The Norse myth about the death of Baldr is often compared with the Christian tradition of the death of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. These comparisons can be found in Baldr’s lineage, characteristics, and storyline. Whether Baldr was based off of Jesus or not is a highly debated topic; the proof lies in the message. While some segments of Baldr’s life may have had Christian influences, the overall plot is fundamentally opposite.
When Snorri Sturluson began recording the story of Baldr, he based it on “traditional poems (some of which survived elsewhere) or in some cases perhaps on oral prose stories, though they are probably much changed from the form in which they would have been told in heathen times”. (Sturluson xi) The story of Baldr is, therefore, likely made up of remnants of an old Norse myth dating back to a pre-Christian era, as well as later renditions which may have either heretical or genuine Christian influences.
Lineage:
In the Poem Baldr’s Dream it says “and who’ll steal the life from Odin’s son?” (Larrington 244) Odin is also referred to as Baldr’s father in the Song of Hyndla, and in the Seeress’s Prophecy. (Larrington 257, 296, 8) In Loki’s Quarrel Frigg refers to Baldr as her son. (Larrington 89) These poems were copied down around 1270 AD, shortly after the Christianization of Scandinavia, however their original versions certainly predate this time. (Larrington xi) Snorri also refers to Baldr as being the son of Odin “Odin’s second son is Baldr, and there is good to be told of him.” (Sturluson 9) Odin was considered the high god above all others. “Odin is highest and most ancient of the Ǣsir. He rules all things, and mighty though the other gods are, yet they all submit to him like children to their father.” (Sturluson 21) Similarly, Jesus is also believed to be the son of the Most High God: “And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” (NKJV Bible Mark 5:7) Odin “lives throughout all ages and rules all his kingdom and governs all things great and small”. (Sturluson 9) It is said that he created the world “He made heaven and earth and the skies and everything in them”. (Sturluson 9) The same is said of Jesus’ Father, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (NKJV Bible Acts 17:24) As Christianity and paganism began to intermix in the tenth and eleventh centuries, it is not surprising that connections between the gods were noticed. Over time, the pagan culture may have incorporated Christian ideas into their mythology. Noticing that Jesus was also the son of the Most High God made Baldr an easy target.
Odin and the father of Jesus had other things in common, which may or may not have been a Christianizing of the tale. The greatest creation of both of these gods is the creation of man. Of Odin it is said “but his greatest work is that he made man and gave him a soul that shall live and never perish though the body decay to dust or burn to ashes. And all men who are righteous shall live and dwell with him himself in the place called Gimle or Vingolf, but wicked men go to Hel and on to Niflhel; that is down in the ninth world”. (Sturluson 9) Of the father of Jesus it is said “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (NKJV Bible Genesis 2:7) And “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (NKJV Bible Ecclesiastes 12:7) Also, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment… then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment”. (NKJV Bible 2 Peter 2:4, 9)
Characteristics:
The first characteristic to point out is in Baldr’s name. The name is believed to be connected with white, bright, shining, or resplendent. According to A.H. Krappe, author of The Myth of Baldr, the name either refers to Baldr being a sun god, daylight, or it could reference moral brightness or purity and goodness. Krappe said “In regard to the last of the three interpretations, it is safe to say that, however much it may have been possible at the time when old Norse paganism came to be replaced by Christianity, it certainly is not primitive. Primitive deities are neither moral nor immoral, they are amoral.” (Krappe 186) It is probable that Christians learning about the myth of Baldr connected his name with moral brightness, purity and goodness, therefore connecting him with Christ. Krappe went on to say “The conclusion cannot be avoided that Balder is a god of brightness and splendour”. (Krappe 187)
Baldr is described as “the best and all praise him. He is so fair in appearance and so bright that light shines from him, and there is a plant so white that it is called after Baldr’s eyelash. It is the whitest of all plants, and from this you can tell his beauty both of hair and body.” (Sturluson 23) From Sturluson’s description, it would seem that Baldr’s name is derived from his physically being bright like the sun. Jesus, on the other hand, was not fair in appearance. According to the early church father Irenæus, who lived around 120-202 AD, “the divine Scriptures do in both respects testify of Him: also, that He was a man without comeliness, and liable to suffering”. (Roberts 487) Irenæus was explaining the church’s belief that Isaiah was prophesying about Jesus when he said “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (KJV Bible Isaiah 53:2) While Jesus was compared to a plant, it is believed that this verse means he didn’t have any features that made him stand out; he wasn’t handsome or uniquely built. The only time where Jesus is said to have shown was during his ‘transfiguration’. “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (KJV Bible Matthew 17:2) It is unlikely these two are connected however, as Baldr’s name itself describes brightness. It is also assuming too much to suggest that the name was a completely Christianized invention.
It is said that Baldr “is the wisest of the Ǣsir and most beautifully spoken and most merciful”. (Sturluson 23) The same was often said of Jesus. Even at twelve years old they believed him to be wiser than the average person.
Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. (NKJV Bible Luke 2:46-47)
When Jesus began his ministry, people began to flock to hear him. The crowds that came to hear Jesus teachings are testament to his being beautifully spoken. (KJV Bible Matthew 13:2) Calling Baldr the wisest among the Ǣsir however, is an unlikely scenario. Snorri has included this from an unknown source, which had unknown influences. The other poems about Baldr do not bring out this characteristic. The Norse version of wisdom is shown in poems describing contests between Odin and others. The one who is able to answer the most questions is considered the wisest. It is doubtful that Baldr was considered wiser than Odin. The quote describing Baldr as being merciful is also strange to Norse culture. It is clear from other Scandinavian poems that mercy is a weakness, not a virtue. Mercy is giving a second chance to someone who does not deserve it. It is a form of forgiveness, and that concept is countercultural to Scandinavian societies. Even other poems about Baldr suggest something other than merciful. In Loki’s Quarral it says “You know that if I had in here in Ǣgir’s hall a boy like my son Baldr, you wouldn’t get away from the sons of the Ǣsir; there’d be furious fighting against you.” (Larrington 89) These two accounts of Baldr’s character contradict each other. Mercy is however, a key characteristic of Christ. Unlike Baldr, Jesus was not a God of revenge. His death signified the very opposite of revenge- He died so that He could forgive anyone who asked. As Jesus was on the cross dying, He prayed for the people who were killing him “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do’.” (NKJV Bible Luke 23:34) Jesus forgave those who killed him, while Baldr’s family took revenge on Hod, the accidental killer of Baldr.
The contrast between mercy and revenge is a reason that this characteristic of Baldr may have been added at a different time than the core of the story. It was possibly added by pagans adapting their myths to include new ideals brought about during the Christianization period. It is also possible that a Christian like Snorri, studying the ancient myths, misunderstood a concept presented in the myths due to the influence of Christianity. This characteristic of Baldr, wherever it came from, is not essential to the plot of the story, or to its key themes.
One characteristic of Baldr which is different from Christ is found when the Edda says “but it is one of his characteristics that none of his decisions can be fulfilled.” (Sturluson 23) If Baldr were to Jesus, the way Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia is a depiction of Jesus, then Snorri Sturluson failed miserably. It would be more likely to believe that he wrote this sentence about Baldr for the very reason of making a distinction between Baldr and Christ. Jesus is quoted saying “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.”(NKJV Bible John 5:21) The “Son” refers to Jesus, and according to this scripture, the Son’s decisions as to whom He will give life, are always fulfilled. For orthodox believers, understanding that Jesus was fully God and fully man, meant that His will happened. This can also be seen in the miracles he performed, such as His determining that the sea would become calm. (Bible Mark 4:39)
The Storyline
Baldr began having bad dreams about his death “Baldr the Good dreamed great dreams boding peril to his life.” (Sturluson 48) When he told other gods about his dreams, they sent Odin, the only one who could travel between the world of the living and the dead, to ask a seeress in Hel what the dreams meant. (Larrington 243) The seeress prophesied that Baldr would die at the hand of his brother Hod. In contrast prophesies about the death of Christ were given by Jewish prophets like Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus was born.
While Jesus and Baldr both knew of their imminent deaths, they responded in opposite ways that were uniquely important to their respective stories. Baldr’s mother Frigg “received solemn promises so that Baldr should not be harmed by fire and water, iron and all kinds of metal stones, the earth, trees, diseases, the animals, the birds, poison, snakes.” (Sturluson 48) In this manner, Baldr tried to avert the prophecy. It is reminiscent of the story in Greek mythology where Achilles’ mother attempts to avert the prophecy of his death by dipping him in the pool of immorality. Like Frigg, Achilles’ mother forgets a very small thing- the heel. Frigg, leaves off the mistletoe. The lesson learned is that even the gods are unable to avert the fate foretold in the prophecies. Even though Jesus had the power to avert the prophecies about his death, he chose not to. He embraced them. Jesus went so far as to prevent other people from attempting to avert the prophecy:
And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. “Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" (NKJV Bible Matthew 26:51-4)
Jesus knew that he would die, and chose to follow through with it, which is the central point to the story of Jesus Christ, and a key difference between Him and Baldr.
When Baldr believed that he was safe from all harm, he began mocking the prophecy by allowing the other gods to attack him by throwing objects at him. It became almost a game among them. It was through this self assurance and pride that Loki was able to design his death. Jesus was given the chance to do a similar thing, and yet chose not to. The story goes that satan suggested to Jesus “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (KJV Bible Matthew 4:6) Jesus responded “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God’.” (KJV Bible Matthew 4:7) Baldr was clearly tempting fate the way Jesus refused to tempt God.
Loki took a mistletoe branch and created from it a dart or spear and placed it into the hands of Hod, Baldr’s blind brother. (Sturluson 48) In this version of Baldr’s death, Loki uses Hod to murder Baldr, while in Saxo Grammaticus’ History of the Danes the ‘historical’ figures of Baldr and Hod are fighting over a woman, which leads to Hod slaying his brother. That version does not include any similarities to Christ, however Grammaticus’ reputation of humanizing Norse deities makes the story an unlikely starting point for the Baldr myth. Another theory is that Baldr’s death is based on an Irish legend regarding the death of Christ. “Baldr is slain by Höth's dart. It was a common belief in the Middle Ages, especially in England and Ireland, that Jesus did not die until pierced by the lance, and that it was the wound of the lance that caused His death.” (Bugge 4) This idea sounds beautiful as he describes the clear similarities between these beliefs and the myth. Other sources agree that neighboring countries of England and Ireland both had pictures of the cross which appear to suggest that Jesus was killed by the spear. A painting was found from the eighth century: “The Saviour, clothed in a long grayish-blue colobium, has his eyes open and appears to be alive, although the soldier (Longinus) has already pierced his side”. (Peebles 46) Bugge points out that Loki’s use of Hod to kill Boldr is similar to satan’s use of Pilate to kill Jesus or “Even as Loki by his counsel causes Baldr's death, so in the Cornish mystery, 'The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ,' Lucifer says that it is he who induced Pilate to slay Our Lord.” (Bugge 4) He takes it to further lengths when he explains:
In the west of England the superstition is current even now that the cross was made of mistletoe, which at the time of Christ was a fair tree in the forest, but which was cursed because of the evil use to which it had been put, and condemned to live ever afterwards as an insignificant plant. We may, therefore, suppose that the Norwegians who first told how Baldr was pierced by the mistletoe, and through whom the account heard by the author of Völuspá spread itself in tradition, lived in England, and fashioned that mythical incident under the influence of English superstitions about the mistletoe. (Bugge 4)
Another source however, counters that mistletoe was used in Sweden for a special celebration “For in Sweden on midsummer eve mistletoe is ‘diligently sought after, they believing it to be, in a high degree, possessed of mystic qualities’.” (Frazer 344) If this was the case, and Baldr is purposely and/or entirely based on an Irish version of the death of Christ, I would expect the death of Baldr to keep the three key points of the death of Christ: 1. Jesus chose to die 2. He died to redeem mankind. 3. He rose from the dead. As Paul said “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”. (NKJV 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) Instead, the story has factors common to Norse mythology: 1. pride and boasting 2. fate determined Baldr’s death 3. the death had to be avenged 4. the happy ending for Baldr was thwarted by Loki. These key points are fundamental differences in the stories, which indicate two separate tales that, while perhaps influencing each other, cannot be counted as a single story. A Christian scholar from England would not have written about Christ with a Norse worldview. The death of the Irish mythological Jesus, and the Norse mythological Baldr may have commonality, however the death of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is still far removed from the Baldr accounts.
The fundamental difference between these two deaths goes even deeper than how or why it happened. The death of Jesus was the whole point of His life. According to scholar John Piper “The central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the purpose – the meaning”. (Piper 12) Baldr was an innocent god who died because Loki got annoyed. It was another game to Loki – find the one way Frigg forgot to protect Baldr. Baldr’s death was meaningless, senseless. The purpose of the death of Jesus was to redeem human beings “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’.” (Bible Galatians 3:13) “God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” (Bible Romans 3:25) “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (Bible 1 John 4:10)
When Baldr died, Odin could not bring him back to life, and Baldr could not bring himself back to life. He was trapped under the authority of Hel itself, who tells Hermod “and if all things in the world, alive and dead, weep for him, then he shall go back to the Ǣsir, but be kept with Hel if any objects or refuses to weep. Because Loki alone refused to weep, Baldr was trapped in Hel. Loki controlled the fate of Baldr, but if Loki is a representation of satan, then he should have failed to keep Baldr bound. Jesus and Baldr were both buried, but after three days, only Jesus came back to life. Jesus said “I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (KJV Bible Revelations 1:18) The resurrection of Jesus is essential to the faith as Paul said “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty… And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians15:14, 17) When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave his followers several commands before telling them “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”. (Matthew 28:20) While Baldr is sitting in Hel, Jesus is in heaven, and claims to be on earth as well.
After Ragnarok, Baldr is supposed to return to live in peace with his brother Hod in a newly remade world. “Baldr will come back; Hod and Baldr, the gods of slaughter, will live happily together”. (Larrington 12) Similarly, after the ‘tribulation’, Jesus will come back again to rule on earth. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righeousness He doth judge and make war.” (Revelation 19:11) and “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth”. (Revelation 21:1) In the new heaven and new earth Jesus Christ will rule with the High God.
Summary
Baldr was innocent, but faced with death he tried to fight fate and lost. He died a pointless death at the hands of a jealous god. His family took revenge on Hod, whose involvement in Baldr’s death was unintentional. Baldr and Hod will remain dead until Ragnarok, after which they will return to the new earth and live in peace. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, which He lived so He could choose to die. Jesus let himself die as a sacrifice for the human race. He was dead for three days, and then came back to life. The fundamental differences between Jesus and Baldr prove that the stories originated independently.
Works Cited
Bugge, Sophus. THE HOME OF THE EDDIC POEMS WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE HELGI-LAYS. Trans. William H. Schofield. Revised ed. London: David Nutt in th Strand, 1899. Transcribed by Aaron Myer /www.northvegr.org. Northvegr Foundation, 2004-2007. Web. 15 Dec. 2009.
Frazer, James G. The Golden Bough: Killing the god. Second ed. Vol. Iii. London: Macmillan and Co, 1900. Print.
Grammaticus, Saxo. History of the Danes. Ed. Hilda E. Davidson. Trans. Peter Fisher. English Text ed. Vol. 1. Cambridge [Eng.]: D.S. Brewer, Rowman and Littlefield, 1979. Print.
King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1976. Print.
Krappe, A. H. The Myth of Balder. A study in Comparative Mythology. 3rd ed. Vol. 34. Taylor & Francis Ltd, 1923. Print. Folklore.
Larrington, Carolyne, trans. The Poetic Edda. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.
New King James Version. Thomas Nelson Inc., 1985. Print.
Peebles, Rose J. The legend of Longinus in ecclesiastical tradition and in English literature. Diss. Bryn Mawr College, 1910. Baltimore: J. H. Furst Company, 1911. Print.
Piper, John. Fifty Reasons why Jesus Came to Die. W H E A T O N: Good Knews, 2006. Print.
Roberts, Alexander and Donaldson, James, Eds. Against Heresies Book III Ante-Nicene Fathers. Vol. 1. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, inc. copyright 2004 (chapter XIX)
Sturluson, Snorri. Edda (Everyman's Library). New York: Everyman Paperback Classics, 1995. Print.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Slavery in Sudan
Sudan, the largest country in northern Africa, is still the home of nearing 210,000 slaves. The issues of slavery in Sudan are complex as they intertwine. The three biggest instigators are: racism, religion, and economics. In a confusing twist of events however, the best ways to explain the issues of slavery in Sudan, are to focus on racism, grazing rights, and civil war. First however, it is important to understand what slavery in Sudan looks like.
Sudan is currently run by President Bashir in the north, and tentatively, in the past 4 years, by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army in the south.
There are at least four different forms of slavery in Sudan: domestic, sex, cattle, and child solders. According to the Rift Valley Institute, between 1983 and 2002, 10,000 people with names, and detailed descriptions were confirmed missing, abducted, enslaved, or killed just in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal. This area includes tribes such as the Dinka, Luo, and Fertit. The raids were carried out by the Murahaliin, tribal militias that have operated out of areas of the North under the control of the central government in Khartoum. [1]
Today there are approximately 200,000 enslaved women and children doing domestic and cattle work in Northern Sudan.[2] Most of them were taken between 1983 and 2005, in raids done by the Arab militias on the southern Sudanese tribes. The Dinka, Shilluk, Ingessana, and Beja tribes were hit the hardest by these raiders. In the essay “Beyond Abeeda”, Abuk Bak described the raiders as Arabs on horseback carrying guns. They would ride into a village shooting the village men on site. Bak described the events that happened in 1987 to her village in Achuru as the villagers tried to escape, women and children would be lassoed as if they were a wild horse. [3]
In one account by Joseph Winter a reporter from BBC News, the militia came into a village firing their guns to chase off the adults. They then proceeded to round up children and cattle. They would travel 5 miles before stopping to divide up the children and animals between them. [4]
According to Winter’s account:
Arab militias rode into her village on horseback, firing their guns. When the adults fled, the children and cattle were rounded up and made to walk north for five days before they were divided between members of the raiding party. [4]
Women and children who were captured would watch as their husbands and fathers were murdered, because they wouldn’t take grown men as slaves.
According to BBC news in a telecast on December 17:
a senior Sudanese politician who did not want to be named said kidnappings had also occurred more recently in Darfur. "The army captured many children and women hiding in the bush outside burnt villages," he told the report's authors. "They were transported by plane to Khartoum at night and divided up among soldiers as domestic workers and, in some cases, wives.” [5]
Young boys captured are taken to work in the cattle camps that are scattered across Sudan. Sudan has 37 million cattle, 46 million sheep, 38 million goats, and 3 million camels.[6] In Sudan 80% of the workers are either herding cattle, or farming.[7] This creates an easy excuse for free labor. There were approximately 8,000 slaves in Sudan cattle camps in 2007.[8] Many cattle camp owners persuaded themselves that they were doing the boys a favor, creating a false father-son relationship. In the Baggara cattle camps, boys were required to call their masters “Father”.[9] While the chores the boys were given often were the same as the Arab children, their treatment was not. They would endure beatings, stabbings, rape, racial insults, death threats and forced conversions. A twelve year old named Piol said:
My master (Ibrahim Mohammed) told me not to ask about my mother and father, and ordered me to call him “Father”. Whenever I displeased him, he beat me. Once he hit me on the head with a cow’s horn. Another time, he burned me on the arm. Sometimes he refused to allow me to eat. Ibrahim’s son, Khalid, also bullied me. He threw stones at me, and called me “dog”, “bastard”, and “slave”. Ibrahim made me go to Koranic school. The teacher, Mohammed Razik, said that we should forget about the religion of our people and become Muslims. Otherwise, we would be infidels.[10]
Thirteen year old Atak Anei Achien said:
My master was Hammad Bashir. He made me call him “Father”. But he often beat me with a bamboo stick and sometimes raped me. Hammad’s children were given good clothes, but Hammad gave me rags. My job was to look after cows in the cattle camp.[11]
Child soldiers became prevalent in 1983. According to The United Nation’s Children Fund:
A ‘child soldier’ is any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity – including, but not limited to, combatants, cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members. The definition includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and for forced marriage. [12]
Civil war in Sudan between Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese Government has increased the need for soldiers. One hundred thousand children were in combat on both sides during the country’s second civil war. Both sides have kidnapped their own children in order to supply bodies for their armies. According to The United Nations Children’s Fund, “In Sudan, in March 2004, an estimated 17,000 children were associated with armed forces and groups.”[13] Some children are taken to be used as guards, porters, cooks and ‘wives’. [14]
In the 1980’s the SPLA convinced children to join a refugee camp in Ethiopia. To visitors it appeared to be a typical, if strict, refugee camp for boys. Boys 12-18 years old received full time military training. Those who were 9-11 year olds would receive normal schooling as well as military training.[15] Many of these children died in the camps from disease or hunger before they ever reached the battle field. Three thousand children from Nuba died during training in 1988 because their commander sold their food rations at the local market to make an extra profit.[16] The SPLA used the children to form the “Red Army” a battalion composed of children ages 12 to 18. Lacking strategic planning, the children never had a chance, and were massacred.[17]
The Sudanese Government did the same thing with their youth. The government would clear the streets of children, placing them in what they called orphanages. There they were trained. These children would then become part of the army or the Popular Defense Forces.[18]
Another form of slavery used in the military is that of rape. This is the most common use in the Darfur conflict. Amnesty International USA interviewed several people on the topic:
“They raped women; I saw many cases of Janjawid raping women and girls. They are happy when they rape. They sing when they rape and they tell that we are just slaves and that they can do with us how they wish.”
A., aged 37, from Mukjar camp
“After six days some of the girls were released. But the others, as young as eight years old were kept there. Five to six men would rape us in rounds, one after the other for hours during six days, every night. My husband could not forgive me after this, he disowned me.”
S. from Silaya, near Kulbus[19]
Slavery in Sudan is fueled by three main factors: racism, grazing rights, and civil war
Racism
Tension from racism has been a part of Sudan for thousands of years. In 1500 BC Egypt’s expansion down the Nile had gone far enough south to conquer parts of northern Sudan, then called Nubia. At this time, Sudan was probably used to find slaves, as Nubia is derived from a local word “Nob” meaning “slave”. The Egyptians begin to lose control over the area in 590 BC, and the rulers in Sudan become more localized. By this time, it is highly likely that the Sudanese northerners considered themselves very different from those around them. Their skin color is slightly lighter, and they had been ruled by a great nation; they were generally united with each other. The tribes around them to the west and to the south were still self-governed and had no such unity. In AD 652, Egypt has become a Muslim country, while Sudan followed Ethiopian’s lead in becoming Christian. In order to stop the Egyptian raids, the two countries made a pact together. Egypt agreed to stop invading Sudan, while Sudan would send 400 slaves a year to Egypt. This agreement lasted until 1275. That is about 600 years where the likely location for them to get slaves from would be the southern and western regions of their country. No one wants to take slaves from those they consider family. So the surrounding parts of Sudan were further and further put into the category of less then human. From 1600- 1874 the Darfur leaders began to engage in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.[20] During these years, nomadic tribes often raided villages in order to take and sell slaves. While slavery became less intense after the United States stopped buying slaves, the racism developed through this time did not. Somewhere in this time, the north began to consider themselves “Arab” and southern and western Sudanese were considered black.
When Turkey and Egypt conquered Northern Sudan in 1820, they demanded the people pay tribute to their war efforts through taxes of either cattle or slaves.[21] So the north stepped it up a notch, and raided southern Sudan more vigorously. Their main targets were the villages of Dinka, Shilluk, Ingessana, and Beja, all in Southern Sudan. The Arabs also began taking more slaves for personal use. Before this time they were only used for agricultural work and servants, but now they began using them as cooks, blacksmiths and construction workers.[22]
Grazing Rights
Northern Sudan is mostly desert with dust storms, drought, and seasonal rain, while Southern Sudan is a rainforest. There are many tribes in both southern and northern Sudan whose main occupation is herding. These tribes are nomadic, so they can easily move to better grazing ground. Between 1600 and 1874 it was common for nomadic tribes to raid farming villages and take people as slaves. This was especially true in the Nuba Mountains. The Baqqara Arabs were a nomatic cattle herding tribe that roamed the Nuba Mountain range. In this same area, there were also black Sudanese farming villages. These villages became an easy target for the already racist Baqqara tribes.[23] Because they traveled, picking up slaves from villages was an easy way to make money, get extra hands, and get new land for their cattle to graze on.
In recent years, the desert has begun to expand. This means that the nomadic tribes have to travel further into southern and western Sudan in order to find places for their cattle to graze. As they trample over farmers’ fields, the farmers are losing crops. Fighting breaks out among these groups.
The Janjaweed on the boarder of Darfur were raiding Darfur villages for years and the government did nothing about it.
Civil War
Oil was found in Southern Sudan in 1978. Omar al Bashir forced his way into the Presidency two years later. After only 3 years in office, he decided to impose Islamic law on all of Sudan, knowing full well that very few Muslims live in southern Sudan, the location of the oil.
When Britten took over in 1899, they attempted to solve the slavery problem, therefore limiting the influence Muslims had over the people in the south. The Arabs responded harshly, accusing Britain of creating an anti Islamic society.[24] This was partly because at this time many Christian missionaries were making their way to southern Sudan. Prior to this, most of these tribes were Anamist, very few of them were Muslim, compared to the North which was mostly Islamic. So when Bashir took over, he was able to incite people easily to declare Jihad on the “Christian” southern Sudan. Fueled further by racism, and the fighting over land, the military attacked. Bashir was able to use the profits from oil sales to countries like China, to further fund his war. [25]
During this war, slavery was no longer viewed as a commodity. Instead, it was a way to psychologically tear down the people and destroy their societies. Those who were not taken as slaves and forced to convert to Islam, were killed.
In 1986 Commander Musba entered Uduk, Chali Sudan and said “you are all going to convert from Christianity to Islam today, because here is what’s going to happen to you if you don’t”. He killed 5 church leaders. He herded men, women and children into a hut, and then ran them over with a 50 ton tank. Others were killed by 3 inch nails driven into the top of their heads.[26] These killings were a way to terrorize the villagers and break down their moral.
Before this war ended in 2005, the government found a new target: Darfur. Darfur is in the north, the people are black, and… it is sitting on oil. There are four groups that live in the Darfur area, the 3 black farming tribes: the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa, and in the border land the nomadic Arab Janjaweed. The battle over land rights between these two groups had heated up so much, that the tribes asked the government for help. The government did nothing. The farming tribes were, after all, black. President Bashir encouraged the Arab superiority, and sided with the Janjaweed. When the people of Darfur attempted to strike out at the government in protest, the government decided to slaughter them.
The genocide in Darfur is unthinkable. The government denies all ties to the Janjaweed, but individuals such as Brian Steidle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeKK8F3gRY have taken pictures that prove otherwise.
While efforts have been made to solve each of these issues, they are far from finished. Eliminating slavery in Sudan is like pealing away an onion. Getting rid of one layer of issues such as stopping the genocide in Darfur, does not completely solve the problem, and you will always cry in the process.
Notes
1. Rift Vally Institute, “Abductee Database” 2003
http://www.riftvalley.net/index.php?view=abductee
2. Joseph Winter. “No return for Sudan's forgotten slaves” BBC News southern
Sudan http://news.bbc.co.uk/. 16 March 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/6455365.stm
3. Abuk Bak “Beyond Abeeda” Enslaved ed.Jesse Sage and Liora Kasten (New York:
Palgrave Macmillan) 42-44
4. Winter
5. BBC News “’Thousands made slaves’ in Darfur” 17 December 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7786612.stm
6. Sudan Ebassy in South Africa “Live Stock in Sudan”
http://www.sudani.co.za/economy_agricul_livestock.htm
7. CIA “Economy – overview” Sudan. The World Factbook. 30 September
2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/su.html#top
8. Winter
9. Center for religious Freedom “Sudan: 56 Boy Slaves Freed from Cattle
Camps” Hudson Institute. May 3, 2004.
http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=4720
10. Center for Religious Freedom
11. Christian Society International “267 Southern Sudanese Slaves Liberated”
11 March 2009. http://www.csi-int.org/press_090311.php?sId=01256756585&sucHL=cattle
12. The United Nations Children’s Fund “Children Associated with Armed
Groups” Child Protection Information Sheet. May 2006 http://www.unicef.org/protection/files/Armed_Groups.pdf
13. UNICEF “Meeting Southern Sudan’s former ‘child soldiers’” Thomos Reuters
Foundation. 27 July 2009. http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/59718/2009/06/27-135803-1.htm
14. The United Nations Children’s Fund
15. Peter Warren Singer, Children at War (California: University of California Press 2006) 24
16. Singer 24-25
17. Peter Nyaba The Politics of Liberation in South Sudan: an Insider’s View
(Fountain Publishers, Kimpala) 1997. p 55
18. Singer 24
19. Amnesty International USA “Testimony: Women in Darfur”
http://www.amnestyusa.org/darfur/darfur-facts/testimony-women-in-darfur/page.do?id=1101971
20. Ann Mosely Lesch Sudan: contested national identities (Indiana: Indiana University Press 1998) 26
21. Lesch 26
22. Lesch 27
23. Lesch 26
24. Lesch 33
25. China’s Business Newspaper “Oil-hungry China Funds Sudan Junta” The Standard.
27 April 2005. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Focus/GD27Dh01.html
26. Art Moore “Sudan jihad forces Islam on Christians” WorldNetDaily. 4 March 2002
Sudan is currently run by President Bashir in the north, and tentatively, in the past 4 years, by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army in the south.
There are at least four different forms of slavery in Sudan: domestic, sex, cattle, and child solders. According to the Rift Valley Institute, between 1983 and 2002, 10,000 people with names, and detailed descriptions were confirmed missing, abducted, enslaved, or killed just in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal. This area includes tribes such as the Dinka, Luo, and Fertit. The raids were carried out by the Murahaliin, tribal militias that have operated out of areas of the North under the control of the central government in Khartoum. [1]
Today there are approximately 200,000 enslaved women and children doing domestic and cattle work in Northern Sudan.[2] Most of them were taken between 1983 and 2005, in raids done by the Arab militias on the southern Sudanese tribes. The Dinka, Shilluk, Ingessana, and Beja tribes were hit the hardest by these raiders. In the essay “Beyond Abeeda”, Abuk Bak described the raiders as Arabs on horseback carrying guns. They would ride into a village shooting the village men on site. Bak described the events that happened in 1987 to her village in Achuru as the villagers tried to escape, women and children would be lassoed as if they were a wild horse. [3]
In one account by Joseph Winter a reporter from BBC News, the militia came into a village firing their guns to chase off the adults. They then proceeded to round up children and cattle. They would travel 5 miles before stopping to divide up the children and animals between them. [4]
According to Winter’s account:
Arab militias rode into her village on horseback, firing their guns. When the adults fled, the children and cattle were rounded up and made to walk north for five days before they were divided between members of the raiding party. [4]
Women and children who were captured would watch as their husbands and fathers were murdered, because they wouldn’t take grown men as slaves.
According to BBC news in a telecast on December 17:
a senior Sudanese politician who did not want to be named said kidnappings had also occurred more recently in Darfur. "The army captured many children and women hiding in the bush outside burnt villages," he told the report's authors. "They were transported by plane to Khartoum at night and divided up among soldiers as domestic workers and, in some cases, wives.” [5]
Young boys captured are taken to work in the cattle camps that are scattered across Sudan. Sudan has 37 million cattle, 46 million sheep, 38 million goats, and 3 million camels.[6] In Sudan 80% of the workers are either herding cattle, or farming.[7] This creates an easy excuse for free labor. There were approximately 8,000 slaves in Sudan cattle camps in 2007.[8] Many cattle camp owners persuaded themselves that they were doing the boys a favor, creating a false father-son relationship. In the Baggara cattle camps, boys were required to call their masters “Father”.[9] While the chores the boys were given often were the same as the Arab children, their treatment was not. They would endure beatings, stabbings, rape, racial insults, death threats and forced conversions. A twelve year old named Piol said:
My master (Ibrahim Mohammed) told me not to ask about my mother and father, and ordered me to call him “Father”. Whenever I displeased him, he beat me. Once he hit me on the head with a cow’s horn. Another time, he burned me on the arm. Sometimes he refused to allow me to eat. Ibrahim’s son, Khalid, also bullied me. He threw stones at me, and called me “dog”, “bastard”, and “slave”. Ibrahim made me go to Koranic school. The teacher, Mohammed Razik, said that we should forget about the religion of our people and become Muslims. Otherwise, we would be infidels.[10]
Thirteen year old Atak Anei Achien said:
My master was Hammad Bashir. He made me call him “Father”. But he often beat me with a bamboo stick and sometimes raped me. Hammad’s children were given good clothes, but Hammad gave me rags. My job was to look after cows in the cattle camp.[11]
Child soldiers became prevalent in 1983. According to The United Nation’s Children Fund:
A ‘child soldier’ is any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity – including, but not limited to, combatants, cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members. The definition includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and for forced marriage. [12]
Civil war in Sudan between Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese Government has increased the need for soldiers. One hundred thousand children were in combat on both sides during the country’s second civil war. Both sides have kidnapped their own children in order to supply bodies for their armies. According to The United Nations Children’s Fund, “In Sudan, in March 2004, an estimated 17,000 children were associated with armed forces and groups.”[13] Some children are taken to be used as guards, porters, cooks and ‘wives’. [14]
In the 1980’s the SPLA convinced children to join a refugee camp in Ethiopia. To visitors it appeared to be a typical, if strict, refugee camp for boys. Boys 12-18 years old received full time military training. Those who were 9-11 year olds would receive normal schooling as well as military training.[15] Many of these children died in the camps from disease or hunger before they ever reached the battle field. Three thousand children from Nuba died during training in 1988 because their commander sold their food rations at the local market to make an extra profit.[16] The SPLA used the children to form the “Red Army” a battalion composed of children ages 12 to 18. Lacking strategic planning, the children never had a chance, and were massacred.[17]
The Sudanese Government did the same thing with their youth. The government would clear the streets of children, placing them in what they called orphanages. There they were trained. These children would then become part of the army or the Popular Defense Forces.[18]
Another form of slavery used in the military is that of rape. This is the most common use in the Darfur conflict. Amnesty International USA interviewed several people on the topic:
“They raped women; I saw many cases of Janjawid raping women and girls. They are happy when they rape. They sing when they rape and they tell that we are just slaves and that they can do with us how they wish.”
A., aged 37, from Mukjar camp
“After six days some of the girls were released. But the others, as young as eight years old were kept there. Five to six men would rape us in rounds, one after the other for hours during six days, every night. My husband could not forgive me after this, he disowned me.”
S. from Silaya, near Kulbus[19]
Slavery in Sudan is fueled by three main factors: racism, grazing rights, and civil war
Racism
Tension from racism has been a part of Sudan for thousands of years. In 1500 BC Egypt’s expansion down the Nile had gone far enough south to conquer parts of northern Sudan, then called Nubia. At this time, Sudan was probably used to find slaves, as Nubia is derived from a local word “Nob” meaning “slave”. The Egyptians begin to lose control over the area in 590 BC, and the rulers in Sudan become more localized. By this time, it is highly likely that the Sudanese northerners considered themselves very different from those around them. Their skin color is slightly lighter, and they had been ruled by a great nation; they were generally united with each other. The tribes around them to the west and to the south were still self-governed and had no such unity. In AD 652, Egypt has become a Muslim country, while Sudan followed Ethiopian’s lead in becoming Christian. In order to stop the Egyptian raids, the two countries made a pact together. Egypt agreed to stop invading Sudan, while Sudan would send 400 slaves a year to Egypt. This agreement lasted until 1275. That is about 600 years where the likely location for them to get slaves from would be the southern and western regions of their country. No one wants to take slaves from those they consider family. So the surrounding parts of Sudan were further and further put into the category of less then human. From 1600- 1874 the Darfur leaders began to engage in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.[20] During these years, nomadic tribes often raided villages in order to take and sell slaves. While slavery became less intense after the United States stopped buying slaves, the racism developed through this time did not. Somewhere in this time, the north began to consider themselves “Arab” and southern and western Sudanese were considered black.
When Turkey and Egypt conquered Northern Sudan in 1820, they demanded the people pay tribute to their war efforts through taxes of either cattle or slaves.[21] So the north stepped it up a notch, and raided southern Sudan more vigorously. Their main targets were the villages of Dinka, Shilluk, Ingessana, and Beja, all in Southern Sudan. The Arabs also began taking more slaves for personal use. Before this time they were only used for agricultural work and servants, but now they began using them as cooks, blacksmiths and construction workers.[22]
Grazing Rights
Northern Sudan is mostly desert with dust storms, drought, and seasonal rain, while Southern Sudan is a rainforest. There are many tribes in both southern and northern Sudan whose main occupation is herding. These tribes are nomadic, so they can easily move to better grazing ground. Between 1600 and 1874 it was common for nomadic tribes to raid farming villages and take people as slaves. This was especially true in the Nuba Mountains. The Baqqara Arabs were a nomatic cattle herding tribe that roamed the Nuba Mountain range. In this same area, there were also black Sudanese farming villages. These villages became an easy target for the already racist Baqqara tribes.[23] Because they traveled, picking up slaves from villages was an easy way to make money, get extra hands, and get new land for their cattle to graze on.
In recent years, the desert has begun to expand. This means that the nomadic tribes have to travel further into southern and western Sudan in order to find places for their cattle to graze. As they trample over farmers’ fields, the farmers are losing crops. Fighting breaks out among these groups.
The Janjaweed on the boarder of Darfur were raiding Darfur villages for years and the government did nothing about it.
Civil War
Oil was found in Southern Sudan in 1978. Omar al Bashir forced his way into the Presidency two years later. After only 3 years in office, he decided to impose Islamic law on all of Sudan, knowing full well that very few Muslims live in southern Sudan, the location of the oil.
When Britten took over in 1899, they attempted to solve the slavery problem, therefore limiting the influence Muslims had over the people in the south. The Arabs responded harshly, accusing Britain of creating an anti Islamic society.[24] This was partly because at this time many Christian missionaries were making their way to southern Sudan. Prior to this, most of these tribes were Anamist, very few of them were Muslim, compared to the North which was mostly Islamic. So when Bashir took over, he was able to incite people easily to declare Jihad on the “Christian” southern Sudan. Fueled further by racism, and the fighting over land, the military attacked. Bashir was able to use the profits from oil sales to countries like China, to further fund his war. [25]
During this war, slavery was no longer viewed as a commodity. Instead, it was a way to psychologically tear down the people and destroy their societies. Those who were not taken as slaves and forced to convert to Islam, were killed.
In 1986 Commander Musba entered Uduk, Chali Sudan and said “you are all going to convert from Christianity to Islam today, because here is what’s going to happen to you if you don’t”. He killed 5 church leaders. He herded men, women and children into a hut, and then ran them over with a 50 ton tank. Others were killed by 3 inch nails driven into the top of their heads.[26] These killings were a way to terrorize the villagers and break down their moral.
Before this war ended in 2005, the government found a new target: Darfur. Darfur is in the north, the people are black, and… it is sitting on oil. There are four groups that live in the Darfur area, the 3 black farming tribes: the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa, and in the border land the nomadic Arab Janjaweed. The battle over land rights between these two groups had heated up so much, that the tribes asked the government for help. The government did nothing. The farming tribes were, after all, black. President Bashir encouraged the Arab superiority, and sided with the Janjaweed. When the people of Darfur attempted to strike out at the government in protest, the government decided to slaughter them.
The genocide in Darfur is unthinkable. The government denies all ties to the Janjaweed, but individuals such as Brian Steidle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeKK8F3gRY have taken pictures that prove otherwise.
While efforts have been made to solve each of these issues, they are far from finished. Eliminating slavery in Sudan is like pealing away an onion. Getting rid of one layer of issues such as stopping the genocide in Darfur, does not completely solve the problem, and you will always cry in the process.
Notes
1. Rift Vally Institute, “Abductee Database” 2003
http://www.riftvalley.net/index.php?view=abductee
2. Joseph Winter. “No return for Sudan's forgotten slaves” BBC News southern
Sudan http://news.bbc.co.uk/. 16 March 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/6455365.stm
3. Abuk Bak “Beyond Abeeda” Enslaved ed.Jesse Sage and Liora Kasten (New York:
Palgrave Macmillan) 42-44
4. Winter
5. BBC News “’Thousands made slaves’ in Darfur” 17 December 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7786612.stm
6. Sudan Ebassy in South Africa “Live Stock in Sudan”
http://www.sudani.co.za/economy_agricul_livestock.htm
7. CIA “Economy – overview” Sudan. The World Factbook. 30 September
2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/su.html#top
8. Winter
9. Center for religious Freedom “Sudan: 56 Boy Slaves Freed from Cattle
Camps” Hudson Institute. May 3, 2004.
http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=4720
10. Center for Religious Freedom
11. Christian Society International “267 Southern Sudanese Slaves Liberated”
11 March 2009. http://www.csi-int.org/press_090311.php?sId=01256756585&sucHL=cattle
12. The United Nations Children’s Fund “Children Associated with Armed
Groups” Child Protection Information Sheet. May 2006 http://www.unicef.org/protection/files/Armed_Groups.pdf
13. UNICEF “Meeting Southern Sudan’s former ‘child soldiers’” Thomos Reuters
Foundation. 27 July 2009. http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/59718/2009/06/27-135803-1.htm
14. The United Nations Children’s Fund
15. Peter Warren Singer, Children at War (California: University of California Press 2006) 24
16. Singer 24-25
17. Peter Nyaba The Politics of Liberation in South Sudan: an Insider’s View
(Fountain Publishers, Kimpala) 1997. p 55
18. Singer 24
19. Amnesty International USA “Testimony: Women in Darfur”
http://www.amnestyusa.org/darfur/darfur-facts/testimony-women-in-darfur/page.do?id=1101971
20. Ann Mosely Lesch Sudan: contested national identities (Indiana: Indiana University Press 1998) 26
21. Lesch 26
22. Lesch 27
23. Lesch 26
24. Lesch 33
25. China’s Business Newspaper “Oil-hungry China Funds Sudan Junta” The Standard.
27 April 2005. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Focus/GD27Dh01.html
26. Art Moore “Sudan jihad forces Islam on Christians” WorldNetDaily. 4 March 2002
Thursday, December 18, 2008
April 19th 1775
April 19th 1775
12 AM. Secretly over 600 British soldiers in Boston boarded ships to cross the Charles River. Mission – Destroy all military equipment in Concord. Church bells in Concord began ringing out an alarm, summoning every minuteman within hearing distance. In the town of Boxford in Essex county the minutemen slept, unaware of the danger that crept ever closer to their allies in Concord.
1 AM. The 70 men militia in Lexington was ready. Ready. Ready. John Parker began to believe the British had taken another path. With a sigh, he sent the men back to their homes to sleep while he stayed up, ready and waiting. 5 year old “Betsy” Cole slept soundly in her bedroom in Boxford.
4 AM. John sent out a scout. The scout arrived back exclaiming that the British were only 30 minutes away. Quickly John had the drummer call the men back to arms. Hearing the beats the militia jumped out of their beds and grabbed their guns on their way out the door. They assembled themselves quickly. In Boxford, Nathaniel Peabody snuggled closer to his wife Hepsibah.
5 AM. The men waiting on the Lexington Green began to see the red uniforms of the British army. Lead by Major Pitcairn the British advanced on the straight line of rebels that stood facing him and his men. Pitcairn ordered his men to surround the Militia and disarm them. Hearing the orders, Parker responded by telling his men to stand down and disperse. That was not the day he wanted to see blood spill. As the men began to slowly leave the field, someone’s gun went off. The Green turned to chaos as both sides fired. When Major Pitcairn regained control of his men, the firing stopped. Eight of the 70 militia lay in a pool of blood, dead.
6 AM. Horses shot out in different directions spreading the news. One rider made his way North East toward Boxford, and another scout headed to Concord. The men of concord began hiding every weapon they would not be using in this assault. Thinking of where the last place any British solder would look, someone suggested hiding as much as they could under their animal’s dung. Clearing out the town of the women and children who wished to find safety at a neighboring village, several hundred men remained. 400 Minutemen and militiamen assembled in front of Wright’s Tavern. 65 year old war veteran Col. James Barrett organized the men heading towards the British line.
7 AM. The two lines grew closer and closer and closer. Suddenly the militia reverted course, streaming onto Punkatasset Hill, over looking the North Bridge. The British walked into Concord without a fight, threatening any citizen they found and demanding breakfast and locations to the hidden weapons.
8 AM. Bells all over Essex County rang out the news that the British were attacking. Nathaniel kissed his wife goodbye, giving his children instructions to watch the house. 8 year old Nathaniel watched as his father left down the road with the other men. Daniel Cole waved goodbye to his family as Elizabeth comforted Betsy and the twins, telling them Daddy would be home soon.
9 AM. Frustrated, the British could not find what they were looking for. When they found carts used to transport cannons, they dragged them into the town center and set them on fire. The fire grew taller as the men on the hill panicked believing the Regulars had set their homes on fire. British solders waited quietly on the opposite side of the North Bridge. Startled by the sudden loud noise coming from the trees, the British solders looked just in time to see a flood of men threatening to wash them over the bridge. Isaac Davis rushed in front, his adrenaline pumping as he shot off rounds till a British solder gunned him and another young man down. Moving as one they killed 2 regulars and 1 British officer, wounding 4 regulars and 4 officers.
10 AM. Nathaniel and Daniel kept marching with the Andover minutemen toward Lexington and Concord. Nathaniel wanted to assist his nation; however, he was not as die hard as Daniel. Daniel signed up only a week after the group was first formed back in February.
12 PM. The British were tired and frustrated. They were fighting for a plot of land that obviously did not contain the weapons they had been told where there, and their comrades were dying. It was time to head back to Boston. They thought as they retreated, their attackers would go quietly back to their homes and they would have a chance to refresh themselves. It was to their shock and fear when invisible enemies began firing on them. The minutemen where shooting at them from behind rocks, buildings and trees! More of their numbers shrank and their attempts to fight back failed.
1 PM. The minuteman sat quietly, watching from behind the tree. He could see the red coats approaching. Slowly he positioned his rifle. When he knew his aim was sure, he pulled the trigger. The British solder screamed in agony and fell to the ground dead. In the split second the solders focused their attention on their fallen comrade, the minuteman retract his gun and begin sneaking into the background. The next moment the British where shooting wildly into the woods. By then the Minuteman was rushing to a spot less then a mile down the road. Laying down he waited for Redcoats to arrive again.
2 PM. Shouts and cheers rose from the British Troops. Within eye site a fresh troop of 1000 British solders was marching to meet them. The new troops brought with them fresh ammunition and even a cannon. Shooting off the cannon, the British were able to convince the minutemen to back off.
3 PM. The minutemen in Col. Frye’s regiment where five miles from Concord when they heard the news that the redcoats were retreating back to Boston. The regiment turned around quickly and headed instead toward Boston hoping that they would be able to catch up with them.
4 PM. 4,000 Minutemen from all over greeted the tired and battered British solders as they came to Menotomy. Among these 4,000 men, some trickled in from Essex County.
7 PM. The British made it to safety in the Boston Harbor, boarding a ship for protection from the people. By nightfall, the Andover Regiment gave up its search for the British and bunkered down for the night. Disappointment was high among the men, yet Nathaniel was not eager to make up for it. 3 days later he returned home. Like many others, Daniel was persuaded by Frye to reenlist, and he continued to serve for 3 more months.
12 AM. Secretly over 600 British soldiers in Boston boarded ships to cross the Charles River. Mission – Destroy all military equipment in Concord. Church bells in Concord began ringing out an alarm, summoning every minuteman within hearing distance. In the town of Boxford in Essex county the minutemen slept, unaware of the danger that crept ever closer to their allies in Concord.
1 AM. The 70 men militia in Lexington was ready. Ready. Ready. John Parker began to believe the British had taken another path. With a sigh, he sent the men back to their homes to sleep while he stayed up, ready and waiting. 5 year old “Betsy” Cole slept soundly in her bedroom in Boxford.
4 AM. John sent out a scout. The scout arrived back exclaiming that the British were only 30 minutes away. Quickly John had the drummer call the men back to arms. Hearing the beats the militia jumped out of their beds and grabbed their guns on their way out the door. They assembled themselves quickly. In Boxford, Nathaniel Peabody snuggled closer to his wife Hepsibah.
5 AM. The men waiting on the Lexington Green began to see the red uniforms of the British army. Lead by Major Pitcairn the British advanced on the straight line of rebels that stood facing him and his men. Pitcairn ordered his men to surround the Militia and disarm them. Hearing the orders, Parker responded by telling his men to stand down and disperse. That was not the day he wanted to see blood spill. As the men began to slowly leave the field, someone’s gun went off. The Green turned to chaos as both sides fired. When Major Pitcairn regained control of his men, the firing stopped. Eight of the 70 militia lay in a pool of blood, dead.
6 AM. Horses shot out in different directions spreading the news. One rider made his way North East toward Boxford, and another scout headed to Concord. The men of concord began hiding every weapon they would not be using in this assault. Thinking of where the last place any British solder would look, someone suggested hiding as much as they could under their animal’s dung. Clearing out the town of the women and children who wished to find safety at a neighboring village, several hundred men remained. 400 Minutemen and militiamen assembled in front of Wright’s Tavern. 65 year old war veteran Col. James Barrett organized the men heading towards the British line.
7 AM. The two lines grew closer and closer and closer. Suddenly the militia reverted course, streaming onto Punkatasset Hill, over looking the North Bridge. The British walked into Concord without a fight, threatening any citizen they found and demanding breakfast and locations to the hidden weapons.
8 AM. Bells all over Essex County rang out the news that the British were attacking. Nathaniel kissed his wife goodbye, giving his children instructions to watch the house. 8 year old Nathaniel watched as his father left down the road with the other men. Daniel Cole waved goodbye to his family as Elizabeth comforted Betsy and the twins, telling them Daddy would be home soon.
9 AM. Frustrated, the British could not find what they were looking for. When they found carts used to transport cannons, they dragged them into the town center and set them on fire. The fire grew taller as the men on the hill panicked believing the Regulars had set their homes on fire. British solders waited quietly on the opposite side of the North Bridge. Startled by the sudden loud noise coming from the trees, the British solders looked just in time to see a flood of men threatening to wash them over the bridge. Isaac Davis rushed in front, his adrenaline pumping as he shot off rounds till a British solder gunned him and another young man down. Moving as one they killed 2 regulars and 1 British officer, wounding 4 regulars and 4 officers.
10 AM. Nathaniel and Daniel kept marching with the Andover minutemen toward Lexington and Concord. Nathaniel wanted to assist his nation; however, he was not as die hard as Daniel. Daniel signed up only a week after the group was first formed back in February.
12 PM. The British were tired and frustrated. They were fighting for a plot of land that obviously did not contain the weapons they had been told where there, and their comrades were dying. It was time to head back to Boston. They thought as they retreated, their attackers would go quietly back to their homes and they would have a chance to refresh themselves. It was to their shock and fear when invisible enemies began firing on them. The minutemen where shooting at them from behind rocks, buildings and trees! More of their numbers shrank and their attempts to fight back failed.
1 PM. The minuteman sat quietly, watching from behind the tree. He could see the red coats approaching. Slowly he positioned his rifle. When he knew his aim was sure, he pulled the trigger. The British solder screamed in agony and fell to the ground dead. In the split second the solders focused their attention on their fallen comrade, the minuteman retract his gun and begin sneaking into the background. The next moment the British where shooting wildly into the woods. By then the Minuteman was rushing to a spot less then a mile down the road. Laying down he waited for Redcoats to arrive again.
2 PM. Shouts and cheers rose from the British Troops. Within eye site a fresh troop of 1000 British solders was marching to meet them. The new troops brought with them fresh ammunition and even a cannon. Shooting off the cannon, the British were able to convince the minutemen to back off.
3 PM. The minutemen in Col. Frye’s regiment where five miles from Concord when they heard the news that the redcoats were retreating back to Boston. The regiment turned around quickly and headed instead toward Boston hoping that they would be able to catch up with them.
4 PM. 4,000 Minutemen from all over greeted the tired and battered British solders as they came to Menotomy. Among these 4,000 men, some trickled in from Essex County.
7 PM. The British made it to safety in the Boston Harbor, boarding a ship for protection from the people. By nightfall, the Andover Regiment gave up its search for the British and bunkered down for the night. Disappointment was high among the men, yet Nathaniel was not eager to make up for it. 3 days later he returned home. Like many others, Daniel was persuaded by Frye to reenlist, and he continued to serve for 3 more months.
The Penny
On the fifteenth of May, in the mall of Eastfield, in the heat of the day, in the cool of the water fountain, I was splashing… enjoying the mall’s great joys… when looking down I saw a small coin. So gently, and using the greatest of care, I stretched my small arm through the air, and I lifted the penny and carried it over and placed it down, safe, in my very soft pocket.
At five years old, I was picking up every penny I saw. In 1793 the first penny-the Birch Cent-was minted in Philadelphia. By the twentieth century pennies could be found everywhere. Some people drop pennies, not want to carry the extra weight, while others loath taking the time to count these small coins. At five, a couple pennies could buy me a small toy at a garage sale.
By the time I turned fifteen I had a piggy bank for every decade between 1950 and 2000. While counting my pennies I discovered that most of them were from the 1980’s.
On July 17, 2001 Representative Jim Kolbe introduced legislation to the House called the “Legal Tender Modernization Act,” bill number HR 2528. This bill required all cash transactions worth more than two cents to be rounded to the nearest five cents. The bill did not directly say that the penny would be eliminated, however it did say
“The Secretary of the Treasury may produce so many one-cent pieces as the Secretary determines are sufficient to include in uncirculated sets, proof sets, and other collector sets as, from time to time, the Secretary shall determine.”
The reference to “uncirculated” pennies and “from time to time” insinuates that the penny would no longer be produced for circulation.
At the time, I was too young to be concerned about the over all affect that rounding change might cause on prices. Rumors spread that the change over was definite, and people began hoarding pennies. No one co-sponsored the bill.
The legislation failed.
In 2005 the penny only cost $0.0097 to make. The following year, according to the mints’ annual reports, the cost to produce the penny was $0.0121 (i.e. 1.2 cents) each. I still heard rumors of the penny leaving circulation, but by that time I ignored them as old news. On July 17th, 2006 the COIN Act was introduced to the House of Representatives. Kolbe changed very little in the bill from his previous attempt, but the rise in production costs encouraged five other representatives to co-sponsor the bill.
Supporters of the bill blame the 1.2 cents per penny on the high cost of copper. However, the price of copper is affected by the value of the dollar. Inflation has decreased the value of the dollar. So if the Federal Reserve produces fewer coins or paper currency each year, then the value of each denomination would increase and product prices would decrease.
Having heard nothing of the new proposed bill, I decided, at age 21, to trade my pennies in for paper currency. My penny collecting had matured from just doing odd jobs for my sisters to earn five pennies, to buying pennies from the 1800's. On the twenty-second of December I took my pennies to the bank and traded them for $34.81. I put the extra penny into one of my piggy banks, and put the $34.80 into my wallet.
I continue to pick up pennies whenever I find them in hidden and forgotten places. These pennies might be in drains, underfoot, or in a sock drawer. I even saw one person throwing pennies into a trash can. Every penny I pick up is a penny that I am bringing back into circulation, and therefore supposedly is a penny less that the U. S. Mint has to produce the following year.
This year according to the U.S. Mint the penny costs 1.7 cents per coin. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes up for this loss to the government through paper currency.
“During Fiscal Year 2007, it cost approximately 6.2 cents per note to produce 9.1 billion U.S. paper currency notes.”
Because the life expectancy of a coin is 20 years, a penny only costs $0.00085 per year of circulation.
Despite the rise in cost, 2009 holds promise for penny lovers everywhere. The U.S. Mint is issuing four different penny designs to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny.
The Mint announced that “A new design will be issued approximately every 3 months in 2009” and “The themes for the reverse designs represent the four major aspects of Abraham Lincoln’s life.”
These include Lincoln's Birth in Kentucky (1809-1816), Formative Years in Indiana (1816-1830), Professional Life in Illinois (1830-1861), and Presidency in Washington, DC (1861-1865). Until now, the penny has only changed 11 other times in its history, making a total of fifteen changes by the end of 2009.
So I ask you, should I put this penny down? If I do, these small denominations may come to great harm. I can’t put it down. And I won’t! After all a penny’s still money. No matter how small.
At five years old, I was picking up every penny I saw. In 1793 the first penny-the Birch Cent-was minted in Philadelphia. By the twentieth century pennies could be found everywhere. Some people drop pennies, not want to carry the extra weight, while others loath taking the time to count these small coins. At five, a couple pennies could buy me a small toy at a garage sale.
By the time I turned fifteen I had a piggy bank for every decade between 1950 and 2000. While counting my pennies I discovered that most of them were from the 1980’s.
On July 17, 2001 Representative Jim Kolbe introduced legislation to the House called the “Legal Tender Modernization Act,” bill number HR 2528. This bill required all cash transactions worth more than two cents to be rounded to the nearest five cents. The bill did not directly say that the penny would be eliminated, however it did say
“The Secretary of the Treasury may produce so many one-cent pieces as the Secretary determines are sufficient to include in uncirculated sets, proof sets, and other collector sets as, from time to time, the Secretary shall determine.”
The reference to “uncirculated” pennies and “from time to time” insinuates that the penny would no longer be produced for circulation.
At the time, I was too young to be concerned about the over all affect that rounding change might cause on prices. Rumors spread that the change over was definite, and people began hoarding pennies. No one co-sponsored the bill.
The legislation failed.
In 2005 the penny only cost $0.0097 to make. The following year, according to the mints’ annual reports, the cost to produce the penny was $0.0121 (i.e. 1.2 cents) each. I still heard rumors of the penny leaving circulation, but by that time I ignored them as old news. On July 17th, 2006 the COIN Act was introduced to the House of Representatives. Kolbe changed very little in the bill from his previous attempt, but the rise in production costs encouraged five other representatives to co-sponsor the bill.
Supporters of the bill blame the 1.2 cents per penny on the high cost of copper. However, the price of copper is affected by the value of the dollar. Inflation has decreased the value of the dollar. So if the Federal Reserve produces fewer coins or paper currency each year, then the value of each denomination would increase and product prices would decrease.
Having heard nothing of the new proposed bill, I decided, at age 21, to trade my pennies in for paper currency. My penny collecting had matured from just doing odd jobs for my sisters to earn five pennies, to buying pennies from the 1800's. On the twenty-second of December I took my pennies to the bank and traded them for $34.81. I put the extra penny into one of my piggy banks, and put the $34.80 into my wallet.
I continue to pick up pennies whenever I find them in hidden and forgotten places. These pennies might be in drains, underfoot, or in a sock drawer. I even saw one person throwing pennies into a trash can. Every penny I pick up is a penny that I am bringing back into circulation, and therefore supposedly is a penny less that the U. S. Mint has to produce the following year.
This year according to the U.S. Mint the penny costs 1.7 cents per coin. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes up for this loss to the government through paper currency.
“During Fiscal Year 2007, it cost approximately 6.2 cents per note to produce 9.1 billion U.S. paper currency notes.”
Because the life expectancy of a coin is 20 years, a penny only costs $0.00085 per year of circulation.
Despite the rise in cost, 2009 holds promise for penny lovers everywhere. The U.S. Mint is issuing four different penny designs to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny.
The Mint announced that “A new design will be issued approximately every 3 months in 2009” and “The themes for the reverse designs represent the four major aspects of Abraham Lincoln’s life.”
These include Lincoln's Birth in Kentucky (1809-1816), Formative Years in Indiana (1816-1830), Professional Life in Illinois (1830-1861), and Presidency in Washington, DC (1861-1865). Until now, the penny has only changed 11 other times in its history, making a total of fifteen changes by the end of 2009.
So I ask you, should I put this penny down? If I do, these small denominations may come to great harm. I can’t put it down. And I won’t! After all a penny’s still money. No matter how small.
Seeking a Cure For Malaria
One million people die from malaria every year. Eighty percent die in Sub-Sahara Africa. Most of the victims are children. While Africa falls asleep under insecticide soaked nets, Peter Burkhard, the designer of Peptide Nanoparticles, checks his University of Connecticut e-mail to see how far his research teams at the college and in his homeland, Switzerland, have come in their search for a malaria vaccine.
Each year 350-500 million people suffer from one of the four strains (different types of the same disease) of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae,
MORE
and Plasmodium ovale. These plasmodiums live in blood that is passed along by mosquitoes. Symptoms begin showing after eight days to ten months. The symptoms of these strains may be as simple as the flu, including high fever, shaking chills, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The Plasmodium falciparum strain can cause kidney failure, seizures, brain disease, coma, and death.
Like any disease, malaria induces a very strong immune response as the body tries to defend itself. When recognized early on, drugs such as Chloroquine (Aralen), Quinine and Tetracycline help the body to fight against the malaria disease. There are strains of falciparum in Thailand and Cambodia that resist almost all known drugs.
As a Protein Crystallographer, Burkhard studied protein structures on the atomic level. This led him to the design of Peptide Nanoparticles which are protein folds assembled in a new manner. Burkhard realized that these Nanoparticles looked like virus capsids, which are very strong immunogens. Unlike viral based vaccines, the Peptide Nanoparticles are not infections, non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible and completely harmless. He decided to use Peptide Nanoparticles as a platform for vaccine design.
Taking the surface features of a pathogen such as malaria, they graphed it onto the Nanoparticles to make it look like the disease.
“If we take our Nanoparticles, which look like viruses, and we decorate them with a surface feature, which is usually a peptide of a pathogen like malaria, and we graft it onto the Nanoparticles, these Peptide Nanoparticles look like malaria,” Burkhard said.
“When the real pathogen comes,” Burkhard said, “which looks like our previous Nanoparticles construct, the immune system is already prepared to defend against the real pathogen.”
MORE
The pharmaceutical company Novartis, the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer of vaccines, is interested in the many vaccine application potencials that Burkhard’s Peptide Nanoparticles have. Currently no pharmaceutical companies are supporting malaria vaccine research.
“Malaria is a disease that affects the third world; they cannot afford to buy an expensive vaccine,” said Burkhard, “if a pharmaceutical company has a malaria vaccine or a malaria drug, they cannot make any money with it, so it’s pretty obvious that they don’t invest in malaria research.”
Scientists and missionaries have one thing in common, they need supporters. While missionaries prepare slideshows for Sunday services, scientists write detailed proposals for Grant agencies.
There are two kinds of Grants, federal grants, and corporate grants. According to Umass extension agent Marry Phelon, the differences between them are only in name.
Kathlene Meehan-Coop, the Cooperative Grants Program Senior Manager for CRDF (U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation), said that the CRDF awards a couple hundred grants each year. The foundation decides what kind of science fields they will accept proposals from, and sets up a competition, formally called a RSP or “Call for proposals.” If the competition covers a wide range of studies, they may receive a hundred proposals, for a more targeted competition, usually only about 50 people will apply.
“Proposals have a success rate of about ten percent” said Meehan Coop.
Burkhard’s success rate in the United States has been zero percent.
“There are so many researchers out there, and they all apply for the same pot of money,” Burkhard said, “many researchers just go without funding.”
MORE
Before the proposals ever reach the scientific experts CRDF assigns to each competition, the proposals must first past the administrative test: is the proposal eligible? To be eligible, the
proposal must be in the scope of topic that the competition is covering, and it has to have been received by the deadline. Meehan-Coop said that about ninety percent of the proposals are eligible.
Not every Grant agency hires experts to judge the competition. Burkhard received one proposal back with comments such as ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I cannot judge this.’
“You should have experts in the field to evaluate these proposals, and if they don’t understand the concept, well, that doesn’t really work,” said Burkhard.
“In a research proposal you can always find something to complain about,” said Burkhard, “a strategy that you would rather not follow, or a strategy that you would want to follow and the researcher’s not proposing it.”
Burkhard does not blame the grant companies however. He views their jobs as a hard one of turning away deserving scientists.
“They have tons of good proposals and they have to turn them down, because they don’t have the money.”
Burkhard’s research team in Switzerland is better off. His proposal acceptance rate there has been about fifty percent. Much of his funding comes directly from the Swiss government, where in America, most grant companies are corporately owned.
Historically, Switzerland has been neutral in war time. It was not until September 10th 2002 that they joined the UN. This may in part account for their tax dollars being available for scientific research.
Each year 350-500 million people suffer from one of the four strains (different types of the same disease) of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae,
MORE
and Plasmodium ovale. These plasmodiums live in blood that is passed along by mosquitoes. Symptoms begin showing after eight days to ten months. The symptoms of these strains may be as simple as the flu, including high fever, shaking chills, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The Plasmodium falciparum strain can cause kidney failure, seizures, brain disease, coma, and death.
Like any disease, malaria induces a very strong immune response as the body tries to defend itself. When recognized early on, drugs such as Chloroquine (Aralen), Quinine and Tetracycline help the body to fight against the malaria disease. There are strains of falciparum in Thailand and Cambodia that resist almost all known drugs.
As a Protein Crystallographer, Burkhard studied protein structures on the atomic level. This led him to the design of Peptide Nanoparticles which are protein folds assembled in a new manner. Burkhard realized that these Nanoparticles looked like virus capsids, which are very strong immunogens. Unlike viral based vaccines, the Peptide Nanoparticles are not infections, non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible and completely harmless. He decided to use Peptide Nanoparticles as a platform for vaccine design.
Taking the surface features of a pathogen such as malaria, they graphed it onto the Nanoparticles to make it look like the disease.
“If we take our Nanoparticles, which look like viruses, and we decorate them with a surface feature, which is usually a peptide of a pathogen like malaria, and we graft it onto the Nanoparticles, these Peptide Nanoparticles look like malaria,” Burkhard said.
“When the real pathogen comes,” Burkhard said, “which looks like our previous Nanoparticles construct, the immune system is already prepared to defend against the real pathogen.”
MORE
The pharmaceutical company Novartis, the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer of vaccines, is interested in the many vaccine application potencials that Burkhard’s Peptide Nanoparticles have. Currently no pharmaceutical companies are supporting malaria vaccine research.
“Malaria is a disease that affects the third world; they cannot afford to buy an expensive vaccine,” said Burkhard, “if a pharmaceutical company has a malaria vaccine or a malaria drug, they cannot make any money with it, so it’s pretty obvious that they don’t invest in malaria research.”
Scientists and missionaries have one thing in common, they need supporters. While missionaries prepare slideshows for Sunday services, scientists write detailed proposals for Grant agencies.
There are two kinds of Grants, federal grants, and corporate grants. According to Umass extension agent Marry Phelon, the differences between them are only in name.
Kathlene Meehan-Coop, the Cooperative Grants Program Senior Manager for CRDF (U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation), said that the CRDF awards a couple hundred grants each year. The foundation decides what kind of science fields they will accept proposals from, and sets up a competition, formally called a RSP or “Call for proposals.” If the competition covers a wide range of studies, they may receive a hundred proposals, for a more targeted competition, usually only about 50 people will apply.
“Proposals have a success rate of about ten percent” said Meehan Coop.
Burkhard’s success rate in the United States has been zero percent.
“There are so many researchers out there, and they all apply for the same pot of money,” Burkhard said, “many researchers just go without funding.”
MORE
Before the proposals ever reach the scientific experts CRDF assigns to each competition, the proposals must first past the administrative test: is the proposal eligible? To be eligible, the
proposal must be in the scope of topic that the competition is covering, and it has to have been received by the deadline. Meehan-Coop said that about ninety percent of the proposals are eligible.
Not every Grant agency hires experts to judge the competition. Burkhard received one proposal back with comments such as ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I cannot judge this.’
“You should have experts in the field to evaluate these proposals, and if they don’t understand the concept, well, that doesn’t really work,” said Burkhard.
“In a research proposal you can always find something to complain about,” said Burkhard, “a strategy that you would rather not follow, or a strategy that you would want to follow and the researcher’s not proposing it.”
Burkhard does not blame the grant companies however. He views their jobs as a hard one of turning away deserving scientists.
“They have tons of good proposals and they have to turn them down, because they don’t have the money.”
Burkhard’s research team in Switzerland is better off. His proposal acceptance rate there has been about fifty percent. Much of his funding comes directly from the Swiss government, where in America, most grant companies are corporately owned.
Historically, Switzerland has been neutral in war time. It was not until September 10th 2002 that they joined the UN. This may in part account for their tax dollars being available for scientific research.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Cold Darkness
The dark cold night nocks on my window to torment me. I lock myself away in my room, hoping to escape it's evil glare. Memories of other days where I had to venture out into the cold darkness haunt my mind. I can almost taste the signals of fear shot to my brain from every sense in my body. In the dark, the cold becomes more then an annoying pest, more then a slightly painful encounter, it becomes dangerous.
Weather has an effect on people psychologically. Some people find they are thinking at their highest potential when it is very cold, a little chilly, or warm with a touch of cool breeze. I like it hot. Why is this I often wonder? Perhaps it is just because I feel uncomfortable in the cold... but I doubt it. What does the warmth do for me? It is like a cloak wraping itself around me. It is like my baby blanket something I can almost grasp. It is as if nature itself is reaching out to hug me. Right now sitting in my room, it is an average temp, a little chilly for my taste, but all in all average. I do not feel the closesness, or the arms of warm weather around me now. It is rather empty really. Is it any wonder I struggle to get out of bed? What awaits me when I rise? This emptieness! Even now I long to get under the covers so I can escape the empty feeling of an average temperatured room.
What would happen if, per chance, I stepped outside this night? It is dark out, which only compounds the bitter cold that awaits beyond these walls. I let my mind drift to a warm starry night. I lay in the grass outside watching the stars. Where is the fear? The night errups with frogs, crickets, russling of leaves and mysterious unidentifiable sounds. While the noises startle a little, I do not feel fear.
What combinations of biology and psychology lead me to fear the cold nights? Perhaps it is a mystory I shall never understand.
Weather has an effect on people psychologically. Some people find they are thinking at their highest potential when it is very cold, a little chilly, or warm with a touch of cool breeze. I like it hot. Why is this I often wonder? Perhaps it is just because I feel uncomfortable in the cold... but I doubt it. What does the warmth do for me? It is like a cloak wraping itself around me. It is like my baby blanket something I can almost grasp. It is as if nature itself is reaching out to hug me. Right now sitting in my room, it is an average temp, a little chilly for my taste, but all in all average. I do not feel the closesness, or the arms of warm weather around me now. It is rather empty really. Is it any wonder I struggle to get out of bed? What awaits me when I rise? This emptieness! Even now I long to get under the covers so I can escape the empty feeling of an average temperatured room.
What would happen if, per chance, I stepped outside this night? It is dark out, which only compounds the bitter cold that awaits beyond these walls. I let my mind drift to a warm starry night. I lay in the grass outside watching the stars. Where is the fear? The night errups with frogs, crickets, russling of leaves and mysterious unidentifiable sounds. While the noises startle a little, I do not feel fear.
What combinations of biology and psychology lead me to fear the cold nights? Perhaps it is a mystory I shall never understand.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Connecting Time
Time moves in lapses, as it joins days together into a spider web with many links drawing it together. It connects -- retracts -- connects -- retracts, as you move around it. My heart gives way to the pounding rain, I can hear nothing. Nothing? My soul throbs in the rhythm of time as points connect retract, connect again. Retracting I can smell food coming from the restraint vents as I hold the cold railing. I can taste the air as I walk into the church office for puppet team practice. Connect -- retract -- connect. “You can’t be part of us.” The words sting, as reality sets in.
Retracting, I hear them fighting about me. Words of anger spark from my pastors lips. I recoil, wondering what I did that was so wrong, why I could no longer belong. Throbs connect again. I’m 14, 21, 14, 21, age and time connect -- retract -- connect. The couch feels hard as I lay their crying. I hear noises on the other side of the door. Do they hear me crying despite their noise? Would any of them even care? Retract -- connect -- retract. My team mates are only kids like me. 14-17 years old. I can not put much stock in them. Why did I long so much for one of them to join me on that couch and tell me they were behind me? Connect -- retract -- connect. I thought my pastor cared, but now he wants me out. I trusted him, but now I’m just a threat. “You cannot work with us.” My world spins out of control. Retract -- connect -- retract. “History repeats itself.” Now I believe. Different time, another reason, stories still the same.
My Soul throbs and my tears blur my vision. I knew this would happen, all the signs where obviously there. Was what I did so wrong? Connect -- retract. It was not my fault. At 14-years-old, my parents are in charge. This means when they say no, it is final. My youth pastor did not like them because of this, but this too was not my fault. My parents questioned his authority, and this was not to be done. Connect -- retract. I questioned his authority. I questioned if he was right.
Connect -- retract -- connect. Was I wrong to talk to my parents? Was it wrong to believe different? I’ll do whatever you ask, I’ll work things out, and I’ll change if I must! Don’t throw me out. Retract -- connect -- retract. Words cutting deep, “You have sharp fangs, you know that?” Yes, sharp fangs, used to scrape my own skin. Retract – connect -- retract -- connect. Time is clicking away. Will this hurt him? Will he remember? Or will I be thrown out of all his memories? My mind restlessly replays the scene with new words I’d say if I could see him again, or turn back the time. “I’d do it again.” Rings “you do not matter” retract connect retract. Belonging is a rare event for me. I feel a strong connection, expectance feels so sweet. *crush* my place of belonging spirals out of my grasp. Connect -- retract. I fall asleep to the rhythm of the clicking time.
Spots Of Grace
Amazing Grace
I cursed myself
How sweet the sound
Of scratching nails
That saved a wretch
But not my skin
I once was lost
In my despair
Now I'm found
Despairingly scratching
Was blind
With tears
Now I see
The spots of blood
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Melting
She opened the door to the fondue restaurant, and stepped inside. She stood there momentarily.
“Ma’am, do you have a reservation?”
She stared blankly momentarily, then as if coming out of a dream replied “Yes, excuse me, it’s Porter, Kate Porter”
“Right this way ma’am”
She smiled meekly and took a deep breath, as if taking in the scene.
“This way my lady” Seth Porter gently took her wrinkle free hand and led her out of the cold entryway, and into a darkly lit room. She gasped with delight as she entered what could have been a new world. Unlike the entry way, this room was darkly lit, not warm, but not cold. Each set of seats where surrounded by a high wall, leaving only one side exposed to other tables. They sat down in the soft cushioned L shaped booth. The candle across the table danced on the wall. She slid around cozying into Seth’s arms. His chin gently rested on her head, her wrists touched each other as she hugged him.
“Ma’am?”
“Oh, yes, just a glass of wine please”
She stared at the warm hotplate on the far corner of the table. She smiled, almost tasting the warm Swiss cheese. She laughed. Seth was so handsome in that suit.
“I am going to dip this piece of bread, as it is the one I have been eyeing” having dipped the bread into the cheese fondue, he gently placed it into her mouth. She moaned as the delicate bread melted in her mouth. The taste was so divine how could it not be heaven?
“Your wine ma’am?”
She sighed heavily “thank you” The wine tasted bitter, and its dull red color matched her tear strained eyes. She stared as the waiter placed a meat platter on the table across from her.
“Its done” he said with pleasure in his voice. “Wait, what are you doing?” he laughed. She smiled sheepishly as she dropped the two lobster tail shells back onto the plate. “They look like they have eyes, I thought maybe they’d want to play with each other” she looked up at him batting her eyes. He laughed “well, now it looks like they’ll be having kids”
“Oh!” she chuckled as she separated the two discretely.
“Kate, will you promise me something?”
“Anything”
“Promise me that no matter what happens, you will come back here when the war is over?”
“I promise”
Tears streamed down her face, as she watched the busboys finish cleaning the room. Quietly she picked up her purse. She had only one more stop to make before turning in. She hoped the caretaker would not mind a midnight walk through the cemetery.
Friday, February 17, 2006
I had been here at TCC a couple of months, and the homesick feeling sunk deep into my gut. I longed to taste the moist meat loaf with creamy potatoes. The smell of burning wood triggers memories of burning sap into maple syrup with my dad every spring. I waited with child like anticipation for a package from home. It came! I hopped up and down like a little girl. Ripping off the packaging tape and opening the boxs brought home to me. I was in my grammies basement again. The smell was distinct and strong on every shirt and sweater. I breathed deep then laid back in eager delight.
My Grandfather
His face was pale and lifeless, but I was not afraid. I stared into his eyes, holding momies hand. The prayer bar momie knelt at came only to my chin. He had a plaster smile, uncariceristic of is nature. His laughing smile laughs no more, his glasses no longer aid his vision. I wished he'd wake up and put me on his lap. Was the room full? Was it empty? My world did not include them. Grampa's lifeless body lay, forever captsled in time.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
A Twisted Tale
This is a tale of horror, suspense and mystery. Chelsea was born on a warm rainy night, and he already knew who she looked like. She had her father’s eyes, her mother’s hair, and grandma’s gray spot on the ear. Four days passed, when he placed his cold hand around Chelsea, and tightly wrapped a rubber band around her tail. She whimpered as anyone would, but nothing stopped the pain. A couple days of agony went by, and the tail falls. Chelsea has entered into the Society of Docked Dogs.
The earliest form of docking dates back to the first century. According to Desmond Morris in his book Dog Watching, the practice was introduced by Columella, a Roman agriculturalist. He instructed that four-day-old puppies should have their tails bitten off to protect them from rabies (Morris 119). This practice soon lost its original purpose and acquired new reasons including: the prevention of back and tail injuries, enabling the dog to run faster, and promoting better hygiene. Today, these reasons encompass only part of the pro docking argument. Other arguments include the beliefs that the puppies do not experience pain and that the owner has a right to do as he wishes. I will be unraveling their arguments on whether puppies experience pain, if tail damage is prevented, and hygiene issues.
Some of those who support the docking of dogs believe that puppies are too young to feel any pain. In the Australian Veterinary Journal, Robert K Wansbrough explains the fallacies of this in the following remark “Anatomical studies have shown that the density of cutaneous nociceptive nerve endings in the late fetus and newborn animal may equal or exceed that of adult skin” (Wansbrough). So we see that puppies may feel more pain than adult dogs. According to Tail Docking in dogs: a review of the issues written by PC Bennett and E Perini, a study called Behavioral observations of puppies undergoing tail docking recorded the responses of 50 puppies. They found
…all puppies struggled and vocalized intensely and repeatedly at the time of amputation, recording an average of 24 ‘shrieks’ and 18 ‘whimpers’ during and immediately after docking. They also vocalized intensely as a suture was applied (Bennett).
They went on to explain that vocalization was one indicator of pain being experienced (Bennett).
On Counsel of Docked Breed’s website, they claim that using the proper anesthetics makes the process painless (www.cdb.org), yet according to the New South Wales’ legislative counsel, these drugs are impractical for use on puppies, and may result in serious complications; therefore they are usually not used (Wales). If therefore, a puppy experiences pain and can not handle anesthetics then docking is inhumane.
According to the Counsel of Docked Breeds website, a working dog has a high likelihood of damaging its tail and therefore needing it to be amputated (www.cdb.org). Yet according to New South Wales, “Inflicting an unnecessary and potentially painful injury to prevent an accidental one that may, but is unlikely to, occur appears to be contrary to the animal's welfare” (Wales). In Sweden, tail injuries among previously docked breeds rose from 38% to 51% since docking was banned in 1989 (www.cdb.org). Although I understand why this would alarm some, this statistic is not conclusive enough to warrant docking. 51% is not much if the total number of tail injuries involved only ten dogs. According to Amy L. Broughton, “statistics concerning tail injuries are often misleading, as not all tail injuries require a full amputation. Many injuries require only a cleaning and natural healing” (Broughton). Unfortunately, the owners of working dogs often do not have time for natural healing, which may be the reason they have the tail amputated instead. Broughton points out that there are many working dogs whose tails are not docked, as well as the many non-working dogs whose tails are docked (Broughton). For example, the Bearded Collie is an undocked dog who works under the same conditions as an Old English Sheep dog that is docked. To further the irony, if the Old English Sheep Dog were allowed to grow his tail, it would resemble the tail of the Bearded Collie. Unless they also dock the Bearded Collie, this argument clearly falls to pieces.
The Old English Sheep dog is one of several docked breeds whose thick fur can get in the way of cleanliness. If the dog is not properly brushed and bathed by a responsible owner, the tail can create added problems for the dog, and the vet who untangles the mess. This is possibly the most illogical of all the pro docking arguments. The first flaw is similar to that of the last argument, undocked Bearded Collies have similar fur, and yet no one suggests docking them. Further, the likelihood of an Old English Sheep dog having a negligent owner is slim. Breeders are very particular regarding to whom they sell their puppies, and therefore, they would not sell one to an owner who does not properly take care of his dogs. That cuts down on the likelihood of negligent owners considerably. Because many Old English Sheep dogs have their fur shaved off during the summer, grooming only becomes an issue for part of the year.
Tail damage and bad grooming, both of these are possible futures for an undocked dog. Yet, is it logical to ban cars because the high likelihood of people crashing and perhaps dying? If we would not ban cars, though the risks are high, then why would you cut off every tail of traditionally docked breeds for mere possibilities? Perhaps you would like to see cars banned, yet the proof that puppies do experience pain is enough to see the problems with the docking process. Docking causes puppies’ extreme pain and since there is little justification it is inhumane and unacceptable.
Works Cited
Bennett, PC and E Perini “Tail docking in dogs: a review of the issues” PC Bennett and E Perini Australian Veterinary Journal 81.4 April 2003
Broughton, Amy L. “Cropping and Docking: A Discussion of the Controversy and the Role of Law in preventing, Unnecessary Cosmetic Surgery on Dogs” Michigan State University College of Law: Animal Legal & Historical Web Center 2003 http://www.animallaw.info/articles/dduscroppingdocking.htm#1
Counsel of Docked Breeds, www.cdb.org 27 March 2005
Morris, Desmond Dog Watching New York: New York, 1987
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Tail Docking) Bill 10 March 2004 New South
Wales Legislative Council Hansard, Pages 6933 - 6935 (article 33) http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20040310033
Wansbrough, Robert K. “Cosmetic Tail Docking of Dogs’ Tails” Australian Veterinary Journal 74.1 July 1996
The earliest form of docking dates back to the first century. According to Desmond Morris in his book Dog Watching, the practice was introduced by Columella, a Roman agriculturalist. He instructed that four-day-old puppies should have their tails bitten off to protect them from rabies (Morris 119). This practice soon lost its original purpose and acquired new reasons including: the prevention of back and tail injuries, enabling the dog to run faster, and promoting better hygiene. Today, these reasons encompass only part of the pro docking argument. Other arguments include the beliefs that the puppies do not experience pain and that the owner has a right to do as he wishes. I will be unraveling their arguments on whether puppies experience pain, if tail damage is prevented, and hygiene issues.
Some of those who support the docking of dogs believe that puppies are too young to feel any pain. In the Australian Veterinary Journal, Robert K Wansbrough explains the fallacies of this in the following remark “Anatomical studies have shown that the density of cutaneous nociceptive nerve endings in the late fetus and newborn animal may equal or exceed that of adult skin” (Wansbrough). So we see that puppies may feel more pain than adult dogs. According to Tail Docking in dogs: a review of the issues written by PC Bennett and E Perini, a study called Behavioral observations of puppies undergoing tail docking recorded the responses of 50 puppies. They found
…all puppies struggled and vocalized intensely and repeatedly at the time of amputation, recording an average of 24 ‘shrieks’ and 18 ‘whimpers’ during and immediately after docking. They also vocalized intensely as a suture was applied (Bennett).
They went on to explain that vocalization was one indicator of pain being experienced (Bennett).
On Counsel of Docked Breed’s website, they claim that using the proper anesthetics makes the process painless (www.cdb.org), yet according to the New South Wales’ legislative counsel, these drugs are impractical for use on puppies, and may result in serious complications; therefore they are usually not used (Wales). If therefore, a puppy experiences pain and can not handle anesthetics then docking is inhumane.
According to the Counsel of Docked Breeds website, a working dog has a high likelihood of damaging its tail and therefore needing it to be amputated (www.cdb.org). Yet according to New South Wales, “Inflicting an unnecessary and potentially painful injury to prevent an accidental one that may, but is unlikely to, occur appears to be contrary to the animal's welfare” (Wales). In Sweden, tail injuries among previously docked breeds rose from 38% to 51% since docking was banned in 1989 (www.cdb.org). Although I understand why this would alarm some, this statistic is not conclusive enough to warrant docking. 51% is not much if the total number of tail injuries involved only ten dogs. According to Amy L. Broughton, “statistics concerning tail injuries are often misleading, as not all tail injuries require a full amputation. Many injuries require only a cleaning and natural healing” (Broughton). Unfortunately, the owners of working dogs often do not have time for natural healing, which may be the reason they have the tail amputated instead. Broughton points out that there are many working dogs whose tails are not docked, as well as the many non-working dogs whose tails are docked (Broughton). For example, the Bearded Collie is an undocked dog who works under the same conditions as an Old English Sheep dog that is docked. To further the irony, if the Old English Sheep Dog were allowed to grow his tail, it would resemble the tail of the Bearded Collie. Unless they also dock the Bearded Collie, this argument clearly falls to pieces.
The Old English Sheep dog is one of several docked breeds whose thick fur can get in the way of cleanliness. If the dog is not properly brushed and bathed by a responsible owner, the tail can create added problems for the dog, and the vet who untangles the mess. This is possibly the most illogical of all the pro docking arguments. The first flaw is similar to that of the last argument, undocked Bearded Collies have similar fur, and yet no one suggests docking them. Further, the likelihood of an Old English Sheep dog having a negligent owner is slim. Breeders are very particular regarding to whom they sell their puppies, and therefore, they would not sell one to an owner who does not properly take care of his dogs. That cuts down on the likelihood of negligent owners considerably. Because many Old English Sheep dogs have their fur shaved off during the summer, grooming only becomes an issue for part of the year.
Tail damage and bad grooming, both of these are possible futures for an undocked dog. Yet, is it logical to ban cars because the high likelihood of people crashing and perhaps dying? If we would not ban cars, though the risks are high, then why would you cut off every tail of traditionally docked breeds for mere possibilities? Perhaps you would like to see cars banned, yet the proof that puppies do experience pain is enough to see the problems with the docking process. Docking causes puppies’ extreme pain and since there is little justification it is inhumane and unacceptable.
Works Cited
Bennett, PC and E Perini “Tail docking in dogs: a review of the issues” PC Bennett and E Perini Australian Veterinary Journal 81.4 April 2003
Broughton, Amy L. “Cropping and Docking: A Discussion of the Controversy and the Role of Law in preventing, Unnecessary Cosmetic Surgery on Dogs” Michigan State University College of Law: Animal Legal & Historical Web Center 2003 http://www.animallaw.info/articles/dduscroppingdocking.htm#1
Counsel of Docked Breeds, www.cdb.org 27 March 2005
Morris, Desmond Dog Watching New York: New York, 1987
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Tail Docking) Bill 10 March 2004 New South
Wales Legislative Council Hansard, Pages 6933 - 6935 (article 33) http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20040310033
Wansbrough, Robert K. “Cosmetic Tail Docking of Dogs’ Tails” Australian Veterinary Journal 74.1 July 1996
Peace: The Solution to Hate Crime Legislation
Michigan Representative John Conyers, Jr. offered an amendment to the Children’s Safety Act, a bill presented to protect children from sexual predators. His amendment adds sexual orientation, gender, and disability to the list of federal hate crimes. This would give stiffer sentences to anyone convicted of a violent crime motivated by hatred of these protected groups. While homosexuals are excited about this break through, conservative Christians are worried. Fearing that this is a “Trojan horse” for other legislation leading to pass hate speech legislation or at least further legitimizing homosexuality. (The problem with hate crime laws)
Having read the Children’s Safety Act bill, I am confident that free speech and justice are both in tact and safe, at least from this bill. It affects only violent crimes, as is expressed here:
Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person (HR3132)
What may be concerning the conservative Christian community is the suddenness of these changes, and seeing it pass the house before they realized the changes were made. This is understandably unnerving. What other decisions could be made without conservatives having a chance to counter? The solution to this stress is peace.
Peace comes in two forms, Peace from God, and peace between neighbors. The peace from God will lead Christians through any situation, giving them grace to stand despite the trouble. The peace between neighbors opens up communication and friendship so we will not have to fear what they will do. It helps people work together.
We will assume the conservative’s fears are correct. The bill leaves loop holes, or other bills are amended and become law before Christians realize what is happening. Let’s say that because of this Christians are imprisoned for speaking out against homosexuality. Imagine criminals receiving longer sentences depending on the perceived reason for committing the crime. Will these changes prevent Christians from serving God fully? Will they stop them from spreading the gospel? When we get to heaven, will this still matter?
Christians believe that God takes care of them. One of the ways this is expressed in the Bible is in Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (KJV Rom. 8:28) This means that no matter what happens in the world, God is going to work it out for the good of Christians. Therefore, if speaking out against homosexuality became illegal, many Christians would be imprisoned, resulting in a new form of prison ministry. Those who stopped speaking out would find new ways to reach out to homosexuals, and some would be superior to current methods of outreach. What of criminals receiving longer sentences? In some countries a petty thief would lose his hand or be thrown into prison, at the first offense. Murderers forfeit their lives, at the first offense. In the United States this is no longer a method, and criminals can be grateful for the lightness of their sentence.
Don’t miss understand me, I am not saying we should employ harsher punishments for first offenses. What I am saying is that sin is punished with death and an eternity in hell for those who do not follow Christ. Therefore, a criminal receiving a heavier sentence than normal, for whatever reason, is still getting less then what he deserves. A criminal who has not committed a hate crime does not receive a lighter sentence; rather he receives the punishment that we have agreed on previously.
The hardest thing to do is make peace with ones perceived enemy. Yet some times it is one’s only means of survival. To make peace does not mean they agree, but it does open up discussion and leaves both free to discuss solutions that will not conflict with either side. Rather than holding back a tide of homosexual legislation, it would be better to create friends among the homosexual community. This opens up doors to suggest revisions to bills, or substitute legislation that will work better, and content both sides.
Whether or not you believe these bills will be destructive is not as important as recognizing that it is not the end of the world. Peace is in the grasp of anyone who wants it. Christianity will not be devastated by new legislation. Therefore the best option is to make friends while we can, and use everything as an opportunity to be examples of Christ.
Work Cited
HR3132 Child Safety Act 14 September 2005
The Holy Bible King James Version Nashville, TN 1980
THE PROBLEM WITH HATE CRIME LAW 27 October 2005 New York Christian Coalition http://www.nychristiancoalition.org/HateCrimesLaws.htm
Having read the Children’s Safety Act bill, I am confident that free speech and justice are both in tact and safe, at least from this bill. It affects only violent crimes, as is expressed here:
Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person (HR3132)
What may be concerning the conservative Christian community is the suddenness of these changes, and seeing it pass the house before they realized the changes were made. This is understandably unnerving. What other decisions could be made without conservatives having a chance to counter? The solution to this stress is peace.
Peace comes in two forms, Peace from God, and peace between neighbors. The peace from God will lead Christians through any situation, giving them grace to stand despite the trouble. The peace between neighbors opens up communication and friendship so we will not have to fear what they will do. It helps people work together.
We will assume the conservative’s fears are correct. The bill leaves loop holes, or other bills are amended and become law before Christians realize what is happening. Let’s say that because of this Christians are imprisoned for speaking out against homosexuality. Imagine criminals receiving longer sentences depending on the perceived reason for committing the crime. Will these changes prevent Christians from serving God fully? Will they stop them from spreading the gospel? When we get to heaven, will this still matter?
Christians believe that God takes care of them. One of the ways this is expressed in the Bible is in Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (KJV Rom. 8:28) This means that no matter what happens in the world, God is going to work it out for the good of Christians. Therefore, if speaking out against homosexuality became illegal, many Christians would be imprisoned, resulting in a new form of prison ministry. Those who stopped speaking out would find new ways to reach out to homosexuals, and some would be superior to current methods of outreach. What of criminals receiving longer sentences? In some countries a petty thief would lose his hand or be thrown into prison, at the first offense. Murderers forfeit their lives, at the first offense. In the United States this is no longer a method, and criminals can be grateful for the lightness of their sentence.
Don’t miss understand me, I am not saying we should employ harsher punishments for first offenses. What I am saying is that sin is punished with death and an eternity in hell for those who do not follow Christ. Therefore, a criminal receiving a heavier sentence than normal, for whatever reason, is still getting less then what he deserves. A criminal who has not committed a hate crime does not receive a lighter sentence; rather he receives the punishment that we have agreed on previously.
The hardest thing to do is make peace with ones perceived enemy. Yet some times it is one’s only means of survival. To make peace does not mean they agree, but it does open up discussion and leaves both free to discuss solutions that will not conflict with either side. Rather than holding back a tide of homosexual legislation, it would be better to create friends among the homosexual community. This opens up doors to suggest revisions to bills, or substitute legislation that will work better, and content both sides.
Whether or not you believe these bills will be destructive is not as important as recognizing that it is not the end of the world. Peace is in the grasp of anyone who wants it. Christianity will not be devastated by new legislation. Therefore the best option is to make friends while we can, and use everything as an opportunity to be examples of Christ.
Work Cited
HR3132 Child Safety Act 14 September 2005
The Holy Bible King James Version Nashville, TN 1980
THE PROBLEM WITH HATE CRIME LAW 27 October 2005 New York Christian Coalition http://www.nychristiancoalition.org/HateCrimesLaws.htm
The Thief
The room was silent except for the rhythmic tapping of the teacher. Peter felt eyes boring into his racing mind. His knuckles began to turn white as he clenched the chair. How did he end up here, in this office, with these people? The idea seamed so innocent, so easy. He could feel his senior year slipping away. And then it was gone. Everything he worked so hard for, gone. It was all for what? Was stealing worth it?
Peter was caught plagiarizing. We do not know why he plagiarized; perhaps he was out of time, or too tired to concentrate on his paper, maybe he was failing the class and needed an A on this paper to pass the class. Whatever his reasons may be, Peter was caught, and now risks failing the class and being expelled from the school. If Peter is fortunate enough to attend TCC, then his first offence will only result in failing that paper, with no chance to make it up. However, if this was his second offence, expulsion is luminous.
I have related plagiarism to stealing, in order to express the seriousness of this crime. In its purest form, plagiarism is stealing the words, or ideas of someone else, and claiming them to be your own. This crime is as serious as stealing a physical item, and to the writer, may be far worse. In the same way a scientist is enraged when someone steals their notes and calculations for an invention, and then presents the finished product as if they had created it, so authors feel enraged when someone plagiarizes.
While some equate plagiarism to stealing, many more call it cheating. The purpose of a teacher asking you to write a paper is to see if you get the point. An English teacher can not judge how well you understand how to write, if it is not your own writing that you are presenting. A science professor will not know if you understand the concepts, unless you are writing these concepts in your own words. It is the equivalent of copying the answers off of your neighbors test.
Peter’s fate is eminent, but yours has not yet been decided. Avoid plagiarism like you avoid a plague. Do not give even the appearance of plagiarism. If you are unsure whether the ideas you are presenting are general facts or another author’s words, than give credit to the source. As Professor McDermott said, no teacher ever got mad about over citing in a paper.
Peter was caught plagiarizing. We do not know why he plagiarized; perhaps he was out of time, or too tired to concentrate on his paper, maybe he was failing the class and needed an A on this paper to pass the class. Whatever his reasons may be, Peter was caught, and now risks failing the class and being expelled from the school. If Peter is fortunate enough to attend TCC, then his first offence will only result in failing that paper, with no chance to make it up. However, if this was his second offence, expulsion is luminous.
I have related plagiarism to stealing, in order to express the seriousness of this crime. In its purest form, plagiarism is stealing the words, or ideas of someone else, and claiming them to be your own. This crime is as serious as stealing a physical item, and to the writer, may be far worse. In the same way a scientist is enraged when someone steals their notes and calculations for an invention, and then presents the finished product as if they had created it, so authors feel enraged when someone plagiarizes.
While some equate plagiarism to stealing, many more call it cheating. The purpose of a teacher asking you to write a paper is to see if you get the point. An English teacher can not judge how well you understand how to write, if it is not your own writing that you are presenting. A science professor will not know if you understand the concepts, unless you are writing these concepts in your own words. It is the equivalent of copying the answers off of your neighbors test.
Peter’s fate is eminent, but yours has not yet been decided. Avoid plagiarism like you avoid a plague. Do not give even the appearance of plagiarism. If you are unsure whether the ideas you are presenting are general facts or another author’s words, than give credit to the source. As Professor McDermott said, no teacher ever got mad about over citing in a paper.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Poem: I love you
This poem is writen for, and dedicated to, Gavin Dancy.
I love you
Can stronger words be found?
Deeper feelings roused?
A token phrase can’t erase
meanings etched in blood
Love is a flowing stream
headed towards an ocean
From the depths arises a
strong and thriving affection
Bearing on it’s back
all the pain and trials
The moon pulls the waters
The ocean follows without question
Trusting with unquaking devotion
Rain comes in tender drops
Soothing in it’s touch
The ground cherishes the water
Holding in with joy
The trees send roots far and deep
Hoping to touch water
So I thrive in your embrace
Whispering words “I love you”
Can stronger words be found?
Deeper feelings roused?
A token phrase can’t erase
meanings etched in blood
Love is a flowing stream
headed towards an ocean
From the depths arises a
strong and thriving affection
Bearing on it’s back
all the pain and trials
The moon pulls the waters
The ocean follows without question
Trusting with unquaking devotion
Rain comes in tender drops
Soothing in it’s touch
The ground cherishes the water
Holding in with joy
The trees send roots far and deep
Hoping to touch water
So I thrive in your embrace
Whispering words “I love you”
Friday, August 12, 2005
Interveiw with band Mu5tard
Mu5tard is a Rock N’ Roll band from New England. The band first came on stage in 1998. When I asked Mark and Manley Grove -the brothers who provide the back bone for the band-how the band got started, Manley responded "there was a radio station in our area where a lot of musicians would hang out. We would jam in the lobby area. We met some of the other guys in the band that way." Manley is the band’s lead singer, and Mark is their drummer. The other band members include Kevin Brennan on bass and BGVs, and Kyle Brennan on guitar and vocals. I asked Manley and Mark a couple questions, the answers of which I’m sure you will find intriguing.
Q: How do you go about writing music, and where do you get your ideas?
Manley: They come about in different ways. Normally, we practice the songs we are performing about three or four times in a practice, and then when practice dies down, we will sit around jamming, and so some songs come out of that. Our single "We Are One" came out of this. As for the lyrics, I keep random notes around, and after awhile things start to assemble. As therapy you release things to paper, scribbling stuff out. "We Are One" came out after meeting the guys from "Rock for Life", an anti- abortion group, and they inspired us. So the lyrics came out of that, and thinking it out in our heads. And then sometimes it will work in a backwards way. I’ll just sit in my room with my guitar, and start singing melodies. Everyone does it differently. I have a friend who sings into his phone’s voice mail whenever he thinks of something. Also keeping notebooks and tape recorders around helps.
Q: What makes your band special?
Manley: I think what makes us special is that we are big on melody. We love to harmonize guitars and vocals. I try to write from a place that is open and honest. That is my goal, and it takes more and more courage to do this. Like Miranda Stone, she’s a folk singer from Canada, and her stuff is just brutally honest, and beautiful. . Also Jennifer Knapp, her stuff is brutally honest. And that is my goal.I think that we have our own unique way of doing things. We don’t try to copy anybody, we just try to make music that we personally would like to throw on our radio.
Mark: We try to make it fun. We are serious about what we do, but at the same time we want to put on a good show. We try to give people a little ‘eye candy’ on stage. We try to wear good stage cloths, including leather. We don’t try to fit in any genre. If we find a song while jamming that really feels good, we just work on that one song and whatever comes out comes out.
Q: Are you Calvinist or Arminian?
Manley: We go to a non-denominational church. I grew up in a church where they would say "this denomination, well they’re not Christians" or "this denomination is REALLY not Christians" and "this denomination is true believers". I’m sure that different denominations have things right, and different denominations have some things wrong, but the thing I’ve come to realize is that I’ve met people who pray to the same God, and tried to follow him with their heart, and I realized they are Christians like I am, they’re my brother, and so we try to just follow Jesus. Part of our vision for mu5tard has always been one of unity. Not to hold up any denomination’s flag, or to champion their camp, but to root for God and unity.
Q. What is your favorite aspect of God?
Mark: that I can fail time and time again, but I can get down on my knees and I can pray to my God and ask for forgiveness and it’s granted. The Bible says that you are washed whiter then snow. It just amazes me because as I grow older I realize just how imperfect I am. And another thing that blows me away, is that I don’t understand how people can believe that the world was created by an accident. I don’t know if these people have never taken a second look around them, and go to the ocean and watch the waves come in, or check out a huge thunder storm and think it all happened by accident. I don’t believe that. I believe there is a Creator, and this Creator has an artsy vibe to Him and He created something that is very gorgeous and very beautiful. Those are some of the things when I think about my faith in God, that I can really pull close to me and make it a part of who I am.
Manley: Likewise I think what I love most about God is that He is an artist. It’s so crazy to see that He has such passion about what He made. I think God wants us to live with passion, and to live a vibrant colorful life. It encourages me, because sometimes life can trample you down, and to realize that the way God wanted you to live it was with vibrant passion and to enjoy his creation, I just think that’s awesome.
Q. What is your favorite part about being in a band?
Mark: There are lots of favorites. There are lots of crazy stories. Every time you go on the road and come back there’s another crazy story that you can add to your book. The creation process where you got the guitars strapped in the hands, and I’m sitting down at my drums and there is endless opportunities and possibilities for making music and it’s right there in your hands and you can do whatever you want, and make whatever sounds you want. I like rolling into a new town, that I’ve never been to, and knowing that if I wasn’t in a band I probably would never get to come here, but because I am, I can check out this cool little town and get to hang out with the local kids, meeting great musicians, hanging out with cool Christians that we can relate to, even though we’ve never met before. The list just goes on and on.
Manley:I love late night drives, you’ve got the open road, and you’ve got hours and hours to go, through mountains and then flat open spaces, and forests, the whole nine yards. And I love playing. The thing about being in a band is that you can havemonths and months of just your pain in the butt time. And then all of a sudden you can have this musical experience that makes it totally worth it. It can be shows that are just magical. When every thing’s clicking, you feel like you’re part of something huger and bigger. It’s a whole vibe, a whole energy. That feeling can keep you feeling awesome for weeks on end. It’s a hard thing to explain. It’s a feeling of being part of something bigger and connecting. It’s a cool thing, it’s a very cool thing. The other thing I love is like Mark was saying, the travel and meeting people. It’s cool that I’ve met people that I never would have met, and you only live once, so you might as well have a good time.
Q. What is the hardest and worst part about being in a band?
Manley: One of the hardest parts is money, you get none. At the same time the other hard part is, though I love the traveling, at the same time you leave the people you love far behind. It’s funny because it’s a paradox. At times you are with tons of people, but then it can be a very lonely time because you can be driving for hours. Some people think a musician is always with people, but it’s both. There are a lot of ups and downs, and keeping your faith during the downs, you have to know this is what you were meant to do.
Mark: definitely high highs, and low lows. Being on the road is a lot of fun, but at the same time it’s hard because you’re away from the people you love, it’s like your heart’s ripped in two. You really want to be home and with your friends and family, but at the same time you are having fun being on the road.
Q: How do you go about writing music, and where do you get your ideas?
Manley: They come about in different ways. Normally, we practice the songs we are performing about three or four times in a practice, and then when practice dies down, we will sit around jamming, and so some songs come out of that. Our single "We Are One" came out of this. As for the lyrics, I keep random notes around, and after awhile things start to assemble. As therapy you release things to paper, scribbling stuff out. "We Are One" came out after meeting the guys from "Rock for Life", an anti- abortion group, and they inspired us. So the lyrics came out of that, and thinking it out in our heads. And then sometimes it will work in a backwards way. I’ll just sit in my room with my guitar, and start singing melodies. Everyone does it differently. I have a friend who sings into his phone’s voice mail whenever he thinks of something. Also keeping notebooks and tape recorders around helps.
Q: What makes your band special?
Manley: I think what makes us special is that we are big on melody. We love to harmonize guitars and vocals. I try to write from a place that is open and honest. That is my goal, and it takes more and more courage to do this. Like Miranda Stone, she’s a folk singer from Canada, and her stuff is just brutally honest, and beautiful. . Also Jennifer Knapp, her stuff is brutally honest. And that is my goal.I think that we have our own unique way of doing things. We don’t try to copy anybody, we just try to make music that we personally would like to throw on our radio.
Mark: We try to make it fun. We are serious about what we do, but at the same time we want to put on a good show. We try to give people a little ‘eye candy’ on stage. We try to wear good stage cloths, including leather. We don’t try to fit in any genre. If we find a song while jamming that really feels good, we just work on that one song and whatever comes out comes out.
Q: Are you Calvinist or Arminian?
Manley: We go to a non-denominational church. I grew up in a church where they would say "this denomination, well they’re not Christians" or "this denomination is REALLY not Christians" and "this denomination is true believers". I’m sure that different denominations have things right, and different denominations have some things wrong, but the thing I’ve come to realize is that I’ve met people who pray to the same God, and tried to follow him with their heart, and I realized they are Christians like I am, they’re my brother, and so we try to just follow Jesus. Part of our vision for mu5tard has always been one of unity. Not to hold up any denomination’s flag, or to champion their camp, but to root for God and unity.
Q. What is your favorite aspect of God?
Mark: that I can fail time and time again, but I can get down on my knees and I can pray to my God and ask for forgiveness and it’s granted. The Bible says that you are washed whiter then snow. It just amazes me because as I grow older I realize just how imperfect I am. And another thing that blows me away, is that I don’t understand how people can believe that the world was created by an accident. I don’t know if these people have never taken a second look around them, and go to the ocean and watch the waves come in, or check out a huge thunder storm and think it all happened by accident. I don’t believe that. I believe there is a Creator, and this Creator has an artsy vibe to Him and He created something that is very gorgeous and very beautiful. Those are some of the things when I think about my faith in God, that I can really pull close to me and make it a part of who I am.
Manley: Likewise I think what I love most about God is that He is an artist. It’s so crazy to see that He has such passion about what He made. I think God wants us to live with passion, and to live a vibrant colorful life. It encourages me, because sometimes life can trample you down, and to realize that the way God wanted you to live it was with vibrant passion and to enjoy his creation, I just think that’s awesome.
Q. What is your favorite part about being in a band?
Mark: There are lots of favorites. There are lots of crazy stories. Every time you go on the road and come back there’s another crazy story that you can add to your book. The creation process where you got the guitars strapped in the hands, and I’m sitting down at my drums and there is endless opportunities and possibilities for making music and it’s right there in your hands and you can do whatever you want, and make whatever sounds you want. I like rolling into a new town, that I’ve never been to, and knowing that if I wasn’t in a band I probably would never get to come here, but because I am, I can check out this cool little town and get to hang out with the local kids, meeting great musicians, hanging out with cool Christians that we can relate to, even though we’ve never met before. The list just goes on and on.
Manley:I love late night drives, you’ve got the open road, and you’ve got hours and hours to go, through mountains and then flat open spaces, and forests, the whole nine yards. And I love playing. The thing about being in a band is that you can havemonths and months of just your pain in the butt time. And then all of a sudden you can have this musical experience that makes it totally worth it. It can be shows that are just magical. When every thing’s clicking, you feel like you’re part of something huger and bigger. It’s a whole vibe, a whole energy. That feeling can keep you feeling awesome for weeks on end. It’s a hard thing to explain. It’s a feeling of being part of something bigger and connecting. It’s a cool thing, it’s a very cool thing. The other thing I love is like Mark was saying, the travel and meeting people. It’s cool that I’ve met people that I never would have met, and you only live once, so you might as well have a good time.
Q. What is the hardest and worst part about being in a band?
Manley: One of the hardest parts is money, you get none. At the same time the other hard part is, though I love the traveling, at the same time you leave the people you love far behind. It’s funny because it’s a paradox. At times you are with tons of people, but then it can be a very lonely time because you can be driving for hours. Some people think a musician is always with people, but it’s both. There are a lot of ups and downs, and keeping your faith during the downs, you have to know this is what you were meant to do.
Mark: definitely high highs, and low lows. Being on the road is a lot of fun, but at the same time it’s hard because you’re away from the people you love, it’s like your heart’s ripped in two. You really want to be home and with your friends and family, but at the same time you are having fun being on the road.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Interveiw with Noah Henson from the band Pillar
You would assume members of a large band would start to lose touch with the rest of the body of Christ. This is not the case with Noah Henson, a guitar player in the band Pillar. Noah has left himself open to be an instrument of God’s love to others. Does he know what he was doing that late night in August 2004? He may have forgotten that night, but I wont.
It was my first self assigned job as a journalist and I was eager to talk to as many people as I could. Taking my tape recorder to the autograph line, I stayed at the end of the line till I thought everyone else had gone through. When it was my turn, I realized I’d miss judged and there were two girls waiting behind me. I quickly laid the tape recorder on the table and asked them one question, hoping to at least get in one answer before being asked to move on. The band members were confused, asking me to explain my question, but before I had a chance to say anymore, the guards started telling me to leave, that this was not the place for interviews. Confused and embarrassed I backed away, trying to hide the tears.
I hid behind the merchandise tents, so that no one could see me crying. Even more, I did not want others to see my self hate as I decided how to punish myself for my foolishness. I wasn’t there long before I felt I should go back out into the open. You can imagine my shock when I was greeted by the two guards from the pillar table, and with them Noah. I was even more shocked when I realized they had been looking for ME! My mind was spinning, as the two guards apologized to me for shooing me away, explaining they were just trying to do their jobs, and Noah lead me into the empty tent. First thing he asked was if it was a school project. I realized then that he didn’t think of me as press, and therefore it was not for his own sake that he came looking for me. I still cry when I think about that night. How good is God to use this man to reach out to me in this way?
Looking back, I am grateful that the guards chased me off. If they had not done this, I would not have experienced being sought after by someone. As much respect as I have for Noah Henson, I give the credit for this experience to God. He showed me His love, by chasing after me through His servant Noah.
The following is the interview I had with Noah.
How do you feel about the music industry?
I think the music industry is pretty cool in a lot of ways, like a lot of the fellowship you have, with all the bands chilling out, which creates a nice environment for accountability. It’s also a heart business, because it’s a dog eat dog world out there. Of course we don’t try to compete, we just do our thing, but there is a lot of competition out there. It’s just like any other business you do, just with a different outlook and a different purpose.
What is your favorite aspect of God?
Noah: My favorite aspect of God, is that He is so merciful, full of grace, forgiving, and He doesn’t hold grudges like humans do. That’s why I want to be apart of His kingdom. That’s why I love Him so much, and love doing what I do, for the purpose of giving it all back to Him. Cause He gave it to me. He’s given me everything I could possible want.
How do you, as a big band, look at the fans that worship you, as just brothers and sisters in Christ?
Noah: Well I always look at everybody as brothers and sisters in Christ. I know some people are like “those guys are jerks, these guys are jerks” thing is, really it’s just a moment of being rushed by people when sometimes we just want privacy or whatever. But that’s got nothing to do with the fact that we still look at everyone as just brothers and sisters in Christ. They look up to us as something different because music is a huge ministry to others. When you’re a musician people look up to you and they want to have something to do with your life. They want to be part of your life because you’ve given them something.
It was my first self assigned job as a journalist and I was eager to talk to as many people as I could. Taking my tape recorder to the autograph line, I stayed at the end of the line till I thought everyone else had gone through. When it was my turn, I realized I’d miss judged and there were two girls waiting behind me. I quickly laid the tape recorder on the table and asked them one question, hoping to at least get in one answer before being asked to move on. The band members were confused, asking me to explain my question, but before I had a chance to say anymore, the guards started telling me to leave, that this was not the place for interviews. Confused and embarrassed I backed away, trying to hide the tears.
I hid behind the merchandise tents, so that no one could see me crying. Even more, I did not want others to see my self hate as I decided how to punish myself for my foolishness. I wasn’t there long before I felt I should go back out into the open. You can imagine my shock when I was greeted by the two guards from the pillar table, and with them Noah. I was even more shocked when I realized they had been looking for ME! My mind was spinning, as the two guards apologized to me for shooing me away, explaining they were just trying to do their jobs, and Noah lead me into the empty tent. First thing he asked was if it was a school project. I realized then that he didn’t think of me as press, and therefore it was not for his own sake that he came looking for me. I still cry when I think about that night. How good is God to use this man to reach out to me in this way?
Looking back, I am grateful that the guards chased me off. If they had not done this, I would not have experienced being sought after by someone. As much respect as I have for Noah Henson, I give the credit for this experience to God. He showed me His love, by chasing after me through His servant Noah.
The following is the interview I had with Noah.
How do you feel about the music industry?
I think the music industry is pretty cool in a lot of ways, like a lot of the fellowship you have, with all the bands chilling out, which creates a nice environment for accountability. It’s also a heart business, because it’s a dog eat dog world out there. Of course we don’t try to compete, we just do our thing, but there is a lot of competition out there. It’s just like any other business you do, just with a different outlook and a different purpose.
What is your favorite aspect of God?
Noah: My favorite aspect of God, is that He is so merciful, full of grace, forgiving, and He doesn’t hold grudges like humans do. That’s why I want to be apart of His kingdom. That’s why I love Him so much, and love doing what I do, for the purpose of giving it all back to Him. Cause He gave it to me. He’s given me everything I could possible want.
How do you, as a big band, look at the fans that worship you, as just brothers and sisters in Christ?
Noah: Well I always look at everybody as brothers and sisters in Christ. I know some people are like “those guys are jerks, these guys are jerks” thing is, really it’s just a moment of being rushed by people when sometimes we just want privacy or whatever. But that’s got nothing to do with the fact that we still look at everyone as just brothers and sisters in Christ. They look up to us as something different because music is a huge ministry to others. When you’re a musician people look up to you and they want to have something to do with your life. They want to be part of your life because you’ve given them something.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
What you should know about being a musician
Copyright by Rebekah Wilder 2004
Becoming a professional musicians is a dream many have, but few achieve. What does it really take to be in the music business? At the Inside Out Soul Festival at Loon Mt in New Hampshire, I spoke with different band members and asked them what they would tell someone wanting to be part of a professional band.
Noah Henson is the guitar player in Pillar. His advise was to "practice your butt off, and do everything you can possible do to get where you need to be. In this business no one is going to come after you, you have to push yourself, you have to play tons of shows, you have to practice repeatedly, you have to become the best of the best if you want to be the best"
Underneath the Word Of Mouth Records tent, I spoke with Bryan Wegman and Jeff Norsen from the Dig Project. Bryan the bands drummer told me that the first thing to do is lose ones pride. "Don’t think you are too good to play for a group of 3." Bryan and Jeff Norsen, the bands bass guitarist, both agreed that you need to take every opportunity to play that you can get. The second you start turning things down, that will effect your reputation. They also said to practice like crazy. Being open to God is key. God may be calling you to be a small band, and to play places other bands don’t reach. Not every band can be huge.
Sitting at the table next to The Dig Project, was Daniel Emmons and Matt Thornburg from Sides of the North. Having started a conversation with Daniel, I decided to also inquire further with my question. Daniel and Matt responded that they believe one important thing for a musician to remember is to not let anything influence you other then Christ. It is also important to daily commit yourself to Christ. The Sides of the North band strongly believes that along with singing their songs, the time they spend with people at the sales tables, building relationships is just as important.
The band Mustard has been playing since 1998, and truly love what they do. Though other members have come and gone, the brothers Mark and Manley Grove have stayed with it. When I asked them what they’d like to tell someone wishing to become part of a band, Mark said "I would say make sure it’s what you want to do, because it is a hard road, with many ups and downs. But if it’s in your blood, you can’t get away from it. And hang on! that’s all I have to say."
Manley gave a few more practical advice, he said "If I was talking to a young guitar player, I’d tell them to go out and buy the nicest tube amp you can, and get the nicest guitar you can, because all the other little gadgets and stuff don’t help you out in the least bit. Don’t worry about all the little pedals and stuff" then he also commented "If you are writing songs, I’d say, for me the most important thing in art is that you relate honestly your experience as a human. So try to write the most honest songs you can. And that’s a lot harder then it sounds. Write about your faith, and all the questions about your faith, and all the things you are afraid to say out loud. Because as a musician that’s your job, is to let people know that all those things they think about, and they just don’t know what they are doing, it’s your job to open up your heart in front of as many people as are out there and say "yeah, you’re not alone"."
Becoming a professional musicians is a dream many have, but few achieve. What does it really take to be in the music business? At the Inside Out Soul Festival at Loon Mt in New Hampshire, I spoke with different band members and asked them what they would tell someone wanting to be part of a professional band.
Noah Henson is the guitar player in Pillar. His advise was to "practice your butt off, and do everything you can possible do to get where you need to be. In this business no one is going to come after you, you have to push yourself, you have to play tons of shows, you have to practice repeatedly, you have to become the best of the best if you want to be the best"
Underneath the Word Of Mouth Records tent, I spoke with Bryan Wegman and Jeff Norsen from the Dig Project. Bryan the bands drummer told me that the first thing to do is lose ones pride. "Don’t think you are too good to play for a group of 3." Bryan and Jeff Norsen, the bands bass guitarist, both agreed that you need to take every opportunity to play that you can get. The second you start turning things down, that will effect your reputation. They also said to practice like crazy. Being open to God is key. God may be calling you to be a small band, and to play places other bands don’t reach. Not every band can be huge.
Sitting at the table next to The Dig Project, was Daniel Emmons and Matt Thornburg from Sides of the North. Having started a conversation with Daniel, I decided to also inquire further with my question. Daniel and Matt responded that they believe one important thing for a musician to remember is to not let anything influence you other then Christ. It is also important to daily commit yourself to Christ. The Sides of the North band strongly believes that along with singing their songs, the time they spend with people at the sales tables, building relationships is just as important.
The band Mustard has been playing since 1998, and truly love what they do. Though other members have come and gone, the brothers Mark and Manley Grove have stayed with it. When I asked them what they’d like to tell someone wishing to become part of a band, Mark said "I would say make sure it’s what you want to do, because it is a hard road, with many ups and downs. But if it’s in your blood, you can’t get away from it. And hang on! that’s all I have to say."
Manley gave a few more practical advice, he said "If I was talking to a young guitar player, I’d tell them to go out and buy the nicest tube amp you can, and get the nicest guitar you can, because all the other little gadgets and stuff don’t help you out in the least bit. Don’t worry about all the little pedals and stuff" then he also commented "If you are writing songs, I’d say, for me the most important thing in art is that you relate honestly your experience as a human. So try to write the most honest songs you can. And that’s a lot harder then it sounds. Write about your faith, and all the questions about your faith, and all the things you are afraid to say out loud. Because as a musician that’s your job, is to let people know that all those things they think about, and they just don’t know what they are doing, it’s your job to open up your heart in front of as many people as are out there and say "yeah, you’re not alone"."
Loving Pratically in the theology forum.
We as a body of believers, strive together for a more perfect understanding of God and His Holy Word. Theology is important because it can help us in our walk with Christ.
God is not caught off guard when people misread His word. He is not shaken by people’s bad theology. God has glorified His own name, and protects His own reputation. Therefore our goal in teaching each other must not be in order to defend God, as if He is a child needing defending. Our goal must therefore stem from a God given love for those with whom we debate, expressed in a desire to see them grow closer to God, and follow Him more fully.
I cannot ask you to be teachable, but I do ask, and will demand, an attitude of love. Not the mushy “I’m ok, you’re ok” that the world hides behind, but a love that desires, even longs, to give your brothers and sisters not what they want, but what they need.
The following explains how love is expressed within the theology forum.
Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. I would never suggest that you set aside what you believe is the truth, in order to create a sense of unity. Love does not wish to see people trapped in a lie. Yet there are ways to spread truth, without falling into the pitfalls often seen here in the theology forum.
Love is patient, or as some versions more precisely express, longsuffering. There are times when you will be debating with someone who seems to take forever to understand anything you say. Perhaps you have to explain the same concept to them 5 times in one day. To be long suffering, means you will not turn around and put down the person for their being so slow. You won’t attack them, and you won’t begin to speak more harshly, or lash out in anger from losing your patience. This goes along with not being provoked, or easily angered as well.
Love bears all things. This is much like being patient. Yet I believe it takes it a step further. Where being patient speaks of what you are NOT to do, and how you are NOT to treat them, bearing with one another expresses how you ARE supposed to act. It means that in order to truly love a person, you should not just avoid them. I have seen some posters pick and choose which people to interact with. They will skip posts of some people, or tell the person they no longer wish to debate with them. Though if you are struggling, it is ok to admit this, and admit for your own sake you need to step away. But this is due to a flaw in YOU, not with the other individual.
Love endures all things. Have you ever had someone give you a label you didn’t like? Perhaps they make a joke you find offensive. To endure all things, includes things such as these. Though someone strike you a hundred times with rude or harsh comments, or perhaps they continually twist your words. Maybe it’s as simple as their constantly mis understanding you. NONE of these things gives you the right to speak back to them. It does not give you the right to lash out at them. It gives you the opportunity rather to endure their attitudes. This also means you must give up any resentment you might hold toward another.
Love is kind. The definition of the word kind, is often lost to people. I will quote from Webster’s dictionary: “2.a : of a sympathetic or helpful nature b : of a forbearing nature : GENTLE c : arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance.” Please practice this.
Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up or boastful. You say you have studied a subject for many years. You can reference the Hebrew and Greek. Or perhaps you are older than the rest of us. These are good things, but when they become a hinge for you to lift yourself above others, it becomes boasting. This is also shown when you speak of all the debates you have won, or any other factor that speaks of how you are better than others. Paul said in 2Cr 12:9 “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Love does not behave rudely. I have spoken of how the one who feels they have been wronged should respond, but what about those who are doing it? Let’s make it clear. Just don’t be rude. Read what you write several times. Don’t do things that will annoy people, that will treat them disrespectfully, or that will make them feel degraded.
Love does not seek its own, or as the RSV says, “does not insist on its own way”. Give leeway to how the other wishes to conduct a debate. What is the topic that the thread starter wished to discuss? Have they been answered? Are you being selfish by nit picking about something that will not help the inquirer? Or by leading it into a debate the author was not asking about? Think about the other person, how will that person take what you are saying? How will that person feel about the way you speak? What is going on in the other person’s life right now? How can I best minister to this person? How will other theology folk interpret what I have to say? Am I being too rushed that I‘m not giving the others the dedicated responses they deserve?
Love hopes all things. This is very important. Often times in the theology forum you will find people who have given up hope. They either say “that person will never change so why talk to them?” or maybe it is something like “this thread isn’t going anywhere, why continue?” Whatever the scenario, remember that love never stops hoping.
Love believes all things. This is giving people the benefit of the doubt. If someone speaks a joke, it is believing that the person meant no harm by it. It’s taking the caution that perhaps you merely misunderstood a person when they said something you believe was uncalled for.
Love never fails
I will leave you with one last thought. 1 Corinthians 13:2 tells us that even with all knowledge, if you don’t have love, you are still nothing. You can be the top theological scholar, you can know everything there is to know about the Bible, AND BE RIGHT! But if you don’t have love, you might as well have nothing at all.
God is not caught off guard when people misread His word. He is not shaken by people’s bad theology. God has glorified His own name, and protects His own reputation. Therefore our goal in teaching each other must not be in order to defend God, as if He is a child needing defending. Our goal must therefore stem from a God given love for those with whom we debate, expressed in a desire to see them grow closer to God, and follow Him more fully.
I cannot ask you to be teachable, but I do ask, and will demand, an attitude of love. Not the mushy “I’m ok, you’re ok” that the world hides behind, but a love that desires, even longs, to give your brothers and sisters not what they want, but what they need.
The following explains how love is expressed within the theology forum.
Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. I would never suggest that you set aside what you believe is the truth, in order to create a sense of unity. Love does not wish to see people trapped in a lie. Yet there are ways to spread truth, without falling into the pitfalls often seen here in the theology forum.
Love is patient, or as some versions more precisely express, longsuffering. There are times when you will be debating with someone who seems to take forever to understand anything you say. Perhaps you have to explain the same concept to them 5 times in one day. To be long suffering, means you will not turn around and put down the person for their being so slow. You won’t attack them, and you won’t begin to speak more harshly, or lash out in anger from losing your patience. This goes along with not being provoked, or easily angered as well.
Love bears all things. This is much like being patient. Yet I believe it takes it a step further. Where being patient speaks of what you are NOT to do, and how you are NOT to treat them, bearing with one another expresses how you ARE supposed to act. It means that in order to truly love a person, you should not just avoid them. I have seen some posters pick and choose which people to interact with. They will skip posts of some people, or tell the person they no longer wish to debate with them. Though if you are struggling, it is ok to admit this, and admit for your own sake you need to step away. But this is due to a flaw in YOU, not with the other individual.
Love endures all things. Have you ever had someone give you a label you didn’t like? Perhaps they make a joke you find offensive. To endure all things, includes things such as these. Though someone strike you a hundred times with rude or harsh comments, or perhaps they continually twist your words. Maybe it’s as simple as their constantly mis understanding you. NONE of these things gives you the right to speak back to them. It does not give you the right to lash out at them. It gives you the opportunity rather to endure their attitudes. This also means you must give up any resentment you might hold toward another.
Love is kind. The definition of the word kind, is often lost to people. I will quote from Webster’s dictionary: “2.a : of a sympathetic or helpful nature b : of a forbearing nature : GENTLE c : arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance.” Please practice this.
Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up or boastful. You say you have studied a subject for many years. You can reference the Hebrew and Greek. Or perhaps you are older than the rest of us. These are good things, but when they become a hinge for you to lift yourself above others, it becomes boasting. This is also shown when you speak of all the debates you have won, or any other factor that speaks of how you are better than others. Paul said in 2Cr 12:9 “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Love does not behave rudely. I have spoken of how the one who feels they have been wronged should respond, but what about those who are doing it? Let’s make it clear. Just don’t be rude. Read what you write several times. Don’t do things that will annoy people, that will treat them disrespectfully, or that will make them feel degraded.
Love does not seek its own, or as the RSV says, “does not insist on its own way”. Give leeway to how the other wishes to conduct a debate. What is the topic that the thread starter wished to discuss? Have they been answered? Are you being selfish by nit picking about something that will not help the inquirer? Or by leading it into a debate the author was not asking about? Think about the other person, how will that person take what you are saying? How will that person feel about the way you speak? What is going on in the other person’s life right now? How can I best minister to this person? How will other theology folk interpret what I have to say? Am I being too rushed that I‘m not giving the others the dedicated responses they deserve?
Love hopes all things. This is very important. Often times in the theology forum you will find people who have given up hope. They either say “that person will never change so why talk to them?” or maybe it is something like “this thread isn’t going anywhere, why continue?” Whatever the scenario, remember that love never stops hoping.
Love believes all things. This is giving people the benefit of the doubt. If someone speaks a joke, it is believing that the person meant no harm by it. It’s taking the caution that perhaps you merely misunderstood a person when they said something you believe was uncalled for.
Love never fails
I will leave you with one last thought. 1 Corinthians 13:2 tells us that even with all knowledge, if you don’t have love, you are still nothing. You can be the top theological scholar, you can know everything there is to know about the Bible, AND BE RIGHT! But if you don’t have love, you might as well have nothing at all.
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