Month: September 2011

  • College Football predictions

    Today is opening day for my two favorite teams, Notre Dame & San Diego State. Here are my predictions on their seasons.

    1. Notre Dame – The Irish have a tough schedule. The first five games are as tough a schedule as you’ll see anywhere because teams always “play up” for Notre Dame and their National TV audience. If you look at their order of schedule and the style of football each team plays… it’s really hard to adjust. This team is better, but not quite of the power to roll over teams just yet. I think they will handle USF today and Michigan next week, stumble at home to Michigan State and again at Pitt. But then go on a bit of a tear until and beat Purdue, Air Force, and USC. Then they will lose to Navy before beating Wake, Maryland, and Boston College. Then we’ll see how good they are in November at Stanford. If Andrew Luck is healthy they will be tough to beat. Overall- I’m seeing 8-4 and a trip to the lowest BCS game. (It’s about money, friends.)
    2. San Diego State – Last season, the secret weapon was the defense which made the offense look better than they really were.. They’ve leveled up a bit on D. But I think the combination of Rocky Long (a defensive-minded guy) and the flip-flop from a talented WR core to an all rookie one will kill their ability to move the ball. Ryan Lindley is a great pocket passer. He’ll need to depend less on the long ball and more on short passes and screen with the weapons he has available. Ronnie Hillman, if he is healthy, is explosive and rips yards off in a Barry Sanders kind of method. He’ll got 2-3 yards at a time, then rip off 25 when you aren’t looking. That will all depend on their ability to spread teams out with WR and TE. The opposite of the Irish, they have some playing styles with opponents that will help them. Secret weapon of the Aztecs? Kicking. Holy cow they have guys who can kick it miles. Remember last years 88 yard punt in New Mexico? I think they’ll beat Cal Poly and Army before losing to Washington State, Michigan, and TCU. Then they’ll win four in a row against Air Force, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado State. They’ll get pounded by Boise State and then beat Fresno and UNLV. As long as Hillman and Lindley stay healthy they will be 8-4 and play again in the Poinsettia Bowl.

    Other thoughts on college football, in general.

    We need to see some teeth from the NCAA. Both Ohio State and Miami deserve the death penalty. Their fans disagree. But the reality is that they completely ignored NCAA rules and made a mockery of the whole thing. I think USC got off easy and it’s awesome they can’t get ranked in the coaches poll. (If only Pete Carroll had gotten punished…)

    I hope the Mountain West defectors get pounded this year. TCU lost to Baylor last night. I hope Utah loses 8 games in the Pac-12. And BYU has just become BY-Who? (Who do they think they are to go independent? They are no Texas or Notre Dame.) None of the Mountain West teams want to schedule them. (I see one MWC game on this years schedule. What’s that tell you about the cheating they do?) Speaking of, I heard Texas A&M is looking for a conference home. I hope they jump on the bandwagon for next season with Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawaii.

    Is it the year of the Ducks? They sure are fun to watch. And I’d love to see the tomahawk chop back in prominence in Tallahassee. If you just look at the mascots… it’s a great year. Could it be a BCS game of the cowboys vs. indians? (Oklahoma State vs. Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl?)

  • The high cost of tomatoes

    1. The Unsavory Story Of Industrially-Grown Tomatoes – Clip from Science Friday, August 26th 2011     

    Source: Science Friday – August 26th 2011

    I love tomatoes. They are a seasonal treat I grow in my garden. At the peak of the growing season we were getting 50+ per week from our garden.

    Key word: Seasonal.

    Americans have no concept of seasonal food. We want what we want 12 months per year in complete denial of natural growth cycles. In other words, if you want a tomato on your salad to start your annual New Years diet, you just go to the grocery store and get it.

    Here’s the thing: Tomatoes don’t grow naturally that time of year. There are places in the world where tomatoes grow well during a season. But in the middle of the winter your typical beaf steak tomato doesn’t grow anywhere in North America. At least not naturally.

    So why can I buy them year-round? 

    Supply and demand has a dark side. As the audio from the August 26th version of Science Friday documents, those low taste, high cost winter tomatoes you buy at the supermarket come at a very high cost.

    • About 120 chemicals are needed to make those tomatoes grow in Florida.
    • 8x’s the pesticides are needed for Florida winter tomatoes that aren’t needed for ones grown in California.
    • Many are hand picked and cultivated by modern-day slaves…. in Florida. (More than 1200 cases of such have been documented in recent years.)
    • They are picked when they are completely unripe and bright green. Then they are gased to turn them bright red, even though they aren’t ripe.
    • The reason your store bought tomatoes have no flavor is that they aren’t raised in soil, they are raised in sand. (No natural nutrients, sorry)

    What’s the point?

    If you knew that you were buying something produced by modern-day slavery in your own country, would you still buy it if it were a good deal?

    My advice? Next time you sit down to eat something or make a meal ask yourself… where did this food come from? What were the farmers who produced it paid? And was this food made under conditions that honor God?

    You might not want to know. But the reality is that there is an entire industry out there who doesn’t want you to think about where your food comes from, they just want to get rich off of your ignorance.

  • 5 Storytelling Podcasts You’ll Love

    Photo by Alyson Hurt via Flickr (Creative Commons)

    I’m a connoisseur of storytelling. I can’t get enough of the genre. Whether its a personal narrative, or non-fictional piece, investigative storytelling, or fiction– I love it all.

    As a communicator I study the method and mode of storytelling. I know that in order to be a better communicator I’ll need to become a better storyteller.

    Here are 5 storytelling podcasts I love and recommend

    • This American Life – The granddaddy of them all. Each one-hour show is a series of segments (called acts) built around a central theme. This is a great entry point to the genre as it acts as an aggregator of others.
    • The Moth – The Moth is a storytelling non-profit which holds regular events in major cities around the country called, Story Slams. Participants tell a story live, without notes, before an audience. They take the best of the 15 minute stories and put them on their podcast.
    • Third Coast International Audio Festival – I’m a new fan of this one. Each segment is about an hour. It’s got an investigative reporting/documentary vibe to it. But they thread stories together in a way which fascinates me.
    • Storycorps – I can’t tell you how many times this project has brought me to tears. It’s all amatuer, typically a monologue or a family member interviewing another family member. Each segment is about 5 minutes.
    • 60 Minutes audio edition – I don’t particularly enjoy the TV version of this show. But the audio version (literally, the same show with just audio) is fantastic! The reporting here is second-to-none, and what I learn from this style of storytelling is an economy of words.
    What are your favorite podcasts for learning storytelling? (Preaching doesn’t count!)

  • Beginning life in the Cartel

    For those who missed my earlier announcement: I’m no longer with Youth Specialties. Starting today I’m joining my friend Marko (Mark Oestreicher) to launch a brand new kind of youth ministry organization, The Youth Cartel.

    I’ve spent 3 months waiting for September 1st to arrive. Words can’t express how excited I am to get started today. Our byline is “Instigating a revolution in youth ministry.” So let’s kick this thing off.

    How can you get involved in the Cartel?

    • Sign-up for YoutTube You Can Use – This is a free resource I’m producing every week as a discussion starter with the teenagers in your life.
    • Sign-up for Cartel Culture – More than a newsletter, this will give you regular entry points to kicking off a revolution in your community.
    • Collaborate with us – If you share a vision for seeing foundational shifts in how we minister to adolescents, I want to hear from you.

    How can you invest RIGHT NOW?

    My first big idea for The Youth Cartel is the Extended Adolescence Symposium. It’s a one-day event, bringing together two of the countries top thinkers, and drilling into the root causes of extended adolescence and it’s effects on adolescent faith development. We are funding it through Kickstarter, and investing as little as $10 would help us out a lot.

    As of right now we’ve raised $2470 of the $6000 we need by September 17th. Many of you have asked me how you can help me get The Youth Cartel going. This is a very practical way. $10, $50, $250… all makes a big difference.