One month ago this morning, NPR reported on human chimeras. Chimeras, (earning their name from the Greek mythological creature who had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent), refer to human individuals who have two completely separate sets of genomes -- a phenomenon that occurs when two fertilized eggs combine in the womb to create a single embryo. This particular article concerned itself with the case when fraternal twins at an early stage of embryonic development fuse and become one. (Human chimeras may also exist where the fraternal twins were male and female, causing the chimera to be a hermaphrodite; mosaicism, a condition where blood between twins is shared in the womb also occurs.)

Of particular concern to me is the phrase I used earlier: 'when fraternal twins at an early stage of embryonic development fuse and become one'. What, may I ask, becomes of the 'extra' soul? If we believe that the soul is breathed into the body at the point of conception and that the soul is unique to the person (i.e., each body receives its own soul and, unlike other faiths, souls do not reincarnate), one might wonder what happens when 'two become one'. It's not as if one body dies and the soul perishes with it; no, in this case the bodies fuse but who can say what becomes of the two souls. Is it possible for two souls to co-exist in one body? That would seem to run against the grain of the vast majority of theological arguments to date. Do the two souls 'merge' just as the DNA does? Hmm.

Ah, there's nothing like a long break from the blog.

So; what've I been thinking about? Lots. Everything from chimerism and missing souls to being a better husband and father to living in our 'microwave society' to brick patios. That should do nicely for quite some time, don't you think?

First on the list: chimerism and missing souls.

Links of interest: Princess Leia and Admiral Ackbar never had it so good
Oy, veh!

Well; I suppose I've put this off long enough. What can I say? Let's try, 'Now you know why Amy and I are a bit unusual?', or, what about 'Can you imagine doing that three or four times a week for 3 years?'. I don't know whether to be apologetic or arrogant in my approach towards Sunday night so, knowing God's fabulous grace will cover my indiscretions, I'll say this: I'm glad you were able to share, through a brief period of conversation, what was for me an incredibly formative period of my life. I can honestly say that Phil pricked my brain as a student, caused me to critically examine that which I held to be 'true', and assured me that although it wasn't pleasant at times it was beneficial to the Kingdom. And I still hold that to be correct. You heard him say that it wasn't pleasurable to ask these questions of ourselves and it's true -- but the fact is that the journey isn't about us; it's about others. An analogy that may be useful is one Phil shared with us back in the fall of 1991: Sometimes you need to examine your faith in a way that's similar to taking out the planks in a rowboat; take them out one by one and replace one before you rip out another, otherwise you'll drown. Please, nobody drown on my watch and because we decided to have this conversation. Okay? Okay.

On to other things; I'm really starting to love you guys and everything you are and bring to our community. Sure, I knew Bill and Molly for quite some time and couldn't wait until I was with them again but that desire to commune, to share, and to grieve is now moving out to the others. It might be time for the a truth in disclosure moment -- Bill and Molly might've told you all before that we're (at least I'm) a bit weird and that's true; Amy and I are a bit different than the average bears and our desire to reach out and create community between believers causes us to act a bit 'strange' at times. Caveat emptor. I'm excited that some of us think we're about to enter a new phase or that something is just around the corner; I'm always hopeful that's the case. Unfortunately, sometimes it's really hard to deal with.

So, what's news? Amy's back at school and could use a shot in the arm. Tell her it's okay to be a liberal. Send her a note (iskray3@comcast.net) and tell her you'd love to mummify an apple with her. Not sure what I'm talking about? Check this out, down towards the bottom. You might ask Erin Bean if she's familiar with this one. On the 13th Amy and I will be headed to the IN State Fair and have tickets to see the Garrison Keillor, the modern master of storytelling on his Rhubarb Tour. I can't wait to see what it's like when all we've done before is listen. And, the State Fair is the first stop on the circuit!

Football is in the air. Can you smell that? No, not that (please stop feeding nachos to the dog), that. Ah, yes the smell of far too much money in professional sports. No, not that either. (Oh well, these guys wind up losing the ability to even walk after playing for 5 years so I won't start into that issue again, a la baseball.) No, I smell witty writing in the air. If you read anything about football this NFL season, read Gregg Easterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback column on ESPN's Page2. Please note I'm dropping a huge caveat emptor on this dude's columns; although Gregg is a Senior Editor at the New Republic, a neo-liberal journal of politics and the arts, a contributing editor to the Atlantic Monthly, yet another left leaning political/contemporary issues magazine (boy I love these guys), a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan public policy think-tank, and an author of many books including 'Beside Still Waters' and 'The Here and Now: A Novel' he's still more than happy to include pictures of his favorite cheerleaders in his Page2 column, TMQ. That said, the man can flat out write and I love to read his stuff. It's the best fringe benefit of any NFL season. Did that article catch your fancy? See what he has to say about God and His influence on game day happenings. (I just wish he'd hadn't brought my Terps into the discussion. At least I'm not a Bills fan, though.) Plus, who else is going to single-handedly bring back the haiku to the forefront of modern poetic discourse? Let me engage in one and then I'm done:

Football's preseason
Is ripe with bobbled passes
Like fleas on a dog

See you all soon.

Ok, ok; I'll post tonight, but it'll be late.

Busy, busy, busy; good or bad? It's hard to tell. The speed at which we conduct our lives has exponentially increased over the last 100 years and I wonder if it prematurely ages our bodies, brains, and souls. Wouldn't it be nice if we had someone shouting from the rooftops the virtues inherit in taking some time off? If you agree, take a look at Al Gini's new book, 'The Importance of Being Lazy'. Al is a professor of philosophy at Loyola Chicago and is a contributor to WBEZ, Chicago public radio. He has also published 'My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual.' Just something to think about.

On the subject of our Sunday night time together, I thought some additional information on Phil might be in order. Here, find some comments regarding Phil's 'Life on the Vine'. Interestingly enough, google Phil's name and see what you find on page 3, why it's us! Wow, we're generating some traffic for Phil. Some trivial information about Phil? His favorite desert, which we'll plan to have on Sunday.

Amy and I really hope you enjoy the community's time on Sunday night and we're excited you've altered your schedules for this event. We hope and pray it will be of benefit to us.

I had quite the surreal experience last night while eating dinner, watching MLB's All-Star game, and reading diary excerts of Rachel Corrie, an American pacifist who was killed in Palestine March 16 of this year while protesting the destruction of homes in Gaza. This strange combination could be deemed surreal on its own merits, but seemed exceptionally so at the time. Why? Well, a few things immediately come to mind.

One; Rachel's death reminds me that this world is fallen and that we're 'damaged goods', so to speak. While we clamor for justice as Americans, as Rachel was doing, and also for us, as Christians, injustice happens every day and we must come to terms with that. While we should not be complacent we should understand that our actions will have limited effect. What then, is our call? What is the appropriate action for us to take? In fact, what are we supposed to do, anyway? Here's a possible starting point: Sojourners. Be careful. Also, if you're interested in the movement for justice in the middle east from an ecumenical but largely Jewish perspective, pay the folks at Tikkun a visit. Click on the core vision link if you've an extra hour to spare. And, for those of you who didn't know, Cornell West is the man.

Two; what's so wrong with baseball? Everybody and their brother has been bashing the game over the last few years and it's easy to see why. The All-Star game, once something I dearly looked forward to, last night showcased all that's wrong with the game of baseball, namely escalating player salaries and use of public funds for privately held companies (i.e., stadium financing). It was nice to see a few kids in the stands but I suspect we'll see more and more gray hairs in the seats instead of kids with gloves over the next 20 years. Of course, there's still minor league ball.

The North American Christian Convention is getting ready to wrap up at the Indianapolis Convention Center and we've been fortunate enough to see some of our friends from Milligan and Emmanuel School of Religion the past couple of days. Even better, we've been host to our dear friend Brett, currently serving as a chaplain aboard the USS Eisenhower. I'll spare you the rest of the website, but you may find the Eisenhower's Five Star Resource Team Magazine of interest, especially the Chaplain's column on page two of most issues, RELMIN. (Click on the individual issue dates to open the .pdf file in a new browswer window.) Two things to note: the Eisenhower is in dry-dock under massive renovation so you'll see many in hardhats; and, Chaplains in the US military are not allowed to proselytize so the vast majority of their time is spent counseling. We love you, brother Brett!

Sites of interest: Sausagegate
Miracle?
Yes, even I bought a ticket (5 to be exact)

Time to probably explain the method behind the apparent madness for readers new to the ol' blog spot here.

Diego Rivera is best known as the leading muralist of the 20th century. Born in Guanajato and raised in Mexico City, Diego showed an early gift for the arts and engineering. He studied at the San Carlos Academy and apprenticed with José Guadalupe Posada. His talent afforded him the opportunity to study in Spain and then in Paris, where he was caught up in the influence of post-modernism and cubism. After studying with Cezanne and following in the style of Renior, and, brimming with the political idealism that was sweeping the salons and cafes in Paris, he was drawn back into Mexico's embrace. Through circumstances, Diego found himself drawn to Tehuantepec Mexico where native Mexican heritage and genes remained a vital part of the country. His art provided him a vehicle of expressing their physical beauty and soon Mexico's pre-Columbian past was demonstrated on murals far and wide under Diego's brush. The idealism from Paris and his association with a technical workers union also carried Diego into the fringes of leftist politics and caused his economy to suffer. His art, in the United States, is most notably seen at the Detroit Institute of Arts and at various museums in San Francisco. He is also known as the husband of Frida Kahlo.

Now, what, you may ask, does this have to do with a non native-American who sports his name on a blog site? Not much, except that, as a senior in college, I fell in love with the man's art and (albeit foolishly) dedicated months of research into his art for my senior thesis. That, a failed attempt to express his work and how that could be reconciled into and appreciated by modern day Christians, blossomed into a greater desire to find synergies between politics on the left and Christianity, especially in today's conservative climate. A work in progress.

As a side result, diegorivera2 was born. So, what will you find here? Things both reverent and irrevrent, topical and eternal, and hopefully something of interest to you.

Sites of interest: My web site
Detroit Institute of Arts
Milligan College

Well, a new job it is and a nice, three week stay in Pleasanton CA. The hills are nice to see again and the smell of eucalyptus, although not in the air, is just on the other side of the valley. I made the jump hoping for a better culture and the opportunity to specialize in a niche area and, so far, it looks like it could happen. Time shall be the eternal test for this and other things.

Sites of interest: The new gig.
Rhinos are on the way.

Wow; lots of new things to say and so little time to do it!

A new job, perhaps, is right around the corner and should be a welcome relief to the boredom that currently occupies most of my working day now that I'm currently 'non-chargeable' at my old school, big-5 consulting company. Ah, it was such sweet bliss implementing that last product.

I don't think I'll ever see that Bush v Hussien debate mentioned last month. Although not as wonderful as that possibility, the Iraqi Information Minister was a hoot. It was almost SNL like in its comedy, although SNL would've not known when to stop.

Sites of interest: Indianapolis' local Presbyterian governing body?
Spin gone bad or, at least, out of touch.

It seems absolutely amazing to me that a land-locked country, in the middle of Europe, known for pocket knives, cuckoo clocks, chocolate, incredibly large and secret bank accounts, and neutrality, won the America's Cup. Where in the world will they defend? (It's not so amazing when you discover the owner of the team is a billionaire and that he practically bought the cup when you consider he convinced the skipper who won the last two cups for Team New Zealand, to drive his sailboat.) Nonetheless, on the surface, it makes for good reading.

Sites of interest: Teach 'em young to love the media?
The best chat client around.
The champ deserves better than this.

It is a fact of human nature; it cannot be denied. Given the ability to fret, worry, fester, and remain fixated on our troubles, we will. Day in and day out.

On a lighter note, I'd love to see the proposed debate between President Bush and Mr. Hussein. Granted, Mr. Hussein is a monster; of that there exists no doubt. He might be comparable to some of the worst political demagogues the world has ever seen and I do not wish to treat the current situation in Iraq lightly. However, I would just love to see this happen. Where would such an event take place? One would think that a neutral site would be void of any religous or racial inequality so, perhaps, Japan? No, Japan is too US friendly. Maybe The Netherlands, or somewhere in Mongolia. Once that nightmare is settled, what about the moderator and the structure of the debate? Flip a coin, 15 minute opening statements, 3 questions each from a moderator with a time limit of 10 minutes and then 5 minute rebuttal? I want to know! Speaking of moderators, how about Kofi Annan? He'd be marvelous.

Oh, well. Site of interest: The dream of Woodrow Wilson.

Snow last night with a total accumulation of 6". That makes it 40"+ for this winter with no relief in site. The hardest thing to get used to in the midwest is the wind. In the mid-atlantic area you've got this nice, natural windbreak called the Appalachian mountains. Not so here. The only windbreak as far as the eye can see (and those would be really good eyes) is the Rockies. That wind caused difting of up to 1 ft. and made shoveling this morning a real treat. This is definitely the winter for SUVs and snowblowers. Alas, I have neither. Fortunately, front wheel drive and a nice snow shovel have worked so far.

Tax preparation day and another wash. The $100 from the feds almost offsets the $150 owed to the state. I will be thrilled once the new house is completed and we can claim mortgage deductions on next year's return. Speaking of the house, we're only a month or so away from closing. That should be a trip.

Sites of interest: The man doesn't stop and is a show not to be missed.
Another man who doesn't (and, perhaps, can't) stop and is the current king of Las Vegas.
The man who started with radio jingles, became Bette Midler's music director, and then, who knew?

Sites of interest for this week:

The official website of the America's Cup challenger, Alinghi (SUI 64).
The man who started it all.
The method to the madness.

Well, here it is. The first blog entry. I know, I know; everyone's doing it do why not you? Good question. And, the answer is, I don't have a good reason for not doing it, so, as a result, I am. After all, everyone's doing the turkey trot. So why not?