Saturday, November 24, 2007
Maadi Community Church Worship
This is a little taste of our worship band rockin' out on one of Brian Doerksen's best: Jesus, Hope of the Nations! Hopefully you can get a sense of how diverse our church, notice the multicolored band and people singing. This is the third of four services each weekend, and is usually the most packed one. After this is Africa Live, which is regular church with the African Praise band, another part of our church: lots of Africans! Stay tuned, next week will be celebrate Africa Live weekend, and I'll get some more video of the bright colors. Hope you enjoy!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Ramadan Lanterns
I love this particular midan, or as you might say, roundabout, because during Ramadan, they fill the trees with lanterns. It's a little like Christmas, but they're so unique. It's a special part of the "holy month," and they all used to be made from brass and colored glass. Unfortunately, locals buy cheap plastic ones made in China. They're very peaceful, during a very not-peaceful but rather chaotic month!
cat chase
Ok this is a short but silly example of our cat Cato, who likes to chase Marcus around the house, purring like a madman. But what I'm MOST excited about, is the fact that I figured out how to put video on here! I win!!!! Now I will post more. Ha!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Debates Forming on the USA National Anthem
Marcus writing here. I read an informing article this morning that got me thinking...that's always dangerous. I then searched a little and found a related piece I found interesting from back in 2006. Both articles are short and won't take much time to read. Find them below.
Article #1:
Do you really need to put your hand on your heart during the national anthem?
By Torie Bosch
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007, at 4:24 PM ET
Some conservative bloggers are furious about a photo showing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama without his hand on his heart during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Obama has countered that the photo was taken during the national anthem, not the Pledge of Allegiance—so he didn't have to. Is that true?
No. According to U.S. law, a civilian like Obama is supposed to stand up when the anthem is played, take off his hat, face the flag, and put his right hand over his heart. Members of the military can keep their hats on and salute instead of placing their hands on their hearts.
The rules of conduct regarding the anthem, the pledge, and the American flag weren't always a matter of law. At first, they were just tradition. "The Star-Spangled Banner" lyrics were originally written during the War of 1812. Later in the 19th century, the Army and Navy both began to use it during ceremonies, but it only became the congressionally recognized national anthem in 1931. Meanwhile, the Pledge of Allegiance was first used in public schools in 1892 to celebrate Columbus Day and only made it into the law books in the 1940s.
Specific customs for listening to the anthem or reciting the pledge were also slow to develop. The National Flag Conference, an organization made up of representatives from the armed forces and civilian organizations, created a guide to flag etiquette in 1923. But it wasn't until June of 1942, when America was fighting World War II, that Congress made this "Flag Code" official.
In its original form, the code called for a "Bellamy salute" during the Pledge of Allegiance. The salute was named after Francis Bellamy, who wrote the pledge and published it in Youth's Companion, a family magazine. Bellamy instructed people reciting the pledge to start with their hands on their hearts and then—at the words "to my flag" (later changed to "to the flag of the United States of America")—straighten their arms in a military salute. But in the late 1930s, the salute became controversial as people began to realize that this gesture looked quite similar to the arm movement favored by the Nazis. Schools in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere began to alter the salute, and in late 1942, it was eliminated from the code in favor of keeping the hand on the heart, as we do today. (Some groups, like the Daughters of the American Revolution, were initially resistant to the change from the Bellamy salute.)
So, does this mean that it's against the law to sit down for "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a baseball game? Technically, but you won't get in trouble. Though the procedure for listening to the national anthem is spelled out in the U.S. Code, you can't be punished for breaking the rules. That would likely be considered a violation of the First Amendment. For instance, the Supreme Court ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses had the right to skip the pledge.
My random thoughts:
Much of the older American generations may already know most of the facts shared within. But for our generation, I think a lot of these facts have been lost. Many of us were taught the etiquette of the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, and American flag, but at a very young age: perhaps early in elementary school, like I was. But that's just it -- it was at such a young age that I think many of these principles, or perhaps the reasoning behind them, have been basically forgotten. Maybe we simply need to be reminded why we do them? That leads to:
Article #2:
Stand up, America
The meaning behind national anthem has been lost
By Frank Deford, SI.com
Posted: Wednesday June 28, 2006 10:45AM; Updated: Wednesday June 28, 2006 1:15PM
Does 'The Star-Spangled Banner' take on more meaning at an international event like the World Cup?
Watching the World Cup, I find it especially moving, at the start of each game, when the two teams stand, as the national anthems of each of their countries is played. I'm particularly touched by the teams who stand for their anthem with their arms about one another's shoulders. And it must be absolutely chilling for the players and people of some small nation like Ghana or Paraguay to hear its anthem played in tandem with that of England or Italy or the United States.
Playing the anthems seems so right here. After all, the World Cup is a very special competition between the nations of the world that is contested only every four years.
OK, but then tune in to some everyday hockey game between, say, Calgary and Nashville, or some baseball game between Toronto and Texas, and every time, it is obligatory to start off playing the national anthems of the United States and Canada. Come on, countries aren't playing in games like this, just municipalities that have paid professionals to represent their franchises. We might as well also play the national anthems of, say, the Czechs and the Swedes or the Dominicans and the Venezuelans who might incidentally be hired hands on these metropolitan rosters.
What is it with this nationalism -- even, I would say, forced patriotism -- that only inflicts national anthems upon sports in this country? Hey, they're just games. In New York, you go to Madison Square Garden, to Shea Stadium, to Yankee Stadium for a game, the performance begins with The Star-Spangled Banner. You go to Carnegie Hall for a concert, Lincoln Center for a ballet, Broadway for a play, all you hear before the show starts is a warning to turn off your cell phones. Why is there a difference?
In fact, the playing of the anthem has long become such a rote experience in American sports that it was years ago when I first heard what was already an old joke then: What are the last two words of the national anthem?
"Play ball!"
The anthem has become so everyday at sports events here that some years ago it even became necessary for public address announcers to explain why exactly it is that we are playing the song. Almost at every stadium and arena now, we hear: "To honor America, will you please rise?"
We have to be told the reason to stand up?
But, you see, in the U.S., the anthem has been reduced to just another gimmick, like the seventh-inning stretch. In fact, The Star-Spangled Banner is so ordinary now that at championship events, like the Super Bowl, when the anthem would be a nice, appropriate gesture, it's not enough just to sing our country's song. No, it's so run-of-the-mill that now we also have to have a bunch of military fighter jets fly over. The national anthem has become a lounge act for martial panoply.
Next Tuesday is our American national holiday, the Fourth of July. Wouldn't it be nice if all baseball teams would agree to swear off playing the anthem at every game during the season, and only play it once a year, on our Independence Day? That would be enough. Look out to center field. Just as Francis Scott Key assured us: Our flag is still there.
We would love to see all of your thoughts on these as well. Please share.
Article #1:
Do you really need to put your hand on your heart during the national anthem?
By Torie Bosch
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007, at 4:24 PM ET
Some conservative bloggers are furious about a photo showing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama without his hand on his heart during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Obama has countered that the photo was taken during the national anthem, not the Pledge of Allegiance—so he didn't have to. Is that true?
No. According to U.S. law, a civilian like Obama is supposed to stand up when the anthem is played, take off his hat, face the flag, and put his right hand over his heart. Members of the military can keep their hats on and salute instead of placing their hands on their hearts.
The rules of conduct regarding the anthem, the pledge, and the American flag weren't always a matter of law. At first, they were just tradition. "The Star-Spangled Banner" lyrics were originally written during the War of 1812. Later in the 19th century, the Army and Navy both began to use it during ceremonies, but it only became the congressionally recognized national anthem in 1931. Meanwhile, the Pledge of Allegiance was first used in public schools in 1892 to celebrate Columbus Day and only made it into the law books in the 1940s.
Specific customs for listening to the anthem or reciting the pledge were also slow to develop. The National Flag Conference, an organization made up of representatives from the armed forces and civilian organizations, created a guide to flag etiquette in 1923. But it wasn't until June of 1942, when America was fighting World War II, that Congress made this "Flag Code" official.
In its original form, the code called for a "Bellamy salute" during the Pledge of Allegiance. The salute was named after Francis Bellamy, who wrote the pledge and published it in Youth's Companion, a family magazine. Bellamy instructed people reciting the pledge to start with their hands on their hearts and then—at the words "to my flag" (later changed to "to the flag of the United States of America")—straighten their arms in a military salute. But in the late 1930s, the salute became controversial as people began to realize that this gesture looked quite similar to the arm movement favored by the Nazis. Schools in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere began to alter the salute, and in late 1942, it was eliminated from the code in favor of keeping the hand on the heart, as we do today. (Some groups, like the Daughters of the American Revolution, were initially resistant to the change from the Bellamy salute.)
So, does this mean that it's against the law to sit down for "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a baseball game? Technically, but you won't get in trouble. Though the procedure for listening to the national anthem is spelled out in the U.S. Code, you can't be punished for breaking the rules. That would likely be considered a violation of the First Amendment. For instance, the Supreme Court ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses had the right to skip the pledge.
My random thoughts:
Much of the older American generations may already know most of the facts shared within. But for our generation, I think a lot of these facts have been lost. Many of us were taught the etiquette of the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, and American flag, but at a very young age: perhaps early in elementary school, like I was. But that's just it -- it was at such a young age that I think many of these principles, or perhaps the reasoning behind them, have been basically forgotten. Maybe we simply need to be reminded why we do them? That leads to:
Article #2:
Stand up, America
The meaning behind national anthem has been lost
By Frank Deford, SI.com
Posted: Wednesday June 28, 2006 10:45AM; Updated: Wednesday June 28, 2006 1:15PM
Does 'The Star-Spangled Banner' take on more meaning at an international event like the World Cup?
Watching the World Cup, I find it especially moving, at the start of each game, when the two teams stand, as the national anthems of each of their countries is played. I'm particularly touched by the teams who stand for their anthem with their arms about one another's shoulders. And it must be absolutely chilling for the players and people of some small nation like Ghana or Paraguay to hear its anthem played in tandem with that of England or Italy or the United States.
Playing the anthems seems so right here. After all, the World Cup is a very special competition between the nations of the world that is contested only every four years.
OK, but then tune in to some everyday hockey game between, say, Calgary and Nashville, or some baseball game between Toronto and Texas, and every time, it is obligatory to start off playing the national anthems of the United States and Canada. Come on, countries aren't playing in games like this, just municipalities that have paid professionals to represent their franchises. We might as well also play the national anthems of, say, the Czechs and the Swedes or the Dominicans and the Venezuelans who might incidentally be hired hands on these metropolitan rosters.
What is it with this nationalism -- even, I would say, forced patriotism -- that only inflicts national anthems upon sports in this country? Hey, they're just games. In New York, you go to Madison Square Garden, to Shea Stadium, to Yankee Stadium for a game, the performance begins with The Star-Spangled Banner. You go to Carnegie Hall for a concert, Lincoln Center for a ballet, Broadway for a play, all you hear before the show starts is a warning to turn off your cell phones. Why is there a difference?
In fact, the playing of the anthem has long become such a rote experience in American sports that it was years ago when I first heard what was already an old joke then: What are the last two words of the national anthem?
"Play ball!"
The anthem has become so everyday at sports events here that some years ago it even became necessary for public address announcers to explain why exactly it is that we are playing the song. Almost at every stadium and arena now, we hear: "To honor America, will you please rise?"
We have to be told the reason to stand up?
But, you see, in the U.S., the anthem has been reduced to just another gimmick, like the seventh-inning stretch. In fact, The Star-Spangled Banner is so ordinary now that at championship events, like the Super Bowl, when the anthem would be a nice, appropriate gesture, it's not enough just to sing our country's song. No, it's so run-of-the-mill that now we also have to have a bunch of military fighter jets fly over. The national anthem has become a lounge act for martial panoply.
Next Tuesday is our American national holiday, the Fourth of July. Wouldn't it be nice if all baseball teams would agree to swear off playing the anthem at every game during the season, and only play it once a year, on our Independence Day? That would be enough. Look out to center field. Just as Francis Scott Key assured us: Our flag is still there.
We would love to see all of your thoughts on these as well. Please share.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Do Serving God and Saving the Earth go Hand-in-Hand?
Kerry recently read a book recommended to her by some friends of ours in Santa Barbara from the Church we were apart of there, Santa Barbara Community Church. The book is Serve God Save the Planet, by J. Matthew Sleeth, M.D.
I am currently almost finished going through it as well, and it makes some very interesting points. The basic tone of the book is that global environmental problems won't be solved unless each one of us responds to our individual responsibility to do all that we can to make sure our own actions in our everyday routines are not having harmful effects on our brothers and sisters around the world, nor on future generations, but rather that we need to equip this generation and future generations to use less energy through a variety of measures: some of I previously did not easily or willingly associate with environmental care. It encourages thinking for yourself and doing a lot of your own research on the many topics discussed in the book: subjects that range from to taking a closer look at why the majority of people are afraid of death, to what we can do to address overpopulation.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Whether you are a follower of Jesus Christ or not, anyone who is either concerned in issues relating to the environment or who believes there is some higher power in this universe should find the book an interesting read.
On a similar note, I came across this article on MSN news this morning.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21656644/
It is not really that enlightening on the topic, but does present some general information about the trend that environmental causes continue to see an increase in support as Christians in the USA are shifting to back the movement.
What are your thoughts on the topic? How does serving God, or even serving other people, relate to saving the planet? What responsibilities do we have? Please respond by posting comments, and let's see what you all have to say...
I am currently almost finished going through it as well, and it makes some very interesting points. The basic tone of the book is that global environmental problems won't be solved unless each one of us responds to our individual responsibility to do all that we can to make sure our own actions in our everyday routines are not having harmful effects on our brothers and sisters around the world, nor on future generations, but rather that we need to equip this generation and future generations to use less energy through a variety of measures: some of I previously did not easily or willingly associate with environmental care. It encourages thinking for yourself and doing a lot of your own research on the many topics discussed in the book: subjects that range from to taking a closer look at why the majority of people are afraid of death, to what we can do to address overpopulation.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Whether you are a follower of Jesus Christ or not, anyone who is either concerned in issues relating to the environment or who believes there is some higher power in this universe should find the book an interesting read.
On a similar note, I came across this article on MSN news this morning.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21656644/
It is not really that enlightening on the topic, but does present some general information about the trend that environmental causes continue to see an increase in support as Christians in the USA are shifting to back the movement.
What are your thoughts on the topic? How does serving God, or even serving other people, relate to saving the planet? What responsibilities do we have? Please respond by posting comments, and let's see what you all have to say...
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