No God in School

...apparently leads to all kinds of things, including abortion, violent music, and the cessation of spanking your kids. Watch out! Anyone else get this email?

1. God says he didn't save all the kids who have been killed in school shootings because he isn't allowed in school? Wha? What kind of God is that?
2. We shouldn't have organized prayer in public school. Keep it personal, or keep it in seminary. No one should be subject to be around open religious practice in a public school if they don't want to be, especially when they're a minority. I don't want my son to feel like he has to pray to someone else's Jesus just because everyone else is doing it.
3. The video tries to suggest that the Bible is only full of common sense and wisdom, and therefore should be allowed in schools. Really? The intention here is not to Christianize public schools? Actually, I think the Bible should be allowed in school, right along with every other religious text, but in that case it should be used for academic purposes.
4. Did Dr. Spock really say spanking would warp our kids' personalities? It may not do that but it may make them more aggressive. This point really lost me. Is the cessation of spanking really a sign of the downfall of society? How about just better parenting?
5. Teacher's shouldn't touch students? Isn't that a good idea? If you need to touch a student it better be an emergency and require a restraint. Otherwise, does the video suggest that smacking them around a bit is a good idea?
6. ... and no spanking of the kids leads right to... ABORTION? wow where's the missing link there?
7. Giving out condoms is a bad idea? Granted, I definitely believe in abstinence for high-schoolers, but I believe even more in not making babies in high school! As a poster in my supervisor's office says, "Become a High School Grad before you become a Quality Dad!" What the school nurse needs to do is tell the kids that the condoms may not work, and you may get pregnant anyway, so here's where you can get other forms of protection.
8. It doesn't matter what people do in private, unless it affects other people. In that case I agree. Like if our POTUS was doing meth in the closet.
9. BUT, this leads right to child porn right? Hmm.
10. And child porn leads to bad music? Wow we're taking a step back here.
11. And this leads to our kids killing strangers. Now that's a slippery slope!

Do you think organized prayer should be allowed in public schools?

Do you think not spanking is a bad idea?

What think ye?

Music of My First 25 years

Some music I grew up with (thanks to my Dad's Saturday morning pancakes and cranked-up music) and some I have liked later on... I remember being so obsessed with an Offspring album that I was singing it to myself during Pioneer Trek and then put it on the first thing after we got home, even before changing out of the pioneer garb. I also remember thinking that I wouldn't be able to listen to it in heaven (because it wasn't allowed at Trek, of course!) 

I still like Lionel Richie... :)

Thanks to Hill Family for the inspiration for this post.

Mamma Mia!

It has generally mixed reviews, but last night I saw Mamma Mia! and had probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a movie. Normally I don’t care about the rest of the audience at movies but it made this one feel like a live stage production. If you like musicals, and you can allow yourself to have some non-cynical fun, this one is highly recommended.

It started off with a trailer for HSM3, which I think was supposed to be a serious preview, but had the audience roaring (check it out around 0:53). The first High School Musical was bearable for a TV movie. This one (at least the trailer) looks unintentionally funny--never a good sign.

Back to the movie – Meryl Streep was really good. It was neat to see a 50-something actress carry a leading role that would normally go to someone 20 years younger, and do well at it. Pierce Brosnan was campy and does not have much of a voice, but I think he was aware of that fact so his singing parts feel like he intentionally hammed it up. The songs are all popular ABBA numbers--it’s immediately engaging. There was also a story but you’re not going to care once the musical numbers get going.

If you absolutely detest ABBA, you may not like this movie. Otherwise, GO! See it in a big crowd while you can, and go with someone who can let loose and have some fun!

A+: my expectations were lowered by the 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so I was quite surprised by how entertaining it was. Mamma Mia! is rated 4.1.3 (PG-13) on Kids-in-mind for some sex-related humor.

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars

According to the Strong Interest Inventory, my top 5 career interest areas are:  

1. Religion & Spirituality
2. Performing Arts
3. Athletics
4. Writing & Mass Communication
5. Visual Arts & Design. 

Top five occupations: 

1. Musician
2. College Instructor
3. Editor
4. Advertising Account Manager
5. ESL Instructor

Apparently I need to sing about spirituality... which will it be, Yusuf Islam or Janice Kapp Perry?  Maybe Thurl Bailey.

Areas of least interest: 

1. Entrepreneurship
2. Programming & Information Systems
3. Finance & Investing

Bottom five occupations: 

1. Medical Technician
2. Firefighter
3. Chef
4. Vocational Agricultural Teacher
5. Forester

I guess this means I will have to give up my dream of teaching livestock management and running sputum tests.

friends making music

Some old friends of mine from Centerville have a band called prospect mali, and they just put out their debut EP. The song "The Silence" (video below) was inspired by Jim and Pam's romance on The Office. How can you pass up a song inspired by a TV romance?

The band's name means "small street" in Russian. From garageband.com: "From 2001 to 2004, each member of the band spent some time on a street in St. Petersburg, Russia called "Mali Prospeckt," although no two members were ever there together."

Musically the EP exceded my expectations--really good percussion, vocal harmonies, and decent chord progression. You can buy the album at cdbaby.com, and is also available on iTunes!

Also, the bass player, Rob Green, was my drive-through bank teller for a few years. : )