Apparently, according to Yahoo News:

Caucasians in New Orleans find groceries, while an African-American loots.

(credit: Spiegel)

Germany’s Spiegel explains Why Europe Hasn’t Jumped to Help Katrina’s Victims

In short:

1) Chapters of the International Red Cross come to a country’s aid, when that country’s Red Cross asks for assistance. The American Red Cross hasn’t asked yet.

2) America is so well organized when it comes to disaster relief, disaster agencies in other countries feel they’d likely just get in the way.

3) The relief agencies do collect money and pass it on to their US counterparts. Not much has come in yet, but initial reports suggested everything was under control. The news has changed, and they expect more people to be donating.

Germany’s Spiegel explains Why Europe Hasn’t Jumped to Help Katrina’s Victims

In short:

1) Chapters of the International Red Cross come to a country’s aid, when that country’s Red Cross asks for assistance. The American Red Cross hasn’t asked yet.

2) America is so well organized when it comes to disaster relief, disaster agencies in other countries feel they’d likely just get in the way.

3) The relief agencies do collect money and pass it on to their US counterparts. Not much has come in yet, but initial reports suggested everything was under control. The news has changed, and they expect more people to be donating.

Saturday night a friend lent me a couple of things.

One: A set of DVDs. “Give it a few episodes, it starts out slow,” she said. There are a few possibilities.

1) She was just being silly
2) I’m an easy mark

I was hooked on the pilot.
Sunday night I watched the first DVD.
Tonight I watched the second DVD.
Tomorrow night is my weekly writer’s group, so the third DVD will have to wait until Wednesday.

I’m sure she will tell me tomorrow night that she wasn’t expecting me to watch them in one week. And I assure her. I have no plans on returning the DVDs after just one viewing. I’m going to go through them at least once more with the commentary. I’d say “You can’t take these DVDs from me,” but I know what is morally right. I’ll have to get my own copy.

I like the theme song too. I’m listening to it on continuous repeat as I type this entry.

One: A set of DVDs. “Give it a few episodes, it starts out slow,” she said. There are a few possibilities.

1) She was just being silly
2) I’m an easy mark

I was hooked on the pilot.
Sunday night I watched the first DVD.
Tonight I watched the second DVD.
Tomorrow night is my weekly writer’s group, so the third DVD will have to wait until Wednesday.

I’m sure she will tell me tomorrow night that she wasn’t expecting me to watch them in one week. And I assure her. I have no plans on returning the DVDs after just one viewing. I’m going to go through them at least once more with the commentary. I’d say “You can’t take these DVDs from me,” but I know what is morally right. I’ll have to get my own copy.

I like the theme song too. I’m listening to it on continuous repeat as I type this entry.

I am on Rev. Donald Wildmon’s email list. Trust me, this can be an enlightening email list to be on at times. It’s always good to keep an eye on those with whom you disagree.

Dear Friend of the Family,

or at least, Perceived Friend of the Family

American Family Association/American Family Radio is partnering with Tim Todd Ministries this week (August 29 – September 2) to place the TRUTH FOR YOUTH BIBLE into the hands of our teenagers who will distribute them to lost students in our public schools.

I am going to assume they don’t mean by ‘Lost’ that the students are vampires. Or maybe they do.

Parents and grandparents are urged to participate in this vital campaign by calling the toll free number below and ordering a free Bible for a teenager to distribute at school. Tim Todd Ministries has underwritten the costs of making this Bible available free of charge.

[…]

“The Truth For Youth” consists of the entire New Testament in the God’s Word version, along with powerful full color comics that are packed with “absolute truths” regarding issues young people are faced with, such as: Evolution, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality, Abortion, Pornography, Drugs, Drunkenness, Peer Pressure, School Violence and Secular Rock Music. God’s wonderful plan of salvation is incorporated into each of the stories. (You may view the comics at www.truthforyouth.com.)

I advise against it, unless you feel you must.

The Student’s Legal Rights on Public School Campuses are displayed on the back cover of “The Truth For Youth” to inform school administrator’s and young people that they have the right to give Bibles away on campus during non-instructional time.

This is what truly spurred this post, as throughout reading this email I was thinking “is distributing religious literature allowed in public high schools?”

So I found the Student’s Legal Rights on Public School Campuses:

I. THE RIGHT to meet with other religious students.
II. THE RIGHT to identify your religious beliefs through signs and symbols.
III. THE RIGHT to talk about your religious beliefs on campus.
IV. THE RIGHT to distribute religious literature on campus.
V. THE RIGHT to pray on campus.
VI. THE RIGHT to carry or study your Bible on campus.
VII. THE RIGHT to do research papers, speeches, and creative projects with religious themes.
VIII. THE RIGHT to be exempt. Student may be exempt from activities and class content that contradict their religious beliefs.
IX. THE RIGHT to celebrate or study religious holidays on campus.
X. THE RIGHT to meet with school officials.

I agree with all 10, except for number 4. The reason they cite is the Equal Access Act which gives students the right to meet. But that was Right number I. Distributing literature goes beyond meeting.

To quote from the Act itself, here are a few restrictions:

The group is student-initiated.

This email says nothing about groups, but assuming that a bible group is already on campus, this group activitiy is being initiated by the AFA. See following.

Persons from the community may not “direct, conduct, control, or regularly attend activities of student groups.”

This activity is being directed, conducted, and controled by the AFA. Parents and grandparents (members of the community) are being encouraged to buy bibles for their kids and grandkids to distribute.

IANAL (nor do I play one on TV) But to me, this looks like a violation.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. general and 34th president (1890-1969)

Every year, Beloit College releases their “Mindset List” for the incoming college class.
Here are 14 items from this year’s list.

BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2009

Most students entering college this fall were born in 1987.

2. They don’t remember when ‘cut and paste’ involved scissors.
4. Wayne Gretzky never played for Edmonton.
8. They never had the fun of being thrown into the back of a station wagon with six others.
9. Iran and Iraq have never been at war with each other.
10. They are more familiar with Greg Gumbel than with Bryant Gumbel.
15. Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker have never preached on television.
19. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
29. The Starship Enterprise has always looked dated.
37. They have grown up in a single superpower world.
41. Les Miserables has always been on stage.
53. They do not remember “a kinder and gentler nation.”
54. They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
58. They never saw Pat Sajak or Arsenio Hall host a late night television show.
75. They have always been challenged to distinguish between news and entertainment on cable TV.

The rest are listed here

A few months ago a community social group chose me to be their leader. (insert maniacal laughter)

So when the aliens arrive, and ask one of them to take them to their leader, the odds are they’ll lead them to me. Which I’m not sure I’m ready for.

I’m not sure I was ready for any of this.

But I’ve begun to develop a list of rules that other leaders might find full of wisdom

Heading the list:
1) When you are leading a group meeting, it is best not to be drinking alcohol.
2) Someone should be recording the minutes.

I’ll share a few other items on the list later.

I receive a poem in my email every day. Today’s was written by George Gordon Byron, aka Lord Byron.

It’s title: So We’ll Go No More a-Roving

There’s no sense in me reprinting the words here. I just like the title. That’s the entire purpose of this post.