The Mindful Life
A Dangerous Spin
Two Child Molestation Scandals Break Over Moscow’s Christ ChurchFor 18 months, a serial child molester named Steven James Sitler called Moscow home. He boarded with a Christ Church family. He attended Doug Wilson's New St. Andrews College. How did the community and members of Christ Church learn of Steven Sitler's crimes? On a local blog and, later, on an Internet community chat group. What's wrong with this picture? Everything. [more]
Forget San Francisco
Kendrick, Idaho: Gay MeccaI opened my email first thing this morning to find a direct order from someone called Brett Long. I don't know Mr. Long from Adam's off ox, but he ordered me never again to mention Kendrick, Idaho in my "drivel." Clearly, Mr. Long is not familiar with my church or its motto: You're not the boss of me. Here's just a few of the many reasons why gay people should eschew the charms of San Francisco and Seattle and settle instead on tiny Kendrick. [more]
Singer, Songwriter, Sensation
Moscow’s Own Josh Ritter Featured on NPR’s Morning EditionAt last, some good publicity for Northern Idaho. On Friday, May 12th, Moscow singer and songwriter Josh Ritter was featured on NPR's Morning Edition. Ritter's new album, The Year of the Animals, has garnered him favorable comparisons to both Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. And you know what? That ain't just hype. Ritter really is that good. [more]
Neil Young's "Living with War"...and More
The Protest Song is Not DeadOne of the first songs I heard criticizing the current administration and the Iraq War was John (Cougar) Mellencamp’s “To Washington” in 2003. It claimed to "[borrow] its melody and arrangement from folk/country icons Woody Guthrie and the Carter Family.” [more]
No ATVs, Please
New Website Celebrates Montana’s Swan Range, Encourages Keeping it WildWe love them, we hike them. We bike them and camp in them. And they’ve always been there. But it’s time to stop taking our forests and natural playgrounds for granted. We need to keep them wild, sacred and motor-free. These were the ideas behind creation of the new website about Northwest Montana’s Swan Mountain Range, Swanrange.org.
I asked Ben Long, one of the website’s co-creators, whose brainchild the website was. “It was much more organic than that,” he told me. Look a little closer at the site and you’ll see what he means. The site, it turns out, was the result of a lot of collaboration between people who love the same wilderness. A page titled “People of the Swan” has pictures and testimonials from artists, business people, hikers and your basic outdoor-loving Montanans. Hell, even Miss Montana USA loves the Swan.
[more]
The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis
Today’s To-Do List: 1) Gay Rights 2) Animal Welfare 3) Save the Planet
Each generation inherits (and strips away, and adds on) a layer (or two, or 2,000) of history (or karma) from its ancestors. We don't only inherit a working knowledge of science; inventions such as light bulbs, 2-ply recycled toilet-paper and 5-blade razors and cars and solar panels; and traditions such as tea ceremony and baseball -- but we inherit Victorian houses, family and national feuds, poetry, beer, bicycles…etc.
We also inherit prejudices. Two centuries ago, poor folk weren't allowed the vote. A century ago, womenfolk weren't allowed the vote. Then came Civil Rights. Then feminism. Next three on the list, in my sage opinion?
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We Got Worms
Squirmy Little Reasons to Organicize Your LifeOnce, I knew a girl who had a tapeworm.
She was a blonde girl from California. We were both students on semester abroad in South Africa. I got off the plane with excitement in my stomach and Lariam and Cipro in my backpack, at the urging of my doctor, who had pretty much scared the hell out of me with stories of people encountering flesh-eating bacteria, lifelong cases of malaria and—worst of all—ten-pound, full-body-spanning tapeworms.
Ahh yes. The illustrious tapeworm. Tapeworms, as any American knows, are African organisms that find their way into our bodies via some kind of uncooked African meat, unwashed African vegetables, or by touching the dirty hand of an African person with one’s own hand and then accidentally putting said hand into innocent American mouth.
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The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis
Toshiro Mifune, Willy Ryken, Cary Grant & Cyndi Lee—vs. the World.
Christians may be excused if they look upon 2006 as a dark time: for pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth are in rampant excess, for sale at every 7-11, as seen on TV.
Those heathens, the Buddhists, couldn’t agree more. They call this ‘the dark age,’ when even devoted ‘warriors’ for peace and gentleness are losing heart. One of the signs of this ‘dark age,’ it’s said, is a lack of respect for one’s elders (reverence is a value particularly pronounced in Confucianism, the Tao and Tibetan Buddhism—three ways of life that, less than welcome in their native country, survive primarily in $90 textbooks that college freshman have to, but don’t, read).
[more]
The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis
Anti-Abortion and Pro-War…What Gives?
Abortion is everyone’s favorite political issue. But in daily life, it’s a non-issue.
Ask a deep-South candidate why he’s running for something, he’ll say “Pro-Life” before you can say ‘knee-jerk,’ or even just ‘jerk.’ Ask him why he (because, yes, he’s a he—over 108% of Republican candidates are men) supports The War, on the other hand, and suddenly our Right-to-Kill is a good thing. Death Penalty? He likes that, too.
So if we’re not talking about a Right-to-Life, just what are we talking about?
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Silver Care Be Damned
Growing Old GracelesslyStop offering me burial insurance. I want to burden my loved ones with my final expenses. I'll be dead, for heaven's sake. Popping me in the ground for the old dirt nap is the least they can do. [more]
