God Speaks Again.... (but not to me)

And no, He didn't speak to George Bush again. He spoke to none other than Richard Roberts, who headed up Oral Roberts University. Reference this Sunday Morning Muse I posted about his last conversation with God in October, where God told this religious shyster we live in a "litigious" society and to fight the allegations against him. (There is a lawsuit accusing him of using university money on lavish shopping sprees, buying a stable of horses, paying for a daughter to travel to the Bahamas aboard the university jet, and let's not forget the 800 dollar cell phone bills for his wife's alleged underage boyfriends.)

Well apparently God change his mind. He told Roberts to resign. Actually, to hear Roberts tell it, God insisted.

Associated Press

On Wednesday, Roberts said God told him he would "do something supernatural for the university," if he stepped down from the job he held at the 5,700-student school since 1993.

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I'm offended by this story on so many levels:

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1. If God talks to George Bush and to Richard Roberts why won't he talk to the leaders of the Israelis and the Palestinians and help resolve their problems? Certainly a much more worthwhile conversation?

2. If God bargains with religious shysters who misuse funds gathered in His name, to promote His work, what does that say about God?

3. If God is so concerned about our litigious society, why doesn't he talk to the judge instead of insisting old Richard drop his fight against the allegations against him? I'm sure whatever the result of a court fight, any judge could be swayed to agree with God if God would just talk to him.

4.If God really did offer to "do something supernatural" for the University, yet he hasn't intervened so far with a cure for AIDS or Cancer, what party trick could he really have in mind?

I'll quit for now, I'm too worked up. Wake up people.

The Sunday Morning Muse, November 25, 2007

I spent most of yesterday trying to talk myself out of buying an IPOD. This whole shopping frenzy is starting to get to me. My whole voluntary simplicity lifestyle seems on the back burner.

My thoughts were full of reasons to justify buying one. I don't want to be left behind by technology do I? Besides, I really NEED one.... I RUN, now, and running without something sticking out of your ears blasting digital music is almost like running naked. Or worse...running with antique headphones and a cassette player clipped to your pants. Yikes.

I asked my hairdresser. If you were to buy an MP3 player, what would you buy? Sheesh, if I had known the conversation that would result from that.... well let's just say next time in a bar I'm going to use it as a pick up line because EVERYONE has opinions on this subject and are willing to chime in. People in the shop even piped up to offer suggestions. He even brought out two examples of them to show me that he stood in line for to buy on Black Friday. Then proceeded to enlighten me about the features of each.... 500 songs... 5000 thousand songs, video screens.... etc....

Then I realized something. I really don't WANT an IPOD or MP3 player. I just THOUGHT I did. I don't want to download 5000 songs. I don't even want to listen to music while I run. If I'm bored there is a TV to stare at at the Gym, people beside me to talk to, provided I can talk while I'm gasping for air as I tend to do, and at home, I really have NO USE for it right now.

Saying that, there will come a time, when I'll change my mind. And if someone buys me one, well, I'll certainly learn to live with it.

Naked Beowulf 101

When I agreed to go see Beowulf, the only thing I knew about the movie was what I remembered from the epic poem we studied in High School English Class:

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* Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel's mother gets revenge.

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This didn't add up to much for me, but I went anyway. The digitally enhanced Beowulf.... a barely recognizable Ray Winstone with six pack abs, embodied everything a superhero should be. And he faught Grendel naked. Grendel's Mother? A very recognizable, and naked, Angelina Jolie. What brought the hideous monster Grendel-- an evil super-ugly, bloody gory pus filled wretch of a creature-- to the new Mead hall? Sounds of boisterous, lustful, drunken men partying with busty, drunken women.

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Do you see the pattern here?

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Perhaps if all the boring high school literature classes could be modified to include naked superheroes with computer generated monsters to fight, more kids would learn the classics. I say that in jest. Don't take the kids to this one.

Let there be Peace on Earth...

If someone arrived here from another planet and watched the news yesterday, they would think we are all really screwed up. First they would see the tables full of hundreds of needy folks being served up helpings of turkey and mashed potatoes, then cut to the story about the crazy people waiting in line for several hours in freezing cold temperatures to fight their way into a store for the purpose of saving a few bucks off of the latest toy, TV or gadget. Then the "on the street" interviews of shoppers. I heard one lady, a 20-something mother, saying that her kids have a 1700 hundred dollar list of things they want, and she knows that this year she can't get everything.

What? Oh, what a bad mother.

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Didn't those pictures of the people at the Food Bank, at the Salvation Army, or in those church halls, mean ANYTHING?

Yesterday there was also a disturbing story about a group of kids at a school in Florida that started a Peace Club. They wore a Peace Shirt once a week on the same day. It sounds so sweet and innocent. But not in this society. The political partisanship that dominates our culture has gotten to the younger generation and now these kids are harrassed and called names by other kids, being accused of being "against the Troops.." Sounds like Little Rush Limbaughs doesn't it?

From the Article

But what started out as a light-hearted gesture soon started to be taken out of context. Students started approaching the group members, yelling obscene things at them, said Lauren. "People just turned on us like that," she said. "At least 10 boys stood up and yelled things at me at once, and we couldn't even walk through the halls without a harsh comment being made."

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Soon, a second group started to wear Confederate flag shirts to oppose the peace group, Skylar said. She saw shirts with sayings such as "This is America, get used to it," and "If peace is the answer; it must be a stupid question." "Now there are even 'support our troops' kids who don't like us because I guess they think you can't say peace and support the troops at the same time," Lauren said.

How does this happen? That the whole concept of PEACE.... something so beautiful and innocent... a message gangbangers need to hear, a message that fighting families with all the domestic violence we have in this country... really need to hear. And the word itself has been perverted by shrill voices on the right, so determined to promote the President and his war. So to Rush, and to all the others out their spewing hate and constantly pounding their pro- war message: Hey, the children are listening. The fruit of your message is intolerance, which is what tends to lead to war in the first place.

Peace really IS the answer. At least that's what you say in church. Remember Peace Be With You?

Are You As Tired as I am of the Debates?

Tom Waits on Letterman

What a gem this is! You gotta hear his story about the horse. Funny in a really absurd way.

Shameless Self Promotion

Cholesterol is everywhere! You can't get away from it! And I don't mean just in your food. You can't watch TV anymore without getting barraged with people telling you about the latest drugs. Well, I invite any and all who are struggling with cholesterol issues to visit my "other" blog called "Omega What?"

I need to get serious about lowering my own cholesterol, so I'm trying to educate myself a bit, and at the same time take some steps to get the numbers where they need to be. This means I spend a lot of time reading stuff on healthy eating, exercising, herbal supplements, pills and all that crap.

I figured I'd share some of my gems of knowledge, add a little humor to this daunting task, and at the same time motivate myself toward a healthier life.

In my own way, of course.

The Mamas And Papas - California Dreamin

Please watch this until at least 1 minute and 18 seconds in to get the full effect.

The Sunday Morning Muse, November 11, 2007

It just isn't fair. It used to be like this: Someone recorded a pretty good song. The song was shopped around, starting with the local radio stations. If it got airplay and people responded to it by calling in....then it went regional.... the buzz got bigger and it gets national....and vala! You have a hit. Suddenly you are selling a million records!
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The important ingredient? YOU the listener. The fans who called the stations...and bought the records.
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I heard about a local gal this weekend who has a great voice, plays some great music, has a lot of local buzz...and yet? Local DJ's have absolutely no say anymore over who gets on the air. Nothing they can do.

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Public supported radio stations do their part, and do launch the efforts of new talent with special shows and such. But, and many people do not realize this, commercial radio is controlled by conglomerates, or big companies that dictate the music on hundreds of radio stations in many different markets. These companies actually determine who gets played and who does not.... ( remember what happened to the Dixie Chicks?) and, in the case of some of the largest companies ,they even have a grand "pay for play" scheme, which is illegal. Oh they will pay lawyers to tell you that what they are doing is legal... but the finagling they do to cover up money exchanged between their own concert promoters and indie labels, and the deals made for better air time slots, still amounts to PAY FOR PLAY.
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What chance does a local artist have? Well, many say the answer is the internet. It seems like the perfect place to launch your music to the world, given all the IPODS out there plugged into so many ears.
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But how do you make money? That's the problem. The young kids today think music is "free."
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Well, just ask any starving artist how much it costs to get a decent CD produced, and you will learn otherwise. Let's hope that the very advances in technology that give artists exposure
don't discouragethe fair compensation they deserve for their work. Because, and especially right now, true talent is soooooo scarce in the homogenized, conglomerate radio world.

Remembering Dad on Veteran's Day

My dad served in the Navy near the end of World War II. That's him with the Argus Camera. He was always fumbling with cameras.
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Dad never talked about the Navy much. Lots of the returning veterans kept their experiences to themselves. He served in the Pacific Theater. I don't believe he was in any serious action. I have pictures of when he went through the Panama Canal, a few pictures of his Navy buddies, and perhaps one fading story about the time he came to the aid of a poor little dog onboard ship who became seasick.

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Even though he never said much, he was proud of his service. He wore his Navy ball cap to cut his grass, and he was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

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I miss dad. Next year will be 10 years since he passed on. I once kidded with him that he looked like a girl with his blond curly hair and blue eyes in that sailor suit. I wish now maybe I hadn't of said that.

The Sunday Morning Muse, November 4, 2007

Anybody who preserves the ability to recognize beauty will never get old.

-Franz Kafka

I've been taking more pictures lately with my new camera. Now that we are in the digital age you can take any picture, anytime, and not sweat over whether it is "film- worthy." If you hate it, you just delete it. Poof! So I take a lot of impulse pictures and decide later whether I want to keep them or not. Lately I've been on a search for beauty. I took this picture at a thrift shop.

LEONARD COHEN - Closing Time

It's so cool when you find your favorite video ever on You Tube. I no longer have to pray my VHS taped version won't break.