Nae's News

match

2011-02-26T16:46:00.001-06:00

So I took that Myers-Briggs test and I'm INFP. So shocked. not really.

I also googled if Doug (ENTJ) and I were a good match too. Check it out.

Finally, now I know. Googled confirmed it.

things i know for sure january

2011-01-25T23:29:00.001-06:00

I am loved beyond belief and without measure. its crazy to think about it.

bucket list

2011-01-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

BUCKET LIST or maybe a list that will keep expanding of things that I want my life to be about

go to the Sundance Film Festival

have $12,000 bucks in my bank account

take my family to Europe

travel to Africa

take pictures on a different continent for work

go to Australia

go to Greece

watch my little girl grow up

be on TV for something good

make a big difference in the universe

live on a different continent for a few months

mentor someone

teach someone what i know

host family dinners once a month with friends

be open to new things

Get Involved in something bigger than me

Trust myself more and trust the things I know

Be a better wife

dream a bigger dream for my life and family

have a gallery show of my art

learn to pray

create a life where i never have to apologize for being me

sing at my old college chapel

take krav maga

go on a real vacation

learn to just be

make a film

smile more

learn a new language

play more badminton

learn to play the guitar

write a song

visit san francisco

go to the louvre

send a message in a bottle

write a letter to "the editor"

grow and eat my own vegetables

see the northern lights

fire a gun

have my picture in the newspaper

ride a mechanical bull

walk on the great wall of china

watch the sunset in key west

get a tattoo

be on a gameshow

have a family portrait painted

help someone in need

take my whole family (extended) on a fully paid for vacation

snow........AGAIN

2011-01-21T14:38:00.007-06:00

it's snowing again and we are shut in. mainly because the blu has been sick and also because it's freaking snowing again and i don't have heat in my car-just butt warmers.

i will admit this. i love how beautiful it is outside. our neighborhood is just a few blocks away from the forgotten and less talked about parts of kansas city. most days you can hear gun shots , people cussing at their kids, loud music and big dogs vying for attention. sometimes it seems folks here have given up hope. they toss garbage out of car windows and walk around aimlessly.

when it snows,it's quiet outside,everything is clean. it's like a new beginning. folks are kind to each other, running to help someone who's car is stuck or has fallen in the snow.

it's all new.

so i guess i don't hate something that brings the humanity out in us.

i would love to figure out how to bring hope back to our neighborhood/community. any suggestions?

so i think i may write again

2011-01-20T16:32:00.002-06:00

so i've abandoned this blog for several years now. i've also stopped writing except for little quips on my business blog or facebook. Nothing substantial.

I'm on staff at a church where I am a video editor/producer and I produce a live production every week I am being given a sabbatical. I didn't do anything wrong, there is no weird issue. Folks who have worked there for seven years get TWO months off paid full benefits. It is such an unheard of things ,but I am so excited and I feel truly blessed.

As of now, I have no real plans. I am going to shoot some weddings and spend time working on my business. I'm going to try and write more about my life. I have the tendency to be so private -which is a good thing sometimes. I want to write what is in my heart and in my life.

So i'm gonna take a stab at it. be patient with me.

who knows what will happen

The Perfect Church

2009-05-03T16:16:00.001-05:00

The Perfect Church
Originally uploaded by jstancel

brothers on a hotel bed

2009-02-24T14:32:00.001-06:00

We are making our music video to this but I just love this one too!

being good where you are

2009-02-18T12:12:00.003-06:00

view this

they say he's just a friend...oh biz

2009-02-12T11:54:00.001-06:00

creepy

2009-01-26T15:35:00.001-06:00

art life's little reminder

2009-01-23T22:14:00.000-06:00

I stole this from flowerdust.net....

“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.” - Quote by Stella Adler

ps buy anne jackson's book

Watch the Inaugaration live from Hulu

2009-01-19T14:48:00.002-06:00

the inauguration view it on hulu.com

bless

2009-01-19T14:10:00.001-06:00

“if in life we were sincerely more concerned to bless more instead of impress more, Jesus would enjoy it.”
as seen on http://www.flowerdust.net/

the renewed mind

2009-01-09T10:04:00.001-06:00

Say what you will-but these days the "church" is getting jiggy with it.. sense the sarcasm

The Renewed Mind is the Key from Lehrthing on Vimeo.

lest we forget

2008-12-22T14:44:00.002-06:00

I saw this on Ragamuffin Soul.com--It is becoming one of my favorite blogs.

There is a gaping hole in the middle of all of our Sunday services.

We try to fill it with cool videos.
We try and fill it with social justice.
We try and fill it with tree hugging Christianity.
We try and fill it with God is love.
We try and fill it with unreal production.
We try and fill it with life application.
We try and fill it with smiles and winks.
We try and fill it with hands raised and hearts seated.
We try and fill it with Martin guitars and Orange amps.
We try and fill it with “Go after the heart of God”’s and “Lift up your voice”’s
We try and fill it with singing loudly and harmonizing beautifully.
We try and fill it with internet campuses and Sunday tweets.

But at the end of the day, the hole is still there.
At the end of the day, the hole is still gaping.
Because although all that stuff is good,
None of it is the Gospel.

We must never forget that the only thing capable of filling it…
Is Jesus Christ.

Lest we forget.

What would Jesus Buy???

2008-12-13T09:48:00.000-06:00

second life death

2008-10-27T23:35:00.002-05:00

now we have hit an all new low..

An unnamed Japanese woman reacted in anger after her virtual husband divorced her in the interactive game “Maple Story”. She reacted by killing him -not the player, but his online avatar! The player whose online persona was murdered complained to police, who arrested the woman on suspicion of hacking. She used information she got from the other player in order to destroy his avatar. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison. -link

arcade fire....album :neon bible

2008-09-25T13:10:00.001-05:00

cheesburger jerry

2008-09-08T14:02:00.002-05:00

‘Big C’ makes for more patient Plaza panhandler'

Kansas City’s most prolific panhandler is coming to terms with his own mortality …

Jerry Mazer — a Plaza pariah to some, an institution to others — has cancer.

“The doctor says I’ve got two years to 20 to live, so I figure I’ve got 10 years,” Mazer says. “That’s a helluva estimate, isn’t it?”

Mazer procured a note from his doc to evidence his condition.

“To whom it may concern,” the note begins on what appears to be a Truman Medical Center prescription form that lists his name, payment terms and date of birth (06-09-50). “Gerald Mazer, patient under my care, cannot work. He was recently diagnosed with leukemia.”

Still Mazer must make a living, so he maintains his vigil.

“I’m doing fine,” he says. “It’s almost been a year since I was diagnosed, but I’m doing fine. I’m trying to stay out of trouble — the cops pretty much have been leaving me alone ....”

The end game for Mazer?

“For me? D-E-A-T-H. That’s between seven and 10 years now if I’m lucky. You never know because it’s up to God.”

Has his philosophy on life changed?

“I’m trying to be nicer and crack jokes,” Mazer says. “I don’t even think about the death sentence. But it’s changed my philosophy about how I want to be right with God and right with people, where I’m not a bad guy, so maybe I can go to heaven.

“Like yesterday I asked somebody for a down payment on a cheeseburger, and I got no results. So then I asked somebody for a down payment on a hippie-burger, and he called the cops and said I called him a hippie mother-(something). It didn’t sit too well with the cops, but they let me get out of here.”

Mazer’s lawyer extricated him in May from a jam, “for cussing out a Plaza security guard,” Mazer says. “But that was from October of last year, and I haven’t been arrested since.”

It’s like this: Some people resent being asked for money and will say some nasty stuff. In Mazer’s “Screaming Jerry” days in Westport back in the 1980s and early ’90s, he more than returned verbal fire.

Recently he’s been more restrained but still feisty. But the “Big C” has further calmed the once-petulant panhandler.

“It’s better to be humble than to go to jail, because if somebody calls the cops, no matter what happened, I’m the one who gets in trouble,” Mazer says. “Make sure you put my diagnosis in the paper, that way maybe people won’t be so mean to me.”

Done deal.

kansas city star - hearne christopher jr.

wally world

2008-08-03T20:10:00.002-05:00

Wal-Mart Denies Pressuring Workers to Vote Against Democrats

By Michelle Sherwood

Story Created: Aug 3, 2008

Story Updated: Aug 3, 2008

Wal-Mart is denying a report that it pressured employees to vote against democrats in November because of worries—that a bill the party supports—would make it easier for workers to unionize. The measure would allow labor organizations to unionize workplaces without secret ballot elections—Obama co-sponsored it; Mccain opposed it.

A Wall Street Journal report says the Bentonville-based company held mandatory meetings with store managers to warn them about the bill. A Wal-Mart spokesman said the company did discuss the bill with employees and sees it as a negative but was not advocating that workers vote against backers of the bill.

2008-08-01T20:16:00.001-05:00

http://view.break.com/542649 - Watch more free videos

rootless

2008-07-28T19:07:00.001-05:00

We have become rootless; we are living in ways that are counter to thousands of years of human experience. While it is good to no longer be subject to local famines and natural disasters, we’ve lost some important aspects of being human in the world. ––Katherine Kelly in Rootlessness and Rootedness.

mount jesus

2008-07-04T12:14:00.001-05:00

top ten rules of living

2008-05-27T15:45:00.000-05:00

Bob"s Top Ten Rules of Living

1. Get Involved
2. Be Kind
3. Never Give Up
4. Rejoice in the Success of Others
5. Take Chances
6. Be Humble
7. Embrace Chaos
8. Take Time
9. Trust in Your Intuition-Guts-Bones
10. Don't Move to the Suburbs

scrubs moving to ABC

2008-05-12T21:48:00.003-05:00

Straight from Zach Braff... Scrubs is not over but moving the last season to ABC
Dear friends,

Many of you have been understandably confused by the Fairy Tale episode of Scrubs serving as the series finale. It was not. I was not allowed to say it until today, but Scrubs will be moving to ABC for its final season. We are currently filming the 8th and final season. The true finale of the show will air on ABC in the fall. NBC merely promoted the Fairy Tale episode as the finale, as it was the last episode they owned.

Also, several of you were very confused by the fact that Dr. Kelso and Laverne were still working at the hospital in the Fairy Tale episode. Because of the writer's strike, the last remaining episodes for NBC were aired out of order. This is why Dr. Kelso was still chief of medicine. That was not Laverne however, for those of you who have been following closely; it was a new nurse "Shirley" who no one thinks looks anything like Laverne except for JD.

Hope this clears some things up.

peace and love,
zb

NKOTB

2008-02-20T16:09:00.003-06:00

does NKOTB mean anything to you? If you were a child in the 90s you should know.

check it out
and hang tough

www.nkotb.com

The Prayer of Abandonment

2008-02-07T13:59:00.000-06:00

Lenten prayer

Father, I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures -
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

2007-07-31T20:52:00.001-05:00

i'm a simpson

2007-07-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

i'm a simpson
Originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography

i'm from springfield

2007-07-18T15:16:00.001-05:00

i'm from springfield
Originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography

you can do it too!! you justneed to have a picture of yourself
very funny!!
www.simpsonizeme.com

30 days

2007-06-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

i have 30 (maybe less) days to go till I one person in one body..
unbelievable how time passes so fast.

the funniest thing i've seen all day

2007-06-27T14:37:00.001-05:00

Doug emailed me this link-- it's a little irreverent but so funny that it hurts.. Will Farrell has to be one of the funniest individuals on the face of this earth...and now his kid is in on it.

The Landlord

Jesus Cracks Cold Case

2007-06-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

The devil may have made him do it, but it was Jesus who made him confess.
An Arizona man shocked cops in the East Village this week by walking into the local precinct and announcing that he'd strangled a woman on East 13th Street during an argument in 2004 - and that Jesus Christ wanted him to turn himself in.
Authorities said the confession has solved the previously cold-case murder of Myrna Gonzales, a 45-year-old homeless woman whose body was found folded into a large steamer trunk in a vacant lot at East 13th Street and Third Avenue.
"We wish Jesus would solve more of these," one law enforcement source said. Michael Mohr, 51, might have gotten away with the slaying. But he'd recently had a religious conversion, and realized Jesus wanted him to do the right thing.
Gonzales' body was found June 6, 2004, in a vacant lot outside Mohr's building.
"He was relieved," said one law enforcement source. "He was a little emotional. He was just glad to get it off his chest."

By LAURA ITALIANO /daily news

did you hear the one about the monks and the toddler?

2007-05-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

At Union Station here in KC we have some visiting Monks creating an ancient sand art called Mandala. These Monks have painstakinly sat cross-legged for two days making this intricate design.
Of course in KC style - having something nice and meaningful can't last too long. A toddler ,whose mother was doing God knows what, went straight for the art. He played in it for quite a while before his Mom noticed that he wasn't walking with her. Once she did notice she grabbed him and rushed out. here is surveillance footage
funny and sad

get into focus

2007-05-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

You cannot depend on your eyes when your
imagination is out of focus...
Mark Twain

Who are our neighbors

2007-05-08T12:53:00.001-05:00

Who is My Neighbor?
Betsy Childs

Jesus told us to love our neighbors. Just about anyone could tell you this, even if they knew little else about him. This is a straightforward command, but defining who exactly one's neighbor is has become complicated.

Because of the internet and global news coverage, we have twenty-four hour access to people all over the planet. We are now aware of the evils and injustice not only in our own communities, but also in Darfur, Iraq, Indonesia, and everywhere else. With the world as our backyard, our neighbors have become people of every tribe and tongue, and many of them suffer heavy oppression. On balance, I view this awareness of the larger world as a good thing. Awareness may move us to action, and the work of justice and mercy is exactly what the people of God are meant to do.

I see, however, a couple of dangers attendant to our twenty-four hour access to the world. The first is the danger of being so overwhelmed by the vastness of the problems that we do nothing. Since we cannot solve all the problems, we may not try to solve any of them.

The other great danger is that we will become so involved in the global community that we will isolate ourselves from those that are our neighbors by virtue of their proximity. Charles Dickens warned of this danger through the character Mrs. Jellyby in his magnificent novel Bleak House. Mrs. Jellyby's life is consumed by concern for the problems of Africa, but she woefully neglects her own family, so much so that her children are dirty and constantly having accidents because they lack supervision. Dickens uses Mrs. Jellyby to indict those who use the evils of the world to evade their responsibilities at home.

I am less concerned that anyone reading this will neglect their children than I am that we will substitute virtual community for real community. Trading emails and reading blogs may simulate some aspects of community, but the truth of the matter is, if you tire of your virtual neighbors, escape is a simple click away. When you live with people, you cannot shut them off when you are feeling selfish, tired, or tempted. Face-to-face relationships expose our sin and sanctify us in ways that internet relationships cannot. Listening to podcasts or watching church on TV is not a substitute for being an active member of the Body of Christ.

Many people in America do not actually know any of their neighbors. We value privacy and we are so busy that (paradoxically) we'd have to go out of our way engage those closest to us. It is easy to dismiss the people living in your neighborhood or your building because you don't know them. But Jesus didn't teach that you have to know someone for him to be your neighbor.

The question, "Who is my neighbor?" prompted Jesus to tell the story of the Good Samaritan. The man who was beaten and bruised was the Samaritan's neighbor simply by virtue of the fact that they came in contact with each other.

In our shrinking world we now have neighbors on the other side of the world. We have a responsibility to love those neighbors. But we must guard against passing by those who are literally in our path, whose needs have a claim on us, and who we, in spite of our pretensions to self-sufficiency, need just as deeply.

Betsy Childs is associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

IN My head

2007-05-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

click to see something that's in my head

crazy

2007-05-01T11:51:00.000-05:00

i've been so busy lately!!! With a baby coming and work life is crazy.

check out : www.allnewstuffin2007.blogspot.com to keep in touch..

ice cream

2007-03-26T11:08:00.000-05:00

So we are sitting in our living room when we hear sirens and helicopters .. all the fun sounds of the city.. They block off our street so we leave to get some ice cream. The irony is not lost on us.

Read the blurb from the star

Kansas City police are looking for two men and an ice cream truck today after a shooting left one man wounded.
The shooting occurred about 7:30 p.m. Sunday near 54th Street and Woodland Avenue. Police said two men were standing at the street corner when the ice cream truck approached.
One of the occupants of the truck then shot at the victims, hitting one of them. The victim's injuries were not life-threatening, police said today. The suspects escaped in the treat-filled truck.

~Christine Vendel, cvendel@kcstar.com

just to make you laugh

2007-03-12T11:56:00.001-05:00

jm 1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography.

sometimes you wonder

lets go

2007-02-09T19:34:00.000-06:00

does anybody want to do this with me? I love this stuff
click the pix

medical intervention

2007-01-23T12:57:00.000-06:00

As part of the faith, Horner and his family don't believe in medical intervention. So when it was time for his wife to give birth to her first child, it was done at home without a doctor, a nurse or a midwife . . . the baby came out breach and was hanging out backward, caught at the neck, . . . Caleb didn't know what the heck he's doing -- he has no medical training, he's not a doctor, he doesn't know what he's doing. He takes the scissors and cuts her and performs an episiotomy. The baby finally comes out, and the baby's dead . . . The medical examiner told Caleb, 'Caleb I understand your beliefs. All it will take is an antibiotic and Misty will be OK,' and Caleb said no . . A month later, Misty Horner died (from septic shock)..Doug and I went to school with this guy(he lived on Doug's floor) he apparently went to a pretty strict church that did not believe in medical intervention.. pretty scary stuff

click here for more

life

2007-01-16T17:12:00.000-06:00

it seems to me that life happens all at once... please continue to pray for us ....click here

amy and sean

2007-01-08T22:30:00.001-06:00

my crazy friends at another wedding I shot.. this is there standard wedding pose.. I think they practiced it

Annie Liebovitz

2007-01-08T18:03:00.000-06:00

I have been waiting for this for months it is going to be a blast... She is one of my favorite photgraphers.. she shoots with such ease and she has fun..

Annie Leibovitz is coming to Kansas City for once in a lifetime event showcasing her book: A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005

Who: Annie Leibovitz, Internationally Respected Photographer and Bestselling Author of American Music: Photographs, ; Women, Annie Leibovitz: Olympians, Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, 1970-1990, and Photographs

What: Annie Leibovitz will join us in a Once-In-A-Lifetime Multimedia Presentation for her new book, A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005, "I don’t have two lives," Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 1990—2005. "This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it." The images form a narrative rich in contrasts and continuities: The photographer has a long relationship that ends with illness and death. She chronicles the celebrations and heartbreaks of her large and robust family.

When: Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Rainy Day Books Author Event, Now on Friday, January 19, 2007, at 7:00 PM.

Where: Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112.

Why: Annie Leibovitz will give us a Multimedia Presentation, talk about her new book, her life, her work, answer audience questions and she will autograph copies of her new book purchased from Rainy Day Books, on our website and/or at our Author Event, that are accompanied by a Stamped Ticket.
Admission Package: $75.00 plus Tax, includes from Rainy Day Books, One (1) Stamped Ticket, One (1) Guest Ticket (if needed) and One (1) Copy of A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005 (Hardcover) to be Autographed on a First Come, First Served Basis, while supplies last. Please specify your need for One (1) Stamped Ticket and One (1) Guest Ticket

E-mail: roger@rainydaybooks.com
Phone: 913-384-3126
Website: http://www.RainyDayBooks.com

splitting time

2006-12-28T16:03:00.000-06:00

splitting my time between here and this blog
i will try to do my best to keep it up..

rise above it

2006-12-07T09:34:00.000-06:00

thankful

2006-11-22T13:03:00.000-06:00

I am thankful I can walk;
there are those who have never taken their first step.

I am thankful I can see the beauty all around me;
there are those whose world is always dark.

I am thankful I can hear music playing;
there are those who entire life has been spent in silence.

I am thankful my heart can be broken;
there are those who are so hardened they cannot be touched.

I am thankful I can move about freely and express my beliefs;
there are those who live in constant fear.

I am thankful I have been and am loved;
there are those for whom no one has ever cared.

I am thankful I can work;
there are those who have to depend on others for even their most basic needs.

I am thankful to wake up in the morning and take a deep breath of fresh air;
there are those who never got that far.

I am thankful for the opportunity to help others;
there are those who have not been so abundantly blessed as I.

I am thankful for clothes that fit snug;
because it means I have enough to eat

I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech

I am thankful for the gifts of friendship and love
I am thankful for grace
I am thankful for mercy
I am thankful for sacrifice
I am thankful for peace

how to be creative

2006-11-16T15:17:00.000-06:00

check out this list to learn how to be creative... http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000932.htmlSo you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked over the years:

1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to change the world.
3. Put the hours in.
4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being "discovered" by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
5. You are responsible for your own experience.
6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.
7. Keep your day job.
8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.
9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.
11. Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
13. Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside.
14. Dying young is overrated.
15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.
16. The world is changing.
17. Merit can be bought. Passion can't.
18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.
19. Sing in your own voice.
20. The choice of media is irrelevant.
21. Selling out is harder than it looks.
22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
23. Worrying about "Commercial vs. Artistic" is a complete waste of time.
24. Don't worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
25. You have to find your own schtick.
26. Write from the heart.
27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.
28. Power is never given. Power is taken.
29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.
30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.
31. Remain frugal.

fear

2006-11-13T23:24:00.000-06:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most.
We ask ourselves,
‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous?’
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And when we let our light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."
~Marianne Williamson, American author and lecturer

guitar

2006-11-08T00:26:00.000-06:00

I had the opportunity to snap some pics at Kevin Rogers studio ..

this is one of my favorites from that shoot

snakes in a church

2006-11-07T14:05:00.000-06:00

LONDON, Ky. -- southeastern Kentucky law enforcement officer said a woman was bitten by a snake during church and died. She was 48-year-old Linda Long. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office reported that she died Sunday at the University of Kentucky Medical Center Detective Brad Mitchell said Long died about four hours after the bite was reported.
Officials said Long attended East London Holiness Church. Neighbors of the church told the newspaper the church practices serpent handling. Lt. Ed Sizemore of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said friends went with Long to a local hospital Sunday afternoon. "She said she was bitten by a snake at her church," Sizemore said.Sizemore said he thinks the woman was bitten by a timber rattlesnake. Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of $50 to $100. Police said they had not received reports about snake handling at the church. Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible, in the Gospel of Mark, that said a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed. A woman who lives near the church told the Lexington-Herald leader that she's witnessed snake handling at the church."I don't have no dealings with those snakes," Opal Wagers said. "But they seem to handle them pretty good."She told the paper that people handle snakes at the church at least one Sunday each month. Wagers said the snakes are taken to the church by members from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Church officials could not be reached for comment.

kansascitychannel.com

single in kc

2006-11-07T11:21:00.000-06:00

I live in Kansas City and alot of times from my single friends I hear that KC is a bad place to date.
So i'm reading the star online and I came upon this section.
click here to see what I read....

exit.

2006-09-30T04:12:00.000-05:00

exit.jpg, originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography.

this was my most favorite shot from my wedding last night(fri)

fall

2006-09-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

97 days left

2006-09-25T10:13:00.000-05:00

Today is Monday, Sept. 25, the 268th day of 2006. There are 97 days left in the year. I am wondering where my year went.. I don't know what i did with my summer..I didn't go to the beach but i did go to the lake. I didn't take a real holiday-I decided to work over the holiday.
So i need to start thinking what will I do with my next year-- yesterday at church we talked about death and living our best life now.. So what do I need to do to live my best possible life..? the pastor gave us some examples on how to get started.. he said do something you've always wanted to do. listen to music for 2hrs at a time and block out the rest of the world.. be generous ( not necessarily monetary but time and talent)
... and on and on ..
So how now shall i live?? now that there are only 97 days left in this year... i will live well ..

Presidential Protestor

2006-09-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

Presidential Protestor, originally uploaded by jberg.

my day

2006-09-07T00:22:00.000-05:00

i went here today with my friend Holly..
I kinda begged her to do it.. she is way too kind.. we had a blast ..pics to follow ..

5 years

2006-09-01T13:12:00.000-05:00

well we made it to five years -- i've never been so happy. i can't believe how easy it is to love you .. there are days where you are not around and i laugh out loud just thinking about something funny you said or did.. thanx for being my lover, friend and confidant.. i could not have married anybody more perfect(i know it's a grammatical error but if our fore-fathers did it so can i) for me . Ok -- i can hear you now --i'll stop being weird.. love ya ..mean it

helplessness

2006-08-29T09:10:00.000-05:00

I stole this from max--(my favorite underground photographer-see right column)
He is wise and he came to this realization so we don't have to.. so read up and don't complain to me that's it's to long..

Today we're going to talk about learned helplessness. (hopefully I'm not repeating myself here, I do that a lot).
In a study they took 2 sets of dogs and both were subjected to electric shocks. One set of dogs was given a complex way to turn off the electric shock which they soon figured out. The other set of dogs just had to endure it. They then took both sets of dogs and put them in new boxes. Both dogs were shocked and both dogs could turn the current off with a simple press of their nose on a bar. The dogs that had learned earlier that they could turn off the electric shock soon figured out how to do it. The dogs that weren't allowed to turn off the shock earlier simply lay down without trying. The researchers termed this: "learned helplessness".
It's something I've seen a lot of lately around artists. To me artists are like sharks. The myth is that sharks have to keep swimming forward or they die. Doing anything on your own requires a sense of forward motion. Whether it's working out, doing art or starting your own business, if you hit a point where it seems like all of your effort is providing no change, you're in danger of learned helplessness. The feeling that for all of your effort, it's just not quite enough to get you over the edge. That you are swimming in the ocean with no land in sight.This is the danger. Not that you fail, but that you get to this point.
It takes a lot of forms, sometimes you just lay down, sometimes you get cynical and bitter and take potshots at other people. The worst part is, you develop reasons not to try anything.

If you feel like you're getting to this point or can see it coming down the road, you might want to think of some changes.
tips for dealing with learned helplessness

1. change something up. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. If that doesn't work, go around. What is your version of going around?

2. take a break and do something that has clear achieveable goals. I wondered why I used to play videogames so much during frustrating songwriting periods and the reason is because videogames have clear goals which can be achieved with effort. That and I like videogames. Maybe you should paint a room or fix something that's been bugging you. Try something that pairs effort with reward. It's a bit like dog training yourself.

3. take stock of your situation and ask yourself if you've actually arrived already. I know a couple very successful people who don't feel like they've arrived because they either set the bar higher then where they're at or they can't shake that feeling that they're fooling everyone and that it will all go away in a second. Sometimes we spend our whole life running away from who we were in junior high.

4. take a break in general. Even though it doesn't feel like you can, for the most part, life is like a basketball game, you take shots, you make them or miss them, but it's how you play the game over the long haul. Take mini breaks. If you work too hard and burn yourself out, you will be much less productive.

5. get help. Trying sucks. Work sucks. It sucks less when you fight it together. If you can, build a team to do what you're trying to do. Work out in pairs.

6. the most important thing though is to fight learned helplessness and keep trying. It might not mean trying whatever you're doing now, but it means never stop trying to improve yourself, your life, your world. You stop moving, you stop trying, you camp, you will stagnate.

7. shock cats instead of dogs when doing experiments.

As always, I write these words from the trenches of my own battles. Pimpin ain't easy. :)
Here's to everyone who never quit when things got hard.

introspec

2006-08-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

ok since this is my blog i can do whatever I want-- that includes getting a little introspective..and jumping from thought to thought

lately i've been feeling a little overwhelmed with my life in general .. i know a lot of folks do because summer is over and you feel like you have so much to do before the end of the year..

i've been reading this book called the "dream giver".. i've been super busy so i've been listening to it in my car (technically not reading --i know)i love it-- this book has made me think about my path in life .. it asks the question are we following the dream that the dream giver has given us.. ? i started to think about my life -- really things that i've set out to do i've done.. but are those really the dreams that i need to be seeking? How do i find out if i am seeking the right things? not finished the book yet so hopefully i will have a better understanding after i am done..

i also just finished seizing your divine moment by erwin mcmanus and never again will i say i want to be in the will of God -- without taking caution first-- being in the will of God is the most dangerous place to be.. but also the best..

Stewie

2006-08-07T21:21:00.000-05:00

More than a hanging baby this baby makes me laugh click on his picture to watch why I love Stewie

hanging baby

2006-08-05T02:08:00.000-05:00

babyhangbw.jpg, originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography.

so i'm in the middle of a shoot and i notice this.. granted we are in the arts district ..
I laugh.. my clients did not

look up in the sky it's a...giant ice ball the size of a microwave oven

2006-07-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

It seems that our environment is crying out for someone to notice how much crap we have done to it.. just check it out ..
A giant ice ball that fell from the Douglasdale sky has put the african suburb on the map.
Professor Jesus Martinez-Frias, head of the Planetary Geology Laboratory in Madrid, has warned that the microwave oven-sized ice object could be a sign of "serious environmental problems".
Frias is an authority in the megacryometeor phenomenon(who really studies that?), having written papers on possible reasons for this. According to him, falling ice balls have been recorded since the 19th century.
Frias agreed with a security guard Sizwe Sofika, who saw the frozen object come from the sky, that the ice ball was not frozen human waste ejected from a plane.
The impact of the ice ball's fall created a small crater on the pavement, which was covered with pieces of broken ice. Don't worry no one was hurt--except for the environment..

KCPHILNET

2006-07-13T21:24:00.000-05:00

For all you folks looking for a job... (or if you know someone) I've found a job here and I know Doug has too..
The Kansas City council on philanthropy job source Web site is considered the nerve center of the area’s nonprofit job arena. The site — www.kcphilnet.org; click on “JobSource” on the left side — gets about 250,000 page views a week. At any one time, about 260 jobs are listed, and about 20 to 30 new jobs come online each week.

They are having a live job fair here are the details:
The Nonprofit Job Fair is free for job applicants.
•Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
•Location: Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City
•More information: Contact Matt Kruger at (816) 508-3222 or send e-mail to matthew.kruger @cornerstones ofcare.org.

new pics

2006-07-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

hey friends i've uploaded some new pics here and here.

licked

2006-07-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

Police seek man who licked girl’s leg at theater .Shawnee police are searching for a man who licked a 9-year-old girl’s leg Saturday at the Trailridge movie theater, 7456 Nieman Road. The victim, of Fairway, was watching the movie by herself and said that the man crawled up from the floor and licked her leg. She ran out and found her parents, who were in another screening room. The man was described as 18 to 25 years old with short hair and glasses.

Ninja's

2006-07-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

give to the cause

i can't believe

2006-07-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography.

this pic was last year in may.. I can't believe how quickly things change

peace

2006-07-07T23:16:00.000-05:00

child's peace, originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography.

'nuff said

lazy

2006-07-06T17:50:00.000-05:00

Now this is why the United States is the fattest nation in the world.. We don't exercise. Sidewalks are slowly vanishing before our eyes. We go from the house to the garage from the garage to the job (where we sit all day) from the job to the drive through restaurant.. This goes on and on. We have eliminated being with people because it isn't in our schedules.. That being said and now that i'm off my box... I must admit if this was in my neighborhood i'd go. I ain't mad atcha for thinking up this new idea..
A New Mexico based company called AutoCart is planning a drive-through superstore where customers can shop for groceries and other services from their cars using a wireless, touch screen computer.
The store would consist of a 130,000 square foot warehouse with a kiosk similar to a bank drive-through where customers go to place orders for various products and services. Store features will include interactive drop-down touchscreens at all order/pickup stations, allowing customers to place orders and communicate with retailer representatives on-site; the ability to order off-site by phone, fax, PC, laptop, or PDA; and the delivery of orders in a shuttle/lift, which will open up next to the car so that shoppers can take out their bags and drive away in a matter of minutes ... The company hopes to build a store in Albuquerque or Tucson by the end of the year.

Click here to see more

Fourth of July

2006-06-29T10:43:00.000-05:00

Looking for cool things to do on the fourth? Here is what is happening around KC..

Friday

Parkville Fourth of July Festival: opens with a carnival at 6 p.m. through July 4. Call (816) 505-2227.
Monday

Celebrate the 4th on the 3rd: 4:30 p.m. at Jesse James Park, 3001 N. Jefferson in Kearney. Families can enjoy live music and activities for kids. Hot dogs and soft drinks sold on site. Fireworks at dusk. Call (816) 628-4142.
Tuesday

Independence Day Celebration: 6 p.m. at Mosby City Hall, 12312 Fourth St. Festivities begin with a flag ceremony. Entertainment includes country and gospel music by the Mosby Opry and others. Food available. Door prizes drawn throughout the evening. Fireworks at dark. Donations accepted. Call (816) 536-6088.

Weston Jaycees 33rd Annual July 4 Celebration and Ice Cream Social: 6 p.m. at West Platte High School, 935 Washington St. Free admission. Call (816) 640-5504.

Parkville Community Band Concert: 7:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel at Park University. Call (816) 741-7388.

4th Festivities: 8:30 p.m. at Platte County R-3 High School, 1501 Branch St. in Platte City. Performances by the community choir and orchestra. Fireworks at dark. Call (816) 858-5627.

Independence Day Under the Stars: 8:30 p.m. at the amphitheatre in Oak Grove Park, N.E. 76th and N. Troost streets in Gladstone.

The North Star Community Band plays at 8:30 p.m. Other activities include a presentation of the colors, a variety of musical entertainment and a fireworks display. Free admission. Call (816) 436-2200.

Fireworks over the Dam: at dark at the north end of the dam over Smithville Lake. Call (816) 532-8130.

so..

2006-06-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

i've been busy.. here's a new blog to keep you busy for a little bit.. it's kinda what i've been up to..
www.imijgallery.blogspot.com
i've been working on a new website too.. this stuff takes a lot to do..

back

2006-06-20T15:51:00.000-05:00

so i'm back in town.. may - june has been nuts..
I had the opportunity to do so much ...click here to see where we were..

Dustin Diamond

2006-06-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

check out the story...here

update

2006-05-26T11:46:00.000-05:00

well i just got back from L.A and i'm sick as a dog..
it was a great trip and I learned alot-but not in the places you think -- i'll have to share more with you soon..
It's going to be a superbusy weekend -- i have a huge wedding in Springfield.. some portraits but it will be a lot of fun..

i'll update soon-- w/pics

new member to the weinbrenner family

2006-05-13T14:37:00.000-05:00

well here she is ..
click here to see our new baby...

summer

2006-05-12T23:03:00.000-05:00

originally uploaded by Imij Creative.Life. Photography.

this is why summer has gotten so much better..click here to read more

Everybody Blingo!!!

2006-05-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

So I was reading a post from a friend and he was talking about blingo.. It's a search engine that if you use it they reward you!! and it's not like those crazy emails from Bill Gates and the Gap..They give you iTunes gift cards and cool things like that...So sign up and use it like a search engine because if you win I win..

song writing

2006-05-09T01:44:00.000-05:00

So I stumbled on this link for a songwriting contest..
The John Lennon songwriting contest
So if you write you may want to enter..
the deadline is june

For Becky

2006-05-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

I read about how you touched them and they were healed
Or even if someone just touched your cloak they were forever changed
You let a broken women bathe your feet in her tears
And you washed your best friend’s feet
I am just wondering though did you just ever hug people

I mean I know that it is a silly question and all I am sure you would have why wouldn’t you
But its one of those things that was never mentioned that got me thinking about it

And how whenever there was a touch from you sins were forgiven and sickness fell
I think I’m caught up in my sins last time I checked all my body parts were properly working, nothing special here
I am just a kid with a heavy heart these passing sunrises and sunsets

I don’t think our encounter would have ended up in the gospels or anything
Because all I really need is a hug
That is ok for me to imagine right
That’s not going to be conflicting with any sort of theology is it
Ok good, then hug me

But not one of these side ways one arm around the neck type hugs
Or the ghetto right hand clasp fists elbows to chest pit pat on the back back
Or you put your right arm over my right arm and I put my left arm over your left arm and we make this weird sort of diagonal thing
Nah none of those

BEAR HUG ME MAN
Take your old school carpenter arms and throw them over my upper body leaving my arms dangling underneath yours somewhere and I can barely move them because your squeezing so hard But don’t pick me up and make my back pop because I hate it when people do that

And hold me, hold me here in your arms until I start to cry because
I WANT TO CRY
But I just can’t seem to do it on my own
I have been teary eyed once recently but not even enough for a drip down my cheek
Theres just hurt in my soul that needs to be purged so hold me in this hold pose until the pain is flowing from my eyes and nose

The Hug poem by Bradley Hathaway

death and life

2006-05-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

So I'm back from the Ozark Mountains..
This past month has been a whirlwind... Someone once told me that you can't experience life until you experience death..
My grandmother passed away after a brief stay at the hospital.We called her Amie and she is the one who taught me to love music....
She hit her head and started to hemmorhagein her brain and it was all down hill from there. She had some TIA strokes and then finally let go.. It was bittersweet we all were so sad to lose her but knew that she was probably alot happier and not in pain. The night she died Doug said to me," Do you think she is dancing in heaven right now? "
I have great memories of my Grandmother.. When i was young she used to live with us and take care of me. I remember if I skinned my knee or got hurt she would always say -- Don't worry it will be better before your married.. or if I was ever sad that I didn't get something I thought I deserved --she'd say " What's for you can't be un-for you -- don't you know that God is still on the throne.. ? Before she died she was in and out of a coma my mom put the phone up to her ear and I got to sing to her.. a song she taught me. --'it'll soon be done all our troubles and trials when I get home to the other side. i'm going say hello to the elders -tell all the people good morning,i'm going to sit down beside my jesus --sit down and rest a little while..'
When I finished it sounded like she was trying to talk. My mom said that she even opened her eyes -something she had not done all that day. She passed the next day.
It is always so hard when you lose someone you love.. but as a follower of christ i know i'll see her again.

leaving on a jet plane--not really

2006-04-25T04:06:00.000-05:00

This has been the craziest month i've had in a long time--
i'll have to download some other time ..
I'm leaving for the week going to Tan-Tara in the ozark mountains.. should be fun
talk soon

Thank you for smoking

2006-04-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

I'm not a smoker--never been but neither is anyone else in this movie... But I love this movie.. If you are interested in SPIN as i am (people speaking the truth but using it to their advantage) this movie is for you.. Let me know what you think of it

Good Friday

2006-04-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

Calling the day of the Crucifixion ‘Good’ Friday is a designation that is peculiar to the English language. In German, for example, it is called Karfreitag. The Kar part is an obsolete word, the ancestor of the English word care in the sense of cares and woes, and it meant mourning. So in German, it is Mourning Friday. And that is what the disciples did on that day—they mourned. They thought all was lost.

I’ve read that the word good used to have a secondary meaning of holy, but I can’t trace that back in my etymological dictionary. There are a number of cases in set phrases where the words God and good got switched around because of their similarity. One case was the phrase God be with you, which today is just good-bye. So perhaps Good Friday was originally God’s Friday. But I think we call it Good Friday because, in pious retrospect, all that tragedy brought about the greatest good there could be.

I can see virtue in either terminology. If we call it Mourning Friday, as in German, we are facing reality head on, taking up the cross if you will, fully conscious that the Christian walk is seldom a walk in the park. But if we call it Good Friday, as in English, we are confessing the Christian hope that no tragedy—not even death—can overwhelm God’s providence, love, and grace. Either way seems fine to me! (ken collins)

So today I challenge you to take today and think about the goodness of Christ.

Psalm 23

2006-04-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've heard this Psalm before -- regardless if you read the Bible or not.. This past week at the Gathering Issac Anderson talked about Psalm 23. He talked about it like i've never heard before and it was something that I needed..Psalms teach us the language of intimacy...with God. This Psalm teaches us how to
be peaceful and allow God to take over all of our anxieties and fears.
In this talk Isaac explains how why we are so often compared to sheep--which are some of the dumbest animals--intersting but dumb.

If you can download this talk to your IPOD or just listen to it from your computer.. It is great and helpful.. it meant so much to me..
Also check out Amy's addendum to this in the Sunday night's revisted section..

kicked in the nuts

2006-04-10T23:11:00.000-05:00

LIBERTY, Missouri (AP) -- A youth minister was charged with assault for allegedly knocking down a 16-year-old boy and kicking him in the groin after taking a head shot from the teen in a dodgeball game.

David M. Boudreaux, 27, was charged Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault. According to court documents, the incident happened in February at Crescent Lake Christian Academy.
Authorities said the teen missed Boudreaux with one throw but then knocked the youth minister's glasses off with the next.
The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.
The teen suffered whiplash and post-concussion syndrome and had blood in his urine after being kicked, according to court records.Boudreaux later apologized, prosecutors said.Jeanne D. Hewitt, administrator of Crescent Lake Christian Academy, said Boudreaux had been placed on administrative leave.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

but you're warm

2006-04-07T22:13:00.000-05:00

The Social Norm

2006-04-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

Most folks know that I don't really care for hugs..Sometimes it's too much too handle and I am a tad bit claustrophobic anyway.. What folks don't know that where i am from we greet each other with social kisses or in my circle of friends " Holy Kisses".. That doesn't freak me out as much.. weird-- I guess it's done real quick and the other person isn't lingering all over you..
So I am reading the New York Times this morning ( yes I read)
and they have a whole article on social kisses..
so you can read it here

do ya want a revolution

2006-04-04T14:56:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World (RELEVANT Books), releasing April 4.

As I began to write an introduction for The Revolution, every cable news channel is on overdrive, fixated on one thing: the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina after the Category 4 storm slammed into America's Deep South. Hours and hours of footage air throughout the day, mobilizing viewers to help those affected by devastating flooding. Meanwhile, pundits pontificate about our government's willingness (or perceived lack thereof) to help the mostly poor, black population stranded in a watery wasteland. Floods of money pour into major charities' coffers from generous citizens. First responders and socially conscious journalists flock to the scene. And compassionate folks everywhere lament the tragedy.

Every season has its Katrina-like disasters—some natural, some man-made. From hurricanes and terrorist strikes to the quieter, perpetual disasters like hunger, AIDS and human trafficking, societal ills of all kinds are ever-present and great. But greater is the love that can overcome these ills. If God is love, and if we are made in His image and likeness, surely there is enough love in this world to wipe away every tear that falls from the eyes of those afflicted by pain, hunger, war or some other misery.

But how do we collectively tap into that love? What are the ways, both broad and specific, that we can address human strife, human need? And what barriers often stand in the way of us doing so?

In all the ruminating I've done, I've come to some basic conclusions about myself and, perhaps to a certain extent, my generation when it comes to charity:

We're quick to respond, but also quick to forget.

Our generation is moved by intense, dramatic displays of horror and injustice—and we may be willing to open up a vein and start giving until we're drained of all our blood ... for a few days, anyway. Then the memory fades as quickly as our favorite cable news network jumps to another set of news alerts, and for us, life soon moves on to more exciting things.

We're media-moved people.

A movie vividly depicts genocide, and we're immediately online as soon as the credits roll, making a donation to GenocideOrganizationX.org. We see coverage of a terrorist attack unravel on cable TV, and we head to our blogs to post supportive banners. A poignant series on famine in a foreign country has us ready to board a plane with suitcases full of food. Individual crises that become media sensations compel us—but everyday, perennial tragedies like international hunger or poverty simmer quietly in our social subconscious.

We will give freely—as long as doesn't hurt.

We are heartened by outings to serve meals at homeless shelters—especially when we can enjoy a fine dinner at a posh restaurant afterward (if you think I'm making this up, I'm not—I've seen it happen). Like the law-abiding rich young man in Matthew 19 who wanted to do "good," we struggle to give up our own comfort to heed the call of Christ; we're constantly looking for easy and/or indulgent ways to give. But as Mother Teresa said, "I hope you are not giving only your surplus. You must give what costs you, make a sacrifice, go without something you like, that your gift may have some value before God. Then you will be truly brothers and sisters to the poor who are deprived of even the things they need."

We don't have time.

We're hyper-scheduled and overbooked, working 60, 70, even 80 hours a week to bring home the proverbial bacon. All this work leaves little time for band practice, book clubs, sporting events, church meetings and classes. Oh, and, of course, "me" time. To quote from the VeggieTales' "Good Samaritan" cartoon, "We're busy, busy, dreadfully busy. You've no idea what we have to do. Busy, busy, shockingly busy. Much, much too busy for you."

We've got baggage.

Our hearts and minds are burdened by internal conflict. We feel the guilt of living in varying degrees of comfort while our peers half a world away dress in rags and eat little more than dust. It's hard to reconcile our comfortable lives here in America to the lives of those we serve—uneducated people born and raised in poverty, who refuse to depart from what we see as self-destructive, ill-informed lifestyles and don't want to be "saved"; people who will gladly take a handout but don't make any effort to positively change their lives for the long haul.

We're conflicted idealists with cynical alter egos.

We center a lot of our beliefs about how Christians should treat others on the "social gospel" proclaimed by Christ in Matthew 25, yet we can't help but wonder what Christ meant when He said, "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me" (Matt. 26:11, TNIV). And we can't quite reconcile that teaching with the goals of most international anti-poverty campaigns that would eradicate poverty—and actively plan to do so.

There is a revolution that must take place. It is a personal revolution, a communal revolution; above all, it is what Mother Teresa once called a "revolution of love." Instead of relying on anger, bitterness and even violence to spur action to bring about change, we—militants of this revolution of love—use heavenly, God-ordained weapons of charity, love, peace and willful self-sacrifice to serve others using the richness of our talents, knowing that even though only God can eradicate all the world's ills in His time, while we're here on this earth, we can each fulfill His ultimate command to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Heather Zydek is the editor of The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World (RELEVANT Books), featuring a foreword by Jim Wallis and 12 essays by leading social activists. She is also the editor of the The Revolution page at RELEVANTmagazine.com.

my pet rock

2006-03-24T23:29:00.000-06:00

FIGHT THE POWER

2006-03-22T12:12:00.000-06:00

It's been a couple of years since I've used this website -but http://www.planetfeedback.com/
is a great resource for those of us who have been wronged by the establishment.. So this is our chance to stand and fight..
In all seriousness, if you have any complaints against a company this website helps you form a letter to the company in question and sends it to their corporate headquarters. I know it works because I received an apology from the President of the company in question.
So try it...

latte land servant

2006-03-13T21:44:00.000-06:00

2006-03-13T21:01:00.000-06:00

the weather is crazy here in Kansas City-- and so are our weather people.... I missed all my shows
http://blogkc.com/archives/2006/03/15-hours-of-katie-horner/

from blogkc comments--
Why do people turn on the TV? So they can watch TV!Sometimes that includes getting weather information, but constant re-telling of old news and forcing people to look at all the intricate details on moving multi-color weather maps is not necessary. Just tell me what is important. Most time, you don’t need to interrupt programming - just put up a small map in the corner, and a crawl at the bottom.
Oh, and a final note to the “Meteorologists”:JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT WEATHER, DOESN’T MEAN I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!Stop telling me about system lines, fronts, cloud types, etc. I don’t care!Is it going to rain? Do I need to take cover? Should I wear sunblock? Those are the things I want to know. No other people on television are allowed such blatant egotism.
Can you imagine if Jack Harry spent 10 minutes explaining to the audience the finer points of how sportscasters put together the sports segment?

Dave throws a Party

2006-03-09T10:05:00.000-06:00

--Doug and I saw this movie last night --if you like Neo Soul -Funk-and just all around coolness this movie is for you--It is fresh to death..
(imdb writes) Dave Chappelle's Block Party spotlights comedy superstar Dave Chappelle as he presents a Brooklyn neighborhood with its very own once-in-a-lifetime free block party. The unprecedented combination of comedy and music was shot on location. In addition to Mr. Chappelle performing all-new material, the stellar roster of artists includes Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Roots, Cody ChesnuTT, Big Daddy Kane, and reunited for their first performance in over seven years - the Fugees. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michel Gondry and his Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind cinematographer Ellen Kuras capture all of the exclusive performances and crowd excitement on an unforgettable Saturday afternoon and night, as well as (earlier in the week) private rehearsals footage and Dave in the small Ohio town he calls home. In Ohio, Mr. Chappelle wandered through town handing out golden tickets to invite several dozen citizens to join the party, providing transportation and lodging for their first-time-ever visit to Brooklyn. Ohio's Central State University marching band made the trip and helped kick off the festivities at the intersection of Quincy and Downing Streets. As a diverse crowd comes together, Dave's freestyle wit guides them (& us) through a day-long, life-affirming celebration of music and comedy, history and community. The lineup of performers is distinguished not only by the caliber of their music but also by the strength and power that their art draws from keeping their creativity pure.

Some Things weren't meant to be...

2006-03-07T16:33:00.000-06:00

-- I was hooked to the Bachelor this season-- and so was my good friend Becky-- In fact we were at odds at who should win... and her choice won .. but read below...

ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Humphrey Bogart said it to Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca" and now Dr. Travis Stork can say it to Sarah Stone: "We'll always have Paris."
Stork, an emergency room physician, chose Stone, an elementary school teacher, in the finale of ABC's "The Bachelor: Paris" last week.
The couple told The Tennessean in a joint interview Monday they are no longer a couple.
Stork, 33, said the rules that prohibited them from dating or being together in public between the end of the show's taping in November and the Feb. 27 finale were hard on their relationship.
The France-set "Bachelor" deployed 25 women to vie for Stork's affections during a series of glamorous dates. The season began in January. "You're in Paris and you're part of this incredible experience, this fantasy world, and then suddenly you come back to Nashville, and living in the same city I think we thought was going to be a great thing," he said. "But instead, you're forced to pretend you don't know someone, for essentially the last four months."The reality is that we were in this fantasy world. And now that we're back in Nashville, over time when you're not allowed to see someone, you grow apart."
Stone, 26, said, "I definitely think it would've worked out differently" if she and Stork had met and dated under different circumstances.

Life in Fast forward

2006-03-05T19:08:00.000-06:00

Hey, you, Some Guy. It’s me, Some Girl. I guess we might as well have a life together. We’re on a schedule here. I’m in my mid to late twenties; you’re two years older than me. We’re at about the same level of attractiveness. We have comparable educations. I need to mate, and you’ll probably do as well as anyone else. Let’s begin this typical courtship process, shall we? You want sex? Fine. Roll around on me for a while. Whatever gets this moving. Are you done? Good. Now go tell your friends about it. And have a good time, you won’t be seeing much of them any more. I guess we should go to some movies and maybe a concert or two. That was nice. Now let’s get in a fight and then make up. Good. Now let’s go camping. While camping, let’s take some pictures of us camping that we can hang up in our cubicles to remind us of the time we went camping. That will be a cherished memory.Okay, I guess it’s time to move into an apartment together that’s about ten miles away from my parents’ house. Let’s live in this apartment for a year. Let’s go to a Memorial Day barbecue at my parents’ house. Good. Okay, time to get married. When you propose, don’t try to do anything cute like putting the ring in my wine glass or having a sports mascot bring it to me at a ball game. It’s all been done before, and you are not a very creative person. It would probably just come off as cheesy and forced. Just get down on a knee and get it over with. New Year’s Eve works fine for me.Our wedding will take place a year-and-a-half from your proposal. It doesn’t really take that long to set up a wedding; I just want to relish the fact that we are getting married for as long as I possibly can. During that time, I will be the center of attention. Sadly, this will be the highlight of my life......
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War of the roses

2006-03-04T01:14:00.000-06:00

Proverbs says -- your sins will find you out....

http://media.putfile.com/War-of-the-Roses---MVPOA

Ash Wednesday

2006-03-02T18:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the traditional beginning of Lent for the Western Christian church. According to an ancient rite, ashes — made by mixing the burnt palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations with a bit of olive oil — are placed on the foreheads of worshipers as a reminder of their depraved nature and dependence on God for forgiveness. During Lent, purple paraments drape the altars of liturgical churches and Glorias and Alleluias are omitted from the liturgy. These changes are meant to focus the worshiper on the penitential nature of the season. For their part, some worshipers traditionally mark the season by fasting from meat and alcohol, as well as spending more time in prayer and reflection.... The Gathering Community had a small service and it was perfect and contemplative.

Lent started as a pre-Easter fast of 40 hours, then was expanded to a week, then 30 days, and in 325 A.D., to 40 days, to memorialize Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness. Confusion followed because Sundays weren’t supposed to be fast days, but omitting them threw off the count.
Pope Gregory I fixed the problem in the late sixth century by adding four days at the beginning of the period and counting Good Friday and Holy Saturday as well. Thus, for 14 centuries, Lent always has begun on a Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday also provides a teachable moment for Christians to explain their beliefs in a society that is increasingly multifaith..

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Alias

2006-03-02T10:07:00.000-06:00

'Alias' to return on April 19
Associated Press

NEW YORK - ABC's spy drama, "Alias," starring Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, will return April 19.
The two-hour episode will feature the birth of Sydney's baby and the reappearance of love interest/fellow spy Michael Vaughn, played by Michael Vartan. Garner, 33, gave birth to a daughter, Violet, on Dec. 1. The baby is the first child for Garner and her husband, Ben Affleck. "Alias," created by J.J. Abrams, is ending its five-year run this spring. Other familiar faces who will crop up in Sydney's life during the show's final episodes include best friend Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), mother Irina Derevko (Lena Olin) and nemesis Julian Sark (David Anders).

~Alias is one of my favorite shows and I am so sad to see it go~