not too bad

Been in India about 24hrs now and things have been relatively quiet. The only risk I’ve faced to this point was related to the young man sitting next to me on the plane who was rather cavalier in the way he handled his glass of tomato juice. I thought I’d most surely suffer a sever stain. Fortunately, catastrophy and conflict was avoided. We’ll see how the rest of the trip measures up as I head out of Delhi tomorrow. Driving through the city last night exposed some of its prosperity and its poverty.

As I’ve been told again and again, India is a land of extremes.

I did not know that

Did you know that although its population is over 80% Hindu, the nation of India has a long rich Christian tradition? I didn’t. It is believed that Thomas – the disciple of Jesus who originally doubted his resurrection, sailed to India and landed at Malankara on the Kerala coast in 52AD. He is said to have established seven churches three hundred years before Christianity gained official recognition in Europe. Legend has it that he was martyred and buried in Tamil Nadu on the east coast. Why the info on India? I’m on my way to spend a several days there.

Who can tell?

Yesterday morning I watched a house in my neighborhood demolished. As I stood slilently in the street with members of the family who lived in it for a very long time, I was struck by the harsh reality of just how fragile life is. Within that home, love was expressed, laughs were heard, tears were shed, accomplishments celebrated, lives were shared. So much history – so many memories. In less then 15 minutes, the house was gone – I mean gone.
Life really is short. And the things in which we often place our security can be taken so quickly. Yet as a light flurry of snow fell on those of us watching the demolition, the family stood together. I realized that while their house was gone, they still had what mattered most — each other. It was a good reminder that within this fragile and brief length of time we call life, relationships are most important.

“Who can tell what a day may bring forth? Cause me, therefore, gracious God, to live every day as if it were to be my last, for I know not but that it may be such. Cause me to live now as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.”

                                                                -Thomas A Kempis

lightening the load

Do you remember the last time someone told you to go to the bathroom? I think I was probably 8 or 9 years old. Ever since, I’ve been free to decided when to go or not go. Well, all that may change for those of us who intend to fly. 

Green means GO

Nippon Airways, which operates in and out of Japan, has already begun asking passengers to use the restroom before traveling and the reason couldn’t be more ridiculous. Apparently the airline believes that doing so will reduce its carbon footprint. Empty bladders, it says make for lighter passengers and lighter passengers means less fuel use.

No joke. Nippon officials argue if people obey the airline’s pre-board potty policy, it will result in a five-ton reduction in carbon emissions over the course of 30 days. They calculate that with the average human bladder capacity is 15 oz, therefore any given set of 150 passengers who have not done their business before boarding adds an additional 63.7 kilograms to the plane’s weight. Ergo – pee first.
Other airlines are considering following suit, which means that you, too, might someday be asked to go before getting to go anywhere.
I have a lot of questions about all this.
Is this policy really enforceable?
What happens once we’re airborne? Will there be no complimentary beverage service – for obvious reasons? How will we wash down the 18 ½ peanuts we get for lunch?
Will there be mandatory voiding during the flight giving the crew opportunity to flush the tanks – ala Dave Mathews [you Chicago folks no what I’m talking about]? This gives a new meaning to evacuation procedures.
What about infants? Will pre-board diaper changes be required? Diapers get pretty heavy; I’ve lifted a few wet ones in my day that seemed well over 20lbs.
Does the insanity stop with urination or will it soon extend to other pre-boarding bodily functions?
Why not fly naked? Clothes only add weight to the human anatomy.
How about requiring body shaving? All that heavy hair…
Nail clipping?
No jewelry?

the olympic dark side

Tonight, in Vancouver, the 2010 Winter Olympics begins with its opening ceremony and attending festivities. Summer or winter makes no difference; I always enjoy watching Olympic competition. It’s hard not to get excited and cheer for some of our nation’s best athletes. Who doesn’t want to cheer for somebody who is cross-country skiing and shooting a high-powered rifle?
But recently the Olympics became a little less glamorous to me. Why? I learned of the Olympic’s dirty little secret. Believe or not, the Olympic venue is a hot-bed for human rights violations. According to a report from the Future Project, an organization dedicated to the eradication of human sex trafficking [the practice of coercing people against their will into the sex trade], the possibility of sex trafficking rises exponentially at international sporting events like the Olympics. The report says the number of human trafficking victims almost doubled in Greece [2004] and hasn’t returned to pre-04 levels. Of the 600,000 – 800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year, 70% are female and 50% of the rest are children.
Events like the Olympics make it easier to bring visitors into the country who may be unwilling victims of the sex trade. There’s also an increase demand for prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation by attendees. Vancouver happens to be a city noted for traffickers; a 2007 US State Department report said there were many victims, particularly from South Korea, who get sent through Vancouver before being trafficked into the US. Apparently, Sam Sullivan [mayor of Vancouver] is unconcerned. He recently remarked that he doesn’t object to the idea of a legalized “co-op” brothel in the city.
This isn’t Vancouver’s problem alone. Every day in and around Chicago, 24,000 women are trafficked against their will in the sex trade.
This year, I will watch the Olympics a little differently. It is sad how even our world’s best attempt at healthy peaceful camaraderie is tainted by the darker side of human depravity.
For more information on this global problem, go to Human Trafficking Search.

Earthquake

It happened around 4:00am. It woke me from a deep sleep sounding like a snow plow rammed into our house. Although experts say it occurred more than 3 miles below ground, it shook my bed — but apparently not enough to keep me from rolling over and slipping back into an early morning drool producing slumber. When I got up later, I learned that a 3.8 magnitude quake hit our area outside Chicago. Wow. A little freaky. Anyone else out there feel the earth move?

jolly good idea?

Have you heard the news? The nation that gave us Shakespeare, Newton, and Burns is now offering a new contribution to world culture – an unbreakable pint glass! That’s right. Proudly unveiled by government officials on Thurs, this incredible British innovation of grog technology means that over-drinkers, embolden with liquid muscles, will no longer be able to smash their glasses on each other’s heads and use the shards as weapons to settle incoherent late night arguments.

Beer contained in Brits weapon of choice

Now, I don’t mean to be overly cynical but – really? Will a glass that won’t shatter make a difference? I suppose it’s possible. But isn’t an unbreakable pint glass like a reloaded weapon – able to be used again and again? Maybe the number of laceration injuries will decline but what about a possible upswing in blunt trauma? Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t deny anyone the enjoyment of a good beer now and then but it seems a problem if/when a country is so prone to drunken brawls that a special nationalized beer glass is needed to protect its population. Yet, that is apparently the case. With 87,000 alcohol-related glass attacks each year, it costs the British National Health Service £2.7 billion a year [$4.6 billion US] to stitch up and treat inebriated knuckleheads and their victims. A few years back Britain extended its pub hours, on the theory that longer hours would reduce binge drinking by people desperate to slam down as many pints as they could stomach before closing. That didn’t seem to work. Obviously the problem rests not with pub hours, glassware or even beer itself but with the foolishness of excess.  Cheers.

Death — the narrator

Here is a small fact…
You are going to die.

The reaction to the aforementioned fact…
Does this worry you?
I urge you – don’t be afraid.
I am nothing if not fair.

A small theory…
People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it’s quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. Murky darknesses. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.

A reassuring announcement…
Please, be calm, despite that previous threat.
I am all bluster – I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result.

another artist

It seems I’ve been introduced to a number of exceptional musicians lately – at least I think they’re exceptional. Obviously, the appreciation of art in any form tends to be pretty subjective. Like many, I enjoy thinking “But I really know what is good and what isn’t” – esp when it comes to music. Recognizing that just isn’t true, as a raging amateur music critic - I offer the sound of Alexi Murdoch for consideration.   

growing needs

According to an article this week in the Chicago Sun Times,

Poverty in Chicago burbs up nearly 50%

a new Brookings Institution report shows poverty continues to rise in and around the US. In fact, Chicago area suburbs saw a large spike in the number of poor. Experts see a link between the recession and the rise in the number of poor in suburban communities. The poor population is growing faster than the rate of affordable housing options in those areas. While the number of poor living in Chicago, Naperville and Joliet increased an insignificant percentage, other Chicagoland communities jumped up from nearly 172,000 to more than 535,000 – a 47% increase! That is a huge percentage which carries serious implications for everyone.