabby Bill discovers that hand dipping is nothing new.

Gunther examines Bush’s past speeches and wonders if our prez really is a moron.

Harvey Olson takes a look at the possible results of a visit from Them.

Heather Noggle posts a Filthy Lie about the puppy blender.

Jay Solo fires back with an Axis of Feeble logo. See if you can answer his Zany Question of the Week, too.

Medi-Bay

Doug Payton fisks California Governor Gray Davis’s speech from last Tuesday.

Russ Emerson recalls the time when he met Arnold.

Ann Haker dissects a MoveOn e-mail urging people to send cash to the Texas Democrats holed up in Albuquerque.

Mad Kane does a parody of “Happy Days Are Here Again.”

Nathan Alexander points to several examples of skewed reporting and asks, “Is there any way we can put an end to this garbage?”

Trish Wilson wants to know if California voters have forgotten about Enron.

BC, one of the Imperial Correspondents from Emperor Misha’s kingdom, breaks down an Indymedia article in his usual torturous fashion.

Billy Beck says the political fight should be about principles, not labels.

The Bridge

The Paratrooper of Love relives Blackfive’s Friday Range Und Pig Roast.

Sophorist comments on Mel Gibson’s critics regarding The Passion.

Joe Dougherty agrees with the Sophorist’s sentiments and shares his own thoughts.

Bill Dennis explains the difference between blogs and j-blogs.

Aunty Goob thinks the driver or the reporter got this story wrong.

Russ Emerson is back, this time to share with us the story of the time he taught his nephew to shoot.

Da Goddess shares stories about the Bubble Prince and the cost of freedom.

Solonor bids farewell to his favorite Red Sox broadcaster, Ken Coleman, who passed away last Thursday.

Adam H. illustrates a lake day. If I had a boat, I’d want a few lake days myself, minus the ladies in the picture.

Jack Cluth has had a tough week, but things seem to be looking up now. Head on over to Seabrook and give him and his other half a few words of encouragement.

A Broad is confronted with her parents’ mortality.

Rich Clark from Dead Yet Living paints a vivid picture of love at first sight. It’s very different from having a crush.

Overtaken by Events examines a day in the life of Matt.

…

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Captain O’Connell and Commander Urquhart both told me they were glad that you stopped by to meet the “Big Eye” crew. We all hope you visit again when The 2143 Project is launched.

I’ll now pass the torch on to next week’s Carnival host, Andrew Cline at Rhetorica.net.

Have a good Wednesday!

Interview questions for Urquhart:

1. What do you enjoy most about the writing process and why?

2. You have been a Christian for about six months now. How has this changed your outlook on life from a personal and spiritual perspective?

3. If there was another profession that you could switch to, what would it be?

4. Cats or dogs? Explain your preference.

5. Which of your all-time favorite books would you recommend to someone looking for new reading material? Why do you think s/he should read it?

Interview questions for Hannah of Between the Lines:

1. Where do you draw your inspiration from when writing poetry and how long have you been writing poetry now?

2. Now that you’ve had a small taste of what it feels like to be a journalist, what skills related to this career do you admire? What do you think could be changed?

3. What’s one piece of advice that you would give to parents who are considering homeschooling their children?

4. Who is your favorite author?

5. In your opinion, what traits should a good teacher have?

Interview questions for Ashley of Eternal Praises:

1. So, are you a California girl or an Arkansas girl? (I was bribed to ask you this, honest!)

2. How would you define friendship and how have the friendships in your life encouraged you?

3. What would you say is your biggest strength and your biggest weakness?

4. In your opinion, what’s the best thing about children?

5. So far you’ve visited two congregations that are not affiliated directly with your church. How does that change your views on the doctrines other denominations teach? Does it change how you view other denominations at all?

Interview questions for Chris (leave your answers in the comments section):

1. What is your favorite firearm?

2. If you had the chance to do one thing and money and time weren’t problems, what would that one thing be?

3. What do you like most about women?

4. What is your favorite reptile?

5. Name your top five all-time favorite movies that you think I absolutely must watch.

Interview questions for Rich Clark of Dead Yet Living:

1. How would you define postmodernism and how has it affected you as a Christian?

2. How have your views on relationships changed now that you’re engaged? Have they changed at all?

3. In your opinion, what is the best thing about being in love?

4. What is your favorite home-cooked meal?

5. Are all Southern Baptists Calvinists?

Interview questions for Gator of Gator Bites:

1. Blogs vs. online message boards: what is best about each and which one do you ultimately prefer?

2. What lessons that you learned in the Navy have stayed with you since?

3. What do you like best about living in Texas?

4. In your opinion, what’s the best thing about being a father and a husband?

5. What or who has been the top source of inspiration in your life?

Time for some fun!

Michele Catalano from A Small Victory started a round of blogger interviews a couple days ago, so I took up One Fine Jay on his offer to interview someone. Here are the questions and my answers:

1. What do you think of the term, “Religious Right?” Do you think it denigrates your faith or does it trivialize your beliefs (as illogical, as they are based on faith)? Or both? This term irks me because it’s a generalization that sounds as ridiculous as the “Jewish Left,” and that’s something that you’ll never hear because of the obviously derogatory implications. As I’ve stated before, my political views don’t play God in my life, and I think “Religious Right” is a term that supports that very perception.

2. What other ideas besides “Nuking the San Andreas Fault” would set you off? “It’s For the Children”: there’s nothing like having a puppy-eyed kid staring at me to pull at the heartstrings…only, this kind of imagery seems to be getting attached to every social cause out there when some of them don’t have anything to do with needy kids. Context, people, context! “Bush=Hitler” is another – I don’t see how anyone can equate the current U.S. president with a monster responsible for murdering over six million people. Bush isn’t a perfect leader, but I have yet to see him embark on a campaign of mass genocide.

3. What one government program you think should end in order to set Cali on the right track? It’s not a program per se that should end, but it’s more of a matter of shifting priorities when it comes to policymaking on the state level. Illegal immigrants crossing over the Mexico-California border, for instance: this is a huge problem that is either overlooked or deliberately ignored because of partisan haggling over “welfare concerns.”

4. Come on. We know that California is good for something. Give me a non-cynical answer. California seems to be known as a trendsetter for the rest of the country. I’m fine with that – it’s just a matter of setting the right trends. The off-the-path landmarks and the wine are also good.

5. What one television show would you like to appear or star in? Smallville, yo.

The rules:
1. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions (not the same as you see here).
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Crackers and tea for breakfast. I can see this day’s off to a pretty good start.

I stumbled across this interesting ramble on writing workshops at Instapundit’s page. From my limited experience, the whole get-in-a-circle thing doesn’t do much for me. Written comments from the others in my group were things I looked forward to receiving - actual constructive criticim, that is, not the “nice piece, keep up the good work” crap. I have to admit, however, that I haven’t been very good at dishing out constructive criticism myself in that kind of setting. I recognized a good read when I saw one, but I wasn’t always articulate in my criticism of another student’s piece. I think it was the whole get-in-a-circle thing that did me in - I mean, if you want a good idea of what awkward silence really means, you’re invited to my next writer’s workshop class. I’m just better at being an editor when it’s more one-on-one.

Yes, this happens to me. All the time. Off and online.

Oh, shut up already. Otherwise you’ll feel the wrath of my flipper.

Two very different areas, with one very similar problem: if one bites the hand that feeds him, one shouldn’t think it won’t smack back.

Updates and more later…when I’m more awake.

Some blogs I have neglected to shine the spotlight on:

Rev. Mike Murdock
DeeBeeDee
Common Things
Journey Inside My Mind
Letters to God
Gator Bites

Get moving.

What would you do if you got a letter like this one?

Methinks the newly minted Theologian Guy handled the whole affair gracefully, but something’s wrong when a believer sends his lawyer after another believer over a NAME. Aren’t we all supposed to be Bible geeks, anyway?

Now here’s a great idea, inspired by a creative lady.

Here’s my contribution:

So what’re you waiting for?

(link via Bene)

Strange how circumstances can turn around over time. Now it seems like one can be ostracized on campus grounds because his skin color is much lighter than someone else’s.

Case in point: a white student wants to hang a flyer about a forthcoming speech in the campus Multicultural Center. A group of black students who were eating pizza and holding – get this – a Bible study session in the vicinity stop him because they recognized the flyer and objected to the white student posting it there because the flyer was “disrespectful.” (The speech in question, as a matter of fact, was going to be given by a black man who at the time just had a book published called It’s OK to Leave the Plantation.)

To make a long story short: the white student leaves the area after one of the black students attending the Bible study session (what in the world were they studying!?) told him she would call the police if he didn’t leave. She called the police, anyway. The white student later gets heavily, ahem, disciplined for maintaining a “disruptive” presence. In the campus Multicultural Center. (What, was the Multicultural Center now divided into black/white/in-between areas?)

My gosh, the disgusting ironies that abound.

NOTE: FIRE is getting on the university’s case about this, but the university has yet to respond on the matter. They’d better soon, or they’ll be facing a lawsuit.

(original news link via Misha)

I received an e-mail yesterday that frankly took me by surprise, mostly because I don’t recall ever visiting this website before.

I’ll direct you to this dude, however, because I think he’s the one who really deserves the credit for my site design. Thanks, Jason.

My friend Mamamontezz pointed this Tech Central Station column out to me, and she had good timing about it, because lately I’ve been hearing arguments like this one:

Citing chaos, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean told NBC’s Tim Russert, “We need more troops in Afghanistan. We need more troops in Iraq now.” This issue is a hot topic as coalition soldiers are ambushed almost daily. Besides Dean, other Democrats have made similar arguments. Left-leaning think tanks, the media, and even a few Republicans are now all harping on a perceived lack of troops in Iraq even as the Bush administration plans for heavy reductions by the end of the year.

Bene Diction emailed me the link for a letter that’s worth reading. The letter’s from one of Bene’s colleagues, who recently made a two-week trip to the city of Basra in Iraq with Operation Blessing to help the local hospitals there. Check it out.

I’m getting a huge kick out of this.

As the good Professor put it, “Heh. Indeed.”

I got a total kick out of this song, which is a play on an Iraqi man’s response to a reporter after American soldiers liberated Najaf: “Democracy! Whiskey! Sexy!” Well, not sure about the last two, but it’s still pretty catching.

This artist’s blog is here.

(via Uni)

“Where do they get young men like this?”

Seek and you shall find, Mr. Savidge.

Via gizmodo, say hello to the Phraselator.

I got a kick out of the second article’s headline, since I go to a Pentecostal church and all: “Device to Help Soldiers Speak in Tongues.”

Heh.

Shannon French, an associate professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, wrote an interesting article on the ethics of war for The Chronicle of Higher Education. She teaches philosophy at the Academy and has written a book on a soldier’s code of conduct on the battlefield that’s due to come out next month.

In this article she mentioned a Spartan mother’s charge that I’m very familiar with - it is something that was usually said to a Spartiate heading off to battle: “Spartan! Return with your shield or upon it!” (This is the variation I know, at least.) There are some other good points that she emphasizes, particularly this:

The warrior’s code is the shield that guards our warriors’ humanity. Without it, they are no good to themselves or to those with whom and for whom they fight. Without it, they will find no way back from war. I have dear friends – many of them former students and Naval Academy colleagues – who are currently in harm’s way. They are our pilots, surface-warfare officers, submariners, Navy SEALs, and Marines. Come May, more of my current students will join them. When and if they go into combat, I want them to be able to return from war intact in body and soul. I want all of them, every last one, to come back with their shields.

(via ALD)

A friend recently sent me this link to an online treasure hunt that tests a journalist’s newsroom literacy. If you ask me, it’s more of a test of a journalist’s ability to use a search engine.

Susanna Cornett recently posted something interesting on the stance Christians take regarding the war with Iraq. (via Josh Claybourn)

Also, MeanDean at blogs4God.com has posted a lot of links today on the “just war” theory in Christian doctrine.

“Terrorists aim at Pearl Harbor” and “A Soldier’s Life in Afghanistan.” That’s post-9/11 life, all right.

No more news for today. On a completely different front, I didn’t think capturing these kinds of pictures was actually possible. My favorite picture is this one, with this one winning first runner-up. (Thanks for the link, Commander.)

Christianity Today has posted a good editorial on praying in a time of war.

Elsewhere in the news, there’s an interesting article in the Mercury on the isolation of the Bay Area from the rest of the country because of its vocal anti-war stance.

I haven’t attended any of the anti-war protests in San Francisco, but what I’ve been hearing and reading doesn’t convince me that the anti-war contingent has any good arguments to support its stance. Oh, those arguments are out there: I’ve heard some of them for myself. As a whole group, though, the anti-war movement seems to be marginalizing itself. Why? Well, it’s simple: instead of presenting a cohesive argument for why we shouldn’t go to war with Iraq, I instead find a lot of Bush-bashing and anti-Americanism in general. Their message is getting lost in the compacted