Desire Armed - Find Your Groove!

Humanity is a much more interesting study...

brandon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:45:32 -0500

Apparently, Stephen Crane didn't much care for college. He spent most of his short time at Syracuse University playing baseball (he was a decent shortstop). Two years after he dropped out when his name was beginning to be know as a writer, he reflected on his time in school in the following letter.

As far as myself and my own meagre success are concerned, I began the battle of life with no talent, no equipment, but with ardent admiration and desire. I did little work at school, but confined my abilities, such as they were, to the diamond. Not that I disliked books, but the cut-and-dried curriculum of the college did not appeal to me. Humanity was a much more interesting study. When I ought to have been at recitations I was studying faces on the streets, and when I ought to have been studying my next day's lessons I was watching the trains roll in and out of the Central station. So, you see, I had, first of all, to recover from college. I had to build up, so to speak. And my chiefest desire was to write plainly and unmistakably, so that all men (and some women) might read and understand. That to my mind is good writing. There is a great deal of labor connected with literature. I think that is the hardest thing about it. There is nothing to respect in art save one's own opinion of it.

God Hates Vaginas Dot Com

brandon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:30:46 -0500

Don't ask me how I found this site. I'm actually not completely sure. But I present you with:

www.godhatesvaginas.com

Kimbo Slice's Beard Vs My Beard

brandon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:04:14 -0500

Kimbo's beard wins.

Reasons Not to be a New Calvinist

brandon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:34:20 -0500

Well, it's TallSkinnyKiwi's reasons (Why I'm Not A New Calvinist, By One Guy Who Should Be), but I think they're great.

Here are my favorite two.

- irreversibly Western and not accountable to nor appreciative of the emerging global-south based theology (afraid of the power shift?)

- often lacking in an adequate Biblical response to the threat of materialism, consumerism, military aggression, environmental degradation, poverty, celebrity-based pulpit ministry, and a few other issues that seem to be blind-spots.

Seven Questions That Keep Physicists Up At Night

brandon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:12:22 -0500

I was actually surprised that one of the 7 questions wasn't, "How do I talk to women." Guess my stereotype just doesn't fit.

How far can physics take us?

Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether the process of inquiry that has revealed so much about the universe since the time of Galileo and Kepler is nearing the end of the line. "I worry whether we've come to the limits of empirical science," says Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University. Specifically, Krauss wonders if it will require knowledge of other universes, such as those posed by Carroll, to understand why our universe is the way it is. If such knowledge is impossible to access, it may spell the end for deepening our understanding any further.

Turok says that's exactly why the Perimeter Institute exists, to harness the thinking of the world's brightest young minds in an unrestrained environment. By optimising conditions for creative thinking, it may be possible to avoid such an impasse.

"We're used to thinking of theoretical physics as accidental," says Turok. "We need to ask whether there's a more strategic way to speed up understanding and discovery."

My Friend's Father Has Passed Away

brandon — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:14:35 -0400

His name was Steve Russell. He was the father of Cassie Russell (now Cassie Glave).

A few of you knew her back in the day, so I figured I'd let you know. Prayers and wishful thoughts her way send.

Do two sacrilegious wrongs make a right?

brandon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:28:49 -0400

Do two sacrilegious wrongs make a right? Is taking a sacrilegious picture depicting Jesus as a white pro-America/Americanized thing and superimposing my face onto him ok? (Large scale Picture. Smaller Picture.)

Two Penises, Two Vaginas

brandon — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:03:56 -0400

I'm hoping to start some major research for a paper I'm doing Monday night. The Paper is on the history of American Evangelicalism and the American Gay Rights Movement. I'm hoping to clearly show and define the differing models in which American Evangelicals have approached the issues raised by members of the LGBT Community.

While just googling around, I ran across this lecture from 2003 at Princeton Theological Seminary. In it, Dr. Blair defines himself as Evangelical and Gay. He also suggests that one of the reason he experienced very little friction in coming out as a Gay born again Christian 50 years ago is because of, "the clear presentation of the plain gospel I heard as a child."

I also found this paragraph to be extremely useful in pointing out the incorrect framework that a large number of evangelicals see homosexuality in.

But in antigay rhetoric, Jesus seems to have died so an anatomical technicality might be tweaked and trumped. It’s what a couple does with two penises or two vaginas instead of what another couple does with one penis and one vagina that constitutes the sin in the antigay argument. As an Evangelical antagonist argues: ‘the complementarity of male and female sex organs [is] the most unambiguous’ indictment against homosexuality. [Robert A. J. Gagnon] But surely sexual complementarity is a bit more complicated than tinker toys! In both heterosexual and homosexual attraction, what draws two people together is the fascinating otherness that each sees in the whole persona of the other, not the shapes of genitalia. Besides, even in the physicality of sexual relationship, much more than the mechanics of genitalia is involved. Another antigay Evangelical argues that without such anatomical dissimilarity, ‘same-sex intercourse loses the symbolic dimension of two-becoming-one present in male-female sex.’ [Stanley J. Grenz] But he fails to appreciate the complexity of the one-flesh phenomenon, a union that surely has more to do with two persons than with two body parts. This ‘sin’ of homosexuality, then, comes down to a matter of anatomical correctness, for whether such same-sex behaviour expresses affection or assault makes no difference. In either case the ‘sin’ remains in the same-sex component – period. That’s hardly an adequate view of even sexual sin.

In Sand: Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII

brandon — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:25:50 -0400

I thought this was one of the most beautiful and creative things I've seen...ever.

Is that stringed instruments playing Mettallica's Nothing Else Matters around 7:25?

Seven Mountains of Culture

brandon — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:28:49 -0400

I wish this guy didn't censor his comments. This video has been viewed 33,000 times and only has 9 comments? And those 9 are all positive?

The summary of the video: Christians need to control the mountain of Business, so that they control money, so they can fund the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Funny to think that when God decided to advance his kingdom it took shape in the form of the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection of Jesus. Someone should tell God that he used the wrong business model.

Relationships: a Cartoon

brandon — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:35:51 -0400

This was originally part of a cartoon strip I made back in 2007 (full progression here). I don't have the commentary for it any more, but I remember deciding not to post it because I felt it was insulting to women.

I'm posting it now because I just rediscovered it on my hard drive, and because I want to show off how creative my cartooning skills from 2007 were.

If you are a blonde circle women, I apologize in advance if you feel insulted.

Jesus in Modern Times

brandon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:22:49 -0400

I know what I'm getting you for Christmas. All these prints from here.

Undefeated

Chief of the Medical Staff

The Senior Partner

The Miracle of Birth

How to tell if your swine has the swine flu

brandon — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:47:17 -0400

Blogs I Read 9-15-09

brandon — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:48:41 -0400

Tyler posts, as usual, a thought provoking piece called "Elaborating on the despair of our age."

Rachel Obrien posts a poem called, "Prove Me Wrong."

And speaking of poetry, Sam Lamb made a book of her poetry, "Harmonicas and Honey." Haven't ordered it myself, but thought I would plug her site since she is an Oklahoma artist and a lovely lady to go to the movies with.

Rachelle begins her last year of school in, "It's Not Summer!"

I've been out of town.

brandon — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:59:33 -0400

Actually, I've spent the last three weekends out of town.

First, I was in Oklahoma the weekend before school started.

Second, I was in Sisters, Oregon for a New Wine, New Wineskins retreat.

Lastly, I was at Wild Horse Canyon for the all school retreat.

After tonight, I hope for a quick recovery and more writing.

If I should cast off this tattered coat,

brandon — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:45:02 -0400

If I should cast off this tattered coat,
And go free into the mighty sky;
If I should find nothing there
But a vast blue,
Echoless, ignorant --
What then?

Stephen Crane, "The Black Riders and Other Lines" (1895)

Tommy's Trick

brandon — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:16:29 -0400

see full-size here.

My Friend's Night At IHOP-KC

brandon — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:15:26 -0400

Recently, my friend had a friend whose wife drove her friend across the country from Portland to North Carolina.

I'm friends with the wife as well, but since she started with that description, it seems only appropriate to continue it.

Anyway, low on cash, they were looking for places to crash, so I hooked them up with a friend in KC-MO, where they visited the International House of Prayer.

She is a fantastic writer, and I highly recommend you check out a post or two of hers.

after about an hour, tiff and i left, feeling both refreshed by the chance to worship and pray with so many other people, but also slightly confused by the meat market vibe we were both getting throughout the whole experience. is this where evangelical christianity is heading? are hipsters now the new heralds of the kingdom of god through prayer and worship? maybe so, and in a sense it is an exciting thought. ihop has obviously marketed itself to a specific demographic, and that demographic has come with much enthusiasm. although my thoughts on this event remain somewhat muddled, i can at least come to the conclusion that god is working in missouri at 11pm, and that evangelicals are as excited and as confused as ever.

(From on the road part 2: charismatic missouri. by Danielle Mayfield)

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence

brandon — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:11:44 -0400

Found here, at the American Rhetoric.

"...we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered."

Delivered 4 April 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City

Finally wrote a bio.

brandon — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:44:55 -0400

I almost used the one Adam wrote in the post where I first mentioned my dilemma.

At last, forced by my supervisor, I cranked this out:

Brandon was born and raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma. His father, a firefighter, and mother, a political activist, taught him to stop, drop, and roll through life, as well as to question and agitate the man, the system, and most other authorities.

After High School, this philosophy lead him to take up living in Kansas City where he attempted to start a counter-consumer revolution. With only a few minor successes during his two year campaign, he declared that the revolution was a failure.

Disappointed, he moved to Portland, Oregon. He states that his sole reason was, “It’s a city full of twenty-somethings who have no idea what they’re doing. I’ll fit right in.”

Two years of moping around Portland, he decided to attend Multnomah University. Currently, he is a Junior.

[http://new-wineskins.org/author/brandonsmith/]

School starts tomorrow, and I am already desperately trying to catch up.

Voicemail: Fake Boss Call

brandon — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:52:31 -0400

Yeah, I signed up for GoogleVoice. It's Awesome.

Call me here. (580) 823-8258

Man Love

brandon — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:22:48 -0400

It's a beautiful thing.

Is it just my depravity?

brandon — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:09:29 -0400

Or does this game look dirty to you too?

Christopher Baker

brandon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:18:24 -0400

He calls this piece, "Hello World! or: How I Learned to Stop Listening and Love the Noise."

Hello World! is a large-scale audio visual installation comprised of thousands of unique video diaries gathered from the internet. The project is a meditation on the contemporary plight of democratic, participative media and the fundamental human desire to be heard.

On one hand, new media technologies like YouTube have enabled new speakers at an alarming rate. On the other hand, no new technologies have emerged that allow us to listen to all of these new public speakers. Each video consists of a single lone individual speaking candidly to a (potentially massive) imagined audience from a private space such as a bedroom, kitchen, or dorm room. The multi-channel sound composition glides between individuals and the group, allowing viewers to listen in on unique speakers or become immersed in the cacophony. Viewers are encouraged to dwell in the space.

Hello World! or: How I Learned to Stop Listening and Love the Noise from Christopher Baker on Vimeo.

Joe Weil's Book Launch

brandon — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:41:32 -0400

From about a year ago. He is probably my bigest hero right now.

This is great too.

The Last Question by Isaac Asimov

brandon — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:00:37 -0400

This is a fun quick read. Oh, the frailty of humanity.

The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way:

...

Adell was just drunk enough to try, just sober enough to be able to phrase the necessary symbols and operations into a question which, in words, might have corresponded to this: Will mankind one day without the net expenditure of energy be able to restore the sun to its full youthfulness even after it had died of old age?

Or maybe it could be put more simply like this: How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?

Multivac fell dead and silent. The slow flashing of lights ceased, the distant sounds of clicking relays ended.

Then, just as the frightened technicians felt they could hold their breath no longer, there was a sudden springing to life of the teletype attached to that portion of Multivac. Five words were printed: INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER.

"No bet," whispered Lupov. They left hurriedly.

By next morning, the two, plagued with throbbing head and cottony mouth, had forgotten about the incident.

I'll be in Oklahoma this weekend

brandon — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:56:47 -0400

Thanks to a generous gift ($600 for a plane ticket!), I will be in Oklahoma this weekend for a wedding.

The trip will be quite brief though.

I am looking forward to seeing my family, especially, my newest nephew.

Socrates:Plato::Jesus:Paul

brandon — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:16:18 -0400

Think about it.

Onething: How to be relevant

brandon — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:41:53 -0400

“The only way you are going to be relevant to this generation is by you getting detached from this generation and getting connected to the realm of heaven.”

Are Israeli Settlers Religious or Racist?

brandon — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:29:29 -0400

This from foreignpolicy.com today:

Mobs of Jewish settlers rioted in the West Bank attacking Palestinians and setting fire to agricultural land in protest of the Israeli government's pledge to crack down on "wildcat" settlements. Settlers are also waging an ongoing legal battle to evict Palestinians from homes in East Jerusalem.

This is from the first article:

Settlers have vowed to retaliate with attacks on Palestinians after removal even the tiniest enclave _ a tactic known as "price tag."

Under any other context, what would we call this?