Ann and I are staying in and may not make it to midnight.
Are you staying in or going out?
Goodbye Kodachrome
Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, KS, is the last remaining photo lab in the world to process the color slide film. But today Dwayne's is closing the proverbial Kodachrome door and officially ending its processing service.I do not miss film cameras. I love taking photos on my phone and on my digital camera. Seems like I always have a camera when I need it. What memories do you have of Kodachrome and film cameras?
In Consideration of Birds and Flowers
The subject of worry brings out all sorts of platitudes and clichés. If you tell a religious person that you are worried they might tell you to "Just trust God" and say something like "God is still on the throne". A nonreligious person might say "Don't worry. Everything will be okay". It seems that everyone has something to say about worry. Consider these quotes and my responses to them:- Worry starts when we project into the future. The mind searches for and examines all the angles it can find related to worst-case scenarios. -Kim Allen
I can relate to worst case scenarios. Yet I have to admit that all of the bad stuff that has happened to me, and the ones I love, have blindsided me.. I did not see the worst case scenario.. and I did not worry about it advance. - Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you
nowhere. -Glenn Turner
I remember a retired friend telling me that it was their right to worry. I think that some folks get some kind of sense of accomplishment out of worry. Some folks get a similar feeling of accomplishment when they pray. - Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it. -Mark Twain
Most of the things that worry me anymore are the things that are in my face every day. The way that I deal with those things is allow my hope-filled heart to trump the thinkings of my head.. not that I am good at it or do it every time. - Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. -Benjamin Franklin
I love the way that Ben contrasts worry with sunlight. I think that sometimes folks like me who have been project managers live anticipating future problems. Reminds me that my life is something to be lived and not managed. - Pray and let God worry. -Martin Luther
I think that some use prayer as a way of venting their worries and sometimes prayer becomes another way to worry. It reminds me of the scriptures that tell us to come to God when we are weary and troubled.. and of the verse that says to cast all of our care on him because he cares for us. - Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today. -Jesus Christ
Jesus says this after he speaks to us about how flowers and birds do not worry because God takes care of them. He speaks deeply to me and challenges me to trust in the Lord with all of my heart and challenges me to not lean on my own understanding.
Do you have a favorite quote about worry? How do you deal with the worry in your life?
My 2010 Blog Retrospective
2010 has been an interesting year for me. Ann and I downsized big-time as we moved about 25 miles north from the suburbs to a loft in downtown Kansas City. Our new life in urban KC has been fun and challenging. So, here at the end of 2010, I thought that I would look back and list one post per month for 2010 that sort-of represented my thinkings:- January: The Erroneous Theology of Job - I like to discuss theology and ideology a lot here because of the effects they have on our lives. Sadly, theologies and ideologies often have negative impacts on us and the people that we love.
- February: Groundhog Day Q&A - You do not need to visit here very often to know that I enjoy watching movies. My mini-movie reviews are listed one-by-one in my sidebar. But feel free to check all of them out here.
- March: The Unknown Disease - Bringing light to Devic's Disease (NMO), the syndrome that disabled my wife's body, has been a bit rewarding. If you want to know more click the NMO image in my sidebar.
- April: Scrooge the Libertarian - Politics and the elections have been one of my favorite topics to blog about. I feel that so much of the feedback I get is educational.
- May: Age of Majority: 18 or 21? - I like to write about contemporary issue like this. The feedback I get on topics like this is very interesting.
- June: I posted three times this month about my family. I remembered my first wife here, my dad's stew here and a poem written to Ann here. Family is a common theme.
- July: But it felt like humiliation - From the beginning of my blogging days I have always found it to be a bit therapeutic to talk about the things in my life that make me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes just expressing my feelings is healing.
- August: Images of Islamophobia - Religion, and Islam in specific, is a topic that interests me. The year has been rife with stories about reactions to the NYC Mosque and Muslims in general. Islam, Christianity and Extremism was such a post.
- September: Do You Celebrate Fake Holidays? - I love the inane and trivia can be a lot of fun. People will often comment on posts like this but will stay away from ones of a more serious nature.. and I do love trivial stuff.
- October: Anonymous has Questions about God - As many of you know I love to dialog about all things theological. This post came from questions that a person had in the comments of a prior post.
- November: My Open Letter to the President - I doubt that he read my post but it does seem that he has acted in accordance with a few my requests.
- December: Remembering Rodger - I lost my Mom and several friends this year. Two wonderful blogger friends passed away. Many celebrities died. Rodger's death reminds me how short and fragile life is.
Tax Refund Anticipation Loans
The Treasury Department has recently ruled that H&R Block, the Kansas City based tax preparation giant, can no longer use HSBC Bank to make Tax Refund Anticipation Loans. The feds are quiet about the reasons. The action is a blow to Block. Here are a few clips from a KC Star article titled H&R Block’s refund loans cut off:
I have never acquired one of these loans but know of people who have. How about you?
I have a mixed reaction to the ruling. Firstly, I think these types of loans prey on people who are either in crisis or are simply ignorant of the way that IRS returns work - refunds are usually delivered within a month.. sometimes in a few weeks. Secondly, I feel bad for Block because their competition is still able to offer these types of loans.Block collects the cost of the loan and its tax preparation fee out of the refund, another popular feature of the loans, which are mostly used by lower-income filers who want their refunds as soon as possible.
Block is not expected to find another lender soon, certainly not in time for customers who seek the refund loans starting next month.
Rival tax services, however, will still be able to offer the loans through their banking partners, putting Block at a competitive disadvantage.
I have never acquired one of these loans but know of people who have. How about you?
Thinking about the snow out east..
Hoping you east coasters are warm and safe inside. My younger sister has a long driveway with two feet of snow in it.. and the snow blower broke. My older sister is travelling back to New Jersey from Erie, PA. So I am thinking about the snow and hoping you all stay safe.
Fracture | ★★★★★★★
Not sure how I missed this 2007 thriller but I am glad that I caught it a few weeks ago. Anthony Hopkins delivers a Hannibal Lector-ish portrayal of a man who kills his wife and gets off on a technicality as he manipulates an egotistical prosecutor played by Ryan Gosling. I much enjoyed the interactions between Hopkins and Gosling. I liked the way that the young attorney's ethics, morality and ego was tested but did think that some of the plot was stretched a bit thin to add a bit of romance to the storyline.
You might enjoy this movie if you enjoy a suspenseful story with a bit of courtroom drama. I recommend it and, on a scale of ten, I give it ★★★★★★★.
Imagination, Faith and Knowledge
The Kansas City Star recently asked Does imagination play a role in faith? Two religious leaders, a Rabbi and a Pastor, gave their answers. Here are a few clips from them:
Rabbi Levin: "Imagination does not simply play a role in faith. We could not have faith without the human imagination."The Einstein quote above has always been a favorite.. had a poster with part of it hanging in my corporate cubicle for many years. Yet I have to admit that I have never pondered the connection between faith and imagination. Wonder what many would think if I proclaimed:
Rev. Cary: "Imagination does play a role in faith. If you can’t imagine God doing great things, wondrous things, unexpected things, impossible things, then your faith has nothing to build on; it’s limited, and so is God."
Faith is more important than knowledge.Possibly, since I am not Einstein, people would not emblazon that on a poster with my image. Yet I think that faith, like imagination, is integral to embracing things that are not seen.. things that are yet to be. Here is the way that a spiritual Einstein put it:
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.I wonder if people who envision a universe without God simply suffer from a lack of imagination. Perhaps those who refuse to believe in miracles simply have small imaginations. Perhaps a lack of faith is simply a lack of imagination? Or possibly an imagination that refuses to embrace the unexplainable.. the things we can't know?
Anyone really happy with their cellphone service?
Obviously AT&T and T-Mobile got the most bad marks but don't you find it odd that there are so few red dots on the chart? Looking at the "74" rating on Sprint (my carrier) I'd have to say that the ratings are fairly accurate. What number would you give your cellphone carrier?
Snowy Photography
My wife Ann took this photo a few years ago with our old Fuji camera. She may have a chance to get another like it as our Kansas City metroplex is bracing for our first major snowstorm of the season. So I thought that I would excerpt a few tips from Rachel King's article titled Five tips on photographing snowy scenes.. here are her tips in brief:
- Exposure: Snow is very, very bright. Just like you shouldn’t forget to bring sunscreen when going skiing, you should also prep your camera.
- Timing: When you take a picture can change the setting entirely.
- Composition: Wintertime makes for some great landscape photos. The mountains, the trees, frozen lakes and streams.
- Filters: With bright, white snow and if you’re lucky enough to get a fair sky, consider tacking a UV filter onto your lens to handle all of the brightness so your photos don’t end up washed-out.
- Safety: Snow has the magic of turning a dull spot into a winter wonderland, but it isn’t always safe either.
The Longest Night
Night is descending here in Kansas City and it reminds me that tonight is the longest night of the year - at least here in the northern hemisphere. Four years ago I posted a beautiful meditation (reposted below) by Rev. Diane Hendricks. She wrote is back in 2001 and it has been a source of comfort and peace for many who struggle during this time of the year.
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Only it's not.
- Not for everyone.
- Not when there is an empty chair at the table.
- Not when your body is ravaged with illness.
- Not when the depression is too much to bear.
- Not without her voice joining yours on the Christmas carols.
- Not when you feel all alone even in a crowd.
- Not when you are not sure you can even afford the rent or mortgage, let alone the presents.
- Not when they are trying their best to the best of you.
- Not when another Christmas party means he will come home drunk again.
No, it's not.
And trying to smile and say Merry Christmas is more than difficult. It's pretty near impossible.
C.S. Lewis once wrote:
"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning..."It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Only it's not.
- Not after he has died.
- Not after the doctor gave you the news.
- Not after they told you they would be downsizing.
- Not after... you fill in the blank.
- Not after September 11.
- Not when there is so much violence and destruction in the world.
It is the story of a teenage girl, pregnant with a child that is not her husband's.
It is the story of a child born in a dirty animal stall.
It is the story of a family of refugees who had to flee their homeland so that their child would not be killed.
It is the story of one sent into the world in peace who was condemned to death.
It is the story of a light sent to shine in the darkness, which the world snuffed out.
It is the story of God's never-ending, self-giving mercy which was rejected and condemned.In the great work the Messiah, Handel quotes the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that Jesus was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." One great theologian reminds us that we cannot come to the manger without acknowledging that it lays in the shadow of the cross.
It is not the most wonderful time of the year.
Only it is! It is:
- If we forget about the tinsel and the trees.
- If we forget about the holly jolly tidings.
- If we forget about the presents and the ornaments and the trappings.
- Mary was alone and afraid.
But God was with her and exalted her among women. - Joseph was disgraced.
But God revealed in Joseph's cause for disgrace God's plan to save the world. - The world was in darkness.
But God sent the light of life to shine. - The lowly were imprisoned.
But Jesus set them free. - The blind wandered aimlessly.
But Christ gave them eyes to see. - The lame were rejected.
But through the Holy One they were made to leap and dance. - The deaf were confined to the silence.
But the song of life unstopped their ears. - The sorrowful grieved.
But God wipes away our tears. - We were alone.
But in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God is with us. - The people rejected God.
But God embraces us. - The world crucified Christ.
But God would not allow that to be the last word, and gave us the sure hope of the resurrection.
But because you don't.
You can have heavy spirits and shattered dreams. Broken hearts and deep wounds.
And still God comes to be with you.
- To comfort you.
- To redeem you.
- To save you.
- To restore you.
- To empower you.
- To strengthen you.
- To grant you peace.
- To be raised for you.
- To hold you in the communion of saints with those whom you have loved and lost.
- To store your tears in his bottle.
- To offer you eternal life.
For Christ is born.
Love has come.
God is with us!
Thanks be to the Lord our God.
Entitled Lawmakers
I think that most people really are suspicious of our leaders in congress.. news about the perks they get from lobbyists.. the pensions they receive after working for just a few years.. I mean really - who else gets these kinds of perks. Even so, this Associated Press article grossed me out even more. Here is an excerpt from it:
It is so utterly revolting that "public servants" would act this way. I mean really, how do they sleep at night? They act like they are entitled to the perks of kings and queens. Ugh!California lawmakers enjoy a perk that seems like a luxurious amenity in a state that has been slashing billions of dollars from its budget: taxpayer-provided cars. The state purchases cars for lawmakers to drive around their districts and the capital under a decades-old program, spending more than $5 million for the latest suite of vehicles that includes a $55,000 Cadillac sedan and a $52,000 Lexus hybrid.
TCM Remembers 2010
A poignant walk down memory lane in a montage of movie folks who passed away this year.
You Don't Know Jack | ★★★★★★★
So I am sitting here wondering if I can review this excellent movie and not tip my hand on where I stand on euthanasia? Maybe? Let me know what you think.
Ann and I caught this one Saturday night at home and I was surprised at how good Al Pacino played Doctor Death. I thought that the movie was thought provoking and fair in it's representation of Jack Kevorkian and his passion to assist those suffering terminal illnesses and debilitating pain. In it you see Jack evolve from an aging doctor helping a few people die to a crusader for the right to die issue.
I recommend it and, on a scale of ten, I give it ★★★★★★★ for acting and educational value.
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