Wired News: Westerners Pretty Rich

I've often guessed that I'm in the top 10% of the world population when it comes to money. [It's all the free software I use.] Funny thing is when you say that the reaction is either, no it's can't be, you're not that rich or wow you must be super rich. Thing is it's not that hard to be in the top 10%. People in the USA who make $9300 per year are in the top 12%. I just don't think we know how rich we are. Oh and it turns out I'm in the top %1 on the planet.

Check your self on the Global Rich List.

- Peace

Just haven't been in the blogging mood. Don't know why. but here are some quick notes

• On Sunday I passed the 1000 km mark of biking for the year, my goal is 1200 km. If the weather holds out, I'd love to make it to 1500 km.
  
• SSX3 looks amazing. Christian punk band MXPX is on the soundtrack
  
• Berkeley Breathed is resurrecting Opus the penguin for a new series to appear in Sunday comics this November. Let's hope it's available on the web,
  

- Peace

Canadian Questions for Jen:

For a self described valley girl, you have quite the fascination with Canada, How did that start?

I know you've been to Canada at least once, if you could make another trip where in Canada would you go?

Do you have a favorite Canadian singer / band?

Favorite Canadian author / book?

Favorite Canadian movie and or tv show?

Update: Jen has given her answers. I'd gladly nominate here as an Honorary Canuk.

- Peace

Aug 30 - Biking in Brag Creek

Jay just sent me the pictures:

For thos that don't know, I'm the big guy on the left.

- Peace

VeggieTales Creators File for Bankruptcy - Christianity Today Magazine:

Bob the Tomato and friends sold to company that already has Lassie, Lone Ranger, and Rudolph.

Ouch. How I wish this was just a silly song. Thanks to Brad Boydston for pointing this out.

- Peace

Jen did a post on the Interview Meme, answering a set of questions and offering to interview others, and in a moment of weakness I said sure. Jen's questions and my answers follow.

Jen: You're Canadian, which means that you stereotypically live in an igloo and travel from place to place by dog sled. You interact with moose and beavers on a daily basis and say "eh" at the end of every sentence. What are some of your favorite stereotypes of Americans (now that I've listed every Canadian one that I can think of)?

DJK: I guess my favorite stereotypical American would be the blissfully oblivious American as seen on Talking to Americans with Rick Mercer.

Jen: What is "ideajoy"?

DJK: Well "ideajoy" would be a variable name, where as "IdeaJoy" is a class. See the Java naming conventions. It's seven letters that returned no documents from Google when I changed the name from Ideola. It reflects the interaction of the mind and spirit. If we had a logo it would be a dove and lightbulb.


Jen: If money was no concern and you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do?

DJK: Two answers to that
1) Bike across Canada, Victoria to St. Johns. It's about 7000 km. I'll do 1200 km biking this year so if I had three – four months and was in slightly better shape I could do it.
2) Tour Africa, see Kenya, visit my sister who is looking to live in Angola.

I have a career goal to work out side of North America for at least six months. When I travel, I don't feel it's been a good trip unless I get to spend a significant amount of time talking to local people. I don't ever see my self just doing sight seeing.


Jen: You live in Calgary. Are you into rodeo stuff? Have you been to the Stampede?

DJK: Been in Alberta since 1988 and have yet to go to a rodeo. However you can't avoid the Stampede if you are in Calgary that week. Each year my daughter and I make it to a least one of the hundreds of Stampede breakfasts for pancakes and sausages. Our church holds it's carnival day during Stampede and I've helped out with that. Last year we did go down to the fair grounds. The only part I really enjoyed was the western art exhibit. For rides Calaway Park or West Edmonton Mall are better deals.


Jen: Why do you blog?

DJK: I've been on the net since the early nineties. To me it's the latest, and I'd say best form of online discussion. A set of interlinked blogs have a natural way of keeping the signal to noise ratio high. People don't link to a noisy blog. I believe one of the strengths of the net is many to many communication, Other wise it's just a poor substitute for TV.

I am obviously in love with reading my own writing.

The Interview Meme

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions — each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal or blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions

- Peace

Wired News: Study: Saving Trees Saves Water and Money

A recent evaluation showed it would cost $7 billion to build a water treatment plant, compared with a $1 billion bill for actively managing the forest catchment area by raising water taxes and paying farmers to use less fertilizer and reduce grazing.

- Peace

More on Q & A in Church

A couple of weeks back I asked Why don't we do Q & A in Church?. A freind told me the Westside Kings Church did Q & A in their service. So I emailed Tom Morris, Senior Pastor at WKC and asked him to do a brief interview, and he was kind enough to agree.

DJK: First for context, can you give me the quick answer to what is Westside Kings Church?

TM: Go to www.wkc.org it has all our vision values on it

DJK: I've heard you do Q & A as part of your services can you tell me how that fits into service, how long is the Q & A session and any other mechanics of how you do Q & A at church?

TM: Yes we do have Q & A and have been doing this for a couple of years on Sunday night at our young adult focused celebration. we have done it a few times on the other celebrations but it is a little unwieldy there. We have an evening host and after the message that person walks around and holds the mic while people ask away.

DJK: How many people attend the evening service? How many questions / how long does the Q & A sessions go?

TM: We began the evening celebration two years ago and presently have over one hundred of our regular two thousand that attend. Q and A is for around 15 mins and usually about four questions sometimes a few more.

DJK: Why did the q & a sessions start at WKC?

TM: We did it because it fits with our core ideology as to the interaction. We believe is nessesaty in the context of people influenced by a more dialouge oriented culture rather than the one way communication of the traditional modern church.

DJK: Have there been any awkward moments during Q & A, what do you do to handle them?

TM: A few. Mostly people who expose themselves in a way that shows that they really don't get what is being talked about. we have a very gracious community so it is not a big deal.

DJK: What does having a q & a session say about the WKC culture?

TM: I am not sure, but i think it says we are open and want to learn together rather than a sage on the stage we are a learning community of fellow struggelers.

- Peace

Okanagan Gleaners

Okanagan Gleaners save surplus fruits and vegetables, converting them into dried fruits and soup mixes, and donating the products to the poor and needy through reputable, well established relief organizations, soup kitchens, food banks and street ministries. Their products have been shipped to North and South America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. In 1998, most of the production went to the survivors of Hurricane Mitch in the Honduras.

People go to the Okanagan, camp at the gleaners site, help in the morning and enjoy the Okanagan valley for the rest of the day. What a brilliant idea.

- Peace