steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Current Events

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An iPhone Thought

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I'm not getting one because I'm cheap, but I can't remember this much hype over one product. Even if the iPhone doesn't conquer the world, I think it will end up transforming the cell phone industry. I found this local news story fascinating, as it describes how businesses are reacting to the iPhone. One quote in particular from an executive was intriguing:

"At this juncture we're not planning on testing the iPhone, but that could change depending on the acceptance of the phone."

So if it's popular, they'll get it. Way to be a visionary. Similarly, must feel good to be Verizon who passed over the opportunity to be the phone carrier of the project.

Honestly, my gut says the Apple's not gonna claim the market they think they will. But this could become a watershed event that will change they way we interact with computers.

Time will tell.

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From Westside To Wall Street

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Cornhole made page one of the Wall Street Journal today. Just another step towards total world domination. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about when I say "Cornhole" then it means 1) you're not from Cincinnati and 2) you're probably shocked by my potty talk. It's a bean-bag tossing game that's going national, if not global [look for it in the 2012 Olympics]. Legend says that Cornhole was a Westside creation.

If you're not from Cincy, have you heard of Cornhole? And you transplants from the Queen City, do people in your new locale know about it?

Bad Decisions

The double murder-suicide involving WWE wrestler Chris Benoit is indeed sad and shocking. But more puzzling are a few reactions the WWE made as a result of this tragedy. First, the WWE decides to air a tribute show of Benoit last night, effectively spending three hours of television time to honor a murderer. You might be inclined to cut them some slack since they only had four hours to make the decision, but by that time there was already talk of foul play, so wouldn't you assume the worst?

Then, the police discovered steroids in the Benoit home, allowing for rampant speculation that he was using. The WWE tried t be proactive and denounce any assumptions the media is allowing the general public to make. It seems like an extremely defensive posture to take during this time.

So twice when they should've remained silent they made statements that did nothing to cause additional problems. I'd suspect that if it's proven that Benoit was using the drugs that Congress might get involved and investigate the WWE.

UPDATE: This story keeps getting stranger and stranger as it seems the Wikipedia entry on Benoit was changed to reflect the killing 14 hours before it even occured. Scary.

How We View Tragedy

In light of this horrible story of the little girl who had her feet severed in a ride at Kentucky Kingdom yesterday, I asked Kelly what she thought it would be like at Kings Island today with their similar ride; I couldn't imagine anyone could possibly want to ride it. Well, apparently KI decided to shut down their ride to run some inspections on it to ensure safety. An accident like this is a one-in-a-million thing but these things always seem to hit home. I guess it's because we forget how truly chaotic this world is. When we hear about an unbelievable story like this we personalize it, wondering what if it had been us or a loved one. So even though we don't know the person and weren't even there, it becomes very real to us. We then take an accounting of our lives and the risks we take, keeping those tragic images in the back of our minds as a grim reminder of our mortality.

And time rolls on.

And by next week, we've forgotten this story and resume our daily routine.

At least, until the next tragedy hits.

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We Are Whores

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Finally Evan Almighty comes out today and hopefully this will mean the end of the tidal wave of Christian-oriented advertising. From free screenings for pastors to service project tie-ins to free downloads of video clips for sermons, they've gone all out for this one. For some reason this makes me feel even more icky than Passion of the Christ campaign. What this has proven is that we Christians will bite hook, line, and sinker when someone trying to make a buck comes calling. Note Christianity Today, a popular evangelical magazine, which chose to sell the cover of their magazine as advertising for the movie. Sure, they used small letters in the upper right corner to label it "advertising" [noble move] but how many people will be duped into thinking it's a ringing endorsement of the movie?

It'll be interesting to see how much Evan Almighty grosses as a result of all this. Since The Passion, this direct-to-the-church marketing hasn't been successful. But The Passion was somewhat revolutionary; it was Mel Gibson [who had a better reputation then], with the Passion narrative, attempting to market to an overlooked segment of the population. Since then, Hollywood got lazy, thinking they could throw anything out there, tell Christians it's wholesome, and see a return. They paid a price for that lethargy as movies like Bobby Jones and The Nativity Story failed.

Evan Almighty is the hardest they've tried thus far. If this works, we're going to witness an onslaught of this kind of marketing.

So answer the question: is it better to get wholesome entertainment at the price of prostituting ourselves or to have to endure the same old depraved crap Hollywood puts out that Christians will refuse to see? OR, do we just have to be selective about what we watch and not allow Hollywood to view Christians as a marketing demographic.

Something to chew on.

LEGEN . . . DARY

I was talking to a friend yesterday who alerted me to legislation out of California which would shut down churches because of what they preach. I doubted the authenticity of it and a quick Google search told me I was right; it was all a hoax. This story reminded me of something I used to deal with frequently. Although I don't get nearly as many of these rumors as I uesd to when I was employed by ye old megachurch, I still get the occasional email forward telling me not to flash my car lights in the ghetto lest I get killed. I've done it twice in two years and I still dwell in the land of the living.

I find it ironic that there are people of faith who decry gossiping yet don't think twice about sending an email to dozens of people that could contain slanderous information. Just because it sounds probable or even because you wish it was true doesn't mean that it's OK to send it out. Sending fake email forwards is just as sinful as lying, so if you're in the practice doing so you should stop. And no one wants to read email forwards anyway.

So before you push send on that email forward that you think will transform the world, just take the time to first check whether or not it's actually true. A couple of sites I use are Urban Legends @ About and Snopes. If you're going to use the  technology, use it to its fullest and fact check first.

And, no, combining pop rocks and soda won't kill you.

***And if you forward those chain letter emails ["forward this to ten people you love . . ."] then you need more advice than I can give you.

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Sadness/Gladness

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"Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team. No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragment and support . . . I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together. We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her horribly, and look forward to the day I can join her in heaven."

- Billy Graham

So-Social Networking

Although I like to think I'm relevant, sometimes I'm resistant to change. In college, the fashion statement that is sandals reemerged [well, at least men wearing them too] and I held out as long as I could. Just didn't want to go there, exposed toes and all, thinking it would be a passing fad. I bought yet another pair a couple of weeks ago.

Same thing with web trends. I knew about Myspace for awhile and wanted nothing to do with it. Although I still sorta hate, I check it out four or five times a week.  And I've known about Facebook, even writing about it last September. I predicted that going public to non-college students would be its end. What do I know, anyway?

So now that Facebook is on the rise, it seems everyone is ready to make the switch over. In my longing to realize the "if-everyone-else-jumps-off-a-bridge" reality I decided it was Facebook time.

But within some parameters.

You see, when I finally entered the social networking realm, I started a Myspace for Echo as well. But I soon realized that I sucked at keeping up-to-date with the Echo account. To look at it I would have to sign-out of my personal account, log-in, then remember to log-out and log back in to my personal account [I know, I sound like a whiner here, but how many of you are ticked when you have to continually log into webpages you frequent?]. In addition to all my other web exploits, this was way too much work.

So this is where I am: maintaining a personal Myspace page while creating a new Echo Church Facebook. This way I can streamline my efforts and enjoy life. Who knew making friends was so much frickin' work.

So if you're into this kind of thing, go ahead and befriend us at the Echo Church Facebook page. And if anyone wants to give me advice on how to bling out the Facebook for maximum effect, I'd appreciate it.

Regardless of whatever trends come and go, I vow that I will never wear Crocs. Ever.

How Lo[Can You]Go?

This kind of story happens all the time, you just need to switch out the event and the money amount. They just unveiled the logo for the 2012 Olympic games in London. Check it out here.

Yep, pretty dumb. And Londoners are quite angry.

Exacerbating the issue is that it cost over three-quarters of a million dollars to design.

The President of the Olympic Committee said, "This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games — namely, to inspire young people around the world through sport and Olympic values."

When's the last time a logo inspired you to do anything? Personally, it was that time I was driving down the street, saw a Jiffy Lube sign burst into tears. I could plainly see that it was a metaphor for my life and realized it was time to change direction. I promptly enrolled in Bible College and entered the ministry. Thanks, Jiffy Lube logo!

Logo design is never easy; you're always going to have someone hate it. But if you're going to lay an egg like this, it's best not to spend that much money on it.

Odds are, it'll be different before those games roll around.

S-M-R-T . . . I mean, S-M-A-R-T

 [If you didn't no wear the title came from]

 Yes, we use the television as background noise while we work at night. Maybe that's hickish, but its nice two take a breather every few seconds two look up and sea something besides the glow of the laptop screen.

Tonight Kelli made the choice to have the National Spelling Be on. They're erring it prime-time on ABC this year; not sure if its erred on network television before. One things for shore: it's just not as interesting without Laurence Fishburne.

I'm all for riveting television, but is it really wise to use these kids for entertainment purposes? I would rather not have two watch some kids heart break because they slip up once after years of dedicating themselves to learning the dictionary. And do we have to here Robin Roberts go, "Ohhhhhhhh" every thyme a kid gets rung out? And I really could do without awl the sports metaphors. ABC owns ESPN butt why did they feel obligated two treat this as if it was a sporting event? No joke: the following analogies and sports references were made sew far:

  • A speller compared to Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Sons.
  • Mention of hockey great Mark Messier
  • Spelling compared to hitting a three foot putt at the Masters.

They even have Stewart Scott doing post-loss interviews. Fortunately, he has yet to give us a "Boo-Yah!"

That being said, were still watching. Still hoping for E-U-O-N-Y-M though.

I'm done. And spell Czech said eye didn't misspell a word. Iraq.

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Why American Idol Sucks

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I was in class tonight so we DVR'd tonight's American Idol finale. For some strange reason, probably the fact that we know own a DVR, we've watched about every week this year from beginning to now. So Kelly and I sat here and endured the crazy sing-alongs [do these kids know who Smokey Robinson is?], the random pairings [Joe Perry loses major street cred singing with Sanjaya], and insane special performances [was Bette Middler toasted or what?] to get to finally see who will win this thing.

By the time they're doing the American Idol tribute to Sgt. Pepper [nothing like watching angelic AI contestants sing about getting "high with a little help from my friends"] I notice the clock. This show is running late. I start doing the math and realize that we're not going to make it to the end. Sure enough, the commercial break before the announcement our DVR stopped recording. We watched an hour and twenty minutes of slop and were deprived dessert.

Don't chastise me that I should know better and should've added extra recording time. This isn't a sporting event where there's supposed to be overtime. It's freakin' American Idol. Instead of letting Clive Davis ramble on while promoting his record company, they should've focused on getting to the actual announcement. I wonder how long they actually showed the announcement. I'd guess that from the time Ryan announced the winner to the time they went of air was thirty seconds total. Why even have a winner? Just let everyone sing. So now we had to search on the internet to discover that Jordin won. Hooray. Thanks for the memories.

Don't hook me in to your stupid show if you're going to take advantage of me.

Just kidding. I'll be watching again next year.

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Where We Came From

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This evening Kel, the kid, and I participated in a pastor's perk tonight as we got a sneak peak at the new Creation Museum of Answers In Genesis [AIG] in Northern Kentucky. There's been a lot of hub-bub recently, even talks of protest on their opening day, so I thought I'd give you my impressions on our experience. First, even though the facility isn't 100% finished, it appears that the finished product will be amazing. There were a couple annoying design features [a oddly located stairwell ends one part of the museum] but overall the construction was attractive. Adjacent to the museum is a garden area that, when fully matured, will be a place where couples will want to be wed. Kelly and I were saying that the quality of the displays and the overall ambiance was more impressive than the disappointing Freedom Center. I really can't believe they were able to do it all with private funds. AIG has definitely got the skills to pay the bills.

That being said, there was plenty there that left me scratching my head. Some of it was rather innocuous, such as a display of Moses holding the Ten Commandments written with the Masoretic vowel marks which were added thousands of years after Moses died [I'm a geek]. Some of it was just confusing, such as the bookstore being called Dragon Hall [OK, dinosaurs = real, dragon = not real, and the Dragon in the Bible is symbolic of Satan?]. Some of it was semantics, as they continued to pit "Biblical Wisdom" against "Human Reason" [so belief in the Scriptures is unreasonable?].

But, even after observing the museum, I found one thing disturbing more than any other: AIG speaks beyond the reach of Scripture. There are quite a few examples I could give here, but let me offer just one.

There is the concept known as Pangaea, which was the super-continent that was supposed to exist before plate-tectonics took over and spread them out to where they are today. This process, as evolutionary scientists propose, would have taken thousands, if not millions, of years. The AIG people suggest that it all happened during the Noadic flood, in a time period lasting little more than a year.

So they take a theory of Pangaea [which is not yet 100 years old] and try to fit it into the Biblical narrative; they attempt to explain certain natural topography by using Scripture. Now they could be right, or they could be wrong, but the truth is that they have no idea. So why even attempt to make a definitive statement? Because they accept the premise that the Bible has all the answers we have about everything [i.e., Answers In Genesis]. But Genesis 1 isn't meant to be a scientific reading. It's a way to let God's people know one inescapable concept that His people need to know: God created everything. Beyond that, we need to be careful how authoritatively we state what we know about creation.

But that lack of 100-percentness does not diminish our faith. For instance, I personally believe in the six-literal-day creation that AIG purports; throughout the museum was the Hebrew word "Yom" which means "day". But AIG states that if you don't believe in the six-literal-day creation that you aren't a true Christian. Friends, that's bunk. I would say it's imperative that you believe that God created the universe [isn't He the center of the universe, the only one who could offer grace?] but (dis)belief in one aspect of the creation story does not a(n) (un)believer make.

I have good Christian friends who don't agree with "six-literal days," not because God couldn't do it, but because it doesn't fit into an "old earth" point of view. "AH-HA!" AIG people cry. "They're letting popular science determine the way we view God!" But isn't trying to fit Pangaea into the Noadic Flood the same thing, accepting a theory as fact in implementing it in your Biblical interpretation? Why can't we accept that some things are unknown, and teach that faith is a stretch? Why do we feel a need to try to manipulate the Bible into something it isn't?

I really believe that the AIG folk are well-intentioned people but parts of this museum and their view of Scripture bother me.

So here's my final take on the Creation Museum:

1) Would I recommend that Christian parents take their children there? Yes. They did a very good job of trying to make parts of the Bible come to life. The rooms about Noah's ark did a great job trying to show the size and scope of the boat. Some of it was extremely graphic for younger kids [some rather "nekkid" Adam and Eve figures and skinned sheep sacrifices], but there is a benefit there. I think kids would find it fascinating.

2) Would I recommend that Christians take non-Christian friends there? Not really. There is too much in the museum that defies popular science with insufficient explanation. I think it would cause more harm than good, even though I think AIG sees at as a possible evangelistic tool. It's just me, but I'd say there are better ways to explain the message of Jesus than in this form.

3) Would I recommend that you go? Sure, why not? It's always useful to come to grips with the way you view the world and this museum is a good opportunity to do so. I'm not quite sure it's worth the $20 fee, but they gotsta make ends meet somehow. Judging from the license plates in the parking lot, I think people are going to come from all over to see this anyway.

On Friday we're going to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History at Union Terminal. It's another opportunity to attend for free one of these museums. I'll be on the look-out to see how the pagan effort compares to the Creation Museum.

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Breaking [Inaccurate] News

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I feel the need . . . the need for a mini-rant.I was a little angry early today when I heard that Chris Henry, maligned wide-receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, was in trouble again. This time a Kenton County Kentucky prosecutor claimed Henry tested positive for opiates, which would net him an automatic three months in jail. This would have to be the last straw, forcing the Bengals to cut him.

But then the source of my anger shifted as, apparently, the prosecutor now admits that he might be wrong. One test might be negative but the other test is still pending. So what motivated this attorney to come out and make such a strong statement? I'd say this guy wanted some media face-time. Already ESPN has picked up the story and who, lawyer or not, wouldn't want a sound-bite on SportsCenter?

Now if Chris actually failed a test, then this is all a moo point, as Joey from Friends would claim. But if he didn't fail a test then I would hope Kenton County would profusely apologize. And, who knows, maybe Chris could sue them.

I hate this situation because it forces me to defend a guy in Henry who can't seem to stay out of trouble. But his misdeeds don't ignore the fact that Kenton County was irresponsible in the way the disseminated information. What if Chris has finally decided to turn his life around? What if he he's figured out that a lucrative NFL career is more important than hanging with strippers? But because certain civil servants are more interested in feeling important by distributing inside information instead of the truth, then his road to restoration gets steeper.

In addition to this lawyer, where is the responsibility from the media here? Rather than trying to be first, maybe they might want to try getting their facts straight. Even if Henry is clean, the damage has already been done. He's again viewed as a deviant, now for things he hasn't done. In this age of instant news, the media needs to be even more responsible in the way they handle their jobs. An arrest/indictment is front page worthy but an acquittal is relegated to page 13? Where's their accountability? I had a friend go through a local media frenzy this year because of an indictment and I was disgusted by the lack of integrity the reporters brought to the table. False truths were aired and nothing can be done about it.

Then again, maybe we're all culpable because we want the latest news. We give in to our 24-hour news channels and websites not realizing that we're contributing to the system. I believe that the media can attain a balance between their speed and their accuracy.

Additionally, I'm feeling sorry for head coach Marvin Lewis. I still think he's the best thing the Bengals have done since Super Bowl 23. Sure, he's had some guys get into trouble, but he's coming into his own as an NFL coach. This, along with the AJ Nicholson arrest this last week [who, by the way, was released today and, interesting enough, his girlfriend is already admitting she made the story up], is another black-eye for a coach who's trying to get it right. The national media will continue to run with the over-used "the Bengals are thugs" storyline regardless of what happens in these cases.

Just one last comment: It seems like all of these Bengals keep getting into trouble in northern Kentucky. Maybe they'd be best served to hang out on this side of the river.

Not Easy Being Green

I guess one of the reasons I have distrust of the environmental lobby is their elevation of the importance of the earth above we who inhabit it. Case in point, this new study that recommends that saving the world is as easy as not having kids. Crazy. I thought the point of "going green" was to preserve the world for the next generation. But in order to preserve the world we need to eliminate the next generation?

I'm confused.

HT: Tyana

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Yikes [Apologetically Speaking]

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If you haven't already, set the DVR to Wednesday's edition of ABC 's Nightline for the great atheist debate . There is already some leaked footage out on the interwebs [here and here] and it does not look good at all for our side. I'm not sure how ABC will edit it, but it from what I've seen, it looks brutal. Pray for a video malfunction that destroys the footage. Or if you have a time machine, now would be the time to go back a few days and stop this thing from taking place. You know the adage, "never take a knife to a gun fight"? Ray and Kirk were certainly not packing. And they had butter knives. Plastic butter knives. With butter still on them.

If anything, maybe this will be a good thing for evangelical Christianity in the western world. It could be a watershed moment when we finally realize that the rest of the world won't let us get away with surface scientific knowledge and hollow metaphors.

I know I'm coming off as extremely critical, but it was rather arrogant of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron to think they could walk into this debate with pretty little arguments that work on inebriated folk enamored by a television camera and convince  them that God is real. It's just not that easy.

Welcome to the revolution, guys. These people don't play nice. Either you have to go into these things with double-barrels-a-blazin', with a solid philosophical/epistemological background, or don't bother showing up to the O.K. Corral.

I'll be watching tomorrow night. But I'll probably be embarrassed.