A review of an Idea of North show

http://dreamqueen.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

If you ever (if *I* ever) get a chance to see them, take it!!

By the way, my WUSB listeners have given lots of great feedback on their Unfortunate Tale. The last verse is lost on them (it's veddy British), but otherwise so fun.

Odd online dating things

There are some things about the online dating stuff that just feels strange.

For instance, what happened a week ago. I got a sudden burst of emails at one of the sites I'm part of. That in itself is strange -- I can send out 30 letters before getting a single non-automated reply, and I almost never get someone contacting me first. Just seeing the number of incomings, I got suspicious. But I looked at them all.

Each was of a different woman with a different account. (Well, one was really a girl -- says 18, but had to be at least 2 yrs younger.) Each was from either Eastern Europe or Taiwan. And the self-description paragraphs had a strangely similar sound to them -- they covered the same topics, and used many of the same words. Each had 5 photos -- not 4, not 6, always exactly 5 -- and four of them would be each of the same 4 types. A front facial, a lightly-clad frontal full-body, an almost-direct side view, and a view lying mainly clothed in bed with body front turned toward the camera. The fifth would cover what could be considered their best view, which was different for each one. The two busty women had a cleavage shot with a slight down angle (the same angle in each), another had a 60-degree facial shot for a great look, two others showed the woman's athleticism by running basepaths. Another had a beach shot that bore an eery resemblance to the hot inside come-on photo in Alison Krauss' new album (which only just now got released, so how??). The last two had scenes of each woman enjoying herself in Paris, with drink in hand.

It's obvious that all eight profiles were produced (and probably sent) by the same person or firm. I must admit it was professionally done, with a good eye for details and an awareness of the qualities of each specific 'product'. The strangest part is that they apparently picked up on something in my own profile that told them I was likely to go for what they had. Each profile mentioned a certain set of styles of music -- acappella and singer-songwriter -- that are uncommon in combination, and even mentioned a specific band in neither genre ("Iona UK", which is not how the band identifies itself). I have to think that the marketeer found my profile through a search mechanism for keywords, then actually looked at my profile, and took the time to slightly tailor theirs to mine. I have to admit, if it weren't for their location and sameness, I might have gone for it. Each of the eight were a somewhat different kind of wow, which if there was just one and it was in the New York Metro, I would have eagerly sent an email. But 8? On the other side of the world? In an obviously 'managed' fashion? No. But the profiles' polish (~ Polish?) makes me think that this could be a trend. A consultant who uses existing dating services as a place to market marriageables by putting their best foot forward. Could be a 'next big thing' in online dating.

More assorted notes

(1) Still sore over missing TARCon :(. Sounds like the TARFlies had a blast. Well, there's still Amazing Race 12 this fall unless CBS does something weird. I did pick the winner right in a March blog here : Eric and Danielle. Just about everyone else in the late going (poss. excepting Charla) showed some sign of serious fatigue. Even Dustin & Kandice (their little fight, and their struggle with the last task). Oswald and Danny were hit the worst, with all the classic signs : arguing, disorientation, bleary eyes, and bungling tedious tasks. Heck, even Phil looked a bit weary.

(2) I'm still getting good feedback on the singing groups special, especially the Alvin Chea interview. Take 6 fans a re coming out of the woodwork. See below, April for a played-list. Acappella fans should know that while the Fall WUSB 'thon will probably generate a different show (on ethereal music), I'm still hoping for an acappella jam show on one of my regular shows in September/October. But I'm going to need a lot of groups to show up. So if you're in a Metro NY, Jersey, or Connecticut bandless band, leave me word here as to availability and contact. And keep checking here for further developments -- they will be posted.

(3) Revamped many of the word definitions on the Spirithome.com site. That includes clearer sections on homiletics and "deliverance ministries". If you're a student of religion or of Christianity, or you're a news reporter or talk show producer searching for information on a topic on Christianity, Spirithome.com is what you're looking for. There's no end to what you can find there.

(end of shameless plug for my own site....)

(4) I still can't get over those who keep calling the expression of religious belief in the public and political realms "dangerous". The Constitution specifically protects religious practice. Christian religious practice is based on loving one's neighbor, and being of help even to those who don't hold our beliefs. This is often unavoidably public, and sometimes unavoidably political. If I can't fully follow through on that, then I am not free to practice my faith. The Founders of the US understood that. Yet some writers, mostly but not exclusively on the Left, just don't get it, mainly because some religious person says something they oppose, and they (sometimes rightly) fear that the advocates are tyrants in disguise. But that's irrelevant; you fight them by opposing their viewpoint on the subject matter, not by telling them to shut up like O'Reilly does. You're free to oppose. Just don't even try to cut off the social space for the public parts of religious practice. You'll have me in your face. For your own good. For our freedom to speak is also yours, and if we don't have it, you also won't have it before long.

That said, some Christians should learn when to speak and when to listen. Listening, too, is part of loving one's neighbor.

Played-List, Singing Groups special

This is what I have in my notes; I fully expect to revise it as I go over it. But this is how it went :

When I Needed Him Most -- Blind Boys of Alabama
Heaven's Joy Awaits -- Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
A Voice From On High -- Bill Monroe & his Bluegrass Boys
Helplessly Hoping -- Crosby Stills Nash
Down to the River to Pray -- Alison Krauss (fr. 'O Brother')
All Is Well -- Ollabelle
An tAiseirl (the Resurrection) -- Noirin Ni Riain
Blue Shadows On the Trail -- Roy Rogers / Sons of the Pioneers
(unspecified)
Oklahoma Wind -- Tonic Sol-Fa
Very Last Day -- Peter Paul & Mary
Tone-Whole -- Just 4 Kicks
Poppity-Pop -- Just 4 Kicks
Vinterlude -- Take 6
If I Fell -- the Essentials
Why I Feel This Way -- Take 6 / Stevie Wonder
I Believe -- Take 6
++ [start of interview with Alvin Chea, bass singer of Take 6]
Harmony -- Take 6 / Queen Latifah
You Can Make It - Go On -- Take 6
++ [end of Chea interview]
Gypsy Woman -- the Persuasions
Inside Of You -- Ray Goodman & Brown
(You Gave Me) Peace Of Mind -- Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge
Everything's Coming Up Roses -- Realtime
Pretty Baby -- Sean Altman
Zombie Jamboree -- Rockapella
++ [ start of interview with Sean Altman, founding member of Rockapella ]
Under the Boardwalk -- Rockapella w. True Image (fr. Spike & Co. Do It Acappella)
Secret Santa -- the GrooveBarbers
U'vnay Yerusalayim -- Kol Zimra
Change In My Life -- Rockapella
++ [ end of Altman interview ]
South American Getaway -- soundtrack of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
[several other songs)
How Many Psychiatrists -- P.D.Q Bach
2 -- m-pact
++ [ start of interview with Trist Ethan Curless of m-pact ]
I Thought You Cared For Me -- m-pact
My Favorite Things -- m-pact
What Are You Doing the Rest Of Your Life -- m-pact
++ [ end of Curless interview ]
(something or other)
Tal Vez Seja Voce -- Groove Society
Rockin' Chair -- the Mills Brothers
We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me) -- the Ink Spots
Uncloudy Day -- Staple Singers
Morse Code of Love -- the Capris
All Mine (acappella mix) -- the Five Satins
In the Still Of the Night -- the Five Satins
Vowels of Love -- the Poets
Silence Is Golden -- the Four Seasons
Whispering Bells -- the Dell Vikings
You've Really Got A Hold On Me -- Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Papa Was A Rolling Stone -- the Temptations
Lovers Never Say Goodbye -- the Flamingos
Splanky -- Toxic Audio
Amazing Grace / Nearer My God -- Ladysmith Black Mambazo w. Emmylou Harris

------------------------------------

The interviews, esp. Chea, were so good I had to let them run on. I didn't get to soooo much stuff, including segments on the Mint Juleps, the Ravens, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, as well as songs from the Beach Boys, Prelude, Dixie Hummingbirds, Comedian Harmonists, and some 1990s improv from Extempo. Both time and weather shot down the idea of a jam (maybe during the fall?)

Any questions? Make a comment.

Chea, Altman on singing group radio special

It's pretty much official now for the April 15 singing groups special on WUSB 90.1FM on Lon Guyland, or wusb.fm on webcast. The following phone interviews are on :
( all times in Eastern Daylight (New York) Time )

Alvin Chea of Take 6, 1:30 pm

Sean Altman, founding member of Rockapella, 2:30 pm

Trist Curless of m-pact, 3:30 pm.

Attempts at setting up live have taken a back seat because of the bad weather forecasted for Long Island.

In any event, there will be no lack of great music. I have my digi copy of "All Mine" (Five Satins), my greatest prize. I will find myself a better copy of "South American Getaway" (Butch Cassidy soundtrack). And the Black Mambazo segment is all set up. Fun, fun, FUN. Be there or be octagonal.

Singing Groups, II -- In Harmony

Yes, we've got another radio special coming up April 15 at 12:30-5 pm, on wusb.fm. Music to do taxes by.

I can say with complete assurance that there will be great recorded group music, from a wide range of styles.. Switching leads, unison, fugues, gospel, world, but most importantly harmonies. A whole lot of WOW.

I'm also piecing together a live music segment, for acappella bands from Metro NY/coastal western CT. If that's your band's home base and you want to be involved, leave me word in the comments here.

If you're a fan of the music, the wusb.fm site has a link to the live webcast. So if you're an acappella fan in California, Seattle, Jo'burg, or Dalmatia, you've got no excuses. You can listen in.

Oh -- if you like what you hear, donate to the station; there's a form at the website, or call 631-632-6901.

Three Days experiences

The Three Days (or, to Catholics, the Triduum -- uh, hello, Latin's dead?) always gets to me. Not that the design of the services helps a whole lot. Good intentions, I'm sure, but it's more important to get the feeling of gloom and darkness on Good Friday than to read a bulletin. Have just enough light to get to a seat, perhaps with an usher's help. It's something to experience, so you can explain it afterward, if you wish, but pre-explanations dull the impact. I realize most traditions read the whole ending up to Jesus' death on Maundy Thursday, but shouldn't the service focus on Thursday's events, the last supper and the betrayal? The Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter services have their own special emphases, even when seen as continuations of each other. Use the stream of continuity to take people through the days -- a mental pilgrimage traveling through the Gospel story. You can't get that experience by overtly tipping the hand (that's where symbolism and allusion can help).

Only once has an Easter Vigil given me the sense of anticipation or waiting for God to act. That once was where it happened in the early morning before sunrise. (Sparsely-attended, of course; just three church women, 6 theology students, an Episcopal vicar, a Vineyard minister, and me.) It led right into the praise music hour that led up to the somewhat-high Episcopal Easter sunrise service at 7 am. It made me think of the Marys who went to the tomb, the loss they were feeling, the surprise they had when they got there, the joy at the incredible news. In a way, I entered into what they went through, by way of the flow of the worship services. Unfortunately, it also left me totally spoiled.

The congregation I'm a member of has a fairly good time of it on Easter. The place is full of balloons and butterfly cut-outs and vigorously-loud organ music. My worst Easter experience was about 12 or so years ago, when I was visiting a church in New Jersey I had heard good things about some 8 years earlier. (I was on my way back to Long Island from Maryland, and chose a church to go to along the way.) Unfortunately, 8 years can be a long time when there's a lot of change going on. The newly-hired pastor was doing his first Easter service there (he'd served nearby for 5 years, arrived a month or so ago). Have you ever been to a service where noone gets it? The music was noise with no flow, no harmonies, and a relentless tone of "look at me, I'm saying God loves me". The lectors talked almost like robots from the old sci-fi movies. The assistant looked and acted like she had snorted a whole bag of coke, with the ghastliest painted-on grin -- I giggle thinking about it. The pastor had obviously used the sermon before, I suspect so he could feel more comfortable in his new surroundings. He should've burned it. He spoke as much of TV shows as Jesus. And he was having great trouble reading his sermon -- meanings can change greatly by mistaking one letter. Two of the mistakes were rather racy - freudian slips, perhaps? The acolyte stumbled twice -- once over the robe, once from playing around with the crucifix. There was even a sharp but indirect reference to the firing of the previous minister. (Even the sharpest of visitors should never be able to detect that during a worship service). Of course, I was totally ignored on the way in and out, since I am a stranger.

Yes, Holy Week has its lessons.

Latest on the Site, and other tidbits

Spirithome.com has been tidying up lately -- a lot of pain-in-the-butt little tweaks that add up to a lot. For instance, further refinement in the subject index means you can either scroll through the index to see what interests you, or look for a particular topic alphabetically and see what's there. It can be really fun to use! If it needs further refinements, please pass the idea along to me (in comments to this blog entry).

I hear that in an upcoming leg, the Amazing Race folks couldn't do what they had arranged to do, so they had to make a new stop 'on the fly'. Also, that on an upcoming leg, someone(s) got really far behind the leader - a half-day or more, which is a logistical nightmare. I wonder how they'll edit around those troubles.

Still pondering the apparent clash between the freedom to claim one's own spiritual identity and being spiritually honest with the rest of us. During this 'Jesus tomb' stuff, I read someone well up in the Methodist ranks saying that he doesn't believe in Christ's actual resurrection. Yet this person still acts in the name of an organization whose core belief is rooted firmly in precisely that resurrection, as a living reality not just a symbol. If what he said really is his settled conviction (and not just an expression of doubt or wondering), I think he ought to leave the Methodist church and admit what he really is, a Unitarian Universalist, Religious Scientist, or some other such group. Because the stated belief puts the lie to his stated identity. I can deal with people more honestly when they are being what they really are. I can respect that even when I disagree with them. But there's no respecting a lie.

Later, 'gator. (Oops... shouldn't say that during the NCAAs....)

David Wilcox, and the headache

Went to see David Wilcox tonight at the Boulton Center in Bay Shore NY. Great show, funny as ever, and his songs still strike that special spot. A bit too much time tuning the guitar, but that was fine, for the kind of show he did. It gave him a chance to do what he does second-best -- tell a story. (That's second only to singing that story.) It was a bit disappointing to see the place a little over half-full, he deserves better than that. But then again, he strikes me as someone who really would love doing it for just a handful.

I hope Wilcox didn't think I was bored. I wasn't -- I was just down. I had a sour stomach and an even sourer disposition. Eating the cost of a ticket has a very bad taste. What hurts much more is why : getting stood up. After all these years and all those turndowns, it still hurts like hell. And while Wilcox's show gave me some smiles, it also reminded me of what I miss. You see, he sings of hope and love, especially about love that grows when all you can expect of it is to die. I can't get it to even begin. I want to be the wonder in a woman's life, the one who gets her heart to blossom. There have even been specific women whom I most wanted to light up. But the story of my life is being not just dumped, but being dumped on my head. Hence, a persistent headache.

I'll gladly take the headaches that come with love.

Amazing Race

A guilty pleasure every Sunday night, on CBS. This time, it's the All-Stars.

I had been wondering where I had seen Joyce (of Uchenna & Joyce, one of the better all-star teams) before. Then, I was going by a TV that had Star Trek : Next Generation playing. There she was, on the bridge, in navigation. Checking up on the fan sites, it turns out she was on quite a few of them, labeled as having a 'bit part', but a bit less 'bit' than most; even had a character name, Ensign Gates. Quite attractive back then, and to some extent still is. I wonder if the folks at Stony Brook's ICON convention know about this? The question then is : if she can help navigate a starship to a far-away galaxy, it can't be all that much of a challenge to navigate a Chilean back road, could it? :)

I for one am going to miss David & Mary (aka Kentucky). She can be an angel in some ways, a harsh nag in others, but somehow both of them are more like real people I know than most of the others (TV actresses, beauty queens, in the previous edition an ESPY-winning triathlete, etc.). And they are both growing. But they also aren't very good at the Race, which is why it was okay for them to be eliminated.

I'm hoping for Oswald & Danny, but expecting Eric & Danielle.

audio devotionals for Lent

There are now 3 Spirithome.com audio devotionals for Lent : Third Sunday in Lent, Fourth Midweek, and Fifth Sunday. The sound quality is good, especially for using a computer's built-in mic. (I guess I'm learning how to fix overmod.) Give 'em a listen, and spread the word.

(Oh -- don't forget the written versions, Midweek and Sunday each week, for example Third Midweek of Lent.)

More on Mariamne and the Jesus Tomb

I was just reading some more about Jesus' time, to see the plausibility of the Jesus Tomb claim. More weakness in the Mariam(e)ne/Magdalene connection. Guess where I found some Mariamnes? In Herod's family. Several, in fact. The Herodian Miriams usually used the extended Greek form, which makes sense, given their longtime affectation for Greek culture. They, of course, would insist on a Greek or even Roman inscription on their box, while many other Jews (especially the rural ones, like Miriam of Migdal was) would insist on Hebrew or Aramaic in the face of the foreign occupiers.

Maybe I should make a cable TV special showing how these ossuaries are a Herodian link to Jesus? Nah. They're not ornate enough. These sort of burial ground ossuaries (bone boxes) were for the well-to-do landowners, merchants, and top officials, not the poor, the artisan, or the farmer. However, this was still way too simple to be a Herod.

The passage that identifies Mariamne in Acts of Philip reads thusly (in modern language):

• "Then the time came for the Savior to split the apostles up, and each went out to the area he was sent. It fell to Philip to go to the land of the Greeks. He thought it to be difficult, and wept. Then Mariamne his sister (the one who readied the bread and salt at the breaking of bread - though it was Martha that worked hard to serve it to the multitudes) saw this, and went to Jesus and said, ' Lord, see how much anguish this is causing for my brother?' "

Mariamne, Philip's sister and defender. This is not Miriam of Migdal. I don't know enough about the ins and outs of gnostic literature to know if this is intended to connect Philip with Lazarus' family through Mary and Martha. No such link is made in the New Testament, or in church history. But it is definitely not Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Mary apparently does make this connection, but it is even weirder and even later than Acts of Philip. And all of the earlier gnostic books use the same name for Mary Magdalene as the New Testament and church tradition.

The more I sift through this particular Jacobovici claim, the the more impossible it becomes. (Just as it was for the DaVinci Code's Magdalene claims.) And it would be hard to come up with a way to link Jesus of Nazareth to the Jesus of the bone box without such a link to Mary Magdalene, since we don't have a known sample of Jesus of Nazareth's DNA to compare to. (Knowing Jacobovici, he'll come up with something.) The whole thing is starting to have an abundance of Colbert's 'truthiness' -- some people really really want it to be true, want it to at least feel true.

Discovery Channel and Jesus' Tomb

Everyone's heard about this Jesus Tomb thing. It's very interesting. It is my duty as a human being with any sort of a brain to check out something that has bearing on what is to me the core incident that I have centered my life on. The Christian faith has trained me differently than it has others. Precisely because the Bible taught me that truth matters, I can't simplistically cordon off by itself a category known as 'religious truth' (a separate category from reality). There is such a thing as 'religious truth', but it is something that is embedded in reality, not hovering above it. (That is the way the God of the Bible works.) It means I -- and any credibly-thinking person, believer or not -- must take the claim seriously, and treat it with a rigorous going-over.

That's hard for me to do. Not because of faith, but because I know too much already about one of the two main people involved, Simcha Jacobovici. He is, to say the least, very fishy. He was the one who made the documentary that put the so-called James ossuary into the public spotlight a few years ago. It has been scientifically demonstrated that while it was a real ancient bone box, the inscription on it had been recently altered or added to, probably by a known counterfeiter. But he still tries to make people believe it's real. That wasn't the only time he shaded truth. He and James Cameron made the film (or is it a 'flim'?) Exodus Decoded, which theorized that mariners from Crete were instrumental in the happenings in Exodus. They also posited a bizarre time line and geography of what happened, and explained the plagues as the eventual result of seismic happenings across the Mediterranean. (There's a site that gives a good, if obsessive, point-by-point on it.) Why didn't he add space aliens, or Sasquatch? With that kind of a track record, his involvement should do big-time damage to the credibility of any theory. When combined with the director of Titanic, there is the distinct fragrance of P.T. Barnum in the air.

But that by itself means nothing; liars are occasionally capable of telling the truth, or at least stumbling upon it. The question is, has Jacobovici done so here? One of the items I've seen in the press and publicity strikes me as especially weak : the supposed connection of the Mariamne box to Mary Magdalene. Talk about a stretch! Mariam(e)ne is a well-attested long-form Greek version of Miriam (Mary), used by Josephus for all sorts of Miriams. So far as my old Greek class notes tell me, there are two early sources where Mariamne was used as a name for New Testament figures : the gnostic Acts of Philip and the Gospel of Mary, both written at least 5 generations later. And the use in Philip was for Philip's preacher-sister, not Mary Magdalene. The second word in the inscription is Mara, said to mean 'master'. But its position in the inscription is where the other boxes have the name of a person. My old notes say Mara was used by Hellenistic Jews as a short form of Martha. However, it also may be a Hellenist's rendering of the Jewish name/word Mara(h) ('bitter'; found in Ruth 1:20). That could be a reference to the bitterness of Mariamne after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abandonment. In any event, in all the sources (including the gnostic ones), Mary Magdalene is named not by parentage but by town : Migdal. There is no mention of Migdal in the inscription. And, she was an Aramaic-speaking Jew from a small Jewish fishing village -- so why the Greek name forms on the inscription? Especially if she was the wife of a Jew that had a Jewish (not Roman or Greek) name, as the theory says?

If Cameron bases the identification of Jesus on linking the Mariamne bone box to Mary Magdalene, it is built on a foundation of sand.

You Don't Know Until You Try

In this case, it's trying to make all sorts of little improvements to a 240-page-big website in time for the Lenten surge. In this case, it's CSS-ing the pages, validating the HTML, checking for readability, sending out to correct others' links to the site, and making the subject index actually easy to use. (You can check the subject index out for yourself -- comments, please?) That's 3 days' work. Like I can use more social isolation.... But it has to be ready for Lent, when usage jumps 3-fold. And the overhaul is overdue by a few years. Picture what it would be like if I didn't "keep it simple".

Feedback would be much appreciated.

A Form of Insanity

I'm used to being on the periphery of the 'organization' part of organized religion. One would think that would be a creative place to be. I can see the needs that organization leaders must deal with, and I can feel the alienation and disengagement in those who aren't let 'in' on it.

But what I feel most is a sense of impotence. I speak up, I take part, I relate, whether in 'hierarchical' ways or in 'emergent' ways. But each new venture ends up peetering out, either in frustrating failure or acceptance of small, almost trivial gains. Maybe it's middle-age getting to me. Or just the endless repeating of the pattern. I still want to make a difference. I still want to be a vessel for God's work in moving the Church Universal ahead. But instead, I'm a part of spiritual regression. I try to do it a little differently each time (and occasionally a lot differently), knowing how insane it is to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. But I still make nibbles when full bites are needed. I keep myself spiritually open, looking for God's open doors, trying some doorknobs, peeping through peepholes. But nothing much happens. I have so much to offer, but instead everyone else wants me to do what I'm not at all good at, with predictable results. And when I try to start something myself, I end up out there alone. It's not a good place to be. I don't belong there.

I don't really think anyone has an answer for that. But I share it anyway.

Opting out

I've been digging into some stats and several case studies/examples about Christian believers who no longer belong to denominational churches, or even to churches at all. I'm not talking about people who find that they no longer believe in Christ. I'm talking about those who believe in Christ, and some who even stake their lives and livelihoods on that faith, but are avoiding 'organized church' entirely. Some pretty interesting stuff.

I can't say I identify all that much with these people. Their stories display many of the reasons I choose not to opt out. But I've gone through some of the things they have, so I can't simply ignore them. I have to listen. And so do all the leaders of those who choose not to join them.

More on that later.

Second Midweek in Advent

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice. It's a theme that Paul keeps coming back to throughout his letter to the Philippians. But the Philippian church isn't doing much rejoicing. They're split into at least two factions, probably more. The reasons for the split are not clear; he warns about common enemies that might come, but they don't appear to be there yet. Instead, he appeals to them to follow examples of how to be caring and self-giving -- Jesus, Timothy, Epaphroditus (the church at Philippi's own cofounder), and himself.

Paul loves this church. He speaks as someone who is torn when it is torn, uplifted when it raises upward. He is concerned that maybe they've lost track of what they have to rejoice over. "The Lord is near", Paul writes. And with Him comes the peace of God beyond all understanding.

When our life together is marked by bickering and feuding and backbiting (if not backstabbing), it becomes easy to forget the reasons we have for rejoicing. It is still true : "The Lord is near."

Lord, grant us Your peace, restore our joy, and lift our worry from us, so that we can live in a way fitting for the nearness of Christ. Amen.

A challenge : Keep watch on what you say. If you catch yourself saying things to tear people down, think of something to say that might build them up, and say that instead.

Living With Our Neighbors

I just read the remarks from the new Deputy Prime Minister of Israel. He's sugggesting that it's time for Israel to give up on ever having peace with its neighbors, and completely ignore the Palestinian government.

If I were US President, I would come down hard and clear in public about even a hint of such talk.

The single most important thing we must get through Israel's head is that no amount of deceit, hatred, or killing gives any nation anywhere at any time any right at all to be anything other than a nation among nations that has to work at living with their neighbors, and indeed the rest of the world. (The Palestinians also have to learn this, true, but noone has any right to wait until the other guy does it.) I'm a full supporter of Israel's right to defend itself. But that right to defend itself is limited to actions against their direct attackers. If Hizbollah takes action against Israel, Israel has every right to stomp Hizbollah into the ground. I'd rather they found a different way to handle the matter, but it is rightfully their decision to make. But then Israel destroys the facilities (and occasionally homes) of everyone else in Lebanon. They punished the Lebanese government and people, even though they'd have gotten rid of Hizbollah long ago if they had anything even remotely resembling the power to do so. By their actions, Israel simply increased the proportion of enemies around them, an act that makes matters worse not better. (There is also Lebanese foolishness, for not understanding that Hizbollah is largely the cause of their disaster, and thus are their enemy not their defenders. It is of very high importance that this is what they say at all times and what they base their actions on, and definitively cut the crap about their being in any way "heroes".)

We know Bush knew that Israel had decided to go into Lebanon once those soldiers were kidnapped. It is now clear that W. took no action -- not even talk -- to try to impress upon Israel the importance of very strictly limiting their actions to their immediate purpose and their direct enemy. This failure on W's part is of a piece with W's other Middle East failures, including Iraq. His legacy is hellish, but who cares about that? I care about the blood, the bombs, the hatred, and the idiotic illusions that pass for reality in the Middle East. Bush is under similar delusions. He has blown the opportunity we had at 9/11 to really keep the world behind us and really get at the terrorists and what they represent. It was once said that we are a great nation because we are a good nation. (I never did believe we were all that good, just that most others are noticeably worse.) Bush has led the world to have even more doubt about how good our nation is. It is up to us to hold him and his administration responsible for that, and to do it right now. If we do, I expect Bush to then act more responsibly -- like most anyone who is held responsible after misbehaving.

Impoverished politics

I'm watching the election results as I write. Bush has to understand just how much of an albatross he has become around the necks of some pretty good Republicans who lost. But is he the kind who is able to take his medicine and learn his lessons? His presidency thus far leaves me with little hope that he can. Which will leave him increasingly like a lame duck. Only, while he sits there lame, more soldiers and more Iraqis will die.

Watch for the Baker-Hamilton report, coming very shortly. W isn't going to like that, either.

online dating weirdities

I've been spending a lot of time the past few months in the hopes of finding companionship and maybe true love on-line at the services. If you're not familiar with it, it's an odd experience, to be sure. Most of the services have you create a profile where you describe yourself and your interests. Each member searches through the profile, based on a choice of factors or by keyword.

Unfortunately, reading them can be a form of torture. Especially for me, since I fancy myself a writer and I'm very picky about spelling. There are all sorts of elements to the torture. You can probably guess a few of them -- lying about age or weight, using photos from many years ago, or photos of someone else. But here are some you may not know :

(1) There are more problems with the photos than the obvious ones. For instance:
(a) dark photos. (So dark I can't tell where the clothing or hair ends and the background begins.)
(b) the photos of her with her exboyfriend or ex-husband. (With the head whited out or with the face cut off. I guess she still has issues....)
(c) The Group Photo, usually with co-workers, friends, or sisters. (Not a bad concept, really. But in practice, there's always someone in the photo that looks much better than the one whose profile I'm looking at. No self-respecting woman would answer if asked about her friend instead of her. Also : her friend's probably married.)

(2) Profiles are Cliche Central. For instance :
(a) "My friends say I'm ...." (Or at least they say that to her face...)
(b) "I'm equally comfy in a formal dress and blue jeans." (But how is she in khakis?)
(c) "I love to travel" (Most of us do, but we can't afford to do much of it. Can she?)
(d) "no [emotional] baggage" (Right. If you get past 30, or you have a divorce, you've got baggage, you may not know where it's stored.)
(e) "I'm sick of the bar scene" (But she wanders back there once in a while...)
(f) "I see the glass half-full" (Of what?)
(g) "down to earth" (But she loves gossip and fashion magazines, romance novels, and makeup.)
(h) "Looking for Mr. Right" (But how much has she worked on being Ms. Right? Be a good partner, and you'll get a better partner.)
(i) "I'm family-oriented, with strong traditional values, looking to settle down." (I guess that's why she's posted that racy photo with the busts propped up, or in a come-on position draped over her bed.)
(j) "Liars and players, go elsewhere." (But she usually don't know who's lying or playing games until she knows them a while. Remember : the gamers know how to game her.)
(k) "I like all styles of music, except [multichoice, select from country, opera, rap, or metal]" (I have a radio show at one of the most widely-varied stations in the world, WUSB. I've heard it all. And I can say there's no style I don't like something from. But there are many genres and subgenres I overall don't like. How many women actually have listened to any styles or artists that are outside the Top 20 or MTV?)
(l) "Writing about myself is pure torture." (She wonders, 'do I have anything worthwhile to say about myself?' And comes up blank...)

There's much more where that comes from. An original, unusual, or honestly personal profile is rare. (That includes my own, which suffers from TMI.)