Thursday Potpourri

After the recent attack on a US Airways jet by a flock of Canadian Geese, perhaps we should expand our virtual fence with Mexico to ensure that in the future, this doesn't happen again. This morning I heard a great report on the reissue of Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" album. You can hear the report here and also some of the music. But what struck me was Davis quote at the end of the report. He said, ten years after the original release that he was done with that music and if people wanted to hear it, they should buy the album. For Miles, he needed to be about creation. It is too bad more musicians don't adhere to this philosophy instead of choosing the bland sameness to which we are often sentenced today. With the Super Bowl Game coming up, I am going with the Steelers. This is one of the great all time NFL franchises and if Vegas thinks they are gonna win, who am I to question the bookies? That said, if Larry Fitzgerald has a big day, the Cardinals just might pull it out and put Kurt Warner in the Hall of Fame. When oil was at $145.00 a barrel, we paid about $4.50, or 3.10% of the crude amount for a gallon a refined petrol. Now with oil at about $42.00 a barrel, we are paying about $2.00, or 4.75% of the crude amount for a gallon of the stuff. Can someone tell me why we are seeing such disparity? Shouldn't the percentages be about the same, thus making the cost about $1.30 a gallon? In the current political atmosphere, many Republicans are rightly teed off at how President Bush was treated by the left. I can understand that. But I do not understand how many of those same Republicans, often claiming to be Christian, can then say they have a right, and will choose to be just as evil to President Obama. Isn't evil always wrong, and if we are claiming Christ, aren't we called to live a different life? Regardless of your political persuasion, you should be happy about how excited people in other parts of the world about Barack Obama. I was just in Oaxaca, Mexico and rode in the back of a taxi/truck from a small village and all a group of pretty griseled old Zapotecs wanted to talk about was Obama. In him, they saw hope for themselves, because the US had taken a big step away from our racist past. While on my trip to Oaxaca, I heard how much the people in the villages where I am working struggle with the difference between needs and wants. It is not uncommon to raise your family on less than $3000.00 a year. It seems this struggle is really part of the human condition. Finally, tomorrow I am taping an interview for the SOS Radio Network about my work in Oaxaca. If you are the praying type, pray that I can be clear, concise, and not too nervous. My interview is at 2:00pm PST with Kurt Goff and generally is broadcast within a couple of days on his afternoon show across the western US. Have a great weekend!

President Barack Obama

I grew up believing that one day, if I worked hard, and really wanted to, I could be the President of the United States. I never doubted that fact. Even though I grew up in a mostly working class neighborhood outside of Los Angeles, California, it never occured to me that what I believed was not true. And then I met the most wonderful person in the world, and she happened to be black. People told us Chelle and I were nuts to get married. They told us it was hard enough to be young and married, let alone married to someone of another race. People who loved us dearly even played the "Think of the kids" card. I soon learned that what I taken for granted, things like open doors and opportunity, would not necessarily be available to my son, a mixed race kid from a middle class background. Until today. Today I can tell my son, and one day my grandchildren, that they too can grow up to be President of the United States of America. Today I am truly proud of my country. We are not there yet, but we are surely closer.

The Show Me State

I am frequently on the road as part of my work with Adventures in Life Ministry. As a professional short term missionary, I consider it one of the "perks" of my job to get to visit new areas. Later tonight I will be getting on a plane to Oaxaca, Mexico for a week of ministry with some of our church partners from Ensenada. But my travels also take me to areas of the US that are new to me. Last week I had the chance to be in Missouri, also known as the Show Me State. Part of my trip took me to Kansas City and the College Basketball Experience. This place is a fans dream. You get full sized courts to mess around on, three point shooting arenas, dunking opportunities, (they even worked for a white guy like me!) and basically lots of fun. If you have kids that like basketball, take them to this place if you get the chance. It is an incredible place. In addition to all of the interactive stuff, you can even have a little of the ESPN experience. That's my brother on my right as we called the highlights of a basketball game in front of us on the teleprompter. We also got in a little historical perspective on my trip. I was able to see the Harry Truman Library in Independence and the Missouri State Capital in Jefferson City. The Truman Library was fantastic. It gave a balanced view of Truman and the decisions he had to make. I really appreciated the interactive exhibits that asked us to make our own decisions on some of the more difficult issues President Truman faced. Having visited the Carter Library in October, I left wishing there was a way for more people to visit these wonderful museums and learn about our former presidents. Even if you did not agree with their policies. But my visit to the state capital was the highlight of my trip. First off, I was there the day the legislature opened their new session. So the entire government was there and the place was wide open! I'm not kidding on this. Out west you have to go through more security to pay a ticket than I saw in the capital. Amazing. We walked the halls of the capital as if it was our house. Which technically it is, but in our post 9/11 world, this kind of access is a rare treat. I was able to enter the House Chambers, a few congressional offices, see the exhibits, literally everything. I still can't believe we were able to walk literally anywhere in the building completely unmolested. [That's me in the Missouri House Chambers] Dee who runs the Missouri based blog Conservatism With Heart frequently brags on her state. I can see why. I'll be out of touch for a few days, until then, Dios les bendiga!

I Love A Parade

January 1st, while many folks in our beautiful country were still freezing, I was warm and cozy in sunny Pasadena, California watching the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. Sitting right below the KTLA television booth, manned by longtime commentators Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards, we had a fantastic view. [This years Sweepstakes Trophy winner from Rainbird Industries] This float from Rainbird was just spectacular, as their entry usually is. Before the parade, we had a chance to walk the staging area. It was there that we saw the decoration and detail close up. It simply is one of the best floats I have ever seen in the Rose Parade. After the game, we headed to my in-laws house to nurse our colds, have a great meal, and watch the USC, er, I mean the Rose Bowl in which SC manhandled Penn State. So that's it for now, but I wanted to leave you with just one more thought.

Happy 2009