In memo-rium of fallen, Medal-of-Freedomers

Long-time Chief of Staff and candidly-open Karl Rove is out of the White House? Oh, no! What will patriotic, American flag-waving, Jesus friends do now? Who can we turn to in our moment of dire need? It's a good thing Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez is still around to defend our liberties from terrible terrorists who want to spy on us without restraint and thwart our federal justice system.

Oh, nuts! And now G-man-Gonzalez is gone, too? It's all too 1984 for me...

You see Mr. Freedom Eagle is getting all teary-eyed?

Good thing that Dick Cheney's still around.

And motorcycle Jesus. Apparently, he'll never leave us. (h/t to Jeffrey Overstreet)
Oh, I didn't even notice this. Thanks to myfourwalls.wordpress.com for pointing this out. But the Jesus Action figure that says "I am Peace" is him as a dove-holding soldier, with a semi-automatic underneath his robe.

It's quite moving... Jesus willing to kill so that he can save us from those terrorists over there...

Updates, updates, Read all about 'em!!

The baby picture sites (Flickr and Picasa) have finally been uploaded with pix of the family. Included are grandparents (including Grandpa and Granny Fronz), great-grandparents (both Grandmoozle Mary and 'Ita Rosa as well as a napper-snapper of Lo-lo Luis), uncles (The Uncle Jeff and the too-enthused Uncle Brian and Unkie Chunkie) and, finally, some decent ones of Momma with the baby. My big ol' crusty face (and bushel of curly hair) is there too.

For some strange reason, there's no auntie pix, at least not digitally.

There's also more head shots of the little one. Who, by the way, is still very healthy, even as she's been battling a bit of a head cold, heat rash and really, really stuffed nose.

The other, and much-related news is that we're going to transfer much of this baby-related stuff to a joint blogsite, name TBD. (EDIT: It's called The Family DYEgest. Get it? It's a pun - put together by mommy [I don't really do puns. So much]. Because we're overly concerned about what and how she eats.) Somewhat because I promised myself I wouldn't tell any poop-stories or jokes on this site. And I want to remain a man of integrity. EDITEDIT (I made a mistake in the link there. It's fixed now. Don't ask. Don't tell.)

On another, related note, congratulations to new members of the blogosphere, the Gotzi - or Gotzes, not sure which of the two. They just moved into Virginia (ironically, my brother and his expectant wife are just on the verge of relocating from VB, VA and the Navy. And not a moment too soon I might add. Of course, moving into Noo Joisey is a bit of into the frying pan, but still...) and have got the coolest/weirdest masthead for a blogspot I've seen. Their site is Thetwogotz.blogspot.com, with a current track of what their cat kills/eats/fiddles with, presumably.

Enjoy the bandwagon while it lasts...

I'm sorry to disappoint, but the Cubbies are trying to re-stake their claim to actually having a snowball's chance in Chicago's August. I'm not sure I'm willing to jump on board this time. I'm a - get ready for it - fair-weather Cub's fan. Yeah. There. I said it. I don't regret it.

Too many years of sorrow and managerial neglect. Not enough up's to go with the down's. And when they do blow an up, they find a poor ol' Billy Scape Goat. Or a Bartman.

And if you think that the management's little diplomacy trick this off-season of signing huge contracts would sate me: nope. Or the fact that they will be sold this next off-season. Again. Nope.

But since nothing else is happening now (no, Bears preseason doesn't count)...

Go Cubbies!

Oops, wrong team. O well, at least he was focused.
Wait, what do you mean he's not on the team anymore?

Happy Days Are Here Again

1)
Suicide rates in the US Army are at a high. A 26 year high. That's since shortly after Vietnam, early in the Reagan years, during the height of the Cold War.

That's when I was in school, learning to jump underneath my desk to protect me from the almost inevitable nuclear blast and its radioactive after-effects.

Last year, there was "a significant relationship between suicide attempts and the number of days deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan or nearby countries where troops were participating in the war effort," according to the Washington Post article.

Now, only a quarter of the suicides (about 100 in all) were of those deployed in Iraq. But still, the growing strains this is taking on our military, our troops, our economy (the cost is gAstronomically high to maintain this effort), not to mention the cost we've battered on the Iraqis... I just think it all adds up to one enumeration:

Get our troops out now!

But, that's just my opinion. (How about Iraqi bloggers? They have opinions. too, interestingly enough.)

2)
You know, despite all the hoopla, I was just not caring either for or against President Hugo Chavez. In some respects, honestly, I at least admired his chutzpah, standing up against big oil consumerist America while selling it big oil.

But this new call to end term-limits for Venezuelan presidents is... familiar. Like I've heard these words before: "It's not that I want to enthrone myself"... "This is a transfer of power to the people"... private property owners risked confiscation if their operations "damaged" communities... Critics charge that by creating federal districts and giving new power to the communal councils, the populist president seeks to bypass governors and mayors and extend his personal power.

Yeah, Cuba and China all over again. Not to mention countless Central American and African despot rulers who started out with similar people-based promises.

Thank God this one's rule is over in eight years.

3)
Idjits. Gotta love 'em. And their vote.


In The Know: Candidates Compete For Vital Idgit Vote

It's nice to know...

That finally, there are Christian seminary classes useful for women.

In cookin', sewin' and bein' a prega-nant.

Hmmm... WWMMD?

More pix

Awe is more than emotion. It is a way of understanding insight into a meaning greater than ourselves. The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe... Man may forfeit his sense of the ineffable. To be alive is a commonplace, the sense of radical amazement is gone... Deprived of the ability to praise, modern man is forced to look for entertainment, entertainment is becoming compulsory.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Stanford University, 1963
from Pillar of Fire, Taylor Branch

As you may note, there are more pictures. And I took more liberties playing around with the images (you might see why I dropped out of art school [not to be confused with Art Ruch]).



Enjoy! She's a doll (if I do say so myself).

P.S. Over the Rhine is now streaming their entire new album at OvertheRhine.com. Go, listen, enjoy. If nothing else, it'll make for a great soundtrack while you view and read this blog.

Just Say "Wait"

Gene Edward Veith of World Magazine asks why, statistically speaking at the least, Evangelical Christian teens are more sexually active (and at a younger age) than non-Evangelical teens are. (And World Magazine being a conservative, Republican-based, Classics-themed mag, some of his language, phrasing and solutions are not up to PC-code. Sorry if that embarrasses anyone.)


But what really got my attention (and my ears burning) was at the end:

[T]he Bible does offer a direct solution for people who are burning in lust: marriage (1 Corinthians 7:9). Adolescence—that time when a person is physically an adult but socially a child—is a modern invention. In the past, people married much younger, as soon as they were sexually ready. Today's culture postpones marriage while stretching celibacy to the breaking point.

A counter-cultural church may do well to encourage younger marriages. The young couple may still need the financial support of their parents and the social support of their fellow Christians. But this would be better than the current hypocrisy and guilt. And it would fulfill God's positive purpose for sexuality.

I know I have a few problems with this possible solution. But what should be taken seriously is this idea of the cataclysmic void era. I too believe that sex is really only viable within the marriage union, and that teenagers daily confront sex urges, not just from advertisements and general cultural signposts - which only serve to confuse them further -but from their very God-created bodies.

I also applaud Veith in not buying the standard Evangelical line, that "True Love Waits" and celibacy programs work. As he (and Lauren Winner in her marvelous book, Real Sex) notes, the effects of these campaigns are only short-lived and only temporarily delay what GNR and GEV may both call an appetite for destruction. Although self-control is certainly a good thing, it is often neglected. And even so, calls to self-control are often no more effective in the sexual area than in the peer-pressure area (remember "Just Say No"?).

On second thought, sometimes it is pretty effective...

So, maybe this is asking for too much, but I'd like to see what people think. Post your thoughts.

Letter to the Editor

Re: Strollers send some into a rolling rage:

Having seen what my pregnant wife went through riding the CTA [Chicago Transit Authority] to and from work, the antagonistic (and bullish) tone of the replies in Tuesday's article doesn't surprise me - only frustrates. After all, if the only passengers who give up their seats for someone in their third trimester tend to be little old ladies, why wouldn't Rush Hour [sic, oops!] patrons be so exasperated at the site of mothers and children using up precious space? After all, it has to be phenomenally easy for a singular parent to wheel their infant in through a jammed bus, find available seating, unstrap their child from the restraints, place them in the CTA's infant restraint seats (while praying the bus ride itself won't give the child whiplash), and folding down and disposing of the stroller.

But what I also sense is a case of classism. Many of the parents who ride on the bus or train with their infants are riding the bus not to get downtown to their relatively high-paying jobs, or to get to Wrigleyville to scope out the scene or whatnot, but to effectively get around. They use the CTA and not a car with adequate child-restraint seats because they cannot afford to own a car. For them, the CTA is a lifeline, inconvenience or not.

Jason Dye
32
Logan Square

"PC Load Letter? What the **** does that mean?"

Printers are like cigarettes?

Bad printers, bad!

You know what this means:

I say, die, mother-loader, die!

H/T to Relevant for the news and movie combo and this guy for the image

Further proof that Stevie Wonder is blind

The classic "Isn't She Lovely" centers around this opening:

Isn't she lovely?
Isn't she beautiful?
Isn't she precious,
Less than one minute old

It's a wonderful song and a good sentiment, I'm sure, but no baby is lovely at that period. That is the ugly period.

Not to say that she wouldn't be precious...

Thirty verses for my favorite 30 year old *

Proverbs 31:10 A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.

11 Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.

13 She shops around for the best yarns and (papers), and enjoys (throwing fun birthday parties).

15 She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her (daughter. And occasionally her husband - like on Father's Day).

20 She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor.

26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.

27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. (Well, sometimes it works!)

28 Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:

29 "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"

30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

31 Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!

Proverbs 2:2 Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding.

10 Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion.

I Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.

3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

4 Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head,

5 Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

6 Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

8 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit.

9 We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete.

10 But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11 When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12 We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

I John 4:7 Let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.

8 ... God is love.

Song of Songs 1:2 Kiss me, full on the mouth! Yes! For your love is sweeter than wine.

3 ... The syllables of your name murmur like a meadow brook. No wonder everyone loves to say your name!

2:4 He took me home with him for a festive meal, but his eyes feasted on me!

* Ok, if I did my addition right, it's 31. So, sue me. On second thought, in this heavily litigious day and age, strike that from the record.

All scripture is from The Message translation of the Bible.

Pictures, so many pictures...

I'll try out Flickr in a little while, but for now, Picasa should do, eh?


To get the album of Jocelyn during her first week, click here.

And if you prefer Flickr, click here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jossdye/)

So, what else have we been up to?

Just this...



and some of this...

Cause someone around here has to sleep all day

and get fed for doing nothing... (says the summer vacation teacher daddy)

The little one is Jocelyn. Welcome, little baby.

Update I:
I'm going to try to keep as many people updated as I can about our baby and her condition(s) as I can, so I may be a little lagging in the info department here at times.
Our little miss chubby cheeks is hooked up to the oxygen tube here (and some other gadgets and vials) because she had some trouble breathing, she had/has some discoloration issues going on (at times looking like a little Smurfette, which is not as cute as it sounds, Jossie being human and all), and she was throwing up some mean stuff. So, she's on antibiotics and she may remain at the hospital for another week. Hopefully, nothing worse is happening, but the staff is constantly checking up on her and monitoring her and everything.

Today, she had another tube going down into her mouth, and the staff has been directed to not feed her for awhile.

And it's difficult being in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit and seeing our relatively healthy and full-term baby and not feeling a little 'wowwed'. And we are grateful. We can, for instance, hold her. But it also hurts deeply to see our little precious one in all these tubes and crying out of frustration, a very hurt cry.

We ask and hold on to your prayers. Thank you.

Update II:

Mama and I are traveling a lot between here and there now. We can say that based on this evening's visit, our little pumpkin-head is doing so much better. She still has an infection (around the lungs, I believe), but everything else seems to be working fine and on-schedule for development (sounds like a project, eh?).

Still, we miss her here and long for the time to bring her home and hold her w/o worrying about popping off a tube or something.

Update III (July 20th):

On my way to an important (and always frustrating) teacher's fair, so I'll be quick.

Baby's doing well enough to allow her into a private room, which means that mama and/or I will have to be with her consistently until she's released (probably Tuesday, maybe slightly later). Which is terrific because mama's in recovery mode and shouldn't be doing so much traveling anyway. It also means that we may get to have a few more visitors. But, please, wipe your hands and blow your snotty noses before ya come in! (*wink*)

She's a feisty one, kinda like her mama, she even furrows her little and wide forehead like her beautiful mama.

Hopefully, I can get some pix of her and mama all cuddled up. They were running the tests on her when I came in this morning, so she was busy crying, which meant that she had the little eye-boogers on her (Joss, not Jen). Not the most photogenic, but I didn't have our cam w/ us anyhow. I'll have to steal Jen's. Jen's much more photogenic than me, but she's still cam shy. Yet how can you NOT look good cuddling next to that precious little pumpkin-head? She even makes me look good!

Update IV (July 21st):

So much I want to say, so little time. But since pictures are worth a thousand words...

Notice what's missing.
Mama and I are a little concerned about some blockage in the nasal passages, but she's off the O2 tubes, among other things.

One of the rare, valuable shots featuring the recovering mama. She's cute.

A really old picture of Jocelyn.

She's got large, spider-monkey feet.
The good news is, this is one of only two tubes left on her as of last night.

Yes, I know. We're planning an intervention.

I want to thank AJ and Therese for coming by yesterday and taking five million great pictures. (The first two pictures were courtesy Gramps Fronz and Jennie, both via the brilliant photographic capabilities of the Virgin Slver). Of course, I also want to thank Granny Fronz for exquisitely helping Jennie and the baby during the afternoon transitional period, and for Unky Chunky for coming by and bestowing his blessing on the other side of the pregnancy (Btw, Jocelyn is the first grandchild for both of our parents and obviously the first niece/nephew for our kin, so congrats to them too).

I also want to thank friends and family for their prayers, care and concern and stopping by here regularly for updates and images. I think our biggest areas of concern left are just in this transitional period (bringing her home w/o a boatload of expert staff at our every available whim for our slightest scare) and any concerns that we may/will most likely have in terms of insurance and payment.

Update V [The next one will be called Update Balboa] (July 22nd):

Not much to say. Or at least, not enough time to say it (promised Jennie I'd be back soon). But I will mention that we got news last night that we may be able to go home as early as tomorrow, Monday. She's eating well, but all of our hopes of putting her on some sort of schedule (and feeding straight from the source) seem to be flying out the window right now. O well, she's in a constant state of flux right now. We'll get it together soon and she'll pull herself up by her li'l booty straps before you know it. (You can tell I used to be a Republican?)

A picture I've been waiting to take for a while.
Don't know about you, but it makes me smile.

Update VI: A New Hope

We're still not home, after hoping to be released earlier today (although good news may come along at any given moment, I doubt they'll release us within the day). But Joss is doing well. She kept mama up all night (which I understand is perfectly normal for newborns and teenagers alike). She's also actually gained weight since birth (2 oz's. This just after we were told that she lost all-told two ounces since birth. That's a gain of like 4 ounces in one or two days. Just like her fat daddy!) - usually the babies drop that weight in the first week since they're padded with extra protection for that necessary sleep time. But at this point, we're just playing it safe. She drinks almost two ounces (the magic number, apparently) on average every three hours.

I've got more errands to do (including a trip to UPS on the other edge of town, if I can). So, I'll talk more later.

Update VII: Return of the Jossi (July 24th)

The moment we've all bee waiting for. The end of Jabba the Hut and the final confrontation with Darth V....

Sorry, wrong dramatic sequence.

I gotta go. My baby (and Jennie and myself) are coming home!

Update VIII: The Quest for Freedom (July 25th)

Look, colors!

I'm gonna clean up and feed my baby. Thanks for all your concerns, calls, texts, emails, prayers, etc.

Update IX (Jossie in Space).

We took little Joss to her first post-release doctor visit. She's not only fine, she's great. The doctor was thinking that she wasn't necessarily sick, but just threw up some milk (either mama's or the similac type stuff). Her little body (over?)reacted to defend itself and the hospital staff (overre?)acted in accordance to their policies to help the baby defend herself. But, honestly, I'm not knocking anybody. Better safe than sorry.

She's also actually gained weight already. And she's very peaceful. She can cry to stop a train, but generally speaking, she sleeps a lot, eats a lot, and poops occasionally.

BTW, I've been checking out the sitemeter to see who is interested in the news about our precious little bundle, only to find that a large contingency of international people who have visited (like, four of the ten) recently came for some insight (which I highly doubt they received) on biting beetles.

Is there something going on that I'm not aware of? (Zombie Roaches?)

Update X (The Papa Decree)

OK, and for those who just can't get enough Joss (I'm talking to you, family), we've got Flickr and Picassa slideshows above. You can get and copy pictures, I believe, just by clicking on the images.

Peace out.

No news yet...

There are still technically two hours left to the day, so it's not a total wash. Yet. But the baby's due date has come and gone without incident. Which, in a sense, is fine because we've been spending the last few days putting our house in order. Which is a lot harder than I thought.

I'm not a Mr. Fix It. I can put together some pieces from Crate & Barrel or even Target (*shudder*), but putting up stuff from near scratch is harder than it looks.

I did put together a pizza from near scratch. Next time I'll still be using the Boboli Pizza Crust, but I'll stew and blend my own tomatoes - from my own garden! - and use more variety of cheese - from my own dairy farm!

I milk the cows with my own hands. One I name Monterrey Jack. The other, I call her Low Moisture Skim Mozzarella.

And then I'll deliver my baby. Tomorrow, I swear!

Because everybody keeps calling...

in good nature, of course, we've yet to have our little bundle o' joy.

But I did get a new laptop. Almost as cool. And I have to do less reorganizing to set this little baby up.


We just moved. And we're trying to fit everything into this much smaller apartment. We buying a lot of shelving units (enough so that the landlords should be paying us, but probably will use as an excuse to raise the rent on the next dwellers).

Oh, and did I mention our new place is right next to the El? Like literally next to the Chicago Transit Authority flippin' El?



For non-Chi-townies, that's short for Elevated. A beautiful tapestry that works mightily through the structure of our grid-based town when it's working right. A perfected version was erected (and then destroyed) in Batman Begins. It was driven on some Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines buddy-cop drivel in the 80's. And Doc Ock tried to play the Speed game using one of our trains in Spider-Man II. We live in the Blues Brothers' apartment.

And it's loud.

Like a freight train running through your head loud when you're not so used to it. And hearing it every two-to-twenty minutes in your bedroom or living room (or across from your potty) can be a bit unnerving.

By the way, her name is Jocelyn Carissa. And she'll be beautiful. I say this because I have faith that she'll look like her mommy. And not so much like her daddy.

Food and Dylan's Enduring Legacy

I'm getting ready to fire up the ol' grill (i.e., stove top) with some yummy-yummy Boca Burgers.

Which, I find out later, my wife abhors. Abhors, I tell you!

I didn't think they were too bad.

You know you gotta oil up the frying pans for these meatless boigahs? I guess it makes sense.

But don't worry, fellow meat-lovers, jasdye is NOT going vegan. Meat is in my blood. In fact, it's in my bloodstream. And my flesh. And, of course, my colon.

But I am well-aware of the fact that I'm grossly overweight. And I need to take drastic (though not Atkins-type drastic) steps to losing weight.

I'm thinking Richard Simmons.

Okay, not quite.

Or at least not yet.

But at 250 lbs. and counting, I don't think I should take too many more Richard Simmons-less steps.

and to take your mind off that image...


"Well, at least I didn't write that stupid 'So You Had a Bad Day' song."

h/t to Paste Magazine

!!!!!!!CHICAGO IN REVIEW!!!!!!!!

Three day weekend happening. Gotta love it.

Wifey's finally getting some sleep. But since I've been cheating and getting - y'know - some sleep every night (as in, more than her requisite two hours at the beginning or end), I could probably catch up on some writing. 'Cuz I won't catch up on my reading, that's for sure.

Eat my moral-teaching shorts, John Dewey!

That'll show 'em!

Eats:
There's a few places I want to check out this weekend, none involving ants or pic-i-nic baskets. *Crossing fingers*

Cozy Corner is the local (very local, being nearly across the corner. And very cozy, being that it's literally a corner of a restaurant and it's always post-full during human-being hours [like, after 9a.m.]) greasy spoon that my wife and I have made a weekly tradition of since we moved in. We haven't had the opportunity to go within the last month. It's great for traditional breakfast, with omelets so good you'll smack your mother, beautiful, fluffy, full pancakes, and a slightly Mexican-spiced orientation. Lunch isn't so great, but since breakfast is served as long as it's open (with relatively short hours, this place opens at 4am and closes at 6). So, that's one yummy butter-filled possibility.

bLENd isn't necessarily in our neighborhood, nor is it exactly close. But it's just a few stops away on the eL. And since Mrs. JasDye isn't such a big fan of coffee, we can get us some of them there fruitee smoovies what them new-nicks is always spittin' up about.
I may stop by there on Monday and try to get some reading done. And then race home to get my homework in. I'm such a lame.

There's also a new crepes and panini B&L place opened under the eL station near us that the alt-weekly Reader just featured with the title "Best Panini in Town?" The review seems to suggest that it's a strong possibility. Vella Cafe, though, may be tapped on Memorial Day Brunch due to the press, but we can at least swing by. If nothing else, we can at least support the local, independent restaurant movement by ordering a McSausageMcMuffinMcCheese and get a free McCoffee for my McTroubles.

Music:

Nothing except the Stax 50th anniversary double-album. If you're not a complete collector-nut, get this one, even if you already own, say, the Sam & Dave collection. Since my computer is completely down, I haven't been able to iPod in a couple months. But, when I do get another computer, my first purchase would be to get some more Booker T.

And then some more diapers.

Movies:

No new updates, but when I'm in a better position emotionally (slow ebb of violin strings...) I totally want to see the newest teacher movies and do an analysis of the four ones released within the last year. At least the ones I'm aware of are The History Boys, Freedom Writers, Chalk and that Ryan Gosling as a coke-snorting one that I couldn't bear to watch. If you know of others please feel free to tell me (The Substitute XII, anyone?).

That's some hot cup o' Jo

The Mrs. and I are leaving tomorrow night to see her brother graduate from Law School in GA on Saturday morning. Which means a lot of driving time. A lot. But it's cool. I'm really too busy to be writing this, which is probably why I'm doing it anyway.

I got a comment on a two year old post this morning. I had no idea what this cat was talking about (since I'm not too aware of controversies that don't have the words 'Chicago' and 'School' in them somewhere or other), but I slowly got the brain together.

My man Johan was involved in a little minor-celebrity moment a while back when he and some coworkers were featured on the cover of the free daily rag here, The Red Eye (Disclosure: The RedEye is owned by Tribune Corp. Tribune Corp. runs the Cubs through the end of the year. 'Nuff said.) The Red Eye ran a little piece about these young, emerging hottie celibates, with a blown-up pic of Johan (Disclosure: who, if I was a girl, I'd totally be crushing on. But I'm not. But if I were gay...) as I've hinted, on the friggin' cover. Pretty-boy eye-lashes and all. He and a group of like-minded and pro-abstinence young men and women (all great communicators and quite attractive in their own rights) did some speeches and rallies, etc., for an abstinence education group -- herein referred to as Project Reality. (Full disclosure: I was a big abstainer for a long time. As the soon-upon-us birth of our daughter will attest, I am no longer abstinent.)

I think Johan got me confused with real bloggers who keep up with other bloggers' news. If I can, I'll read the people in the top ten or so of my blogroll to the right. I need to update it (sorry, people), but that's about it. But I was made aware of Jo-hizzle's opening of a coffeeshop a few months ago by his mother. I haven't had a chance to check it out (although I did go to it a couple times before they moved and opened regularly). Apparently, it's called bLENd. I would assume that name has more to do with people-mixing and fruit-flavored mochaccinas than anything virgin-related, but I'll let J-Lohan tell his story.

Yo J,

Guess who?! It's the controversial Johan.

Just to help shed some light for you on why all the searches for my name.

There are some people, for reasons unknown to me, that have launched a smear campaign against blend.

They are using the lie of us giving all of our money from blend to abstinence education. This is completely ridiculous and false.

I can't believe how crazy people are!

We even got interviewed about this stuff, here's a lil' snippet:


Chicago blogs were all abuzz last week with news about recently-opened East Village coffee shop bLENd.

The simplest version of the story (as we read on The Food Chain) is that bLENd is owned by a founder of the abstinence-only education group Project Reality. We thought this was pretty interesting on a number of levels (not insignificantly the amount of media it has received) so we decided to get in touch with bLENd part-owner and Event Coordinator Johan Khalilian to find out what the connection is.

Khalilian broke it down for us: "In all honesty, Project Reality has no connection with bLENd. They do not fund us, we do not fund them. We have no intent on funding them or anything abstinence related, they have no intent on funding us." So where does the confusion come from? Why is everyone crying wolf?

Khalilian told us that he has done work with Project Reality "as a speaker on healthy choices and abstinence." Beyond that, he said that "there is no affiliation with what we are doing at bLENd. There are certain people who have just assumed, because of my stance on abstinence, that bLENd is affiliated in some way shape or form. That assumption is false."

The funniest thing is that they say I'm one of the founders of Project Reality!

Project Reality was founded in 1985, I was born in 1979! Either that's another lie or I was the smartest most politically inclined kindergarten boy in the world!

Since I like to think the best of people, I'm willing to go with number 2, Jo-Ko.

Some real cheap and quick googlin' has hit upon these links:

The official Metromix review, which labels "partner" Johan as "eye candy", "motivational speaker", and "male model". Yes, I laughed.

And then here's an example of one of the websites with horrible research that Johan is referring to, which actually has a commentator associating that President Bush himself is funding bLENd.

To be fair, though, the official website (ostensibly made in '06, before it opened) is hopelessly esoteric. Lovely to look at. But frustrating in any sense of the word 'business.' So, I could see why people would want to make up their own news, bad form of logic as they may use. Edit: Apparently, they're also on MySpace, but anybody who's ever tried to search for anything on there (except for hookup purposes, I'm sure) knows that I wasn't able to find it.

PostEditEdit: Hey, found it. Heavy Bruce Lee influence. That's cool. It's Wu-riffic.

But, mad props to ya, Johan. The wife and I (and baby?) will try to stop by sometime soon.

Update

• Yes, the Bulls lost the first two games to Detroit in some doozies. And without a brawl to write home to mommy about. Yet, we still have faith in 'em in Chicago. Win tonight, or start a fight. I don't care if Zeke is in NY now.
• We're looking for a new apartment in the range of two-to-three bedrooms for under a thousand a month -which is difficult in Chicago. This would save us a lot of money that we'll need once the baby is born and we switch to a one-income family. It's too bad, though, since we really made this little cozy place our own and fallen in love with it. And the move will probably happen a couple weeks after the baby's born. Yeah, I know, I know. Not cool. Dread these summer-babies, though. Should've planned the pregnancy around the lease.
  
• Taking a grad school program for teachers nearby. Like the saying goes, "Takes money to make money to burn money."
  
• I'm also looking for a new school to teach at (more on that in the next month or just after).
  
• Summer blockbusters (or semi- or pseudo-blockbusters) that I've seen without the wife so far: 2. Watch the tally rise. But for now, all I'll say is, a little disappointed in both Spider-Man III (as you're probably aware by now, too much happening; but then again, I plan on seeing it again and maybe again) and in Hot Fuzz (which I thought was a tad disrespectful to the genre it was trying to pay hommage to by interspersing it with a genre the filmmakers had already masterfully spoofed - goredom). If you missed the first, you're dead. Or my wife. According to the box office returns at least. If you missed the second, and can handle a bit of gore-ish violence (actually, not too much), you need a good laugh. Watch it (and while you're at it, rent Shaun of the Dead. Again.)
  

And this is for the Gators winning EVERYTHING!!

At least something's going right in this world.

Bulls.
Keep 'em comin'!

This is for request. And because I think it's funny.

Moderate graf

As I was riding the bus the other day and trying to avoid eye-contact (while people-gazing nevertheless. It's like a game. I try to keep my ring in full-view and not gawk at people. It's interesting. You should try it.) I caught an ad for the Illinois Dept. of Rev. They want citizens to e- their tax returns. Which, I suppose, is cool. Less paperwork, right? (Marginally.) The ad read: Want taxes to be less taxing? The perfectly legible penciled-in graffiti underneath read: Vote Republican.

Probably the first instance of neo-con graffiti that I've ever seen. Which I think is interesting. Most graf that I catch is polar in its essence. There is the very conservative gang graffiti that says, this is our area, our block, our marker, stay out non-locals/non-us. There is the very liberal tagging which says that all property is public property and therefore also my property - and I have the right to mark the world with my name. Yet, even amongst those distinctives, there are shades of moderation. One of the most prolific taggers in my neighborhood goes by the nom-de-plum Jimmy Carter. Huge letters. Just a tad bit fancy. But also perfectly legible. On mailboxes all over the general Logan Square neighborhood. The southern farmer/ex-President/humanitarian is making a public-yet-restrained-yet-illegal comeback as a street chameleon.

I wonder if the Jimmy Carter guy and the Vote Republican guy ever met. And what would they say to each other. Would they engage in a lively debate about the necessity of individual rights v. corporate rights. Over earning v. living wages. Education. Etc.

Or would they just pull out their markers and try to scribble on each other as fast as they can, in the tradition of the Old West, as many moderates secretly love to imagine themselves resolving conflicts.

Let's Play Catch-Up!

• Apparently, Ol' Bessie (aka, Cheap Acer - the term-of-no-endearment Mrs. jasdye gave her) was running on empty. The old hard drive just ain't what it used to be. An expensive inpatient stay at the Geek Squad informed me of that. Now I have to try to figure if I want to spend another couple bills fixing her or just start from scratch and buy a more reliable machine. Which I may or may not take with me to work (why should I endanger my machine for their work?, I keep asking myself. To no avail. I make a lousy conversationalist). In any case, I'm really concerned about my iTunes. Can I transfer all those tunes via my iPod into another computer? How does that work with the DRM's? Does anybody know? Stupid, stupid, stupid. I need to back everything up from now on out eight times over.
• I also lost my phone. I'm turning into Homer Simpson in things digital. Funny thing is, I haven't stored most of the numbers there anywhere else and I barely remember my own number. AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I'm such a block-head.
• Mrs. jasdye and I have been looking for a new church now for a bit. Which has been hard for me, since my old church is like family. Old family, in quite a few cases. But, we're both really liking this church. It's about a mile from our house, it's multi-cultural (in some ways more so than our last - which is hard to find in the Evangelical tradition), has a congregation that is social/economically-mixed (also like our last church - with a mixture of homeless, yuppies, college students, hipsters, etc.), is laid back but mixes high-church liturgy (which is a mix that I'm pretty comfortable with and have been trying to get my old church to embrace), and speaks our language in terms of the redemptive work of God in the whole of the world through Jesus' death and resurrection. The one weak spot that we've noticed is that we would be considered in the older end of the church's spectrum, that being a very small window for the most part. But, like ourselves, it seems like the church is also booming out some babies and young'uns. So, we'll see and try to keep posted.

I think my poor computer's about as exhausted as I am, or would be, if I didn't take some much needed (and for once, well-timed) breaks this week.

Taught the night at the youth group. Had a blast. Miss the rugrats. I couldn't even imagine giving a half-hour lecture to my own students and them being anywhere near as attentive. Ok, I was given twenty minutes, but another thing I couldn't imagine is even broaching this massive subject matter in only a third of an hour, unless it was as an introduction to a series.

I felt a bit like I was just rushing, just trying to throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks where. My boy Tankie - who's often been my silent sounding board - came through and encouraged me that at least someone carried away something from it.

And now for the final installment:
Isaiah 54

1 "Sing, O childless woman! Break forth into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, even though you never gave birth to a child. For the woman who could bear no children now has more than all the other women," says the LORD. 2 "Enlarge your house; build an addition; spread out your home! 3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will take over other nations and live in their cities. 4 "Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, 5 for your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.

11 "O storm-battered city, troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you on a foundation of sapphires and make the walls of your houses from precious jewels. 12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies and your gates and walls of shining gems. 13 I will teach all your citizens, and their prosperity will be great. 14 You will live under a government that is just and fair.

55

1"Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink - even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk � it's all free! 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! 3 "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. 4 He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations. 5 You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious."...

8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

What does the resurrection of the Messiah mean for everybody else?

A whole new world! The mountains are running and skipping, the trees are clapping, the rocks will cry out, etc., etc. A small band of people from a "backwards" nation will eventually broaden their scope, become emboldened enough to die horrible deaths proclaiming the death and resurrection of their leader (in the promised hope that they too will be resurrected), gain thousands, tens of thousands, eventually millions and now billions of followers, topple the mighty Roman Empire, heal the sick, comfort the fatherless and widows, cuddle burn-victims, AIDS victims, lepers, establish and run hospitals.

Yes, many horrible things were done by Christians and in the name of Jesus. But those atrocities are more results of being broken and self-centered than of living in and through the resurrection. More a result of having as Lord Caesar and wealth than Jesus. More a result of neglecting our God and our neighbor in favor of self-interests, rather than loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

And maybe the first step for many of us, in confronting the power of the resurrection, is to step back, reflect, apologize. And then make amends.

You see, a ghost doesn't have a body

So [the women] rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples - and everyone else - what had happened... But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings,; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

Luke 24:9, 11-12

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her.
"Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I don't know where they have put him."
She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her, "Who are you looking for?"
She thought he was the Gardener. "Sir," she said, "if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him."
"Mary!" Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, "Rabboni!"
"Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord!" Then she gave them his message.

John 20:11-18

Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. "Peace be with you," he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
"Why are you frightened?" he asked. "Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do." As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder.

Luke 35-37

The gotcha-ness of the Resurrection.

The four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), for all their different versions of the same story - which has left skeptics wondering why Christians would believe in these muddled accounts in the first place - all record the same reaction from his followers after his resurrection. Male, female, close disciples, Roman guards, and nameless followers all are shaken and fearful upon seeing him, or rather, seeing his body where it shouldn't have been. It was as if Scooby and Shaggy had stumbled unto another one of their ghosts. Except that this was no cheap monster suit, no illusion, and was a first-experience.

The angels' response is similar to Jesus'. Their first words in all their encounters tend to be "Peace" or "Don't be afraid." Although Jesus did seem to walk through walls, I don't think that the response was necessary because people were afraid (as has been suggested by well-meaning Christians) of the awesome size and muscular size of the angels or that Jesus appeared as a ghost. Notice Mary Magdelene's response to the "white-robed angels" and her desperate plea to the gardener. It was more that Jesus was missing from his tomb, his place of death, and instead appearing in front of them.

He should be there, in the tomb he was just placed in. Not missing. And certainly not walking in on meetings.

Yet, it wasn't as if the disciples had no primer on this. They knew about, and many of them clung to the hope of, the resurrection, that the dead shall raise from and beyond the scope of death - bodies and all. I'm pretty sure that they were also getting used to the idea of a Messiah (a Jewish savior who would deliver the Israelites from all captivity) who's dirt poor, who's humble, riding on a donkey's colt. And Jesus himself had warned them (at least three times directly) that he would die and yet rise again.

But you could say all that preparation would only come into play later, after the events themselves. For there was nothing in the schema of the world to prepare them for this. This was all new. No one was prepared for the resurrection to begin now. They anticipated a military victory - a toppling of the power of Rome - before a defeat of their hopes and dreams and lives. They didn't understand, yet, the ways of the power of God. And, in many cases, neither do you nor especially I.

This is all new.

And... Discuss!

The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the rain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were throns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord's name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

Isaish 55:10-13 [New Living Translation]

I will only say this much right now (for lack of sleep and time), just reviewing chapters 52-56:
I am amazed at how much Jesus, the Gospel writers, and John's Revelation relies on the images seemingly centralized here. One I just noticed the other day (to kind of tip my hand in the direction I may or may not head), is the correlation between the 11th verse here and the picture of Jesus produced in the first chapter of John, culminating with his resurrection and vindication.

Let's play a game. What other such correlations do you notice?

Resurrection life

Easter would hardly have been, for two thousand years, the spring and center of Christian life and prayer, would hardly have provided the focus of Christian worship and the form of Christian hope, if the word Easter were simply the name of something that once happened in the past.

Nicholas Lash, Easter in Ordinary
(source)

I'm going to do a little teaching on Thursday night to my old youth group. I miss teaching in the Church context. But at the same time, I feel like this time right now, God is teaching me so much and that my vocation is only beginning to be illuminated. And I feel a bit shaken. Like there's so little I know, even though I've been a Christian for some 26 years. I feel a bit of trembling and shaking.

I'm going to be drawing largely on N. T. Wright (largely The Challenge of Jesus) and Eugene Peterson (in this case, almost exclusively Living the Resurrection) to talk about the resurrection of Jesus (spiritual, intellectual and physical new life-after-death) and his followers and what that means in day-to-day life (hint: it has nothing to do with the Left Behind books or why we should fight for or against anybody in the Middle East [militaristically, that is]).

Please stay tuned for further ruminations throughout the week. Both of you.

And on the seventh day...

God rested from his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy.
Genesis 2:2-3

Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.
As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
Luke 23:50-56

My wife and I, after a ridiculous week for her, stayed in bed today til 6. PM.
Now, as I've said earlier, Jesus is in the middle of starting a new covenant, but today is what we could call the eye of the hurricane. Rest now, for tomorrow marks new life.

(If I may be so bold as to suggest reading Isaiah 54-55 if you're feeling froggy.)

Citations from New Living Translation.

Gooood Friday, World!*

From The Gospel According to Matthew, Chapter 27, beginning in verse 27:

Some of the governor's soldiers took Jesus into their headquaters and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, "Hail! King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.**

The type of new covenant that Jesus was sharing in stories and proclamations with his people - first century Jews - was expressed as the coming of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven/God. It's upon you, he would say; it's like a returning, like a coming back from exile, like a homecoming for a wayward son; it starts out small and will grow like a huge tree where all the birds can nest; it's a party for the poor, diseased, crippled, vagrants, prostitutes and anyone else that wants in; it will be like the end of this world, and the beginning of a new one; it'll be cosmic, on the scale 0f stars falling from the sky and the sun turning red; every knee will bow to the King - including, by inference, Caesars, governors and provincial rulers like Herod and Pontius Pilate.

Many Jews loved this part of the story, including - maybe especially - the Pharisees. They were anticipating it even, trying to purify themselves and their country of infidelity (sound familiar?) to prepare the way of the Lord. They were looking forward to the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, to the perfection of the Word. What the leaders found so unnerving is that this utterly powerless, homeless, seemingly passive (turn the other cheek, the violent try to take it by force, etc.) was declaring that the Kingdom would happen through him. He referenced himself as the Son of God and the Temple. It was obvious he was taking away from their base of power by his miracles and food and stories and wisdom.

So, the leaders (the usually feuding Pharisees and Sadducees - who weren't so happy about upsetting the Roman power structure as the Pharisees - as well as priests, scribes, etc.) came up with a plan. They captured Jesus and brought him to the Roman government. They then charged him with a half-truth: This man is an insurrectionist by claiming that he is the King of the Jews. According to the account given in the Gospel According to John, when Pilate tried to release the popular man, the leaders countered that Jesus' claims to be the King of the Jews was a threat to the power of Caesar. In this, they were correct.

In fact, though, today as I looked over the passage in Matthew 27, I was struck by how little that threat meant to the occupying forces. They weren't just mocking Jesus by calling him and enacting scenes with him, on the cross and in his torture, the "King of the Jews." They were mocking the Jews and their supposedly backward nation, as well as all that they held dear (to my ears, though, I hear traces of Abu Ghraib). Over the next several generations, the Romans would tear apart the land of the Jews and scatter them. But now those who watched over the land (as occupying forces are wont to do) felt little more than contempt for such a puny, little, insignificant, backwards nation that truly believed they were better than anyone else.

The Jews knew this claim to be a massive threat, however, because they believed the promise given to Abraham at the beginning of the old covenant: I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others... All the families on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2,3). This promise would be repeated and expounded upon in the prophets.

And the saga continues...

*My caveat is that I do not wish for anti-Semitism (or anti-any other people group) or any other such misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Such things are immoral and against the spirit of the whole of the Bible and of the God I worship. With that being said, I'm not trying to offend anyone or make anyone feel threatened or even exclude anyone, but I believe that more illumination is needed, not just hollow political correctness.

**New Living Translation, thank you very much.

Happy Maundy Thursday! Woo-hoo!

From the Gospel According to Matthew, 26th chapter (New Living Translation):

26 As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God's blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take it and eat it, for this is my body." 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

photo © 2008 Kim Mc. | more info (via: Wylio)

I'm no biblical scholar, but my understanding is that Jesus is taking forms of an old covenant, an old agreement, between his people and God (of which, remarkably, he is a representative of both, because he's fully both) to establish a new covenant. The old covenant's way of resolving wrongs and trespasses (understood in terms of shed blood and broken bodies of a blemish-free lamb) and of remembrances of where God has brought the people from (the Passover, also celebrated this month, is the immediate context for the meal that Jesus and his disciples were eating for) is being both perfected and completed by the end of the week. In its place, Jesus stands as a testimony to the new testament, the new covenant.

The new covenant, well, we'll get to that shortly.

Smugglers: or How I Have Yet Learned to Stop Worrying and Watch Lord of War and Blood Diamond

A rather short (but still self-involved) treatise on my rushing memories of Lord of War and Blood Diamond:

Two white men make semi-lucrative careers moving guns and goods between despotic warlords in Africa - where leadership is traded like violent payment for long-overdue gambling debts - many of whom exploit pre-adolescents for their impressionable wills and trigger fingers. Under the feigned ignorance of amorality (which doesn't exist) and cries of "meeting a service" (the same cries pushers on the West Side of Chicago mistakenly convince themselves of to cover up their shame in "making a market"), such Lords of War are arming kid energy-led platoons.

One of the child soldiers in BD assumes the nom-de-generation "Baby Killer." As Homer of the Simpsons would implore, "It works on so many levels."

Spoiler Alert!! (??); although I doubt it being that (a) it's pretty obvious to anyone who has seen snippets of it; (b) there's a good chance you may see neither film; (c) neither movie is a thriller, though both may have revelations along the way; (d) you're probably not reading this anyway.

The main difference between these two hung men (played by Nic Cage in LoW and Leonardo DiCaprio in BD) is that DiCaprio's character is slowly changing through the movie (partly led by the most foreign of all film conceits - he's in love). Although he could never directly tell anybody until the last minute, DiCaprio The Actor has to let us in on his character development.
Because of the political motivations behind the makers of LoW, though, Cage's character remains resigned to his role as a knowing cog-in-the-wheel-that-is-bigger-than-he. He remains a willing and winking scapegoat for a government that needs his support. For love of country, for love of money, he's got a duty to do, and he's gonna do it, come hell, high water, or his brother's merciless murder before his eyes. O yeah, don't forget the night with the AIDS-infected supermodels.

Unfortunately, message movies can effectively and affectively pass along much-needed (and sometimes mis-guided) information in such a way that asks us to pause before we act, or cause us to act (Why I didn't check before I bought our wedding rings is probably as good a place to start the self-aggrandizing. Though I suppose prayer, more research and money well-spent would be more appropriate and healthy), they can still contain the stench of lies.