EricNentrup.com

I never thought I’d say THAT! But with Pat Robertson’s recent comments, I have to either ABANDON all organized efforts to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, or I have to decide that READY-FIRE-AIM “Me”-ologians like Señor Pat don’t represent me or Jesus when they open their dangerous yaps.

I’ll choose the latter because Jesus is WORTH it. And because of this, his recent (and past for that matter) carelessness MOTIVATES ME. It motivates me to write, it motivates me to speak out, it motivates me to LIVE MORE CHRIST-LIKE in compassion, mercy, subordination, and trying to bring God glory by what I do and don’t say. In fact it’s the only way true Christ-followers can change the minds of the skeptics.

Not too long ago, Pat Robertson’s COMPLETELY hypocritical statement would’ve sent me further adrift. But not now. I don’t want to live my life avoiding being lumped into the same group with this guy. In fact, I’ll be the first to tell you that the stupid things I say and do, if available on such a public platform would be the end of me. I KNOW we’re all imperfect and unable to perform without the help God gives us through His Word and supernaturally through his Spirit.

But I don’t see how someone who KNOWS the truth of the Jesus’ teachings can EVER say that in front of a TV camera. And I know that Robertson’s not alone in his WRONG thinking. The President of a Christian Ministry that I produced video for in the past sat across the dinner table from me one afternoon and said matter-of-factly, “The U.S. should bomb China.” I about choked on my stir-fry. “What?” I asked him. “China has TOO MANY people and it’s just a matter of time before they mobilize against us. We need to pre-emptively bomb them into submission NOW.” I was stunned. This was beyond my thinking geo-politically, but theologically, I can’t disagree with this fellow more.

Not being a big-time politico, I’ll spare the commentary on oil in Venezuela as well as the disturbing anti-U.S. rhetoric from Hugo Chavez. In fact, I refer you to the MUCH more Christ-like (and reality-conscious) Jim Wallis. His reply to Robertson’s stupidity gives me and other believers hope:

Pat Roberston: An Embarassment to the Church
It’s clear Robertson must not have first asked himself “What would Jesus do?” But the teachings of Jesus have never been very popular with Robertson. He gets his religion elsewhere, from the twisted ideologies of an American brand of right-wing fundamentalism that has always been more nationalist than Christian.

And just think, this is the picture of Christianity that I and other grew up with! My brain can’t hold the opposing ideas that we have this Manifest Destiny to fulfill.

Two years ago, my grandpa went in for surgery to remove a lung claimed by cancer. I don’t think either of them would mind me saying that they’ve had PLENTY of skepticism towards conventional church over the years. That said, while we were at the hospital, my grandma’s sister (though well-intentioned) slipped a brochure into my grandma’s purse. I never saw it, but I know what it was–A TRACT.

Granted, these things MAY have some evangelical return. For fear of permanently cementing in my wife’s psyche that I actually WANT to be a lighting rod for God’s wrath, I will give a slim sliver of credit to intentional efforts towards succinctly communicating God’s Love to others through a leaflet. But my first argument is that such a puny (and downright CHEAP) publication is more of a MOCKERY of God’s love for each one of us than it is an effective tool of communication. My friend Dave Drury (whom I just LOVE to quote on my site) recently shared with me the notion that passing out a printed publication back in the day was a SERIOUS expense to those believers who felt so compelled to create NEW ways to share the great story of Jesus with others. And that the equivalent today would be standing on a street passing out iPods loaded with Eugene Patterson’s “The Message” preloaded as an audiobook! It’s so true! And wouldn’t that be a killa program for your church or small group? See how many iPod Shuffles you could pass out in Jesus’ name!

But my great-aunt slyly passed my grandma one of these outdated publications. She made sure it landed rightly in the waste basket. And I don’t blame her!

The frustrating thing to me is not the outdated means in which we as Christ-Followers share what we’ve come to know and believe. My gripe is that too many people are out there doing more harm than good. On the humble side, it’s trying to SNEAK Christian propaganda in under the radar. And then there’s Pat Robertson. Either way, it’s the equivalent of sending The Boy Scouts of America to the frontlines in Iraq. And yet, I know that God still works through us anyway. He has a penchant for the incapable, underqualified, and poorly-outfitted.

We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (taken from “The Message” Translation)

Robertson’s wrong. And he’s owned up to it. But, he put it out there. Javier Grillo-Marxuach responded to it well:

to: pat robertson from: javier grillo-marxuach re: christianity in general dude: less good friday, more easter sunday.

I agree with Javi. The glory that is Christ Alive far outweighs and utterly eclipses the horrors of the Cross. Yet, thank God for both.

This morning, I came over to Jitters, the local coffee shop, to do some writing. I took my usual spot in the back, near an outlet, and settled in. A couple at a time, people trickled in and joined me in the back area of the coffee shop. I saw bibles and notebooks and quickly realized a morning Bible Study was gathering. For a moment, I enjoyed the private knowledge I had that I was a Christian, that I was going to be writing an essay about being the church, and doing so within earshot of their study.

Quickly, the group’s number spilled over the amount of available chairs. I opted to give them my table and chairs and move to another part of the coffee shop. One woman in particular wanted to make sure they weren’t running me off. She even invited me to join them! I declined so I could get this written. But now, I’ve got iTunes Radio on FolkAlley.com and I’m trying to drown out the fellow leading the group. He’s PREACHING back there!

If you’re wondering whether or not I’m going to bash them, I’m not. From what I can tell you, THAT is church back there. And I’m hoity toity enough to believe that writing ABOUT church is more important than accepting the impromptu invitation to experience a communal interaction with others talking about the Word of God.

Funny. I almost wish they HAD done something to offend me! I wish I had a reason to NOT like what they’re doing back there. But I can’t and here’s why:

Anymore, I’m convinced that what happens on Sundays is NOT church. It’s a gathering OF the church. Again, those 8-10 people I can see over my left shoulder ARE CHURCH.

I’m even starting to understand John Howell’s recent reply: John Howell:

…once I started focusing on meeting God every day, every place, every time and changing the things about me that I needed to, then I finally realized that the church is inconsequential in the grand scheme of my life. Inconsequential in the sense that I don’t need the church, I need God. nothing more and nothing less.

He can correct me if I’m wrong here, but I think he means “Sunday morning” not “church.”

I asked Rudy last night at Starbucks where the word CHURCH came from. He pointed to ecclesia and of course, I looked it up to make sure I spelled it right. And I learned that though our definition of church has come from that word, perhaps the word itself likely came from another Greek word, kuriakon. I’m having My Big Fat Greek Wedding flashbacks now. Those words mean gathering or Lord’s House, respectively. In the here and now, I’m okay with the former but NOT the latter. Let’s face it–the Greeks liked their buildings. And the noble effort they put into building them with such quality is ironic, considering that many of them are still standing (if only a few columns) whereas most “churches” being built today have about as much staying power as an Indiana mobile home. That’s not terribly impressive.

You’d think that by now I’d be OVER THIS. And I nearly am. But I have to keep checking these thoughts. I need help with this. I could keep arguing about these semantics, but I think I’m just avoiding writing about what I feel I need to write about this morning.

My articles’ title has your attention, and honestly, I’m not sure if I can draw the threads tight between the things in the list. I’ll try, but leave it up to you (in the comments) to help me finish the job.

Getting To It.

A woman walks up to a well. Bear with me, this is a good one. But I’m thinking of a particular Samaritan woman and her public conversation with Jesus. What do we know about the situation? Deductively, Jesus broke about 18 social mores in one fell swoop. Talking to a Samaritan, knowingly talking to a woman of ill repute, sheesh–just talking to a WOMAN. You likely already know the story. It’s in John 4 if you want to open up another window and read through it, though.

I’d like to think we can be issue-conscious without being issue-CENTRIC, much like Jesus was to this woman. Well, he was BOTH. He’s the ultimate player-manager here. I mean, he does BOTH roles of the church and the Christ. The Bride & the Groom, in union.

There are hot POLITICAL issues today that are equivocal to Jesus approaching her. I’m trying to steer clear of specifics because we all have cataracts towards them and I’m not sure you’ll hear me if I open the can of worms by listing an example or two. That’s important, because a GLARING FAILURE I see right now is the fact that WE never even MAKE IT to the well because of all the damn issues we get snared with en route. Issues that are earthbound. Issues that won’t exist in eternity. And ultimately, issues that by involving ourselves in them won’t make a flying flip of a difference because ultimately, they’re judgment calls beyond our authority and jurisdiction. Our blind judgment (which we think is supported by scripture, but really, we’ve been deceived) keeps us from introducing Jesus to our Samaritans.

Oh, just for fun, some of you will enjoy reading THIS. But, some of you won’t finish this article if you follow the link. You know who you are. Ironically, THIS GUY actually DOES what I was too afraid to do here. I take that as something. I’m not sure what, just something.

It’s just that, these days, I’m afraid of being one of the gasping on-lookers who just stared in disbelief at their interaction. I’m afraid that instead of emulating Him I am only able to nitpick and judge when faced with a similar circumstance. Have any of us ever belonged to a church where we took a risk of “lowering our standards” and had it “taken over by homosexuals?” Yeah, me neither. But I have seen many a church ruined by crappy teaching, inflated budgets, and lousy music. Well, ruined for me.

I think of working on a “man on the street” video for church (what’s with that anyway?). It was two or three years ago, and I was out with Matt and Jim looking for answers to the question, “What is church?” Upon passing a popular local bar, I said we should stop. Matt especially got a kick out of the idea of getting this question answered in there. Being the “professional” I pretend to be, I asked the waitress if I could speak to the manager. He wasn’t there so she vetted my question for permission to shoot in there. I introduced myself and told her that we were with such and such church. She cuts me off and tells me I shouldn’t even be in there! Isn’t that hysterical? We’re so good at telling others what’s right and wrong that even on a subconscious level her belief system told her that WE didn’t belong there!

Much the same as the Samaritan Woman at the well. Jesus SHOULD NOT be talking to her, according to what she’d been taught. But he corrected that. And I keep going back to the text, trying to find WHERE he told her to “go and sin no more,” as he often did. And it’s not there. Which doesn’t mean he condoned her lifestyle–he just sought a deeper levl of priority in relationship with her. In NOT “fixing her” Jesus accomplished so much more!

And hear the result:

v.39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

Ironically, this well was Jacob’s Well and isn’t it interesting–there just so happens to be ANOTHER good “woman walks up to a well” story that consequently involves Jacob himself. How about a quick review:

The woman was Rachel. She’s pretty. Jacob kisses her. Jacob sacrifices to EARN her marriage. He gets Leah instead. She’s the ugly sister. So he continues his pursuit. He eventually gets Rachel too. Then he’s whipped as their sugar daddy, going back and forth between their tents, unable to sate their unquenchable thirst for MORE children. Let’s not forget that poor Jake didn’t even get a break when the women themselves couldn’t bear children who then called in their own respective maidservants to pinch hit for them! Notice: there’s not much written about Jacob complaining or feeling slighted for being reduced to a sperm bank.

Friend, Dave Drury has used this story in metaphor more than once with me. He likes to think of the church as Rachel and basically anything else “we settle for” as Leah. A distraction from the true prize. I’ve given it a bunch of thought and I don’t think it holds water.

It’s a broken analogy because, the church is BOTH sisters. And chasing ONE OR THE OTHER is a danger. We do that. We only chase the fickle, hottie Rachel, or we stay put with the dependable, yet not-so-glamorous Leah. However you want to interpret it, one thing’s certain historically. It took BOTH wives (and their maidservants) to birth the nation of Israel. BOTH, in a not-so-graceful progression, were needed to manifest God’s plan for fulfilling His promise to Abraham.

The Open Source Church.

I think Open Source Church is part of the solution. And I’m not alone on this:

Since both software development and theology represent the description and assembly of a complex system, I think the parallels are apt. Since the Free software movement and GNU/Linux in particular probably represent one of the first consciously-destructured community approaches to a complex project, I suggest that Emergent could learn much from the structure employed there, even though it won’t likely translate directly.
–Brother Maynard of SubversiveInfluence.com

This is a great site, and the harmony with OUR conversation is NOT happenstance. If you don’t have a real job, spend the day surfing and reading about his struggles and process. Especially his journey with church and small groups.

But his point is well-made, and concurrent with my thoughts prior to discovering his site. So, allow me quickly teach thou luddites in attendance the virtue and philosophy of all things Open Source. Wikipedia.org defines “Open Source” thusly:

Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. Openness, open content, and communal are other related topics. This article deals mostly with computer software.
Open source or open-source software (OSS) is any computer software distributed under a license which allows users to change and/or share the software freely. Many programs use a specific license agreement satisfying the Open Source Definition.

Rudy’s now doing his mock of me speaking in binary. Let the record stand that I have NEVER spoken binary. Only Klingon. Seriously–it’s described as COMMUNAL. And if you’re visiting the Wikipedia for the first time, I should let you know that it is an Open Source Encyclopedia. Yup. And would you believe it’s AHEAD of World Book and Brittanica in terms of it’s currency? How can they afford to do that? By leaving the door unlocked–you can add and/or edit at will per subjects you have a corner on. Huh?

“Open Source” has become a geek-buzzword because the internet has connected multitudes of smart individuals who were tired of dealing with the software giants for fixes, upgrades, and feature requests that were going unanswered. OpenOffice.org is probably the best mainstream example as they offer a FREE and current alternative to Microsoft Office.

Some of you are still using Internet Explorer to read this article. And you’ve heard my admonition to FLEE from it and use Firefox instead. It’s just BETTER, it’s free, and it’s a very popular piece of software made as Open Source by unpaid coders.

Let me try again. I shall lead by example.

That’s my entry that I wrote myself. Please, add to it. Granted by the time you read this, the Wikipedia Gatekeepers (all volunteers) may designate my page as narcism, which they flag as a deal-breaker, and yank my entry from the database before I get to prove my awesome point, and you get to tell the world what you think about me.

And that point is simply this. We’re in an era where THIS MODEL must be applied to our “God-Process.” It must become communal and non-hierarchical. It must become full-access. Denominational (even NON-Denominational) approaches are simply a capitalist application to church. It’s competitive, labeling, exclusive, and likewise prone to bloat.

Open Source software is organic, non-hierarchical, lean in process AND product, and EVERYONE has access–if she would so desire. Shouldn’t our “God-Process” be no different? Shouldn’t we AS INDIVIDUALS be changed and affected IN COMMUNITY with no restraint in our access to the Heart of God? I think we should be able to learn, share, participate, and receive, just as these software coders have done with their work. For the record, I’m just an observer of technology, not an expert or participating coder, but from what I can see, the movement having it’s impact on the big dogs such as Microsoft. It’s changing their game plans which is an affirmation that it works if it can lever such a big entity.

Side-note: Apple’s last HUGE operating system shift was to build on the foundation of the Unix system, which is in many ways the genesis of the open source movement. And in while sitting here, a friend walked into the coffee shop, saw my laptop and struck up “the Apple conversation” with me. He looks forward to buying an Apple Computer soon, but can’t quite afford too yet (or so he believes). Yet he DID have the foresight last spring to buy 200 shares of Apple stock when it was going for $18/share. It closed in the $80 range recently and he used some earnings to buy himself an iPod. Well, APPLE bought him the iPod! Amazing. But, as usual, I digress–slightly.

What about OUR source code as believers–that which is written on our hearts? Didn’t Jesus create unrestricted access to that? I’d like to think he did for that woman. And man, she sure took it and ran.

Some of your remember taking the “ISTEP Test.” I’m doing the Standardized Testing analogy “a baloo is a bear” right now in my mind, but I’m using the phrase “traditional big-building church is Microsoft.” I’m trying to compare the two things from different universes, looking for helpful similarities. Here’s what I’m coming up with: Too big for it’s own good, unable to listen to it’s support base and implement it’s requests. It’s not carrying it’s own weight, but for most folks, good enough because it’s all we’ve got. Wrong. It’s all we’ve HAD until recently.

The “House Church” movement is here. I’m learning about it, and I LOVE what I see. It makes sense on so many levels with me, though I’ve yet to participate in one. But when I do, I know that that’s just what I’ll do–participate. I think I’m ready to see the shift happen from first, big gathering, second small gathering, to SMALL gathering first, LARGE gathering secondly.

They’re building a “stand alone” Starbucks in town. Yes, believe it or not, the only one we have is the one in the new Target. And it’s on my side of town. I kind of look forward to the idea that not too into the future, I can squint and see the church I attend back there at the table and in the soft chairs. I can even see us getting together for Easter or Christmas at the Commons downtown with a few other groups for a larger bash.

I think it’d be exciting to get a fresh cup of strong coffe, sit down, and share “source code” with these other people–these other Samaritans who met Jesus.

Jake’s reply to yesterday’s rant spurred me. I griped but offered no alternative to my media criticism. And he was right, technology (and motivation) is the answer to the crummy stuff we see from the Network News. And I didn’t even make the connection that I and many others involved with reading and writing blogs are already adopting it!

As I’ve mentioned in a recent email to the ENdC mailing list, conventional blogs (more formally known as Content Management Systems) use a neat form of code called RSS. It’s related to a bigger standard, XML. Well, folks have realized that the consistency of the STRUCTURE of these frequently updated blogs makes it easy to AGGREGATE the stories from the pretty looking website into a program that looks a lot like your email app. This “News Reader” is the MOST EFFICIENT WAY for one to sift through MORE content whether it’s sports, general blogging, headline news, finances, geek stuff, etc. TONS of conventional sites out there are offering links to their RSS Feed that you can plug into your News Reader and get new articles/posts/scores/updates in much the same way you get new email. It’s fantastic and you’re all going to be doing it by the end of the year anyway. Might as well take a few minutes, go to the appropriate download site for your OS and get a News Reader! Most come with some feeds already to get you started. And BTW, my link to my feed is at the bottom of this page!

Geek Speak over.

Man. I’m watching CNBC’s “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch for the first time tonight, and turn up the volume as I see he’s interviewing Robert Redford via satellite from Park City, Utah as the Sundance Film Festival ramps up this week.

Donny reviews Redford’s success and I tune in particularly when I see a great clip from “All The President’s Men.” I love that film. Donny follows the clip with a question quite similar to this:

“Robert, do you think that the filmmakers passing through your festival these days understand the importance of the that film, understand the significance to the Watergate scandal. do they understand the role of film in telling the stories of our time?”

Redford collects his thoughts and says something to the effect of:

“Good question. Technology is changing so fast–it’s moving at the speed of a freight train through our culture, and I don’t know how much time you want to spend on discussing the relevance of even THIS on our culture–”

CUT to Donny INTERRUPTING: “Robert, before we’re out of time, any thoughts or comments about Johnny Carson?”

That’s when I quit listening. You may need to read the exchange again, but simply, what happened is they took the interview at length, (along with the OTHER interviews they deemed worthwhile) and pared it down to the significant core of the conversation. But the producer seemingly didn’t know what he was doing when he signed off on the editing that cut Redford off at a natural pause, but a HIGHLY unnatural point in his reply. Redford was ABOUT to expound and pontificate (and in my opinion 67 year old masters of the craft like R-Squared get that privilege). And if you opt NOT to let them, DO NOT cut them off in the middle of the setup to their thought. Read it again. Redford didn’t say ANYTHING worth keeping in his reply. But I’d bet he said SOMETHING worth listening to and it was cut for time’s sake.

That’s the first time I’ve been sitting here, ready to RANT when I saw this pet peeve of mine poked. I HATE how the network personalities conduct interviews as A.D.D. digestible fare. Lauer and Couric are the WORST. Can’t producers friggin’ cut out the redundant text these “anchors” read on the teleprompters during the news pieces to spare more time for interviews? Can’t they ditch the umpteenth snippet from the Amber Frey testimony to give more time to the guy who shot himself in the head with a nailgun? Actually, I couldn’t watch that story. Gave me the willies.

Ultimately, when Jamie Oliver’s cooking up something like Gnocchi with Pesto, I want him to SCHOOL the talent instead of them driving the cooking lesson. It’s just that these news shows are so fragmented that we’re getting NUTTIN’ but splinters of stories. I mean, a bite of something’s okay as long as there’s substance later.

I don’t know. I obviously get pissed at the media for telling us what’s important and what’s not, then passing the buck to the public blaming them for the quality and the quantity of the content they deliver. I mean, man…I feel like I can’t even sit still long enough to read a novel anymore and I KNOW that my capacity’s being changed by these other trends.

Long live Charles Osgood, Garrison Keilor, NPR everywhere, and the BBC (I think…maybe I’d get used to their accents and realize they’re off their heads as much as the yanks.)

I’ve been hearing a bunch about “Designer Babies” lately in the news. Well, it was before the holidays, but I’m just getting around to finishing this draft I started sometime ago.

What I’m referring to is a growing trend in amazing scientific practice which gives a couple the ability to choose the sex of their baby. Obviously this is a controversial issue. But aren’t they ALL until the novelty wears off? I know that most reading my posts have been alive since the ultrasound was made mainstream. Occasionally you run into an “old-fashioned” couple that don’t want to know the sex of the baby even when they have an ultrasound during pregnancy.

For $4,000 you can have the medical technicians at MicroSort freeze your sperm and ovum, separate the X’s from the Y’s in the sperm sample, and join several combinations for the hope of a healthy embryo. At that point, they add some sort of Chromosome Mix, shake gently and serve straight up with a twist. Well, I’m kidding about that last part, but it still taps into that same sense of having a bartender make you a cocktail. And if a cosmopolitan makes yo ufeel “special” can you imagine having the power previously only GOD’S domain, to choose the sex of your unborn child?

Granted, It could let you get a jump start on the clearance sales at baby gap, and allow plenty of time for the respective blue or pink paint to dry, but those and other more serious benefits don’t outweigh one VERY subjective opportunity cost.

Cheating the Mystical. Or debunking it. Pulling back the curtain, if you will.

My good friend Rudy pointed out that I have the same disdain for OLD technology (from dial-up internet to the whole phone/answering machine debacle, to snail mail) as older folks may have for all this NEW technology. I immediately agreed. But as I write this, I think my inner-curmudgeon comes out on communication specific stuff–not towards woodworking tools, fine automobiles, and musical instruments. In fact, I get snobby towards the newer stock in those categories–except woodworking tools. My father-in-law gets snobby for me until I know how to use them without wasting valuable wood or digits. And in his book the former outranks the latter.

Okay, now I’m all the way off the track. But not without purpose.

We are an advancing culture. PROGRESS is so innate we don’t have to pedal too hard to stay ahead regardless of our endeavors. So, there’s no fighting progress. My questions is that when we make discoveries like this, and discover the secret to yet ANOTHER of nature’s sleight-of-hand maneuvers, aren’t we depleting our ability to trust in the BEYOND.

Those dusty nomadic Jews wandering the same sands that are now so wrought with military activity had no problem ascribing the unexplainable to not just the existence of God (pretty much an inarguable to them) but also to His vast superiority to their simple selves. I mean, Yahweh was Yahweh to them simply by the change of the seasons or a bountiful crop.

But if we have the power to not just eradicate certain cancers, but choose the sex of our babies, what is left out there for us to figure out? I know, plenty, but don’t you feel like saying “what will they think of next?” on such a regular basis?

I want the mystical in my life. In fact I need it. I know my friend Rudy does as well, because I hear him saying these days that he doesn’t see or hear God anywhere. Cue all the well-meaning Christians with their simple cliches! And as soon as they’re finished, let’s talk some more about THINGS SUPERNATURAL. I think it’s important for us to heighten our awareness. We need a sense of wonder or we risk dying in the boredom of a world where we can do ALL THINGS ourself without any help from a higher power.

What helps you keep in touch with the mystical? What USED to work? What do you wish worked for you?

Today, the Indianapolis Star had a letter FROM the editor, Dennis Ryerson explaining/apologizing for putting Peyton Manning’s record-breaking performance from Sunday in the Monday morning edition of the paper, overshadowing the MUCH BIGGER story of the disastrous Tsunami which claimed the lives of over 100K people in Asia that same day.

As I write this, I’m thinking back to cheering Peyton as he threw touchdown #49, breaking Dan Marino’s single season record of nearly 20 years. It truly was a great game and a momentous occasion in our professional sports culture.

And at that point, the news reports that I had heard were just generalizing the disaster, the full scope of the loss not yet apparent, I think, until the Monday Morning Network News shows started to give estimates of the death toll.

In fact, when I heard those reports on Monday, it broke my heart. I wasn’t up to the notion of playing any games with family or the like as we were going to do that morning. And I certainly wasn’t thinking about Peyton Manning. I just wanted to hear more and try to comprehend such a catastrophe.

But today, as I read that half-assed apology/explanation from Ryerson, I became enraged. He writes:

“The play of international stories long has been an issue for the American news media. Living in a country separated by vast oceans from so much of the rest of the world, Americans tend not to be as interested in international events as are people in some other countries. That lack of interest is reflected in news coverage.”

I mean, do you REALLY believe that the media are just reflecting the greater desires of the public? Come ON!!! Americans tend to NOT be as interested in international events because we’re TOLD NOT TO by the media. “The lack of interest is” NOT “reflected in news coverage.” Instead, our long-standing cultural belief that if it’s in the NEWS (TV or Print) it must be legit, and as important or unimportant as the anchor or editor leads us to believe. Ryerson has the cart so far in front of the horse on this one, the horse is thinking the cart isn’t worth catching up with–ESPECIALLY if the horse has to tow that worthless cart.

Ryerson’s apology is acceptable, but this paragraph rationalizing and pontificating WHY they went with the sports headline instead is absurd. It’s absurd because objectivity in journalism applies not just to the content of said topic but to the decision of which topics deserve priority over others in the delivery of their respective medium. And Ryerson admits he bit it on this, but then covers his divot with a pothole by patronizing us and passing the buck to the public’s “lack of interest” in international stories.

I mean, death toll alone, we’re talking about FIFTY September 11’s in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and other countries that took the brunt of the Tsunami. And though hearing of the destruction that an “Act of God” (which is another Pandora’s Box of a conversation to be had elsewhere) has had on a people group doesn’t impact one like the a severe mass injustice of one people group upon another people group, in the end, it’s all the same–senseless waste of life that can’t be explained or justified. Senseless waste.

And after a year of high profile journalists making careless mistakes I’d like to see them learn that while they hold the megaphone, people ARE going to listen. They need to take that platform seriously and bring the necessary content for us to choose just what is and what is not important. Keep the opinions & digressions to yourself and do your job.

I just saw on the CBS Morning Show, Actor/Filmmaker Chazz Palminteri talking about his latest project, a film called “Noel.”

It’s being released via FlexPlay.com, a new service that makes DISPOSABLE DVD rentals mailed to your door. Crazy. They actually begin to disintegrate in 48 hours. I love it. Now I can QUIT HATING AOL for their ridiculous amount of waste with their CD’s and transfer that angst to FlexPlay. Not really. I don’t get that bent out of shape about it. I just think it’s a strange business model NOW when we could POSSIBLY be near a “Video On Demand” breakthrough via ONE of several technologies.

Anyhow, this qualifies for the “RANT” category, as I just don’t understand the notion to INTENTIONALLY create disposable stuff at a time when we are ALSO lobbying to recycle whatever we can. To their credit, they ARE recyclable, but at least in my tiny burgh, we’re still a ways off from the MASSES recycling most of their refuse.

Being the torn soul I am, I’ll likely try it. Or watch–I’ll make a short film and seek distribution with them. I’ll get over it. And if I DO get one of their discs, it’s going in the recycle bin.

Oh the days we’re livin’ in.

Yesterday was one of those days where I spend all sorts of time doing the administrative equivalent to eating my vegetables…

There were bills to be paid, credit card accounts yet to close (from rolling them into my biz loan), and there was a bunch of other piddly stuff to get done.

As I neared the bottom of my “inbox” (which is now a fairly large Rubbermaid container with a snap on lid), I came across an unfamiliar envelope and upon opening it, found a letter from our mayor, endorsing the work of a Rochester, NY based company for producing multimedia content for Columbus’ state funded website. This lit my fuse. Now, if you’re reading and need some bearings, I live in the fairly small town of Columbus, Indiana, of about 40K. I produced our mayor’s campaign ads last summer and for me to see him endorsing another producer, albeit one from bloody New York, you can imagine my anger. So I started making phone calls.

I quickly learned that this outfit is a group of wheeler-dealers who strong arm communities into buying their SHODDY work. I checked it out. And you can to by going here and watching the sample. They go by the name of CGI Communications or eLocal Link. I honestly don’t know enough about them to say much more. All I know is that they’re in MY kitchen and eating MY pie!!! That’s enough for me to say get the hell out of here. Of course, that has to be done with a Hugh Grant from Mickey Blue Eyes English cum New Yorker accent.

So, dealing with that, unbeknownst to me at the moment, put me in a foul mood for the remainder of the afternoon. When I was grumpy with my family later in the day, I felt pretty silly about it. I need to be able to put out fires, make confrontations (especially business ones) without getting as emotional about it. I need better “partitions” for my emotions so that when I finish that task and move on to my workout or creative writing, or hanging with fam/friends, I don’t drag that emotional aftershock with me and impose it on them.

Well, I’m on my way to a meeting now. It’s the 3rd meeting with this client and I’m hoping to close the deal with them. They need my services, I need their work.

Until later, make sure you watch the latest Strongbad cartoon.

can’t go to sleep without mentioning the Hardee’s Angus Burger.

You know what? They run those Hardee’s Thick Burger or Angus Burger or $7 Burger ads about this time every night. And MAN. I WANT one. I can’t even go get one easily. The nearest Hardee’s is up in Edinburgh. Dang. I just want that satisfying crunch of the lettuce and pickles and onions.

I’ve been reading through John August’s website (http://www.johnaugust.com/index.html). He wrote Big Fish’s adaptation. And I think I’ve found a ScreenWriter I can identify with. He’s 5 years older than me, is even more of a Mac Geek than I am, and is entirely way too grounded for his own good. He’s and X’er and perhaps that’s all that matters. He debunks McKee and practically every other script “guru” out there. I’m glad to hear that. I think finishing McKee’s “Story” is still a good step for me, but I revisited my “On The Road to Belmont” draft and other materials and feel I could get in there and knock it out.

My day was busy. This week’s been that way. I need to stay busy for obvious fiscal reasons, but I so desire to have the breathing room I need to keep myself sane and growing, spriritually and creatively.

And now I must watch the CBS MailBag on Letterman, check out Strongbad, and then go to bed.

I’s my birthday, and I feel I’ve little to celebrate…

Yup. I’m 28 today. But I feel like I have little to celebrate today. It was a whacky weekend (and week) full of discouraging discoveries. First and foremost in terms of shock value, I’ve learned that I’m NOT going to be getting my new 12″ PowerBook anytime soon. Why? I’ve been a victim of internet fraud. Yeah, I rolled the dice on a deal that seemed too good to be true and it WAS. I realized this on Friday night, exactly one month after I sent payment for the laptop. I was SICK SICK SICK. Kim was very understanding the following morning, in that remarkably forgiving way she responds to my screw-ups. That eased me. But after previous situations where I’ve lost a piece of equipment (though not to fraud but to UPS incompetence) and wasn’t aggressive enough about my recovery, I decided to grab the bull by the horns and quickly built a rather thick file on the whole situation. I received a call from the police about my situation, and they weren’t surprised go figure. In fact, they’ve been trying to capture this guy for a while, but he’s caught wind and closed accounts and laid low for a spell. So, perhaps my situation will be instrumental in capturing this guy, thus preventing this guy from ripping off anybody else. The investigator was very friendly, and confident about nabbing him. Though he made no promises of recovering my money. We’ll see. I’ve decided to take this as a wake up call about the slop in my life. I’ve felt like I’ve been getting what I deserve in some ways. Not that I’ve frauded anybody! No, I mean, I’ve been trying to take short cuts to success, or being lazy with the business. Just lack of discipline and ethics. Not towards my clients, but just sort of cheating myself with not being careful with purchases and bookkeeping, and budgeting and planning. That sort of thing. And if I can get my butt in gear in these ways and be motivated to go find the necessary business to cover my losses, then everybody wins.

Well, I best get to what I just described. I have a lot of work to do.