« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »
June 15, 2006
What would Jesus play?
As a one-time Colorado Rockies fan, I was surprised to learn that in recent years the team has been making a concerted effort to hire players and managers with character. What kind of character? The kind based on Christian values.
The focus on religion starts at the top with CEO Charlie Monfort, who was a notorious partier and drinker until a few years ago when he converted to Christianity, which now influences every aspect of his life. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
But it isn't just the owner and the management. It's the players, too. "Quotes from Scripture are posted in the weight room. Chapel service is packed on Sundays. Prayer and fellowship groups each Tuesday are well-attended. It's not unusual for the front office executives to pray together," according to the USA Today article.
"I don't want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we're stronger than anyone in baseball. Christians, and what they've endured, are some of the strongest people in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're seeing those," Monfort says.
Does God send signs through baseball? The Rockies seem to think so. And they think by being the only Christian-focused team in the league, good things will happen. Considering they haven't made the playoffs in 11 years, they need all the help they can get.
Hat tip: Phronesisaical
Posted by Elyas Bakhtiari at 2:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Don't be evil
Google weighs in on Net Neutrality:
In the next few days, the House of Representatives is going to vote on a bill that would fundamentally alter the Internet. That bill, and one that may come up for a key vote in the Senate in the next few weeks, would give the big phone and cable companies the power to pick and choose what you will be able to see and do on the Internet.The phone and cable monopolies, who control almost all Internet access, want the power to choose who gets access to high-speed lanes and whose content gets seen first and fastest. They want to build a two-tiered system and block the on-ramps for those who can't pay.
Posted by Elyas Bakhtiari at 9:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2006
Remember Afghanistan?
That's the question some attentive journalist takes a break from round-the-clock Iraq coverage to ask every few months. This time it's Mitchell Prothero at Salon. His article was sparked by the recent U.S. army truck accident that killed several civilians and led to widespread rioting and U.S. troops allegedly firing on civilians.
Last night the RNC chairman told Jon Stewart about the importance of staying in Iraq until we can leave it in a strong, stable condition. But Afghanistan becomes more unstable everyday and seems to be completely forgotten by the American public and the administration. Afghans increasingly view foreign troops, as well as aid workers, as occupiers. But it is not the mere presence of troops that angers the people, it is the fact that the international community has not fulfilled the promises of rebuilding the country it made after the 2001 invasion, Prothero reports. The international community is in Afghanistan, but it is not improving the situation and many are losing hope.
"We are not asking for miracles, only a plan. If the poorest people in Afghanistan -- take Ghowr Province -– hear Kabul is improving, they won't expect a good life but they'll have hope. When they hear Kabul is not improved in security or economy from the Taliban they will give up hope, because if you can't improve here..." one Afghan said in the article.
And perhaps even more so than the foreign troops, Afghans are growing impatient in Karzai, which could have disasterous consequences down the road as the Taliban insurgents gain more power.
"Afghanistan now faces a worst-case scenario no one could even imagine a year ago ... Karzai could become so weak that he invites more and more Taliban elements into the government and sparks a civil war with the Tajiks. The other scenario is that devout Tajiks, who would never work with the Taliban, join with Guliban Hekmaytar, the one-time Taliban enemy who has become a fierce opponent of the U.S. occupation."
Why does this matter? History. After the Soviets and U.S-backed mujahadeen spent several years fighting and destroying the nation's infrastructure, both world superpowers involved virtually forgot about Afghanistan, leading to a civil war and years of instability that led to the rise of the Taliban. One could argue that if the foreign policy at the time hadn't been so short sighted, if Afghanistan had been rebuilt and stabilized, Bin Laden wouldn't have had a refuge in the years leading up to 9/11. Who knows what that could have prevented?
Yet, history repeats itself. Troops and resources have been diverted to Iraq, and Bush's popularity rises and falls in large part due to his failures in Iraq, not Afghanistan. The stage has been set for the Taliban or a similar government to again take the control down the road. The American people may judge Bush's presidency by whether he succeeds or fails in Iraq, but history may place a little more emphasis on the forgotten country.
Posted by Elyas Bakhtiari at 9:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2006
Scenario
As the White House comes under fire for the "domestic spy program" of monitoring calls, its defenders justify the program by claiming the only calls truely monitored are those to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's a scenario that they would likely defend:
I'm a U.S. citizen, born and raised, with family in Afghanistan. If I place a call to the country to speak with members of my immediately family, there's a decent chance that the government could monitor my call.
Doesn't that violate my constitutional rights as a citizen? Can anyone legitimately defend that?
Posted by Elyas Bakhtiari at 11:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 7, 2006
Heh
From Yahoo News:
A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday."The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.
"A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."
Posted by Elyas Bakhtiari at 10:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack