Monday Notes

RACE & RESETTLEMENT
Utah is opening its arms to evacuees. And that has become a springboard for a discussion about race and how it is affecting the evacuation and resettlement. (67% of what used to be New Orleans was black or African American. 0.8% of the population in Utah is black or African American -- less than 18,000 people in the whole state.)

Yesterday morning I challenged our people to begin thinking about how they might form groups to sponsor evacuees and to help them resettle in Turlock. As I was talking I was struck again by the cultural leap required to relocate here. While perhaps 40+% of the people living in Turlock are of some sort of color (go stand out in the center of the Turlock Junior High campus during lunch and you'll see that my guesstimate based on census figures is pretty conservative) less than 2% of the population is African American. It would require some flexibility on the part of everyone.

But if homogeneous Utah can do it -- it shoud be a snap for us.

THE CHANGING AMERICAN GIVING PATTERN
We are generous -- especially to those we consider to be "the worthy poor" -- innocent victims who will use the money and make a quick recovery. This new trend in giving is disconcerting to Christians who have historically been equally as open to serving the "unworthy poor" -- people who have made a mess of their lives -- and the innocent victims.

This new preference is going to start affecting the Gulf Coast disaster relief efforts after the initial wave of sympathy subsides. People will question whether we should aid a bunch of residents who ignored an order to evacuate and then who looted and rioted in the aftermath (at least that is the perception of what they were ALL doing -- and perceptions are reality when it comes to fundraising).

I'm convinced that there is a theological shift behind this trend toward preferencing the "innocent," which has made it rough going for those who provide homeless shelters, AIDS-related services, programs for troubled youth, and prisoner re-entry programs. As we become less and less attached to the idea that we are among the "unworthy poor" who have by the mercy of God received a fresh start, we are less inclined to pass that mercy along to others. We still want to give; it makes us feel good to do so. But we are shifting our focus to those who like ourselves "deserve" a chance -- and who we believe will thus more likely succeed.

SCOT McKNIGHT
Scot is advocating a "purple-driven life." I can see the potential for a new bestseller.

Scot is obviously not an Anglican. In that church the bishops tend to wear purple shirts and I've heard them referred to as "the purples." (Note clunky segue to next entry.)

IMPENDING ANGLICAN SPLIT
African and South Americans in the Anglican Communion have had enough of the communion's endless discussions over the ordination of homosexuals and same-sex blessings. And it appears that they will establish a new Anglican communion based in Egypt. A conference is scheduled to take place next month in Alexandria, Egypt. Link

ACQUISITIONS
Two big bucks mergers in the works -- eBay is buying the free web phone company Skype in a deal which involves about $4.1 billion. If Skype's revenue this year is $60 million (projected $200 million next year) it doesn't sound like such a good buy. But apparently eBay has money to burn.

Also in the works -- Oracle is buying rival Siebel Systems for more than $5.8 billion.

Apparently none of the above companies are projecting any kind of economic slowdown.

BUYING USED TEXTBOOKS ONLINE
Recommendations

MORE CHANGES IN THE NEWSPAPER WORLD
Last week we heard that the NY Times is going to print comic strips. Today one of Britain's major newspapers, The Guardian, changed formats from broadsheet to Berliner (a bit bigger than tabloid). Someone finally figured out that the larger size papers are not as user friendly -- especially for commuters on public transportation. Papers which retain the larger format usually do so because they like the revenue from larger full page advertising.

Of course, some might argue that fiddling with newspaper formatting is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I suspect, though, that newspapers will be with us for at least a few more years.

OSWALD HOFFMAN DIES
Oswald Hoffmann, whose radio show "The Lutheran Hour" was a mainstay to his generation (even to non-Lutherans), died September 8th, in St Louis after a brief illness. He was 91.

GOOGLE'S SUMMER STUDENT PROJECT
Here is how it turned out.

PEAT FIRE
There is a massive bog fire burning out of control in the Vancouver, BC area.