Just like that, spring break is here! It definitely snuck up on me this year, partially because Goshen has an amazingly early spring break and partially because I’ve been keeping quite busy over the past week or two. So Beth is on her way home which is exciting because seeing your family is always worth the trip, but also a little sad because I can’t ever seem to get enough of he company (Miss You!!) As for me, I’m headed to the opposite coast with Goshen Chamber Choir. I’m looking forward to 70 degree weather on the beach and plenty of Rook games. Oh yeah, and singing should be fun too I suppose

Beth & I recently attended Bethany Christian School’s production of The Crucible. The play is based on the events surrounding the 1692 Salem witch trials. I actually had read through the play in some high school english class but had forgotten just how powerful it was! It speaks very strongly on the dangers of unchallenged, unbalanced authority which in this play took the form of religious piousness and fear. In any case, if you haven’t seen the play you should, and the wikipedia article is a pretty good read too.

Speaking of glowing reviews, our very own East Hall Bathroom was featured in none other than the prestigious Goshen Record. "Nate Herr and Marcos Kuhns possibly created the most technologically-friendly can on campus… Literally take care of business while you’re taking care of business." In the end we received four out of five "flushes."

Finally, for those who didn’t notice, I posted a few more photos a little while back and just finished captioning them today. So take a look!

So today I arrived to the helpdesk as usual but my first half hour was anything but. A man named Harvey was having problems burning photos on a CD and had stopped in for help. Well, I started doing my usual troubleshooting thing and before too long found myself engaged in a conversation about his experiences as a smokejumper in the Civilian Public Services. By the end of our short visit I had not only helped solve his problem but made a new friend too. Sometime I’m going to have to visit the Goshen Archives and see some of the photos and documentation that he is starting to put there. I know that I don’t push or contemplate my beliefs in non-violence nearly enough and hearing even tiny bits of stories from past generations of people who’s convictions I truly admire was a great experience.

On another note I attended the local performance of the Vagina Monologues yesterday as well. When I first saw posters for the event last year I was somewhat taken aback and never really even considered going. However, after attending this year I must say that it was worth the watch. The Monologues are one of the focal points of V-Day, a movement intended to raise awareness about violence against women and one day achieve victory over abuse. The Monologues themselves were performed by 15 or so students and ranged from insightful and moving to over the top and a bit uncomfortable for me. Regardless, the event made me think more about my views on women’s rights and that alone made the event worthwhile. Oh and the GC Women’s World Choir performed an amazing piece too. Gave me chills on several occasions! So yeah, if there’s one near you I would recommend it, just be prepared for some pretty frank discussions about women’s "down theres."

And in case you were wondering, artwork for this post includes my submission to digikitten’s Febuary Twisted Pixel and Beth’s Valentine to me I tell you what, I slave away for hours trying to improve my "design skills" and then she just goes and shows me up! YAY

It’s that time again! Time for another roundup of slightly aged headlines and awesome links But first a personal note: tonight I’m proud to announce that team 9 is the official champion of the Goshen Men’s Intramural Basketball B League! (phew, that’s a mouthful) Regardless, it was a TON of fun playing a lil b’ball again, and while I definitely wasn’t one of the strongest players on the team It was great getting a little practice again. Heck, now we even get free shirts

This episode’s first interesting like award goes to Guy Billout. I found him through random link wandering and enjoy his interesting twists on scenes that often appear quite traditional at first glance. So yeah, check out his online gallery and see what you think. I especially liked the second row of "light" paintings and the one of the tank over sunflowers. Apparently he has a children’s book of his artwork for sale too.

Next, it’s off to the Apple rumor mill. Yes, I know. Since AtAT unofficially left the air and I got extremely busy I haven’t been as much of a dedicated MacAddict as I have been in the past, but I just couldn’t pass up this bit of news. According to articles at both hrmpf.com and MacRumors Apple has issued patent applications covering the design and use of "gestures with touch sensitive devices." What it boils down to is that Apple may be on the move towards building a tablet computer or extreme video iPod (some day). Of course looking at the animations at hrmpf.com I’m just excited to be one step closer to getting my hands on those computers from The Island or even Minority Report. Score!

In other news, my respect for Coldplay continues to grow For those who own X&Y I suspect that you’ve discovered that the colored blocks on the cover are in fact a sort of code spelling "X&Y." The key to the code is clearly printed in the CD’s booklet. What I more recently discovered is that the code isn’t random as I first expected but is in fact a variation of Baudot code. This code was apparently widely used for telegraphs back in the day and was "probably the first truly “digital” means of communication." Anyway, I thought it was cool, and even VH1 thought it was worth mentioning! So Yay for Coldplay using obscure binary communication to appeal to the nerdy segment of their fan base

Recently I’ve struggled more directly with how easy it is to judge others. How’s that for a way to follow up a political rant hu? Well, so it goes. I find it Extremely frustrating how much I judge, even when in my mind I try to fight it. The groups that I am uncomfortable with even tho I know they are decent people. The internal nagging I feel when that interaction with people outside of my "comfort zone" feels forced or artificial. And most of all, when I judge even those closest too me! When it’s not intentional but I can still feel it happen. When my biting sarcasm is my worst enemy (most of the time actually) and my immediate reactions separate me from loving and accepting others as I know I should. I’m working on it. I have a feeling I always will be in one way or another, but I know need to keep praying and keep trying. Thanks for your patience! Thanks for your prayers.

The day after W. Bush’s State of the Union the local newspaper, the Goshen Truth, included a short synopsis of key goals and points from the speach. I was scanning over them when I was struck by one of the categories. Titled "Mideast," this section talked about Iran’s nuclear program and the war in Iraq. The icon for this information depicting a man in a ski mask (I’m assuming a terrorist, not a skiier). At first it seems a small thing, but this image associates the entire Mideast with a terrorist! This almost thoughtless association is the type of stereotyping that all to easily leads to unfounded hate and fear. If you intend to talk about terrorism please do, but label your article "Terrorism" instead. Or if you want to talk about the Mideast then maybe a map of the area would be a bit more appropriate. Please Please think through what you are trying to talk about before applying labels!

After seeing this I realized how little I actually know about what’s going on in Iran. Reading world news helps but so much is happening so quickly it is hard to keep up. I decided to look around other blogs to see what my peers were saying. I must say, there were far more people who believe that Iran fully intends to develop nuclear weapons that I expected. Maybe I’m just insanely naive and no country would ever develop nuclear energy without throwing in some military applications. I know that the two technologies are very closely related but what exactly do the "world powers" plan to do? Deny advancement in technology to nations because of possible threat? Iran has signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty just like the vast majority of other nations. That treaty gives it full right to develop peaceful nuclear technology. I especially appreciated the views of Metta Spencer who suggests that the US and other nuclear powers are in fact violating the NPT more than Iran. I tend to agree. Maybe I’m overly optimistic, maybe previous bad blood with Iran is plenty of reason to preempt their development of nuclear technology, but I just don’t see how the US, the UN, or any other group can think that they should have the ultimate authority to decide which countries are allowed which technologies and which must be denied. Especially nonmilitary technology! Ok, enough from me. Oh, and if you want further reading I would suggest this article on Why Iran would want nukes. I may not agree with the conclusions but I can appreciate the perspective

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.