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Author Archives: Jen
The Draft
I was talking to my mother last night and she told me that there is talk of Bush bringing the draft back if he is re-elected. I found this website which has various articles to back up the claims.
The administration denies it but I honestly don’t trust them as far as I could throw them, especially since there is legislation in Congress to do it.
Read this bill and this bill. Then keep track of the progress on the bill and write your reps if that is what you do in situations like this. Granted, it’s still in committee and will not probably come up until January 2005, but I think it’s an issue we need to examine in this election year, especially as it pertains to the War (and it still *IS* a war) in Iraq.
And for those who say “but this is good and will encourage patriotism”, go talk to someone who was alive during the Vietnam War and had a friend, family member, or classmate sent over. This will NOT be permitted to happen again, especially after the mistakes made in Vietnam and the effect it had on the lives of those who served there.
BBC Schtuff
I was listening to the BBC World Today as I normally do at midnight (it’s my lullaby since white noise helps me sleep) and the following headlines jumped out at me:
Vanunu prepared for jail release. Apparently, he enlightened the world to the fact that Israel had nuclear weapons. (“Nuclear”, by the way, is pronounced “new-clear”, not “nuke-you-ler” the way some unnamed world leaders pronounce it. My O-Chem professor threatened to fail us if we mispronounced it.)
Grameen Foundation allows loans to beggars. I couldn’t find a link for this but I thought it was interesting news. Apparently, the poor are much better about paying back the loans and the Grameen bank hasn’t lost a dime on the loans.
UN Darfur mission ‘within days’. This is good news as I had a Sudanese classmate at the seminary and since he went home, I’ve been doubly concerned about violence in Sudan. (I wonder how Ruben is doing…)
I actually like the BBC better than any US news source because their news actually tells me something about what is happening in the world. There’s always a story about something in the US, but I hear about Africa, Asia, and other interesting places that the American media tends to skip. One could say that their news is indeed “fair and balanced”.
Family Ties
On Saturday, Jon had to go deliver bulletins at the churches and I decided to walk around the church grounds at the first one. Like most country churches in southern Minnesota, the graveyard surrounds the church and this one literally has people on all three sides. It was interesting to walk around and see the gravestones and names of the people. Many had epitaphs and I wish I’d brought my Norwegian-English dictionary so I could have read them. Some people were born in Norway in 1830 while others have markers that just say “Baby ______” and the year the baby died. It was humbling to see those markers because they represented something in the life of a family that most people probably don’t talk about.
Walking through the graveyard made me realize how strange I am as a West Coaster. Everyone seems to be from somewhere else and people really don’t have ties to the land in as much of a sense as they do here. Some people have farmed the same land for 7 generations and most people in the churches have an ancestor that settled here from Norway 150 years ago. Times like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are huge around here because everyone lives within a few miles of their parents, grandparents, or other extended family. Church attendance is more constant because it’s a time to see all your family members and there’s a pride in the churches that I haven’t found in the West which is probably tied to that.
Homer and Jethro
My parents “took delivery” on the two kittens around Easter and they finally (!!!!!!) sent me back some pictures.
The young princes napping on the afghan I made Mom for Mother’s Day. Homer is the gray cat and Jethro is the tiger.
The young princes stalking a Lunardi’s bag.
Dru Sjodin
GrandForks.Com: Sheriff says Sjodin’s body found
Dru Sjodin was kidnapped outside the mall where she worked and killed. A Minnesota sex offender was arrested months ago in connection with her kidnapping and death but he refused to tell where the body was. This is not the outcome that everybody wanted but at least her family and boyfriend can have some closure in this case.
Rick’s Friday Five
From Rick:
1) what’s the last movie you saw in a theater, and how was it?
Bend It Like Beckham — fabulous film.
2) what’s the best movie you’ve seen in a theater this year?
Haven’t seen any.
3) what movie are you most looking forward to for the summer blockbuster season?
I don’t really have one that I’m looking forward to per se.
4) what was the last DVD you watched?
Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood
5) would you recommend buying it, renting it or skipping it – and why?
If you’re into chick flicks and you liked the book, buy it or rent it. If you hate chick flicks, ship it. (It’s the definition of a chick flick.)