Monday, November 9, 2009
Photo Credit: Fox
by Tiffany Lucus
I was recently watching TV with my husband when I saw a commercial come on for a local carpet cleaning company. The commercial claimed that their carpet cleaning services were around for children, pets…and husbands. I found this peculiar so I asked my husband what they had meant by that. His reply was “honey, don’t you know, we are all just a bunch of buffoons that can’t do anything without somehow screwing it up or making a mess?”
My first thoughts about this were humorous; thinking that my dog’s poop and children require constant attention so messes don’t end up on the floor; since my husband does not do or require any of the aforementioned things I was still kind of at a loss. As I thought about it further I became almost sad. I was so disappointed that my husband felt that society had placed husbands as just a bunch of idiots incapable of doing anything correctly except going to work every day and collecting a pay check. Almost like a monkey performing assigned tricks.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
Photo Credit: Lauren Ebright | The Broken Telegraph
by Ian Ebright
My friend Eugene Cho and his wife have just launched a nonprofit to fight extreme global poverty. I know that almost sounds cliche these days, when global advocacy and charity at times seem to be more of a PR stunt, but this is different. One Days Wages is a grassroots organization that uses social networking sites and community to address the problem of extreme global poverty in specific ways, by asking that everyone give one day’s wages on their birthday to an existing charity that the org is partnered with.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009
by Ian Ebright
I’ve had a hard time understanding why the American people have largely disconnected from our government’s torture policies and practices during the Bush Administration (some of which continue to this day under Obama, but that’s for another post). Perhaps it’s because it can be difficult to believe that leaders in our own country would explicitly order something so vile. Or maybe it’s because people have accepted the un-American argument perpetuated by Dick Cheney and others that torture was either effective or necessary, and therefore morally justified. Many people including myself have argued that those kinds of arguments are inhumane and demonstrably false.
I came across two articles over at Andrew Sullivan’s blog and absolutely had to share them with you. I’d like to point out that Sullivan is a conservative in pursuit of justice for the Bush administration’s offenses, so his torture posts (based on government documents and investigative reporting) cannot be dismissed as merely partisan. I’m asking each person who sees this to read both brief articles.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009
Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures
by Brian Robinson
Halloween usually leads moviegoers to ask each other the same question every year: “What’s the last really scary movie you saw?” This is the time of year we go looking for that elusive good time shock at the movies, and you can be sure Hollywood is ready to charge us for the opportunity to find it. And, as any showman will tell you there is nothing like a good gimmick. This year’s gimmick is being employed for the movie ‘Paranormal Activity.’ If you haven’t heard of this movie yet, I can guarantee you will.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Photo Credit: bagnewsnotes.typepad.com
by Brian Robinson
I don’t know if you noticed, but ‘The Russkies’ are back! Not the ones who have been trying their hands at a capitalistic society for the past twenty years, but those old fashioned hammer and sickle Communists! Didn’t you know that they have finally done what Lenin and Marx tasked them to do…take over the American government?! EEEKK!! They have wormed their way into every facet of our government and are here to eat your children. At least that’s what the loudest mouths on TV and radio are telling me. Isn’t it true that the louder they are the more right they are? Or at least, more ‘truthy‘?
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Saturday, September 19, 2009
by Ian Ebright
These are times when truth is more likely to be viewed as a nice idea rather than a prompting to take action. Truth and integrity are so often abused, and get used like an advertising slogan designed to win favorability. We say we value honesty and transparency, but there is so much scheming taking place to keep the truth hidden, watered down, and locked away from ourselves or from others. That is because the truth is like antidote to the poison of control. Lies are the last, best chance for people who want to manipulate the public’s perception of their selves and their plans. But is that sustainable? Will ritual dishonesty prevail?
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Photo Credit: timesonline.co.uk
by Tiffany Lucus
As I rapidly approach 30 I have been doing a lot of thinking, mostly of maturity and growing up. The thought process found me trying to remember that pivotal moment in my life where I truly knew I was grown up. That point where I was certain that there was no way I could ever be more mature then I was at that exact moment. It took me down quite a windy road and the journey was bittersweet.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Photo credit: Sweden.se
by Brian Robinson
A good friend of mine that I have known for years recently wrote a post on her blog that got me to thinking. (Yes, a rare feat, but I do actually think…or at least I like to think I do). Her post focused on how female friends treat each other, especially as girls and young women. How there is a whole separate language amongst women that men generally don’t tune into. It’s not that ’Men Are From Mars’ sort of idea — that’s more specifically about how men and women communicate between the genders — but about how the genders communicates among themselves. (If you would like to read the post first hand, and I suggest you do, you will find it here).
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Photo Credit: holistic-medicine-alternatives.com
by Tiffany Lucus
I often hear people talk about a life altering experience that lead them to God. Something that had them face down, at their wits end, rock bottom, crying, and at their darkest moment God showed himself to them, they accepted him and moved forward forever changed, passionate about their Savior. I, personally, have never had this experience.
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
by Ian Ebright
Preachers in today’s American Christian Church are often at bitter odds over disagreements in doctrine. Some of the more radical ones toss around terms like heretic and liberal when attempting to label the other side of a Biblical disagreement. A few of these feuds have landed under the public spotlight in recent months thanks to YouTube. So is this healthy for followers of Christ, and beneficial for those watching from outside of the church? And why are other Christians doing the same thing with so much of their time? Has faith in Christ become little more than a competitive sport between teams with different interpretations and worldviews?
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Monday, August 24, 2009
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
by Brian Robinson
This past Friday, I spent some time watching ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ on HBO. While you may or may not agree with Maher’s politics or his point of view on a number of different topics, his show is really quite entertaining. I really do value the free and honest exchange of ideas and most network TV and cable TV shows have to (or choose to, in cable’s case) stick to the rules of the FCC, which puts a de facto chill on how people express themselves. On Maher’s show, not so much. The ‘F’ Bombs fly like US military drones on this show and it like those drones, they usually have specific targets when the bombs are dropped.
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Saturday, August 22, 2009
by Tiffany Lucus
I once knew a girl that was extremely addicted to crack and Xanax. Apparently crack to go and Xanax to stop. It was a horribly deadly combination, and when she came to me for help I was there with open arms. She stated she wanted to change her ways, she had two children that needed her and she had gone too far down this road. She said all the right things and I was willing to do absolutely anything to help her. I gave her money, time, sleepless nights, you name it I helped in any way I knew how. It seemed though, that every couple months she would have a “relapse” or a “set back” or whatever else you would like to call it and after each time I almost walked away. Yet she always had a good reason, and a well thought out apology and, funny thing, it usually was someone else’s fault so I should not be mad at her. It always worked and we would start the process all over again. Except for the last time.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Photo Credit: apakistannews.com
by Tiffany Lucus
I am sure it is news to no one that we are in very tough economic times. Perhaps if you live in a hovel in the back woods you are unaware, but if you own a radio, TV, scan newspapers or go out into public, ever you see that hard times are hitting us with full force. Though up until very recently this rough patch was only a morning news story to me. It really didn’t effect me at all. The bank I am with did not close, we don’t have hundreds (or pennies) in the stock market, we have no major investments that have been horrifically impacted and most importantly my husband and I were both working 40 hours a week. We work for a strong company and we anticipated that we would just skate right on through this with no feathers ruffled. That was, until recently.
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Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Photo Credit: IFC Films
by Brian Robinson
There is a rare, special moment in movies that I have discussed with some friends. That’s when you are watching a movie that has hit a peak of words, visuals, execution, and acting; when it all comes together into that perfect mix that reminds you why you love movies. When it occurs, I get what I have described as a Permagrin where I involuntarily grin like a fool. It’s really satisfying when it happens even once in a movie (see ‘Dangerous Liaisons,’ ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ or ‘Seven’ to see what I mean) and almost unbelievable when it happens twice. It happened about four times during ‘In the Loop,’ and I may have UNDERcounted.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
by Ian Ebright
I sent an email out to a few friends last week, updating them on the truly dreadful and life-changing situation that me and my family are going through. My email contained optimism, about how God is faithful even though things hit a big snag last week. Well it didn’t take more than a few hours for my mood to change from hopeful to all-out fury. I’m Jeckyll and Hyde lately.
Gore Vidal once said he writes to get his anger out. I’m going to give that a try.
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