Rachael's Rants and Observations

schmap.com

2009-03-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

It's an interactive tourist guide that utilizes Flickr photos and online maps. Anyway, they're using one of MY photos on their Hollywood page, which is pretty cool.

http://www.schmap.com/losangeles/tours_tour5/p=2004D08/i=2004D08_18.jpg

An Ode to UrbanXChange

2009-02-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

UrbanXChange is one of my favorite stores, hands down! They buy, sell and trade clothes, shoes and accessories for men and women. It's next to The Harmon Grill on Pacific Ave.

Everything in their downtown Tacoma shop is funky, vintage, super cool, very affordable and unique. They also have some higher end stuff on consignment. I was hanging out with Paul on Valentine's Day, and got a shirt with Batman and Robin on it for $6. Here are some photos of the inside.

'Personhood' Amendment on Ballot in CO

2008-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

This article at www.npr.org was really interesting.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96167092&ft=1&f=1001

I have some mixed feelings about it, but I think it's a good thing in general to bring up the topic on a state-wide stage. I've always felt like Americans can be really selective about their definitions of children. For example, if a woman is pregnant and doesn't want to be, that child is a "fetus," a pregnancy to "terminate." But if a woman wants a child and doesn't have one, she'll go to great lengths to go through expensive infertility treatments or adoption proceedings to get children. I also think it's just plain crazy that if a pregnant woman is murdered, the murderer can be charged with a double homicide, (remember the Lacey Peterson case?) but if the woman had chosen to terminate her pregnancy, that would have been perfectly legal. The double standard doesn't make any sense on a logical level.

I agree that we need to come up with a better legal definition of a person and that rights for unborn children need to be addressed, but the measure as it is, does raise some interesting questions about how such a measure would be carried out. What do we do with the thousands of frozen embryos that are sitting in fertility clinics? What implications would this have for stem cell research - which I believe should be done, but by using cells that aren't from embryos. What about the other questions raised by the woman interviewed in the article? These things wouldn't necessarily keep me from voting for the amendment if I lived in Colorado, but should certainly be thought through.

I'm glad the discussion is being raised, and I'll be interested to see how this plays out...

My current musical production

2008-10-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

I'm having fun singing and dancing in the ensemble of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Renton Civic Theater. The show is based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel.

We opened on Friday and had a great opening weekend. It's a great show - full of mystery, comedy, drama, music, dancing and audience participation. The audience get's to vote on "who done it."

Visit www.rentoncivictheater.com for tickets or call the box office at 425.226.5229. I have $5 off coupons that I can e-mail or give you. Just let me know. Only two more weekends!

It's just a band-aid

2008-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

I just read this article on cnn.com about a "gay friendly" school that's being proposed in Chicago. Proponents for the school say it's necessary because gay and lesbian students are at higher risk for dropping out of school due to the level of harassment (verbal and physical) that the students are receiving. And the studies they cited do show an alarming level of harassment and much higher drop-out rates.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/13/gay.friendly.school/index.html

First of all, it's heartbreaking that the situation for these students has gotten so bad that they feel the need to go to a separate school. I can only imagine how scary it must be to go to school when you get harassed, threatened and bullied every day. And to me, it's sad that the school district is more focused on finding a short-term solution (a segregated school) than on addressing the root problems of hate and homophobia in the other students.

Now, I'm no expert, but it seems to me that segregating the gay/lesbian students would only make the problem worse. Wouldn't it just affirm the misguided fears of the homophobic students instead of teaching them that as human beings, we need to be able to interact respectfully with all types of people. The kids who are threatening and bullying need to be dealt with immediately, directly and in no uncertain terms. I understand that as one school official said, the gay/lesbian teens need to be able to graduate in a safe environment. I'm all for everyone graduating safely, but they seriously need to address the root causes.

Just another reason to be a vegetarian

2008-10-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is a simple explanation about how a vegetarian diet can reduce the risk of getting colon cancer by 50%. (And since my dad had colon cancer when he was 50, I'm taking proactive measures to prevent that from happening to me!)

http://www.cancerproject.org/media/commentary/commentary_coloncancer.php

Aside from animal treatment issues and environmental issues, protecting my health is important. Oddly enough, as I get older, I find that I actually like the weird, healthy food that my formerly hippie mother fed me when I was a kid. Of course I hated tofu burgers then, but I actually like them now. It's funny.

And speaking of funny things, when I was about 4 or 5 years old, mom made some tofu burgers for dinner. I was not thrilled about that, obviously. However, she did buy some rainbow sherbet for dessert, which was a rare treat, and I was not allowed to eat the sherbet unless I ate the tofu burger. So, I had a brilliant plan, I would just take my burger with me while I went to the bathroom. You can see where this is going. Magically, in the time it took me to pretend to go pee, I had "eaten" the tofu burger. I came back to the table, and announced that I was ready to have my sherbet. I still can't believe that my mom believed me, but she did and I got to enjoy my precious rainbow sherbet. About an hour later, my mom was giving Josh a bath, and she happened to look in the trash can in the bathroom, where she found... you guessed it... the tofu burger! Yeah, my brain hadn't developed enough sneakiness yet because I didn't cover it with toilet paper, or flush it down the toilet, I just put the tofu burger in the garbage can and assumed that would do the trick. It did do the trick - just temporarily. Um, I'm pretty sure I got a spanking for that little escapade. :-)

Childish finger-pointing

2008-09-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

McCain needs a new senior policy adviser. I haven't heard this much lying, whining and childish finger-pointing in awhile.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/campaign.wrap/index.html

As if McCain putting his campaign "on hold" WASN'T a manipulative, martyr-ish political move! Oh please!

I can't wait for this Thursday's V.P. debates! It should at least provide plenty of fodder for another Tina Fey SNL skit. And speaking of Tina Fey's brilliant parody of Sarah Palin...

Can I get a straight answer?

2008-09-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Apparently not. Sarah Palin did not answer a single question in this interview with a viable, direct answer.

She's clearly quite green (and I mean that in an inexperienced way, not an environmentally friendly way). She tried to be feisty and she tried to stand up to the mean, old interviewer, but she just came across as evasive, uncomfortable and rehearsed. I'm sure that she's been prepped by the McCain team on what she is and isn't allowed to say, and it certainly seemed like she didnt' know what to do when she was asked a question that wasn't on her mental cheat sheet. For example, what was up with her talking about oil and energy when she was asked about foreign policy experience? I shudder to think that this woman might be Vice President, let alone President if need be. (Thanks for sending me this video Peter.) Obama '08!

I couldn't resist

2008-09-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

Fact-checking RNC speech quotes

2008-09-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

While the media may be biased, I do appreciate their ability to hold people accountable for what they say! This article made my morning!

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention -
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check

Being a Pro Life Democrat is NOT an oxymoron!

2008-08-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am so freakin' excited about finding this web site. http://www.democratsforlife.org/ I was thinking that there had to be more people like me who in general agree with the Democratic party platform on most issues, but differ on the abortion issue. In fact, it turns out that 35% of registered Democrats are Pro Life!!! And I know of so many people who only vote Republican because of the abortion issue. Just imagine if the Democratic party took a look at the new data and recognized this fact. And that's just what Democrats for Life for America is trying to do. Check out their web site and look at their presentation that has some great data about how America is more Pro Life than we're led to believe.

Honestly, I am so happy right now! I feel like I've been an alien in a foreign land and I just found a city full of people from my homeland or something!

My 12-hour Lemon Meringue pie saga

2008-07-16T13:14:00.001-07:00

So, I stupidly nominated myself to make some lemon meringue pies for a coworker's birthday at work. Now, granted, I did start the process at about 9pm, but this was ridiculous. Last night I ruined two pie crusts - I blame the hot weather for melting the butter - and nearly burned the new pie crusts that I bought at Safeway at about 12:30 this morning, by the way.

Then this morning, after sleeping for about 5 hours, I got up and realized that the lemon curd was too runny. So I tried fixing that. But, it was still runny when I was transporting the pies to work. The filling was spilling out from under the slightly burnt meringue, much to my chagrin.

I decided between trips to Safeway and Albertsons (just in case they had ready made ones that turned out better, which they didn't) that I should just laugh about it. Thankfully, I did, but now I remember why I usually only go through the trouble of making this particular pie once or twice a year! The good news is, I redeemed myself from the pie fiasco by beating all the guys on my team at laser tag, which was pretty awesome.

Siblings separated by Holocaust are reunited after 66 years!

2008-07-11T10:36:00.001-07:00

I DARE you to not cry when you read this story. This brother and sister were separated in the Ukraine when she was 17 and her brother was 7. They were just reunited through Red Cross volunteer efforts. Pretty stinkin' cool.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/11/holocaust.reunion/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Family sells house to feed 30 villages!

2008-07-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

This article and video are a total testament to the power of suggestion, and the power of a teenager who asked some thought-provoking questions. Pretty cool! It will definitely get you thinking about want vs. need...

Race for the Cure reflections

2008-07-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

So, the fam and I had an awesome time doing Race for the Cure - I have to say, that day was one of my favorites! It was such a great time to celebrate mom being 2 1/2 years out from diagnosis and having no signs of cancer.

I have to say though, it was a bit of a surprise to me how my emotions reacted to being at the event again. The first year, mom had just had her surgery and had gone through chemo and I was just pissed off and mad at cancer. Paul and I ran the 5k together, and it was rather cathartic. Then last year, my sister and her friend came and we had a lot of fun. I think I might have teared up once or twice, but I generally held it together. But this year was different. Probably because mom was actually able to be there, and because I'm just sick of cancer. I try to ignore it. I mean, I'm always concious of trying to prevent getting cancer, but I hate watching movies where people have cancer, I hate seeing magazine ads for cancer treatments, I hate seeing bald heads covered with scarfs, and the color pink makes me feel a little sick.

But I decided that this was the day I couldn't ignore it and I had to just embrace this thing that's become part of my life, even though I hate it. I found that as my family and I walked toward the starting line for the walk, all the emotions I had been stuffing were coming up - darn it! At three different times during the event I walked ahead of my family so they wouldn't see me crying. Here I was, surrounded by thousands of people who have been touched by this disease and I was overwhelmed. Many of them survivors, and many of them had lost their moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters, daughters and best friends.

And even though she can drive me nuts sometimes, I know that I am so blessed to still have my mom here. (Vicky, I'm thinking of you at the moment). I'm just so grateful for what I have and hope that I don't take it for granted.

And by the way, for all my female readers: whether you're young or old, remember to do those monthly self-exams and get "the girls" checked out once a year by your doctor!

Theatre Review and Race for the Cure

2008-06-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

So, incase anyone was interested, here's a review of Broadway's Fabulous 50's from Tacoma Weekly: http://www.tacomaweekly.com/article/2029/

I especially liked the comment about my "sultry voice." :-)

There's only two more weekends left to see this fun show, don't miss it!

And changing gears, this Saturday, I will participate in my third annual Race for the Cure in Seattle. Paul and I did the first one together right after my mom had her breast cancer-related surgery, so she couldn't come. Last year when we went again, my sister and her friend joined us, but for some reason - can't remember why - mom couldn't come then either. But this year, on her birthday, mom will finally get to experience Race for the Cure in all it's pink glory and the whole fam will be there. I can't wait!

Broadway's Fabulous Fifties

2008-05-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Come see my musical review in June! If you were looking for information about the Pajama Game, there's been a change of plans... Sadly, a touring Broadway company bought the rights and won't let us do the Pajama Game anymore.

So instead, you're invited to come see me (and a lot of other talented people) in Tacoma Little Theatre's upcoming production, Broadway's Fabulous '50s! It's a musical review that features numbers from various 1950's Broadway musicals, including Pajama Game, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and more. I get to sing a few solos and am in several production numbers. It should be all sorts of fun. I even get to tap dance in "Steam Heat!"

When: every weekend in June (Fri. and Sat. nights at 8pm, Sunday matinees at 2pm)

Ticket info can be found at www.tacomalittletheatre.com

If you decide to come, please mention my name to the box office staff so I can get 'credit.' (The cast member who brings in the most tickets gets a prize!)

I'd love to see you there!~ Rachael

Tap Dancing

2008-04-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

So, I thought it would be fun to give it a try, and my director agreed, so I get to be in a jazz/tap number in my upcoming production of the Pajama Game, which we started rehearsing last week. If you know me, you know that I enjoy dancing, but I'm not phenomenally good at it. I'm passable, but not gifted. That's what my little sister is for :-)

But seriously. Tap dancing...

I took a summer tap class a few years ago and that's about it. People have been giving me "emergency" tap lessons all week! This is getting really funny, but I'm determined to get things right and to be able to really pull this off by the time we open in June. We shall see...

By the way, here is ticket information about Pajama Game. Pay what you can night is June 7. If you call Tacoma Little Theatre's box office to get tickets (253.272.2281), be sure to mention me by name so I can get credit!

Links to some of my work

2008-04-21T15:08:00.001-07:00

I'm a Web writer for World Vision and occationally I get to write something I'm rather proud of. In case anyone is interested in seeing what I do every day, here is a list of some of my favorite pieces:

Displaced families in Darfur in need of food

Sri Lanka: Sponsorship brings insight to blind relatives

Swaziland: Grandmother cares for her five orphaned grandchildren

Albania: Seeing the world in a new light

Super Bowl: Children in need benefit from brand-new clothing printed for losing team

* This article, incidentally, was quoted in a New York Times blog!

World AIDS Day: 6,000 Reasons to Act

Laos: A Mother's Grief Turns to Joy

Mexico: Voices After the Storm

Young Pagans and Witches admit to being influenced by Harry Potter and other media

2008-04-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

This article by MTV about young people and their faith is terribly sad. It's so frustrating how evil can twist itself to seem like good. What's especially sad is that impressionable kids and teens are reading and watching things without realizing the truth and spiritual consequences behind them. I have never been a Harry Potter fan for this reason. I have several friends who are huge fans of the series, and we can agree to disagree, but check this out!

EXCERPT: A surprising number of young witches MTV News spoke with also said that they became curious about their faith through misguiding pop-culture fare like the camp Neve Campbell vehicle "The Craft" and the "Harry Potter" series. (Guess a few conservative Christian groups were right about that one).
But many young people enter the Craft in reaction to a very conservative religious upbringing — Southern Baptist, perhaps, or Catholic. "Some people don't feel God in the church, so they seek out different expressions of God that are more personal or mystic," said Raven, who has mentored younger Pagans and is active in the online community. "[Witchcraft] is revolting against common views of God. That's a huge part of the appeal, especially for young people — that you don't have to follow the herd."

It's this second paragraph that makes my heart hurt. When people don't find what they're looking for at a particular church, they'll look elsewhere - in dangerous places - to fill the void in their souls.

The article also brings up an interesting conversation about the gender of God and the roles of women in the church. What's sad is that these girls who are leaving the church don't realize that God does place a high value on women throughout the Bible and that God himself embodies all of the characteristics that are good about men and women. After all, both male and female were created in His image.

Wal-Mart launches organic/recycled t-shirts

2008-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

So, maybe the big, bad conglomerate isn't so bad after all?

I was shocked to find out that Wal-Mart has a section of eco-friendly products on their Web site and in stores. I was searching online for organic earth day t-shirts and was semi impressed.

I think I hate Wal-Mart a little less now.

What We Consume: The Human Footprint

2008-04-10T09:28:00.001-07:00

The National Geographic Channel will air a special on April 14 that will visually show how much the average person consumes and discards in their lifetime. It's called the Human Footprint.

I can't wait to see it. Their landing page has some cool resources, videos and interactive material too. Check it out :-)

P-Town Pride

2008-04-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

In preparation for this Saturday's upcoming slice of Americana, the Puyallup Daffodil Parade, I thought I would share a few of my favorite recent photos of the area. All of these places are on my regular route that I walk with our dog, Lola.

I also have to add that Paul and I LOVE living downtown. I stopped worrying about potential volcano eruptions a few weeks after we moved in and have been fully enjoying it. I have a love-hate relationship with the trains though!

God is not a Republican...

2008-04-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

... or a Democrat for that matter. But some people think that he is one or the other. He's not. He's God and he is so much bigger than politics, or the US, or the world or the universe. How dare we confine him and his followers to a political party.

The Bible does not say, "Thou shalt be a member of the ________ political party." But this does not mean that we should stay out of politics. Christians should, of course, be involved in politics, but only if they can play nice! One of the reasons why so many people hate church and Christians is not because they hate Jesus Christ - most people like him - but because they hate how divisive, hypocritical and self-righteous Christians can be.

Jesus didn't condemn people. He loved people. Although he did made sure to tell the Pharisees (the self-righteous, pious people of the day) what he really thought of them!

Who the heck ARE these people?

2008-04-03T16:30:00.001-07:00

Three World Food Program truck drivers have been killed in Sudan. These humanitarians were simply delivering food to camps, under no political or religious affiliation, and supposedly under the protection of an international understanding that humanitarian aid workers should be left alone. Sadly, in many areas, it's not safe for aid workers to identify themselves as such and it pisses me off! But I have to remember that the people who ignore these 'rules' and kill aid workers are the same types of people who are raping women and young girls and are burning and ransacking peaceful villages. It makes me sick and I can only pray that God will protect the innocent and bring justice to their oppressors!

Runner gets homeless on right track

2008-04-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

This article from CNN is prettty cool!

Runner gets homeless on right track - CNN.com
Story Highlights
- Philadelphia marathoner found herself running past homeless shelter every day
- After contacting shelter, Anne Mahlum started running club "Back On My Feet"
- Club now has teams in three city shelters with 54 homeless members
- Job training partnership has helped members take classes, find employment

I love hearing how people have a change in perspective that prompts them to action. We need more people in the world like her!

Is faith vs. medicine a necessary fight?

2008-03-31T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been following this story in the news:

Faith-healing parents charged in baby's death
15-month-old girl died from untreated infection, authorities say

I have to say, I'm glad these parents are being charged! I've read about several similar cases and it's really sad.

I'm all for prayer, and I believe that God can and does heal people for reasons we cannot control or fully understand, but these parents were just plain negligent in the care of their child.

I believe that God gave us minds and we need to USE THEM! Faith and modern medicine and even alternative medicine really can - and should - work together.

Faith and art

2008-03-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

My brother recently forwarded me a link to an article about the relevance of faith in art. It was a thought provoking article, which I highly recommend you read! If you read it, comment and let me know which group you fall into (or if you don't have a "group"). I think, sadly, I've fallen into the third group more recently and it was a good reminder of what art should be. We forget that as Christ followers, we have a connection to the original source of creativity, and therefore we should be able to be even more creative than the world around us. Instead we often copy what's already there and tweak it to be "Christian." Hence what's wrong with the vast majority of items found in Christian book stores, which I've largely avoided for the past few years. Personally, I'm hoping for a reniassance of sorts of Christians within all sectors of the artistic world. May we find true creativity from the Source and use our art to make the world a better place.

Feeling a bit heartsick

2008-03-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like Christians can be the most divisive people I know. It's often those who claim to have no faith, or who have a different faith from my own who extend unconditional and unquestioned friendship.

I must say though that I do have several wonderful friends who share my faith in Christ who do remember that it is by grace we have been saved and that grace is what we must extend to one another.

But I get so frustrated and literally sick to my stomach when Christians rush to judgement, calling differences abominations. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I feel ill when someone calls my very faith into question due to what I call a "non-salvation issue."

(A "non-salvation issue" is, by my definition, any point of Theology that is not Dogma. Dogma is the central aspects of the Christian faith: that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus died on the cross to atone for our sins, that Jesus was raised from the dead on the 3rd day and that we come into relationship with God the Father only by grace, through faith in His Son Jesus. Everything else, to me, is a "non-salvation issue.")

I also have to say, that I don't form opinions lightly. I'm not in any way perfect, but I've definitely gotten better over the years about speaking before I think. While my heart is impressionable, my mind is rational. I don't claim to hear God perfectly, but I do earnestly try to listen to him and do what I think he wants me to do. That's why I hurt so much when I see injustice. That's why I work at a non-profit when I could be making more money at a marketing agency. That's why I speak out on behalf of the poor and oppressed. That's why I care so deeply about using media to share an accurate depiction of God's amazing love.

All that to say, I'm going to keep blogging - sharing my thoughts, opinions and observations - but I implore you, my readers, to remember who you are, what you believe and Who you serve.

Going vegetarian for various reasons

2008-03-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Over the past year or two I've been doing some reading on the subject of nutrition, partly prompted by my desire to avoid getting cancer, since both of my parents already have. I heard a statistic on the radio one day that vegans are something like 80% less likely to get cancer, which prompted the literary journey I've taken, documented here:

I was browsing the cookbook section of Borders and found Raw Food Real World, which was so intriguing, I bought it. It didn't convice be to become a raw foodist, but it did convice me to greatly decrease my consumption of meat and dairy products.

I found that avoiding meat and dairy forced me to find other healthy sources of protein. (And, sidenote, Americans usually consume about 4 TIMES more protien than they need.) I found that I felt generally felt better and healthier.

I read Superfoods Rx, which doesn't necessarily tout being a vegetarian, but does encourage the eating of actual vegetables, fruits and whole grains, along with nutritionally beneficial subsitutes for the "Super" food items if broccoli isn't your favorite. This was helpful because I'm someone who likes to win and do what's right, so once I realized that there were some very real benefits to eating certain food items, I was more motivated to find ways to eat them.

Then I read Skinny B*%#$ , partly because I was intruigued by the title (which I have censored) and partly because of the premise, which in a nutshell is: If you want to be skinny, you have to be healthy, and in order to be healthy, you have to STOP EATING CRAP! The authors spend time explaining in very clear terms why certain items are bad - for example why soda is "liquid satan," even diet soda. I found the chapter on not believing everything you hear from government agencies quite enlightening. This isn't a conspiracy theory, but a well documented look at how government agencies like the FDA and the USDA are in bed with the very industries they are supposed to regulate.

This new knowledge pushed me over the edge to make the change to being a vegetarian official. I was looking up recipies on http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp and I started looking at the rest of their site, which is very good by the way. Their section on the treatment of animals broke my heart and made me sick. I knew that commercially grown animals were treated badly, but this made me sure that I will never buy any meat for Paul (who still eats it) unless it is free-range, organic, and even then I'll still feel bad about it.

And in conclusion, I have to say that while I am a vegetarian (not eating meat), I haven't gone full vegan yet (no animals products at all). It's rather difficult and since I'm already gluten intollerant and a vegetarian. I'll still eat the occational bit of wild fish, free-range eggs that haven't been pumped full of crap and sometimes cheese. But my dependance on dairy is greatly reduced. I've found milk and ice cream subsitutes that are really good. Just ask Paul why he steals my Hazelnut milk all the time!

From my Myspace Blog: Be careful with fireplaces

2008-03-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

From April 4, 2007

So, just incase you were wondering, it's a bad idea to light a fire in the fireplace unless you're SURE that the flue is in the open position. Paul and I found this out the hard way last night when our friends Gerod and Jami were over. We thougth everything was fine and dandy until we started noticing that our eyes were burning and that it was getting harder to see. Yes, smoke was filling the house and opening windows and turning on a fan didn't seem to help much. I decided to put the fire out by throwing water on it (which created MORE smoke). So, the house still smelled like smoke this morning and I can only hope that it's better when I get home. So, for all of you out there with fireplaces - do yourselves a favor and be careful! :-)

From my Myspace Blog: I've decided to be a Democrat/Indepentant

2008-03-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

From April 19, 2007

For those of you who know about my conservative Regan-era Republican upbringing, this may come as a shock to you.

But, over the years, I noticed that I actually agree with more of the Democratic ideals than the Republican ones and the only real reason I was a Republican was because I was (and still am) Pro-Life.

However, after watching the amazing and infuriating independent film, Who Killed the Electric Car?, watching An Inconvenient Truth, and reading multiple articles in various publications, I can see that really, the most Christian thing to do at this point in time is to NOT be a Republican. Not that the Democrats are perfect.

In the preface to his book The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama said something to the effect that self-righteous, special-interest groups often are the ones who represent each party, and that each party has allowed itself to forget common goals and ideals in order to promote their own causes. I am not alone in thinking that drastic political reform, on both sides, would benefit the whole country.

And by the way, watching Man of the Year makes me wonder: if someone with common sense (and no monetary ties to oil or drug companies) came onto the political scene, HOW would he or she compete with the big money – and favor debt—that makes campaigning possible?

But really, just the environmental prostitution that the Bush administration has allowed should be enough to put any thinking person over the edge, and I think I'm there.

From my Myspace Blog: Photography

2008-03-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

So my friend Suzanne over in Philly just started her own photography business (see http://www.collierimages.com/) and it's quite inspiring. I've been trying to take artistic photos since I was in junior high, using one of those really cheesy 110 film cameras that's long and flat and has a big pop up flash, remember those? Then, I recently read a newspaper article about Me Ra Koh and the story of how she's been using photography as a way to heal from past hurts and now she's among the most elite wedding photographers in the country! Read her story at http://www.merakoh.com/. All this to say, a few things are pointing me toward being more serious, or if anything, just more committed to the craft of creating beatiful photos that capture moments. I don't know if anything will ever come of it, but if nothing else, I'll enjoy it.

From my Myspace Blog: Meat

2008-03-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

From May 18, 2007

More than anything, if you read this, I just hope you seriously evaluate what you eat and what you put on your skin. I've been doing research on natural products and food and have found some information that might compell me to make a documentary or become an activist. I found out about rendering plants a few months ago when a friend explained why it was so important to use natural skincare products that don't utilize tallow from rendering plants. Well I just read this http://www.purehealthsystems.com/render.html and was sickened to find out it's worse than I could have imagined. After reading this article about what gets into commercially produced meat in the U.S. I am so infuriated! Our government barely regulates this industry and doesn't do anything to prevent highly toxic metals, poisons, pesticides and diseased animals from being ground up and fed to our meat supply. Honestly, I don't think I can eat meat any more unless I know it's been fed an organic, vegan diet and not pumped full of anti-biotics and hormones. But, if you know anything about my tofu-eating ways, this probably isn't a big surprise to you. :-) Ok, I can get off my soap box now, but really, I shudder to think about how many Americans are blissfully unaware of what's in the products they use and the food they eat.

From my Myspace Blog: On being a Pro-Life Democrat

2008-03-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

From Feb. 14, 2008

Several of my friends have recently asked me why I'm supporting a presidential candidate who is pro-choice. I don't mind the questions at all. In fact I welcome the dialogue. I've given my choice a lot of thought. So, for those of you who might be wondering if I'm even still a Christian for endorsing Barack Obama, here is my rationale:

In my mind, the only thing that's keeping Barack from being my absolute ideal candidate IS the abortion issue. I just think he's the best one out of all the candidates. I came to the decision that if Bush and all his conservative folks couldn't make great strides in overturning Roe V. Wade, no one would any time soon. I haven't given up hope; I've just decided to weigh the issue along with the other issues I care about.

About a year ago, I came to the conclusion that the only real reason I had ever voted Republican was because I am pro-life. My beliefs and opinions generally line up with Democrats on almost every other issue. At the moment, I'm taking into account that if we DON'T do something radical about the environment, gun control, healthcare, resource-driven wars and our education system, we may have some much larger problems to deal with in the future.

So, while I still deeply care about the abortion issue, I've had to put that on the back burner in order to support a candidate who I agree with on the whole. I get some consolation in the fact that both Hilary and Barack think that abortion is morally wrong on a personal level. And while it's disappointing that their personal morals in this area don't affect their politics, I just don't think there's a better alternative.

I don't think Huckabee has the ability to win the election (plus I disagree with his stance on gun control, the environment, education and healthcare, not to mention his "fair tax" idea). And while McCain might be a good option - especially because he actually DOES care about the environment - his plans for healthcare, education and the war are inadequate in my opinion. Then there's that gun issue...

(Check out where candidates stand on the issues: compare them at http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/ or take a quiz at http://glassbooth.org/ to find out which candidate best represents your stance on issues.)

Plus, I really like how Obama wants to change how Capitol Hill is run. I love that he doesn't take money from federal lobbyists and that he wants to change the 'politics' of politics. Too many politicians owe really big favors to lobbyists and big businesses. They have too many conflicts of interest to actually make any big changes in several areas. Think about it: if you're a candidate in need of money and a pharmaceutical company helps funds your campaign, you 'owe' that company. You then have to keep that company's interests in mind when you vote on healthcare initiatives instead of the best interests of your constituents.

I could keep going – and I probably will in another blog – but you get the basic gist of my thought process on the issue.

I welcome your comments. Just please remember that I am your friend and that we can have a respectful dialogue. Thanks.

An introduction

2008-03-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I should actually have a blog that I keep up on, and maybe now I will. I've given this a try before, with minimal success. I have a a few blog entries in other places and I'll probably move those posts here too so they'll all be in one place.

I chose "rants and observations" because I like to make observations about my own self, others around me, the world and especially media and politics. Occationally those things make me mad - hence the rants :-)

I'm thinking of starting a photo blog too, but we'll see how this goes.

Ooh, I could start a blog about eating Gluten Free too. Again, I'm putting the cart before the horse.