26 December 2005

What I Learned from Furby

The Christmas shopping season. What a time. You get to look at all the cool new toys that they have, while thinking to yourself, "I wish I had had something like that."

While walking around a local toy department, I was shocked to see Furbies. I remember when Furbies first came out, costing around $50, if you could find one. Every kid wanted one. That lasted about a year, maybe a year and a half. Then the bubble burst (my first lesson: bubble economies). But now they are back. Which means that bubble economies are cyclical.

But I also learned something far more valuable than economics from my Furby. I learned important life lessons that will stay with me forever.
  1. If you find a hungry, wild animal, go ahead, stick your finger in its mouth. It won't be hungry anymore, and you'll come out of it ok, too.
  2. If you throw anything against a wall hard enough, you can get it to be quiet.

My Furby has long since been sold, but they are coming back now, so many other kids can learn the very same valuable lessons that I will cherish forever.

Rock on.

22 December 2005

A Brief History of a Quagmire

During the 1950s, as European colonialism was slowly but surely ending its reign, the Brittish government pulled out of an African nation called Sudan. And then things went to hell in a handbasket.

Mutliple militant governments have come and gone. The most recent one has faced multiple rebellions. So they called in the cavalry, an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed. This militia is directly responsible for the attempted, on-going genocide of thousands (180,000 lives lost). Despite "condemnations" (yet little action) on part of the UN and an African Union peacekeeping force, the attacks continue.

With international pressure mounting, you would expect that the government would call off the militia, and try to remove it by force, if necessary. However, they are sheltering rebels from neighboring Chad, in return for assistance to the Janjaweed.

Refugees from the region of Darfur, who flee to the country of Uganda, are forced to live in fear of being forced to fight in Ugandan rebel armies, also based in Sudan and sponsored by the Sudanese government.

The United States, who had been sponsoring the AU mission, pulled its funding. Despite protests from Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Congress rejected plees to re-instate the $50 million that had been going to the mission.

This is your chance to help out. World Vision and Invisible Children are fighting to bring aid to the refugees and those still in Sudan. Visit their websites. Make a donation. Write your Congressman. Try to convince him that the Sudan needs our help. Do something.

Rock on.

12 December 2005

I Thought We Said, "Never Again"

After the Holocaust, "Never Again"
After Rwanda, "Never Again"
After Bosnia, "Never Again"

The list goes on. Every single time there is attempted genocide, the world cries, "Never Again". And yet it goes on.

This post is dedicated to all of the people who have lost their lives due to inaction. Especially to the people of Darfur, in the Sudan, who continue to suffer, and yet their stories don't even make it onto the news.

My challenge to the readers of this will hear the cry of the Sudanese people and not let it die into silence. Do not let this happen again. Evil will only thrive if the good men do nothing. It is time to do something. Write your congressman, donate money, do SOMETHING.

"I think if people see this footage, they'll say, "Oh, my God, that's horrible." And then they'll go on eating their dinners."-Hotel Rwanda

Rock on.

02 December 2005

Decisions, Decisions

All I can say is, "Wow."

I've started re-reading the New Testament over again, and I'm just blown away. It's really inspiring. So inspiring, in fact, that I really don't know where to go with my blog. There are so many verses that I can comment on that I don't really know what to comment on.
Any ideas?

Rock on.