Stunning. I don't really know what else to make of Paula Abdul's complete mental breakdown last night. I know she has one every week, but none this blatant. I was so flabbergasted by it that I basically tuned out the rest of the show thinking about what her comments meant for American Idol. Here are the options:
1. She is just simply crazy. She truly thought she heard Jason Castro sing twice. While this is a possibility, I find it hard to believe.
2. When mentioning Jason's second performance as lacking, she was meaning to reference David Cook, who sang second. However, this is out the window because she said David Cook was her favorite.
3. The entire show is scripted, or at least her lines. It's obvious that the producers want the show to come down to David vs David. Kind of like how MLB wants Boston or New York or the NBA wants the Lakers and Celtics. In order to make David vs David happen, they have scripted at least Paula's comments to reflect their views. Paula screwed up last night by reading her lines for the next round too soon.
I go with the 3rd option. So what does this mean? Just another "reality" show that is completely scripted? What about the voting, is it controlled as well? I have not read an explanation of what happened last night, but this moment kills AI's credibility. Kind of like how The Biggest Loser lost all it's credibility on the next to last weigh-in this past season. (I know very few people watched the Biggest Loser, but it actually is an intriguing and inspiring show.) Anyway, American Idol meet 21. Charles Van Doren lives again.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
To All Christian Drivers in Florida
Florida, my home state for 2 years, is attempting to approve a Christian license plate (pictured above). Of course, whenever a government entity desires to produce a religious work, certain people question the constitutionality of it. In this case, with Florida having so many vanity plates to choose from, I would surmise that it would be upheld as constitutional, so long as the state prints plates for all faiths (or no faiths.) If this were to happen, then Christians in Florida who have the "I Believe" plate should not become enraged when they pull up behind an "I Don't Believe" plate, or an anti-religion plate. In our pluralistic society, what one claims as free exercise of religion (in this case having a Christian plate on the back of one's car) should apply to all equally.
I don't have a problem with the state producing these plates, but I do wish we could somehow control who is able to get them. Yes, I know that would be too much government entanglement, but I fear the person who gets the plate, only then to drive like the biggest jerk on the road. It might not be the best witness to cut someone off in traffic with one's "I Believe" plate staring the other driver in the face. Or, someone with the plate throwing trash out the window, speeding through a school zone, not yielding at a 4-way stop sign, or picking up a prostitute. So if one could pass an "I'm not a Christian Jerk" test, then I would feel much more comfortable with them having the plate. But having lived in Florida for two years, I would gather from the other drivers that there aren't any Christian drivers in Florida - at least not from what I could tell driving around others. (To all my Christian friends in Florida, I, of course, don’t mean you!)
Oh well, if it's a Christian plate you want, go for it, but please be careful how you drive. And don't cause a stink when you pull up behind a car with an "Oprah is My God" plate.
I don't have a problem with the state producing these plates, but I do wish we could somehow control who is able to get them. Yes, I know that would be too much government entanglement, but I fear the person who gets the plate, only then to drive like the biggest jerk on the road. It might not be the best witness to cut someone off in traffic with one's "I Believe" plate staring the other driver in the face. Or, someone with the plate throwing trash out the window, speeding through a school zone, not yielding at a 4-way stop sign, or picking up a prostitute. So if one could pass an "I'm not a Christian Jerk" test, then I would feel much more comfortable with them having the plate. But having lived in Florida for two years, I would gather from the other drivers that there aren't any Christian drivers in Florida - at least not from what I could tell driving around others. (To all my Christian friends in Florida, I, of course, don’t mean you!)
Oh well, if it's a Christian plate you want, go for it, but please be careful how you drive. And don't cause a stink when you pull up behind a car with an "Oprah is My God" plate.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Take Your Child To Work Day
Yesterday afternoon was so much fun… it was "Take-Your-Child-to-Work" Day at G's school. So, after helping Jessica all morning with all she does, Grant spent the afternoon with me at work. The highlights… Grant comparing my class sizes with his class size - he informed me that only one of my classes has more students in it than his… After giving him a tour of the fitness center, or "gym," Grant asked who the gym teacher was… the wheels on the chairs in the classroom were way too much of a temptation for a 5-year-old to remain perfectly still throughout the class… Grant wanting a copy of the quiz that I was giving out to the students… Grant wishing that everyday but Wednesday was a "Take-Your-Child-To-Work" Day. (Not sure why he singled out Wednesday, but he thought it would be good to just go to school one day a week.) Anyway, we had a great day.
Friday, April 04, 2008
In the Name of Love
Early evening, April 4, shot rings out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride.
Oftentimes in our past, when religious organizations and political parties have joined forces, religious groups have lost their prophetic voice, morphing into a political group that once was religious. This is one of my chief contentions with the Religious Right movement and most notably James Dobson. (Now I don’t want to go off on a James Dobson tangent, perhaps in another post.)
Every once in a while, though, religious voices rise up, challenge the status quo, and help usher justice into the laws of the land. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s effort for racial equality represents one of those times in our history where religious voices made a positive difference (in politics and religion). On this date 40 years ago, MLK was assassinated. As someone who was born in '76, it is hard for me to fathom the extent to which our country justified segregation just a few years before my birth. Schools, water fountains, restaurants, neighborhoods - all segregated simply due to the color of one's skin. King, along with other religious leaders, led the charge to point out these injustices. I am not naïve enough to think that we are in racial harmony now, discrimination and racism certainly still exist in all segments of America, but I do believe that the change brought forth through the civil rights movement has allowed my generation and my children's generation to begin to embrace racial differences not as something to be frightened of, but rather, as something to celebrate.
Our experience in inner-city Tampa taught me many things, one of which is the extent to which discrimination still exists. Having kids in our house after school everyday was such a joy - they were great kids who taught us a lot as we tried to minister to them. Of course, not everyone in the neighborhood shared our view. On one occasion, a neighbor's garage had been broken into during the school day. This "neighbor" confronted me in my front yard, angrily blaming the break-in on the kids that came to our house. As kindly as I could, I attempted to correct his cloudy and prejudiced view, but to no avail. I finally said, "In case you haven't noticed, we live in a bad neighborhood, so why you want to blame the kids who are staying out of trouble by being at our house is beyond me to understand. Plus, they're in school right now." (What I wanted to say was, "You're an idiot, get out of my yard," but he was pretty upset and I don't think I would be a good fighter.)
Our society has a long way to go - de facto segregation, subtle discrimination and racism, socio-economic prejudice - but big strides are being made as well. Much of our progress is due to the determination and prophetic leadership of MLK: "I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land… Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." (MLK, April 3, 1968)
Free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride.
Oftentimes in our past, when religious organizations and political parties have joined forces, religious groups have lost their prophetic voice, morphing into a political group that once was religious. This is one of my chief contentions with the Religious Right movement and most notably James Dobson. (Now I don’t want to go off on a James Dobson tangent, perhaps in another post.)
Every once in a while, though, religious voices rise up, challenge the status quo, and help usher justice into the laws of the land. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s effort for racial equality represents one of those times in our history where religious voices made a positive difference (in politics and religion). On this date 40 years ago, MLK was assassinated. As someone who was born in '76, it is hard for me to fathom the extent to which our country justified segregation just a few years before my birth. Schools, water fountains, restaurants, neighborhoods - all segregated simply due to the color of one's skin. King, along with other religious leaders, led the charge to point out these injustices. I am not naïve enough to think that we are in racial harmony now, discrimination and racism certainly still exist in all segments of America, but I do believe that the change brought forth through the civil rights movement has allowed my generation and my children's generation to begin to embrace racial differences not as something to be frightened of, but rather, as something to celebrate.
Our experience in inner-city Tampa taught me many things, one of which is the extent to which discrimination still exists. Having kids in our house after school everyday was such a joy - they were great kids who taught us a lot as we tried to minister to them. Of course, not everyone in the neighborhood shared our view. On one occasion, a neighbor's garage had been broken into during the school day. This "neighbor" confronted me in my front yard, angrily blaming the break-in on the kids that came to our house. As kindly as I could, I attempted to correct his cloudy and prejudiced view, but to no avail. I finally said, "In case you haven't noticed, we live in a bad neighborhood, so why you want to blame the kids who are staying out of trouble by being at our house is beyond me to understand. Plus, they're in school right now." (What I wanted to say was, "You're an idiot, get out of my yard," but he was pretty upset and I don't think I would be a good fighter.)
Our society has a long way to go - de facto segregation, subtle discrimination and racism, socio-economic prejudice - but big strides are being made as well. Much of our progress is due to the determination and prophetic leadership of MLK: "I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land… Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." (MLK, April 3, 1968)
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