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Category Archives: Blog
Say Goodbye to Edison’s Lightbulb
“How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act” would ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012 in favor of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs in the state of California. It’s about time we start making the switch.
I wonder if the bill will pass, since we at times seem to be such a stubborn society. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but we as a society need to start thinking in a way that considers our environment and our grandchildren. I’ve talked about CFL bulbs before and how they just made sense (so much so that even Walmart is on board).
Why switch to CFL bulbs you ask?
“They save money and energy,” EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said. “They are more convenient than other alternatives and come in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture.”
Also, CFLs generate 70 percent less heat than incandescent lights, Jones said.
About a fifth of the average U.S. home’s electricity costs pays for lighting, which means even if CFLs initially cost more than conventional lightbulbs, consumers will save, Jones said.
A 20-watt CFL gives as much light as a 75-watt conventional bulb, and lasts 13 times longer, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit group studying energy issues.
Hoping Hmong History Brings Understanding
Being from Wisconsin and Minnesota (Mindy) the Hmong people are familiar to us. I know a number of students who attended my high school and Mindy recalls many even in rural Minnesota.
From The Capital Times:
Wisconsin, Minnesota and California are home to the largest populations of Hmong, an ethnic minority from Southeast Asia. Many Hmong, including Za Blong Vang, fought alongside the U.S. in a so-called secret war against communists in Laos during the Vietnam War and later fled to avoid government persecution. Lawmakers said 50,000 Hmong live in Wisconsin.
The body of Cha Vang was found Jan. 6 in a wildlife refuge near Green Bay. A white hunter was charged last week in Vang’s death.
Vang is a common last name for Hmong and the homicide victim is not related to Za Blong Vang.
Two years ago, a Hmong deer hunter shot six white hunters to death after being accused of trespassing in the Wisconsin woods. He said the whites shouted racial epithets at him and opened fire first. He is serving life sentences. Some Hmong residents fear the latest killing was revenge.
“We felt this issue now has some urgency,” said Rep. Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee. “The fear and apprehension felt by our fellow Hmong citizens makes it important that we retell the important role they played in the Vietnam War.”
Is understanding a people’s history and culture a step towards removing prejudice? It does seem that we fear what we don’t know. And this could be a wonderful step to truly embracing the Hmong community in the Midwest. Now if we can start changing our history books to embrace all people, we’d be in good shape.
Insight from Uganda Via the Vogts
I think Via the Vogts will become a regular series here on the blog. The Vogts, Chris and Rebecca, are two dear friends of mine who are spending a large part of this year in Uganda learning, growing and preparing to serve in a land far different then the one they came from. They’ve already sent a number of very long email updates sharing some of what they have been learning. I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit and thought I’d just quote a tidbit from their latest email. They talked a lot about some of the superstitions of the Ugandan culture, and then they lent some insight into the USA world view:
As Americans it’s pretty easy for us to see how silly it is to believe that excrement turns into children. We know that feverish chills and convulsions are symptoms of malaria and isn’t some evil spirit within a person. We know that giving money and food (essentially what a
sacrifice is) to the “rain god” won’t really bring rain. It’s easy to see because we don’t believe in those things. However, when we talked about the American or Western worldview some of the things we believe are just as silly – especially to the Africans who don’t believe them.
They are a lot harder for us to see but dramatically affect each of us whether we realize it or not. I’m not going to bash Americans here, we get bashed enough by the rest of the world, however I do want to point out one thing. The center of human secularism, democracy, capitalism, even our military power all point to Man. Let me explain.
Our military power is used for what – to protect ME. MY ideals. MY money. MY children. Democracy – MY vote. MY rights. MY choice. Capitalism – If I pursue maximum gain then society will develop. MY land. MY money. MY profit. MY self-interest. The center of all this is ME. I am definitely NOT saying that I prefer oligarchy, anarchy, or communism and my Grandpa and Dad were in the military. There is a TON of good in these things, but that’s not the point. The fact that our society revolves around ME greatly influences us and who we are as Christians. It even affects our view of God. I’m not going to extrapolate it further…but it’s important to think about because
we are also in bondage to money, our image, job, etc and unless we discover the center, we won’t be truly free here on earth either.
Thanks Vogts for sharing your experience with us and helping us to grow and expand our world view here state-side.
If you think about it pray for the Vogts:
* View of God would be enlarged and our relationship with Him deepened
* Our marriage – it’s hard to find time alone together when living in such a deep community
* Our health – This is a very real request here as infection and disease are common
Where does your Recycling Go?
For those who live in Nashville, here’s a short little video explaining the recycling process.
I’m really excited that we’ve finally started recycling at Mosaic. I don’t know why we didn’t sooner. I guess I just figured digging the paper programs out of the trash after the service was easier then pushing my agenda.
I’ve also seen quite a few friends start recycling which has also been really encouraging. It’s one of those things that I think we should just be doing.
5 Minutes of Darkness
I just heard about this great idea that a group in France is trying to promote. Today, February 1st, the French Friends of the Earth, has asked:
everybody in France to shut down all lights at February 1 between 19h55 and 20h00 (Paris time). 5 minutes in the dark to call attention of citizens, media and decision makers to the wasting of energy and the urgency to pass to the action. 5 minutes of respite for planet: that isn’t a long time, that does not cost anything, and that will show to the Presidential candidates that climatic change is a subject which must weigh in the political debate.
Why February 1? The next day a meeting is planned of the intergovernmental group of experts on the evolution of climate (GIEC) of the United Nations. This event will take place in France. (from houtlust)
I think this is a brilliant, easy, statement making idea. I’m not sure of a date, but it would be really neat to promote, through the blogosphere and elsewhere, a national 5 Minutes of Darkness in the USA. Sending a message to our neighbors, the congress, presidential candidates and the UN that we too care about conserving energy, fuel and consumption.
Now if only we had a cool logo…
Faces of Persecution
P.S. This is not meant to spur you on to some violent justice-seeking rampage. This is just to show you the reality of persecution many in the world face. It’s to show Christians in our comfortable church pews in the USA what Jesus, Paul and others are talking about when they talk about the idea of persecution and love.
(ht. Blind Beggar)
Stories of Creative Non-Violence
My brother sent me this link to a news story you knew I would enjoy. It’s a great story for plenty of reasons:
- The story shows a creative way of engaging one you might consider your “enemy”
- Instead of the common first reaction of justice through police involvement, Pan chooses an alternative that results in a better outcome for both her and the thief
- Usually our stories and news portrays criminals and enemies as robotic in their thinking, not human; This story shows even criminals are human, with real hurts and abilities to change
I’d love to continue to collect stories of non-violence here. So, if you find any other stories let me know and I’ll post them.
I posted another story a while back that showed pacifism at work.
A bit about News and Creative Communal Information
I’ve mentioned this before, but I figure it’s worth mentioning again. This week I had over five people email me links to news articles they thought I should read. I haven’t had a chance to get to them until now. I really like the idea of sharing news with others and I think it’s important that we value each others opinions enough to read them.
I subscribe to the blogs of every person that I know of personally, and I do my best to read what they write because I think it’s important to value and be interested in the opinions and thoughts of one another.
Back in 2003 I read a book called, What Next? by Walter Mosley. It’s a great little book with some practical examples on ways to work towards a peaceful world. One thing Mosley mentions is the importance of staying informed. His suggestions for doing this is to start a reading group (this is before blogs became popular). Basically you find about 3-4 other people who are interested in collaborating. You might have a similar value system, but I don’t know that that is necessary nor necessarily ideal.
Basically within your reading group you’d each chose two or three magazines, news sources, blogs, etc. that your in charge of reading, and then bringing to the group the 2 or 3 most important pieces of news from those sources. This allows you to collectively stay informed on multiple issues and areas without spending your whole day reading up. It’s a good idea, and I think it’s actually being accomplished to some degree with blogs.
In addition to reading the blogs of friends, I find here and there, blogs of others of whom I value their way of thinking, their opinion on world issues and their awareness of the world. It’s those sources that I usually learn about world events and situations, even more so then traditional news media.
I read something once that said all Christians need a Bible and a Newspaper. The Bible is to know how to pray, the Newspaper is to know what to pray for.
How are you keeping up with what’s going on in the world?
Qualifications for Entering Heaven
