Past 200

Miles that is. My total for the summer so far on trails and around town went over 200 yesterday with a 12-mile ride around town. Add to that the miles on the stationary bike at the healthy living center and I am now over 300 miles total. As I said the other day I am in training for the Minneapolis Duathlon the end of August (the 29th to be exact.) I have no doubt about being ready for the 11 miles of biking. It's the two 1.5 mile runs that have me worried.

But it is 4 weeks from tomorrow so I think I have some time yet.

Of course with over 200 cycling miles this summer, I have a lot, A LOT of pictures backlogged on my computer. I haven't taken hardly any time to sort through them and see what I want to post. I also haven't posted any pictures on my pmPilgrim photoBlog since the 4th of July. As soon as this wonderful summer weather slows down I promise to get back to it.

Promise.

The Noble Experiment in Morality, Hypocrisy, and Crime

I have just finished a book that is tragic and funny, filled with all kinds of characters who have more fatal flaws than in most characters in books. It is a book on politics and corruption and preachers and religion and bigotry and progressive ideas.

It reminded me of the opening announcement in the Broadway show, Chicago:

Welcome. Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to see a story of
murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery,
and treachery - all those things we all hold near and dear to
our hearts. Thank you.

And it's all true. It was the "noble" experiment that made absolutely no sense but changed the world of the USA forever. It brought together the Ku Klux Klan and those supporting voting rights for women. It made gangsterism famous and profitable and brought moonshine to the dinner table.

It was Prohibition.

Prohibition in the United States, also known as The Noble Experiment, was the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally[1] as mandated in the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Under substantial pressure from the temperance movement, the United States Senate proposed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 18, 1917. Having been approved by 36 states, the 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919 and effected on January 16, 1920. Some state legislatures had already enacted statewide prohibition prior to the ratification of the 18th Amendment.

The "Volstead Act", the popular name for the National Prohibition Act, passed through Congress over President Woodrow Wilson's veto on October 28, 1919 and established the legal definition of intoxicating liquor.[2] Though the Volstead Act prohibited the sale of alcohol, it did little to enforce the law. By 1925, in New York City alone, there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs.[3]

While Prohibition was successful in reducing the amount of liquor consumed, it tended to destroy society by other means.[4]

Prohibition became increasingly unpopular during the Great Depression, especially in large cities. On March 22, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law an amendment to the Volstead Act known as the Cullen-Harrison Act, allowing the manufacture and sale of certain kinds of alcoholic beverages.

On December 5, 1933, the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment.
--Wikipedia

It is incredible to read the long history of the idea of prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. It is scary to watch the political maneuverings of a small minority who kept the country hostage and made even the bravest of politicians tremble. It is funny- even for a non-drinker/alcohol counselor- to see how people managed to circumvent the law and, in essence, keep right on drinking.

The book is Last Call by reporter Daniel Okrent. It is a cautionary tale almost 100 years later about how legislating morality can have more negative consequences than one would care to admit. This is especially true when the morality being legislated is a minority opinion and gone about with vengeance. It is a morality tale about hypocrisy run riot when there were "Drys" who were truly dry- non-drinkers. Then there were the "Drys" who supported Prohibition because they had to in order to keep their jobs but were in reality "Wets." And then there were the "Wets who made no bones about it.

It is also the story of racism, nationalism, anti-immigration, anti-taxation, and more things that could be ripped from the headlines. (Although the anti-immigration was aimed at Irish and Italian and Germans and Jews and Catholics.) It is a remarkable story but one I don't think we have truly understood. I know I never did and it wasn't that much before my time. (Well, it ended 15 years before I was born - but I was raised on the TV versions with Elliot Ness and the Untouchables.)

In any case, I found myself laughing at the stupidity of many and the ingenuity of others. I cried at the results of forced morality and got angry at the misuse of the freedom of speech to be mean and hateful. In the end I was afraid that what is in the book can happen again in different ways on either side of the political spectrum.

If you don't believe it just watch some of the shows on Fox or MSNBC. (Yes, I have an equal-opportunity dislike of extremes who don't allow for true dialogue, regardless of political persuasion.) But read the book. It will be enlightening.

A (Not Too) Fatal Flaw

(Backstory: I have been exercising before work every work morning since mid-January.  I am now in good shape and planning some participation in a Duathlon at the end of August. It has been one of the neatest and healthiest things I have done in a long time.)

There I sat on Monday morning. It was the first day of our stay-at-home-and-relax vacation. I had slept in but got up when I did so I would have time to take a nap later. I looked out the window and was enjoying the beauty of sun and puffy clouds and ...

What about my exercising? When am I going to do that? How am I going to arrange it in my vacation schedule?

This was not the first time these thoughts had crossed my mind. I had wondered last week how I would schedule my work out times while on vacation. But now I was face-to-face with the reality.

Which raised the flaw (and I am sure not a fatal one) in the workout routine. It is based on getting up early and exercising before work in the morning. The exercise facility is in the building where I work. It is easy and convenient- when I am working. It is not when I am not.

Like Monday- and this whole week.

It is the problem of routines, schedules, doing things at a set time and place. No, I was not about to get up at 5:30 each morning this week to work out.

But then I looked out the window again and said- but it is a nice day. What am I doing in here? Especially since I am planning on doing a fun Duathlon later in the August.

Note: A duathlon, I only found out a couple months ago is a triathlon without the swimming.

It is still three parts, but it is run, bike, run instead of swim, bike, run. 

Since I am not a swimmer and don't plan on being one, other than for fun, a triathlon is out of the question.

I haven't really worked on running a lot in the past 6 months (or 28 years for that matter.) So what better time to really find out than this week when I can run outside and see what happens.  Which is what I did. That and some nice biking. Even with the day trips I have managed to do something except today and this was a good rest day in the training schedule.

Which only proves the old maxim (which is an old maxim because it tends to state an obvious truth:) Where there's a will (or desire) there's a way. It also showed me how much time I really do have at my disposal for different things. All things considered, not bad for vacation.

I have discovered that I am not a good runner. At least not yet. 

I am not sure I am even well-built for running. Only time will tell the truth on that.

But I am signed up for the Team Ortho Minneapolis Duathlon Fun Course

August 29 in downtown Minneapolis. It is a 1.5 mile run, an 11 mile bike, and a 1.5 mile run.

Yes, I may be crazy, but it is my big adventure for this summer. But imagine - scuba diving and a duathlon-

all in one year.

It's All In Your Dreams

Or is it?

Yesterday was a hot and awful day outside so what better way to spend it than in the movies. We saw Inception. (Tomatometer: 87%; IMDB.)

By now you may know it has been at the top of the box office for two solid weeks earning $143 million and then some. By now you know it stars Leonardo De Caprio. By now you know it is about dreams and the ability to get inside other people's dreams and place new thoughts there.

That's all I will tell you. Other than it is worth the time to let the movie play its mind games with you. It is worth the intensity of following the story line(s) in different threads. It is worth the recurrence of the story later in the day as you ponder the meaning of dreams.

In many ways it is a Matrix-type movie that goes inward in much different- and much more personal ways. (Plus Leo can act!)

But that is all I can tell you. You see if I tell you too much They will wake me up.

See it.

Game # 100 Already

Last evening the Twins played their 100th game of the season.

Already? It's only....

Oh, I guess it is the end of July.

So far it has been a fun season with the new Target Field and the ongoing run of excellent playing. (Sooner or later we will have to overcome our inferiority at playing the Yankees. Hopefully sooner!) Last night's game 100 sure set quite a tone for the rest of the season: 19-1 win. Joe Mauer had 7 RBIs and went 5 for 5. They are 54-46 and 1 game behind in the AL Central.

I've been to three games so far and have plans for two more. Maybe more if there is a post-season in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Boys of Summer have been a joy.

So, with 62 games to go I am looking forward to two more great months of baseball in Minnesota- and hopefully more.

Here, BTW, is my favorite commercial for the Twins in their new outdoor habitat...

A Spanish Hat-Trick --- And an Adieu

Call it a hat trick or a three-peat, or a great summer. Spain has been doing well in summer sports:

• First, there was Nadal at Wimbledon;
• Second, was the history-making Spanish World Cup victory;
• Third, Contador's own three-peat third Tour de France arrived yesterday.

Not bad for a couple months work.

And we say Adieu to Lance Armstrong in the Tour. He has been an inspiration and a great athlete. Even with the controversy that continues to swirl around possible doping, Lance has remained at the top of his game and a reminder that if we don't give up too soon, amazing things can happen.

Fair? Who Says It Is Fair?

From Explore Faith's newsletter last week...

You can always find people out there who have more of everything than you have. And if you're beginning point is some sense of entitlement that you earned your way in here and deserve it all, then ...you can raise your fist in the hand of God and say, "It is not fair, it is not right."

Life is not fair, because it begins in grace, and you and I have been given a gracious chance to live utterly and completely beyond our deserving. It is forgetting the grace of birth, taking for granted the wonder of aliveness, that is the occasion of so much of our resentment.

Compared to What by John Claypool

Just For Fun

Three quotes from poet Robert Frost that don't seem to be from poems. Enjoy.

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
--Amusing Quotes

Wanna Play With Me?

I know I'm not posting anything new - it has made the rounds in the past 36 hours or so. But I couldn't NOT post it either.

When I first saw it on TV I was not listening and only saw the picture and was sure it was photo-shopped. Then I heard the story and was awe-struck.

Amazing. Just truly amazing.

And everyone survived.

Happiness Money CAN Buy

From US News and World Report Alpha Consumer:

By comparing consumption data from the national Health and Retirement Study, Thomas DeLeire of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Ariel Kalil of the University of Chicago found that spending money on leisure activities, which include vacations, movie theater tickets, and hobbies, improve happiness levels. (Happiness was measured by asking respondents to describe how they felt about their lives.)

Expenditures on durable goods such as refrigerators, clothes, personal items, cars, and housing, on the other hand, did not have an effect on happiness.

Yes, that does make sense. It is not the material things, the study says, but the less tangible but deeply enriching things that can be "bought." I know that in my life. But then I am over 50 which leads to...

One caution, says the article:

The study is based on data from older Americans over the age of 50, so it might not apply to everyone. It’s possible, for example, that younger Americans get more of a happiness surge from keeping up with the latest clothing trends, and older folks get more pleasure from leisure.

Interesting. But I have a hunch that on many levels the information applies to people younger than 50 as well.

Avoiding Knee-Jerk Reactions

It seems we are living in a world where immediate, knee jerk, not thought through reactions have become a way of life. Two days ago the agriculture Department fired an employee because of supposedly racist (anti-white) statements seen in a video on YouTube. Nobody bothered to ask what the context of the original video was. They just reacted.

Yesterday more information was made available that indicated the video, taken out of context, was really a way of showing how the particular employee had learned from the incident they were talking about 20 years earlier. In other words it was a very good object lesson in moving beyond racial stereotypes in either direction.

Today the secretary of agriculture has been trying to apologize.

I know I have learned, a hard way, that speaking before thinking he usually ends up being uncomfortable. Sadly we live in a world where the divisive politics causes people to make statements and react before they know the whole story. Or maybe more to the point some people react in spite of knowing the story and still seek to find ways to cause trouble division and fear.

Sadly it also shows how far we still have to go in dealing with issues surrounding racism.

Judge Or Judge Not

Mike at Waving or Drowning posted this quote a couple months ago. It is worth the pondering:

Why is Christianity still so immature?

All spiritual teachers tell us “DO NOT JUDGE.” For those of us raised in a religious setting, this is very difficult. In a strange way, religion gave us all a Ph.D. in judgmentalism. It trained us very early in life to categorize, label, and critique. It told us all about worthiness and unworthiness. This judgmental mind told us what is right and wrong, who is gay or straight, and who is good or bad. This sort of mind never creates great people, because everybody has to fit into our way of thinking. At an early age our grid was complete. We had decided who fit in and who did not fit in. We fashioned our own little world.

Christianity that divides the world in this manner and eliminates all troublesome people and all ideas different from our way of thinking cannot be mature religion. It cannot see the multiple gifts of each moment, nor the dark side that coexists with it. This mind does not lead us to awareness, and above all, this mind will find it impossible to contemplate. To practice awareness means you live in a spirit of communion; your world becomes alive and very spacious, and not divided by mere mental labels.

Richard Rohr, Jesus and Buddha: Paths to Awakening

No- This Can't Be Serious

From Wired.com earlier in the week came this headline:

Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High
By Ryan Singel

Kids around the country are getting high on the internet, thanks to MP3s that induce a state of ecstasy. And it could be a gateway drug leading teens to real-world narcotics.

At least, that’s what Kansas News 9 is reporting about a phenomenon called “i-dosing,” which involves finding an online dealer who can hook you up with “digital drugs” that get you high through your headphones.

And officials are taking it seriously.

“Kids are going to flock to these sites just to see what it is about and it can lead them to other places,” Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs spokesman Mark Woodward told News 9.

I-dosing involves donning headphones and listening to “music” — largely a droning noise — which the sites peddling the sounds promise will get you high

Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/digital-drugs/#ixzz0tiBg5JJo

I did some looking and found one called "I Doser Sound Stimulants" and other information. What I can gather is it is kind of a viral video/sound idea that messes with your mind by the manipulation of sound waves of different types in each stereo channel. Then, when it gets into your head it does odd mixing and supposedly produces alpha, beta, etc. waves.

Some videos on You Tube claim to show people using one or another of the i-doses. Others say it is malarkey or at best a placebo effect.

Now, I know that music can certainly have "hypnotic" or other effects. But

a) to come up with weird musical sounds and say they are like particular drugs or
b) to believe that we should therefore ban iPods and mp3 players or
c) both of the above

is to be living in a state of denial, fear, or just plain nuttiness.

Of course, when we begin to have to treat people with meth sound addiction, maybe I'll believe it.

War- What is it Good For?

Perhaps in many ways this paragraph from Sebastian Junger's incredible book, WAR, says it all:

"I prayed only once in Afghanistan," O'Byrne [a soldier] wrote me after it was all over. "It was when Restrepo [a medic] gopt shot, and I prayed to god to let him live. But God, Allah, Jehovah, Zeus or whatever a person may call God wasn't in that valley. Combat is the devil's game. God wanted no part. That's why our prayers weren't answered: the only one listening was Satan."
p. 235

Overheard in Recovery: But Officer, I Only Had ONE

Came across this ad on The Awesomer today.

It will certainly help people who have to have something to tell their significant other, family, or arresting officer.

The thing is, people who are alcoholic will believe in the midst of their denial that they really did only have one. I once talked to a person who just couldn't figure out why or how their blood alcohol level was .18. They had only had two and that wouldn't get their BAC that high.

Finally we figured out they had two cans of malt liquor:

• Which were each 40 ounces (3.25 cans of beer/can)
• and higher alcohol content than beer.
• So, in reality they may have had as much as 8-10 beers in those only two cans.

The amazing thing is that many times the person saying these things really, truly, honestly believes them. In that very real sense they are not lying. They believe it is the truth. The power of denial is that strong. Which is why it is so difficult when a person in such deep denial goes into treatment. The denial is reinforced by blame or anger or any of a number of other issues.

Which is also why residential and inpatient treatments can often take a month of intense group just to get a person ready to begin to talk about the possibility of maybe having an issue. Yes, it can be that tenuous. It is also why for people who are more advanced in the disease of alcoholism outpatient treatment and perhaps only a couple AA meetings a week can be such a difficult early path.

But with support and a lot of AA meetings, things can pick up. The world will begin to make a little more sense and the denial a lot less. Which is why my co-counselor and myself will often refer to what happens in our groups as miracles.

Oh, and one aside about the above advertised item- it appears that it holds two liters of wine. That is over half a gallon (!) or 67.6 ounces (!!) or 10-12 standard drinks!!! Depending on length of time, that could be well over a BAC of .20!!!!

More Baseball from Ken Burns

I saw the promo the other evening for the next Ken Burns production. It's 16 years since the original baseball series ran on PBS. In a two-part, four-hour documentary Burns brings us up to date on what has been happening. I have watched the first series several times (in parts) and love to browse the book. Much has happened since then and I for one am glad that Burns is back with his acute eye on baseball. It premieres September 28-29.

--Link to Baseball The Tenth Inning

A 30-Year Memory: The Sea Changes

July 16 – Former California Governor and actor Ronald Reagan is nominated for U.S. President, at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Influenced by the Religious Right, the convention also drops its long standing support for the Equal Rights Amendment, dismaying moderate Republicans.

Listening

From Explore Faith

Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.
-Frederick Buechner

This is Scary

This link has been making the rounds, so I tried it with a recent blog post....

I write like
Stephen King

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Then I tried one of my more experimental posts and it told me that...

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Finally  I tried one another blog post and it said I write like Dan Brown. Does that mean that if I would do this right I stand a 67% chance of making a gazillion dollars?

Surprise Endings

Last weekend we went to the Guthrie Theater for a modern rewrite of Ibsen's classic play, A Doll's House. Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman uses Ibsen as the starting point for a 2004 interpretation of issues of materialism, truth, and living happily ever after.

Nora seems to have it all: a successful husband, three adorable children and a beautiful home in Lincoln Park. What looks like the picture perfect life, outfitted in the latest from Pottery Barn, is actually a complicated trap of secrets and lies, from which there is no easy bailout.
--Guthrie Theater

We were alerted by the Playbill that the ending would be as controversial as Ibsen's original where Nora, to the horror of a previous culture, left her children behind to seek her "self." What would this Nora do? How would she be as audacious as Ibsen's Nora? At intermission my wife and I pondered the possibilities. We challenged each other with controversy.

But as usual controversy often comes from what you don't expect, not what you can guess. I will not spoil the plot to say anymore specifically, but as the play ended we both found ourselves going, "Oh! That does make us stop and think. Hmmm." We each even found ourselves pondering it that evening and at different times during the week.

The power of drama to grab us and pull us into its own universe never fails to amaze me. Even when I try to out-think the playwright the "black swans" of quality writers will still make me stretch my horizons, whether I agree with the conclusion or not.

I guess that is what life is like as well.

Busy Weeks Happen

Let's see, today is, um, Tuesday. I know that because I have a gig with the Rochester Big Band this evening in Zumbrota.

Last night was our weekly rehearsal. Tomorrow evening is open. Community band practice is Thursday, Friday I go to a Twins game with my daughter, Saturday afternoon is a BBQ at a friend's house, and Sunday I preach for a friend at a nearby church.

And, of course, I work full days each weekday.

Sometimes I allow my schedule to get a little out of hand. Yes, band rehearsals and gigs are a lot of fun and actually feed the soul. The same is true for a fun evening at Target Field. How can you argue with a summer evening at a baseball game under the open Minnesota sky or fun, food, and friends on a weekend afternoon.

Which is the way I have to look at it. After all, it is only a week. Too often I find myself whining about what I can't do as opposed to the wonders and fun of what I will be doing. We humans can sometimes find all the bad and ignore the good, complain about no free time and then worry when we don't have time to ourselves. All I have is today. I might as well enjoy it.

A 50-Year Memory: The New Frontier is Nominated

July 13 – U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy is nominated for President at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California.

Overheard in Recovery: Catching the Brain

Someone recently found the following quote which they shared with a group of us:

Don't believe everything you think.

It is a catchy way of expressing the truth that in addiction your brain is hijacked by the addiction itself. Wiring is short-circuited; old connections are remade in potentially unhealthy ways; pleasure or power become over-riding principles; the foremost relationship in life becomes the relationship with the substance.

And your brain keeps telling you it's all right. The "mature" thinking brain agrees with the instinctual brain and we discover we are doing things we don't "want" to do if we could only get real about it. But the brain won't allow us to. We "believe" what we are "thinking."

Which may be why cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and the behavioral re-framing of the 12 Steps work so well. They help us reconnect with the thinking process and more healthy instincts.So, in other words, if thinking the same things and acting the same ways keeps giving us the "wrong" results, don't believe your brain when it tells you that "next time" it won't happen.

Yes, it probably will.

Don't believe what you are thinking. Catch your brain. Challenge your thinking. Re-frame and begin the work of re-wiring.

A 50-Year Memory: A Classic is Born

July 11- The Great American Novel, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, was published. It won the Pulitzer Prize and was turned into a classic, Oscar-winning American film in 1962 starring Gregory Peck and the movie debut of Robert Duvall.

According to Wikipedia:

It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old.

The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The narrator's father, Atticus Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. One critic explained the novel's impact by writing, "In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism."

After 50 years it is still a great book and movie.

España gana

 



Spain Wins!

Good Sports

I commented the otehr day about the lead-up hype to LeBron James one-hour ESPN special. I did not watch- absolutely no interest to me. As Andy Borowitz parodied it:

Millions Watch Rich Guy Get New Job
Wealthy Man’s Giant Payday Draws Huge Audience

Well, the Mental Floss Blog gave us a list of Ten Acts of Good Sportsmanship. These included a high school quarterback who asked the league to disallow his record-setting TD pass because the coaches had conspired to let him get it and the classy act of Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce after Joyce's blown call cost Galarraga a perfect game.

At least there are signs of sportsmanship somewhere in the great world of sports. Even if ESPN LeBron James and many others make us feel sad for the state of sports too much of the time.

A Surreal Time

I was lying in bed reading earlier in the week as the fireworks for the Fourth of July started. Since I had to go to work the next morning I had not gone to watch them. The sounds came across town as that dull series of explosions that we come to recognize with these celebrations.

The oddity was that I was reading Sebastian Junger's latest book, War. He was talking about mortars and bombs and RPGs. He was describing the war in Afghanistan in painful, hypnotic detail. To which was added these sound effects from within my own range of experience. What would it be like to hear those sounds and know that they were life-threatening? To sit up alert and uncertain and go into some kind of automatic combat mode?

I have no idea, but Junger is doing an excellent job of letting me know. There were a few articles around last week about how some veterans have trouble with Fourth of July fireworks- they are too real. Perhaps it has always been true but only now are we allowing our veterans to be honest with themselves and us. Perhaps it is also the type of wars we have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In any case, I found myself being very grateful that I do not have to face that kind of situation here where I live.

A Holy Book

The other evening I finished Sara Miles's most recent book, Jesus Freak. It is a powerfully simple and deeply challenging look at the church as she expands on her previous book, Take This Bread. She looks at

• feeding,
• healing,
• forgiving and
• raising the dead

as the mission of the church in living in and dealing with the world. The book builds through these stages and, by the end, I was caught up in the great story of redemption that is going on in the world through people like Sara Miles and St. Gregory's Church.

As the book ended I was smiling in the wonder of resurrection available to Christians in their lives. I was awed by the ways feeding and healing can get one ready to be a channel of forgiveness. When all that happens the result is resurrection. Death has been defeated.

As I was reading the book, the local library had notified me that a book I had reserved was ready to pick up, War by Sebastian Junger. I started reading that book and was immediately struck by Junger's powerful prose and experience. I knew it was going to be a book that grabbed me and challenged me. Yet I knew that I couldn't go any farther with Junger's book until I finished Miles's. I didn't know why until I came to the end of Jesus Freak.

I had to be reminded that resurrection is real. I had to be brought back to the awareness that choosing life is the choice of God's people. I had to be surrounded by the life-giving Presence as my "default" location. Then, and only then could I pick up War and look at it from a life-giving perspective.

Miles's book is holy. It has been blessed with an understanding of the ways of God that is eye-opening and exciting. It is how the Church can do what it is called to do.

When Brett (Who?) Is Silent

Sports seems to need suspense and mystery even when the game isn't being played. Since it is too early for the annual game of Where is Brett (Who?) Going to Play? LeBron James has bravely taken up the slack I was sitting where ESPN was blaring constantly this morning and one of the talking heads made the observation that they are covering the Where Will LeBron James Play? like it was a presidential election.

What did we ever do before 24-hour sports and news?

Humming

Three pictures of amazing hummingbirds at
Whitewater State Park in southeastern Minnesota.

I was actually surprised that the two hummers below
actually put up with each other that close together.

They are often quite territorial about more than one
of them at the same feeder.

Which One Do You Believe?

Two bumper stickers on the same car.

On the one side, in big, bold letters:

• Jesus Rules

In the center, though not quite as big, from the 2008 campaign:

• Country First

You can't have it both ways. Sorry.

History to Be Made on Sunday

The FIFA World Cup ends on Sunday. The championship will be history-making as neither team has ever won the Cup before.

The Orange Machine from Holland

-vs-

The Red- Spain.

Viva La Roja!

Down to the Last Open Spot

Yesterday the first spot in Sunday's World Cup final was taken.
The Dutch made sure it will be an all-European championship.

This afternoon Spain will meet Germany. 

I will be at work so obviously will not be able to watch or even listen. But after Saturday's exciting quarterfinal match with Paraguay, Spain will need to really step up and be as good as they can be. 

Hard to believe but I am actually beginning to understand Futbol.

Three "Doh's" and a "Hmmmm."

In one of my alcohol and addiction newsletters last week there were four articles that struck me with a certain surprise. The first three were a surprise of, "Doh! What do you expect....

• U.K. Study Links Alcohol Drinking With Other Risky Behavior

All Headline News  June 25, 2010

London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) - A study by the National Center for Social Research linked alcohol drinking among young Britons with other risky behavior. The study was based on a survey of 15,500 youths who had histories of drinking.

The study found a connection between young people who drink at an early age and other risky behavior such as smoking, using drugs, shoplifting and writing graffiti. A link was also established between drinking and hanging out with friends, attending parties and having a negative outlook toward education.

See the full article at: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7019103299?U.K.%20Study%20Links%20Alcohol%20Drinking%20With%20Other%20Risky%20Behavior#ixzz0sAqONYFW

**** I guess no one ever told the researchers that alcohol lowers inhibitions which would - surprise- lead to other risky behaviors.****

• Parenting style influences teen drinking patterns, researchers say

Los Angeles Times June 24, 2010 |

Some parents assume that teenagers will drink alcohol and there is little they can do to prevent it. Research does indicate that parenting has little effect on whether kids decide to try alcohol. But parenting attitudes and actions can make a big difference in how much and how often a teenager drinks.

Researchers at Brigham Young University surveyed 5,000 adolescents about their drinking habits and their relationship with their parents. They found the kids least prone to heavy drinking had parents who scored high on accountability (knowing where their kids were and with whom) and warmth. Having so-called "indulgent" parents, who were low on accountability and high on warmth, nearly tripled the risk of the teen participating in heavy drinking. The study also found that "strict" parents -- high on accountability and low on warmth -- more than doubled their teen's risk of heavy drinking. These results were apparent even when researchers controlled for other influences, such as peer pressure, religious and economic background.

See the full article at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/06/teenagers-alcohol-drinking-parenting.html

****In spite of all the talk about the power of "peer pressure" it has been proven over and over and over (and over) again (and again) that the impact of parents is still Numero Uno.****

• Free drinks: an exploitation of binge drinking

The Daily Reveille (Louisiana State University)
Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Alcohol consumption is an undeniable staple of college culture.

From John Belushi's iconic sweater in "Animal House" to Natural Light's "Naturday" advertisements on Nicholson Drive, drinking and college have always gone hand in hand.

Combine students' love for alcohol and lack of cash and you get one of the greatest college promotions ever - free drinks.

See the full commentary at: http://www.lsureveille.com/opinion/free-drinks-an-exploitation-of-binge-drinking-1.2276462

****Hey, dude. It's free. How can I pass that up?****

Now for the surprise. I would not have guess it, but more drinking actually happens on non-celebration weekends....

Differences in college student typical drinking and celebration drinking

Citation: Woodyard, C. D., Hallam, J. S. (2010) Differences in college student typical drinking and celebration drinking. Journal of American College Health, 58(6), 533-538.

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether students consume alcohol in greater quantities when drinking in celebration of an event or holiday versus typical drinking use. Celebratory occasions include tailgating during football games, holidays, and the beginning and ending of academic semesters.  

Participants: Traditional undergraduates, ages 18 to 24, who attended the university full time in the Fall 2007 and the Spring 2008.  

Methods: Eight hundred participants were randomly selected to participate in the study. A stratified random sample was drawn according to class rank and sex. A total of 287 survey responses were collected.  

Results: Alcohol consumption was greatest during typical weekend drinking, followed by celebration drinking and then by typical weekday drinking.  

Conclusions: Celebration drinking was expected to be greater than typical drinking; however, typical weekend drinking episodes were greater than celebratory drinking. Intervention efforts should focus on reducing weekend alcohol consumption.

Link.

The non-surprise in that is actually that the researchers understand that the real target should be the normal weekends. It probably has something to do with being bored on the non-special weekends. And boredom can lead to many things.

Finishing the Fourth

It is our National March. We know it to hear it. It is John Philip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever. Mental Floss Blog posted links to 13 You Tube videos of various and sundry versions from trombone to barbershop to Chet Atkins amazing guitar version. Here's the link.

And to get you started, here's Chet Atkins'.

One More Day to Celebrate

For many today is still part of the holiday weekend (although I am working today.) So I thought I would cross-post this from my pmPilgrim photoBlog. Independence can mean many things- and one of them is the "pursuit of happiness." Take a moment and once more give thanks for that today.

On the Hiawatha along the Susquehanna River near Williamsport, PA

Date: August 1, 2008

Happy Fourth of July 2010

At Soldier's Memorial Field in Rochester, MN.

A 50-Year Memory: Up to Fifty

July 4 – Following the admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state the previous year, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A 40-Year Memory: A Long Run Begins

July 4 – Longtime radio music countdown show American Top 40 debuts on 5 U.S. stations with Casey Kasem as host.

For Holiday Weekend Fun

You didn't think I would actually write something serious on a relaxing holiday weekend day did you? I would have to think to do that.

So, brush up on your Swedish and enjoy another funny video from the crew at The Muppets:

The Season is Half-Full

Today was the Twins' 81st game. Exactly halfway through the 162-game regular season. Today's game was a tough loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.  Record is now 44 wins against 37 losses.

We are in 1st place- not being in 1st on only two days this season. There's that great new stadium and lots of fun in baseball land.

Futbol Continues...

Spain 1 Paraguay 0

On to meet Germany next week.

But how is this for weird?
According to a report on Reuters today, a poll taken in Russia finds that 8% of the Russians polled believe their national team will win the World Cup. The only problem is that they didn't even qualify.

Overheard in Recovery: Not As Obvious As It Seems

Here from Yahoo! News and Livescience earlier this week:

Getting drunk increases the risk for violent behavior, but only for people who have a strong tendency to suppress feelings of anger when sober, a new Scandinavian study suggests.

So it isn't necessarily everyone who gets drunk that gets violent? I think I already knew that. But it may be more important to think of this in terms of recovery.

In order to build a better recovery it may be important to be in touch with one's anger- when sober- and find ways to let it out in healthy ways. Learning to deal with strong emotions, and anger is certainly a strong one, is not just important in recovery, it is a rock solid foundation for maintaining sobriety.

Admittedly it isn't learned overnight or just from staying away from the booze. It is part of the process of recovery. Putting the "plug in the jug" alone doesn't produce recovery. It is more than that. Learning healthy anger management is definitely part of it.

Time Lapse London

Thanks to Andrew at The Daily Dish for another fun mental health break. This one is a time-lapse of London- a "You've Got to Love London" time-lapse. Time-lapse always fascinates me. It gives a different view of life that often makes me stop and think.


You've Got to Love London from Alex Silver on Vimeo.

A time lapse video tribute to London, made during my final days studying abroad in that lovely city. 7,757 pictures
Check out more of my stuff at asilverphoto.com
Music: You've Got the Love by Florence and the Machine