my own quest for insignificance...

politics

2008-02-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

I am brushing off the dust of this blog to see if I will continue blogging...?!?

I find now that I teach I have a number of venues to throw out all sorts of my ideas and see if they actually work. I just got to love students :)

so what is it that makes me want to talk again. Politics.

I have been fascinated with this campaign...absolutely fascinated! I will disclose I am and have become a fan of Obama. His words are inspirational! He speaks of a future that I can believe in again.

What a waste of thumbs that are opposable
To make machines that are disposable
And sell them to seagulls flying in circles
Around one big right wing

Yes, the left wing was broken long ago
By the slingshot of cointelpro
And now it's so hard to have faith in anything

Especially your next bold move
Or the next thing you're gonna need to prove to yourself

Even the skeptic can think our country can be a leader ...one to help to see the world and believe it can be not on the road of the apocalypse, but peace. For the first time I don't believe Ani's words: and I wonder who's gonna be president, tweedle dum or tweedle dummer?

The issue.

Hillary. She has been the leading candidate...the perceived future of the Democratic Party. But here lies the problem. Why are we desperate to crown yet another member of the feuding ruling parties of the bushs and Clinton? I as a 34 year old man have lived merely 6 years without either family being in the white house?!?

Then there is the crying....she is single-handily taking the woman's movement back years. Whether it is the man keeping her down, or the breakdown of the stress, how are we supposed to believe she can operate beyond this pandering? Reagan revealed the presidency as acting, pulling off masterfully the beauty of the lines. She represents to me the loss of the substance of American politics. But hey...she has 50cent's endorsement.

Lastly, the article above lays out two very important points...she is running on the fact that she has the experience. But does she?

Questions about Hillary's role in the Clinton administration, and about Bill's business and philanthropic ventures since he left office, are not just fair but necessary.
Why won't the Clintons speed up the release of White House papers that would let us see what kind of
authority Hillary Clinton enjoyed? Who donated how much to the Clinton presidential library, and might those donors expect anything from a Hillary Clinton administration? What business tycoons have snuggled up to the former president, and what -- other than the chance to bask in the radiance of his wit-- did they hope to get out of the exercise?

So how should we use experience...when she only allows us to see certain parts of her history?

I am tired of all the reasons I am supposed to vote for this person or that person. abortion, gay rights, crime, war, torture, taxes, programs...etc. all of these single divisive issues...more about tearing the nation apart than uniting.

It is time for the UNITING issues to be heard.

proves nothing....except to incite Christians

2007-02-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

It happens every year…around Christmas or Easter...someone finds a claim to prove or disprove Jesus.

This year it is this: jesus’ family tomb. For years we Christians are merely trying to hide the fact that heresies from the past are actually true. It is a good thing Christianity has never been challenged or experienced any questions, or otherwise the religion would quickly crumble and fall….uggghhh.

Ok I seems that is what people what to believe. Things like the Da Vinci Code and this new documentary are really just reposing the exact same question as in the Last Temptation of Christ…and consequently, what some of the Gnostics believed. They have been refuted for centuries…

What the real problem is that we are so quick to get sucked in to this. I know I am truly one of those. It is just so ridiculous that even as you read most of the articles advertising the documentary. They usually cite how most theists and non-theists are debunking the show. Really are we as a people so dumb that a documentary that no one believes can be put before us and I can guarantee you someone will question how I believe because of this new evidence. I guess it is similar to the Gospel of Judas issue just a number of months ago.

Here is a line from the previously referenced Newsday article:

Those facts are this: In 1980, a tomb was unearthed amid a construction frenzy in Jerusalem. Ten limestone bone boxes, called ossuaries, were discovered in the tomb, six bore inscriptions (markings used to prevent the inadvertent mixing of bones).

As the ossuaries were removed from the tomb and placed in storage by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the Hebrew inscriptions were recorded. Three of the six were easily translated as Mary, Matthew and Joseph.

It was the last three names, however, that caught the attention of "Lost Tomb" filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici: A faint inscription which translated to "Jesus son of Joseph," a second inscription reading "Judah son of Jesus" and a third ossuary with the name "Mariamne," which in the "Acts of Phillip" -- a recently-discovered fourth-century work -- was revealed to be the real name of Mary Magdalene.

Given the statistical improbabilities of these names being buried together, the crew took the next step of extracting partial DNA samples from the Jesus and Mariamne ossuaries, which later proved they were not maternally related.

There is also a short news story on this, but note how really it just focuses on how wrought with errors it all is.

Oh well, I guess I will need to brush up on my apologetics on why Jesus is not married.

“They are an eyesore”

2007-02-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Article in Houston Chronicle

I just love when ranchers are now making comments on aesthetics. They have a way to supplement their incomes, they can use the wind that comes ripping through the plains in Texas and possibly use the farms to help prevent some of the soil erosion through their crops. But alas, they have an argument against it…they’re an eyesore.

Uggh. I was all proud of my home state. Hopefully, it is just like most things in papers these days. They present a “fair and balanced point of view.” The problem with this is that the opposing view could be an extreme minority…one or two people, but they feel to fully represent the story they present their opinion as equal. A quote in the article reinforces this: “Jack County Judge Mitchell Davenport characterized opposition to the wind project as "small but vocal" and said he expects most landowners will lease their land for the project if they have not already.”

Who's clapping now?

2007-01-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

So I watched part of the state of the union the other day...mainly because there was nothing on! I started to wonder why would I not be interested in the most important scheduled address the president does?
as I watched it, I started to realize not only had I heard all of the information either leaked or issued in a previous speech (just a couple days ago about the escalation ) or I was really interested in how people stood up and others didn’t…constantly just being silly. It just seems like our politicians are just so juvenile with all of this applause and posing for the camera. I think we should remove applause from the speech so we don’t get these asinine statistics like “how many standing ovations” or “total applause time.”

It all takes us back to the solver of all problems…yes, the “Brady Bunch”. Who could forget the infamous episode “Vote for Brady” where in the end Mike and Carol in all of there wisdom state that we are a family and we should not split even over the party of Boy or Girl. Sadly, there is no political Mike or Carol. We are stuck with “pundits” who shout from the top of their lungs party lines!

What ever happened to dialogue in our society? Our country would never have been founded if this was the age in which the constitution had been written. They managed to come to such great compromises spanning such divisive issues from the role of the federal government to (sadly) slavery. But the purpose far outweighed the politics.

Some blame the parties; some blame the system, while still others blame the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Fox News. In an excellent semi-prophetic book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman suggests it is the role TV plays in our government. I think he has a great point. While he was really seeing the beginning (the book was published in 1986), it amazing what transformed our society from debates prior to the radio to what we have today.

that's professor archi-raj

2007-01-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

well it is official, as of 1pm monday i am officially a professor at Catholic University's architecture program!

i will be teaching 2 classes: a 9 hour studioand one class on construction documents (a 3 hour lecture class).

one of the students politly asked me, "so what qualifies you to teach this class?" if only she knew. i tried to answer, but told her she was just going to see and maybe she will better be able to tell me next semester!!

well, off to contaminating the ivory tower...

in DC

2006-12-05T05:37:00.000-08:00

So I guess I should add an update. I know I have not spent much time on this blog really discussing me…perhaps that could be the reason for the title of this blog, “My own quest for insignificance.” HOWEVER, I can for the 2 or so people who actually read this ridiculous thread of meaningless words give a little update.

So we have been in DC for a month. After finding out Kie passed the State of Texas Bar ,we arrived in DC having towing our meager possessions that survived our own Craigslist purgings. I loved the comment that we were a turtle with our house on our backs. With only one little hiccup, the camry’s key did not work and needed to rekey the ignition, we made it here in the morning on Sunday.

Since we had signed our contract on the apartment sight-unseen, we were quite nervous when we got here to see what we had committed to for a year. We have named our little basement apartment “the bunker” (possibly reminiscent of dick cheney’s time in the “undisclosed bunker” during 9/11) because of the lack of windows. However, our place is very nice. A quite large apartment, a number of spaces that were with some help, worked out well to fit our needs. I absolutely love the neighborhood. The scale of the tree-lined streets with a great density that is very human. Coming from Houston, where nothing is scaled for pedestrians, I am excited to experience this very different way of living.

As for work we ran into a little snag with Kie’s job, but with some patience getting through the red tape, she was able to start 2 weeks later than we thought. On my side, I have had nothing but positive things happen! While I was nervous about trying to change professions I am amazed at the providence as I was able to secure a job with an even better university than I was expecting. I will be teaching at The Catholic University of America school of Architecture (which will henceforth be known as CUArch). I will be teaching possibly 2 classes, both upper-level. It might work out that I am able to actually earn a living doing this teaching thing!

We have started to go to a church in the neighborhood (just a three block walk!!) Capitol Hill Baptist Church . we are enjoying it so far. How is it that people who don’t go to church even meet people?

We still feel completely alien in this city…but it is slowly but surely getting more comfortable. It is amazing that such a world renown city is SO small. With a population of just 570,000 ( versus houston’s 2,000,000 ) and more experientially we roamed on a Saturday night at about 9pm for a coffee shop to just sit for a little bit, but all were closed but starbucks opened to a late 10.00pm!

day at the national zoo.

2006-11-29T05:37:00.000-08:00

me and an alligator turtle face off. he did end up snapping at me. who doesn't love the zoo!

of course we saw the pandas

What are you doing with all that time?!?

2006-10-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

From our fact or crap calendar:

The average human who lives 70 years:
23 yrs sleeping
19 yrs working
9 yrs in leisure
7 yrs in travel
6 yrs in eating
3 yrs sick
2 yrs in personal grooming
1 yr in religious pursuits

One of those ratio things where it gets you to think about your life. Is it more or less profound than this entry?!?

Gilligan Devotees

2006-09-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

CHINA DAILY: REUTERS
Elderly people perform a fan dance during the opening ceremony of a sports meeting in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan province.

i saw this festival in China...and they all were dressed as Gilligan?!?

Madonna Crucified

2006-09-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Madonna wanted to explain her artistry from her current tour. I think it is truly interesting that she has just finished her tour in Tokyo which opened with the image of her on the cross in many news magazines. She did not explain. the numerous organizations questioned her motive. She did not answer. The tour is to be televised on NBC and they are hesitating to air it. She explains.

I will let her explain:

"There seems to be many misinterpretations about my appearance on the cross
and I wanted to explain it myself once and for all. "

"It is no different than a person wearing a cross or 'taking up the cross' as it says in the Bible. My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole."

She added, "I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing."

I am not one of those that does not want to air anything that might be questionable or even blatantly "anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous". Having enjoyed such bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, Metallica, etc., my amazement really comes in her reaction. She has exploited her name (yes, given name) through the many years with full knowledge that she means to shock: that infamous kiss with Britney Spears, the number of sexual explicit books, concerts, etc meant to challenge the mainstream of society.

But now she expects us to believe that this is to see the world as a whole. WHAT?!? Even in the Bible the cross is considered a stumbling block. Besides religious icons are not known to show "unity". As the real tag line of the whole interview she gave the much needed answer to WWJD! Of course He would be singing and climbing on a cross?!? But in fact He did....already.

I am supportive of art's repsonsiblity to force society to question what they think. I think many people fear this because they don't have a strong faith. Quit whining about people making fun of you. BUT in this case, it is important to realize when the whole criticism is an IGNORANT CRY FOR ATTENTION!

two important things i can't let go...

2006-07-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

since we are in a weird situation i have been keeping my blog quiet...
UNTIL NOW.

2 things i need to spread the word about:
renderings of the brady house

note: one of the things that has always been difficult for me (until i realized this) was that the plan never matched the exterior of the house.

first one the image used on the show. the second an reflection of the actual plan.

----------------------
the other is of greatest importance the legitimizing of a major sport...
yes...darts.

world series of darts (that's WSOD to the "cool people.") it is fun to watch on TV just how good these guys are! ok watching darts on TV is strange...but really how different is it from watching the hundred different poker shows?!?

Archi-raj goes public

2006-05-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Archi-raj goes public...

and look they are actually listening?!?

if you want to know what i talked about...
it was titled 1 idea, 2 projects. i discussed 2 projects that mike and i worked on relating to houses. you can see one of the projects:
urban habitats

and a previous discussion about houses here:
home

...can't i just go to the ATM to get some more?

2006-02-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, i figured I would shake off the cobwebs from the ol' blog and spit our some venom on one of the banes of our society--politicians.

The most detestable part of it really is how stupid they think we are. I guess we really are because we keep falling for it! So our lovely president declared that we should reduce the deficit. For those of you thinking shouldn't that ALWAYS be the job of the government to spend what you make? this is an incredible thing, the government does not have to get even close to in the black and then to make it better the get political capital by saying the are going to reduce it...HUH?!? Currently, the estimates for the 2005 deficit is $427 billion (if you believe the "liberal" media) to $348 billion (if you need the "fair and balanced").

So we are spending according to the white house 2.709 trillion and receiving 2.285 trillion. So why do I care about this? We have known about this for years...I remember when it breached the 3 trillion mark when I was in middle school. There was an uproar! People cared. Politicians fought to decrease it…well they didn’t do so well. But I guess this is the M.O. of the government: get everyone to freak, act like you are going to do something, and then, DO NOTHING!

So it would make sense that we would continue to elect the socially fiscal party. The republicans have made a name for themselves as being the ones with the smaller government mentality, but looking at the deficit I noticed a disturbing trend: Notice the red all during those fiscally conservatives. Sadly, they probably could change the colors to red and blue. Of course they say it was the democratic congress, now we have both republican congress and president, but we have the same—DO NOTHING.

Well so what does it matter? Well as we all are finding when you owe someone you become a slave to the creditor. As a individuals we live just like our government. An article in USAtoday states that our average personal debt is $84,454. compare this to our household portion of the government’s debt is $473,456.

So we are the wealthiest nation?!?

Other websites:
US dept of Treasury’s historic debt information
where the debt is from
debt clock

2005-10-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

So I have a new hero. I heard about Rosa Parks' death this week. Even during the astros' game, they had a moment of silence.

I started thinking about her and what she did. While I am not African American, as a minority and the son of a mixed race marriage, I must think what this woman did not only to our country, but to my life. She decided not to get up. How simple! Even I, a lazy American, can do that! I started to wonder really what are the specifics of this...so I came to this interview.

She was a 40 year old woman. She wanted to go home like she did everyday. She had run into this bus driver before. She wanted to enter the bus at the front and usually she would head back to the then labeled "colored" seats. This was her usual battle. This is what she did this day (December 1, 1955)-- She did sit in the "correct" seat, but as the bus grew full, she would normally be forced to give their seat to any white person. There was one white man who as the music stopped did not receive a seat. The driver said that the first row of "colored" seats must give their row to them. The other three in the row promptly stood up, Ms. Parks did not. This was the beginning of the questioning of our cultural constructs, and why she is labeled the grandmother to the civil rights movement.

She did not intend to be famous; she did not intend to start a movement. In fact, she was forced walk as they begin the bus boycott and lost her job. It is interesting to think about someone who doesn't have an ulterior motive...she was just tired--tired from the day AND tired from the harassment. Was she really just doing what was best for where she was, the best for her?

To think about a woman that started a movement, one of such importance to us all, as someone just thinking about herself is almost heresy, but you must question how much of it was her anger at the previous run-ins with THIS bus driver, that she had a bag of groceries she was bringing home. That she had had a long day.

But the other side is that she was not thinking about just her comfort, but justice -- a true motive. She claimed it just was not right. Do we naturally set those two things and really think about them? Today there seems to be criticism of the pre-hurricane woman of the month-- Cindy Sheehan. She is conflicted with two motives...one of incredible grief, and one of questions of the reason why...a natural question of justice. When do we as a public get to look at her and see one versus the other?

Politics vs. answers...the thing that becomes so clear with Mrs. Parks. Her battlefield becomes as small as the bus, not being a catalyst to changing the world but having one man (the driver) respect her as any person.

How come we don't have heroes anymore without the sins of politics and fame? Why can't I see someone taking a congressman who is having his ethics questioned AGAIN, but must question who is attacking whom?!? As I re-watched Gandhi again, I was thinking that a noble man can never be connected to the political man. Is that pessimism or a statement of fact?!?

And finally, whenever I question noble vs. the political, I must extend the question to the hijacking of Christianity by politics. Can a religion about truth truly be associated with politics without being soiled by the constant spinning of the politician?

I like to think that Rosa Parks died a woman who just thought about her world...for the moment a bus and how she was being mistreated. This exploded into a quest of redefining who we are as people. Not just a categorized by pigment, money, status, job etc. but by the heart. Maybe I can be an idealist...with a hint of pessimism?!?

Wolf, Wolf, Wolf

2005-09-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

So hurricane might hit Houston late Friday evening. But it may miss it. Definitely makes sense to me to be concerned, raise awareness, and even get educated about what you should do.

Makes sense to me. As a new owner of a house that could with this even get its first taste (as me as owner) of the stiff 100+ mph winds, I would say I even worry a bit. I really like our jalousie windows in the porch and don't know how to even protect them. I think about how a limb might come flying on to our roof that desperately needs to be replaced...but we are holding out as long as possible while we save some money. But you know our house has survived 70+ years here just 60 miles from the gulf...why won't it last through another?!?

So like any concerned homeowner I watched the news. now as a concerned person...watching graphic after graphic demonstrating Houston in the worst case scenario, how much water would flood the city, the winds that would tear down buildings...you could say I got a tad bit FREAKED! So as a TV news producer I see that a hurricane has a slight (I think it said 8%) likelihood of hitting our area, and decide I need to "inform" the public. Isn’t this in a sense yelling FIRE in a crowded theater? oh wait...then I remember something I had heard (sorry no real source) that in order for the public to feel they NEED the news...you have to scare the crap out of them in order to get them to feel they can't miss a second!

We prosecute people who yell fire in a theater...but we as a public are so dense that we fall into this trap again and again. There are stations like CNN, Fox NEWS, and MSNBC that just give you the "news". That just satisfy that craving that THEY have initiated. In a previous post on the cult of personality I suggested that people create power for themselves by convincing a public that they have the power as they worship the despot who continues to hurt them. Why have we given this power to the local news?!? I am not one of those media is bad and liberal guys...I just think that they really have no morals or ethics. I would even suggest from so many of the New Orleans people I have met while helping out here...that they just didn't really believe it could happen...because of 2 reasons...first those kind of things just don't happen here in the US...and second (and more on point) they had been through hurricanes before. They had heard the warnings before.

it is almost silly how helpless I seem to be during a hurricane...but this hurricane is not natures...it is a swarm of correspondents and cameras desperate to get a story that is slightly different than the one they just did 20 minutes ago, swirling around a series of talking, perfectly combed heads with their fingers touching their ear, at the center is truly nothing. Like the onion they have peeled and peeled informing us each layer how it is different, exciting and life-changing. Anxiously, we board up our homes, get radios with batteries, and huddle around the box that is busy crying wolf. How did that story end? That is right he became the CEO of my local news station!

price of gas

2005-08-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a friend the other day and, like everyone else these days, we were complaining about the price of gas: $2.56.

AMAZING!!

Today I was wondering-- how does that compare to other things I buy pretty regularly...
price of milk: $2.99/gal
price of Dr Pepper: $8.00/gal (.75/can)
price of Chai at SB: $28.00/gal (3.50/large)

glad they don't list those things like that!

Cult of Personality

2005-08-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

The term cult of personality historically (quoined by Stalin) was used to talk about the deifying a political leader to the point of statutes and images all over the town...much like in Iraq for Saddam. It is usually for a dictator or leader who uses the power "given by the people" to sway the views...even to the point of harm to themselves. Just think about all of the horror that people accepted in Iraq in the name of their leader.

Before you think I am just discussing politics...this "power" has been developed perfectly by the PR people...and as in the case of history manipulating me to go with what I see and hear. Here a study where they tested on monkeys this issue. A group of monkeys were given the option to watch alpha monkeys (stronger..etc.) on television OR be given food. They chose to watch the alphas.

Our alphas are our leaders and even worse...actors, musicians, and sports stars. People magazine, us, extra, entertainment tonight...among many others grace their pages full of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and what they are wearing. We as a culture are busy aligning ourselves with the beliefs and hope to be more like our favorite star. While I was doing the Houston project in the poor areas of Houston, I find that their vision of hope is to "get out" as a rapper or excelling in sports. Really how different are our lives? I just fixated by some of my favorites...can't wait to see the movie, or even see a local celebrity and get all amazed. What is our obsession? This has affected our selection of president (the infamous debate between JFK and Nixon).

Even the communists have taken to this fact. I was reading the Houston press and found that Yao Ming was selected as commie of the year. (Ironic, since the award is supposed to be about the common man).

Is it that we are just too lazy to really understand? Of course we have too much to understand...just go to the shampoo aisle at a drug store. How do we choose? Are our celebrities merely just the beautiful people? It is just amazing that someone like tom cruise can make me angry as he jumps up and down. We believe our president or the opposing view just because of who said it. But are we really different then any other time? Absalom in 2 Samuel was believed because he was beautiful...and looked more like a king. Even angels were persuaded by the beauty of Satan...

The amazing part is despite our understanding of this we all are sucked in. People I know that are most focused not doing this...end up following some one who is a leader of this...

Has this become our drug...helping us to become just numb. It is through our numbness that then is filled with viewpoints to align with our new leader...the very definition of cult of personality.

movies...

2005-07-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

here are a couple of the movies i have seen recently. tell me what you think!!

War of the Worlds- horrible. the movie covered nothing new. i read the book back in high school and just loved the way it dealt with the unknown. this movie just went nowhere. tom cruise needs to disappear for a while.

Batman Begins- excellent. being a collector of the comics for years i really love how the line between a vigilante's deeds being good and bad is always blurred. in the dark knight series it really dealt beautifully with this...and i never thought the movies would really get a hold of this. THIS ONE DID. is liam's character really bad? was it about the over all good? where is the line between good and evil in reforming an evil city? c-nolan of Momento is an excellent choice for this and i just can't say enough about his writing and directing style!

Rize- this is one i am sure most of you have not heard about. very interesting. kie wanted to see it for the hip hop and dancing...(we had heard about it on charlie rose), but where amazed by the documentary's honesty and clarity in showing the need for hope in south-central LA. very unabashedly showing how only the hope of christ infused into a culture can break it free from what has bound it for so long. make sure you see this one...even if you aren't into hip hop and dancing!

Millions- this is an excellent movie about a child like search to understand life and death. what it means to be good and bad...and seeing a pure and honest child in our world! some great scenes graphically (reminiscent of the "ikea" scene in fight club and fabulous interaction with the saints of history.

mad hot ballroom- this is another fun documentary about a group of kids competing to have the best ballroom class in NYC...quite entertaining and fun. interesting how it is shown both from the teacher's point of view and the children's. i just remember back in grade school we had to square dance and man did we hate it!! this movie was reminiscent of spellbound another documentary, but about a group of kids in the national spelling bee.

here i am now, entertain me!

2005-06-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Las Vegas. how can I really convey what is there..."what happens in LV stays in LV". is this just to perpetuate the ridiculous city this is? as kie and I walked around it was just incredible what we saw...

our culture so desperately grasping for this need for entertainment that they have elevated this place as one of our greatest achievements. really we at least were striving to reach god on our own with the tower of Babel...now we have dropped to the depths of "medicating" ourselves with entertainment. usually visual stimulus...motivated by greed or television's case just a sick way of departing from our lives. laughing at the craziness of others--usually caricatures of actual people grossly manipulated to displace our own sense of people, situations, etc. in the past Nazi's manipulated images of Jews to created a stereotype, African-Americans were made fun of in the US and now we have sick representations of homosexuals. how have we as a society put up with the likes of will and grace...oh wait...we all are doing this!! instead of it being a race, gender, etc, it is making little girls like hillary duff, etc. we look at the 5 uber people of a show like friends with their stupid people, jock, smart guy, funny guy, and pretty girl...we see how we are to fit into society. all with addicted personalities, wrapped up in their selves, and always looking for the latest and greatest (whether that is in things or people). our entertainment is causing the same stereotypes that as what was done in the past...but new and improved (and PC).

we accept the motto SEX SELLS. we are manipulated to buy something because of images of "sexy people" doing "sexy things. pornography, strippers prostitutes...but for some reason in LV they are acceptable, even to the common every day man. I once read a report that suggested that people don't consider it "cheating" if it happens while you are on a business trip. SCARY! las vegas might be loud and in your faces...but as I return to houston I see how it is not a symptom of that place but our hearts! kie and I started talking about what is really the difference between DISNEY and VEGAS...one is for kids, one is for adults. but in the end isn't each trying the same thing. entertain, fantasy, with a healthy dose of consumerism! are we training our children to be future little consumers that are all controlled by the power of ENTERTAINMENT.

so I am fully becoming aware of this...trust me...I am not one of those "I am not like you" people. I am trapped by my need to be entertained despite the fact that I have recognized this. in amused to death it talks about the fact that we used to have full day long debates for president. WHAT you mean they used to actually say things ... you mean like listen then reply?!? WILD!

don't be fooled by fake castles and pyramids....require more...hope desperately for truth to ring louder than that stupid bell on the slot machines!!

2005-05-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

i wanted to throw this out there since it relates to the 2 books i have just finished and the other book i just am about to start...a brave new world, 1984 and amused to death. i am going to write an entry soon regarding these two negative utopias...and contrast them from some great neg- utopian movies...but that is soon...first a real writer.

from Stuart McAllister
"Amusing Ourselves to Death"

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When the apostle John cautioned us about loving the world and the things in it—"the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does"—I'm sure he could not have imagined a context such as ours, where images, ideas, and pleasures dominate our horizons 24 hours a day, and where the availability and accessibility of any kind of fantasy is ubiquitous.

Entertainment and all that it implies and conveys is not simply an option that we have the privilege to explore occasionally; it has become for many a way of living. For many others, it has become simply an ailment undiagnosed. The problem with living in a culture is that we are blinded to its nature, narratives, and influence on our lives.

Thankfully, there are voices of caution from higher education, such as Neil Postman’s. In his book Amusing Ourselves To Death, he contrasts the futuristic visions of George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World:

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who would want to read one…. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared that we would become a trivial culture…. As Huxley remarked: the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

His book examines the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right, and his point is well taken.

Our cultural mantra invites us to easy, laidback living, to life as it essentially pleases, entertains, or comforts you. And by subtle and not-so-subtle means, it undermines and erodes the core commitments and essential virtues necessary to live a life of freedom, reality, and truth. Living only for the sake of pleasure can only in the end make us slaves. The unrestrained appeasement of desire only expands our hunger for it. Popular culture fosters alternative views of ultimacy; it invites us to escape from reality, to submerge ourselves in a world of fantasy, make-believe, and imagination. By brilliant technical skill and powerful use of image and sound, our emotions are stimulated, our senses enlivened, and our dreams (and nightmares) envisioned.

Entertainment may have a place in our life, but it becomes a serious issue when it is the supreme focus of our life. The God revealed to us in Creation, in Scripture, in the story of Israel, and ultimately in Jesus, calls us to a singular focus, a serious commitment and a life of obedience, worship, and discipline. His call for our lives is to set our focus, our attention and our commitment upon Him, his will, and his way. We are invited to enter life as God intends, to enjoy the works of creation, and to explore the cultural mandate to express our creativity under God.

The apostle John may not have envisioned a world such as ours when he cautioned against being blinded by love for the world, but God's Word is exceptionally relevant: "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17). He invites us to consider whether we are pursuing that which is true life, or whether we are more accurately "amusing ourselves to death."

home...

2005-05-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

i live in a house built in the 1930's. we are the third owner. it is a 2 bedroom and one bath house!

for a living, i design homes for people. if a family has only 2 kids, rarely does the house have less than 3 rooms. why do we feel we must have at least the ratio of 1 room per child?

i place these two paragraphs side by side and wonder why have we gone to such an extravagance? what is the real purpose for all of this space? how did a family raise children in the house i live in?

it is JUST our generation that is doing this...my father lived in an APARTMENT with 3 siblings and 2 parents in india. he occasionaly slept out on the balcony since he was the oldest. i have started to study the origins of the modern house for a project i am doing. it is interesting to think that most lived in a single room for so many years. children probably witnessed their parents being amourous...yes, i am cringing too, but it allowed them to see what REAL love is. they saw a wholesome love instead of the crap on TV.

i went to lunch with a friend of mine who has raised his 4 children without a TV in the house. he said they just bought ONE...it is a portable probably smaller than the computer screen i am looking at...so they could all watch TV together. he and his wife with his 2 children who are still here in town get into bed and all watch a show together. and no...they are in jr high and high school!! incredible.

do we blame the falling apart of the family on some external thing ..or is it simpler than that. we have all just isolated ourselves from each other. in the big city it is easy to be a narcisist...since it feels like there is absolutely no connection between each other. we have managed to break that down to our families!

so how come we dream of that master suite addition? how come i think about a 10x11 room in the townhomes i design as too small. why do i take up SO much space?

Praise ME...

2005-04-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

"I'm not inspired by a lot of the contemporary worship songs that keep going back to 'God, I'll do this for you, I'll say this, I'll speak this, I'll act this.' What I need is not to hear more about what I'm going to do, but about what God has done and who God is and who I am in light of that. What I do is secondary, if lowly, to what God has done and where God is reaching into my life."

—Jars of Clay lead singer Dan Haseltine on why the band chose to rework ancient hymns on their upcoming new release, Redemption Songs

there is definitely a connection with music and emotion. saying that it is really what gets your emotion to kick in. is it an instrument? a set of chords? an arrangement of notes? key?

others it is the words. now to the text of today's songs...
it is no question that the writing of songs ESPECIALLY praise songs is getting a little sloppy. using the above (music etc) to pull at heart strings and using sappy love songs...but slipping in God. Our relationship to God is definitely deeper than that! our love just has to have more of a connection what he is...what he did for us...with a proper respect to the greatness of who God is! the only reason he puts up with us is that we are covered in Christ's blood.

so I have to agree with haseltine's statement... the praise songs do have a lot of what I do instead of what God is! but is that a praise song thing or a common thing in the Church in general? I would say it is sadly the latter. in essence God just wants us to LET GO...let him take over!

100% man, 100% God

2005-04-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

My Utmost for His Highest
His Agony And Our Fellowship
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, tarry ye here, and watch with Me."
Matthew 26:36,38
We can never fathom the agony in Gethsemane, but at least we need not misunderstand it. It is the agony of God and Man in one, face to face with sin. We know nothing about Gethsemane in personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary stand for something unique; they are the gateway into Life for us.
It was not the death on the cross that Jesus feared in Gethsemane; He stated most emphatically that He came on purpose to die. In Gethsemane He feared lest He might not get through as Son of Man. He would get through as Son of God - Satan could not touch Him there; but Satan's onslaught was that He would get through as an isolated Figure only; and that would mean that He could be no Saviour. Read the record of the agony in the light of the temptation: "Then the devil leaveth Him for a season." In Gethsemane Satan came back and was again overthrown. Satan's final onslaught against our Lord as Son of Man is in Gethsemane.
The agony in Gethsemane is the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Saviour of the world. The veil is drawn aside to reveal all it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony is the basis of the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ is a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that Our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Every human being can get through into the presence of God now because of what the Son of Man went through.

insignificance?!?

2005-04-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

My quest for insignificance-
This is my new motto. It is derived from a bible study that my small group is studying. Experiencing God .

In architecture, it is the goal to build the monument--that idol to me…to matter in this world. As we are seeing what is happening to Libeskinds Design at Ground Zero, his monument is being taken over. I can’t help but notice the silliness of my internal desire to impact the world. God calls us to reflect HIS impact on this world. We are very specifically temporal; our memories are not meant to last forever. Looking back, when we look for significance, we do not see individuals and their monuments but ideas woven into society. Above all you see God.

In my own effort to separate from the ugliness of this world, I plead for insignificance; I plead for God’s significance to be here. We need His truth, grace, love and hope. I have none of this to offer!