good:
Kids are awesome - two 17-year olds launch a lego into space on $400!
Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad now have an awesome topic for their college essays. They launched a homemade balloon into space as one lucky lego got the ride of his life. The lego carried a Canadian flag and was attached to a video camera, collecting evidence of the journey.
Just listening to their story on PRI’s The World. Pretty cool stuff.
Wilco: “Dawned On Me” (Official Video)
It’s been three decades since the last appearance of Popeye in a hand-drawn form, but today the iconic spinach-loving Sailor Man returns along with Olive Oyl, Swee’Pea, Wimpy, Bluto, and… Wilco. Watch above as director Darren Romanelli and King Features bring the classic cartoon back to life, just in time for Jeff Tweedy to settle Bluto and Popeye’s near-century-long rivalry for the love of Olive Oyl, once and for all.
Republican governor MITCH “I really said that” DANIELS, in delivering the GOP response to the State of the Union Tuesday night.
Continuing the Republican theme of “I deny that this nation has poor people, impoverished people, and what other civilized societies might otherwise term ‘the underclass.’”
This just proves that the modern iteration of Conservatism in America is devoid of any remnant the long standing bastion of small “c” conservatism known as ‘reality’
Take Your Child to the Library Day Launches
On more than one occasion, I’ve paraded through town with a rag-tag group of teenage boys to the local public library—both here in Chicago and back when I worked on the reservation in New York.
Many of the kids didn’t really know where to start—how do I get a card? How long can I keep things? Can I use the computers? Can we talk? What’s over there? Where are the Wimpy Kid books? DO YOU HAVE THE WIMPY KID BOOKS?
I took a young man with a talent for music production, who wanted to learn about copyright, and I dropped him off with the music librarians at the Harold Washington Library downtown (not the most kid-friendly place, at first glance. There are no books in view, and the first people you see are security officers). He came back, in all surprise—“They were so nice! And they know what they’re talking about!”
Kids learn through experience and they learn through our example. Take them to the library.
Hugo gets 11 Oscar Nominations
My daughters wanted to see a movie over Christmas break. At first, they picked some sort of Alvin and the Chipmunks thing. I vetoed.
I offered up Hugo, and surprisingly they agreed.
Based on Brian Selznick’s graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Martin Scorsese’s film turned out to be one of the most visually stunning films I’ve seen.
The story is interesting, if a little predictable. It held Emma and Eleanor’s attention for 2 hours.
The cinematography is, to me, breath-taking.
The camera’s focus is amazing. The colors and lighting are beautiful.
This will definitely be a movie that my family will watch many, many times.
Go see it if you haven’t!
Two questions for Millennials and Gen X-ers
What made you leave, or consider leaving, the Church? (or, What made you stay?)
In what practical ways would you like to see folks from older generations come alongside us as we evolve and make our faith our own?
[1] Constant consideration of exiting the church due to (a) currents of fundamentalism and legalism, (b) legalism, (c) attention to style, i.e. the “show”, over substance, (d) focus on “the word” instead of practicing the way of Jesus. But I (we) stay because of (a) community, (b) fellowship, (c) friends, (d) and the truth and realization that no church comprised of fallen humans can ever be perfect, at least until all have risen.
[2] Would love to see the church become more cross-generational, as I decry the church practice of segregating and slotting individuals into age and gender buckets — I believe it to be a vestige of boomer and older mentality more apt to 20th century. Want to witness the church less segregated by all factors — race, socioeconomic, education, etc.… So much elders can learn from youth so pregnant with ideas and energy, and so much youth can absorb from the wisdom of elders.
Heh.
We began going again because we found a church that specifically does focus on substance over show and calls out the dissonance of focusing on “the word” instead of practicing the way of Jesus. We also stay because of (a) community, (b) fellowship, (c) friends.
Just tonight we went to see a couple that we’ve become close with. Their not yet two month old son is having open heart surgery tomorrow to repair a congenital valve leak.
We went with half a dozen others that have all become close, including our pastor and his wife to baptize the baby. It was real, significant and authentic. It felt very human to be there, supporting our friends and making the commitment to help them raise their son to make a difference in the world.
by Jim Belote at the University of Minnesota.
via hoppzor
Clear as can be.
Senator Claire McCaskill: A Cockroach and a Bazooka
Congratulations to all of you who decided to get involved with your government. You have had a real impact on the legislative process. As I watched my Twitter account explode, I couldn’t help but grin. This is how it’s supposed to work. Thousands of people, not lobbyists or organized special…
Jack Black on Yo Gabba Gabba. One of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while. It’s on Netflix. Season 2, episode 16. Yo Gabba Gabba’s pretty cool. The Shins were on as the musical guest on a show the girls watched last week. Now Eleanor is listening to my Shins records and looking forward to their new record coming out.
T-12 hours and change until I fly to Las Vegas.
And, of course, I have no clean clothes, I’ve only just found someone to take care of my cat (side note: maryqueenofscouts is my hero), and I’m eating frosted Pop-Tarts for dinner. AM I AN ADULT YET, YOU GUYS?
Funny. Melissa and I leave for Vegas in approximately 12 hours. STL-ORD-LAS.
Bummed because we waited too long to get tickets, and Southwest was sold out for their direct flight.
As a result we’re stuck on American.
