Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Sarah Palin Baby name generator

To find out what you might have been named if Sarah Palin were your mom, check out:

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The best music in the world

A growing master list of my favorite singers, song writers, and musicians. (in no certain order)


Phil Keaggy: master guitarist

Mark Heard: Gone Home - folk rock hero, brooding Psalmist

Jeff Johnson: Ambient Celtic, sonic sojourner

John Michael Talbot: Franciscan troubador

Randy Stonehill: veteran Jesus folk rocker. you know its a broken world, when this guy's music is hardly found.

Jill Phillips: Baladesque, Christian folkster (and hymn singer)

VOL/Bill Mallonee:

Jan Krist: Detroit Folkster

Wynton Marsalis: American, Jazz trumpeter extrodinere

Bob Bennett: intelligent balladesque folk

Bruce Cockburn:

Iona: Modern Celtic sacred-apocyliptic-jazz fusion.

Dannibelle Hall: Now Home - lush motherly Gospel

Cynthia Clawson: perfomance singer spanning classical to Bayou worlds.

Daniel Amos: simply the best alt-Christian band in the world. (though they sometimes confuse me.)

Ashey Cleveland: Knockout guitarist and righteous blues

Buddy Greene: Santified Blues/Cajun/ Country harmonica Hymn singing folkster

Bela Fleck: Brilliant Banjo-ist spanning classical to grass

Mo Leverett: Blues Preacher-prophet

Charlie Peacock: Sophisticated Pop, wizbang urban producer, Jazz preacher

Annie Moses Band: In a class by themselves, power classical (Home school?) blue-grass fusion

Blind Boys of Alabama: Chicory and Rum Black Gospel

Take 6: smoooth acappella (sp?)plus

Michael Kelly Blanchard: life changing story singer

Sarah Hart: Sacred Parish Feminime folk

Sarah Laughing: they don't appear to have a real site (anymore) but this "righteous groove" band, owns the genre.

Sarah Masen: frail to stalwart, feminime whimsical folk

Sara Groves: introspective piano to melodic pop

Emmlou Harris: Americanna sister of the wounded soul

Liz Story: Deep poetry piano

Amy Shreeve: Harpist, some of the most beautiful music ever made on the face of the earth

Michael Card: Creative theologian, folk w celtic, hebrew, and gospel touches

Lamb: Messianic worhsip, folk, dance

Paul Clark: Vetran Jesus-music fusion jazz rocker

Kemper Crabb: Sacred old-world madrigal (sp) accoustic

Keb Mo: back porch blues

Kerry Livgren: Cellestial Rock (formerly of Kansas)

Pierce Pettis: frenetic folkist, Lyric Laurette

Fernando Ortega: Sacred Pop, keeper of the hymns.

Margaret Becker: Blue Eyed Soul, Neoceltic, open heart

Moya Brennan: Ambient Celtic

Laurie McClain: whimsical, feminine folk

Night Noise: this band and several members are no longer with us, but if you find their work, savor it or send it to me.

Buddy and Julie Miller: sacred neo-grass, what country was supposed to be.

Alison Kraus:

Switchfoot: When I dabble in volume

Coldplay:

Johhny Cash:

Johhny Cox:

Jars of Clay:

Miles Davis:

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Satire

Democratic Convention condensed

Republican Convention condensed

* Note: I found these two links within my fair-game sense of satire, however, some of the other offerings on this site are not fit for viewing. Family-view Caution.


This post from the *ONION, appeals to the paranoid secret conspiracy part of my being. It closes with an element I wish they had left out. And while I clearly see this as hyper-parody, there are those times when I wonder....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF5Kdm4Eu6w&feature=related

Monday, September 8, 2008

Politics I

Folks who know me will understand why I take kind of middle of the road approach to politics. In part, because my political sensibilities really are kind of centrist with a libertarian twist. As it is, I hold an non-political position with the state of Arkansas, and have worked for the executive leadership of both political parties.

All in all, I am far more interested in the Kingdom of God than any political movement. While I seek to be politically informed and do indeed hold political opinions, I am of the thought that Political parties, like nations ...and gold... and personal ambition are headed for the dust bin of history. Don't get me wrong. I think public policy is important and can be either good or bad, holy or unholy, freeing or bureaucratic. That said, I think think the manner in which we conduct ourselves politically is often as important as the positions we advance.

With that in mind, here is a select and growing list of political blogs I sometimes visit.

(this is incomplete, I will be adding a much larger list)


Top Ten Conservative, Top Ten Liberal blogs.

Town Hall : Mega site for the best in conservative thought with dozens of daily editorials. (This site is made all the better for the diversity and breadth of conservative thought)


Mathew 25 Network (social activism, focus on Christian ethics and truth telling, liberal framework)

Tdad's Roar and Purr (I came across "T-Dads" site in a special way. In linking though Blog-spot profiles I discovered we love much of the same music -- with over 80% common ground on our favorite music lists. That said, we think less alike politically, though I deeply respect his tone and concerns.

World View Weekend (Brannon Howse)

WVW is not a political blog per say but rather a forum for applied biblical thought (conservative reading) --with many political applications. I find I differ with its contributors routinely (in both content and tone) and find its graphics, tragic -- but look to it to keep me honed.

Sojourners (comments to follow)

Pam's Coffee Conversation: (Christian writer, pretty critical of Republican politics, but she likes my pictures.)

Grassfire.org: A group started by a family friend - Steve Elliot, given to stirring political activism among those given to biblical (and conservative) values.




Steve Johnson's World (thinking outloud)

Steve Johnson, best man at my wedding way back in 89.

I am not sure what differentiates an arm-chair theologian/philosopher from a "pro" but Steve ranks as a full time Christian thinker with a deep social conscious. Over the years I have watched him apply his mind and heart to a variety issues, spanning borders to origins. His thinking, both political and religious are somewhat hard to label as he takes positions that are at once conservative then radical, orthodox then inventive. As is, Steve's physical life truly does straddle realms. He lives in Texas but spends much of his time in Mexico, and is given to seeing certain works of Christan theology translated into Spanish. Beyond that, Steve currently takes positions in the origins debate that are not my own, as he advocates comprehensive evolution -- with God at the helm.


http://thinkingaloud99.blogspot.com/ (Primary blog)


Related interests:

http://www.dryander.com/ (Site given to Spanish translations of Christian works.)

Steve:
"but addressing the needs of the Reynosa shantytown communities remains my long-term vision. I stumbled across a YouTube video this morning that conveys very well the situation and needs of these people. I would urge you to view it at http://www.stephendevriesphoto.com/chronicles/?p=220.
It is produced by some folks from Alabama who came and stayed for a time with one of the shantytown families. Their ministry is called Bedouins International."