the 5 most likely origins of wedge salads

I have a new favorite TV show.

Yeah, my friend T brought a couple of seasons of “Modern Family” on DVD, and I think it’s hilarious.  But that’s besides the point.  I only bring it up because an episode of my new favorite show reminded me of something that really bothered me while in the U.S. last year.  I’ve not mentioned it until now, but I can’t keep it in any longer.

**********

Wedge salads?!  Seriously?

brett’s morning blend (19apr11)

A Holy Week Timeline

BibleGateway put out this pretty incredible timeline of Holy Week, complete with accompanying scriptures cited.

How Would You Spend This Week if You Knew You’d Die on Friday?

These seven actions of Jesus in his last week might resonate with you…

The Missional Conversation and Churches of Christ

Mark Love, of Rochester College, speaks to why this missional conversation is important within the churches of Christ.

Why the Churches of Christ Were Right After All

Since we’re on the subject of churches of Christ, I’ve been saving this link for quite some time.  Many of you may not even know that I am of the religious tribe of the Churches of Christ — I don’t exactly pitch my blog as a Church of Christ one.  But this is my culture and heritage as far as goes religion.  And I can be pretty critical at times, focusing more on what needs to change than on what’s done well.  This essay was written by a Methodist minister pointing to some of that in which the Church of Christ is doing a good job.  [For those of you interested, he's recently posted another essay sharing what the Baptists have done well.  I'm sure he had to reach on that one.  Just kidding, my fellow conservative denomination.]

What Monty Python Can Teach Us About Saving Money

And now for something altogether serious.  Saving money’s important — and that’s why we believe we should use Monty Python to teach you how to do it.

Michael Jordan Makes How Much?!

An infographic showing just how much money the former baller makes — and how quickly it adds up.  Oh, and there’s also some information in there about Bill Gates.  If you like infographics, you’ll enjoy this link.  If you like Michael Jordan or money, you’ll enjoy it all the more.  And if you’re a nerd, you’ll enjoy it most of everyone.  That means that if you’re a nerd who likes infographics, basketball, and money….

3eanuts

Remove the last panel of a Schulz cartoon, and you’ll be left with little more than existential despair.

What We See vs What Kids See

Pictures explain a lot.  [Also, I'm happy -- or embarrassed -- to say that I still see a lot of these things the way kids do.]

death, taxes, and the waterproofness of skin

Today’s the big day.  Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and the waterproofness of skin.*  I hope you enjoy my little collection of all things taxes.  Death and weathertight skin will have to wait for another day.

**********

This is quite possibly one of the funniest things ever written about taxes:  A Basic Guide to Taxes.  The folks over at “Helpful Figures” put out some pretty hilarious infographics.  Just a little taste to whet your percentage-paying appetites:

“The amount of taxes that happens varies wildly from person to person.  Some economists think this is because of sins; others think it is ghosts.  We’ll never know for certain.”

**********

In an effort to protest government spending on war, Shane Claiborne (and others) have organized 1040 For Peace.  Participants withhold $10.40 from the IRS when paying your federal taxes.  ”Money has power. And so withholding money has power too, especially when a bunch of people do it together. “ 

I won’t get into all the reasons I doubt this stunt will accomplish anything.  Nor will I expound on my beliefs that there are much better ways to go about protesting moneys spent on military — or affecting change in the federal budget.  But I will take issue (as briefly as possible) with this organization’s understanding of the Christian’s responsibility to pay taxes.

Jesus spoke of paying taxes twice in the New Testament:  once when he answered “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” and once when he had Peter catch a fish with a coin in it’s mouth — a coin which paid both of their taxes.  Jesus could have stated directly that Christians are to pay their taxes, but instead he replied with some pretty serpentine answers.  1040 For Peace interprets Jesus’ answers as a “wink” to Caesar and an indication that Christ didn’t actually believe we have a firm responsibility to pay our taxes.  They then describe Jesus as a “particularly subversive example” when it comes to paying taxes.

I disagree. And for many reasons, though I’ll only offer two:

1.  Jesus rarely (if ever) answered any question with a straightforward answer.  I think we misrepresent his purposes when we assume, then, that all those replies involved sarcasm or irony.  I’m not denying the possibility of such, but we ought to have good reason for reading Jesus’ words that way — one stipulation being that our interpretation doesn’t conflict with other New Testament principles.  Which brings us to…

2.  It’s difficult for me to read Jesus’ replies n these situations as removing our responsibility to pay taxes to our governments when Paul says very plainly in Romans 13 that we should.  Many of us recognize that chapter as one which states that we should be subject to our earthly and government authorities (which God has placed in those positions).  But if that doesn’t make clear the tax situations, perhaps the lesser quoted vv. 5-7 does:  

“Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

[Perhaps this isn't the place to say such things, but one of my frustrations with much of Christianity today is an attempt to read only Jesus’ words in scripture as authoritative — ignoring or explaining away others’ writings, especially those of Paul (who admittedly makes neat and simple theology a bit difficult).  I found no mention of these words of Paul on the 1040 For Peace website (I didn’t look long), but Claiborne did explain in his own personal letter to the IRS that he was subject to authorities, and that for this reason he had penned a letter to the government explaining why he withheld 30%** of what he was supposed to pay. 

**********

A bit of satire in support of paying taxes:  Tax Day Rally.  My favorite line:

“My grandmother lived through the Great Depression. Clearly, she does not need my tax dollars going toward her Medicare and Social Security. She knows how to survive.”

**********

Tax guru, Martin Ginsburg (husband of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg), at a roundtable on tax simplification: “A famous French finance minister long ago announced that the art of taxation is indistinguishable from the art of plucking a goose. Artistic success rides on extracting the maximum number of feathers with the minimum amount of squawking.“

 

Sign at Executive Park Amoco: “A dime is really a dollar with all the taxes taken out.”

Both of these quotes (and a lot of tax humor — if there’s such a thing) can be found at TaxLetter, a site devoted to just such things.

---

* Seriously, the stuff is quite impressive.  Have you ever once had to towel off your insides?  Nope.  Because skin is magical — and completely impervious to water (and orange juice and all manner of other liquids).

---

** A lot more than $10.40.  I think this percentage is supposed to represent the same percentage the U.S. spends on military. 

culture stress (or i don’t want to be a missionary anymore)

Lest you believe I’m some sort of missionary superhero (not that there’s really any danger of this), I’d like to share with you confess to you that I have my bad days.  Days when I don’t want to be a missionary anymore. Days when I want to fly back to the United States, enjoy air conditioning, wait at traffic lights, and eat at McDonald’s.  Days like Friday.

I was just sitting down to the computer when the electricity went out.*  I started the generator for the first time since Sunday — the most recent of its breakdowns (I’d only got it running again Thursday) — and returned to the computer.  15 minutes later the generator was wheezing and coughing.  Another couple of minutes passed, and she quit.  And she wasn’t planning to start again.

That’s when, like a no-name Chinese generator, I broke down. Not in tears, mind you.  But still, I was broken down.  Angry, frustrated, and tired — and I wanted to shut my eyes and wake up in Dothan, Alabama… at the National Peanut Festival.  [There's no place like home.  (Repeat x 3)]

Great!  Just what I needed… my generator to break.  Again.  One more thing to go on my list. [If you don't like to hear venting, complaining, and whining, you probably should skip to the bottom; I feel that I rarely complain, but today there will be whining.]

• We haven’t had water from the city since July. For a week’s worth of water, I have to borrow Carson’s truck and tank, fill the tank in town, and pump the water up to our holding tank… twice (about 4ish hours of work, depending on the line at the well and whether there’s electricity or not).  Or I can pay 20 times what we’ve got in our budget for water and have it delivered by a truck from town.
• The water we do have is frustratingly difficult to use because our taps and faucets are full of red dirt and sand and don’t allow water to pass.  Seriously, we have three sinks in our house in which we can’t wash our hands.  I can fix them, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  There are also leaks in the pipes in two of our walls.  Concrete walls.  Behind tiles.
• Our electric oven doesn’t work. Not because it’s broken but because there’s something wrong with the wiring that causes the breaker to trip every time we turn it on.
• We’re $20,800 in debt and struggling to pay for our furlough plane tickets. This isn’t quite as bad as it sounds in that $17,500  of this money came in the form of a bridge loan.  A very kind and anonymous donor loaned us the cash so we could buy a new truck.  We’re to return the money when we sell our old truck, which hasn’t happened yet and is proving somewhat difficult because of the rising dollar (or the falling shilling).  The other $3,300 is extra port fees charged us by the government of Tanzania.  If you’re thinking this means the government makes us pay for “storing” our truck in their port while we waited for them to allow us to have it, you’re right.  The slower they do their jobs, the more cash they get. We paid $3000 already, but were informed of this other $3,300 the day we picked the truck up.
• Speaking of the truck, our brand new Toyota LandCruiser doesn’t have 4WD high. This is because the 4WD toggle switch was stolen at Toyota of Tanzania before I’d ever even seen the car.  Those buttons resale at well over $100 USD, but I can’t find one anywhere — and Toyota won’t take responsibility for what one of their employees did.  When I picked the truck up from them, they told me the empty space was there for a placeholder button, and that it did nothing.  My 4WD low works fine, but it’s not suitable for getting to some of the villages we visit.  So we haven’t been to a single village since we got the new truck.
• We’ve been in Tanzania two years now — and we’re technically on-schedule.  But I can’t help but feel like we never get any work done, because we’re always fetching water, repairing plumbing, sitting in the dark, or just trying to live.  It just takes so much time to live here.
• I didn’t tell you what happened just before the electricity went out on Friday.  Christie called from outside, and I opened the backdoor to find the puppies playing tug-of-war with our bed sheets, which they’d pulled from the clothesline. Our high-thread-count, nicer-than-we-can-afford, we-received-them-as-a-wedding-gift and only-have-two-sets bed sheets.  My wife was slightly troubled.  [It didn't help that when the generator quit working an hour later, all the clothes in the washing machine were trapped inside, obviously wet.  Aah... the joys of an electric washing machine in a land of electricity rationing.]

When the generator quit — and I wanted to lie face down in the red dirt (where we’ve not yet planted grass) and beat my feet and fists in the mud while sobbing something about “my mommy”….  When the generator quit, these were all the things going through my mind.  I didn’t understand my feelings; I wasn’t sure if I was angry or sad, frustrated or afraid.

I called Carson and asked if I could charge my computer on his battery back-up system so I could do a little work.  Mostly I wanted to be able to say I accomplished at least one thing on Friday.  I packed the computer up and started walking to Carson’s house.  On the way I passed a young boy who asked if I would give him a ball.  I wanted to scream, “Does it look like I have a ball, you begging idiot?!”

Instead I told him politely that I didn’t have a ball.  He then pointed at the bottle of Coke Light in my bag and countered, “Well, then can I have a soda?  I see you have one of those.”

I told him I only had the one — and that it was for me to drink while I did some work on my computer.

As I walked away I realized it.  That I was experiencing culture stress.**  Under other circumstances I would have taken the bottle out of my bag, opened it for the boy, and given it to him.  But I was angry; the last thing I wanted was for one more person to ask me for a soccer ball or a soda, or for money or a job.  I wanted to leave Geita. Or at least lock myself in the (dark) house and refuse to answer the gate.

But I didn’t leave Geita.  And I didn’t lock myself in the house.  I went on to Carson’s house and told him I was having my first (and only, that I remember) culture stress event since moving to Tanzania.  Then I sat down at my computer (plugged in and charging) and got some work done.  I prayed while I worked, naming each and every one of these stresses and handing them over to God.***

After only a couple of hours, I felt fine.  And you’ll be happy to know I went on to accomplish as much on Friday afternoon as on any of my most productive days in Geita.

* Common occurrence as of late.  Electricity is being rationed.  For a couple of months it was as bad as 72 hours of electricity a week.  But lately it’s been much better — we’ve probably had closer to 100 hours per week, maybe more.  [To keep you from having to do the math yourself, there are 168 hours in a week.]

---

** Lots of people and books speak of culture shock — with no mention of culture stress.  I’m firmly in the camp, though, that we ought to see the pressures of living in another culture (and the effects of those pressures), as being on a continuum.  And so, we all experience culture stress.  But we reserve the term ‘culture shock’ for more extreme cases, and not these singular and shorter-term bouts with second cultures.

I suppose I am blessed to not have too many of these culture stress days.  In fact I don’t remember feeling quite like this any other time in my life except the one day in China when I punched a bus that had brushed my shoulder in an attempt to convince me to cross the street faster.  The echo of my fist against the hollow metal of the bus was deafening.  And it caused a horrible scene, as the bus driver stopped in the middle of a very busy road and got off the bus in order to yell at me for hitting his bus with my hand.  I was the only white person around, two heads taller than anyone else.  And they were all staring at me.  I swore I’d never act out in anger at a cultural situation again.

---

*** In light of recent discussions on prayer, I’ll be posting a very useful and practical prayer exercise a little later in the week.  For those of you who carry a great deal of stress with you, I think it will prove very helpful.

one thing i’ve learned… (1)

In Tanzania, it is apparently illegal
to talk on the phone while driving.

**********

I had been all day in the blistering sun of Dar es Salaam, attempting to gain possession of our new truck.  This was not the first day I’d done so.  But on this (did I say it was hot?) day I did procure the vehicle, and was slowly making my way north to the SIL guesthouse in 6:00 pm traffic. I was moving along at a speed of at least 2.5 miles per hour, and called Christie to share with her the good and the bad news:

• Good = I was coming with our truck… at long last.
• Bad = A few of the truck’s parts were stolen while our warranty was being issued at Toyota of Tanzania.  And it would be AT LEAST an hour before traffic would allow me to reach the guesthouse.

That’s when the police officer waved me over to the side of the road. Thinking he was pulling me over for not yet having registration and insurance posted in my windshield, I began retrieving the papers from my bag.  But he didn’t mention the registration; rather he asked why I was using my phone while driving.  I explained that I would be late to pick up my wife and daughter, and was informing them of that fact.  He kindly offered that I should have parked my truck on the shoulder of the road to make the phone call.  I didn’t argue that the shoulder was already in use by all of the many cars using it in attempts to pass those of us waiting patiently in traffic.

I did, however, answer that I didn’t know it was illegal to use a phone while driving in Tanzania.  He was shocked and asked where I was from — as if all decent countries have laws against mobile phone use while in an automobile.  [I remember when mobile phones could ONLY be used while in your vehicle.  And never mind that I wasn't technically "operating" the vehicle, but was rather inching forward at slower than walking pace....]  I told him I was from the U.S., and he was shocked as if I should have then assumed it was illegal to talk and drive.  He must have thought I was lying when I explained that, to my knowledge, it is indeed legal in the U.S. to converse while at the steering wheel (but not to text?).

I told him that, while I didn’t know at the time I was breaking a law, I would still be happy to pay the appropriate fine because I was indeed a transgressor.  So he got in the car to make the trip with me to the police station (where you must go to have your ticket written — if you pay a “ticket” on the spot in Dar, you have not in fact paid a fine, but rather you’ve bribed an officer).  He directed me to drive on the wrong side of the street, ignore stop signs, make illegal turns, run down elderly women crossing the road with their groceries, and break sundry other rules of the road, all en route to the police station.

On the way to the station — amidst his blatant disregard for all laws of traffic — Mr. Officer explained that I would be required to appear in court the next morning to pay a 250,000 shilling fine (almost $200 USD).  That price tag seemed not only high, but impossible.  [A typical traffic ticket here is 20,000 shillings.]  I was being set up for a bribe.

In good corrupt police officer form, our man began to fret about how in the world he might be able to help me.  After all, he wanted to spare me the extreme hassle and embarrassment of appearing in court and paying such a hefty fine.  He thought this way and that, while declaring his respect for my time and announcing his concern for the welfare of my bank account. He paused awkwardly, waiting for me to respond with an offer as we sat parked just outside the police station.

Instead of offering a small token of my gratitude (10-20,000 shillings), I responded with: So I guess we need to go inside to write this ticket and make arrangements for my court hearing.  I realize I’ve broken the law, and it’s best that I take responsibility for my actions and pay the appropriate fines.  I am ready.

Officer: Well… I suppose I could forgive you just this one time, provided you not let me catch you talking on your cell phone while driving ever again.

Me: Wow.  I’d really appreciate that, but I understand if I need to receive my ticket.

Officer: No, I want to forgive you. [Awkward pause.]  But now there’s just the question of how I’ll return to my post…  I suppose I could take one of those taxis? [Another awkward pause.]

Me: No problem.  I can give you a ride back to your post.  It’s the least I can do.

Officer: But I wouldn’t want you to be an inconvenience by asking you to sit through all that traffic again; you’ll be late to meet your family.  There are lots of taxis right here.  [Awkward pause.]  I just need to figure out how to pay for one of them…. [Very long awkward pause -- as the officer was surely reflecting on how he might possibly afford a taxi.]

Me: Yeah, but taxis are so expensive. [Starting my truck.] I understand if you prefer to go with one of those guys, but I really don’t mind at all giving you a lift. [I start to pull away.]

Seemingly surprised at my unwillingness to donate to his cab fund, the policeman gets in the truck and I drop him off right where I picked him up, shorter on time but not on cash… or on integrity.

**********

I still don’t know whether or not it’s illegal to speak on the phone while driving in Tanzania.

bo jackson and the louisiana purchase

In 1803 the United States purchased over 828,000 square miles of land from France.  This doubled the size of our young country, and those lands still today make up nearly a quarter of all U.S. territories. The Louisiana Purchase.  Price: $15 million.

Today, $15 million (USD) is barely enough to fly you to Seattle across said purchased lands.  This guy sold his blog for $15 million.  Sarah Palin was at one time offering to sell her emails for $15 million.  In Zimbabwe dollars, 15 million will barely buy you a hamburger (and there is such a thing as a 10 million dollar bill).

When I was young, I collected baseball cards — as did every other 12-year old boy who couldn’t play baseball (and many who did).  I would often brag to my dad about how I’d gotten a Bo Jackson rookie card that was worth $12, or a Ruben Sierra worth $4.  His question every time?  ”Who are you going to sell it to?”

I would respond by explaining that I didn’t want to sell it.  Instead I preferred to save it so I could sell it for more money later.*  Dad would ask, “But, do you even know anyone who would buy it today for the price you just said?”

“No, but why does that matter?” I’d counter.  ”This Beckett’s price guide says it’s worth that much.”

“Son, if you don’t have a buyer willing to pay $12, then the card’s not worth $12.”

And this was my first lesson in economics — or the first one I remember anyway.

Purchases and exchanges are about demand and perceived value. Not some list of magical and imaginary prices in a Beckett’s price guide or a Kelley’s blue book.  What is this item worth to its owner, and what is it worth to the purchaser?  I get a really good deal when what I want is worth very little to the guy holding it.  That’s also when he gets a good deal.**

I intend to start a short series in the next week or two on “Famous Exchanges in the Bible.” I’ve got a list that I’ll have to narrow down a bit.  But I’d love to ask you guys for help; can you think of any famous purchases, trades, or exchanges in the Bible that you’d want to read about on aliens and strangers?

 

*I still have all of those baseball cards.  I’ve never sold even one.

**For the record, though, I think the French got ripped during this whole Louisiana Purchase thing.

overcoming commercialism at christmas

I miss cold weather.  However, to be clear, I only miss the cold enough that I’d like to experience it for two weeks and be done.  I miss the cold like I miss American commercials on TV — I don’t want to just sit and watch commercials.  But, at the same time, there’s something comfortable and reassuring about American commercials.  I grew up with them.  They were always there.  If my television programming is going to be interrupted by something (and it’s not a pizza delivery guy), I want it to be an American commercial.  American commercials are of high quality and are oftentimes humorous.  Also, there are generally enough of them that we don’t have to watch the same one twice in every commercial break.*

So I feel about cold weather kind of like American commercials.  I like the idea of the cold when comparing it to our temperature here (hot).  Every day.  All the time.  Hot.  So I like the idea of cold, but I don’t want to trade long-term, 80 degrees for 30.  Rather, I want to put on a long-sleeve shirt and a fleece for a couple of weeks (not the same shirt for the whole two weeks) and then pack them away in a closet for the remainder of the year.  I want to vacation in cold weather.  That’s what I want.  But I want my two weeks to start today.

I’ve been thinking about Christmas a lot lately — wait, that’s not true.  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I’ve not been thinking a lot lately about Christmas.  I like Christmas, I want to think about Christmas, but it’s not very “Christmasy” here in Tanzania.  The cold weather is just one of many Christmas experiences we’re missing.**

[Now for a very poor attempt at a transition containing a play on words.]

There is a lot I miss about Christmas, like the cold.  But I do not in any way miss American commercial…ism.  At Christmas, we Americans spend lots of money buying ourselves gifts — by trading wish lists and exchanging gift cards.  I don’t miss that at all.

In fact, I wanted to write a post which combats commercialism, materialism, and the spending of excessive*** amounts of money.  But I’m going to be realistic instead.  Americans are going to continue spending money on Christmas, no matter what I write.  I am not, through my little blog, going to change the world or even the jewelry department at Macy’s.  Materialism rules the majority of hearts at Christmas, and reciprocity rules most others — so I’m not going to write that blog post.

I am, however, going to write the following one.

**********

In light of the reality that Americans are not going to stop spending altogether, I’d like to suggest a few things we can do to keep us mindful of what’s important in life — and to encourage us to think of others in need and to help them:

• Could we agree to match the money spent on gift purchases in giving to charities or to the homeless? Or if we’re not willing to go dollar-for-dollar, could we offer even a percentage of the total?
• We could set limits on gift-spending within a group that buys for one another.  And then stick to those limits.  There’s always someone who spends more and says, “Well, I know we set a limit, but I saw this and I just HAD to get it for you…”****
• If your group already sets spending limits, why not make them $5-10 lower this year, and use the money saved to help a family in need?
• My wife, my brother and sister, and I promote togetherness rather than buying by agreeing to do something as a group.  The movie we go to (or putt-putt, etc) is then in lieu of exchanging gifts.
• How about we commit to give away any of our current belongings that are replaced by new gifts this year?  If you receive a new jacket, you give away an old jacket.  If you receive an Ipod, your old one is given to somewhat less fortunate.  [We don't SELL the items, but we give them away.]  This way we can at least keep tabs on how many of a thing we have — so that we don’t amass wealth and possessions.

Anyway, these are just some ideas.  Do you have others?

* Pakistani television (which we get here) has a total of about four commercials.  I’m not kidding.  In every commercial break, we see the same four commercials, and we see at least two of them twice in every commercial break.  Pakistani commercials are almost as bad as Canadian commercials.

** We also have a general lack of decorations, music, parties, Santa Claus lap-sitting, people ringing bells to ask for money, and arguments about “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays.”

*** I know, I know, who gets to determine what is indeed excessive, and what is not?

**** That person is Carson McNeal.  He even told us when we were setting the limit for our team gift exchange ($6.25) that we should set it low, and then when he went over, it wouldn’t be excessive.  Now there’s a guy who knows how to make some rules…

justice in the ncaa: cam newton

image courtesy of trackemtigers.com

In light of the SEC Championship game and all the news on Cameron Newton, I wanted to post just a few of my thoughts and concerns.  There’s an awful lot of talk out there about the loophole now present in the NCAA.  I realize there is a loophole at this time — that a parent could potentially shop his kid around to universities, provided the athlete “doesn’t know” about these dealings. But here’s what I’m thinking:

• First of all, and my biggest question, why would we ever think it would be okay to punish an unknowing son for the wrongs done by his greedy father? Does that seem fair in any way?  Whether money was exchanged or not, this just isn’t right.
• When forced to err on the side of either justice or mercy, I myself choose to err towards mercy.  I realize national institutions, governments, and the like can’t be expected do that.  But the Cam Newton Debacle is not an issue of justice versus mercy.  To punish a player for the sins of a family member is to travel far beyond justice and deep into the realm of injustice.
• I understand there’s a loophole. but are we refusing justice simply because we’re afraid it will be abused?  Because rules get abused every day; that’s life.  I would suggest we find a way to punish the wrongdoer and not his offspring.  The answer to rules being abused is not to punish the innocent — and there’s no such thing as guilt by genetics. I don’t really care how big a loophole there is, no 21-year old kid can force his father to behave, or be expected to — especially if he doesn’t even know about the situation.
• Everyone is worried about “the slippery slope.”  We don’t want to set a precedent that this sort of thing can happen in college athletics.  But what about the alternative precedent, this one:  We like to end students’ academic and athletic careers because of offenses they neither committed nor knew about. Is that the precedent we want to set?
• And I’ve also got this question continually nagging me:  Where is the line? How far away does a family member of a college athlete have to be before the athlete is not himself held responsible for that individual’s actions? What if it were Cam Newton’s brother who’d asked for money without him knowing?  What if it had been his brother-in-law?  What about his stepmother?  Or an abusive father who lost custody in a divorce ten years prior?  Grandmother?  What if it was me who asked for money from Auburn, and agreed in exchange to deliver the quarterback?

Your thoughts?

By the way, my final score for the game:  Auburn 42, South Carolina 28.

[Edited:  I've been getting some answers to my questions, although they're pretty unreasonable and illogical.]

where is the line?

image courtesy of trackemtigers.com

 

Where is the line?

I’m not sure how much you guys have been keeping up with this Cameron Newton  news story.  Obviously, as a big Auburn fan, I’m keeping up with it a little closer than are most people (and I know my blog is generally more religious in nature — though this story has a religious bent, for sure).  If you’re not following along, here’s an extremely basic and oversimplified idea of what’s going on (which I will rush through in order to get to my big question).

• Cameron Newton’s father, Cecil Newton, admitted there was talk between he and an ex-MSU football player concerning money in exchange for his son’s enrollment to Mississippi State University — where Cameron ended up NOT going to play.  [This from mrsec.com]
• This confession was offered after numerous accusations by several MSU recruiters and boosters alike, some unnamed and others on the record.
• This confession also came after denials were initially made by Cecil Newton in the past couple of weeks concerning pay-for-play arrangements or requests.
• Cecil Newton also claims that neither his wife nor his son ever knew anything at all about these discussions.
• As far as we know, there has not been any witness to speak at all to any such discussions having happened with other schools (including Auburn University).  Auburn, who has known about this investigation since MSU turned in partial information to authorities in January, have determined Cameron Newton was not involved in any pay-to-play scheme and is fully eligible for play.

We obviously don’t yet have all the facts, but one huge question arises in my mind.  And I’ve not yet read anyone asking this question:

Where is the line?  How far away does a “representative” of a college athlete have to be before the athlete is not himself held responsible for that individual’s actions?

It seems we were all happy to call Cameron Newton innocent when it might have been Kenny Rogers asking for money from Mississippi State’s boosters.  Kenny Rogers was just some evil, greedy, and scheming man — and Auburn and Cam Newton could never be held responsible for his nasty behavior.

But when Cecil Newton is doing the requesting “on behalf” of his son — even without his son’s knowledge — Cameron is no longer eligible?

What if it were Cam Newton’s brother who’d asked for money without him knowing?  What if it had been his brother-in-law?  What about his stepmother?  Or an abusive father who lost custody in a divorce ten years prior?  Grandmother?  What if it was me who asked for money from Auburn, and agreed in exchange to deliver the quarterback?

Cameron Newton is 21 years old..  What if he were a 30-year old guy who’d come to college to play football after serving in the military or working for a while after high school?  Would his dad asking for money then be a problem?  What if it was his 10-year old son asking for money?  His wife?

If Newton’s high school youth minister had asked for money, would he still be eligible?  What if it was his coach from junior college in Texas?  His auntie who always makes him sweaters for Christmas and just wants a little sumthin’ sumthin’ in return?

Where do we draw the line? That’s my big question.  Whether there was money exchanged or not — no matter what’s true or false — I just want to know what happens when an athlete doesn’t know cash is being requested by a family member, a friend, or a pizza delivery guy?  To what extent do we hold a 21-year old football player responsible for the actions of those with whom he has relationship (or doesn’t) — especially if he has no knowledge of the situation?  Do we throw away a Heisman Trophy, a college education, a successful football season, and a university’s ability to compete in college athletics for the actions of a greedy weasel of a father?  What about for the actions of a greedy weasel of a Kenny Rogers?  What about for the actions of a greedy weasel of someone in between?  This is a really important decision that someone’s likely got to make in the very near future.

Where is that line?

 

brett’s morning blend (21sep10)

Sex Isn’t Selling

Pornography revenues are down 80% over the last 3 years… which sounds like great news.  And may very well be.  But it’s likely this decline has little to do with morality — and is more due to our culture’s refusal to pay for sex and porn these days;  there’s just so much out there for free.  So we’re seeing a lower morality actually drop porn consumption.  Ironic.  Tim Challies writes all about it in this essay on why sex just isn’t selling these days.

Who’s Going to Hell

It’s incredibly unlikely, I suppose, that any one individual or group understands correctly who exactly is going to heaven and who is indeed going to hell.  Yet we constantly attempt to draw these lines.  Richard Beck looks at Type I and Type II errors in reading trends in data sets, and suggests he finds in them a major difference between “conservative” and “liberal” churches.

The Facts About Calories

An info-graphic about just what the title would suggest.  Recommended intake, calories consumed, calories burned, etc, etc.

Dollars Spent = Wins in a Season

This just in.  Those NCAA schools which spend the most money on their football programs win the most games.  That’s why Ole Miss shouldn’t complain quite so much about their record this season.  They come in at #63 in spending.  And I’ll bet you can guess who the other low-spenders in the SEC are.  That’s right:  Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky join the Rebels to round out the bottom four.

The Quotable Les Miles?

Yep, a website completely devoted to Les Miles’ ridiculous and nonsensical quotes.  If you’re not an LSU fan, you’ll love this site.  If you are, you’ll hang your head in shame.  Just a quick sampling:

• “Louisiana has a heritage of great players that play their high school football within the boundaries of Louisiana.”
• “I can only tell you that the only fit to me for those players on this campus is extremely good.”
• “That advantage when you’re a team that provides great opportunities and also an opportunity to play for a national championship is, in this state, a tremendous advantage for us.”
• “There’s still a lot of football to play for and a lot of football left.”
• “As soon as we know exactly who we are playing and what date we will be playing on, the schedule will become more finite.”
• “This year it was a nice pass that was underneath the coverage that Brandon LaFell interpreted to be a touchdown.”

The Best Bathroom Sign Ever

Apparently, there’s some instruction needed these days on how NOT to use a public restroom.  This sign’ll do just the job.