Two brothers joining forces to practice the three R's of blogging: Ranting, Raving, and Reviewing about anything that catches their eye or gets their goat.
By now most of you have heard about the devastating March 15th crane collapse in New York City. The incident left 7 people dead and injured 10 others. On March 4th a complaint was filed about the crane and inspector Edward Marquette filled a report saying he found nothing wrong. Problem is that Marquette found nothing wrong because he never actually inspected the crane. He filed a false report and went about his merry way.
Forget that the report was fraudulent, a real one wouldn’t have helped
If the false report weren’t bad enough, buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster was idiotic enough to say that it is very unlikely that a March 4 inspection would have prevented the accident because parts of the crane that failed 11 days later were not on site then. So, are we to conclude that these mystery parts were the reason for the collapse? Does that mean that the safety complaints received on January 10, January 22 (responded to by Marquette — again) and February 11 were just a coincidence and don’t indicate a pattern of safety problems?
Get out your check book New York, the lawsuits are coming
I’m no construction expert but I don’t think it takes an expert to conclude that the city has a bit of a problem dealing with construction site safety and the inspection process. My heart goes out to the families that lost loved ones in this accident that OBVIOUSLY could have been prevented. I smell several lawsuits coming.
Never fear…I’m not going to try my hand at preaching an Easter sermon. However, just last week I spoke about the need to get the message of Jesus to your Youth. Well, here’s some of those teens who got the message and are now helping to spread it to their peers.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE watch the video to the end. You will definitely be cheering in the last few moments. This is how Christian drama should be done. If this video speaks to you, please leave a comment and pass the video on to others. HAPPY EASTER!
I don’t have a problem admitting that it’s been 3 decades since I was in high school, but I do have difficulty in fully understanding the issues and pressures that teenagers today face. To be honest, I haven’t given their struggle much thought until we opened our home this past school year to a foreign exchange student, which means getting involved in the business of high school. Now, these teen issues have moved to the forefront of my consciousness and I find myself consumed with thinking of the welfare of my nieces, nephews and friends in this age group.
I’m sure there’s a better analysis than mine, but it appears that there’s this constant push to satisfy the physical desires of the body in hopes that it will fill an even greater void in one’s spiritual being. Teens have always experimented with sex and drugs, but where it once was something done with an element of secrecy it’s now being done in plain view and in group settings with no concern for the consequences. Got pregnant? No problem. Just make a quick visit to the local abortion clinic and have it removed like a rotten tooth then go back out clubbing with your friends like nothing happened. As for AIDS, STD, and HPV there is more public information on these diseases than ever before yet again caution is thrown to the wind and our young people roll the dice with every encounter.
“Cutting” is another physical act that just floors me. Why would anyone want to mutilate their own body by slicing their skin with a razor? The final extreme is suicide when all of the above fail to bring any real fulfilling happiness and a sense of worth. The Center for Disease Control reported last year that the suicide rate in the 10-24 year old age group is up 8%, which is the largest single year increase in over 15 years. As young as 10 years? If this cry for help doesn’t get our attention then I don’t know what will.
Our young people are searching for unconditional love, acceptance and a sense of purpose for their lives. The answer won’t be found in a fleeting physical relationship, drugs, alcohol or self-execution. The answer can only be found in Jesus Christ! That’s right…Jesus.
I’m not talking about doing the Sunday Christian zombie thing where you file into the sanctuary; sing a few choruses; drop a few bucks in the offering plate; listen to a mail-order sermon; and then drive like a maniac to beat the Baptists to the buffet restaurant where you gossip about how bad the choir sounded. No, I’m talking about a sincere personal relationship with the Son of God.
While I hope I didn’t describe your place of worship, I have a feeling that most of us can relate to my description of church in America, and it’s this stereotype that has our teens heading in the opposite direction. So, how do I get my teen to experience the love of Jesus against such odds? Well, one option is to attend an Acquire The Fire event.
Acquire the Fire is a weekend-filled ministry of outstanding Christian bands with styles to please everyone’s musical palette, and music seems to be the one medium that teens respond well to. There are outstanding speakers and drama to minister the Gospel in a way that captivates the listener and counselors to talk one-on-one with them.
Acquire the Fire will make 30 tour stops across the US this year with 3 new venues added in Winston-Salem, NC, Dallas, TX, and the Greater New York City area. For our readers who live in Winston-Salem and the Triad, Acquire the Fire will be at the LJVM Coliseum on March 28 and 29.
Acquire the Fire isn’t a substitute for talking with your teen, but it could help initiate a dialogue about Jesus that’s been long overdue.
Around this time last year I blogged a couple of times about the infamous Sanjaya from American Idol season 6. How someone so inept at singing made it so far in a “singing competition” (as Simon insists on calling it) baffled countless viewers. I claimed the voting was fixed, while others gave credit to VFTW and Howard Stern for Sanjaya’s success. Whatever kept Sanjaya on the show no longer matters. He had his 15 minutes of fame, and now it’s over — at least until he appears on a special episode of True Hollywood Stories. So, if season 6 gave us Sanjaya, what does season 7 have in store for Idol viewers?
If you make the rules, then you can bend, break, and ignore them as you deem fit. While Idol claims it’s a “singing contest” it’s a television show first. Ratings are everything, and therefore the rules will always be adjusted in the name ratings.
Some rules are implied whether American Idol likes it or not
While Idol might not review the specifics of their rules “on-air”, the show does indirectly imply the existence of certain rules because it helps paint the picture of a “fair” competition. Here are a few examples to help explain what I mean:
Contestants are undiscovered amateurs: Idol likes to paint a picture of young talented singers toiling away their simple lives flipping burgers and waiting on tables. This impression is far from the truth. A couple of this year’s contestants aren’t new to “the biz.” Nevertheless, Idol prefers to focus on contestant’s humbler sides and conveniently leave out the details of previous successes.
All entries get their shot in front of the 3 judges during the city wide searches: Do the math. Idol has thousands of applicants turn out for the cattle call auditions. It’s impossible to see that many people in a period of 2 days per city. Some talented people are turned away in favor of freakish applicants because, remember, ratings are everything. Yes, it was funny in the first few season but now it’s just embarrassing.
The best singers will advance: This one is debunked in one word: Sanjaya. Face it folks, votes can be manipulated. There is nothing to stop anyone from voting numerous times for their favorite contestant. Large numbers of people can easily be united behind one contestant regardless of talent. Furthermore, who knows how Idol tallies the votes and if they actually count them all. Again, ratings drive everything.
Like it or not, American Idol is a television show looking for ratings and therefore the rules that guide the show are molded to help reach objective number one: increase ratings in order to charge top dollar for commercial spots.
Join the anti-American Idol movement and support VFTW
Idol walks a fine line with its loyal viewers, and for many of us the backlash has begun. If you find yourself disappointed by American Idol, or simply tired of it duping America into thinking it’s a fair contest, then join the anti-American Idol movement orchestrated by Vote for the Worst. These guys select the worst possible contestant available and then rally the troops to vote in force to help keep this person on the show for as long as possible. They have been credited for keeping season 6 oddity, Sanjaya, on the show. Hopefully, VFTW remains powerful and can push another Idol oddity far into the season, and maybe far enough to win it all (think Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and Fantasia Barrino — Idol winners today, Idol footnotes tomorrow).
How can you help bring Idol to its knees? First, stop watching — I have. Second, head over to VFTW and make sure you help vote this season’s favorite as far into the season as possible. Maybe then Idol will stop referring to itself as a singing competition and admit it’s really just a television show masquerading as a singing contest.
Earlier this week, I helped out a local church with setting up the orchestra pit for their annual Easter theatrical production. The work involved pulling back the carpeting near the front of the sanctuary, removing the flooring, and installing stage extensions that protrude over the pit. It’s a major undertaking, but not insurmountable with the right amount of planning and that’s where things went wrong.
I’ve helped this ministry once before in moving the props for their Christmas production from a storage warehouse to a tractor-trailer, which then transported them to the church. In both situations, the same person coordinated the project and was very knowledgeable about what needed to be done. However, he failed in sharing an overview of how the evening’s work needed to flow with the volunteers, which resulted in unnecessary delays between tasks and frustrated volunteers.
Being the operations-minded person that I am, I submitted an email the next morning to one of the church employees who was also acting in a supervisory capacity and saw our frustration with the project coordinator. The contents of my email were very constructive and can apply to all types of projects whether conducted by non-profit or for-profit organizations:
Document - especially if this is a recurring project, write down what needs to take place. Break it down into bite-size tasks so that it can be better managed and your workers can see the progress being made. The documentation should include the sequential order of tasks to be performed; the suggested number of workers needed to perform each task; the resources or tools needed; and the estimated time needed to complete the task. I would also suggest that the document highlight any common mistakes to avoid and any areas that need special attention. For recurring construction projects, take pictures or short video clips for future reference.
Give Advance Notice - this rule applies moreso when working with volunteers. You need to let workers know when and where to show up and if they need to bring any special tools and/or data with them. In my experience, we could have greatly benefited by having more cordless drills and socket sets, and I would have gladly brought mine had I been told to bring them.
Be Prepared - Make sure you have the necessary components and the proper amounts whether it be paper goods, call lists, nails, paint, etc. Nothing brings a project to a quicker halt than running out of something or not being able to find what you thought you had.
Hold a meeting - for the record, let me state that I absolutely loathe planning meetings. They usually end up being too long and raise more questions than they answer. However, the meeting I’m referring to is just a pre-work gathering to quickly review what needs to get done, in what order and who to contact if questions or problems occur. Bring a box of hot Krispy Kreme original glaze doughnuts with you and you’re guaranteed success unless you’re speaking to a no-carbs crowd.
Develop Teams - on a project with multiple tasks that can be performed simultaneously, assembling teams and appointing a team leader within each can really get your project moving forward. Going back to my recent experience, we had only a dozen volunteers show up, but we still had about 3 teams working on various tasks.
Appoint the Right Leader - I cannot stress enough the need to have the right person for the job leading your project. In my scenario, although the Coordinator had done this same project for many years and was very knowledgeable, he micro-managed the installation of every nut and bolt. He had no documentation to warn him of past pitfalls (no pun intended), so when we fell into them again it meant undoing the work that had already been done and start over. Late into the project, the Coordinator realized he had not paid attention to one major alignment, which required everyone stopping what they were doing to muscle the materials back into position. Had that remedy not worked, we would have been forced to disassemble several large and heavy components and start over at a time when most of us were tired and ready to go home. The Coordinator would have better served as a Technical Advisor and report only to the Project Leader who would then communicate to the workers.
Workers, volunteer or paid, are easier to recruit and retain if they understand the project being undertaken and have confidence in the person leading them. If there is “confusion and delay” as Sir Topham Hatt (Thomas the Train series for those of you with young children) would say, you’ll pay the price in worker morale on your current project and a lack of workers for the next.
By now most of you have heard about the devastating March 15th crane collapse in New York City. The incident left 7 people dead and injured 10 others. On March 4th a complaint was filed about the crane and inspector Edward Marquette filled a report saying he found nothing wrong. Problem is that Marquette found nothing wrong because he never actually inspected the crane. He filed a false report and went about his merry way.