upend.life

2011-09-12T04:34:00.001-07:00

Well worth a read:

What if we forgot 9/11?

2010-08-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

Farm Chickens Revenge

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/cartoons/20100823_ink_tank?pg=8

2010-08-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Bikes and HDR

Some pictures of the recently complete, Roosevelt MS Bike Shelter.

2010-05-12T13:54:00.001-07:00

Good debate on Immigration Law in Arizona.

2009-12-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is Why I like NPR:

Civil Unrest In Sierra Leone Concerns NPR Listener

HANOVER, NH–A National Public Radio report on a rebel insurrection in the West African nation of Sierra Leone deeply concerned Hanover-area listener Jim Ellenson Monday. "Apparently, the Sankoh-led Revolutionary United Front rebels are rapidly advancing on Freetown," said Ellenson, listening to NPR while leafing through the latest issue of The Nation. "Hopefully, the U.N. peacekeepers will be able to limit the movement of the RUF in the interior near Masiaka." Ellenson said he plans to stay tuned to NPR for the latest on the crisis

Cash-Strapped NPR Launches 'A Couple Things Considered'

WASHINGTON—Facing major cutbacks, National Public Radio has been forced to retool and relaunch its popular program All Things Considered as a truncated newscast that now only considers a couple, maybe three things per show. "We'd love to consider all things, but the reality is we no longer have the resources necessary to do so," host Michele Norris said following the new show's first broadcast, in which rising gas prices and jazz legend Wynton Marsalis were considered. "We'll still be able to mention six or seven things, gloss over four, and reference five, but we cannot afford to give every single thing our full consideration. Perhaps we were biting off more than we could chew in the first place." A Couple Things Considered is just one of many new shows brought about by budget constraints, along with NPR's recently launched Bicycle Talk and Public Radio International's This Tri-State Area Life.

The Onion

2009-12-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you Fox News, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh for re-defining "health care."

"The world champion at controlling medical costs is Japan, even though its aging population is a profligate consumer of medical care. On average, the Japanese go to the doctor 15 times a year, three times the U.S. rate. They have twice as many MRI scans and X-rays. Quality is high; life expectancy and recovery rates for major diseases are better than in the United States. And yet Japan spends about $3,400 per person annually on health care; the United States spends more than $7,000."

According to this article, since I am an uninsured, healthy, young man, I might as well be living in Burundi. Since I will get the same coverage there as I do in the USA. I bet you I have a better chance of not going to in debt when I see a doctor in Burundi.

Read the whole article (it is a good one) here.

2009-04-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

This is America

"Amid fears that President Obama is planning a clampdown on guns, Chris McGreal reports from Culpeper, Virginia, on a new US arms race"

So while un-employment and job loss are at a high and people complain of the lack of money in their accounts, American's buy more guns.

Take note that this article was written in the UK Guardian. Is this the picture that the world has of America? Fear Mongering, Gun Loving, Violence Thriving People? Maybe.....

"Chad Ramsey, the Brady Campaign's senior associate director, says that the NRA has spent $6.67m campaigning against Obama, a sum more than 30 times what it put in to the election campaign against Al Gore in the 2000 election. He adds: "The gun lobby, particularly the NRA, throughout the election has fomented this paranoia that the Obama administration and the Democrats were going to come and take your guns. I think folks responded to that. We're seeing people who are stockpiling weapons because they believed it. It's very problematic and scary. The gun lobby and the NRA have a real interest in spreading this fear. They get a lot of their funding from gun manufacturers and gun dealers. They're feeding their own coffers by doing this."

2009-03-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Rush.

A direct quote from Rush Limbaugh at his first televised address to the nation, at the
Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Speech:

"And that I am arrogant. Neither of these things are remotely true. I can tell you a joke to illustrate this. Larry King passed away, goes to heaven. He's greeted by Saint Peter at the gates. Saint Peter says, "Welcome, Mr. King, it's great to have you here. I want to show you around, give you an idea of what's here, maybe you can pick a place that you'd like to reside." King says, "I just have one question: Is Rush Limbaugh here?"

"No, he's got a lot of time yet, Mr. King." So Saint Peter begins the tour. Larry King sees the various places and it's beyond anything we can imagine in terms of beauty. Finally, he gets to the biggest room of all, with this giant throne. And over the throne is a flashing beautiful angelic neon sign that says "Rush Limbaugh." [Laughter]

And Larry King looks at Saint Peter and says: "I thought you said he wasn't here."

"He said, he's not, he's not. This is God's room. He just thinks he's Rush Limbaugh."[Laughter] [Applause]"

Source:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030209/content/01125106.guest.html

2009-02-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

I love Media. I realized that just now. I am watching things on TV, reading blogs, updating my own blog, checking news, and everything that is so very important. Not really, I just enjoy it.

2008-12-08T23:44:00.001-08:00

Quit Facebook

I just read an interesting article about the day the author QUIT FACEBOOK. I am sure right now you are thinking, "why the heck would I want to do that?" I think the author points that out himself when he says "“We are what we repeatedly do.” "

If you have never been to the AdBusters website you should check it out. They have some great articles about today's society.

2008-11-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Cycletoons!!

I love to see my feelings depicted in cartoon form. Especially my very passionate feelings about Large useless cars, angry motorists, and gas guzzling nations.

For more great cycletoons!!

This is a great strip about a couple bicycle advocates that I read daily.

2008-11-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

The World Voted

I wish I had found this website before the election, not that it would have changed much

I sent a text to my dad after Obama took the west coast in a massive Electoral overflow. I wrote "We have just elected the worlds 44th president."

I wonder if he was one of the 23 Burundi voters on the site. It appears America is more conservative than the majority of the world. I have been wondering if there is need to change some thinking and ideas that are floating around the US. Especially when it comes to self defense, gun rights, "terrorists" and other violence issues.

What does it tell us about the need to change the way the US handles foreign afairs and war when we look at the 3,300 votes cast in Iran: 80% of which were for Obama.

Then again there is the one guy in Niue who voted for Mccain, giving this country a 100% vote for the republican. Does anyone know where Niue is?

2008-11-05T14:05:00.001-08:00

The World Reacts

It is amazing to see the responses from world leaders to the election of Barak Obama. As I left the election watch party at Cosmic Pizza last night, I heard one guy say, "He can talk the talk, now lets hope he can walk the walk." The world thinks he can.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/11/20081155293464248.html

2008-11-03T10:31:00.001-08:00

State Treasurer

How did this guy get on the Ballot?

2008-10-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

Rhyme for Wallstreet

"Prices rise and profits hop
pay stays low so buying stops.
Goods won't sell so workers sacked,
don't look now depression is back."

http://english.aljazeera.net/business/2008/10/2008107125546226101.html

2008-10-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

dirt slinging, mud crawling, overreacting hotheads

Here are some of the reactions to last nights debate. Its interesting to read that most people think that the two candidates are simply throwing crap back and forth trying to get the other dirty.

More and more I like the idea of voting third party. Simply because we let the Democratic and the Republican parties become too powerful. And at the same time, they are becoming so similar: save for a divisive issues, the candidates policies and platforms are very similar. How would this election look if we were to see a third/fourth delegate from a different party? The need to stand up your differences would increase all the more. The need for change would not be as great since every party offered something different. We would be able to sit at a table and discuss politics in a circle as opposed screaming at each other from across a line.

Barack Obama's idea of

Submitted by PA Voter (not verified) on Wed, 08/10/2008 - 19:07.

Barack Obama's idea of raising taxes on big business is not what we need right now. The world is in financial crisis due mostly due to middle class citizens spending more than they make. Now, if we raise taxes on these big businesses, who do we think will pay for that? The companies will have to get the money somewhere, and that somewhere is YOU! We're not talking about just Americans bearing the brunt of this tax raise, we're talking about the whole world who buys products from our American companies. Think of all the American food companies this will affect. If you think the price of cereal is ridiculous now, try buying it in a few years after Obama raises the taxes on those companies. The poorest of people will be affected in the worst way, considering cereal is one of the main food staples of the poor. And I don't know about you, but universal healthcare is not for me. I have no desire that my government tell me which doctor I am supposed to see or how many babies I'm allowed to have. This is what you'll eventually end up getting with universal healthcare.

Debates

Submitted by Wayne Wathen (not verified) on Wed, 08/10/2008 - 15:11.

My grandparents who helped raised me were republicans and I even voted republican during when Nixon was running. I served in the Army Reserves just before Viet Nam began to crank up so I am about 4 years younger than McCain. I'm not sure this makes me to old to be president but my military experience sure doesn't necessarily qualify me to be president. But I certainly would be willing to release my medical records. But McCain with his 90% voting with Bush is no Maverick. And his experience on deregulation especially in banking and his friend Charles Keating does not help me get back my retirement money lost the last couple weeks.

2008-09-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Israel for Obama

A very well done video explaining why many Israelis support Obama.

"It's hutspa to question Obama's commitment to Israel."

2008-09-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

SNAG

Expand your knowledge of the world around you. Documentaries are a great way to do it. We must be wary in all we watch or listen to. Watch/Listen to something that is not in the cinema or being reviewed on Rotten Tomatoes.

snagfilms

2008-09-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Adventures in Vancouver

Auquarium, Convention Center, Boats, and Buildings

A tree planted on a building.

A pretty girl.

A flying sea turtle behind a glass wall.

A jelly animal in motion.

2008-08-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Its Scary

It's scary what the world often thinks of the US. Not all the world mind you. But it only takes a few radical thinking minds to start a movement.

Comments from a France24 Observer post about Nuclear war with Russia.

I am Canadien.From my point

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 25/08/2008 - 22:26.

I am Canadien.From my point of view,I am sick of reading about all the illegal war that the US are provoking.They are spending trillions of dollars on war.Most of it go to private organization,meanwhile the American population are loosing their shirt real fast.Not to mention their freedom.
Everything you hear from the media in America is nothing but lies.And 90% of the population believe them.Since the population of the US are asleep,watching tv,eating mcdonald crap,hypnotised by the christian religion,stoned on prescription drugs,they will not do anything to get rid of the MOSSAD controling the government.The US needs a revolution.Before the november election.It won't happen.So I beg you Russia,please help us,I invite you to come here and BLAST THE .... OUT of this arrogant country.I have one condition,make shure that you make a special delevery in Tel Aviv.The mossad needs to pay.Because they actually are the masterminds behind most conflits on this planet.If you don't believe me,I suggest you research the Bildeberg group.They want to create a new world order.One of their goal is to eliminate 80% of the population.

US Elections & the Republican Poker Game

Submitted by Rado (not verified) on Mon, 25/08/2008 - 23:44.

The current tensions between US and Russia have to be put into context of the upcoming US elections. Republicans are playing their "War" cards. They are currently in power and they have absolutely nothing to offer to US voters but the War. They are "the protectors of the freedom and democracy " in the world and are engaging in more and more conflicts. US government is a group of puppets in the hands of the US defense industry. It is unbelievable, how the Bush Theatre Company managed to destroy the reputation of USA in the last 10 years. It will take twice as much time to fix the current situation.

2008-08-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Loving Terrorism Away

We instinctively retaliate against violence committed against us, or the US. Christ taught us not to retaliate though. Diana Bass suggested a solution that would represent Christ a lot better than 30,000 troops in a foreign land killing thousands of people.

"Then an odd thought occurred to me: What if the Amish were in charge of the war on terror? What if, on the evening of Sept. 12, 2001, we had gone to Osama bin Laden’s house (metaphorically, of course, since we didn’t know where he lived!) and offered him forgiveness? What if we had invited the families of the hijackers to the funerals of the victims of 9/11? What if a portion of The September 11th Fund had been dedicated to relieving poverty in a Muslim country? What if we dignified the burial of their dead by our respectful grief?

What if, instead of seeking vengeance, we had stood together in human pain, looking honestly at the shared sin and sadness we suffered? What if we had tried to make peace?"

Read the whol article here.

2008-07-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

Subsistence design.

Subsistence
–noun

1.	the state or fact of subsisting.

2.	the state or fact of existing.

3.	the providing of sustenance or support.

4.	means of supporting life; a living or livelihood.

5.	the source from which food and other items necessary to exist are obtained.

Philosophy.

a.	existence, especially of an independent entity.

b.	the quality of having timeless or abstract existence.

c.	mode of existence or that by which a substance is individualized.

Can we design such that a project will create a more life filled environment?

Designing independence.

2008-07-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is just silly..

I read an article titled "Can bicycling damage the environment" that made me laugh. Here is a quote from the article.

"According to Ulrich’s analysis, each person-year of human-powered transportation by a previously sedentary individual offers an average increase in longevity of 0.029 years, which basically means people live longer, allowing them to inflict greater damage on the environment through increase energy consumption."

I hope that people read this and think "gee, the best thing I can do for myself and the environment is to sit in front of my TV and eat more fast food."

To read the whole article clike ici

2008-07-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Dying Giant

I sit on the perimeter of the clearing, on axis with the tired tree; facing it. I see ferns growing out of his mossy legs. One can almost hear him crying out from within as he struggles out of the grassy army engulfing him. Alone in his fight; other more vibrant trees have reached above the weathered beast; they have stolen his breath. Closing him under thier canopy. Slowly, bugs, rot, mold break down his brittle bones. Bringing him down; where he will rest under the feet of the grassy army.

2008-06-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Mugabe...The man the world ignores?

"People say that it is better to be killed than to be under their control"

This message was sent to us by a web user who says he's from Zimbabwe. We contacted him but he hasn't replied yet.

People as of today are now being forced to vote. If you don't, it's quite simple you get tortured, beaten or killed. Tell us then what is worse. So many people say that it is better to be killed than to be under their control. Now since nothing is being done I would like to know how all the world powers would feel once they see all the dead bodies piling, knowing that they should've done something about it. By then it will be too late.

This situation has got so bad over the years that people have just about had as much as they can take. We are at breaking point now and are begging people to help us.

2008-06-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

Oil in our Future

Oil: 134.91$ a barrel.

Projected price in one year: 175.38$. (www.oil-price.net)

2008 H3 Hummer: 31,340$. (www.kbb.com)

Price to fill 23 gallon tank: 92.92$ (www.gaspricewatch.com)

Riding a bicycle: Priceless (science.howstuffworks.com)

2008-06-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

Sad Times for Iraq

Has Iraq been forgotten by the American public? With so much focus on the "upcoming" election, the powers that be continue to play hopscotch with US Forces Overseas. Does Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC or any of the others thoroughly report on the current happenings of Iraq? After having pumped billions of dollars into such an investment, I would hope to see some return. Or are we going to do what we usually do when the market goes sour? Turn our focus to the more exciting commercial ventures. When will France 24, AllAfrica, or Aljazeera get a place on nightly news? would we think differently seeing the 60th anniversary from the side of Hammas, or the presidential running from the viewpoint of French Observers?

http://aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=116895

"Baghdad, April 2008: In an interview with an Arabic satellite channel, an Iraqi government employee said: “There is no improvement in Baghdad on the security level. All of it is getting worse. We hear about it on TV, but on the ground we see nothing. No services, no security in the streets."

Infrastructure in Iraq is currently far worse than it was under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, which overlapped with nearly 13 years of severe economic sanctions. The average Iraqi household has fewer than three hours of electricity a day, at least 40% of people have no access to safe drinking water, and unemployment is between 40% and 70%.

What worsens these hardships is the complete lack of security. The propaganda accompanying the surge of U.S. troops claimed a dramatic decrease in violence, but facts indicate otherwise. The ministries of the interior, defence and health in Iraq said 33% more Iraqis were killed in February than in January. In March the figure was 31% higher than in February. In April, because of the debacle of the offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki against the fighters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the numbers increased again.

The UN figure of displaced Iraqis is 4.9 million, and nearly half of those have fled the country. A UNHCR/IPSOS survey of Iraqi refugees in Syria in March found that only 4% were planning to return to Iraq. Oxfam International claims another 4 million are in serious need of emergency aid without which they will probably die.

On 12 April, the Iraqi parliament urged the government to reallocate $5bn earmarked for investment in infrastructure and services to social welfare programmes and a functional food rationing system for nearly 2.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

A study in The Lancet in October 2006, estimated the number of Iraqis who died as a direct result of invasion and occupation to be 655,000 or 2.5% of the population. This figure (now very out of date), plus the number of displaced Iraqis and those in need of emergency aid, means nearly 10 million of 27 million citizens are dead or displaced or living in the worst conditions."

2008-05-16T16:31:00.001-07:00

Oh how i like bicycles.

MACAFRAMA Trailer from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

2008-05-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

What is the American Staple? Corn? Wheat? Hot Dogs?

America doesn't have one. Which makes the world food crisis virtually invisible to the fortunate people living here.

We need to think about what we eat, buy and what we through away when it comes to food.

WORLD FOOD CRISIS

"Every culture, every local has eaten different staples....Part of the problem...allowing giant agro-business to take over. When everyone is being shifted to a McDonald's diet, you need a hell of a lot of potatos."

2008-05-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

'"I cannot imagine us going in without the permission of the Myanmar government," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said--which is somewhat surprising, since this is the same gang that unilaterally invaded Iraq.'

What is happening in Burma right now is tragic. What is even more tragic is the number of lives that will be lost because of the lack of initiative by our country and many other first world powers. I found it stated well in this article:

"A coercive humanitarian intervention in Burma wouldn't be without precedent: the U.S. funded and helped coordinate the delivery of aid without the host governments' consent during the wars in Bosnia and southern Sudan. Nor would it be illegal: according to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1674, member states have a "responsibility to protect" populations from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, if their own governments fail to do so (or are responsible for committing the crimes themselves). Burma's crisis--hundreds of thousands of innocents at risk of death because of their rulers' willful neglect--easily meets that standard.

But is an uninvited foreign intervention likely to happen? Any relief operation would be fraught with risk. Air-dropping food into the Irrawaddy Delta could cause even more chaos, in the absence of military or relief personnel on the ground who can distribute supplies. And given the junta's xenophobia and insecurity, it's a safe bet any outside troops--or worse, foreign relief workers--would be viewed as hostile forces even if the U.S. and its allies made clear that their actions were strictly for humanitarian purposes. To save the Burmese people without their rulers' consent, in other words, we may not have much choice but to shoot our way in.

All of which is to say that the junta can probably rest easy. The realities are that states rarely undertake military action unless their national interests are at stake, the world lacks consensus about when coercive measures in the name of averting humanitarian disasters are permissible and the war in Iraq has given interventions of any kind a bad name. But try telling that to Burmese like San San Khing, who has lost her money, home, food and two children and now suffers in a refugee camp in Kaw Hmu township. "We urge the U.N. and foreign governments to provide assistance ... without waiting for permission of the military junta," pleads a Burmese alliance of political activists and Buddhist monks. "Just come now." What, exactly, are we waiting for?"

2008-02-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

You know for a long time I’ve been wrestling with this loaded topic of “environmental friendly living” and a “greener” lifestyle. But I think I am now starting to get a grasp on what that really means and how I can apply it to my life. I honestly don’t now much about green house emissions other than what I saw on Al Gore’s movie and don’t really understand how much recycling is changing the earth, but I have figured out that the way I live my life does have an impact on the world. Not only on the environment or earth itself, but on the other 6.5 billion people who inhabit this planet. I know that by choosing to ride my bike every day I save money I would spend on gas and that money can be used to help someone else. I know that what I buy is a representation of who I am and what I am willing to spend money on. I know that the amount of Garbage I produce shows how much I waste and how little I support the local community around me. I know that when homeless people dig through my garbage that means I’ve been wasteful and negligent; throwing away food and not helping the people around me. So as I learn more and more about how God has called us to be stewards of what he has given us, I am choosing to be conscientious of how I treat both the earth God has given us and the people God loves.

2008-02-26T00:44:00.000-08:00

Ode To Rachel and her Tanka's

An ideal propinquity
And minimal waste requires
Maximum effort
Reinstates sweet dividends
Like points n the form of mums

R.Vinton

2008-02-26T00:37:00.000-08:00

Inspirations.

This guy, Trey Ratcliff is inspiring.

If Only I could shoot in HDR. Check out his stuff.

"When I think of the wisdom and the scope of God's Plan. I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will you give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all Gods people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is." Ephesians 3:14-19

2008-02-26T00:33:00.000-08:00

I enjoy spending time in Allen Brothers. Especially with live music and a great pot of tea. Even if the study material is often boring and lacking.

Spend some time with me studyin...

2008-02-12T00:12:00.001-08:00

Ratatat, thats the name,
Midterm, Thursday, Shame,
Writing lyrics at 11?
32 inches of spring heaven

rainbow ice cream ethnography
31 flavours in potpourri
Hells new Pripyat
living the anti social quickie mart
this nation of conversation frugal
time spent in the Sociofugal
is found less and less frequenly
supporting a worse propinquity
the preferenced digital story
as dark ideals of hikikomori

new urbanist pedestrian utopia
gasps at sleeping beauties villa
Celebration, Florida
plastered adobe fake facades
gone are the cold, dank asbestos

Mandela's Gold

A trace of the ordinal mind working
finds its nominal fact personifying
REM cycles create a visage
sub-perfect model montage
mobile sepia slideshow
nursing a fond memory's glow
my heart's Nightengale
crimson Crimean love pales
conjured up allegorical flora
beautiful skyline morning aura
my own Strelitzia Reginae
blossomed beauty Laeli

2008-02-07T00:26:00.000-08:00

It so exciting to see my friends pick up on the sport of blogging, and so this post goes out to them. My blog, or what I often call ‘bogs,’ are just that. A bog of the brain. At the end of each day my brain has to take a bog.

14. bog BAWG, v., English: to have bowel movement.

As such these bogs tend to follow a fairly random and chaotic format. Often starting with something like bullet points and ending with something like an essay whilst somehow proving a complex mathematical equation.

X2 = yk/200 – Tonight I watched August Rush with my roommate Matt and my funny friend Heather. By far one of the most epic movies I have seen and it definitely holds an award for the most disastrous ending. Apparently even Rotten Tomatoes hated it too. Why didn’t the girl just look him up on Facebook, it would have been so much easier.

FOTC – If you have never seen an episode of Flight of the Conchords, come to my house and I will show you a TV show that is beyond its own time. It’s the prodigy of educational TV/Public Broadcasting/Comedy all mixed together.

Final Thought: 1.2.3.5…..What will happen to Kenya? Why does the world choose to focus on the atrocities of elections in Kenya while people are dying from disasters all over the world? What’s the rub with Kenya? Anyone from Bukavu?

This is why I love the Beach....

2007-02-27T20:43:00.001-08:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XcAF0USKODU

2007-02-15T00:40:00.000-08:00

Laughter is a relief from whatever the day has thus far served you. With it wriggling and squirming in your lap, the guilty waiter looking over your shoulder, the laughter off in the corner booth brings your thoughts, eyes, focus, sight, dreams, passions, hopes, fears and conscious back to the joy of existence. It can all be forgotten with the white flash of teeth a short giggle and tense stomachs churning in the moment of humour.

New Zeland Rugby Team - The Haka (Maori War Chant) - Adidas

2007-01-16T11:11:00.000-08:00


Who would want to play the All Blacks? I mean common, these guys are for real. Its a good thing Rugby has some rules....

2007-01-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

Americans like to talk. Talk is cheap. Girls gossip. Guys rant over "football." Parents brag about their kids. Students complain about homework. Its only the children that we sometimes find an interest in action or thought before speech. What happened to the child like innocence? Where is the wonder of thinking? The excitement in pondering? The intrigue of dreaming? Its lost in the verbal overflow of media and mouths. Hidden amongst the news and views of the multitudes. Dragged between the lines of the super market celebrity sales rack. That still small voice got shoved into the couch cushions with stale popcorn and last weeks TV guide. Those life giving words get sucked away with the coffee steamers and loud baristas in hub bub central.

2006-08-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

So it has been way too long since I have posted anything...so here's some pics from the last month and a half...just the best...

2006-08-03T00:18:00.000-07:00

So we spent some wonderful time on the Island of Tioman off the coast of Malaysia doing such splendid things as snorkeling, hiking, sleeping in hammocks, eating lots of seafood, sweating, exploring, and a plethora of other things that can or cannot be done on a beach. Once we arrived back on the mainland of Malaysia we drove our rented car down into the city/island/country of Singapore. Let me tell you, it was like driving from Rural Burundi into the heart of Modern London. It was a Utopian city!! For truth....They had immaculate roads, an amazing public transportation and a plethora of do's and dont's. No smoking in public places, no spitting, no bad driving, no whistling, no streaking down busy streets, etc. Being that it was about twice the price of everywhere else we had been travelling in Southeast Asia we stayed in the less expensive area, the Indian Quarter. Which was quite exciting for us because that meant Nan and Curry at our finger tips every moment of the day. We spent the next couple of days walking the streets, shopping at incredibly cold and incredibly nice malls, and watching movies on a very nice but very inexpensive theatre. It was actually supposed to be the very first Digital Theatre in the world. It cost my whole family of ten to watch Pirates of the Caribbean and the Curse of the Dead Mans Chest, all of 10 dollars. The price of one ticket to a nice cinema in the US of A. And this theatre was nicer than them all. Aaron, Austin and I spent a couple of nights just wandering the streets and eating whatever looked good. Our favorite was most definitely hot, fresh Naan served with spicy curry in a small Indian restaraunt.
The next day we drove from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur without any incident (which is quite unusual for our family). From KL we took a direct and quick flight to the Capital of Thailand, the great and never sleeping city of Bangkok. This time we chose to stay in the Chinese district of town allowing for some great sweet and sour and a good meal of Sushi from a local Japanese place. Our first night there was spent gaping at the amount of name brand clothes and cool crafts being sold in the night market just down the road from our place.
The next day was even more surprising. We bought a pass for the sky train, which travelled over the city instead of underground like a normal Metro, allowing us to see the extent of greater Bangkok. We took the train to the North, arriving at the GINORMOUS market of Chatuchuk. This market sold everything from Pet Gold fish to Electric saws, and 1970's addidas Jackets to Squid Jerkey. I know how to get around a market fairly well without getting lost, shopping malls are a different story, but I tend to have great success even in the small, busy channels of a crowded market. But this market went on for what seemed like miles!! I literally walked around the market ten times only seeing three or four stalls for the second time. We bought some very cool things for not as cheap as we would have liked (blamed tourists make the prices too high) and had very sore legs that night just from the walking around. That night Austin, Aaron and I went to see a movie in one of the English Cinemas. We walked into what seemed like a regal ball room that then led to what I thought would be an opera house. When we reclined in our lush seats, and stared at the huge screen before us, we could only marvel at the lack of thinking in the US when it came to enjoying the movies. Although it was a pretty crappy film that we ended walking out of, it was an amazing experience and now we can only look forward to paying 8 dollars instead of the 2 that we paid in Bangkok.
I flew back to the States after a very crazy taxi ride to the airport at 6 in the morning. The ticket I had me flying through Hong Kong to Seoul and then finally to Seattle. I only had 40 minutes to make the connections which made the trip much more exciting than it would have been. They actually met me at the airport in Hong Kong and then drove me to the opposite end of the huge Building to my gate. It was my first time to ride a golf cart in the airport!! So now I am back in Oregon suffering Jet Leg and enjoying the late hours of light we have. It is unusual for us to still see the sun at 9 pm. Now my adventures are over for the time being but there will be more to come, hopefully I can concoct some within the week.

2006-07-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Buja to Nairobi to Bombay to Bangkok

I have an hour to use the internet, so I am going to try to sum up the last couple weeks as best as I can remember.
I left Burundi on the 6th of July to spend 5 glorious days with friends whom I have not seen for the last two years. Friends I graduated with and have all now gone separate ways in this world. It was great to see people who I grew very close with two years later, brimming with stories and laughing about past times shared together. Not only was it my Alumni year, but also the centennial year for the highschool. In total 500+ RVA graduates showed up to share in the events. Highlights:
The Alumni Rugby team conquered the very fit and very talented Varsity team. No mention to the fact that we had 35 alumni who wanted to play against their 20 man team. I had the privilege and the immense pleasure to play scrum half against my younger brother Aaron who has been starting on the Varsity team. It was good to throw in a few cheap moves and take a few hits with my brother and it was even more fun watching him play the position that I have grown to love. To say the least, it was just good to play RVA Ruge how it was meant to be played….
Many late nights spent with friends recounting stories and pictures of times gone by and things left unsaid.
Chanting old RVA cheers in Alumni vs. Varsity sports matches. Brought back the spirit of pride and the zeal to yell real loud.
A couple buddies and I took off the last day of Alumni celebrations down into the depths of the Rift Valley, laden with firewood, sleeping bags, chai, and a young male goat. We drove an hour along the valley road spotting Zebra, Impala, Bush buck and giraffe from our truck. Then we headed off road to explore territory that may have never seen the likes of our 5 young white man crew. We butchered the goat in the dark and roasted more meat than us four growing men could handle. We ended up giving away some of it in the morning and eating some for breakfast and there was still some left over. We swore we heard lions that night, so we made an ordeal of hiking half a mile to place the bucket of leftovers high in a tree away from our campsite.
Aaron and I left Rift to find my Parents in Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon. After spending the night at a guesthouse we spent the next day wandering the city and counting the hours till our 10 pm flight to Bangkok. When we finally arrived at the airport and checked into our flight we received the o’ so common yet o’ so unwanted news; overbooked. Even with confirming our flight earlier that day and buying our tickets months in advance, Kenyan airways managed to kick us off the flight we had waited so long for.
After speaking with the Kenyan Airways “Team Leader,” we were given a place in a five star hotel and promised a flight to Bombay the next day. We were told we would be then able to fly to Bangkok on Kathay air. Spending the night in the Livingston hotel, downtown Nairobi, was not a painful experience, having to wait till 2 in the morning to eat dinner and driving 3 more hours in a bus, was a little more frustrating.

I won’t complain. I am sitting on a tropical island off the Eastern coast of Thailand, enjoying the warm water of the gulf and savoring the amazing flavors (and intense spice) of Thai cuisine.
We arrived in Bangkok on Friday and then took a flight to a small town near the boarder of Cambodia, Trat. It only took a short bus ride, an hour ferry and winding road to arrive at Siam Beach Resort, where our family has been staying for 20$ a night. The first day was here was beautiful and sunny, and quite warm. The last two days have been wet, yet still warm. Aaron, Austin and I spoke with a Dutch man living here who, when asked why such a lack of nightlife, said, “You have come during the lowest of the low in tourist season. This is Monsoon season. For the past couple of days we have been cruising along the coastal roads on rented motorbikes exploring posh, upscale Resorts and dockside restaurants. The seafood is abundant as well as the types of peppers and spices we find in our food. Almost all of us have had a little too much spice and felt the effects the morning after.

Tomorrow we head for Cambodia and then who knows. Let’s hope I can get pictures up one of these days. Cheers…Brose

2006-06-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Some more picture updates...a small part of a large adventure...

2006-06-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin. Three beautiful cities, friends, hostels, good food, winding roads, glorious sunshine; the European life.

After an hour of goodbyes to fast friends, blurry eyes, and numerous hugs, I arrived in London on the night, or should I say morning of the 9^th. We then spent two long hours wandering London and soon learning that as well as we might know the city, the three of us had nothing when it comes the Bus system. When we finally ended back at Victoria station, the place from which we had come, the tube was open and us world travels thanked God for a less complicated means of transportation. I slept a glorious two hours on a wonderful mattress, and then spent the rest of the day walking London with friends and pub hopping that night.
The next morning I woke up and rushed through the masses making their way to the pubs and cafes to watch England play its first World Cup game. I had extreme difficuluty in getting to the airport and had to take several extra connections and detours as much of the tube was down. Adding to the fact that I was already late, it was goood to finally arrive at Heathrow and see my beautiful friend Ashley sitting in the Arrivals lounge patiently reading her Bible. After stashing two large bags at Heathrow, we took our backpacks and jumped the flight to Charles de Gaule, Paris.

Paris is not nearly as clean or well kept at London, yet the people have a quality of life about them that makes the city very attractive. Ash and I spent our first night in the Young and Happy hostel in southern Paris with several other people, one of whom happened to be from Portland. We had many similar run ins with people all over, making us realize just how small our God given world can be. Our first night in Paris was spent wandering the small streets enjoying the warm weather. We stumbled upon the Eiffel tower and bought a couple Paninis at a street vendor to go sit with the masses of people congregating on the mall in front of the mass of steel that is the pride and joy of Paris. Just when we sat down an amazing light show began to flash across the Façade of the Eiffel and we sat with our sandwiches and Perrier enjoying the buz of French and laughter of friends.

The next couple of days were spent with some friends from Capernwray exploring the Louvre, Pantheon Paris, the Musee d’Orsay, Notre Dame, Sacre Coure, Versailles, l’Arc de Triomphe, la Seine, and many other famous scenes of the vibrant city. I went to Paris curious to how I would be treated in my attempts to communicate in my battered French, as obvious American tourists. I found that we were treated extremely well and I had several conversations with Shop keepers, metro riders, and waiters, which reaffirmed my French skills. I fell in love with Paris and often dreamed of taking the job posted in our hostel as a translator, or renting the 400 euro flat in downtown Latin Quartier, or enjoying the friendliness and fellowship that young people partake in during the late hours of the night.

We, Ashley, Layne, Ainsley, Brittany and I caught a flight from Paris to Barcleona early Wednesday morning and we were soon crossing over from the green vineyards and rolling hills of northern France to brown and gray Mediterranean landscape. Our mouths gaped as we saw the beautiful coastline come into view and we drooled as we looked over waves far bellow crashing onto white sandy beaches. After finding our HI Hostel off the main road, Las Ramblas, on the southern side of the city, we began our search for beach. Las Ramblas is a very toursity street covered by snazzy curious, bright florists and street entertainers. There were always people along the street even into the early hours of the morning. We stopped to watch a group of very impressive break dancers and bought some Kebabs from a side shop, trying to take the edge off our biting hunger.

We eventually found the harbour of Barcelonetta and took the bus North West until we saw white capped ocean and scantly clad people wandering the blinding beach. Ignoring the crowds as best as we could we chose a spot off to the side and enjoyed the coolness of the Northern Mediterranean water and the glorious sun. After listening to several requests for cold Gelato I led our small band to a Gelaterie and Ashley struck up conversation with the owner for several minutes as we ate. Being that Barcelona is so close to the French border, the language spoken by the majority of the residents is Catalan, a mix of French and Spanish. Ash did an awesome job getting us everywhere with her Spanish, but it was nice for me to be able to pick up bits from the very French sounding words.

Wednesday night Ashley and I went out on our own to a large Castle on the Eastern End of Barcelona. The Castle is situated on a Hill looking over the entire city and the sunset was beautiful with a view in all directions. We arrived a few minutes to get into the actual building but we spent a couple of hours wandering around the grounds. From there we took the bus back into town and tried to find a place that was still open at Midnight for a meal. As to be expected the university section of town was still bustling with people and we found a great “Etudiantes” resteraunt that served good food for reasonable prices as compared to the more touristy parts of town. Having spent time in the Spanish/South American culture Ashley knew about a lot of the food being served and we ended up sharing a large dish of ‘Seafood Paella’ and trying the locally brewed Estrella.

The majority of our time in Barcelona was spent doing the usual wandering of streets and visiting the most famous of cathedrals and museums. Among my favorites were the Cathedral del Familla which has been under construction for the past two hundred years and still has another 20 years till completion and the Picasso museum displaying the majority of Picassos works during his successful life as an artist. A local market sold amazing fruits, breads, meats, seafood, and many other types of delicacies. We ate breakfasts of strawberries, cherries, baguettes, pastries, and juices from the market a couple of mornings.

Something that hit me about Barelona was the amount of darkness I felt in the city. I especially noticed it with the non Spanish ‘hippy trail’ youth who had chosen to make Barcleona their home. With their crazy styles of hair and multiple piercings, I could often see a lost and vacant look in their eyes. Whether it was any amount of drug, alcohol or just lack of love, I felt a need for the power of Christ in their lives.

To be continued…

2006-06-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks have been intense….highlights:

Indoor Soccer has been a major thing for me lately and I have played 6 out of the last 7 nights. We have a tournament set up and our team will pretty well. We have been playing a lot of pick up though so it has become habit to role up my pants and throw off my shoes for a good hour or so of goal rocking soccer.

Two weekends ago was open day for the community and we had a large number of people who live locally come and visit the school for a time of fellowship. There were a number of activities set up around the campus such as: cream teas, an international exhibition, a climbing wall, football games and a gospel message. But one of the best things about the open day was the bouncy castle. That’s what I did, the bouncy castle baby! It was mad intense but wonderfully hilarious as well. From kids crying from whiplash or getting smashed under a group of four larger kids,

I went camping this last weekend with a couple of friends up in the lake district and it was incredible. We didn’t have a tent, but I borrowed a tarp and we did our best to live it up out in the wilderness. It was “ineffably sublime” as we say here. Cooking over a fire we had four course meals with Bread and butter, Cashew Chicken with vegetable soup, Pad Thai, and chocolate cinnamon fire baked apples. The English have a knack for walking/hiking shops so I spent some blissful hours dreaming over some very expensive and very ‘posh’ equipment. But I did buy a stove that was on sale and I am quite excited about it. I might use it tonight to make tea. We did a lot of hiking, walking around local towns, sitting and laughing and talking late into the light. I don’t think the pictures can do justice but here are a few of my favorites.

2006-05-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

Being conservative in the areas of our life that we are passionate. Scared of failure. Attribute of life.

Yesterday somebody asked me, what makes me angry? I don’t get angry easily and so my answer was something to the point that I tend to hold myself to ‘righteous anger.’ Which led me to thinking…

Yesterday was the FA cup final in England, one of the biggest events of the year for the football fans all over; it is comparable to the Superbowl in the U.S. The cup qualifiers were Liverpool and West Ham United. Let me tell you, it was an incredible game. Tied 3 to 3 at the end of 90 minutes, it went into 30 minutes of extra time and after several injuries and no goals, it moved on to PK’s. I hate Penalty Kicks. Liverpool won…but those 120 minutes were packed with some intense football…

Last night we played volleyball. I thoroughly enjoy playing volleyball but watching me play volleyball is like watching a 6 year old child who at cocoa puffs and chocolate milk for breakfast sit through an hour and half sermon. It cant be done. My body is made for the open field with space to run, not a 10 foot square occupied by 6 people all looking up for an object come down on top of them from the heavens above. When I hit the ball, the opposing team usually has time to go get tea and check their mail box before the ball comes back down. And that’s if I hit it with my arms. Some of the others playing with us were getting pretty competitive so I usually just stood in my position pointing to where the ball was going, trying to be of some help. One time someone did “set” the ball for me to “spike” it over the net which was very nice of them. Now for being a short freckled kid I do have some considerable hops, and we were playing a fairly low net, but by the time I was able to stop running, jump, adjust my arm to the proper position and swing at the high arching volley ball, the other team had already served the next point. I have to say I got quite a workout jumping up and down trying to hit the ball before it hit me. The next time they get together to play, I don’t think I will be invited. I would probably do better at synchronized swimming in a 5 foot deep pool with a team of footballers. Oh wait I did that already….

Last week, we got into an argument over lunch about whether or not Synchronized swimming is a sport. I held that it was more like an art, or a form of expression like ballet, or gymnastics, or mime. It requires more mental skill than pure physical exertion. Now some people disagree with me, thus the reason we had the argument, but we have to draw the line somewhere. Just like we try to define art or war. It depends on what side your standing on. And the side I am standing on is the right side. So Henry, a guy on the team, later made a bet with Laura who actually does synchro for fun!. The bet was if we lost our football game on Saturday, the whole team would have to take synchro lessons from Laura for an hour. We lost by one point. He made this bet without the anyone else on the team knowing so you can imagine our chagrine when he told us we would have to don swimming suits and dance around a pool sticking our legs above our heads while listening to pop music. It was actually quite an event and we probably had 25 or so spectators come to watch this rather comical routine. I nearly drown trying to put one leg in the air toes pointed, while the other was half bent with my hands in the air doing wavy motions. I had to have some say in the whole matter so I chose to wear the smallest shorts I could find…the pictures can speak for themselves…

2006-05-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

IMF = Invest in Monthly Fones....

This whole last week has been beautiful at Capernwray and we have been thoroughly enjoying the sun, whether that be sleeping out in the pasture, sitting in a tree with a good book, playing football, or just sitting and chatting. Weather can make so much of a difference in attitude. Sunshine is one of God’s many gifts to us.

Today though is a damp, gray, quiet day. Everyone is relaxing in the lounge and enjoying some time to catch up on Bible reading and work on book reports. We have a travel weekend coming up in a week giving us an opportunity to travel for a few days to neighboring countries or hop over to Manchester for a few nights. I am planning on going up north, to the Lake District and go camping with some people from here.

Lectures have been fantastic lately and we just finished a study on Galatians, 1^St John and Deuteronomy. The Gospel is so powerful and we often forget how much God in his grace has done for us. On Thursday we had three lectures in the morning with a man from Uganda who has started a church in Kampala. He described how prayer has been doing so much in government and the economic situation in Uganda. He told a story of how after much prayer and petition to God, a twenty five member church sprang up to 1500 overnight. I have personally been reading some fantastic books about missionaries and some of the biographies on their lives. Each book is riddled with the power in prayer.

Yesterday was workday in the afternoon and so my good buddy Russel and I headed down to the Roy’s to attack the tasks they had for us. The sun was bright and warm, the company great, and Mrs. Roy always provides a great glass of Fruit Squash, biscuits, and afternoon tea. I ended up doing a little gardening, cutting branches from high up in the treetops and building a fence with Russel. It was great fun and it so nice to do some physical labor after sitting for a week listening to lecture after lecture. I wasn’t sure I was going to live standing on that rickety ladder leaning against a swaying branch meanwhile wondering if the branch I was cutting was the one that my whole existence was leaning on. Am I still talking about garden work?

Last night we had an opportunity to go out with different groups to do different social events. A friend signed me up to go see Mission Impossible Three, so a group of us went to the theatre to see the film. It was quite funny to see a large group of American/Canadian students and a single Irish guy taking pictures and getting excited over the fact that they were in a movie theatre for the first time in months. Popcorn and nachos were soon being passed down rows of loud students as we waited for the movie to begin. The movie itself was obviously action packed and full of bright colors and incredible stunts. I am not trying to ruin the movie for anyone but here are the things that I thought were great about the movie: 1) One of the bad guys soul desire to do whatever it costs to spread democracy around the world (it wouldn’t have bugged me so much except that the whole theatre glanced our direction when this was said, we don’t usually think of the impact Hollywood has on the rest of the world) 2) the Star actor from Shawn of the Dead plays a minor role that tweaks the movie for more humor 3) the main bad guy has starred in several comedies 4) Ethan Hunts girl looks a lot like Michael Jackson. All of these great characteristics added up, makes for a great ‘buck fity’ movie. I suggest you all go see it with someone who enjoys that special Tom Cruise smirk, high tech spy equipment and finds it fun to run out of the theatre pretending to be an IMF agent with their hands clasped in the shape of a gun in front of them. Just be careful, because every person who comes out of the theatre with you is looking for the rabbits foot too!

2006-05-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that since I have been here, listening to lecturers who are from all different areas of the world, I tend to start spelling words the way they pronounce them. For example, we have a guy from North England, up by Scotland, and when trying write the word describing it came out as descbring. I actually had to change my spell check from “English (U.S.)” to “English (U.K.).” To those of you who are TCK’s, I think they need to invent a spell check just for those who write in several languages and dialects at the same time.

This is a picture that I took in London, next to Westminster abbey on the "Public Opinion" row. I thought it was quite clever if not a little sadistic.

2006-05-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

Un-human… Theologically speaking…

In the Christian Community we often here thing said such as, “To err is Human,” or “Our human nature is to sin.” These statements assume that our natural selves want to do things that are sinful. It suggests that as humans we desire to do things that may be ‘pleasurable’ but wrong.

At the same time we know that Jesus was perfect, without sin (II Corinthians 5:21) and at the same time fully human. He was “the son of man (Matthew 16:13-15)” and the “son of God (Matthew 3:17) while he lived on earth.

Comparing these two ideas, we come to a contradiction. For if it is human to err and Jesus was never in err, never in the wrong, than he was not a human at all. So either, we are not human or Jesus was not what He claimed to be. Knowing that Jesus was fully man from scripture, Acts 2:22, we have to assume than we are not fully human. Every Creature has an innate sense that it must live, thus straying from anything that can cause pain or death. If sin brings us closer to death (Romans 5:12, 6:23) than we should want as humans to stray from death, but we aren’t perfect humans. Jesus was the only perfect man meaning we are broken! We are a fallen people (Genesis 3). Our natural tendency, to stay far away from death, is not working correctly and so we often tend to do things that bring us closer to death; sin. Sin makes us un-human. It dehumanizes us! That’s why people don’t know who they are and who do unquestionable things; things we read about in the news and hear about on CNN.

The best way I can think of to illustrate this is in nature.

Inspired by Dr. Steve Brady

2006-05-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have lived in England now for almost three weeks and each day has been new and different. This country is full of football (the sport you play with your feet), little houses, castles, churches, museums, hills and lots of sheep. I arrived on a Friday morning after a nine hour flight over the North Pole into Frankfurt. I spent the day booking into a hostel and enjoying my favorite places in London, such as Covent Garden, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the other places you can get to on a one day pass along the tube. That night I ate at a Turkish restaurant and had a long missed Kebab. I was sitting at a small table and another guy joined me and we talked for about an hour and a half about life and the things that brought us here to England. He was from Florida and has been in London for 2 months now getting odd jobs with Internet Cafes, and he is in need of Christ. I hope to see him again when I get back into London at the end of the term.

On the Saturday after I flew in, I took a bus with about 25 other students going to Capernwray Bible School five hours north of London in the Lancashire district, just outside a small town called Carnforth. There are a hundred and forty or so students, with a ratio of two girls to every one guy. Our schedule is as follows: wake up 7 to get to breakfast at 7:30, do duties at 8:15 (I have to clean the men’s staff bathrooms), lectures begin at 9, Morning tea is at 11 then we have two more lecture to Lunch at 1. We are free till Tea Time (dinner) at 5:45 then we have two more lectures from 7 to 9. We have to be in our rooms at 10:45. It’s really quite beautiful.

In these last three weeks we have had 8 different lecturers who come from mostly the U.K., but we have had missionaries form Italy and Principals of other Torchbearers Schools (Germany and Austria) come to speak as well. We have gone over such books as first and second Kings, Song of Songs, Joshua, Ephesians, first John, Deuteronomy as well as so many different ideas and doctrines. We just finished reading a book assigned to us titled Don’t Just Stand There Pray Something by John Dunn. A very interesting and at times aggravating book that spoke on prayer and the necessity of being in constant communication with God. I just finished a report on the book of Mark which was difficult. It was difficult because it is such a short book and is so similar to Matthew and Luke that it is hard to find anything new in it. But once I got started and seeing things that I had never seen before, I gained a whole new perspective on Mark.

Today we have a football match organized by one of the speakers, just amongst the students. It is going to Europe vs. the Rest of the World, namely North America. 75% of this school is either American or Canadian. It is the running joke that it is the North American Embassy of North England. I live in a room with 9 other young men between the ages of 18 and 24. The room is divided into sections and I share a five bed section with 2 other guys, which gives us quite a bit of extra space with an extra bunk open for random odds and ends. I have to say I probably have more closet space here than I did at AO. Granted I only have four pairs of pants, 5 t-shirts and 5 dress shirts, but it is rather nice to have some extra room.

The actually place we live is an old castle/manor that was built in late 1800’s as a house for a large family. It is a very impressive structure with a clock tower, big wood doors and lots of large rooms and small passage ways. It is quite fun to explore. It is surrounded on all sides by pasture. The closest town, Carnforth, is four miles away and the major highway, the M6, is about 5 miles away. It is very peaceful and often smells of sheep.

Since being here I have been playing a lot of football with many other fanatics. I have had the opportunity already to go to one premiership game, which was actually on the Championship Day for the Premier League. The game was between Manchester City and Fulham and was held in Manchester. English are fanatic about their football and there was constant chants between the home team and the rivals, and with 41,000 voices backing up each song, it was a tremendous roar. Quite exhilarating. We were actually pretty excited to see the away team, Fulham, come away with a 2 to 1 win, with all 3 goals being scored in the last 15 minutes of game playing. We were laughing when the whole Man City section rose and left as one after Fulham’s second goal, losing any hope of a win. And for all those who care, Manchester United lost 3 to 1 to Chelsea, Rooney, Beckham, Terry, and Owen are all injured and possibly out for the next couple of months. There is hope for the U.S. in the world cup.

Since this is my very first BLOG (which unofficially stands for Brose Loves Orange Goulash) I think that it is fine if you tell me things I need to fix, alter, edit, modify, transform, adjust, convert, insert or all together get rid of, please write me an e-mail, write on my Blog, call me, write me a letter, or just fly over and take a train to Carnforth, when you get there follow the canals till you get to Nor Kellet then just follow the signs for the next mile, you will start hearing lots of sheep and when you see a large Stone building go down that road until you get to the larger stone road and knock on the large wood door under the covered archway. Cheers…

Ephesians 4:27