If you don't already read Michael Kelley's blog, you should.  Especially today's post.

You can find it here.

You're welcome.

12 year ago, a group of undergrads at Indiana University formed an a capella group. They called themselves Straight No Chaser.

They performed...

.... had fun....

and graduated. Not much action since then, aside from the occasional wedding / college reunion. Until 2008 when the viral popularity of a video clip posted on youtube resulted in a record deal with Atlantic records.

On Oct 28, Holiday Spirits will be available at a record bar near you. The album is a collection of 12 Christmas classics (and two original holiday tunes), including a live version of “The 12 Days of Christmas”, the song which started them on this new path.

It's kitschy, it's funny, it's great. Straight No Chaser. Just the way I like it

=======================================
Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep

Subscribe to my feed or subscribe via email to get notified of my next post.

The amendment, known as Proposition 8, will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot and would define marriage as between one man and one woman, thus overturning a May decision by the California Supreme Court legalizing "gay marriage." The board passed a resolution acknowledging the Bible as the "Word of God" and the "standard by which all human conduct and religious opinion should be measured." (See the full text of the resolution at the bottom of this story).

The resolution acknowledges: "The Bible also teaches that marriage was the first institution ordained by God at the beginning of creation when it was established between Adam, a male, and Eve, a female, as the pattern for all time."

The resolution calls on California Southern Baptists to pray about the issue and conduct voter registration drives through Oct. 20, the cutoff date for voter registration. The resolution urges pastors to inform their congregations of issues related to the ballot measure and encourages them to participate in the grassroots effort.

Additionally, the resolution encourages California Southern Baptists to financially support Proposition 8. The resolution points to Internet resources such as those at www.csbc.com/protectmarriage, www.ProtectMarriage.com and www.protectmarriageca.com .

In presenting the recommendation to the executive board, Don Fugate, communications committee chairman and pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, said the resolution is something all California Southern Baptists should support, and that he believes it is at the core of what Baptists believe about the family.

Following is the complete text of the resolution supporting Proposition 8:

"WHEREAS, The Bible is the Word of God, written by men, but divinely inspired, the Bible also is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is God-breathed and inerrant, and all Scripture is true and trustworthy. It is the standard by which all human conduct and religious opinion should be measured; and

"WHEREAS, The Bible teaches that God loves all people and commands us to do likewise; the Bible also teaches that marriage was the first institution ordained by God at the beginning of creation when it was established between Adam, a male, and Eve, a female, as the pattern for all time. Since the beginning of time societies, cultures and religions have endorsed marriage as the union between one man and one woman for a lifetime. Marriage provides the framework for intimate companionship, the avenue of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation. It also is God's unique gift to demonstrate the relationship between Christ and His church; and

"WHEREAS, The family unit that God intended -- a father, a mother and children -- has fallen into disarray while the divorce rate in our state and nation is at an all-time high, and the percentage rate of divorce in the general population is reflected in the church; and

"WHEREAS, California voters in 2000, by more than 61 percent of the vote, approved Proposition 22 which reads, 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California;' and

"WHEREAS, The California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, disregarded the will of the people on May 15, 2008 by striking down Proposition 22, thereby granting marriage privileges to 'same-sex' couples; and

"WHEREAS, Same-sex marriage is legally unnecessary since homosexual couples in California already are entitled to all the legal rights and privileges of marriage, short of the name; now, therefore be it

"RESOLVED That the California Southern Baptist Convention Executive Board, meeting September 12, 2008, endorse Proposition 8, a California constitutional amendment that states, 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California;' and be it further

"RESOLVED That California Southern Baptist Convention churches and members are urged to pray about this important issue, and that at least 7 million Californians will vote for traditional, biblical marriage; and be it further

"RESOLVED That churches are encouraged to conduct voter registration drives between now and October 20 since as many as 50 percent of Christian eligible voters are not registered to carry out this civic privilege; and be it further

"RESOLVED That California Southern Baptist Convention pastors are urged to inform their congregations of the issues and encourage them to participate in the grassroots effort; and be it further

"RESOLVED That California Southern Baptists be encouraged to financially support Proposition 8 by making donations to ProtectMarriage.com by Oct. 10; and be it finally

"RESOLVED That California Southern Baptist Convention church leaders are urged to avail themselves of resources provided on the World Wide Web at www.csbc.com/protectmarriage , www.protectmarriage.com , and www.protectmarriageca.com ."

Report from the Christian Telegraph

Buzzwords: pandora, imeem, recommendation, discovery, user generated content, tags, API, ad supported, niche.

As listeners increasingly participate in the process of music selection, recommendation and playback, I wonder if editorial heavy sites like Pitchfork and Stereogum will eventually be edged out by sites like Hype Machine (blogs aggregator), playlist.com and The Filter (discovery), all of which empower the user to find and share new music on their own.

What do you think?

Here is a recommendation for you from a recent alumnus.

Title:  "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus"
Author:  Mann, Charles C.
Publisher:  Vintage
ISBN:  1-4000-3205-9

Don't be daunted by the off-putting title.  Although it sounds like a heady post-modern celebration of Columbus bashing, it is anything but (well, there may be a little Columbus bashing).  Mann's writing style can immediately lump this tome into the "leisure reading" category due to his engaging prose. Mann does for pre-Columbian history what Yasunari Kawabata did for the game of go — he makes it interesting and, at times, almost exciting.  Even if the subject matter bores you to tears, the writing will safely ferry you along through the white water of insomnia-curing anthropological theories and arguments.

The main premise of the book is that the pre-Columbian populations of the Americas were not the ineffectual and innocuous civilizations that our schoolbooks made them out to be.  They actually had a great effect on the American landscape ranging from the management of the so-called wilderness (both North American and Amazonian) to huge civil engineering projects around the Missouri/Illinois/Mississippi region. The book explores a variety of civilizations along with first person accounts of archeological excavations and interviews with scientists and scholars (that sometimes even border on the deliciously catty).

The author breaks the book up into three sections.  Part one can be summarized to "everything you've been taught about the indigenous peoples of the Americas is wrong and I will tell you why."  Part two:  "Holy crap!  There were gazillions of people living here long before Columbus!"  Part three:  "The indigenous peoples way back when were not as unsophisticated as you think they were — they were far more sophisticated than we are now, they just changed the landscape in very subtle ways that we never noticed before; and you heard it here first."

So, with "1491" it's come for the writing, stay for the (sometimes irreverent) anthropology.  You will be entertained and, if you're not careful, you'll probably learn a thing or too.  Never before have I read a detailed account of a species' extinction told with such milk-through-the-nose hilarity.

As an avid reader and a lover of politics, Curtis Sittenfeld's new book American Wife appealed to two different sides of my nature. Although a work of fiction, it lends a very humane quality to not only the life of the President, but his family members who are equally as involved in his administration.

American Wife tells the story of Alice Blackwell, current first Lady of the United States, a woman who is eerily similar to the current First Lady Laura Bush. Alice Blackwell’s Husband, Charlie, and Charlie's parents are also based off of the Bush family with added twists to each character to make them unique. What made this such an enjoyable read was not only the immersion into Alice Blackwell's psyche but the humane quality it gave to the people involved in an administration. It is often that people forget that those who are making decisions, or who are closely involved with those who make the decisions, are real people. They have feelings, unique life experiences, and perhaps even differing opinions. It shows that a First Lady or first child is not the same as the President himself or his views. Each family member has their own history and what the public perceives them as is not always who they truly are.

Curtis Sittenfeld brings up extremely important questions about family, politics, destiny, the choices we make and the ultimate paths our lives take. She allows us to not only become Alice Blackwell but to recognize ourselves in her in some way. The fact that the reader can understand the thoughts, feelings and experiences of Alice Blackwell is only made more interesting and amazing because she becomes the First Lady of the United States. What made this possible is that for the majority of the book we learn of Alice Blackwell’s life journey, how she became the person she is today.

Alice Blackwell’s life's choices are extremely important in this novel and her constant questioning of them is central to the plot. In one of the most revealing parts of the book, Alice recounts an embarrassing moment when she walks in through a door of a bathroom in a country club and thinking the other one is for the toilets, finds that it is just another entrance/exit. Instead of using the other door for the toilets, she walks out as if meaning to do that all along so that she doesn't have to embarrass herself. Later on in the book she looks back on this small episode in her life and relates it to her husband’s presidency by saying:

"I feel a growing suspicion that Charlie continues to fight this war for much the same reason I couldn't bring myself to reenter the ladies room at the Maronne Country Club, and he even has my compassion, except for this- that night at the club, when I needed to urinate and hadn't, the only one who suffered for my foolishness was me."

This was an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys not only learning about the life of someone else but learning a little bit about themselves along the way.

I read your email yesterday about submissions for books to read for leisure!  I think this is a great idea and would love to make a recommendation.

I just finished reading "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein and would heartily recommend this book!  For those who have pets (particularly a dog) or have had pets in the past, this book is a humorous narrative of the human condition as seen through the eyes of a dog, Enzo. 

Enzo is adopted as a puppy by a family and immediately understands that he is different from humans.  He passionately believes in reincarnation and that he will come back as a human.  As such, he is determined to learn how to be "human."  This book is about the relationships between Enzo and Denny (the father), Eve (the mother), and Zoe (the child). Denny is an aspiring Formula One racer whose philosophy about life is much aligned with his view of racing... the best racers learn to control not only their car but themselves during the ultimate test of endurance, racing in the rain.  Enzo learns from Denny this "art" as he philosophically observes toward the end of his life as a dog, "I know this much about racing in the rain.  I know it is about balance. It is about anticipation and patience... but racing in the rain is also about mind!  It is about owning one's own body.  About believing that one's car is merely an extension of one's body.  About believing that the track is an extension of the car, and the rain is an extension of the track, and the sky is an extension of the rain.  It is about believing that you are not you; you are everything; and everything is you."  (pg. 314).  A thoroughly enjoyable read, full of humor, philosophy, and pure love.  Read it and tell me you won't look at your pet and think, I wonder?

For me this time of year means finalizing all of my sponsors and arrangements for the annual Give n' Gobble Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk & Food Drive    

I want to thank Denise and Barb soooooo much for their interest in sponsoring this event!!!  I'm a newbie to the group and already becoming involved in Key Players has been such a blessing in so many ways that to me their support is just the frosting on the big delicious Key Players cake!   This event that has become so close to my heart not only because it helps people in need (last year we were able to write Helping Hands the single largest check they have ever received which enabled them to feed hundreds of families) but because I get to see the best in the people who decide to sponsor (especially in this crazy economic time!).  

I was so inspired after talking to both of you that I went by the RoadRUNner store to ask them to sponsor and they said yes too!  :)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  

With a big grateful heart! 

-Cindy

Thank you so much

Great job today Barb, thank you so much for taking the time to help us understand how to look and feel our best!  I still have a lot to learn but came away totally inspired!  

Love love love the Doncaster items you brought with you.  

I'm sure you and Denise are going to have a blast in her closet!!  Wish I could be a fly on the wall for that day of glamour-girl-fun-o-rama! 

I found this Google service a while ago, but I didn't find it very useful. I didn't because I had all office

tools I needed locally and I did only need to reach my documents from one computer. But lately I did find out that some of my documents could be needed where ever I go. The perfect solution was Google Docs!

One of the key features for me is the possibility to share the documents. It's possible to share with selected other Google users, and also giving them rights to edit the document. And ofcourse it's google so a very good search field is available.

If you are in need of uploading one of your local documents that's no problem! Google Docs have a simple uploading process.

Try Google Docs!