Grant's Slant on the World Today

A Right to Care: An Evening with Sarah Jones

2009-01-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

While attending the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting (Public Health Without Borders), a group of us from Brigham Young University attended "A Right to Care: An Evening with Sarah Jones." Tears filled my eyes consistently as her portrayal of NINE different Americans took my emotions back and forth from a state of laughter to one of empathy for people who serve selflessly and/or suffer severely. This pathos was undergirded consistently in her script with logos through accurate statistics and descriptions of public health and health care in America. She was performing this in front of a huge gathering of the nation's and world's public health leaders, professionals and students -- a tough crowd? They laughed and cried along with us, as far as I could tell, and the social/health issues brought up by these 9 characters were discussed extensively after the performance. Did it inspire me as a public health professional? YES!!!

Here is a taste (not the exact performance, but very similar):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmhuYYd9x6g (watch it in high quality)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RRpzRPVrYs (watch it in high quality)

Here is another collection of clips but this time it is of her actual performance.

I was glad to find an interview of her on NPR as well.

Enjoy, but also let me know if you've seen her, what inspired or troubled you about her performance, or how you wish you could talk as fast as Rosario Polanko =)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jones_(stage)

She has a great web site too:
http://www.sarahjonesonline.com/

Be Openhearted, Listen, and Maybe Boycott Boycotts

2008-11-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Under God: McDonald's Yields to Anti-Gay Boycott - On Faith at washingtonpost.com

Do boycotts work? Does it matter? Do you boycott boycotts?

I did appreciate the citation of these examples and the author's perspective:

'Gandhi led boycotts of British products. King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. "A boycott is not an end within itself," King wrote. "It is merely a means to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor and challenge his false sense of superiority."

'Even if the boycotts I join don't work, I think there are times when my faith -- meaning my understanding of what is right and just -- compels me to try. I'm not looking to awaken shame. I am trying to avoid it.'

This reminds me of an earlier time when Levis and Boy Scouts parted ways and stirred up the call for a boycott. People close to me joined the boycott against Levis. By association, I have not owned a pair of Levis until recently. Do I feel ashamed that I now own them them?

I delay my answer as mind my loops back to experiences in D.C. I worked in the Dupont Circle area and had some wonderful experiences eating home-made ice cream, soup and pie at shops owned and run by gays and lesbians. I would probably be safe in assuming that those shops, had they been in California, would have put money and efforts towards a "no" vote on Proposition 8. Say that I lived in California too and had decided to vote "yes" on Proposition 8. Should an organization's financial support of such a political/moral/important issue influence my association with their business?

At least on this topic, I would say, "No," and continue giving them my patronage so long as their service suited my needs (mmm! that was some good pumpkin cake!). Perhaps this type of relationship could facilitate a conversation that , if done in a spirit of open-mindedness and open-heartedness, could also invoke a spirit of unity and mutual understanding even though parties may still disagree.

I agree with a friend's note on facebook (thanks, kvizzy), there has a been hate and stereotyping, and a lack of understanding and listening, on both sides of this important issue. Another friend said that the boycotting approach sounds like kids using the "I'm not your friend anymore, hmph!" approach. Disassociation, from my current perspective, does not foster communication.

Isn't that what we need so badly? So, for now, I vote, "BOYCOTT BOYCOTTS!"

(Though this question still exists in my heart and mind, "What would Ghandi or MLK, Jr. do in this situation?" What would you say?)

Open your heart. Love and truly listen to everyone -- especially those willing to speak from her/his heart of hearts.

Multiple Racial Identities

2008-06-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

I appreciate the text- and video-based coverage CNN provided on the issue of Barack Obama's racial identity. While its affect on the presidential campaign and issues is still unclear to me, its affect on me personally feels significant. CNN's video included interviews with members of Swirl, Inc., "a national multi-ethnic organization that challenges society’s notions of race through community building, education, and action," and I felt an intriguing connection with these people I'd never met. Frankly, the number of friends I've had who also multi-racial is limited to a handful. Rarely have our discussions touched on this topic. But now that I look back on it, some disregard the importance of the topic, but overall we do seem to share some uncanny commonalities.

"What are you?" -- Being multiracial in America

2008-04-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

My mind has not settled much since hearing and reading Senator Obama's reaction to Reverend Wright's remarks at the National Press Club. I connected so much with many of the reverend's words (which clearly is not the case for many others), why did Senator Obama need to denounce the words of the reverend on a personal level?

As I read a paragraph in a New York Times article, a light turned on. It may be linked to Senator Obama's multiracial background. According to the article...

Mr. Obama became a Christian after hearing a 1988 sermon of Mr. Wright’s called “The Audacity to Hope.” Joining Mr. Wright’s church helped Mr. Obama, with his disparate racial and geographic background, embrace not only the African-American community but also Africa, his friends and family say.

So previous to his conversion to Christianity and joining of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Barrack Obama apparently did not feel connected with the African-American community. I definitely connect with that feeling of disconnect.

For a good portion of my life, I have felt disconnected from certain (arguably superficial) societal groupings. When I am in America with first- or second-generation immigrants from Japan, I feel that I am on the perimeter of group membership. When I am with White Americans, I often feel the same. I am what you might call multiracial (or happa). Questions of racial/ethnic background on standardized exams or applications also include the phrase, "Choose only one." This prompts me to think, "Which one should I choose today?" People have been known to ask, "So what are you?" Lately, people are more likely to get a very uncomfortable look on their faces and ask something like, "So where are your parents from?" or "What's your ethnicity?" Is it a desire to categorize me that motivates these questions? My identity is influenced by so many factors, these questions seem trivial to me -- I do not completely identify with the White American community or Japanese American community. I do, however, think I identify with the nebulous multiracial/multiethnic American community.

Which brings me back to Barrack Obama. He seems similar in my multiracial mind to Tiger Woods, famed for identifying his race as Cablinasian (a portmanteau term he coined from Caucasian, Black, American-Indian, and Asian). It reminds me of what I heard a graduate student, whose father was an White American serviceman and mother was Korean, at USU say about his childhood. Before he was adopted in the US, kids would chase him and beat him up in Korea because he was too white. Then after his adoption, kids in the US would chase him and beat him up because he was too yellow. Prejudice takes on many forms and is all relative. Barrack Obama is in a unique position as a multiracial American. Does that make him a better candidate? I don't know yet, but I do know this. I connect with some of the frustration he probably feels as the media and American society try to categorize him.

Touched by doctrines of liberation, transformation, and reconciliation

2008-04-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the three-part speech by Reverend Wright at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (and the question and answer session following). Please take a look. I found myself very inspired by his words and his delivery. I would describe these three doctrines as visionary and scripturally sound. I laughed out loud multiple times as well.

After watching these and pondering them for half a day, I can't help think how much common ground I share with the reverend. If any was bombastic and/or divisive, it was the media, political bloggers, and youtubers. One of the many things I hope I've learned from Reverend Wright, it's the importance of not being reactionary. Rather we should turn the other cheek, forgive others, seek for reconciliation, but also to stand for what is what we believe to be right.

See my previous post for more of my thoughts on the topic.

The Squirrel Scouts -- Language Experience Approach with ESL students

2008-04-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

This was an assignment for my Early Childhood Literacy class at USU in Spring of 2005.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grant S.

LEA Assignment

Section 1

I had the opportunity to take my first grade ESL class on an adventure. We got them excited about it the day before by hinting on a quest to explore a local park, which is conveniently adjacent to our elementary school. Typically, the students cannot cross a rock wall, which separates the school grounds from the park, so this simple idea brought significant excitement to these young students. I asked them what things we might see in the park and listed them on the board. The next day, the adventure began as I gathered them in the hallway between the first grade classrooms, donned an old-fashioned hat, and said, “We’re going to exploring today, so I have to wear my explorer’s hat and bring my binoculars.” The excitement began to build and I explained some of the guidelines for sticking together and being on the lookout for unique things in the park.

No sooner had we left the building than they caught sight of a big, black bird in a tree. I had them take turns looking in my binoculars and soon enough we identified it as a crow. I pointed and identified some crab-apple trees and we walked between them. They had a keen eye for detail and noticed small apparently bird-made holes in the branches and coin-shaped pieces of metal with a number on each tree. We walked by a volleyball court and some willow trees while identifying and discussing each. As we circled around, we came nearby some exceptionally tall trees. Our adventure climaxed as their superpower vision targeted a squirrel climbing and jumping in the highest branches of one of these trees. Some of them ran around underneath hoping to save, or catch, the squirrel if it perchance lost its grip and fell down. On the final leg of our trip, we identified some pine trees and noticed the differences in pine cones of the individual types of pine cones – some prickly and some smooth. Then, right when I thought we were done, Ariel, one of our lowest level readers, found a flat piece of ice at the bottom of a slide by the school. They picked it up and we talked about its shape, feel, and sharp edge. They decided to bust it into several pieces before we finally went into the school.

All of the students were very involved orally and socially in the activity, except possibly for Jaire. He just moved here a few months ago and even though he has made significant progress with his English language skills, I should have made a more of a special effort to ask him what he saw or thought, although he was involved at a minimally sufficient level (i.e. had a turn with the binoculars, etc…). Other than that, I was amazed how excited they were about seeing squirrels and holes in trees and how much we could see during a twenty minute walk through a park. Much can be learned from the perspective of a First Grader.

We immediately went to our ESL classroom and took our seats. As I stood at the whiteboard, I told them that we would write a story about our experience. Danielle raised her hand and asked if we would draw pictures and I replied that we would the next day. I then asked what a good title would be. Some ideas involved exploring and squirrels, but Brandon suggested “Squirrel Scouts” and I could not resist using it. I wrote it on the chart paper while saying it word by word. Then we said it together as a class. As I asked for the first sentence in our story, Brandon suggested, “The crows were sitting in the tree.” Again I wrote it, saying it word by word, and we read it as a class. As we continued, Ariel’s contribution stands out because the sentence he provided was not “proper” English, but was truly made up of his words. In addition, Oscar said, “We saw something moving on the tree.” But he and the rest of the class agreed that we should change it to “in the tree.” This continued until we ran out of time. Due to the lack of time and number of students, we did not read it individually (see Section 2).

The Squirrel Scouts

The crows were sitting in the tree. (Brandon)

There were numbers on the tree. (Devin)

We saw something moving onⁱⁿ the tree. It was a squirrel. (Oscar)

We see ice in the slide. (Ariel)

We got to use some binoculars. (Lesley)

We were walking behind the apple trees. (Martha)

Section 2

On day 2 of the Language Experience Activity, the students came in and I read the story. Then we read each line as a class. In order to give them practice reading it by themselves, I had each student volunteer to hold a strip of paper with a sentence from the story written on it. In order to help them recognize their text, each copy was the same size and shape as the original. Many chose their own sentences and those who wanted to hold someone else’s asked permission, surprisingly without rejection. They stood at the front of the class and I told them to stand in the same order as our story. They did this with surprising ease, after which I asked each one to read his or her sentence. Many of them read their sentence upside-down while holding it, partially due to having the sentence or key words memorized, without trouble. Edith was one who could not read it upside-down, so she read it as I held it in front of her. She still struggled with some of the harder sight words (i.e. there, were), but recognized contextual words (i.e. numbers, tree) once she realized which sentence she was holding. I prompted her on the harder words, but most likely due to the writing not being her own, she still struggled. I paired up Brandon with Jaire and they read it together, which helped Jaire feel successful and have greater success as well. After reading they all read their sentences, they taped it to the white board next to the original in the right order.

That day I also introduced the books we would be making. Each would have a page for the title and each sentence with room for an illustration (which fulfilled Danielle’s previously stated desire). Time ran out for the day.

Section 3

When we got back together we began the process of publishing our books. The sentence strip activity had taken much longer than I anticipated, but I still figured we could finish the books in one 40-minute time slot. I read a sentence from the story on the board, and they read it as a class. Then I helped each one staple their books and showed them an example of my version of the book with a title page and illustrations. I also asked that they write the sentences first and then draw the pictures. A couple followed this bit of instruction, but most were quickly enthralled by illustrating their books. Right when they were making some great progress, Danielle was saddened by a reminder from Edith and Martha that she had not been invited to a party held the night before. She shut down for about 10 minutes, even though Lesley tried to console her.

There were a few problems of which I quickly became aware. First, it takes longer than I thought for an ESL group to publish an 8-page book. We could have just published their individual sentences, rather than the class’s collective sentences. Also, I should have given them more lines per page in the blank books. They write bigger than I anticipated, but this wasn’t a huge concern. Other than that, they were on their way to publication of some wonderful books and seemed very confidant writing some of the harder words that they had included in their story (i.e. binoculars).

Section 4

(See stapled copies)

Section 5

The most important thing I learned through this activity is the need for reading the text by the student. The follow-up activities took much longer than anticipated and the first thing to get cut from the schedule, unfortunately, was the reading by the student. I had a harder time assessing individual comprehension and was not as “in tune” with individual needs of the lower-level students due to this weakness. I found myself lifting the higher-level students even higher, rather than supporting the whole class’s success. Next time, I would allot more time for each activity and have the reading by the student(s) be the crux and climax of the activity.

On a more positive note, I was amazed by how effectively the stimulus activity immersed the students in a learning mode and excited them about writing and reading about their experience. They were able to learn hard words, such as binoculars and squirrel (that was their favorite).

Promoting a "multifaith society" vs. The debate surrounding Muslim women at Harvard

2008-03-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Brigham Young University's campus newspaper, the Daily Universe, I became aware of the experimental policy that establishes women-only hours, especially for female Muslim students, at a small gymnasium on Harvard University's campus. Norris-Turin of BYU's NewsNet states that, "This is wrong." She supports her statement by saying that America is a melting pot and people should become a part of the "bigger stew in the pot." She attempts to bring a global perspective to the issue:

But, when traveling to other places in the world, let alone living there, people are expected to follow the rules of that country. For instance, when women travel to Saudi Arabia, they are expected to cover their whole bodies from head to toe. Women would be thrown in jail if they didn't abide by the strict laws.

Her opinion that the Harvard policy is "wrong" surprises me for at least two reasons.

First, Harvard is a private institution. So is Brigham Young University. BYU is often considered peculiar because of its honor code. For example, men cannot be inside of a women's dorm (and vice versa) after midnight until 9:00 am (except Friday when it is extended till 1:30 am). Opponents to this policy could say that it is "wrong," but given that BYU is a private institution, I vote that BYU make their own decisions and not become a part of the bigger secular stew.

Second, about Saudi Arabia, I lived there between 1987 and 1989. Most of the time, my family was expected to follow Islamic dress standards. But we were housed on "compounds" with other Westerners. While there, these strict limitations were lifted. This gave us some reprieve from the high expectation to adhere to others' cultural norms all the time.

In addition, as Latter-day Saints, we were even given permission to congregate in our homes on the Sabbath (Friday) in small groups (<30~). Ross Douthat of Atlantic.Com writes that he is surprised at the "religious right"'s denouncement of Harvard's attempt at respect for various religious beliefs. Does this policy not "let [Muslims] worship how, where, or what they may"? My understanding of my religion's Eleventh Article of Faith shouts, "YES!"

Perhaps, President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, can shed some light on Latter-day Saint's doctrinal perspective of the overarching issue of interfaith relations, as quoted in his formal introduction of Dr. Alwi Shihab, former president of Indonesia, titled Building Bridges of Understanding: The Church and the World of Islam.

... Alwi, a devout Muslim of Arabic ancestry, and I, a Christian and devout Mormon, have agreed to symbolically walk arm in arm into the future. Together we hope to build a bridge. Except what that symbolizes is accomplished, all of us face a very dark and very dangerous future.

Dr. Shihab adds ...

We must go, I believe, beyond tolerance if we are to achieve harmony in our world. We must move the adherents of different faiths from a position of strife and tension to one of harmony and understanding by promoting a multifaith and pluralistic society. We must strive for acceptance of the other based on understanding and respect. Nor should we stop even at mere acceptance of the other; rather, we must accept the other as one of us in humanity and, above all, in dignity.

I hope that we may follow this wise counsel and speak and act likewise.

"Seek first to understand" -- Thoughts on interfaith understanding

2008-03-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Race and religion are clearly influential topics in the current presidential campaign process, which seems to me to be indicative of issues facing today's America, but are too often overlooked or avoided. In regards to race, I feel that some believe that racial/ethnic divisiveness is 'so 1960s' and something only previous generations dealt with. I also feel that religion is typically discussed from both secular and spiritual extremes, from ethnocentric and relativistic stand-points, but rarely do true interfaith discussions take place in a spirit of mutual respect.

For today, I'd like to present a few ideas about religion in terms of recent political events.

#1 With former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney's recent presidential campaign, I heard some people say, "Of course his religion matters", and others say, "Don't worry. His religion won't influence his policies."

#2 Now with the views of Senator Barrack Obama's former minister, Reverend Wright, hitting the headlines, I hear these same statements.

One thing that surprises me is that Latter-day Saints who once said that Mitt Romney's religion should not be a huge factor in his campaign now say that they couldn't vote for Obama because of things his minister said in church.

My hope for those who would not vote for Mitt Romney and those who will not now consider Barrack Obama, based solely on superficially-developed religious discrepencies, is this: Please first seek to understand more of the back-story.

For those who would quickly dismiss Latter-day Saint political candidates for purely religious reasons, visit primary sources such as Mormon.Org or secondary sources such as the Pew Forum or BeliefNet. You might even ask sincere questions of a real, live Latter-day Saint. And then listen.

For those who recently decided to dismiss those who attend the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, visit primary sources such as TUCC.org or take a listen to a panel of Religious Scholars Discuss[ing] Liberation Theology on NPR. You might even ask sincere questions of a real, live attendee of a Black Christian church. And then listen.

My viewings of sermons delivered by the Reverend Wright remind me of certain sermons by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (clip 1, clip 2) or books and speeches by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson -- both very controversial but I find the words of both to be action-inspiring and especially thought-provoking, even though I might not always agree with them (i.e. Dr. Dyson). I still can respect them by first seeking to understand, THEN deciding to agree or disagree (while avoiding being disagreeable).

P.S. Stretch your brain (and even your heart) beyond the bounds of Bill Cosby and take a listen to Georgetown's Dr. Dyson (part 2, part 3, part 4, or watch the video). I got stretched at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Definitely didn't agree with every word, phrase, or approach to those nor did those near me. But he did speak a great deal of truth and in the language of the hearers of his words. That was powerful.

NPR: Controversial Math Method Infiltrates L.A. Schools

2008-03-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Link to the radio spot.

Day to Day, March 13, 2008 · A new way of teaching math is helping students at some Los Angeles schools improve their test scores. "Singapore Math" was controversial at first. Now a presidential advisory panel is poised to issue guidelines that use the method.

Developing the three Rs in deep urban and rural schools is a hot topic is today's schools. I am quite intrigued by this news clip -- excited even! I honestly believe that Singapore and other comparable countries are a great model for our cosmopolitan inner city communities given diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds and the wonderful potential held in each student if those backgrounds are not squashed.

NPR: U.S. Doctor Aids North Korea's Afflicted

2008-03-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Link to the article.

Tell Me More, March 10, 2008 · Dr. Stephen Linton has made it his life's work to bring medicine and supplies to North Koreans suffering from Tuberculosis. Linton explains his work and why he's devoted to helping the region's afflicted, despite sensitive U.S.-North Korea relations.

Heroic. That's how I would like to describe this doctor's actions and words. What if our actions and words were more similar to his?

He talks about "measuring the length of our arm." He explains that too many people dream big but get discouraged when they can't do it all. So we should figure out what is within our realm of influence... and then do it. =)

Pew Forum: Gay Mormons See a Subtle Shift in Church Teaching

2008-03-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

Link to the article.

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said the document isn't a shift necessarily, but a sign that Mormon leaders are talking a lot more about homosexuality. That, she said, is "a positive step."

I feel that this article does a great job of presenting the history and current stance of the Church in regards to Homosexuality. Please take a look. I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives, especially if they differ from the article's presentation.

I was saddened to see that those who admitted having homosexual desires were excommunicated from the church (as the article describes) and glad to see that things are improving from a top-down perspective. President Hinckley and other Church leaders have made very clear statements on the topic. But I believe, and have heard others agree, that generally speaking and from a bottom-up perspective members of the Church don't know how to handle this topic or those that identify themselves as gay or lesbian. In my opinion, this combined ignorance and avoidance of the topic and individuals results in the "don't ask, don't tell" feeling described in the article. How can Latter-day Saints on the individual level be more Christlike when it comes to homosexuality?

I would also like to whole-heartedly recommend the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Do a search on site site on "Mormon" or "Mormonism" for pages of balanced, research-based, independent third-party articles about Latter-day Saints in today's world.

NPR: Vatican, Muslim Scholars Announce Alliance

2008-03-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Link to the article.

All Things Considered, March 5, 2008 · The Vatican and a delegation of Muslim scholars have agreed to start a permanent dialogue to discuss theological, social and political issues.

The Catholic Muslim forum will meet every two years, alternating between Rome and a Muslim country. Pope Benedict will attend the first forum in November. A speech he delivered in 2006 offended many Muslims and helped to prompt this effort at mutual understanding between the two faiths. Terrorism will be one of the main topics at the forum.

Take a listen. I love this type of interfaith discussion both on interpersonal and ecumenical levels. I'm hoping that this will have a long-term impact in the world.

Me and the 2006 UT Commencement Speaker

2008-01-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

Link to the speech.

University of Tennessee Commencement
Rita Geier
December 17, 2006

A civil rights pioneer who helped to redefine higher education in Tennessee

As a Tennessee State University faculty member in 1968, Geier filed suit to challenge the constitutionality of Tennessee's higher education system, alleging it was still segregated.

Since the original filing in a U.S. District Court, many parties joined her as plaintiffs, including the U.S. Department of Justice and other faculty of Tennessee State University.

Geier, who also was attending Vanderbilt University when the suit was filed, is now the executive counselor on interagency adjudication for the Social Security Service, serving as principal adviser on Medicare appeals, identity theft and other initiatives. She has had a long career in federal government as a trial attorney and administrator working with the Department of Justice and the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, D.C.

She also worked for the Legal Services Corp. and directed the organization's first funding projects to improve the quality of legal services provided to low-income individuals.

Geier received her law degree from Vanderbilt University, a master's degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree from Fisk University.

True. We had fried catfish on Broadway in Nashville and listened to Santana in her car on TN's freeways, but more importantly, she inspired me to keep dreaming and reaching for those dreams.

NPR: Latino Hate Crimes on the Rise

2007-12-24T00:39:00.000-08:00

Link to the article.

Southern Poverty Law Center statistics show that hate crimes reported against Latinos increased 35 percent between 2003 and 2006. According to the Center's Mark Potok, the spike reflects the nation's increasingly strident debate over illegal immigration.

This is one of the main reasons I dislike the "right's" stance on illegal immigration. Please listen to the full report. The written synopsis doesn't summarize the story well enough imo.

How Hollywood Saved God

2007-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

Link to the news article.

It took five years, two screenwriters, and $180 million to turn a best-selling antireligious children’s book into a star-studded epic—just in time for Christmas.

I have not read the books or seen the movie, but the uproar from the religious right that accompanies the two has intrigued me. I've only read half of this article, but it seems to bring a balanced, thorough, and very real approach to the whole can of worms. I would love to hear your thoughts.

David Omer at 12:29pm Dec 11

Same position for books & movie. Interesting article. It seems to me that Pullman has many useful insights into the failings of many major religions (i.e. original sin, repressive god, all sex is sin) but has swung to the far end (i.e. ALL religion is bad, ALL sex is good, praise the rebel, etc). And then it sounds like Hollywood has sold their spine. Thanks for the link.

Grant Sunada at 8:21pm Dec 11

Nice! I finished the article and I would stand by your synopsis. Well said about Pullman bringing up some great insights but then swinging to the far other polar extreme. His was the first opinion that I'd heard that was so critical of and against C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Quite shocking to me, but will bring greater depth to my future readings of those authors -- two of my favorites.

More recently, a friend said that she read the trilogy when she was younger. She had no recollection of anti-religious under- or over-tones. I wonder if the book is pro-spiritual while being anti-religious. If you've read them, please inform us! =)

CSM: Mandela shines brightly at all-star AIDS concert

2007-12-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

Link to the article.

South Africa's beloved elder statesman has turned his energies to combating an epidemic that is robbing the country of hoped for prosperity.

How would it be to hear him speak live?

CSM: Clogged by plastic bags, Africa begins banning them

2007-11-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

Link to the article.

Clean up: Children play and goats feed amongst the blocked sewage channels in Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya. -- Sarah Simpson

Several African countries have taken bold new measures to tackle the region's severe waste-management problems.

I'd heard of the horrible consequences of plastic bags in India, but this is the first plastic bag ban I'd heard of. I saw similar sights in Cambodia -- plastic bags in the trash that lined roads and yards. I'm starting to think I should say "Paper" in response to the seemingly age-old grocery store question. What do you say?

Chelsea at 9:02pm Nov 30

Better solution - bring your OWN bag. Though you wouldnt believe the incredulous looks youll get in Provo for doing it. I miss Washington....

Grant at 10:16pm Nov 30

Oh yeah! I just saw that at Wild Oats in SLC. They had reusable bags for sale there.

Bruce at 1:24am Dec 1

For sure man. Those plastic bags are an eyesore. I remember seeing piles and piles of them in the gully of Emeishan in China ( on a sacred mtn. no less). I guess its safer to toss them than to burn them...yet I still go for the plastic as its easier to carry 4-5 bags at a time. What to do..

Grant at 12:34pm Dec 1

Hmm... That reminds of something else! Plastic bags are WAY useful while traveling. How many times would thing not fit in my backpack/luggage so i used a plastic bag to carry the rest. Argh! But then if the bag ripped later on, I had to just "throw it away". So that translates to who knows what in a world without organized waste management.

Bruce at 2:53pm Dec 1

Good idea. One more for the list: bike seat covers for bad weather