Fabricated Story?

http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/20/man-airport-had-box-cutter-hidden-book/

I read this article today and for some reason it is bothering me.  Not the fact that some guy supposedly tried to board a plane with a box cutter – but the accusations in the story itself.  I actually think the guy is telling the truth.  Look at the size of the hole in the book – that hole was obviously meant to hold items other than a box cutter.  A box cutter is so small that you really wouldn’t even need to cut a hole in a book for it – it could practically sit between the pages.  Also, anyone going through airport security knows that metal objects will likely show up on the x-ray machines, so obviously a book would not be a good hiding place for something metal anyway.  But here’s the part of the story that I think is totally fabricated, and I believe these details were added to A) Make it look like homeland security is doing a good job at the airports, and B) that we stopped a terrorist attack on US soil.  The details are that supposedly this guy had some books in his backpack – the story reads “Officers found books in the backpack titled “Muhammad in the Bible,” “The Prophet’s Prayer” and “The Noble Qur’an.” He also had a copy of the Quran and the Bible.”  Now, take that part out of the story and the story, and HIS story, sounds totally plausible.  This part simply looks fake and added as an afterthought to make it sound convincing.  I truly believe that part is completely fake.

Around the World in Six Beers

Not far from where I live a store named “Total Wine” recently opened.  I’m not really into wine (or alcohol in general, for that matter) although I do enjoy a good beer on occasion. 

 A few months ago I went there to pick up a nice bottle of wine for my boss’s wedding gift, and found out that they not only carried wine (although that was probably 75% of their inventory) but they also carried beer.  Lots of it.  Unique beers too, in 6-packs and single bottles.  Single bottles are great if you just want to try a new brew without committing to a whole 6-pack of something that might be nasty at the first sip.

 So I decided to put together my own variety pack of beers, mostly lagers, from around the world.  I’m partial to lagers.  I know this not because of a specific beer I have drank all my life (like I said, I really don’t drink) but rather that I always tried a new beer every time I had a chance.  It just so happens that, of beers that are readily available in your average grocery store, most of my favorites happen to be lagers – Dos Equis (Mexico), Yuengling (Pennsylvania), and Moosehead (Canada), among others.

Here’s a rundown of the individual beers I purchased, for your enjoyment, but also for my records.  This way, if one of them blows my socks off, I can remember the name!  I’ll update this post as I try each beer so you can have my personal review.

	#1 – Castle Lager, South Africa.  This one really surprised me – like I said, I usually like lagers, so I know in general what to expect – but being that I bought all these beers tonight, none of which were refrigerated, I did my best to cool this one down quickly before trying to drink it. Upon my first sip I realized it wasn’t as cold as I had hoped, however, the taste was great.  Usually beer that’s not quite cold enough is kind of gross, but I’ve been nursing this drink for a good 30 minutes and, despite not being cold enough to start off, has maintained a smooth, consistent flavor.  No kidding – I can honestly say that I would drink this beer at room temperature – a first for me.  Many beers just start to turn after warming a few degrees.  I have to hand it to S.A. Breweries, this beer stays true to it’s slogan – “Brewed in Perfect Balance”.  I couldn’t have described it better myself.
	#2 – Kingfisher Premium Lager, Bangalore, India.  This one has a bite not unlike a St Pauli Girl or Heineken.  Unfortunately, I’m not too find of that slightly sharp, bitter initial flavor that these kind of beers have – it reminds me too much of skunked beer.  In fact, this was the only one that was in a green bottle, and if the rumor holds true, that may very well be the case.  I’ll have to try it again some day to be sure.  Overall, nothing special in my opinion.  My least favorite so far, but again, it might have been skunked.
	#3 – Blackthorn Fermented Cider, Somerset, England.  Most cider drinks I’ve had have been quite crisp and bubbly, similar to a soda almost.  I was surprised that this cider was velvety smooth.  It actually had a slight vinegar taste, but it was sweet, not bitter, and it enhanced the flavor.  Very drinkable cider.  Although many ciders are similar in taste, this was entirely different from my favorite cider, Woodchuck Cider of Vermont.
	#4 – Klaster Traditional Lager, Czech Republic.  A very tasty brew.  I had to try it due to my heritage.  It was very smooth (I know, I’m over-using that word, but I can’t help it — in comparison, most beers you can buy at the store are simply not this smooth.)  In general, these foreign beers seem less carbonated than their american counterparts.  What I liked best about this beer which makes it truly unique is that it has a surprise ending!  No, not like a worm in the tequila bottle.  When this beer first goes into your mouth, it tastes pretty much like a traditional lager, but as soon as you swallow you get a brief, flavorful end-note.  I can’t tell if it was nutty or like a wood-flavor, but it was good, and didn’t linger.  If you’ve had Sierra-Nevada Pale Ale, you know this phenomenon, however Seirra-Nevada’s end-note is a little sharp and lingers a bit longer than this one.  In all, a tasty, interesting beverage.

* * * Coming Soon * * *

Okocim, Poland

Harbin Lager, China

It Was the Best of Service, It Was the Worst of Service

Bad Service Example #1 – Cardello’s

South Florida is well-known for having bad service, at restaurants especially.  This weekend my wife and a friend and I went out to get lunch after church.  We went to a local restuarant that usually has pretty good food and reasonable service.  When we were done eating, my wife and I decided we wanted to have some dessert, and my wife likes coffee with her dessert, so she ordered a cafe con leche.  When it came out, it was an espresso, not a cafe con leche.  We explained to the waiter again what she wanted, and he was like, “oh, you mean a cappuccino.”  My wife, having worked in a coffeeshop (and ordered this same drink before without a problem) carefully explained the difference in how to make the drink.  A few minutes later, a different waitress comes out with a plain ‘ol cup of decaf coffee.  My wife rolled her eyes at this point and said, “that’s fine, I’ll just drink this.”  At this point, I was fully expecting the waiter to say he wouldn’t charge us for the coffee, but nothing was said.

 Wait – it gets better.  When we were all done, the waiter was cleaning some dishes off the table and he totally spilled the entire container of creamer all over my wife’s dress.  Don’t get me wrong, he apologized emphatically — the problem however is that under normal circumstances, I would have expected at the very least to not be charged for the coffee (and possibly the dessert) due to not getting the order right.  But man, after getting liquid spilled all over you — that means you don’t pay, period.  I’m not a free-loader or anything, and I probably wouldn’t have even accepted the free meal, but I was quite shocked that nothing at all was even offered – not so much as a free coffee.  Now that is bad service, hands down.

Bad Service Example #2 – Cheesecake Factory

Another time recently, we were at The Cheesecake Factory, and I ordered a burger.  It took a little longer than usual to get our food, but when we did, I took the top bun off my hamburger so I could add the lettuce and tomato – and to my surprise it looked as if someone had taken a big bite out of the burger.  Now, it being the Cheesecake Factory, I’m 90% sure that part of the burger probably just broke off, but I couldn’t shake the notion of what it might have been — plus, I was missing a chunk of burger that I could otherwise eat.  It took forever to find our waiter, and when we did, he explained that if I wanted another burger it would take another 15 minutes.  I told him that was okay, but of course in my mind I’m thinking there is no way it will take that long… surely my burger was not the only burger being cooked back there, and they could simply give me the next available one, since my wife already had her food.  But no, it took a little over the 15 minutes, as my wife ate and I sat there.  Thankfully, the manager came over and apologized (the waiter didn’t – he had a pretty crappy attitude about the whole thing) but the real kicker is, again, they did not offer to take so much as our drinks off the bill.  C’mon!  This isn’t some mom and pop shop that can’t afford it, there is no excuse for that kind of service.

Good Service Example #1 – Denny’s

Surprisingly, whenever I think of one of my best experiences regarding service at a restaurant, I actually think of Denny’s.  Once I had to wait about 10 minutes for a seat at a Dennys in Phoenix, since they were busy, and the waitress actually offered me a free dessert because I had to wait.  Now that is good service – when it goes above your expectations.

Good Service Example #2 – Continental Airlines

Another example of great service (though not from a restaurant) happened the other day, from an airline, surprisingly.  Last summer my wife and I went to Israel with a group from church, and we were flying Continental.  There was a problem witht he plane before the first flight, so we waited and waited, and finally they decided they could not fly the plane.  As a result, we were going to miss our connecting flight, and had to be re-routed through Germany, and ultimately, half of our group got there half a day later than the rest of us, so it was an inconvenience to say the least. 

Continential did however give us two coupons for up to $100 off per ticket.  Now that in itself I thought was okay, but certainly not stellar service.  A free flight would have been a little more realistic for missing a connecting international flight and causing a large group to get split up like that.  But the great service actually came later. 

My wife and I decided to fly out to Colorado to see her mother and we used the coupons.  Upon punching in the code on their web site to redeem the coupon, the cost actually came up as $0.  I thought maybe it was a fluke, but it did it the second time with the second coupon too.  It certainly was not inconcievable that maybe these really were coded to be free tickets, so I was quite happy about it.  Until the next day when Contintenal was calling my house and asking me for my credit card info because something went wrong with their computers, causing me not to get charged. 

The first rep I spoke with had a bit of an attitude, making it sound as if somehow I didn’t give the computer my credit card info, when in reality it never asked and came up as $0 right on my screen.  I grudgingly gave her my card and got charged the $410 for the tickets, but afterward I asked to speak to her supervisor.  I was on hold a good 15 minutes, which I thought was ridiculous for just getting a supervisor, but I kept my cool.  I decided I was not going to play the card and freak out and scream about the whole thing, but rather calmly explain what happened, and give them an opportunity to show their level of customer service. 

I explained what happened with the transaction coming up as $0, and why I thought that was certainly possible because of the circumstances when I received the coupons, and that obviously I was a bit annoyed that now I was paying all of a sudden.  She was very understanding and ultimatley, in the end, without any kicking or screaming on my part, she offered me two flight vouchers for the exact price of the tickets I just purchased — basically two free tickets, to use sometime in the next two years. 

I was honestly thinking she might give me $50 off or send me some coupons for a free beer on the plane, so this really went above my expectations.  That single act of service made me forget about the missed flight, the rude rep, and the computer glitch.  That’s what good service does — enables your customers to overlook some of your company’s faults.

Exxon Moby Spills Deaf Jams, Phat Beats into Sea

James Cameron Claims To Have Found Jonah’s Grave

Political Science: More Art Than Science?

I was reading an articile on MSNBC.com today about the nearly insignificant drop in the U.S. Poverty rate (which no doubt corresponds in the rise in the number of people without health insurance.).  You can read the article here.

 What struck me though was a quote from political scientist Larry Jacobs:

“The poor are politically mute,” said Larry Jacobs, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota. “What rational politician would listen to the poor? They don’t vote, they don’t write checks, why care?”

Can you believe this guy?  Why care?  Hmmm….  Maybe to stand for rights and ideals instead of your own self-interest?  To represent a group that needs representing?  I guess Mr. Jacobs assumes that politicians are truly only in it for themselves, for the vote to stay in the realm of power and influence.  I hope he’s not right with such a careless blanket statement, but I have a sinking feeling about it.

Where I Live

Can I say it?  I think I live in Yuppieville.  Actually the town’s real name is Palm Beach Gardens, but its Yuppieville just the same.  I am somewhat afraid to admit it, but I like Starbucks.  I don’t really drink coffee, but I like Iced Chai Tea, and the occasional Java Chip Frappuccino.  My wife and I have taken notice of how many Starbucks have sprung up in the past two years, and it’s been quite astonishing.  Here is a map:

There is actually one more Starbucks just off the right of the map.  To see the contrast, I’ve also placed logos for each gas station.  You might be thinking – that’s not really that many, they are probably far apart – but they aren’t.  You are looking at probably 4 miles by 4 miles on this map.  There are almost twice as many Starbucks as gas stations.  Useless information maybe.  Unless I can find a car that runs on coffee…

Kill Cows, not Cars

Ah, the foolishness continues regarding Global Warming.   Not even a Scandinavian Moose is safe!  You can read about it here: 

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,501145,00.html

Apparently when these creatures let out some gas, over the period of a year it is the equivalent of a car driving about 8,000 miles.  Most people probably drive twice that much in their cars per year granted, but that’s not the point.  The point is that Moose, and Cows (which similarly put out a lot of methane, which is supposedly worse than Carbon) were here for years and years before cars were. 

 

What’s next – start giving emissions tests to these animals?  If they fail, we can kill and eat them – or wait – then PETA will get upset.  Maybe we need to all just ditch our cars and go find ourselves a good moose or cow for transportation.  But that would probably still be considered cruelty to animals.  Plus, trashing that many cars would really take up precious landfill space.  What’s a tree hugger to do?

The Greatest Song Ever Written

Okay, so I admit, I have an unintended theme happening on this here blog… best this, greatest that, funniest whatever… what can I say?  I’m obviously opinionated enough to have a blog, right?!  So without further adieu I present…

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash:

 

 The song I am speaking of is “When the Man Comes Around” and is about the return of Jesus.  The song is filled with aweome imagery inspired by the scriptures, especially the book of Revelation.

The thing I like about Cash’s storytelling is that it is brutally honest and gritty.  To quote it:

“Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin’. Multitudes are marching to the big kettle drum. Voices callin’, voices cryin’. Some are born an’ some are dyin’. It’s Alpha’s and Omega’s Kingdom come.” 

You can actually listen to the song (not in the highest quality though) for free at this web site, which also has the lyrics for your enjoyment:

http://www.hit-country-music-lyrics.com/johnnycashlyrics-mancomesaround.html

And also, you can thank the author of the Wikipedia article that took the time to cite all the biblical references in the song.  You can check that out here.

 

 

Some Great Christian Books

I don’t read as much as I should, but I try to weed out books based on bad logic or false premises in their main ideas.  In other words, my opinion is that there are probably only about 10 books worth reading in any given bookstore, and the rest is either fluff, or a waste of time. I’m pretty hard to please.  Speaking of books worth reading, here are two of them:

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, and Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre.

 

 Most of the really good books on the Christian faith were written like a hundred years ago by people who are now dead.  Thankfully these guys are still alive and kickin, and I hope they continue to put out books like this that really challenge your faith in a contemporary way. 

 Many Christians are disenchanted by the church today – it feels like an unrealistic idea, something that looks good in paper but can fall apart in practice.  These books challenge your notions of what faith should look like in today’s world.  Many get scared of what may seem ‘liberal’ theology or ‘modernized christiantiy’ however the reality is that times change.  MORALS, do not change, it is just as wrong to murder someone today as it was 4,000 years ago, however people are different, culture is different, Jesus is the same, but old notions of what Christianity is are getting in the way of people coming to know Christ.  Dogmatism, strict theology, all-or-nothing versions of the gospel, simply aren’t reaching people today - they are falling on deaf ears. 

For example, if you are witnessing to someone (in the natural course of conversation, not a stranger on the street) and they tell you that they would believe in God, but they find it hard to believe (fill in the blank here).  This is not the time to tell them that they have to believe in all the core doctrines at once – this is the time for you to say “Well, I know that might be hard to believe, the truth is, I find it hard to believe myself sometimes.  I have doubts sometimes.  But God gives me peace and joy in my life, and He has made Himself known to me in ways that prove to me that He is more real than anything.  So, if that part of the bible causes you to be doubtful, put it to the side in your mind, and keep reading.”  

They may need to put several things to the side in fact, but if you force the issue, you are trying to force a decision about salvation, and I hate to break it to you, but your argument is never going to convince anyone that they need to become a Christian.  Conviction is the job of the Holy Spirit.  You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink – and the same analogy applies here.  You can lead someone to scripture, and you can explain your personal experience, but you can’t cause them to become a Christian, it simply doesn’t work that way.   

So to recap, the reason I like these books is that they challenge us to think about our faith in a new way, to be a little more humble and acknowledge that the truth is, we don’t have all the answers.  As Rob Bell says, “we can let God be God” so we don’t have to have all the answers.  We just need to know how to ask the right questions, and we need to get other people to do the same.