Japan Festival

A couple weekends ago, I went to the Japan Festival in Overland Park, KS. They had a variety of Japanese culture items such as bonsai trees, candy art making, martial arts, dance, and Taiko drumming. I also partook of some fairly tasty noodles mixed with salmon topped off by coconut cake which I don't believe was necessarily Japanese. Johnson County Community College hosted the event and it is assumed that some of their culinary students prepared said fare.













For more pictures please see the Community Faces link here.

Final Salute

Final Salute by Jim Sheeler

Final Salute looks deep into the inner part of grief and sorrow that is experienced by families affected by the war in Iraq. The numbers of people lost in the war reverberate and ripple through numerous lives both on the battle field and the home front. The thousands of lives lost represent tens of thousands of those who loved them and are affected by their deaths.

The book gives the reader a sense of intense sadness and loss but you don't want to stop reading it the way you don't want to stop listening to a sad song. It touches a nerve which gives a far deeper grasp of and sympathy for those who are directly affected. It helps put a face on the numerous fallen heroes.

Jim Sheeler tells each family's story genuinely and without a hidden agenda. When finished, the reader is left with a strong sense of the tremendous sacrifice given. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints including the wives and children, parents and siblings, fellow soldiers as well as casualty assistance officers who notify and provide support to the families once the news is shared with them.

Included in the book are striking photographs capturing moments throughout the families ordeals which provides an additional element of realness. Sheeler first wrote the stories for a newspaper which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.

Those who make flippant comment about the military would do well to read the deeply personal stories of these families and how the soldiers they loved willing volunteered and served their country. Politicians would also do well to read this book and put a face on the people and families they are sending into battle. If you want an understanding of the impact and loss experienced by countless families as a result of the war, read this book.

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon know at this link.

Phishing

In this segment, we'll look at a topic related to online identity theft. From time to time you may receive legitimate emails from your bank. However, people called phishers sometimes send an email masquerading as if it were from a legitimate financial institution. The obvious homonym of fishing for phishing indicates the style of theft which occurs. Let's take a look at a couple of examples.



In this first example it appears to be a legitimate email from the security department at Bank of America. They request that you login to a specified site and provide information about your account. In the last line of the first paragraph, there is a misspelled word which reads "submin" when it should have been "submit." An official Bank of America communication would have at a minimum had a spell check completed. Another key sign if you note the address listed in the bottom left corner directs you to an address which is nothing like Bank of America's web address. This was found by hovering over the link instead of clicking on it. If a user goes to this site and provides the requested information, it is likely they would have wiped any money in the account.


In the second example, everything looks legitimate including the web address. However, if you note the other email addresses in the To: line, it looks very much like a bunch of auto generated email addresses. Phishers use software programs to automatically generate email addresses hoping that they send one to an actual address being used. They sometimes also use bots which browse the web and anytime an email address shows up online will capture it and use it when sending out this phishing spam.

Be very cautious anytime you receive an email from a financial institution and especially if they request your personally identifiable information. A legitimate institution will not ask for this information in the unsecure medium of email. When logging into a bank's website, always type the web address in yourself rather than following a link in an email. This helps ensure that you are at the actual bank's website and not a fraudulent site masquerading as a legitimate one.

The Greatest Generation

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

Tom Brokaw has coined the World War II generation the greatest generation ever. In this book, he chronicles the lives and times of those who fought in World War II and how it affected them. The book is broken up into sections with miniature biographies of individuals telling of their lives before, during, and after the War.

Undeniably, there were tremendous sacrifices by those in uniform and at home and the whole country rallied to help the troops win the war. The book includes average Joe and Jill type of people as well as more well known veterans such as Hank Greenberg, Bob Dole, Andy Rooney, George H.W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and Art Buchwald. It also covers the story of women's contributions to the war effort whether in or out of uniform. Additionally, the civil rights issues of equality to minorities is covered in fairly extensive detail. Some of the stories describing the inequalities and discrimination which occurred provided better insight into the nature of things in that day.

By and large, veterans following the war were eager to get on with life, start families and successful business and political careers. The war helped shape their focus and sense of purpose. This generation helped create a framework upon which all living in America today now benefit.

Towards the end of the book, things seemed to slow down a bit and the overall flow of the book could probably have benefited from cutting down the length 50 or so pages. This is not to say the stories were not worthy of being told, it simply had a feeling of weightiness and length at 390 pages.

This book should be a required part of high school curriculum so that all students would better understand the tremendous sacrifice, efforts, and heroics performed by the incredible men and women of this generation. By understanding the values and things that drove this generation, the youth and upcoming leaders of today can draw upon their wisdom and positively shape the future of our nation. Like individual pieces in a jigsaw puzzle come together to create a picture, the individual stories of the regular folks and well known come together to create a picture of the greatest generation America has yet seen.

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon know at this link.

Quote of the Day

Michael J. Fox once said, “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.”

Get It, Read It, Give It Away

It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It by Craig Groeschel

For anyone in leadership at a ministry, this book should be required reading. Groeschel describes the characteristics of that elusive "it" that some ministries have where God is very clearly moving on a regular basis. Places with "it" have aspects similar to the early church of Acts. They commonly have strong vision from leadership as well as specific focus on areas of ministry. Rather than trying to be involved in 500 different things, ministries with "it" tend to focus on certain core areas that they are good at and believe God has called them to. Groeschel also discusses the importance of having fun and being involved in each others lives. Churches with it are vibrant, active, and alive.

Just because a ministry doesn't have "it" doesn't mean it can't get "it." And just because a ministry has "it" doesn't mean it will always keep "it." Copying another church's successful program or style does not necessarily work for everyone so the church needs to evaluate how God has uniquely called them at a particular moment. This clearly involves lots of prayer for direction and humbleness to admit mistakes and move on.

Though geared towards people in leadership of church ministries, lessons can be gleaned from It for an individual's life as well. I particular drew some ideas on developing vision and focus for life.

Throughout the book are pictures illustrating various points that Groeschel makes.

If nothing else, the book will help in evaluating your ministry to see determine areas for improvement and getting back to the important things of the Bible and God's leading.

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon know at this link.

Tour of Missouri

Yesterday, I went to the finish for stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Professional cyclists from around the world came to compete in one of the top 3 stage races in the US. They started in St. Joseph, Missouri and after approximately 90 miles, finished with three 5 mile circuits of the Plaza and downtown area. There were hundreds of people watching at the finish. Mark Cavendish a phenomenal sprinter from the Isle of Man who won 4 stages of the Tour de France won the 1st stage in a time of 3:15:14.









See more pictures at Community Faces.

Upward Soccer

Here are some pictures from Upward Soccer at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. The kids also got the opportunity to play on several inflatable moonwalks.












For more pictures see Community Faces.

Riding With 5.0

I spent Friday night in the back of a police car. No, not as a bad guy but as a ride along observer of the Kansas City good guys. We hit the streets around 9pm and made a routine traffic stop to get started. We then patrolled around and stopped a few perpetrators.

While going to some calls that came over the radio we had the opportunity to hit speeds over 100 mph which was an adrenaline rush. It definitely gives you a different perspective for when the police are zooming along. If you do hear/see them, get over to the side as quickly as possible. They're going somewhere for a reason.

The most exciting part of the night was when one of the squad cars was in pursuit of a vehicle and the suspect jumped out followed by the policeman. We quickly made our way to the area where the suspect was being tracked by a helicopter. The police men I was with jumped out of the car and ran to the area. I heard bang, bang, bang and then "shots fired, shots fired!" over the radio. A Rottweiler ended up attacking one of the policemen and they had to protect themselves. Ultimately, the suspect was taken into custody and the remainder of the night was spent cleaning up the area and doing paper work. I would highly recommend anyone taking advantage of this type of opportunity to see crime fighting at the ground level.

Pat Green Concert

Here are some pictures from the Pat Green concert I covered in the Power & Light district.







More pictures available at this link.

Pie Eating Contest

So at work, they had a pie eating contest and I was one of the participants. I got through about 2/3rds of a key lime pie before the winner was declared. I don't necessarily recommend this as a balanced diet strategy.

Quote of the Day

This comes from one of those Chicken Soup for the Soul types of things. The lady who originated this bit of insight and wisdom was in her late 80s.

"If I had my life to live over, I would dare to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I've been this time. I would take fewer things seriously, and I would take more chances. I'd take more trips; I'd climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream, and fewer beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

"You see, I am one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, but if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else -just moments - one after another instead of living so many years ahead.

"I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I would stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies." -- Nadine Stair

Ethnic Enrichment Festival

Along with several folks from PVBC Young Adult Large Group I went to the Ethnic Enrichment Festival on Saturday. There were booths from about 40 cultures as well as food, crafts, music and dance exhibits, and assorted other pieces of culture. I personally tried some Ugali with goat from the Kenyan booth which tastes like a mixture of couscous and mashed potatoes. Many Kenyan runners eat this to help fuel their endeavors. For desert, I had some apricot torte from Lithuania and washed it all down with some Guava juice from Columbia.












For more pictures check out the Community Faces link.

Ryan Hall

Check out this great interview with US Marathon Olympian Ryan Hall. He is an outstanding runner and someone to root for in the Olympics. He also is a Christian with a strong walk which is very apparent from this interview with "Sharing the Victory."

Looking in the Mirror

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror? Really look. Not just check your appearance. What does your face say about your outlook on life? Where are you going? What is written in it? Do you stop for introspection and ask yourself who you really are? When no one's around and it's just you and the mirror do you take a moment to reflect on what you really see in yourself?

I think this can be a useful exercise in gaining a visual representation of your emotional, mental, and physical state. We can get caught up in the busyness of life and just check appearances, make sure the exterior is in place and not pause to check out the interior. Next time you look into a mirror take a moment to reflect on how you look inside. Are you all hustle and bustle or calm and collected? Does God's peace sit beneath the exterior?

A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story...

A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium By: Joe Parkin

Anyone who has even the most cursory knowledge of cycling has heard of the Tour de France, the granddaddy of all cycling races. And for Americans in present day, the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong go hand in hand. Armstrong's books give a view from the front of the pack and what it's like to be one of the most dominant cyclists in the world. A Dog in a Hat contrastingly provides a view from inside the professional European peloton.

After graduating from high school Parkin determined to become a professional cyclist rather than pursuing college like so many of his peers. Rather than hanging around the US cycling world, he received advice to cut his teeth racing in Belgium. So, after saving up money for plane fare to Belgium, he hopped on a flight and was on his way to becoming a "for real" cyclist.

He begins as an amateur and after performing well in some races, eventually attracts the attention of pro teams. His next year is spent learning the ins and outs of the professional world and making rookie mistakes. Along with learning the cycling world he also learns the Belgian culture and begins picking up on Flemmish and Dutch which are the primary local languages.

The quirky title of the book comes from a local expression basically meaning something out of the ordinary. Parkin learns to look for "a dog in a hat" in races when someone is about to make a break, as well as in general life as he adjusts to the rigors of being a professional cyclist in a foreign country.

While Parkin hears of drug use by cyclists prior to coming to Europe, he witnesses it first hand in many races where fellow teammates and competitors regularly use performance enhancing drugs. He also learns of various sordid methods used to beat drug testing. The reader witnesses this dirty side of the sport through his rookie eyes and sees his struggle to maintain integrity while still performing at a high level.

He also learns about the somewhat controversial part of European races where races are sold. This occurs when a breakaway is in progress and one of the riders pays the others to allow him to win. Though this does not make sense to those with a squeaky clean fairness mentality, the practice occurs regularly in European bike races.

For those uninitiated with the sport of cycling, it is very much team oriented and the book does a good job at explaining the ins and outs of working as a team to get the chosen teammate to the finish line before other teams. Overall, though definitely at the pro level, Parkin is not one of the elite riders and as a result serves as a work horse to allow fellow teammates the ability to rest in his slipstream, help when the main rider has bike trouble, control the pace of the peloton, etc. Parkin works his way up from a being on a low level team to riding on a more respected team by the end of his European career.

Throughout the book, you want to root for him to do well and have success despite some of the modest results. It feels in ways like a "Rudy" story based on his desire and heart to be a great cyclist.

Whether you're a hard core cycling fanatic or are passingly aware of the Tour de France each year, you will enjoy this page turning chronicle of a young man's coming of age as a cyclist in Europe. It might even inspire you to dust off that old bike sitting in the closet and take it for a spin.

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon.com know at this link.

Quote of the Day

If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.

Tim's Ordination

Here are a few pictures from my friend Tim's Ordination and the celebration party afterwards.

Quote of the Day

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both." -- James Michener