Recent Music Discoveries

I'm always on the prowl for new music. Sometimes I go on a "discovery binge" and download four or five albums/bands at a time. I would say 54% of the material is basically junk, but I really can't support that percentage because I never entirely listen to everything I download. Many songs get lost in the mix and somehow never get played in my itunes. Alas, I seem to find some really great stuff. Some of it is referred to me from people here and there and I much appreciate it, even though inside I wish I had discovered it myself. Well, in no particular order, here are some recent findings/new material that have come my way.


The Tallest Man on Earth - I Won't Be Found
Tarkio - Weight Of The World
Gomez - Airstream Driver
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
We Are Scientists - After Hours
Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band - Nikorette
Annuals - Springtime
Frightened Rabbit - Keep Yourself Warm
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Griffin House - Better Than Love
Editors - Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors
Feist + Ben Gibbard - Train Song
Great Lake Swimmers - Your Rocky Spine
Iron & Wine - Belated Promise Ring
Matt And Kim - Daylight
The Mountain Goats - San Bernardino
Razorlight - Wire To Wire
Seabear - I Sing I Swim
Shearwater - Rooks
Sunset Rubdown - The Mending Of The Gown
Jon Knowles - Horatio Hornblower

Old Prejudices Resurface

A recent study found that 24.6 percent of Americans attrubite a moderate amount of blame to the Jews for causing the economic crisis. Anit-semitism has flared up again and again in tough times throughout history, and especially in cicumstances that are hard to understand. 

Meatatarian

Due to Kim's recent irresponsible and irrational life choice of becoming a vegetarian, I will double my efforts as a meatatarian and consume two animals for every plant that she eats. I will also continue to eat candy on a regular basis to offset any healthy activity that I have done in the past 24 hours. Also, I would like to begin marketing a restaurant idea that some of my compatriots at school and I have come up with. Yes, it's the endangered species restaurant because hey, some of these animals won't be around very long so you better get em while they are hot! As a bonus, if you are the lucky customer who eats the last individual of any species gets a dessert for free!

Meat, it's whats for dinner

Vegetarian.

This is it, kiddos. I am going vegetarian. Here's the thing... I've been pretty close to calling it quits with meat for a while now but have never really had a problem with it so I never did. This gave me the option of consuming poultry whenever I felt like it (which was only once every week or so). I have no problem with animal hunting or anything of that nature. I do not support PETA. I don't care if my friends choose to eat meat. I physically feel a lot better not eating meat and it forces me to choose healthier options. That's it. What pushed me over the edge was my cousin's kid puking up chicken at Easter brunch today. Something about that... ew. So here I am. I fully well know that it's not going to be easy but (like everything else in life) the best things require work. Here's to vegetables!

What Groups Discuss

A new study shows what we all know to be true: groups talk about redundant information. The study determined that groups spend most of their time discussing information that is already known by all members, and that they are unlikely to transmit information that is unique to only a few members. This explains why every bonfire we have turns into an hour long Seinfeld quoting session. 

Cuba Libre!

The President is lifting a travelling ban that has restricted travel to Cuba since the early sixties. This is an encouraging step. America's sanctions against Cuba don't really make any sense in a post-Cold War world. Hopefully the trade embargo will be rescinded sometime in this administration. 

What Would Jesus Deconstruct?

Many Christians seem to view postmodern thought as a serious threat to the church, because of its challenges to truth claims. However, this simplistic dismissal misses much of value in the postmodern intellectual movement. There are many things the church can learn from postmodern thought, and many opportunities produced by an acceptance of a plurality of points of view. Our generation's rejection of the Enlightenment worldview has created possibilities for Christian perspectives to be taken seriously in intellectual dialogue. Postmodernism has also produced a healthy criticism of modernity's materialism and scientific worldview. This line of thinking has come to enrich Christian theology as well, notably in the Radical Orthodox theological movement. 

If you are interested in postmodern thought or contemporary literary theory, perhaps you would be interested in this recent book:

What Would Jesus Deconstruct: The Good News of Postmodernism for the Church

New Member

Hello blog followers,
I am Blake, one of the two new contributors to the Just words blog. I have no previous blogging experience and cant promise to be all that diligent in my posting responsibilities.

The types of subject that you can expect from me will probably center around the outdoor world such as hunting, fishing, and animal rights (or lack thereof). I also may offer a view or two from inside a fraternity for those of you who are not affiliated with the Greek system.

On a final note I ask that those who read comment on how they would correctly spell NAZI. This question is due to a bet that Matt and I had with Dr. T and he thinks that it is spell NATZI. Yes I realize that he is crazy but he owes Matt and I $20 apiece and it is imperative that he is defeated.

Oh and for the record, the spell check marked NATZI as incorrect.

Summer Reading List

I offer my humble apologies to my dedicated readers for an unexpected six-month hiatus from the blogging world. I have been very busy raising capital for a new silver mine in Peru. 

So I thought I would start back up again by telling you what books I would really like to read this summer.

1. 1848: Year of Revolution - A new look at the events of 1848, a year in which almost every major nation in Europe experienced a revolution of some sort.

2. Introducing Radical Orthodoxy - An accessible overview of the new Radical Orthodox theological movement, written by Calvin Professor of Philosophy James Smith.

3. Paris, 1919: Six Months that Changed the World - An account of the Versailles conference that followed the First World War and failed to secure a lasting peace for Europe.

4. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World - Niall Ferguson explores what no one understands and everyone depends on: money and banking. 

5. The Trial -  Just because I haven't read very much Franz Kafka.

Comments? Suggestions?

The News of America

I was just checking Google news and these are two of the three stories listed under U.S.:

1. Michelle Obama picks yellow for inauguration dress - Michelle Obama, hailed by many as America's new style icon, officially took her place on the world stage on Tuesday wearing an outfit in the nontraditional color of yellow and set fashionistas atwitter.
2. First daughters Malia and Sasha Obama stand by their brand, J. Crew - For the past two days, the girls have worn head-to-toe outfits from Crewcuts, the kids line from J. Crew that boasts "designer details" and couture touches on its mini-me separates.

Yikes, America.