The AP reports that several workers attached to the Belgian branch of Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres; MSF) were abducted in the Darfur region of Sudan.
At present, no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The attack comes just days after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir and the subsequent ejection of aid agencies from the Darfur region, including the French and and Dutch wings of MSF.
Spring break often yields interesting discoveries.
This year, I decided to explore the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (better known as CoR, not to be confused with UMCOR, which is different, but probably more worthy of attention -- thus, the link on the side under Charities and Causes. But I digress...) website.
I often describe CoR to friends as the one megachurch I don't dislike. I'm not really sure if I'm joking or not. Maybe there are two. Rob Bell's Mars Hill might make the list as well. Of course, then again, megachurches are pretty popular in other countries -- South Korea has several. And megachurches do some good things; I remember reading about Rick Warren's trip to Africa. And yet more digression...moving on.
Anyway, CoR posts their sermons on their website. Pretty interesting. Right now, I'm working my way through the Lenten series, The Final Week. Check it out.
In the past few weeks, the International Criminal Court formally charged Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity and formerly issued a warrant for his arrest, a giant leap forward in the six-year old conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.
In response, President al-Bashir has kicked out several aid groups, calling them "spies" and has threatened expulsion of many more if they "interfere in something that doesn't concern [them]."
Edit: I got through all twenty-one minutes and fifty-eight seconds of it. I'm going to go listen to nails on a chalkboard to force this abomination from my memory.
Edit 2: The Sequel: The most wanted song ever is not much better. It is highly reminiscent of something you'd hear on Delilah.
As weird as it sounds, though, the thought behind it does make sense. If people give up Facebook for Lent, why not texting? It encourages more actual conversations -- gasp...even, perhaps, face-to-face! -- instead of short blurbs back and forth.
For those who are unfamiliar with Donald Miller, you could read what I have to say about him in this post. Or you could watch him pray at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Or you could just click on the Donald Miller link on the side bar.
Miller's blog, which for some reason I only started reading this week, has a very interesting post on the creative process, specifically for writers. Enjoy.
I haven't posted any bands on here lately, and it makes me sad.
Thrice is a post-alternative-hardcore band (formerly em/screamo) from California. I started listening to them when they were on tour with UnderOath promoting their album Vheissu and Invisible Children*. The first Thrice song I heard was "Image of the Invisible"**.
During their earlier years, Thrice had a much more screamo feel, and, in my opinion, was probably one of the best bands in the genre. For example, take their song "Stare at the Sun" off of the album The Artist in the Ambulance.
The album Vheissu marked the turning point for Thrice's sound and lyrics, taking on philosophical and religious content, and interesting intros for songs (my favorite might be "Music Box", as simple as it is). The album probes ideas of inherent human worth, consumerism, God, and makes allusions to the teachings of Jesus, the story of Jonah, and overcoming the trials and tribulations of the world. The last song, "Red Sky", takes its name from the old maritime saying, "Red sky at night, sailors' delight; / Red sky in morning, sailors take warning," which is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 16.
Thrice recently released a four-part concept album, The Alchemy Indexs, Vols. I-IV. The album is a series of four six-track EPs, each corresponding to one of the classical elements, Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Each of the six songs for each element are somehow related, and the style is meant to reflect the element. And in a very interesting motif, each volume ends with a sonnet in the Shakesperean style***. Volume I - Fire has a much harder sound, often with screamed vocals and distorted guitars. Volume II - Water has a electronica vibe, featuring synthesizers. Volume III - Air has a slower pace, with very simple instrumentation. Volume IV - Earth is almost entirely acoustic, with the exception of one song, "The Earth Isn't Humming", originally written by another band. And, perhaps not of any importance to anyone but me, the album art was drawn by the lead singer, and is in a very Medieval style, reminiscent of European woodcut prints.
"Digital Sea" - The Alchemy Index, Volume II - Water
"Come All You Weary" - The Alchemy Index, Volume IV - Earth
As mentioned earlier, Thrice is heavily involved in Invisible Children, and front man Dustin Kensrue recently recorded an interview with IC, along with Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot.
Rock on.
*This, incidentally, is how I got involved with Invisible Children. **Unfortunately, Universal Music Group has disable embedding on all songs to which they hold the copyright. They can still be viewed on YouTube, and I have linked the song names to the videos. The videos I have posted were released on Vagrant Records, and thus, can be embedded. ***If it's been a while since you've taken an English class, Shakespearean sonnets have three quattrains and a rhyming couplet and are written in iambic pentameter.
