AP - KHARTOUM, Sudan - British teacher Gillian Gibbons was convicted of insulting Islam for letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad and sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation from Sudan, one of her defense lawyers said Thursday. [Click here for full article]
The good news is that she was convicted of a lesser crime. She was initially charged with inciting religious hatred.
How ironic.
Naming a teddy bear Muhammad is hatred, flying a plane into a building is a not.
11/29/2007
8/14/2007
Missing the Point
The following is by Brian McClaren and Tony Campolo from their book Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel.
I'm in Home Depot. A series of consumer canyons tower menacingly overhead. All I need is a thingamajig. Where is it and who cares? My eyes quickly scan the horizon of stuff looking for a little just-in-time customer service.The Home Depot story reminds me of the modern church. We sometimes forget why we are in business. We forget that the "Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Jesus was and still is all about people. Not buildings or programs or meetings or any of the other things we spend our time on.
I want to scream at those apron-clad folks: Take your eyes of those boxes! Get down off that stupid ladder! Quit visiting with your coworkers! Don't pick up that phone! Pay attention to me!
But it's pointless, and I finally get it: I'm an interruption. An irritation. They'd prefer I wasn't in their building.
They've forgotten why they went into business. It wasn't to count boxes. Or visit each other. Or ignore the customer. They went into business to pay attention to the customer.
8/05/2007
Music and Lyrics
This is a clip from one of my favorite movies of the last few years. Hugh Grant is phenomenal.
7/17/2007
6/21/2007
6/20/2007
Why you should think before you speak
The North Texas town of Oak Point voted to make English it's official language on Monday. I'm sure that is a debate for another day.
What amused me however was a local news feature on this some weeks ago. One of the proponents of this ordinance said something along the lines of you need to speak English if you come to America. He then add that, "If I was in Mexico I would speak Spanish and if I was in German I'd speak German." That's not a typo folks.
I would think that a proponent of "English only" should at least be able to speak the language.
Moving on.
The reporter closed with this gem. "The ordinance would not apply to restaurants. A Chinese restaurant could still have it's menu in Chinese while a Mexican restaurant could still have it's menu in Hispanic." That's no typo either.
What amused me however was a local news feature on this some weeks ago. One of the proponents of this ordinance said something along the lines of you need to speak English if you come to America. He then add that, "If I was in Mexico I would speak Spanish and if I was in German I'd speak German." That's not a typo folks.
I would think that a proponent of "English only" should at least be able to speak the language.
Moving on.
The reporter closed with this gem. "The ordinance would not apply to restaurants. A Chinese restaurant could still have it's menu in Chinese while a Mexican restaurant could still have it's menu in Hispanic." That's no typo either.
5/02/2007
3/20/2007
The best thing I have seen in a while
The Late Late Show's Craig Ferguson explains why he refuses to make fun of Britney Spears. Fantastic stuff.
2/03/2007
Sports and all that implies
I love football, both American and real football you know, the one played with a round ball and your feet. You probably know it as soccer.
What I don't love is football (soccer) hooligans. They have been a blemish on the game for a long time. The game's history is full of violence and death because of people who are unable to separate sports from reality. I recall watching the European Cup final in 1985 between Liverpool and Juventus. 39 fans were crushed to death at that one.
Much effort (time, money, police) has been made to fix this problem. I had to go through security at Gatwick (London) airport the day the European championships started in Portugal. The cops with dogs and sub-machine guns made DFW look and feel like a tea party.
It has thankfully been a long time since their has been a game related death. That was until this week.
One police officer was killed and 100 people injured after a game between Catania and Palermo in Italy's Serie A. That is most tragic, what is impressive however is the Italian Football Federation's response. All professional soccer games in Italy have been canceled until further notice.
"I have demanded a stop to all activity of football in Italy," said the Italian football commissioner, Luca Pancalli. "Enough is enough. It's a situation that I cannot speak of. To lose your life at 38 is incredible. This is not a sport. The football tournaments will remain suspended until we solve the violence in our football."
To realize the magnitude of that decision you have to understand that Serie A is the second most profitable soccer league on the planet. This decision costs money, creates scheduling nightmares but they made it anyway.
This has caused me to reflect on sports in America on this Super Bowl weekend. Would the NFL suspend games under similar circumstances? Would they sacrifice the dollars? I doubt it. The Super Bowl, and the endless NFL network coverage, the insufferable five hour pre-game show and the overpriced commercials remind me how "Super"ficial it all is. I used to love the Super Bowl but now it is an event I can do without. I installed shelving during the game last year.
What I don't love is football (soccer) hooligans. They have been a blemish on the game for a long time. The game's history is full of violence and death because of people who are unable to separate sports from reality. I recall watching the European Cup final in 1985 between Liverpool and Juventus. 39 fans were crushed to death at that one.
Much effort (time, money, police) has been made to fix this problem. I had to go through security at Gatwick (London) airport the day the European championships started in Portugal. The cops with dogs and sub-machine guns made DFW look and feel like a tea party.
It has thankfully been a long time since their has been a game related death. That was until this week.
One police officer was killed and 100 people injured after a game between Catania and Palermo in Italy's Serie A. That is most tragic, what is impressive however is the Italian Football Federation's response. All professional soccer games in Italy have been canceled until further notice.
"I have demanded a stop to all activity of football in Italy," said the Italian football commissioner, Luca Pancalli. "Enough is enough. It's a situation that I cannot speak of. To lose your life at 38 is incredible. This is not a sport. The football tournaments will remain suspended until we solve the violence in our football."
To realize the magnitude of that decision you have to understand that Serie A is the second most profitable soccer league on the planet. This decision costs money, creates scheduling nightmares but they made it anyway.
This has caused me to reflect on sports in America on this Super Bowl weekend. Would the NFL suspend games under similar circumstances? Would they sacrifice the dollars? I doubt it. The Super Bowl, and the endless NFL network coverage, the insufferable five hour pre-game show and the overpriced commercials remind me how "Super"ficial it all is. I used to love the Super Bowl but now it is an event I can do without. I installed shelving during the game last year.
1/12/2007
There's only one David Beckham
"There's only one David Beckham, one David Beckham" the chorus that used to ring out around the theater of dreams - Old Trafford - home of Manchester United FC. Now the same chorus will ring out at the Home Depot Center in Carson California, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy.
I have a confession to make. I love David Beckham. For years he was the hero of the Man U faithful and now he is heading to the USA to help grow the game. Of course the naysayers (ESPN) are saying this won't increase the popularity of the game in this country at all. I'd like to disagree.
Hockey no longer has a national TV deal, the NBA and baseball have ever dwindling numbers. I think the time is perfect for the ascendancy of the beautiful game. Last summer's World Cup final had more TV viewers in the USA than the World Series did. Don't forget that the "Big 3" sports in this country were horse racing, boxing and baseball 50 years ago.
I will purchase tickets for the first LA/Dallas featuring Becks when they go one sale.
"There's only one David Beckham, one David Beckham"
I have a confession to make. I love David Beckham. For years he was the hero of the Man U faithful and now he is heading to the USA to help grow the game. Of course the naysayers (ESPN) are saying this won't increase the popularity of the game in this country at all. I'd like to disagree.
Hockey no longer has a national TV deal, the NBA and baseball have ever dwindling numbers. I think the time is perfect for the ascendancy of the beautiful game. Last summer's World Cup final had more TV viewers in the USA than the World Series did. Don't forget that the "Big 3" sports in this country were horse racing, boxing and baseball 50 years ago.
I will purchase tickets for the first LA/Dallas featuring Becks when they go one sale.
"There's only one David Beckham, one David Beckham"
1/04/2007
2006 in Review
As I reflect on the year that was, I came across this winner of a 2006 Darwin award.
I hope that 2007 has a few more brighter days (and people).
(Belize) Benjamin Franklin reputedly flew his kite in a lightning storm, going on to discover that lightning equals electricity. However, certain precautions must be taken to avoid sudden electrocution. Kennon, 26, replicated the conditions of Ben Franklin's experiment, but without Ben's sensible safety precautions. Dennon was flying a kite with a short string that he had extended with a length of thin copper wire. The copper made contact with a high-tension line, sending a bolt of electrical lightning towards the man. Just bad luck? Kennon's father told listeners his son was an electrician, and "should have known better." Kennon is survived by his parents, six sisters, and five brothers.
I hope that 2007 has a few more brighter days (and people).
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