Loud Loft

If China = Whore, Then all of us = Whoremonger

Well that's a subtle title isn't it. . .

I love the Olympics, I watch more sports in two weeks every four years than I watch during the four years inbetween. I love that a decision is made by who crossed the finish line first, who threw the discus farthest or who jumped the highest. I'm even ok with the judged events though I don't give a rip which judge gave what score. I'm the judge and I'll decide who made a ten and the rest can go pound sand.

NBC paid $894 million for the rights and has sold $1 billion in advertisements. Rest assured that those companies who coughed up a billion dollars expect to make that back a few times over and they will only make it if . . .  we go to the store and open our wallets.

But here's the rub, the world was invited to come to China but the fine print said "some restrictions apply. Tibet not included".

Behind the smiling faces and the mass hyponsis that passes for social niceties there is repression, persecution and fear. These folks make the 1936 Olympics in Berlin look like a romp at the UN . . . and guess who's paid the price of admission? We did . . . and I don't feel so good right now.

Maybe I will feel better about London - but I'm ashamed now. How do you feel?

ADDED LATER: Yeah, the title is a bit over the top even for me as is the last line but it speaks to the oppresive nature of the Chinese government. What we take for granted here in the United States is not even on the table for the people who live in China.

Thanks for dropping by . . .

So there is this little "counter" widget that sits on this blog. You can see over in the far right hand column. It's called SiteMeter and there is a number just below it which shows how many times the blog has been visited. But what it also does is allow me to log on to a website that shows the location of the person who visitied (never more than the city and state of the ISP of the server it came thru), the time, how many pages were visited, how long the person stayed and other more technical info.

I know from the location when my niece drops by, when my friend David peeks in and I've been able to identify just a few other folks.  I think I know when my friend in Corinth TX and a co-worker or two in Denton TX show up. But there's somebody from Hermitage TN who comes by and somebody from Lake Mary FL  who regulary come by. Hey, don't be shy - leave a comment or send me an email :)

What's also neat is that, if it was a google search or from a link on another blog, it shows the referring page - so "HI" to the folks who come by from Real Live Preacher.

When I added the post about my Moto Guzzi Griso and the walk around video of it with the engine running the number of foreign hits jumped way up. It's always interesting to think that somebody in Italy, or Germany or Australia is looking at my blog and seeing my picture or the video of my motorcycle sitting in the driving with the engine running. So if you're here because of a mutal admiration for limited edition Italian motorcycles - Ciao dal Texas!!

Thoughts on the opening ceremony at the Olympics . . .

It was interesting that last night while NBC was showing the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Bejing - ABC was showing the 2005 remake of the classic H. G. Wells movie “War of The Worlds”. I know enough about how decisions are made that it was not a coincidence  to program a movie that presents a conflict in which a way of life is threatened with annihilation by a mysterious, powerful force with domination as it’s one and only goal.

What made it especially interesting for me was that there were a couple of comments from friends on Facebook about how they were both impressed and unsettled by what they saw during the opening ceremonies . I totally get that feeling and was relieved to find that I was not the only one.

First - what an incredible display of creativity and artistry. The drummers, the painting with dance, the use of technology and mostly the grand scale of using the entire environment of the venue as a canvas. Simply stunning.

Secondly - what was unsettling was watching it all and thinking “if this is what a culture of obedience to a common goal (at the expense of individual liberty) can achieve . . .  what happens when that goal is expressed as dominance over another? Especially so if that dominance is achieved thru violence, intimidation and fear".

It’s interesting that as Christ followers we “say” that we seek and follow a God that will one day unify all the people and elements of this world and return them to the state that He originally created. Yet, when we see a culture that is based on “one” expression of humanity, we find it to be extraordinarily beautiful and frightening . . . all at the same time.

Of course, the unification of the Chinese people and their culture toward manifesting  the goals of the state pales in comparison to the unification of all the peoples of the world with their environment and the defeat of sin. Still, to see it played out before 91,000 people by a cast and crew of thousands and then viewed by millions and millions of people all across the globe is as impressive as it is thought provoking.

Many people know that beyond the gruffness that I portray on this blog - I’m a big softy at heart. I mean, seriously, I get a bit emotional at a Visa card commercial with Morgan Freeman saying “Go World”. So I found myself many times during the evening with my emotions welling up as I watched the incredible tapestry of faces parade into the stadium. All of these people are made in the image of God and the diversity and creativity of their faces, their skin color, their build, their facial features - all these differences are the pieces of the puzzle that will only be finished when they are finally assembled and God’s manifestation of his plan is complete.

That is when we will all be in harmony, all marching to the beat of the same drummer, all of our differences will no longer matter  . . . and it won’t be scary at all.

Tea and Theatre

Anybody that knows me well knows that I’ve been a fan of The Who since . . . well, since I’ve been a fan of music. One of the most significant memories of my college time was seeing The Who at the Murphy Center in Murfressboro TN during my freshman year with my best friend Tom Byrd.

Many years later Tom came to Dallas to see them with me again in the summer of 2000. I saw them  in 2002 just a few shows after John Entwistle died and then Lisa finally saw them last year with me for the first time.

This time around, at the end of the show, after all the encores, Pete and Roger come out on stage and end the night with a quiet acoustic number. Pete plays - Roger sings  . . . and then we all go home.

Here’s the lyrics to the song, Tea and Theatre. It’s touching to see just the two of them alone on the stage. These two men, who wrote, who fought, who shared their talent - offering this coda to the evening, to their work, to their past and to each other . . .

Will you have some tea
At the theatre with me?
We did it all
Didn't we?

Jumped every wall
Instinctively
Unravelled codes
Ingeniously

Wired all the roads
So seamlessly
We made it work
But one of us failed
That makes it so sad
A great dream derailed

One of us - gone
One of us - mad
One of us - me
All of us sad
All of us sad

Lean on my shoulder now
This story is done
It's getting colder now
A thousand songs

Still smoulder now
We play them as one
We're older now
All of us sad
All of us free
Before we walk from this stage
Two of us

Will you have some tea
Will you have some tea
At the theatre with me

Pho Photo

A Photo taken at a Pho restaurant - not to be confused with a faux restaurant.