Afghanistan: The Great Game

I have just watched Afghanistan: The Great Game - A Personal View by Rory Stewart
and I recommend ity highly. You've only got a few days left to watch it on BBC i-Player.
It's in two parts:  Episode 1 and Episode 2

My favourite quote was by an Afghan now living in Britain who said 'Its really easy to  get into Afghanistan; it's just the getting out part that's really difficult"

It was fascinating to think that this country of Afghanistan, which is on the one hand so barren, yet on the other so strategically placed, has been the stomping ground of Super Powers.  Rory Stewart explores this, looking at invasions in the 19th century by Britain, 20th century by Russia and in the 21st century by the US-lead coalition.  

The words of Pete Seeger's  'Where have all the flowers gone?' sung by Joan Baez  come back to me
'when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn .... ' 

Modern Worship by 'Holy Parodies'

A 'sobering' parody of modern worship by 'Holy Parodies' and 'the don't worship this way band'. It's available as a free download.

If you've got 46 minutes and are up to it you can even watch the sermon by Dr David Uth (I didn't bother)

If you like this sort of thing you might also like  another 'parody of modern church services ' Contemporvant'

"don't misunderestimate me"

I was inpsired by a recent twitter:   

alantlwilsonRT:  never misunderestimate George Bush. As he said, "The trouble with the French is they have no word for Entrepreneur"...

These Bushisms are all from Wikipedia  

General

"They misunderestimated me." — Bentonville, Ark., November 6, 2000

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." — Nashville, Tenn., September 17, 2002

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." — LaCrosse, Wis., October 18, 2000

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."— Saginaw, Mich., September 29, 2000

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Missouri, September 6, 2004

Foreign affairs

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., August 5, 2004

"We were trying to say something differently, but nevertheless it conveyed a different message". -January 12, 2009 Press Conference (Time Magazine, January 26, 2009, p13).

Economics

"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." — Greater Nashua, N.H., January 27, 2000

"I understand small business growth. I was one." — New York Daily News, February 19, 2000

Education

"Rarely is the questioned asked: How is our children learning?" — Florence, S.C., January 11, 2000

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." — Townsend, Tennessee, February 21, 2001

Historic Day - Washington and Oxford

Today Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated as 44th President of the United States. His father's village in Kenya went wild.  

I found his speach  moving and rooted in reality. At last an intelligent President!  No more Bushisms!   

The full text of Obama's speach is available on the BBC website)  He talked about the USA taking responsibility and held out an open hand to the Muslim world.  It's what people will call an historic day. The picture Barack Obama-Martin Luther King by BenHeine  just shows the significance with which the event is viewed by the civil rights movement. The first African American president. He will become, already is an Icon. 

The final prayer mentioned by Rev Joseph Lowery (something like) - Blacks not turning back, Browns 'turning around', Yellows being 'mellow' and Whites doing what's 'right'. (I'll correct this when I find the original and post a link). 

Maybe the US of A will now be able to embody this level of integration and social inclusion.  

We had our own Historic Day in CMS when members voted for the merger between CMS and SAMS.  The legacy of Allen Gardiner was remembered when he came to CMS in 1844 with the vision to reach the Pataognian Indians, but then there were not the financial resources to expand into South America. So a separate agancy was fomed.   Now 165 years later ..... 

These events may not have had quite the same level of interest. But 108 CMS members voted -only one against -  almost 100% in favour.  The significance is the shift in power from the global North to the global South that this represents. As Africans,  Asians and Latin Americans take their righful place in God's mission. It is about reponding to what God is already doing. Mission is no longer White. (not that it ever really has been). It is multicoloured. 

Maybe the two events are connected  after all      

Prayer for Obama

I was sent a copy of this picture back in November- prayer over Obama   - I dont know anything about the circumstances but it is  a powerful image, surrounded by his brothers and sisters.  And it seems pertinent the day before his inaugaration as a reminder for us to pray.  

It is an important occasion with all sorts of consequences - not least for the Middle East preace process. My hope is that the he will be able to deliver on some of the things that have been promised. Change is in the air.  

A Friend of mine from CMS  - Yemi  -  will be at the inaugaration - I dont know how he managed to wangle it  but he did,   He is a man with connections and it reminds me  how connected we are - 6 degrees of separation and all that.   

Hudson River plane crash

As a frequent traveller the story of the N.Y. Hudson River Miracle really hit home. 

Some of the pictures show just how incredible it was. All 155 people rescued  and it was COLD (-5 oC).  It's certainly good to hear good news occasionally in the midst of so many things going wrong.   And it is reminiscent of those other N.Y. plane crashes in Sept 2001  with a very different end result.  This one was caused by a flock of birds. Nothing sinister.   Maybe that is why this story has hit home. Given all the pain and agony and disbelief that was caused back in 9/11  it is such a relief do see a disaster averted. 

Now that reminds me  I must book those plane tickets. I've got to go places.